AN: Thank you for your kind reviews, suscriptions, etc, everyone! I'm glad you are enjoying this tale of things loved and lost!
Long Way Home
BARDOCK SAT IN his bedchambers, secluded from others, as he meditated. He did so each day, sitting in the corner of his room that had been decorated in an oriental fashion, with a silk screen, tatami mats, lavish pillows. He found it better helped him to focus his mind when he sat in this ornate corner. It granted him some sort of prophetic peace that he could not always find in this otherwise hectic world of Chikyuu. Even now, after nearly fifteen years of reluctantly residing on this planet, there were still many things about Chikyuu that the Seer was unaccustomed to.
He sighed softly, sitting crossed-legged, closing his eyes as he focused his mind on his visions. Over the years he had learned to focus on visions that were signifcant, brushing aside ones that were of little importance. He strove to summon visions as well, instead of merely waiting for them to reach him. As of now, he was coaxing himself to 'See' when Vegeta-ouji, Nappa, and his son Radtiz would be arriving on Chikyuu.
It had been one year, two months, and sixteen days since he had envisioned their arrival. Thus far he had been patient, but his patience was proverbially wearing thin. He was not only eager to see his Prince return, but it had been far too many years since he had seen Raditz. He had missed his son far more than he was willing to admit. A small smile etched onto his lips when he thought of his progeny. Raditz and Kakarrot. Both boys had grown into strong men, men he was proud to claim as his flesh and blood.
Speaking of Kakarrot... Bardock's brows furrowed as he thought of his youngest. The boy obviously was harboring affections for the Mastertech, though she was four years his senior and quite honestly...she was Chikyuu-jin. Bardock would prefer that his son perhaps mate with a demi-Saiya-jin so that they could slow the watering down of their bloodline...
But such thoughts could wait for another time. He needed desperately to See when the Prince and his underlings would arrive. A vision, unwarranted, passed over his vision, and he Saw...
Kakarrot had a grin on his face, something rare, for though he was emotional and sympathetic for a Saiya-jin warrior, he did well to hide his thoughts from others. "You are every bit fiesty in the bedroom as you are in the Gravity Room." he complimented cheekily to the woman who lay unclothed beside him. He was undressed as well, and it appeared that he had scatches and welts over his skin, likely the product of his coupling with this woman.
Her hair was fair and unruly, and her tail, equally fair, curled around her lover's thigh. Bardock hoped to see her face, but it was currently buried in his son's neck. "I shall consider that a compliment, for it would be foolish of you to insult me in such a delicate state." the woman replied, nuzzling his neck. Her petite hand trailed over Kakarrot's broad chest lazily.
His son shivered, pulling the woman closer. "I would gladly lay my life at your feet, yours to do with as you wished." he murmured hoarsely. His son's face was older, more chisled, and Bardock found it eerily akin to gazing into a mirror. Though Bardock was not sure he had ever worked his features into that of the expression of love sickness. In fact, it was rather unbecoming.
The woman pulled away slightly, gazing into her lover's eyes, and Kakarrot's features were relaxed and drunk with love. "I would merely keep you by my side always, asking nothing of you but your heart." she replied, and Bardock knew that this would be the woman his son would come to wed.
Bardock snapped back to the present, blinking the cobwebs of the vision from his eyes. Though the vision was comforting, and yet disconcerting on a personal level, it would offer no one else any answers they desired. And Bardock had been trying to see when the Prince and his vassals would be arriving on Chikyuu, not who his son would eventually become mated to...though his thoughts had unknowingly taken a turn in that direction.
Bardock closed his eyes once more, concentrating this time solely on the young Prince and his liegemen. His vision blurred, warping into that strange sight that was his Vision...
The quarters were lavish, elegant drapes on the windows, the bed large and very Western in the abundance of pillows and covers. The furniture was ornately carved, again an homage the Chikyuu-jin Westerners. The Prince was with a woman on his bed, his body above her own, pressing her into the plush mattress, though they were both fully clothed.
"Vegeta." the woman's voice was soft, breathy. And quite possibly arousing. The Prince gazed upon her, studying her features as if he may never see this woman again. Or perhaps she was so lovely he wanted to recall her countenance in his dreams. Whatever the reason, his ungloved fingers trailed over the woman's cheek, sweeping an aqua colored tress from her face.
"Woman, you..." his voice was soft, almost uncertain.
She made no move to pull him closer, perhaps sensing his insecurities regarding anything of a sexual nature. She only watched the Prince, allowing him to gaze upon her, his fingertips questing over her face and hair. "Kiss me?" she finally questioned, her voice delicate and feminine.
His eyes gazed into her own, ebony mixing with aquamarine. He lowered his face to hers, his lips brushing over hers gently. She responded, her lips moving with his own. He made a small noise, something akin to a moan, and deepened the kiss. Her hands rose, brushing over his biceps gently. This woman knew exactly how to handle a man whose only sexual encounters in his short life had been those of violence.
The Prince's lips moved over her face, and he rolled to the woman's side, pulling her into an embrace. "I'm...it is enough." he remarked softly into her hair, colorful in comparison to a Saiya-jin's. Though his features were schooled, as usual, Bardock could sense Vegeta's turbulent emotions. Fear, disgust, desire, affection, and more, all swirling in the depths of his consciousness.
She shifted, gazing upon the Prince's tanned, sculpted features. "Perhaps you'll let me please you?" she queried gently, her voice nurturing.
Vegeta propped himself up onto his elbows, tense. "I...I'm not-"
She pressed a quick kiss to the Prince's lips, effectively silencing him, her hands slowly moving his loose tank top up, revealing his washboard abdominals. She rans her hands slowly, carefully over his stomach and she observed his muscles rippling in response. A devilish grin was wrought over her face. "I promise it will feel good."
Vegeta watched her, still tense, as she kissed, licked, and nipped her way over his chest and down his stomach. He did his best not to recall the so called 'intimacies' he had shared with unmentionable lizard, but even so...Bulma was gentle, slow, and maintained eye contact with him while she caressed him.
She pulled at the drawstrings of his gi pants, kissing every newly exposed inch of skin. Vegeta watched her, half torn between arousal and fear, though arousal was winning this little war. How could it not, when this woman was so lovely, so gentle, so...
Her mouth captured his member, and his head tipped back as his hips thrust forward. Never before had he felt something like this, never before had he experienced this. A groan escaped his throat, this Chikyuu-jin's woman name following in a gasp as she took him entirely within that warm mouth of hers...
Bardock grimaced as he willingly pulled himself from the vision. Why did all of his visions have to be of these younger people experiencing intimacies with one another? Especially his own son! He, as a father, never wanted to see his son's bedroom antics with a woman. And to be privy to those of his Prince and the Mastertech...wait.
The Prince was going to be involved with the Mastertech. Bulma, the Chikyuu-jin, the Mastertech...
What did this mean? Would it just be a fling? Or would the Prince make the Mastertech his moonbound bride? Yes, Bulma-san was beautiful, intelligent, and to be honest, Bardock found himself liking the woman. She was all around a loyal, dependable, and honest person. Someone who was worthy of a Saiya-jin's respect. The only problem would be that the future mother to the next king of the Saiya-jin...would be Chikyuu-jin. Which would make the offspring demi-Saiya-jin.
It wasn't necessarily a problem, for the demi-Saiya-jin whelps had already proved themselves strong. But would the Saiya-jin who had seen the days of glory on Vegeta-sei accept their next king after the younger Vegeta to be a demi-Saiya-jin? Although they had accepted change already over the past fifteen years. What harm could one more possibly cause?
Though Bardock knew he was getting ahead of himself. There was no guarantee that the Prince and the Mastertech would remain together. It could just be a flirtation or a dalliance on either of the duo's part. Only time would tell on this matter. Unless another vision enlightened him further on the matter.
The scarred warrior closed his eyes once more, focusing his mind on the task at hand. Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz...
A calendar, flipping its pages furiously; a clock, its hands turning rapidly. Both objects slowed, settling on a date and a time. Three space pods rushing towards Chikyuu, unmistakably Saiya-jin. They landed in a location that Bardock was familiar with, as it was just outside of the city's vicinity.
Bardock opened his eyes. He had his answer.
KAKARROT FLEW ALONGSIDE Bulma's aircraft, slowing his speed so that she could keep up with her feeble technology. He knew better now than to make any remark regarding her invention's slowness, bulk, or anything remotely derogatory, for the Mastertech did not hesitate to fling insults from her poisonous tongue. And quite honestly, it wasn't that he had an aversion to her clever derisions, but that her tone was so shrill it hurt his highly tuned Saiya-jin senses. So it was better to leave such matters be.
"We're going to be several minutes early, according to my calculations!" Bulma yelled from the cockpit of her flying device, her hair whipping around furiously in the wind.
Kakarrot glanced sideways at her, though keeping their targeted terrain in sight. "So we wait?" he shouted back, knowing that she'd want some sort of answer from him to affirm that he had indeed heard her.
"Guess so!" she replied as she piloted her aircraft to begin its descent in the sky. He followed suit, keeping a close eye out for any space pods that could come crashing into earth. Although, apparently, his father had seen the exact date, time, and place of Vegeta-ouji's arrival.
Kakarrot sighed inwardly, for his father's visions were both a blessing and a curse. He would know of things Kakarrot would do wrong, even before he did them back when he was a child. And it wasn't any better now, for Bardock seemingly now knew who Kakarrot would be mated to, and had blatantly refused to divulge the information. Were most fathers this annyoing?
Though Kakarrot couldn't truly complain, for at the very least he had a father to be annoyed over. Many of his kinsmen and colleagues couldn't even do that much. Even Bulma had lost her father three years ago to some paltry human illness. It was very apparent that she still missed him greatly, and would still sometimes cry when she thought nobody was around. But Kakarrot had caught her several times, and knowing Bulma-san as a prideful creature, had not intruded on her greif. As with many things concerning Bulma, it was something also better left alone.
He sighed softly, for he not yet even attempted to make his affections known to the older woman, and instead was waiting for an opportune time to begin courting her. He was coming into manhood quite well, and had just recently matched his own father in height. He now had seventeen standard years, only four years shy of Bulma's twenty-one. Perhaps now could be a good time to make his intentions known. He was a strong, agile warrior. One who could keep Bulma safe and secure. And he was certain he could please her as a mate and husband.
Bulma landed her machinery and looked as if she were contemplating as to whether she should encapsulate it or not.
"Leave it. You might need it for whatever reason." Kakarrot told her nuetrally.
Bulma nodded and looked to the sky. She felt impatient over Vegeta and his entourage's arrival. She had over a year for this moment, and had been told of Vegeta-ouji for years prior. "I wonder what Prince Vegeta and his comrades will be like." she wondered aloud. And, indeed, she did. Three burly men who had only known of pain and violence for the past fifteen years were now arriving on Chikyuu and would discover that their time of excruciating suffering had all been a lie. Kami only knows what the could do to a person.
Kakarrot blinked at Bulma's open statment. "Well, Raditz is my brother, so I imagine he will be very much like my father. Vegeta-ouji will likely resemble Vegeta-ou. And Nappa...apparently he is a monster of a man with little else but fighting prowess." he answered matter-of-factly.
It was Bulma's turn to blink, and then she rolled her eyes at the younger Saiya-jin. "Oh, Kakarrot, you're so..." she trailed off, chuckling instead. He was so militaristic in his words and actions. She found it strangely endearing at times, though at others it upset her since he seemed unable to understand women and their emotions. But, then again, that was how most men seemed to be, Saiya-jin or Chikyuu-jin.
Kakarrot arched a brow at the Mastertech's antics, wondering just what he did or said to make her laugh at him so. His features softened, for it was nice to see her laugh and smile. She seldom did, always focused on work or her duties. And when she wasn't consumed with her company and alliance with the Saiya-jin, Kakarrot suspected she was very lonely. "Bulma-san..."
She had ceased her laughing and looked at him with a straight face. "Yes, Kakarrot?" she wiped away her tears, the product of her earlier amusement.
"I..." he stepped closer to her, towering over her petite frame. He had dressed in Saiya-jin armor, for he did not want to appear unseemly in front of the Prince. She was dressed in the Chikyuu-jin fashion, wearing a Capsule Corporation shirt which was snug over her breasts and a pair of 'jeans'. She had worn boots so that she could run with ease to where the space pods would land and had left her hair unbound, which was in a disarray from the flight over.
Bulma gazed up into his eyes, losing herself in their dark orbs. "Kakarrot...?" she breathed his name, for this moment had occured before; where he would look upon her with intensity, as if deciding whether he would say something, only to pull away without any resolution. She didn't know what to think of these moments.
His hand rose, his fingers brushing over her cheek, and to his calloused warrior's hands, her skin was softer than silk. He didn't dare think of what the rest of her could feel like, for now was not the time. Also, spandex tended to reveal embarrassing 'situations'. His hands trailed from her face to her neck, and his fingers were long enough to wrap around it twice over. So delicate...
Bulma stood still and silent, unafraid, even as this giant of a man nearly wrapped his hands around her throat. She knew he was merely studying her, comparing their similarities and differences, feeling the textures of her skin. She closed her eyes, surrendering herself to this Saiya-jin's inspection. Kakarrot had always, and would always, keep her safe from harm. There was nothing to fear.
"So soft." he finally remarked, his words barely above a whisper. But Bulma's rudimetary human hearing caught the words, and her eyes opened. She found herself lost in Kakarrot's gaze. He was just so...intense. Deep. Moreso than she ever gave him credit for.
Her hands rose as well, and she reached for his face, cupping his cheeks like an adoring mother would her child. "Kakarrot." This man-child...more man now than child, to be frank; he was so alluring, so strange, so exotic... When had he grown into such a masculine display of Saiya-jin?
He leaned in, his face mere inches from her own, their breath mingling together. But sadly his lips did not touch her own, for a loud crash that could be nothing other than a Saiya-jin pod hitting the earth resounded, startling the local fauna. Bulma and Kakarrot whipped their heads around to witness the other two pods crashing near the first.
"They're here!" Bulma cried, running off to the pods landing site, forgetting entirely about the near-kiss she had almost shared with Kakarrot in her excitement to meet the Prince and his colleagues.
Kakarrot sighed heavily. He had been this close to kissing Bulma-san...only to be interrupted by the very reason they were there in the first place. Oh well, perhaps later. He took off running, following the blue-haired Chikyuu-jin, hoping that Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz would be peaceful once they learned the truth of the Saiya-jin race.
Bulma stood, fascinated, as the pods opened and three obviously Saiya-jin men stepped up out of them. Each one seemed stiff and they each stretched, working out the kinks of traveling. One man was impossibly tall, bald, and had a mustache. Another was the medium height of the three, with a widow's peak and possessed an extremely long mane of Saiya-jin textured hair. The shortest of the three was, without a doubt, Prince Vegeta, for he had the same firey hairstyle that his sire had.
Kakarrot paused a few steps beside her, watching wordlessly. Bulma gazed at him, noting that he had donned his scouter and Bulma followed suit. It would be best to read their power levels and it might set the three travelers at ease, if only marginally. The three men levitated from the crater their pods had created, looking amongst one another to see if all was well, and seeing that it was, turned their attention on the terrain.
"Seems as though your weakling of a brother failed on his mission." the tallest, Nappa, remarked loudly enough for his comrades to hear.
Raditz made a scoffing noise. "The flora and fauna have had time to regrow in the past seventeen years." And though he failed to include an insult, it was apparent in his voice what he thought of Nappa's statement.
"Men, if you would stop bickering, perhaps you would notice our guests." Vegeta commented irritably. The two guards ceased their verbal fire for the moment and looked around, honing in on Kakarrot and Bulma. Bulma offered a meek wave, and Kakarrot tilted his head as a way of greeting. The three soldiers levitated to where the lone Saiya-jin and the Chikyuu-jin stood and appraised them for a moment or two.
Kakarrot kneeled before Vegeta, not looking to see if Bulma would do the same or not, and spoke, "Greetings Vegeta-ouji, Nappa, Raditz. I am Kakarrot, son of Bardock, brother of Raditz."
Vegeta blinked, watching the apparent brother of Radtiz kneeling with respect. The woman, strangely dressed and even stranger in her coloring, remained standing. He wrote it off as alien rudeness and left it at that. Though she was alarmingly lovely. "Stand, Kakarrot. You are the very man we have come to this backwater planet to see."
Kakarrot hurriedly stood, not one to disobey the royalty of his people. He gazed upon his Prince, his brother, and his fellow Saiya-jin Nappa. This was a moment that was likely to be recorded in Saiya-in history, and he was a part of it. "Yes, Sire. I am aware that I have failed in my infant purge, but my colleague Bulma-san and I have much to share with you in your absence."
A snicker escaped from Nappa and Raditz scowled in response, but said nothing.
Vegeta fought the urge to roll his eyes at his underlings' immaturity; now was certainly not the time for such foolishness. "It is probably better that you did not purge this planet, as it now has every resourse available to us. You will not be punished for your failure, Kakarrot. As it is, you are the last of our species, and Saiya-jin blood is a precious comodity."
Kakarrot shifted uncomfortably. How on earth did one go about shattering another person's very being and world? He supposed tact would be the best policy, that along with honesty. "Sire, forgive me, for I have some...news, to share with you and your vassals."
Vegeta arched a brow. "Do tell, Kakarrot."
Raditz and Nappa shared glances, their disdain for one another momentarily forgotten in lieu of Kakarrot's seemingly important news. Both knew that whatever Kakarrot had to say couldn't be good. "Speak, peasant." Nappa barked roughly.
Kakarrot, ignoring Nappa's uncouth order, focused solely on the Prince. "My father, Bardock, completed a purge on Kanassa-sei over fifteen years ago."
"The soothsayers?" Raditz questioned aloud, forgetting his place. Kakarrot nodded mutely, his eyes meeting that of his long-lost brother. Radtiz felt a pull of kinship towards this young man that resembled their father so closely. "I remember that mission. He returned, alive and well." Raditz voiced was laced with sadness at the mention of the belated father he had fought alongside and purged with.
Kakarrot nodded once more. "Yes, but one of the Kanassa-jin that he felled blessed him with the gift of Sight. So that he may see the destruction of his own race." he informed them.
Nappa scowled. "You low-born whelp! Do you really expect the Prince to believe such crock?" he thundered angrily. How dare Bardock's weakling of a son spout such nonsense!
Vegeta raised a hand to silence his guardian. "Nappa, let the man speak before I decide to kill you for your insolence." Though he had never before met the second son of Bardock, he felt a trust in him. This young man would never tell him lies, and would loyally serve the royal house until his death. The Chikyuu-jin woman also seemed dependable. Her beauty was too distracting though.
The boy began with his tale once more, his voice calm and level. "Upon receiving the gift of Sight, Bardock did indeed experience visions regarding Vegeta-sei's destruction. He Saw that Freiza was behind this horrible act." he ignored Vegeta's flinch at the monster's name, and continued, "The tyrant feared the Saiya-jins. He feared our power, of what we could become. And he feared that he would be unable to reign us in. Hence, he planned to detonate the entire planet and all of its peoples with his own ki."
Vegeta grit his teeth. "He told us that a meteor shower destroyed Vegeta-sei and its people!" his voice trembled with rage, to know that his people suffered such unhonorable death.
Kakarrot pressed his lips firmly together, unable to remark on Freiza's blatant lie. "My father rushed to King Vegeta's side to tell him of the harm that would befall Vegeta-sei. King Vegeta was in the midst of planning a resuce mission for you, his son, who was in Freiza's custody due to treaty agreements. Bardock Saw, however, that if the king attempted to rescue you, he would fall to Freiza's hand in the skirmish and Vegeta-sei would promptly be destroyed." the youngest of the Saiya-jin bit his lip, instinctively knowing that the men wouldn't like what they heard next.
Still, he continued. "Bardock managed to convince the King to evacuate as many people as he could before Freiza came to annihilate them. The King protested, claiming he couldn't leave his son in the clutches of the Changling. But, Bardock Saw that if we left you in Freiza's control, Nappa and Raditz would be with you, and the three of you would prevail. He foresaw that the three of you would reunite with us. He did not know at the time how this would come to pass, but he knew it all the same."
Vegeta had visbily paled as Kakarrot narrated the tale. His blood ran cold, but he said and did nothing, waiting patiently for the boy to finish. This couldn't be...
"So the King and my father evacuated a little under five thousand Saiya-jin before Freiza destroyed the planet. Freiza had no idea that any Saiya-jin escaped at all, and believed King Vegeta and the others to be dead, along with the rest of Vegeta-sei. The evacuated Saiya-jin retreated to Chikyuu-sei. Bardock rationalized that I had been sent here, and would have purged the planet for them by the time they arrived. The planet was far enough from Freiza's control that we would not be easily found, and Vegeta-sei had been destroyed before the record of my infant purge had been sent to Freiza's database."
The three warriors were silent, each pale and shocked to the core.
"So," Bulma began hesitantly, "The Saiya-jin arrived on Chikyuu-sei to find that Kakarrot had failed in his infant purge. Bardock took Kakarrot under his wing, and the Saiya-jin made a treaty with the Chikyuu-jin that in exchange for their real estate and technology, the Saiya-jin would offer their hard labor and protection when it came time to fight Freiza's legions. And so we have been preparing for the past fifteen years for both your arrival and an all out war with Freiza." she swallowed nervously, for the emn had remained silent, each struck with their own disbelief.
Nappa and Raditz had become still and pale, but Vegeta was trembling. Bulma saw his power level, which had been steadily rising since the story began, skyrocket to unimaginable levels. He threw his head back, a roar akin to that of a beast's escaping from his throat. And as quickly as he had screamed with outrage, the Prince took off, flying away before anyone could try to stop him.
Bulma felt herself fortunate that he had not detonated the planet or killed her there on the spot.