"Unexpected Romance: Changes"

Chapter 5- "Answers"

By- Tiny

The fighters of Earth had gone their separate ways after learning of this new threat to their tranquility, heading off to train for the imminent arrival within the next few months, possibly even weeks. The mime-like human, Chautzu, had opted not to train, seeing as he was weaker than everyone else by a considerable margin and felt he would do no good, so that only left three of the human defenders to battle it out. They had improved in the short time since the battle with Frieza ended, each easily as strong as the Kurudo-jin's first form by now, one even stronger than that at this point.

Surprisingly enough, Chi-Chi had not objected to Gohan's training to combat this upcoming threat to the planet, merely had insisted that he be allowed to study as well so that he did not fall behind. Vegeta had agreed to her terms, begrudgingly, but was being sure to keep his distance from the human woman while he stayed in the house, the tension between them still very, very thick. He hoped that the tension would die down eventually, so as he might become better capable of exploring the bond they had formed, but in the meantime it was best if he kept his distance.

The Nameksei-jin Piccolo had been incredibly silent during the explanation of what was coming, his eyes seemingly distant and reflecting on things past, almost as though he wasn't there in the moment. He had also been the first to leave and begin his training in the desert wastes that he called his home, throwing down the weighted clothes he normally wore due to the intense heat. It would make it harder for his power to increase through training, but he was in no mood to focus only on his training as he sparred against himself, his mind dwelling on the power off in the distance.

He had been in the desert for hours, training as hard as he could manage without the aid of his weighted clothes, his body covered in a warm sweat from the intense methods which he employed in his battles. Piccolo was troubled, his mind heavy with the knowledge of what was coming to this planet and knowing that he could do nothing to stop the monster's coming thanks to his defusing with Kami centuries before. The man coming to this planet that he now called his home was far more powerful than even Frieza had been, or at least he had been during his youth ages before, and nobody on the planet stood a chance against him.

The Nameksei-jin was about to start up his training once more when he sensed someone behind him, a fairly large power but not one that he was afraid of, not even close as he swung his elbow around for a strike. The blow never connected, instead being caught in the powerful grasp of a diminutive Saiya-jin prince, the ebony eyes of the monarch curious and, at the same time, calculating. A lesser man would have cringed at the mere sight of such an intense gaze, but Piccolo was not afraid of the Saiya-jin man and merely snorted as the prince let his arm go.

"You know something," Vegeta stated matter-of-factly, "I want to know what you are hiding from the rest of us."

"I hide nothing," Piccolo spat, "All I know is that there is a large power out there and that..."

"Do not lie to me Nameksei-jin!" Vegeta snapped, slapping the green man across the face, "You are not dealing with that bumbling moron Kakarot, I am intelligent and I know when someone is hiding something from me. You are either going to tell me what that is or I am going to see to it that this planet needs a new guardian."

"Very well, but only because I wish to fight this man myself," Piccolo growled, "Long ago, there were three fighters on my home planet known as the Super Nameksei-jin, three warriors with power surpassing that of any others. Even your Super Saiya-jin would have gotten into trouble against one of them, but all three together, when it counted...they were invincible."

"Quite an amusing tale," Vegeta scoffed, "What happened to them?"

"Two were banished from the planet using the Dragonballs after the ringleader, a warrior known Slug, tried to usurp the elders," Piccolo continued, "The one who remained was named Guru, but he used what was left of his power to repair the damage done by his brethren; he was the elder of that planet when Frieza attacked. The other two were known as Slug and Zildar; Slug went off to conquer worlds in his anger, Zildar went wandering and landed on a barren mudheap and rose to a position of great power."

"Which of the two is on our way here?" Vegeta smirked, "Slug, or this other you speak of who holds the power?"

"Slug is the one on his way here, his signature is unmistakable," Piccolo answered, his eyes distant once more, "Slug was not the most powerful of the three but he is the last and thus is a greater danger than you can possibly imagine."

Vegeta simply nodded as he turned and prepared to take off into the night sky, his mind jumbled with thoughts of how to best combat this new threat now that he knew what was coming. What disturbed him the most was just how much the Nameksei-jin warrior knew about this new threat and how accurate his descriptions were, almost as though he had met the dangerous foe in the past. Turning back to his fellow warrior, Vegeta could see those distant eyes staring up into the sky once more, the sun setting on the horizon giving the desert an almost painted appearance.

"What of the other Nameksei-jin, Zildar?" Vegeta asked, "Did such a powerful foe merely kick off after living so long?"

"He often wished he could have that luxury, but he lives still, though he is only half the man he once was," Piccolo answered with a smirk, "One half is the fighter, the other the intellectual, but they remain one in the same. Go now, I have training to do."

Vegeta asked no more and simply took off into the twilight, his white aura blazing behind him as he left the former Super Nameksei-jin to his training, his mind heavy with the thought of the battle that loomed ever closer...

Chi-Chi was busily cleaning up the house while her guest was away, dusting and sweeping up the mess that had been left by her son while he was studying after his training finished for the day. She was working on the fireplace when an old photograph fell down from the mantle, the glass breaking as it hit the hardwood floor and starling the poor woman as she knelt to clean it up. The picture was one of herself and Goku back when Gohan was first born, right after the couple had married, all three of them looking happier than Chi-Chi thought they had ever been before.

She could feel tears streaming down her face as she thought back on those good times many years ago, her heart heavy with the knowledge that those days were long gone and that they would not be coming back. She hated Goku so much for leaving them, always rushing off to face the next great challenge with no thought to his family, only wishing to satisfy his own hunger to grow stronger. Yet, at the same time, a part of her still loved the goofy, child-like man for the son he had given her, a boy who was not only strong like his father, but who possessed an intellect unrivaled by any other boy his age.

Chi-Chi may well have spent the rest of the night pondering these thoughts in silence were it not for the sound of breathing behind her, the familiar scent of sweat and dust rising into her nostrils as she turned around. Vegeta had been silent coming into the house from his journey into the night hours, as he always was, and one could easily tell that he had been training again. If not due to the sweat that made his tan skin glisten in the lights then one knew due to the tightness of his muscles from being strained during sparring, or because of the way he held his body, as a Goku always had after training.

"You need a bath, I'll go get some water started outside," Chi-Chi smiled, trying to mask her discomfort, "It'll be ready in a few minutes, so you can go eat in the meantime, we saved you some dinner."

"Kakarot is a Saiya-jin, it is in his nature to seek a challenge and go off to meet it, just as it is in my nature...in your son's nature," Vegeta said, ignoring her statement, "We are the last of what was once a great and proud warrior race, a race who thrived on the battlefield and who met any challenge without fear, without concern for our well-being, and without any regrets."

"So nice to know he doesn't regret not coming home to his family," Chi-Chi sniffled, putting the picture down, "Are all of you like that, or do some of you actually care about your family?"

"Third-class soldiers were always restless, they only came home when they needed to be with their mates and to see their children," Vegeta answered, "Elites were much the same way, though they tended to remain on-planet most of the time, as servants to the royal household."

Chi-Chi just snorted as she went back about her duties, dusting off the rest of the mantle and heading for the coffee table when a pair of arms turned her around, her large black eyes meeting those of her house guest. There was always something different within his eyes whenever she looked into them, be it anger and hurt or sorrow and pride, but this time there was something she had never seen before. His eyes were showing her compassion and, if she was reading things right, a hint of pity, a kind of understanding clicking between them and he came closer to her.

Heat was building between the two people as Vegeta loomed before her, his body clad only in the pants he wore for training, giving her a good view of the tight and toned muscles he usually kept concealed under his armor. She herself felt like stripping a few layers off to keep from breaking out in a sweat, but didn't really trust herself not to go closer to him if she should do so now. She was a proud woman and refused to back away from Vegeta, the Saiya-jin standing only a few inches away now, his scent filling her nostrils and driving her nearly into euphoria just being so close to him.

"Stop, this isn't right," the human woman gasped, her chest heaving, "You aren't my husband."

"Your right about one thing," Vegeta smirked, pulling her up against his body, "I am not Kakarot..."

And before she could even utter a protest, Vegeta pulled Chi-Chi into a hot, passionate kiss, his hand trailing along her backside, moving to undo her dress and, this time, she did not try to stop him...

Author's Notes: No naughtiness this time guys, though I'm sure you can take a guess as to what happens after this little scene, even without me writing it out in full and graphic details! The bond between the two will now be complete and you'll see as they interact more and more just how deep it goes, especially once the battle with Slug and his minions gets underway. The others reactions will be priceless as well, once they find out about all this, so be sure to stay tuned for that!

The next chapter will focus on the immediate aftermath of the previous night as Chi-Chi wakes up on the couch with Vegeta, clothes all over the place and some pieces of furniture...in pieces. How will the human woman deal with her decision from the previous night and, more importantly, how will her son react when he finds out about it? To find out, you'll have to tune in next time...