Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Appura and Ima.

A/N: Ok, so the first chapter was just a quick one. I just wanted to introduce the characters of Ima and Appura and show the somewhat strained relationship they have with Vegeta. This is currently called To Be Titled because I can't think of a title. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Chapter 2

Party time

Gohan stretched out on the sand. He was at Kame House for Marron's fourth birthday party. The water lapped at his feet, he could hear Trunks and Goten splashing about in the sea with Marron, teaching her to swim. Behind him, he could hear his mother, Bulma, Videl and 18 all chatting; his father was chewing on a burger fresh off the barbeque whilst discussing a new training technique he was working on with Vegeta. Tien and Yamcha were also talking. It felt good, being in the sunshine, lying on the sand, completely at ease, completely relaxed except for a noise that sounded like a car heading for the island. He did a quick mental head count; nope, everyone was there. Who could that be? He sat up and scanned the horizon. He saw it coming from the north; a hover-car. He stood up.

"Calm down, Gohan," said Bulma, "It's just Ima and Appura."

"Ima and Appura are coming?" he said, thinking back to his visit the week before which had abruptly ended not long after Vegeta's 'apology' to his daughter when he had begun berating her for being so emotional she couldn't stop crying whenever he raised his voice. Gohan personally had thought Vegeta had been unreasonable but hadn't said anything until he'd gotten home and proceeded to have a good old rant with his mother as she washed dishes. Gohan and Chi-Chi often had little ranting sessions in the kitchen, not shouting at each other, but rather venting their frustrations in each other's company and offering a sympathetic ear to one another.

"Yep, I thought it was about time they met everybody plus Vegeta's on his best behaviour," said Bulma, bring Gohan from his reverie, "He starts on Appura in the slightest bit and I disconnect the gravity room." Vegeta's eyes flicked over at the mention of his beloved gravity room. He quickly looked away when he saw Bulma and Gohan looking over and sipped his beer. The hover-car started to land. Gohan looked up and saw Ima in the driver's seat. He raised his hand and waved. She waved back. The car landed and the engine powered down. Bulma hurried over as the door opened and Ima jumped out. "Hello, Bulma," she said, "It's good to see you again." Appura emerged just behind her. Gohan felt the bottom of his stomach drop out and a chill shuddered through him. She looked amazing. She wore a yellow bikini top under a white shirt and a denim skirt. Her hair was held back with a yellow headband and her tail poked out a well-placed hole in the back of her skirt.

Everyone was looking over so Bulma introduced them. "Ok guys, this is Ima and Appura, the Saiyans I told you about," she said.

"That's Vegeta's kid?" said Yamcha, staring in disbelief at Appura.

"Yes, that's my kid," said Vegeta, "Now kindly butt out, moron!" Bulma scowled at him.

"What? You never said anything about starting on that idiot," he said, turning back to his beer. Bulma humphed and turned back to introducing Appura and Ima to everyone. "Ok, so we've got Krillin, 18, Marron, Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, Chi-Chi, Goku's wife, Videl, a friend of Gohan's," she said, pointing out each person individually, "That's Piccolo, Puar, Oolong and, that's Master Roshi."

The ancient Master stepped forward at that point. "I must say," he croaked, looking over the top of his glasses at the pair, "It's very nice to meet all of you." Ima's face hardened into a scowl as he stretched out a hand in the pretence of greeting the Saiyan High Priestess and her daughter. Ima didn't fall for it. Her fist collided with his face and sent him flying across the beach. "Pervert," she muttered under her breath. Appura didn't even flinch. She just stood stock still, her arms at her sides, staring at her feet. "Appura, are you ok?" asked Bulma, looking at the teenage girl.

"Actually, Appura would like to talk to you about something, Bulma," said Ima, pushing Appura forward a couple of steps. Bulma smiled and put her arm around her stepdaughter. Gohan watched as Bulma and Appura went inside. Ima bent down and whispered something in Vegeta's ear. Vegeta scowled for a moment and his eyes darted around as if he were double-checking where everyone was before standing and following Bulma and Appura. "I wonder what it is Appura needs to talk about with Bulma and Vegeta," said Goku, making his son jump.

"How'd you get there?" said Gohan, surprised.

"I walked," said Goku, not quite getting what his son meant. He slapped Gohan on the back before heading over to greet Ima.

Gohan wandered into Kame House, looking for more hot dog rolls. Bulma was sat on the couch with Appura, Vegeta was leaning against a wall. "It's no problem, Appura," said Bulma, "Just pop by Capsule Corp tomorrow and we'll work on it." She stopped when she saw Gohan walk in. Appura looked over her shoulder and blushed when she saw Gohan. "Hey, what are you guys talking about?" asked Gohan.

"Oh, girl stuff," said Bulma, waving a hand. Gohan looked from her to Vegeta. A joke jumped into his head about Vegeta being a girl because of the pink shirt he'd worn some years back but Gohan decided against it. He just carried on into the kitchen. "Ok, I'll see you outside," he heard Bulma say, but not to him. She and Vegeta left. Gohan looked around the kitchen, trying to decide where to look first. "W...W...Want a hand?" stuttered a quiet voice. Gohan turned around and saw Appura stood a few paces behind him. "Yeah, thanks, I'm just looking for some hot dog rolls," he said. She stepped forward. A strange scent hit Gohan. It smelt...good...really good. It took him a moment to realise that it was Appura. His brain went foggy as the scent filled his head. "Gohan!" He jumped and realised Appura had stepped around him and was looking in some of the cabinets for the rolls. He looked around but the only other person he could see was Vegeta, leaning in the doorway, his back to the Hybrid. Gohan shook his head and resumed his search for the rolls. Appura was stood on a chair, looking in one of the higher cabinets. "I..I think I found them," she said. Gohan pulled his head out of his cabinet. She was stood on tiptoes and stretching to reach.

"Appura, you shouldn't stretch like..." he started. The chair began to wobble and fell sideways. It only took a split second for Gohan to react. He caught Appura in his arms before she hit the ground. She looked shocked for a moment before realising she was safe. "Why didn't you just hover?" asked Gohan. She blushed and pushed herself out of his grip. "I err...can't fly," she said quietly as she bent down to pick up the packet that had fallen. Gohan's jaw dropped a little.

"You...you can't fly?" he said. Appura shook her head.

"Dad says it isn't p...proper for a Saiyan princess to fight or fly," she said, a little bitterness in her voice, "I really want to, but if I do anything to try to raise my power level, he comes down on me like a tonne of bricks. I mean, you saw how he reacted to me not serving him first last week." Gohan stayed quiet but pulled the kitchen door closed. "I...I mean, he flits in and out of my life and has all these demands. You know, he saw me once in five years but still had time to sleep with Bulma," she continued, "Y...you have no idea how much my mom had to fight for me to have my music career. He wanted to squash it out of me like he does everything else. I'm surprised he hasn't even commented on how I'm dressed today." She stopped, panting a little because she hadn't stopped to breath.

"Oh, that's because Bulma said if he starts on you, she'll disconnect the gravity room," said Gohan, "So he's picking on Yamcha instead. But don't take it personally; your dad is a bully. I've had the bruises and broken bones to prove it."

"Yeah, on Namek right?" said Appura. Gohan nodded. Krillin walked into the kitchen and looked at the two teens. "Oh, hey guys, I'm just looking for those rolls," he said.

"Oh, here, Krillin, s...sorry," said Appura, handing him the packet.

"Yeah, sorry, we got distracted, talking about how much of a bully Vegeta can be," said Gohan.

"Tell me about it," muttered Krillin, "He still calls me Baldy even though I have hair now, and he keeps calling 18 a toaster." Appura laughed a little.

"Feel better now?" asked Krillin. She nodded.

"Just think of it as a sign of affection," he said, "He wouldn't notice you if he didn't care about you." He turned around and left. "You know what, this is the longest conversation I've had with anyone who wasn't assigned to my record label in ages," Appura said, looking right at Gohan and taking a step forward. "Really?" said Gohan. Appura nodded.

"I don't have many friends," she said, smiling a little. Gohan took a deep breath and the scent filled his head again. "I'll be your friend," said Gohan, not thinking clearly.

"I'd like that," said Appura, smiling even more and stepping forward again. The scent grew stronger. Gohan was now utterly convinced that it was coming from her. He smiled back at her. She moved closer. Gohan couldn't help but look down at her. Her eyes were a beautiful deep blue. The white shirt she wore clung to gentle curves. Her legs were long and lean. To Gohan, everything about her seemed perfect. She was still moving closer to him, almost touching him. "Appura! Gohan!" called a voice. Appura moved away from Gohan and looked over at the doorway. Bulma was waving at them. "C'mon, it's time to sing happy birthday to Marron," she said.

Meanwhile...

Ima bent down next to the cool box and began searching for a drink. "Hi," said a voice. She looked up. The man Bulma had named as Yamcha was stood over her. "Hello," she said, pulling a bottle out of the ice-filled box and standing up. "So, you're Vegeta's ex," he said, sipping his own beer.

"That's me," she said, "And you are Bulma's ex?" He nodded.

"Well it's nice to finally meet the 'moron' Vegeta's told me so much about," she said, "Ima."

"Yamcha," replied Yamcha, "You look really good for a woman who's got an eighteen-year-old daughter."

"Seventeen," said Ima, "She's eighteen next month, but thank you. You're not so bad yourself either." She sent him a little wink.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Ima," said Yamcha, smirking a little, "Will I see you around again soon?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," said Ima, flicking the cap off her bottle with her thumb and walking away. She blushed slightly. She hadn't even entertained the idea of flirting with a man since Appura was born. Raising Appura had been her main goal but now Appura was a grown woman herself. She had even entered her first heat that very morning, hence why Vegeta was desperately trying to keep Kakarot and Gohan away from their daughter fairly unsuccessfully. He'd been distracted by Kakarot's challenge of a swimming race. Thankfully, Bulma was keeping an eye on the teenagers. She sighed lightly and sipped her drink.

Appura entering her first heat was certainly something to be proud of. It meant she was fully sexually mature. It also meant she became practically irresistible to every non-related adult Saiyan male, hence keeping Kakarot and Gohan at an arm's length. But now Ima realised how long it had been since she herself had been the object of a man's affections. Yamcha's compliment had been the first in over eighteen years. She looked over at the man. He wasn't bad looking, for a human of course. He was strong, possibly strong enough to keep a Saiyan female satisfied. She shook her head. No, she'd heard how he'd treated Bulma. She really should keep him at arm's length for now until she could be certain of his intentions. She saw 18 walk over to the large table with a birthday cake and was reminded of Appura's fifth birthday party, the only one Vegeta had ever attended and the only one he'd never been invited to.

He'd literally crashed the party, landing on the table, smashing it, in full Saiyan garb, sending twenty screaming five-year-olds into hysterics. That had been Appura's first meeting with her father and it had been a disaster. That was also the day she started stuttering when she was nervous. Vegeta had then vanished for two years before reappearing to inform them that he was going into intensive training for three years and would not be visiting for that length of time. The announcement had been shrugged off by Appura, she wasn't even bothered. When he finally showed up at her tenth birthday party, he decided to announce that she had a little brother from the heiress to the Capsule Corporation. Ima had been furious. Too busy to see his daughter, but not too busy to sleep with some woman, but she hadn't shown it. She'd never said anything. Let Vegeta make his own mistakes with Appura she had decided, she was sick of fighting him to make him do the right thing. The only reason she'd demanded he apologise last week was because they had company and she wanted to humiliate him as revenge for how he'd treated their daughter.

The group had gathered around the table and were singing happy birthday to the little blonde girl who was sat on her father's knee. Ima smiled but it felt painful. Appura had never sat on Vegeta's knee.

Later on that night...

Chi-Chi had been taken home by Videl with Goten and Trunks who had been falling asleep where they sat. Videl had a meeting with a career counsellor the next day so had to go home anyway. Marron was tucked up in bed, Master Roshi had dosed off on his sun lounger some hours before and Tien and Chiaotzu had also left. Krillin, 18, Goku, Bulma and Ima were sat on the large L-shaped couch, Appura was sat on the floor next to her mother's feet and Yamcha was sat on a chair with Gohan sat on the floor next to it. Vegeta was leaning against a wall as usual. They were all laughing and joking.

Ima's stories were getting the most laughs mainly because they were embarrassing ones about Vegeta's youth, such as his first visit to the temple as a child whilst Ima was a novice. He'd gotten separated from his father and lost in the temple's catacombs. He'd been so scared he had thought the priests and priestesses of the temple to be ghosts and had run away from them, 'screaming like a little girl'. Vegeta didn't enjoy the stories so much.

"So Ima, you were an adult when Vegeta was a kid...how old are you?" asked Goku.

"Seventy-five," Vegeta piped up before anyone else could say anything.

"N...No, dad," said Appura, "She's eighty-five." She sniggered at the sight of colour draining from Yamcha's face. She let him stew for a second before letting out a laugh.

"Just kidding, Yamcha, sh...she's seventy-five," she laughed. Vegeta smirked.

"I've never been prouder of you," he said to Appura.

"Damn, hope I look that good when I'm in my seventies," said Krillin.

"The wonder of Saiyan genetics," said Bulma, rolling her eyes.

"Saiyans stay in their prime longer," said Vegeta, "My father was over a hundred years old when I was born." Yamcha's face still didn't regain its colour. Ima decided it was time to leave.

"Appura, c'mon it's time to go," she said. Appura got to her feet and followed her mother towards the door. She looked over her shoulder. "G...Goodbye everyone, goodbye Gohan," she said, smiling. Vegeta growled a little.

"Vegeta, down boy!" said Ima as they left.