A/N:

One week later! As promised. I need to stop being so incredibly busy D: sorry! But Spring Break is almost here, which means I will finally have time to write again (super excited yay!). Umm, oh yeah. Have I mentioned how incredibly wonderful all of you are? No? Well it's true. Over 100 reviews? With 2 chapters? Insanity, I say! I am so grateful to all of you :D

Special thanks to: Shirokame, ZombieChick422, Tenaciousmew, artificialmasquerade, Saiyan Queen, merlincrazy, Person who loves this, Cara2012, TheDeadlyColera, Many Voices In My Head, Winrycherry101, menga88, JJ, The Azu Soul Lilly, AngelZ Of Darkness, Linneh (yeah...I'm not too fond of that either. but i found it to be the most realistic take, especially because i played up his hormones in the prequel), Greendragonsheart, laurena124, Onba, miscellaneousSam, Black Diamond07 (Happy Mardi Gras!), Death101-Fox Version, dyingdreamsv2, MK08, Jaylee-Rebel, Me Again (SSJ Goku is on your side D: unfair), bvprincess23 (haha, you're lucky!), Dazzler303, Gan Aurora, koii, TheGlassAndEmberRing, Girness, SobakasuAshura (aka ZapZapYotsuba :D), Duncan Luva, Shivana, ZammyNox, vegetalover, dolce-bebe, and Bulma And Vegeta Forever (Twice :D double thanks!). AHH. thanks guys :D you make me smile.

Let me just preface this chapter by saying that I absolutely adore Gohan. That is all.

Disclaimer: I DON'T DBZ. D:

Plan B

Chichi was practically sprinting through the hospital wings, flying passed nurses and stretchers and poor unknowing patients. Well at least she isn't screaming. Bulma casually walked by, only pausing when a few doctors offered to check out the wound she had on her chest. "Not a wound. Just blood. I got it." She waved them off and continued on to room 478E.

Krillin was waiting outside, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed to leave his best friend and Chichi alone. At the sight of Bulma, he immediately sat up straight, "Don't worry. I told him about your little 'preschool program'." Krillin sniffed, "He thought it was the best lie he ever heard."

...Of course he would. Bulma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair nervously, "He isn't mad at me? For letting Gohan go?"

"What could he expect you to do Bulma? Charm your way to the alien's heart?"

She groaned and crossed her arms, "Don't make it sound so impossible..."

"Look, we both know you were only doing what you thought was best for the Earth. Who knows what a guy with that kind of power could do to us." Krillin's gaze suddenly became very focused, "What I want to know is how the heck you knew that guy, Bulma. You seemed to know everything about him."

"No way! I don't know what you're talking about, Krillin."

"You called him Raditz, Bulma. We never told you that."

Crap. He was looking at her seriously know, eyebrows pointed in confusion and slight doubt. How could she possibly explain how she knew Raditz? That for a year of her life she had lived with Saiyans? She would have to explain Vegeta. How could she ever explain Vegeta? How could she reface the fact that she left him there, rotting away on Karbos? That his life was even more of a living Hell after he got back to Frieza? That the stupid space lizard was the only reason why she hadn't wished the prince back with her a year later?

Oh, Yamcha would have loved to hear about that one. ...But since when did she give a shit about Yamcha anymore?

"It was a long time ago, Krillin, before I knew you. It was the first wish I made to the dragon balls."

Krillin raised an eyebrow, "You made a wish to meet that guy? Why?"

"I didn't wish to meet Raditz you idiot!" She waved her hands, exasperated that he was interrupting something she wasn't even fully comfortable with saying. When she remembered her actual wish, her mind fell flat. It sounded so stupid now. Krillin would forever make fun of her for being some desperate, hormonally driven girl. "I...I don't remember the exact wish, but it brought me to this weird place in outer space. I met a lot of people there."

"Including Raditz?"

"Yeah..."

"But you knew he was Goku's brother right away, Bulma. You knew that Goku was an alien this whole time?"

It was her turn to look at him strangely. "Didn't you? I mean, the boy had a tail and could turn into a giant ape during the full moon. You weren't the least bit suspicious that he wasn't human?"

"YOU'RE WHAT?"

Both Krillin and Bulma immediately steered their attention back into the hospital room, where a heavily bandaged Goku was blinking rapidly over Chichi's somewhat fainted body. The woman was slumped into a chair, looking half shocked and half angry. "Chichi...it's really not too big of a deal. If anything it explains a lot of stuff, don't you think?" Goku scratched his head, laughing at himself. "I mean, maybe this explains my strength and Gohan's tail. And hey! I bet all these Saiyan guys eat a lot too!"

Krillin looked back to Bulma, "Well do they?"

That question gathered the attention of every one nearby. Chichi and Goku looked at Krillin and then to Bulma, bewildered. "Um..."

Goku blinked, "Bulma, you said you knew him, didn't you?"

"You mean, Raditz?" She walked into the hospital room, inching away from Chichi, who didn't seem too happy at all. "I do know him."

"You know that bastard that beat up my husband?" Chichi stood up again, "How?"

Bulma shrugged, "Just some stupid incident that happened when I was a teenager. It was a wish I made to the dragon balls."

"Ohhh, I get it!" Goku grinned. "He's your perfect boyfriend!"

Bulma froze, the gazes of Krillin and Chichi making her feel completely embarrassed.

"...You wished for the perfect boyfriend?" Krillin stammered, practically laughing already.

"Well...I..."

"AND YOU GOT RADITZ? HAHAHA!" Krillin was rolling on the floor, holding his stomach in painful bouts of laughter. "Oh yeah! What a nice guy! I'm sure he'll buy you flowers right after he murders all your friends!"

Goku shrugged, but then flinched from the pain in his back. "Well, I can't blame her completely. There is a family resemblance. But it was a good wish after all. I could have been dead if Bulma hadn't met the guy before."

"But Piccolo died." Bulma didn't really understand the worry in her voice. She used to be terrified of Piccolo, but the actual reality of his death made her second guess that fear. He wasn't really a monster, not compared to Jeice or Frieza or even Vegeta on a bad day.

"That monster? Should we be sorry?" Chichi walked over to her husband, fluffing his pillow, "We should just be happy my little Gohan was sent away before his homicidal uncle came by."

"Haha, yeah Chichi." Krillin scratched his head awkwardly, "But no Piccolo means no dragon balls. Unless that guy was right about the Name-whatever."

Goku raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"

"It was after you were unconscious, Goku. Your brother mentioned something about Namekians being connected to the dragon balls, since Piccolo and Kami are connected to the ones here." Bulma sat down next to her friend, "I agreed to go to Namek in a year in order to...set things right."

"What are you talking about, Bulma?" Chichi asked.

"Namek's some other planet out there, and I need to solve some personal issues...um...perfect boyfriend issues." She didn't really want to admit that a part of her wanted to see Vegeta, but she wasn't about to tell Chichi that she needed to save her son on some alien planet.

"I'll go with you!" Goku immediately hollered, as expected. Krillin had most likely informed him already about Gohan, and even if his son wasn't being held captive, Bulma doubted her friend would ever turn down an adventure.

"Absolutely not, mister! With Gohan gone and then you, you expect me to just be in Mt. Paozu all by myself?" Chichi was practically hitting him with a pillow, "Well, I won't do it Son Goku. You are staying right here!"

Bulma placed a hand on her shoulder, "Chichi, I think it's really important that Goku comes with me. I don't know anything about Namek, and he is the strongest guy in the world."

"Can't you just bring Yamcha, Bulma?"

She fidgeted at the other woman's question. Bring Yamcha...to meet Vegeta? She gulped. "We broke up."

"Gosh, sorry Bulma." Krillin patted her on the back. "Well, I'll definitely come with you. Just say when."

"Me too, Bulma." Goku reached for his wife's hand. "And I'm sure you and Yamcha will work it out. You guys always do."

"Thanks, Goku."

There was still one thing that bothered Bulma, besides the impending Saiyan reunion. It was great that her friends had agreed to come with her to Namek, but how the heck was she going to get there?

Krillin seemed to be thinking the same thing, "Too bad Kami was tied to Piccolo. If they're really those Namekian things, he'd probably have some idea where Namek is."

"He did."

All four of them turned to the hospital doorway, where a stout figure stood idly. Mr. Popo walked casually in, ignoring the surprised faces. "How are you Son Goku?"

"Been better." He cracked a smile, "Is Kami really gone, Mr. Popo?"

The genie nodded sadly, "He faded shortly after Piccolo did, but not before he explained his origin."

"Origin?" Bulma questioned.

"Yes. He explained to me that he has a ship here that can bring you all to Namek. Would you like to see it, Ms. Briefs?"

She nodded fervently, "Absolutely."

"Little bastard has some fight in him." Nappa chewed barbarically at the crude meal laid out in front of him. It was mostly a pile of meat, but the elite Saiyan ate it barely chewing.

Vegeta's eyes glanced upwards. He was strangely curious about the boy's progress, about how much a half breed Saiyan could actually learn. Raditz had successfully pawned the child off as his long lost bastard son, and Frieza's warriors treated him as such. It had been a month since Raditz brought the child 'home', but his appearance in the public among the Frieza compound was minimal.

The Saiyan Prince had yet to spar with the brat, but what he gathered from Nappa and Raditz was that Kakarot's offspring had some merit.

Raditz cracked a shoulder and then spoke, "It's only when you make fun of him though, or his heritage. He just seems to snap." Raditz shook his head as he bit down on a drumstick, "Today I told him his father was worthless and see what happened?" He raised one finger, pointing to the black and blue mark above his cheek.

Vegeta furrowed his eyebrows, "The little twerp did that?"

"Yeah, he could be a real...asset."

Vegeta caught Raditz's meaning. It was why he allowed the third class to go find his brother in the first place. They needed more men on their side. Nappa couldn't be trusted, and he would be damned to let anyone else other than a Saiyan know about his plans of ridding Frieza. This planet was swarming with slugs. The last thing he needed was to be back-stabbed.

"Prince Vegeta."

The slightly effeminate voice made him immediately tense. Vegeta turned his head sharply, eyeing Zarbon and Dodoria with equal looks of disdain. Shit. Frieza's top henchmen were usually based with the lizard lord himself, and Frieza was supposed to be scouting for new planets to sell. And their presence here usually meant bad news. "What the fuck do you want?"

"Friendly as ever, little Vegeta." Dodoria gave him a 'friendly' pat. "I was just lookin' for a nice little fight while Zarbon here talks to one of your men."

Vegeta knew he meant Raditz. They must have found out about Gohan, about his 'illegitimate child'. The prince gave Raditz a glance, who quickly pressed a button on his scouter. "Fine, Dodoria." Vegeta stood up from the dining hall table. He was never one to run away from fights, but now he looked forward to them. He would get his ass kicked. He would be sore and hurting until the sweat burned from running down his fragile skin. But inside, he'd be getting stronger. Dodoria's ass kicking would send the Saiyan Prince even closer to a higher power level. And once he was high enough, once he no longer had to worry about the repercussions of Frieza, the pink blob would just be a pink dead body. "Raditz, go ahead and talk to Zarbon."

The third class nodded grimly, not really looking forward to talking to the man that consistently beat him up for five years when he was only 15. But he relented, and the two Saiyans left the room.

"Uncle Vegeta!"

He cursed grimly at this plan. Yes, it was the best viable option. Gohan would hide in his room, and 'lower his ki', or whatever that meant, just in case Zarbon would go snooping about Raditz's or Nappa's less secured quarters.

There was an oversized green scouter hanging loosely over the boy's eye. "This thing is so cool! Uncle Raditz was sure nice to give it to me." His black eyes blinked, suddenly taking in the full Saiyan's appearance. "Vegeta, sir, are you okay?"

He didn't feel okay. He felt close to dying, which was exactly what he wanted. But Vegeta dragged himself across the room, letting the drips of red blood fall on the floor, making Gohan grimace slightly. The boy still had a lot to learn. He was still too soft, not wanting to fight or hurt anyone unless provoked. It had been easy to get the boy to trust them, even after Raditz's less than friendly introduction on Earth.

"We're here to protect you from the real monsters, Gohan."

The little boy had blinked wildly at his uncle, fear still ridden in his eyes. "Bu-But you hurt my daddy. You're the real monster!"

Raditz sighed and patted Gohan's head. Vegeta had found it disgusting, his caring nature towards the boy. Why had the third class felt so attached? Was that their nature, a side effect of always working in large squadrons becase they were too damn weak to be left alone? Were third class Saiyans so damn thoughtful for their family, even if they were people they had only met two days before?

Raditz suddenly pointed to Vegeta suddenly, "See, Uncle Vegeta over there? He's a prince. He was supposed to be a great ruler one day, to follow in the footsteps of his father."

Vegeta had grunted. The last thing he wanted to be was anything like his disgraceful excuse for a father. But Raditz continued, "On our planet, your planet too, he was supposed to bring about prosperity and happiness for all of the Saiyans."

The child looked at Vegeta and then his uncle, perfectly wide eyed. What a naïve little brat. "Wha-what happened?"

"A bad man came and took over the planet, robbing Prince Vegeta of his throne and all of us a home. He destroyed our planet and killed our whole race."

"Except for my daddy."

"Yes, Kakarot, Nappa, Vegeta, and I are the only full blooded Saiyans left. I went to Earth to get your father to help us."

Gohan crinkled his nose, "You had a really weird way of asking. It wasn't very nice."

Raditz only nodded.

"And you killed Piccolo. I know he was a bad man in the past, but people can change! He was only trying to help me."

"And I was only trying to help our people, Gohan." Raditz sighed. Vegeta was surprised how convincing this sob story actually sounded. "We need help to defeat the monster. We need your help."

Gohan seemed to struggle with himself, but finally relented. "Alright...but you have to promise not to hurt anyone else! Otherwise you really are a bad man!"

Raditz chuckled but nodded, "I only intend on hurting the people that hurt me. Surely you can understand that."

"You have to leave my daddy and the Earth and my mommy alone, okay?" His black eyes were so big, so wanting to trust Raditz even though the Saiyan had knocked him unconscious. Vegeta curled a lip. How innocent, how naïve, how easy to trust. He supposed the young were always so stupid.

"I promise, Gohan." Raditz held out his hand, and the little boy slowly took it. Raditz waited until he thought Vegeta was out of earshot as the Saiyan Prince finally retreated from the third class's quarters. "I always knew I had a little brother. But I never knew what it would feel like."

Vegeta growled. He was surrounded by pansies.

"Uncle Vegeta?"

Damn that nickname.

Gohan poked him in the ribs as he tried to relax on his bed. But the motion made him spasm slightly.

"Are you okay, Uncle Vegeta?"

"Do I look okay, brat?"

The little boy didn't reply. He just sat on the floor, letting his tail swish back and forth. The silence would normally be welcomed, but for some reason, Vegeta re-initiated the conversation. "You got Raditz's signal?"

"Yeah! The scouter thing is really cool." He pressed a button, seeming to operate it perfectly. The thought made him wince a little. The little boy was smart. And from what Vegeta knew of Raditz, he doubted that intelligence was Kakarot's friend. Which would mean that Gohan had a smart mother, perhaps a genius mother.

"You know how to work it pretty well."

"Well, it's not that difficult. Especially since Uncle Raditz taught me the basics. Is he okay?"

It hurt to nod, but Vegeta managed. "He's in much better shape than me."

"Can I ask you a question, Vegeta, sir?"

"No."

But Gohan did anyway. He had become accustomed to Vegeta's grumpy nature a little too quickly for the Saiyan Prince's liking. "Why do you want the dragon balls?"

"I thought Uncle Raditz told you. We need them to defeat the monster."

"But what do you actually want from them? Because I was thinking we could maybe wish back Piccolo. I think it bothers Uncle Raditz that he had to kill him, and then the Earth's dragon balls would come back too!"

He would have sat up and sneered, but he just didn't have the energy, "First of all, I highly doubt Raditz feels guilty at all for killing the Namekian."

Gohan made a slight squeak, "And second of all?"

"Second of all, I don't care about the Earth's dragon balls. I just care about my wish." Vegeta sighed and rolled over to his side, wanting to welcome the darkness of sleep, "Anything else you want to ask, brat?"

"Yes, sir." Gohan paused, and Vegeta could hear the little boy scoot a little closer to Vegeta's bed. "Uncle Raditz said you used to have an Earthling. Whatever happened to her?"

To say the question threw him off guard would have been a huge understatement. The pang thundering in his skull from Dodoria's unrelenting punches suddenly moved to his chest. He felt cold sweat drip down the contours of his back, not knowing how to explain. "I don't know and I don't care." Vegeta closed his eyes, finally letting himself drift off into unconsciousness as the back of his mind wrestled with himself, trying to discern if only half of that statement was true.

He was seriously unrelenting. She had to convince her dad to get dogs or security bots or something. His incessant banging and hollering was absolutely ridiculous, and it was driving her completely insane. "Go away!"

"Please, Bulma. Just let me explain!"

"I don't want your stupid explanations, Yamcha!" This shouting through the front door thing was really straining her throat. "I just want you to go away."

"You know I won't do that."

She did. He wouldn't leave until she let him in. Oh sure, he never went as far as banging down the door to get her attention, but he remained there, sometimes for a whole day until her mother usually let him in. Was it so bad that sometimes she wished he did break down the door? That sometimes she wished his whining shrieks for apology were a little more demanding, a little more severe and passionate? Bulma shook her head. This recent bout with Saiyans was just confusing her. Did she really wish that Yamcha, right now, were Vegeta instead?

She had barely known the Saiyan Prince. He had been a tortured soul, a lost boy in a huge world that Bulma couldn't understand. He had been mysterious, powerful, and hot. Her teenage hormones and naïve brain looked passed the fact that he was a killer, passed the fact that he pretty much verbally abused her. How could she wish that Vegeta, a boy she barely knew, was Yamcha, her sweet boyfriend?

She practically cursed at the realization. If there was one thing Yamcha was, it was not sweet. "Just go to Bethany's or Tiffany's or whoever's house, Yamcha! Do you know who I am? I could have men lining up the street to get a date with me! There's no way I need your sorry ass in my..."

The door suddenly swung open lightly, and Bulma sighed, remembering that Yamcha had a key. "It wasn't like that, Bulma."

She hadn't talked to him for a couple of weeks. He had tried to tell her the same spiel when Goku had been released from the hospital, but she wouldn't listen to him then, and she didn't want to listen to him now. But Yamcha had his hands on the doorframe, leaning on the edge with a soft smile on his face, "Please, Bulma."

"Fine." She turned around and walked into the house. Their relationship was so volatile, like a continuous time bomb. Neither of them was perfect. They would make mistakes that usually caused Bulma to yell and Yamcha to try and calm her down. But what if I don't want to be calmed down? The thought was crazy, but Bulma couldn't help to find some truth to it. Perhaps they kept on breaking up because they didn't fight for what they had.

She sighed and fell flat on the couch. For a martial artist, Yamcha wasn't much of a fighter. He set down her red roses on the glass coffee table before sitting on the couch, a good distance away from her. "I went out with a woman that day. But I'm not interested in her."

Bulma narrowed an eyebrow, "Is that supposed to be an excuse?"

"No, no!" Yamcha raised his hands, "She's an agent...for baseball. I was just trying to get a sponsor, Bulma."

"So you slept with her?" That made her even more upset. It would be one thing if Yamcha just didn't love her anymore, but to claim that he was just doing it for professional reasons? It was disgusting.

Yamcha sighed, "No, Bulma. I didn't sleep with her. I may have been a little too flirty with her to try and get the sponsorship, but I didn't sleep with her. I would never cheat on you."

"Lie."

Yamcha frowned at the harsh word. It had been a long time before he fully understood the intricacies of a relationship. He was only 18 and some other girl had asked him on a date, which he agreed to. He didn't understand that going out to eat was a date. Bulma had done it with Goku all the time. But when Bulma happened to be at the same restaurant, she went ballistic, claiming that just because he grew up in the desert was no reason for his naivety. She had stubbornly forgiven him, years later, so it shocked him a little that she was bringing it up again now.

"Bulma..."

She shook her head. "Why should I believe you, Yamcha? How do I know you didn't?"

"Can't you trust me?"

But she couldn't. Why couldn't she? He was a hero, saved her life countless times, and she didn't believe him. She couldn't put that much faith in him, not when it came to loyalty. There was just something about Yamcha that was lacking in that department, and she couldn't really understand why.

Yamcha nodded, accepting his girlfriend's lack of a reply, "I didn't get the sponsorship. That should be your first clue."

"But...you're good at baseball."

"Yeah, but that doesn't really matter if you piss off the right people. I rejected her, right after she left underwear in my apartment. Please Bulma," He grabbed the red roses again, shoving it closer to her face. "Forgive me?"

She wanted to say no. She wanted to tell him that she didn't love him anymore, that he wasn't the right guy for her, but her brain couldn't think of any good reason why he wasn't. He had always been there for her. He had been an excellent boyfriend, but her thoughts kept nagging her about Vegeta. Why was she clinging to this past memory? It was almost a little perverted, thinking of a teenage boy so often, but she had to admit, she was mostly focusing on what he was like now, of the man he was today. But as she looked into Yamcha's eyes, she doubted herself. She didn't know what Vegeta was like now. She couldn't anticipate their reunion as some miraculous event, linking the two of them together, hearts burning, lips crushing together to never be separated again. How delusional.

No, she couldn't drop Yamcha for a memory. He was her boyfriend. And she needed to forgive him. She nodded slowly and placed a delicate kiss on his lips. Yamcha smiled and ran his hands in her hair softly, making Bulma's eyes close.

A/N:

I love Gohan :D If I had more time I'd totally write about baby Goten and Trunks (by baby, I mean child/chibi size). DARN YOU COLLEGE.

And this chapter title totally makes sense, I swear.

Let me know what you think :D