VII. Mission Completed

Lost and Fondness

Shades of Crimson

The team completed their mission in a way that was seemingly far too routine for the awkward air that laced the atmosphere around them.

After gathering some information from the King of the planet himself and then going to the palaces computer system and downloading information for later review, the crew made their way back outside and then flew in silence to a plot of land large enough to decapsulate their ships.

Landing softly on the grass, Vegeta's white boots made contact with the purplish grass of the planet Raquell.

Zarbon landed shortly behind him, a disk held protectively in his hand, and was shortly followed by his other two crew members and then the remainder of the Saiyan squad.

As Bulma sifted her weight on her toes she wondered why it took so many people to complete this mission. Freeza was no idiot, there had to have been a reason.

As if reading her thoughts, Kakerott turned to ChiChi and herself to explain, "Our last mission didn't require any assistance because the inhabitants were weak. The people of planet Raquell are much stronger and more intelligent. If they would have felt threatened by our snooping they may have tried to put up a fight."

Zarbon smirked, "You can never be too careful."

"We'll stay here tonight." Vegeta said, motioning to their plot of land, "Unload the ships and we'll go over the information. If we don't see anything alarming then we'll depart in the morning."

Freeza's three henchmen nodded in agreement and went into their ship once the cloud of smoke had cleared.

Taking the capsule from her belt, Bulma tossed their own ship beside the other and the Saiayns and the two women entered.

"Woman." Vegeta spoke sharply once she had made her way inside the ship.

Her cerulean eyes turned to him in question. They were full of hope and practically begged for his pity. She wanted to explain to him, really, she did. The realization of her truths couldn't be worse than the scorn apparent in Vegeta's onyx orbs.

"Tomorrow you should go back with the Ice-jins," his emotionless gaze remained taunt on his features, "You are, after all, one of them you know."

One of them.

She practically winced at the hatred he didn't care to hide from his tone. So, she thought miserably, she was back to being the scum from the bottom of his boots.

"Vegeta," Her lower lips quivered slightly. She knew she looked visibly weak, and being frail was not one of her strong points. However, she knew he was trying to brush her off again, and she was frail in her own way.

"Please."

He turned to face her, his haughty eyes lingering longer than he would have liked them to.

"Vegeta," Her voice wasn't a chocked whisper this time though, she felt strangely confident and it came out strong and firm.

"What?" He retorted sharply.

"Don't act like I'm wasting your time." She frowned, "You keep pushing me away like this because you don't want to deal with me. Why, I'm not entirely sure. We've had sex a couple times so that makes you some weak pathetic creature?" Another plastered frown, "I'm not sure how your definition of manly came to be so warped - but you aren't weak. You've proven it to everyone in the universe there are only two people you have left."

She sighed lightly, "First you have to let go and allow yourself to see it and then after that you can prove it to Freeza. He'll be the last person to need any proof because after you've defeated him it will all be over, everyone will know. But what then? Do you hope the battle kills you too because everything else in the universe is of some trivial nuisance to you? You'll have nothing more to devote your time to once you're the legendary. Nothing will be left worth living for."

Bulma sniffled slightly as the prince remained as stone.

A frown etched into her features as she continued, "I love you Vegeta. Dammit - I know you could not admit it even if you did, but you've already said so yourself … you feel something for me. Even if it is a mere fondness," her voice dropped to a low whisper, "I love you, Vegeta. I've only known you for a little over a week - but I know that I do."

His haughty eyes darkened and were replaced with that unreadable, emotionless stare that he so often wore.

"Bulma, you're leaving tomorrow." A scowl, "It's for the best."

She blinked as she watched him go. Around the corner and to disappear into his room.

With that, he was gone.

The morning air hung with a eerily foreshadowing foggy dew. The suns had not yet entirely peaked themselves above the horizon so the moist hair hung dark and drearily to the hazed sky.

Bulma frowned at the atmosphere, noting how perfect it was for her departure from the Saiyan fleet and back into her old lifestyle she had tried her best to escape from.

However, with Vegeta's short words to her the night before and his demanding nature that she be gone, she decided she would comply in silence. Perhaps she didn't belong here after all.

ChiChi sniffled as they held one another. Bulma was also sad about having to depart from her newfound friend. She had never had such a close female companion in all her life (neither of them had, actually) and it tore her apart for having to leave her this way.

Bulma smiled. At least she knew ChiChi would have a good life. Before she was miserable; now she had hope. A small laugh. And Kakerott.

With a short goodbye to Raditz and hug to 'Goku,' Bulma sent Vegeta a small, almost apologetic, smile.

"Bulma - let's go home."

Her aqua hair bounced slightly from it's ponytail as Bulma shook her head in reply to Zarbon's command.

Walking towards the ship she turned around, once more, to catch a glimpse of what she could only define as her friends.

Vegeta nodded his head slightly and she smiled in his direction.

Turning from them she entered the ship with a plastered expression of joy.

She knew that the slightest tilt of Vegeta's head was his own dark, warped way of wishing her well. He cared about her - she knew this and he recognized it to.

However, once onboard her smile faded into a glare as Zarbon smirked at her.

"I will contact your father. He will be pleased with this news."

The suns rose and set on various horizons at slightly different times on planets across the universe again and again and again. The cycle remained unchanged and life went on as normal.

Three years passed.

To some - it was three long, hard, excruciating years. To others it was years filled with joy and an array of good memories being made.

Either way - time didn't stop. It passed just like it always had and just like it always would. Order stood firm in the midst of all the chaos like some paradoxical mockery of those who took the time to notice how quickly it seemed to pass.

Another sunrise on the horizon. The daylight breaking the haze of the morning sky. It was a sight to beheld - but it was not a sight they took the time to notice.

The three Saiyans flew quickly as a group of Freeza's elite nipped steadily at their heels.

"They're closing in on us!" ChiChi shouted to the three men in front of her. She was having more than a little trouble keeping up.

Kakerott turned his head to see her face blur against the darkness, "ChiChi, I want you to land. There's a village just below us. They don't want you and they won't follow you."

Her facial features froze but her pace across the dewy morning sky didn't falter, "Goku! But …"

He smiled ahead, he could hear the protest in her voice, "Don't worry we'll come back for you two."

Yes. Two.

In her harms she held a boy of only a year.

He was young, yet his strength was already apparent.

"Take Goten, they won't pay any mind to him."

ChiChi nodded lightly and she and the baby boy landed on the ground.

Just as Kakerott has said, no one made an attempt to follow them. She frowned lightly, hoping the three Saiyans could outrun Freeza's henchmen.

About six months ago they had began a plot against the lizard emperor himself. A plot not only to overthrow his empire but to rebuild it. Rumors had spread about their conspiring on various other ships and docking stations. However, when Freeza learned of the news he convicted the Saiyan fleet of treason and there was price on their heads. Alive only.

ChiChi frowned, knowing what this meant. They would be beat and battered and then sold into some inhumane form of slavery. It was only natural for her husband to wish her safe on the ground with their young son.

She smiled at the boy. He was a carbon copy of his father and just over a year old.

Nearly six months after Bulma's departure from the ship ChiChi had realized her love for the goofy Saiyan and they had been wed on a planet they were sent to gather information on.

At that time there was no stress in their lives. They had not begun to ploy against Freeza himself and they were in no threat or danger.

Unlike now.

With the imperial army after them they had little time to rest.

Vegeta, the pessimist of the group, suspected that Freeza was not in fact worried about their success of their ploy but wanted to make an example of them for what will come of those who try and defy them.

The baby gurgled from her arms and she held him tighter to her form.

A tall figure landed beside her soon after that and she froze. However, when she realized it was simply Raditz, followed by the other two Saiyans, she sighed in relief.

"Come," Raditz spoke sharply as Kakerott came to her side, "We lost them for the time being - but it's only a matter of time before they find us again."

Vegeta pulled out the capsule holding their ship and nodded, "Let's get off of this rock."

For three years after that they lived on the edge. ChiChi and Kakerott's son, Goten, grew into quite a fighter and knew nothing more than a life of running from Freeza's army with hardly any understanding of why.

ChiChi was overjoyed to learn that her husband's naïve nature was a genetic trait and their son, despite his harsh and uneven lifestyle, had embodied it.

Kakerott, however, plotted on the side a safe planet for the two of them to escape to. It only seemed natural to allow his wife and four year old son a chance at a normal life.

However, his likelihood of this began to dwindle as they were finally captured by Freeza's army and hauled in shackles to planet Cold.

Kakerott had bargained for his families safety and it was eventually granted on the bases that the gatekeeper seemed to have some heart. Also, she was not a Saiyan and was no threat to army and wouldn't put up a fight anyway.

ChiChi kissed him on the mouth and Kakerott held his son tightly, promising that they would see him again.

Not knowing where else to go and not wanting to leave her husband, ChiChi found a job at a café and small, dreary shack for her son and she to reside in for the time being.

She was back to her old lifestyle. Sighing as she put another dish into the sink, she remembered how she used to live, just like this, before Bulma had come and rescued her and given her a new life.

However, no matter how similar her life was now, she had a son and a husband, even if he wasn't always present, currently and that gave her more to live for and, consequently, more hope.

In a cell only a few miles away was where the Saiyans were kept. They shared a cell with another alien named Piccolo and they had a visit from a large, brawny man who gave them their sentence for defying Freeza.

Vegeta smirked, 'so he doesn't wish for us to sit in a cell to rot?'

His heart had hardened, if possible, over the years and thoughts of the blue haired woman were beginning to loom in his head less and less. He was more static and more emotionless, and perhaps even darker than before. Vegeta had decided the only reason he still thought of her was because she was the only woman he had ever learned to care for. And that was it. He knew that she had more than likely long since forgotten about him. He was just some affair to her. A mere fling from her youth when she had taken a brash move and runaway.

The man nodded, "In two days you four will be participating in the Gladiator games, and tomorrow you will train in the yard with the other prisoners."

As the guard exited Vegeta smirked at his companions, "Our punishment is forcing us to fight?" He chuckled enigmatically.

Kakerott frowned, "This isn't a treat, Vegeta."

The other Saiyan shrugged casually, "You're just upset because your family is gone. Vegeta, however, finally gets a chance to show off."

The Saiyan Prince smirked darkly.

Standing from the bench of their cell the Namekian frowned at the three, "This is a punishment beyond reason. We will be forced to fight to the death."

"Yes," Vegeta smirked, "The bloodlust battle, we are well aware of it. Yet we don't have to fight each other so what do we have to worry about?"

Piccolo sighed, "It's senseless."

"I agree," Kakerott frowned, his attention diverted as he looked for a weak spot in their cell. He knew it was useless since the walls had been especially crafted to keep the strongest of warriors in.

"Tomorrow," Vegeta's smirked remained, "we will see what you have - Namek."

"Two more days until the games." Launch groaned as she took a seat in her sister-in-law's sitting room.

The couches that lined the room and sat before the hologram set were lush and comfortable, the navy-haired woman sunk slightly into the cushion as she spoke.

The woman she had spoken to sighed lightly in disgust as well, "How I wish we could miss for a change."

Launch smiled at her friend, "Yes, but then we would leave Tien alone, and you know your father wouldn't allow his absence."

Bulma nodded knowingly. After all of these years, six to be exact, Freeza still relied on his son to be his diplomat. He was tactful and polite, royals from all around put their faith and trust in him easily.

"How is my brother?" Bulma questioned casually. She and Launch had often escaped to Bulma's room to chat idly. It seemed to be the only normal part of Bulma's life.

"Good," Launch smiled, "He wants a child so. How is yours?"

A proud smile spread across the princess lips, "He's good. Sleeping now. We went to the training facilities today and he wore himself out."

The twenty-four year old pincess had a six year old son. Yes, it had been a shock upon all of the universe. However, Tien and Launch had loved the young boy as their own and found no scandal in Bulma's child. They were unable to have children themselves and so it was rumored that perhaps Bulma's son would be the one to inherite the throne.

Controversially, it was also no secret that Freeza was not particularly fond of his bastard grandson. Bulma knew, and secretly prided herself, that this was because it had ruined her chances of wedding Zarbon. He would not take her upon her return from her little escapade six years ago when she revealed to them that she was with child.

When Trunks was three years old Bulma had sneaked into the purging office to check the records of the Saiyan fleet. She had planned to surprise her old crew members and reveal the secret she had kept from the prince and reveal to him that he had a son and she was still very much in love with him.

However, when Bulma found the record of the crew's upcoming missions the file was bare except for a single word that seemed to stare boldly at her from the top of the page. It simply read TERMINATED.

She had wept, right there, on the dingy floor of the purging office. The word told her quite clearly that they had been discovered of their mutiny against her father and had been dealt with accordingly.

So she would raise her son, instead, with full knowledge of his demi-race. He had all the pride of a Saiyan and all of the gall of his father. She hated Vegeta slightly for not allowing her the chance to get over him. Bulma was never able to look at another man in the same way. Perhaps it was because she had had a child with him or perhaps it was because they were star-crossed lovers. Perhaps she would never have the chance to know.

At birth his tail had been cut off, upon orders of the emperor himself, for he didn't want his only daughter to be linked with the Saiyans in anyway.

Entering the room Bulma's lavender-haired son smiled at his mother and aunt joyously.

"Aunt Launch!" He said, jumping into the petite woman's lap. She held him gently, smiling at how cute he looked in his miniature prince attire.

"Shouldn't you be asleep Trunks?" His mother questioned with a playful smile.

Animatedly, his had shook, "I can't sleep mama!"

Launch giggled, "And why is that little one?"

"Because," a toothy grin encompassed his small features, "The games are only two days away and I cannot wait!"

Blinking lightly Bulma was saddened by her son's obvious amusement with the to-death battles the Cold's had been so famous for hosting.

However, she knew his passion for battle was in his blood and there was no denying this fact.

"Go to bed Trunks," Bulma said with a kind smile, "The games will be closer when you awake."

He kissed his aunt's cheek and then hoped off her lap and happily bounced into his room.

Bulma sighed, "So much like his father."

"He would have been proud, I'm sure." Launch said, offering her friend a comforting smile.

"Yes." Bulma spoke with a weak smile, "I'm sure."

Holding her son's hand the raven haired woman gilded her son through the overcrowded streets of planet Cold.

Tomorrow were the games and she knew that many flocked to the main city for this twisted form of amusement.

Her son smiled excitedly as they approached the prison, she frowned as she noticed it was linked with the coliseum.

So he will be fighting …

"Mama!" Goten shouted excitedly, "Will we get to watch the games there tomorrow?"

She blinked down at her son and smiled lightly, "Yes son, we will."

Entering the prison she gave the guard Kakerott's name and he led them to a dingy cell in the corner of the prison.

As she walked she noted the brawny men she passed in their cells. They looked all to be warriors. Proud featured stained with dried blood and haggard bodies with skin clinging to their underfed cheekbones.

"Goku!" She said, placing her hands on his own through the bars of his cell. She knew that they were probably of some ungodly strengthened steel and were not only Ki absorbent by possibly even deflected.

He kissed his wife and dropped to his knees to admire his son.

"Hello." She greeted the other three cellmates.

Vegeta and Raditz merely looked jadedly in her direction as Piccolo seemed to ignore the situation before him altogether.

As she sighed she turned back to her husband who was smiling rather fondly at their son who spoke quickly.

"-and tomorrow we're going to come and watch you fight!"

Kakerott laughed lightly as he rubbed the top of his son's head, messing his spiky hair up slightly.

"And will you cheer for me?"

A tear caught ChiChi's eye as she realized the result of the battle of he did not win. She frowned, if any of them had lost. She wasn't sure if she could stand to watch any of them die.

"Of course!" He shouted excitedly.

Vegeta opened one of his eye lazily at the boy and then leaned back against the bench. In half an hour he would be able to train and then tomorrow he would have the chance to prove himself as Freeza watched him battle. Why did time have to torture him so?

A smirk lingered on his dark features as he pictured the look on the lizard's features as he realized just how much stronger Vegeta had grown over the years.

A small part of him also wondered if she would be there watching him. She was of some nobility and would probably have to sit and watch the games. Would she even remember him? Or would she be distracted by her ugly husband and their seven brats?

He quickly brushed off the thought and decided to spend his next few minutes in their chamber in meditation on the games tomorrow.

Yes, tomorrow he would be given the chance to prove himself and that was all he needed to carry on.

aaaand the story begins.

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