AN: Hope you enjoyed, its been a long time coming. Best Path :)

Long Way Home

WINE INDUCED SLEEP soon morphed into something of a symbolic nightmare as Bardock's sight drew him from his own subconsciousness into the realm of what could only be called astral space. Images, both haunting and disparaging, flashed before his eyes. He had found himself starring at his home world, Vegeta-sei, and its imminent destruction. The light from the planet's explosion was blinding, as was the sonic boom of it deafening.

His people trekked across the universe to arrive upon Earth. Vegeta-ouji, Nappa, and Raditz had left in direction of Chikyuu, but behind them was a white demon, imperceptibly skirting their tails, its jaws snapping hungrily to consume them whole. Once they arrived, the white demon short behind them, the same harm that befell Vegeta-sei also befell Earth.

That blinding light, the heat of the energy, the cosmic roar. And all that was suddenly was not, the earth breaking apart, all the beings on it burnt to ash and dust before they could even perceive the pain of such an event. He was there, his sons beside him, and they all ceased to exist in an instant, his own scream unable to leave his throat.

He woke with a strangled cry, alone in the cool dark of his room. His son Raditz was passed out on the lounge in his suite, and Kakarrot was nowhere to be found. Hn, the boy probably woke in the middle of the night and decide to stumble to his own quarters. Bardock forced his breath to become even, and forced his heartbeat to slow. It was a bad dream, a vision that would not come to pass if he could help it. Earth's destruction could be prevented, couldn't it?

But Freiza, if he was the white demon that was chasing Vegeta and his vassals so relentlessly, was coming. Bardock closed his eyes, focusing inward, forcing his mind to see the endless branches of potentials. How long would it be before Freiza arrived? Would they be able to effectively destroy him then? Or would they have to evacuate the planet first?

His gift of Sight answered him with a general time line of when Freiza would arrive, but it wasn't precise enough. Either some major decisions had not yet been made on the tyrannical monster's part, or he was too startled and fatigued to discern the answer for himself. This was not good...there might not be enough time. Even with almost a year to prepare, it would not get any of them strong enough to defeat him. Perhaps if they joined forces and attacked before the Ice-ling could, but that was an iffy strategy at best.

He closed his eyes, concentrating again. All he could see Chikyuu's looming explosion. He growled under his breath, though he was sure that Raditz was too drunk to wake from such a soft noise. He and his sons had perhaps drank too much in their celebration of being reunited. He was happiest he had been in some time, for he had missed his older son's company and was glad to see that Kakarrot could come to know the man that his older brother was.

But this dream of Chikyuu's death was all too sobering, literally and metaphorically. Happiness was short lived in such times of strife. He and his sons could never know peace of Freiza drew breath. He could not sleep again, knowing this. His gift was a curse, for it lent itself to many a sleepless night. The potentials and 'what ifs', numerous and endless, was enough to drive another man crazy.

Bardock left the warmth and comfort of his bed, hurrying to his sovereign's chambers discreetly. On his trek to the King's quarters, he was noticed and observed by a figure. Bardock himself did not notice, as he was so focused on his task. He knocked on the door urgently and waited rather impatiently for the King to answer. He did, his eyes bleary, but he snapped to attention when he saw his friend's expression. "Come. Tell me, what have you Seen?" he moved to allow the man entry, closing the door quietly.

Bardock lit the lamp in Vegeta's quarters, sitting at his small conversation area. In the dim light both men regarded one another seriously. "I had a disturbing vision." Bardock finally confided. Vegeta drew his breath in sharply, but remained silent, giving the Seer room to speak.

"I saw Chikyuu's destruction at the hands of Freiza."

Vegtea knew well enough than to ask Bardock if he was sure, or to protest that such an outcome were not possible. He knew Bardock well, and trusted his insight. If he claimed that Earth would fall, he was probably right. Vegtea blanched at the thought. Another planet, destroyed at the hands of the that tyrannical demon. "So...prepare to evacuate now, months before he arrives." It was the only logical suggestion he could conceive of.

"We will not prepare enough ships in time to evacuate the whole population. But an evacuation on a smaller scale is possible." Was Bardock's even reply.

"Perhaps Vegeta will be able to defeat Freiza. The boy has informed me that he deigns to become the Legendary. I believe him capable." Something, anything, was better than Freiza successfully destroying the remnants of the Saiya-jin and the entirety of the Chikyuu-jin.

Bardock blinked. The Legendary Super Saiya-jin. The stuff of myths and lore. No one had laid eyes upon one in over a thousand years. His Sight reacted, taking him to Vegeta-ouji's future. The Prince, in an emotional upheaval, breaking through the barrier to become the Legendary. He followed the different branches, calculating the potential. It was high, very high. But would it happen in time to circumvent Freiza's destruction of Chikyuu? That wasn't as high of a potential.

But no one needed to know that. Oftentimes, if you informed someone of a highly probable future, you altered it in that very moment. You might not necessarily always prevent it from occurring, but you could alter details, major or minor.

"The young Prince has the potential. But I cannot say anything more."

Vegeta-ou had to accept that. He had learned the hard way, in the past, not to press the Seer for more information than he was willing to give. Bardock would not budge when it came to his gift of Sight. "So...we must begin preparation for evacuation."

Bardock nodded. "We need to become space ready in the matter of months. It will certainly be less than a year. And we cannot guarantee that we can prevent Freiza's destruction of Chikyuu. We must come into contact with other species willing to foster us and help our cause. An alliance with other races are our only hope."

Vegeta-ouji grimaced. "We are becoming something so unlike our ancestors' image for us." His people had been the original galactic tyrants, at least in their quadrant of the universe, before they had made ill treaty with Freiza. But, now they had taken opposition to Freiza's galactic monopoly, stepping up to become the galactic defenders. And the people they were becoming, simply from merging their culture with those of the Chikyuu-jin, were people who would defend the galaxy justly, instead of tormenting it themselves.

"Its not a bad thing. Our ancestors were monsters, and bastards, to boot." Bardock's dry wit was not lost on the king.

"Our race had stubbornly fought and bucked change. But perhaps it is not such a bad thing." He had certainly changed himself in the past fifteen years. The loss of your kingdom and home world could wear on a man. Who he was two decades ago would sneer upon the very sight of the man and king he was today. But somehow, it didn't bother him as much as it could. He was a better man, and sovereign, in many ways.

"The only constant is change. The key to our race's survival is how quickly we adapt alongside of change." Bardock said with an emphatic nod. He crossed his arms, brows furrowed, and leaned back into the sofa he sat upon. "It is good that we have bred with the Chikyuu-jin. It is good that we have been able to recoup, and restart anew here on Chikyuu. Our people's morale needed a decade or so to recover. But now is the time to act. War will be imminent, in a few months time. Every able bodied Saiya-jin will be expected to participate."

"Then we will call a meeting with Bulma-san and the King of Chikyuu in the morning." King Vegeta answered calmly. There was a path to follow now that this unknown had been discovered by Bardock. Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz had not been as thorough in their escape as they had originally believed. But, really, that was almost to be expected since their resources were not as vast as Freiza's were.

"Agreed." Bardock rose, and the men clapped one another companionably on the shoulder in thanks for their services rendered. The Seer left, leaving Vegeta-ou to his thoughts. Freiza, in less than a year, would be arriving at Chikyuu. And would, in all likelihood, blow it to smithereens like he had Vegeta-sei. Shit.

Needless to say, he did not sleep well that evening.

KAKARROT WINCED AS he slowly gained consciousness. His biological clock typically would wake him early, and though he had drank way too much the night before, he couldn't ignore his Saiya-jin nature. He was up for the day, it seemed. He groaned softly, pressing his fingers to his temples. His head ached, his mouth was dry, and he was...in his room?

He was dressed in the spandex suit that warriors wore beneath their armor, but not much else. He stretched in his bed before sitting up, looking around. He was indeed in his own private bedchambers, but he was alone. He recalled drinking with his father and new found brother the evening before, but everything else was somewhat hazy. He knew he had stumbled from his father's room...and he recalled Bulma, her laboratory, her kindly escorting him to his room.

But he didn't remember much else. Had they mated? Kakarrot glanced down at his clothed figure and dismissed the possibility. There would be no way that he would have dressed after a night of love making with a beautiful woman such as Bulma. Nor did he think she'd leave him before he woke without a morning exchange. So that could only mean that he passed out like an oaf, and she probably left as soon as she was able.

Which meant he probably had some explaining to do. The progeny of Bardock rose from his bed, stripping to jump into the shower. It was probably best to freshen up before approaching Bulma. She was likely to be miffed at his childish behavior. Before he could carry through with his plan a knock sounded off of his door.

"Enter." he permitted, not bothering to cover himself. If it was a fellow warrior his nudity was not cause for concern. And if it was Bulma, wanting to discuss what happened last evening, perhaps nudity would suit his cause. But, alas, his father entered and he nodded respectively to the warrior he called father and friend.

"Vegeta-sama is calling a meeting with Chikyuu no Ou. He would appreciate the Master Tech's presence, so retrieve her and meet us in the capitol in an hour's time. Be punctual." Bardock ordered tersely before leaving.

Kakarrot blinked in surprise as his father's short commands. What could have possibly happened to make him so tense? Was it another vision? He rushed through his shower, dried quickly, and dressed in a fresh suit of armor. Most meetings of this nature were usually held in Vegeta-ou's office, for it was discreet and did not raise alarm amongst the other warriors. And Bardock's mentioning of the King of Earth, and Bulma, it could only mean that something serious was afoot.

He strode with purpose to the wing of the compound where Bulma's laboratory and offices resided. With this new direction of daily activities, it wouldn't leave much room to discuss whatever had occurred the evening before. He was rather disappointed. He entered the lab, nodding to Bulma's assistants, before knocking on her office door. She, too, was an early riser, so he knew she was more likely to be here than in her own quarters.

"Come in." her voice was distracted, probably nose deep into some files or her computer. He entered quietly, waiting for her to turn from her desk to address him. She paused, turning, and sighed softly. "Hey Kakarrot." Her stress was evident in her tone.

He felt almost...embarrassed. And he should be. He wasn't quite the refined warrior he believed himself to be last night. "I...didn't hurt you, did I?" he questioned tentatively.

She frowned, crossing her arms. "I try to do the right thing and help you to bed and what do you do? You pass out, effectively trapping me beneath you for half the night. Meanwhile, I'm trying not to be suffocated and crushed, and you're just passed out drunk. I have work to do, you know, and you really aren't helping things with your antics."

Her tongue lashing grated on his ears and he felt a twinge of remorse. "I'm sorry."

It was so unusual for a Saiya-jin, any Saiya-jin really, to apologize. Their race's form of communication was often blunt and gruff, and feelings weren't often considered. So to hear Kakarrot's admission was something of a surprise. It deflated her aggravation almost instantly. "Well-"

"I really am sorry for my behavior last night. I was drunk, and so I couldn't really talk to you about what I wanted to." he interrupted, stepping closer to her. He had grown into a large man over the past few years, and she felt the rush of intimidation over his massive frame. He leaned in closer, and she felt something akin to what a deer must feel when a wolf is approaching. His scent, musky, yet fresh and clean like soap, invaded her senses.

"What did you want to talk about?" she queried naively, his chemistry, his masculinity, serving as a distraction from their conversation.

He knelt before her, his large hands coming to rest on her knees, effectively dwarfing them. The warmth of him emanated through her clothes to her skin, and she felt strangely hot herself. "About what happened when we went out to intervene the Prince and his vassals." he informed her lightly.

She blinked, felt her face flush, remembering the near kiss that she and Kakarrot almost shared together. She had fallen into the hypnotism of their embrace, but before his lips could touch hers, Vegeta and company had crashed their pods into Earth. And the day had been so hectic afterward that she and Kakarrot hadn't had the opportunity to discuss this...occurrence.

And, prior to meeting the Prince of Saiya-jin, Bulma found herself drawn to Kakarrot. Curious about his body, his touch, the potential kiss. But once she had seen Vegeta, had gone after him, offered him friendship, brought him back to the compound, and then kissed him goodnight on the cheek...

Well, she was afflicted, to say the least. Both men were intense, and everything had happened so fast, and she had spent every moment up to this point in her life focused on Capsule Corporation and its alliance with the Saiya-jin. And they were in the middle of a great endeavor where feelings and romantic were not a needed distraction. Getting involved with either Saiya-jin was probably not wise.

"I got caught up in the moment." she murmured softly, feeling her face flush further. His hands squeezed her legs firmly, his obsidian eyes open and earnest. Sometimes Kakarrot was so...un-Saiya-jin, and yet, so un-human as well. He was just an unusual man, person, being... She marveled over the contradictions that were this man-child. He was only seventeen still, hard as it was to believe.

"Me too. But I want to see where it leads." He felt honesty was the best policy with her. She was so hard to figure out, her emotions difficult to discern. And he couldn't allow her to retreat into a passive mode of communication. Not when they were at such a precipice.

"What are you saying?" she asked, aquamarine eyes wide. Did he mean to try again? To connect themselves in the manner of a kiss? She'd never been full on kissed by any boy before, let alone an alien one. Was this some sort of sexual dysfunction?

"Can I kiss you?"

She bit her lip, her hands covering Kakarrot's, and took a deep breath. "I..." she couldn't even really form a thought. It was just a kiss, right? It shouldn't be too big of a deal... "Okay. Kiss me." she agreed, closing her eyes and leaning her face towards Kakarrot's. She was twenty one years old and had never been kissed. She might as well remedy that.

He blinked, studying her features. She was beautiful, and it made him so...nervous. In awe, even. He squeezed her thighs gently, removing his hands from underneath hers to cup her delicate jawline. His thumbs, callused and rough, caressed her porcelain cheekbones. So lovely...

He leaned in close, his nose brushing over hers, and brushed his lips over hers. They were soft beneath his own and he relished her sweet taste. He cupped her face firmly, his tongue questing instinctually for entrance. She opened for him, allowing him entry to the delights of her mouth. He groaned softly, his hands tangling in her gossamer hair. The sensations were intoxicating.

Before he could continue, her small hands pressed up against his chest, pushing him away. "Kakarrot."

Her voice held protest, and he arched a brow in question. "Why did you stop me?" he questioned bluntly. She hugged herself, seeming entirely uncertain. "Was it not to your liking?"

"I just...so much is going on right now, Kakarrot." she answered softly. And what an understatement. But when Kakarrot's warm mouth covered hers, as good as it felt, she couldn't keep her mind off of Vegeta. Of his deep ebony gaze, his mysterious nature, the kiss she'd given him on his tanned, smooth cheek. There was just something about the Saiya-jin Prince that drew her in. It dwarfed anything she felt for Kakarrot in comparison. And she didn't want to lead Kakarrot on, for deep beneath his warrior's exterior was a soft and tender heart that could be bruised.

This was it. The time to tell her the truth. Despite whatever was going on with the Saiya-jin, with Chikyuu, and with Freiza, they could still build this precious little thing that was a flaring potential to him. "I like you, Bulma-san." he said quietly.

She felt a flash of panic and stood, not certain how to handle this turn of events. "I'm not...I..." she stammered nervously, and instead fled from her office before she could try to explain. Her mother and father were no longer of this realm, her childhood filled with holes where she could have used her mother's guidance, times her father devoted to science and inventions when he could have explained males, females, and the elusive mating dance they partook in. As genius as she was regarding mathematics and sciences, she felt completely unqualified to handle matters of the heart.

Kakarrot stood. "Wait! Where are you going?" She, of course, did not reply and he followed her. She had walked briskly from her office into her storage room, quickly and quietly so as to not draw any of her assistant's attentions from their own tasks. Her private business was not something she wanted them to be privy to. But he drew their attention with his frantic chase after the heiress into the storage room.

It was dark and musty, but his senses adjusted quickly to the change and he located her amongst the shelves of various inventions, paperwork, and files. She was trembling, rooting around aimlessly, as if she could not muster logical thought that could give purpose to action. "Can't we talk about this, please?" he asked, more gentle than her had ever been with anyone else.

She shook her head. "I can't do this Kakarrot. I care for you deeply, but I can't get involved in this-" Her excuses enraged him and he pushed her against the shelving units, his hands fully encompassing her small wrists above her head. His aggression incited her temper and she struggled in his grasp. "Let go of me, you can't force me to talk, you brute!" she shrilled.

He pushed her up against the shelving again to silence her, but he used more force than was necessary, which brought the objects seated on the shelving units crashing down around them. Instinctually he used his larger body as cover for her smaller, more fragile frame, and she allowed him. The objects falling around them had kicked up and rained down dust, sending them both into coughing and sneezing fits. "Damn it Kakarrot. These are some of my father's late inventions you're destroying." she finally managed to wheeze.

"I just wanted to talk, you didn't have to turn it into this." he retorted sharply, brushing the excess dust from his clothing and hair. Honestly, this was not productive, and they had to get going to this important meeting his father had informed him so briskly of.

She dropped to the floor to gather all of the objects that had been rattled in her and Kakarrot's dispute. Really, she knew he wouldn't ever assault or rape her, but he'd gone to far in using his force on her at all. "Just help me gather these things." she replied, gathering papers that had slipped out of their neat organized piles. She didn't pay much attention to the print on them, they could be organized at a later time, but certain words, unusual in scientific terms, jumped out at her. In the dim light she squinted to read. Dragon...dragon balls? What on earth?

"Just leave it for your assistants to clean up. We have to go meet with Vegeta-sama and Chikyuu no Ou anyway." he snapped, refusing to bend over and do common technical work. Besides, he wasn't exactly pleased with her reaction to his advances, and so he wasn't quite willing to help her with such menial tasks.

"What?" she shrieked, completely forgetting the odd discovery of this paperwork and its meaning, "I have to meet both of them and you only just now told me?" Her decibels went to frantic levels. She was not only a mess before, but was covered in dust now, and was completely not suited for such a superior audience.

And speaking of audiences, her assistants had filtered into the room, concerned not only over the yelling, but the loud crashing that must have sounded from the storage room as well. "Bulma-san, are you alright?" one of them asked, alarmed. They weren't necessarily afraid of Kakarrot, for they were accustomed to his comings and goings, but never before had they witnessed an argument between the two of them.

She sighed, standing. "Unfortunately, though Kakarrot has made this mess, he and I have a meeting to attend. Could you please clear this mess, and give this room a thorough cleaning?" And better lighting too, she thought belatedly. She could barely see what she was doing, let alone read those documents.

Since they were on payroll, they heartily agreed to her request, giving her and Kakarrot leave. "Where are we supposed to meet?" she snapped peevishly once they had left the cramped storage room.

Kakarrot sighed, still brushing the excess of dust from his person. He was entirely aggravated by this whole situation. "The capitol."

"Fine. I'm going to bathe. I'll see you there." And before he could reply or protest, she stalked off. The hell with him, she thought angrily. He couldn't just barge into her lab and demand answers from her, no matter how much he liked her.

Kakarrot sighed heavily and watched the ruffled female leave. That whole interaction had not gone exactly as he had hoped, and nowhere near the semblance of well. Things were not looking good. He shook his head and returned to his quarters. He needed another shower after that whole storage room fiasco.

VEGETA, THE YOUNGER, did not sleep well. Sleep was an elusive creature, one he couldn't seem to capture and consume. Much like the status of Super Saiya-jin that eluded him. In his insomnia ridden night, not only had he trained himself to exhaustion, but he had observed some strange comings and goings within the Capsule Corporation compound.

The first incident was Bulma's escort of Kakarrot's drunken ass stumbling to what appeared to be his bedchambers. She seemed exasperated by the Saiya-jin warrior's intoxicated state, but hadn't left his quarters immediately after entering, which made Vegeta wonder if perhaps they were intimate with one another. Kakarrot had been with Bulma when Raditz, Nappa, and himself had first landed on Chikyuu, so it wasn't a far cry to assume that they were often in one another's company due to the nature of their relationship. Which truthfully, Vegeta thought, shouldn't have bothered him so personally.

But, it did.

Bulma's gentle nature in dealing with him both on the island and in the compound somehow unraveled him from the inside out. Never before in his life had anyone ever been so soft or tender. His life had consisted of blood, pain, and violence up to this point. A feminine softness such as Bulma's was completely foreign to him. He wasn't quite sure to do, for the yin manner in which she handled things was much more powerful and effective than he could ever be.

She made him weak. Well, perhaps it wasn't the best way to label how she made him feel. He just didn't know what to do when she was so kind to him. He had no memories that were ever so gentle in his mind, and thus had no reactions to such behaviors that he could use in response. He felt clumsy, awkward, and uncertain. And those were things he did not want to feel, not after the misery he'd experienced in service to Freiza.

Vegeta's dismay over Bulma's likely relationship with Kakarrot was not only not his business, but it would serve as an unnecessary distraction. But it bothered him. He growled softly, pushing his thoughts from this endless cycle. It wasn't helping him.

He instead recalled the other strange incident that he had observed, which was Bardock leaving his quarters to meet with Vegeta-ou. It was likely that the Seer had another vision and was simply going straight to the Saiya-jin no Ou with the information he'd received, as was expected of a loyal and dutiful vassal. But it unnerved him, the Saiya-jin's ethereal connection with another realm that divulged information that no one could possibly know. He wasn't sure what to think of it, but his own father had made it blatantly clear that the Seer's judgment was not to be questioned.

And so he had not slept, had seen Bulma succumb to Kakarrot's drunken seduction, observed Bardock rushing to deliver what was likely to be bad news, and was in quite the foul mood. His arrival to Chikyuu hadn't exactly been what he had expected, though he hadn't been sure of what to expect. He didn't know if Kakarrot had completed his infant purge, nor did he know if the Saiya-jin still lived. Once he arrived on this hulking ball of mud he quickly realized that nothing was what he had thought it would be.

The shock of his race's survival, though meager as their numbers were, had thrown him for a loop that had taken him a bit to recover from. But now he was focused on the goal of becoming the Legendary, defeating Freiza and then...well, he wasn't going to think too far ahead when his first two goals weren't yet accomplished. He'd leave the elaborate planning to his father at this stage.

A polite, quick knock on his chamber door caught his attention and he went to answer it, surprised to see Bardock standing dutifully before him. The elder Saiya-jin bowed respectfully, making careful eye contact. "My Liege, your father is calling a meeting with the King of the Earth, and your presence is required."

Vegeta blinked. His mind was so over tired, but seeing as how sleep would not find him, he may as well attend this meeting, however ridiculous it may be. He dressed without consideration for modesty while Bardock dutifully waited for his future king. The two left his quarters together, for Vegeta-ouji did not know where the capitol was, and Vegeta tried his best to push the Chikyuu-jin girl Bulma out of his mind.