Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else so be sure to give credit where credit is due. Thanks to all of my loyal reviewers, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter. Thanks.

From Purpose to Discovery

It came as a shock to everyone when a week after Bulma had started to actively care about her health she announced she was going on a vacation. She claimed that she'd been exhausting herself and that she needed to relax and meditate on where her life was going. Which was mostly true at least. The other part was avoiding Vegeta while she came to a decision on how to tell him their news. Needless to say Vegeta was not pleased that she was going, after all who would do his repairs and invent him new things to destroy. At least that was his vocal reason and he was sticking behind it. Bulma's parents weren't thrilled with it either, in tune with their daughter enough to know that something was up. But she was an adult and it wasn't like anyone could really stop their daughter once she got it into her head to do something. And so she set out, calling once a week to check in with her family, never seeming to be in the same place twice. It would be three months before the remaining residents of the Briefs household would begin going out of their respective minds with worry, thanks in part to poor Gohan. After a while all his constant phone calls and dropping in for news about Bulma became just too suspicious to ignore. Even Goku picked up on it and he wasn't exactly known for being the most observant guy around. Finally the adults were able to weasel out of him that he thought Bulma might be really ill and that that's why she'd gone away. His description of her collapsing then spending a really long time talking to the doctor had everyone in a tizzy, especially when they couldn't get ahold of Bulma because she wasn't answering her cell phone. Everyone but Vegeta descending into chaotic worry soon Goku was sent to find an alien he knew on a nearby planet that possessed the skills to projected the position of any person provided he had something that belonged to that person. It took him seven hours but Goku finally returned with the alien who was handed one of Bulma's favorite jackets. Holding it in his hands he closed his eyes then lifting his right hand into the air raised it to eye level on a plain wall. Slowly a swirling pattern appeared on the wall from bottom to top, slowly becoming swirling color before coming into focus to show a healthy looking Bulma walking down a street with another girl who looked a little like her.

She was fine, Vegeta thought, inwardly sighing in relief. In fact she looked a hell of a lot better then she had the last time he'd seen her. She'd gotten her figure back and even looked like she'd gained a bit more. There was color in her cheeks and she was laughing at whatever the other woman was saying.

"She's with her cousin." Mrs. Briefs was saying, doing the huge sigh of relief for Vegeta. "And she looks just fine."

"Do you wish to hear what they're saying, Goku san?" The alien asked, never taking his eyes on the wall.

"Sure, why not." Goku replied with a shrug, a big smile on his face now that he knew she was fine. She was one of his best friends after all and Gohan had gotten them all pretty worried. Looks like it had just been the flu like Bulma had said.

Soon the room filled with the mindless chatter of the two women, the alien just about to stop a few moments later when Bulma's words stopped them all in their tracks.

"Damn, he is following us." Bulma hissed, grabbing her cousin's arm before Lana could give away the fact that they were aware of the silent shadow they'd picked up. "Don't turn around."

"But who is he?" Lana hissed, fear coming into her eyes. "He's been following us for five blocks now. I think we should stop and call the police or something. We're not Goku, Bulma. This guy could be a mass murderer or something."

"What he is is an alien." Bulma said darkly, keeping a tight grip on her cousin in case Lana got it into her head to do something stupid.

"How can you tell? He looks normal." Lana argued, even though neither of them had gotten more then a few glimpses of the guy.

"When you're around them enough you get a sixth sense about this sort of thing. The question is..what the hell does he want? Normally they have a reason for bothering me which usually has to do with one of the guys but they aren't even on this continent." Bulma muttered, more to herself then to Lana. "Well...there's only one way to find out. You head on to the club without me. I'll met you there. And before you tell me that I'm nuts I'm well aware of that. But if you're with me you'll just get in the way. So go now and no arguments." Luckily Lana was essentially pretty air headed and cowardly because she only made a couple half hearted protests before hurrying off while Bulma turned around, standing her ground. Slowly the man who'd been following them detached himself from the crowd, the two locking eyes.

Walking wearily towards her the man looked around nervously before walking until he was a foot from her, a hesitant smile on his face. He was shorter then she was by half a foot with average looks and build. He didn't look threatening but Bulma wasn't about to let her guard down any time soon. "What gave me away?" The man asked hesitantly in Japanese, looking at her questioningly.

"I know when I'm being followed. What do you want with me?"

"I don't mean you any harm, I assure you." The alien hastened to assure her, not sure what sort of threat she was after all. "I'm simply an observer, nothing more. I apologize if I frightened or upset you in any way. This is what my species does, you see. We observe and record the histories and cultures of other races. My name is Akithos."

"So you're just here to observe Earth culture." Bulma said suspiciously, obviously not buying it.

"Well not exactly, You see we, my kind, ruled your planet as not being worth studying. You're a fairly primitive race, no offense, and you aren't big enough or old enough to have amassed much of a history. I only decided to come here because I heard there were two Saiyans living here. That's why I was following you."

"How did you know I knew them?" Bulma demanded to know, looking surprised and even more suspicious now. Just how long had he been following her? Had he tracked her down from her place? Why did he want to see Goku and Vegeta? "If you've come to cause them problems you're going to have to get through me first, shortie. I may not look it but I can and will kick your alien ass back to whatever planet it is you're from."

"Actually, not even a Saiyan has the physical strength to do that." Akithos said with a chuckle though he still watched her wearily. She was unkown after all. "And as to how I knew that you knew them..well that's sort of complicated. Because they're Saiyans, Saiyan males in particular, I knew it was best if I approached them cautiously. We don't have a lot in our databases on them because they were such a violent and closed culture. Only the bravest and most determined of my kind attempted to infiltrate that culture for research. Getting caught pretty much guaranteed inhumane torture and an eventual very unpleasant death. That was why I was so surprised to hear stories that two of their males were here. We all thought that the Saiyans were wiped out and if these two would be willing to talk to me..well the information I might be able to get out of them would be invaluable to us and worth a pretty penny."

"Goku won't be able to tell you anything and Vegeta won't talk to you." Bulma informed the alien bluntly, watching the man slump dejectedly before getting a peculiar look on his face. "What?"

"Did you say Vegeta? He must have been a truly high ranking Saiyan to have been allowed that name. You said that he won't talk to me so would I be wrong in assuming that he does in fact have knowledge of his people's culture and history?"

"Oh he's very steeped in being as Saiyan as possible." Bulma drawled out, crossing her arms in front of her. "And trust me when I say that approaching him will only lead to your untimely death. I live with the guy so I know."

"Exactly, that's why I was following you. I'm confused as to who exactly you are though. You said that he's very steeped in the old ways which means there's no way he'd consider making you his emura but you don't bear the mark of a padma and you certainly don't behave or have the mark of a jitsu either."

"I have no idea what any of those are." Bulma stated bluntly though there was a look of curiosity in her blue eyes. "What do they mean?"

"Well an emura is like a spouse in your language. Saiyans of the lower classes usually didn't bother with such things but in the higher classes, where rank and lineage was of importance Saiyan males would take emuras as their bond mates for life. Basically it meant that any sons they fathered with that female were his heirs and those fathered with other women were not. A padma is similar to your mistress or concubine. They were like extra wives who could provide the Saiyan male with sons if his bond mate could not or if he grew displeased with her. A jitsu is a female slave."

"Okay...I can thankfully say from the bottom of my heart then I am none of those." Bulma said slowly, processing the alien's definitions. Well that certainly explained Vegeta's treatment of most women as nothing but objects. Apparently that was a staple belief of his culture. "And what do you mean marks? Did they brand their women or something?"

"Their female slaves, yes. They often had the crest of their master burned onto their thigh as a warning to others of just who she belonged to. They were also..I believe you call it castration? Where they are no longer capable of carrying a child?" Akithos asked, a questioning look on his face while Bulma's went to horror. "It was because of the Saiyans obsession with pure blood. They couldn't risk any half blooded Saiyan children being born. Any that were found out to be so were automatically put to death. The same would be done to any Saiyan male who attempted to have a foreign female as his emura."

"Wait, they'd kill a guy for wanting to marry a woman that wasn't a Saiyan? They KILLED innocent babies because they weren't completely Saiyan?" Bulma demanded to know, her hands automatically going to her stomach protectively.

"Well that's really not an issue now, now is it? The one Saiyan male, the one you called Goku is unaware of his culture's traditions and therefore will have no knowledge of them. As it is I'm assuming he's the one with a human wife and a half blooded son?" Akithos asked, nodding when Bulma nodded a yes to his question. "There you go. And as for the other male, well if he wants his line to continue he has no choice but to put aside the old ways. If he doesn't then he's leaving the continuation of his culture in the hands of a man who knows nothing of it and therefore cannot pas it down to the generations. You and your pompara are safe. Since he has no claim on you it is not his choice as to what can happen to either of you. By human laws as I understand them anyway."

It didn't take a genius to know that somehow he knew she was pregnant and Bulma flushed slightly. "Like that would stop him." She muttered, mulling everything over before looking at him curiously. "You seem to know a lot about Saiyans despite your claims."

"Well the basics of any culture aren't hard to learn. Their language, laws and societal governings are, in general, found out simply by access their most basic data. We know plenty of bits of information but not much of the hows and whys behind them if you get what I mean."

"I understand." Bulma said with a nod, sliding her hands into her pockets. "Could I..maybe have access to the information you have? On the Saiyan culture I mean. Goku's son, Gohan, might be interested even if Goku won't be. I..I'd like to know too."

"Hmm, I don't see why I couldn't. For a suitable trade." Akithos said with a considering look on his face. There was a gleam to his eye too that suggested he was up to something.

"What sort of trade?" Bulma wanted to know, eyes narrowing. Her mother hadn't raised no fool, especially when it came to the sly words of a man.

"I'd like to hear the stories of your Saiyans' exploits." Akithos explained eagerly, looking like a kid begging his mother for something from the toy store. "Especially their defeat of the powerful Freiza who was responsible for the destruction of the Saiyan race. I'm sure you have many stories about them that would make for interesting retelling. Especially since few people ever survived a Saiyan attack to give some idea as to just how powerful they were and what special abilities they possessed that made them so feared and revered."

"I could do that." Bulma agreed with a nod, holding out her hand. Seeing the alien's blank look she explained. "In this culture we shake hands as a way of informally agreeing to something. It's like a verbal contract."

"Fascinating. I know of several other cultures who do something similar." Akithos said, taking her hand and shaking it. "Do you know where your version originated from?"

"Actually, I do." Bulma said with a smile as the two started to walk down the street where she had no doubt her cousin was pacing a trench into the concrete. "It's from Medieval Times when warriors would do it to show the fact that they weren't armed. By holding out their right hand to each other they were leaving their weapon hand vulnerable and unusable."

"Primitive but effective."

"Is it necessary to continue showing you all this. Now that we have confirmed he means her no threat?" Goku's friend asked as Bulma and the alien began talking about some foreign culture he'd never heard about.

"Vegeta, do you think it's safe?" Mrs. Briefs asked, turning to look at the Saiyan only to find the usually cold and collected man looking just a little pale and shell shocked. "Vegeta? Vegeta!" She yelled, rushing over to shake Vegeta. "Is she in danger?"

"What?" Vegeta said dumbly, struggling to focus on what the woman was saying. "No. He's a Kurenian. They're harmless, nosey twits. A human child could beat them to a pulp. All they care about is gathering the most gossip and information about every culture they stumble across." While Mrs. Briefs let go of her death grip on his shoulders he didn't even feel it. All he could think about was that alien's off handed comment. He'd said that Bulma didn't have to worry about her pompara. Pompara was an old Saiyan term for a mixed blood Saiyan child. A child. And Bulma's hands had automatically gone protectively to her stomach. Was it possible? Could she..be with child? His child? It would explain how the alien had not only found her but sought her out. It wasn't unusual for a Saiyan female's ki to increase along with the growth of the baby's inside the womb as a result of the child's presence within her body. Because Bulma was merely a human the increased ki would have been very noticeable, especially to someone who was looking for Saiyans. The best way to track them after all would be through their superior ki levels. It would also explain why the Kurenian had asked about what label Bulma fell under. If she was carrying a Saiyan child, even one of half blood, then she should have born his mark of ownership to make her status clear. Hell.

"I think you can stop now." Goku said as he slapped his alien friend on the shoulder. Nodding the alien dropped his hand, the voices and images automatically disappearing. "Thanks again for coming here and helping us out. We were all pretty worried about Bulma but looks like she's just fine."

"I'm glad your friend is all right, Goku san. No thanks is necessary. Without you my planet would have been destroyed after all. Any assistance I might be able to provide you is my pleasure and honor."

"Uhm, what does pompara mean?" Gohan wanted to know, looking at Vegeta questioningly.

Thinking fast Vegeta thanked all the gods and goddesses that this boy was completely ignorant of his father's culture. "Family. He was referring to her parents."

"Oh." Gohan said with a slightly confused look on his face. That didn't exactly make a whole lot of sense to him but why would Vegeta lie?

"Well when she calls to check in I bet she'll have all sorts of stories to tell us about her new friend." Mr. Briefs said with a hearty laugh now that he knew that everything was okay. Most fathers would be a little worried about their daughter going off with some alien from another planet but not him. His little girl had been doing it since she was a teenager after all.

"Where abouts is she?" Vegeta demanded to know, suddenly pinning Mrs. Briefs with a stare that had the woman swallowing instinctively. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Vegeta look so serious.

"Well I'd guess she's in Vienna since she's with Lana. Why?"

"I'm going to go have a talk with that alien."

"Oh. Oh! You want to talk to him to make sure your culture is preserved right? Since you're the last one it's up to you to make sure that everyone knows the facts and all about how wonderful your people were!" Mrs. Briefs exclaimed, bringing her fist down on her open palm, thinking she'd figured it out. "That's a wonderful idea, Vegeta."

"I need an address." Was his blunt response.

"I'll go get it for you."

Note! I have some questions I need answered before I can go much further in this fic about Vegeta and Bulma's relationship as well as Trunks. If you're willing to answer some of my questions will you leave me your email address in the review section so I can send you my questions? Thanks. Oh and the whole emura, jitsu etc for Saiyan culture is stuff I made up. The whole handshake thing is true though.