A/N: I like cutting it close. Huh. Anyway, let me say again, how wonderfully fabulous all of you are for reading, reviewing, and favoriting this story. I feel so special whenever I get a new fanfic email :D It makes me smile. THANK YOU EVERYONE.

Special thanks to: Renae724, KayuraK, The Azu Soul Lilly (Fanfic goddess has to be the best compliment I have ever received. :D), TheDeadlyColera, Greendragonsheart, dyingdreamsv2, Many Voices In My Head, koii (Nappa's a sketchy guy...), dolce-bebe, The0Blind0Writer (Vegeta did a lot of training for Gohan :D, he's almost on Cell Saga awesome level, minus the SSJ part), joys, DBZ-VegetaLove, Alex274 (for your two reviews! and I KNOW. so many. i'm in awe.), kickstartmyhart (Ah! Thanks so much for the plug :D I'll have to go check it out now!), Black Diamond07 (it did feel awesome :D), jdboss1, YukiraKing, ScoobyDoobyDee, elleelle, reodavle, apple pie 33, Jena08, Eure (I understand you just fine :D I hope you get everythin in my story!), Onba, BloodyXan-Xan, gege, MK08, ZombieChick422, gue22 (ha, whoa, I didn't realize I made Son Goku so appealing! ...you'd think I'd be trying to do that with Vegeta more...ha, but glad you enjoyed it!and thanks for multiple reviews!), bvprincess23 (I hope you continue to keep count :D), Girness, Jaylee-Rebel, Thesuckiestwriterofforever, crazykk2, boona, FishTVCo (I love writing Vegeta's PoV!), mulayhna, Greenis my fav color, bimbosarahsurfchick ( this writing speed is turning into a habit...not good), Naughty Cat, Sayian Queen, Tessa (Oh my! I hope everything works out D:), piscesgirl55 (yeah! Vegeta realized the whole Bulma/Gohan mother thing last chap!), _ no name?, Death101-Fox Version, and miikodesu.

Thanks guys!

Also, I edited last chapter because for some reason I spelled Raditz's name with two d's. it was bothersome. if you noticed this mistake, sorry! I'll eventually go back and edit everything...but probably not for a long while.

Oh! And I wanted to be super duper exited about hitting the 500 mark for Make A Wish! I'm sure many of you have contributed to that review count, and I thank you all so much :D

Now on to the things you care about!

Disclaimer: Nope, I'm not Akira Toriyama, meaning I don't own DB/DBZ/DBGT.

Complications

He expected that Yamcha wouldn't have been too happy with him, but not this angry. He wasn't exactly sure he had ever seen Yamcha lose his cool so easily before. But then again, maybe the situation did call for it.

"I can't believe it! How did you just let that happen? Don't you care what happens to her at all?"

Goku blinked and took a step back from Yamcha. The once desert bandit quickly recovered from Vegeta's less than honorable hit, all thanks to some small Namekian child named Dende. Goku decided to ignore Yamcha's outburst for now, "I want to thank you again for healing my friend, Dende. You sure surprised me with that!"

The child shook his head. He was tiny, reminding Goku slightly of Piccolo when he was younger. But Dende's smile was much more pleasant, much more serene despite the circumstances he suddenly found himself in. It made him think that, perhaps, if Piccolo had lived, he could have been this way...eventually. Goku had seen glimpses of honor, of a noble fighter, when they had both faced off Raditz together. And his once enemy even died trying to protect his son. But if only he could convince the others that wishing Piccolo back would be a good thing...

"Goku! Are you even listening? They just kidnapped Bulma! Bulma! We have to go get her back." Yamcha grabbed him by his gi, turning him around furiously. "Who knows what they'll do to her! Those bastards..."

"They're not!" Gohan suddenly blurted out, letting go of Goku's hand for a second. "They were nice to me. Daddy, they made me stronger, like you always wanted me to be. I'm not...I'm not afraid of things anymore, not like I'm used to. They made me brave."

Krillin raised an eyebrow, "I guess that much is true. This kid was afraid of waves before..."

"Mhm. But they helped...well not so much Mr. Nappa, but I don't think Uncle Raditz and Uncle Vegeta really like him much anyway..."

"Vegeta...he's the one who hit me, right?" Yamcha scoffed. "Look, Gohan. They're bad men. Your uncle kidnapped you and brainwashed you. And we're going to stop them from doing anything to Bulma, okay?"

Gohan narrowed his eyes, wrapping his tail tightly around his waist. "I don't know you, mister, but if Daddy's stories are true, you attacked him and that Bulma lady when you first met. But now you're his friend!"

Goku cracked a grin, but Yamcha was not as amused, "That's different."

"How?" Gohan wasn't trying to be smart, but he was just genuinely confused.

His confusion only seemed to grow when Yamcha made no retort. This trip was a mess. It was great, beyond wonderful, that Gohan was back with him, safe and unscarred. Though Chichi might not have liked his new fighting ability, Goku had to admit he was slightly surprised and proud of his son's relatively high ki. Who knows how powerful he could be...he's still so young.

"Gohan's right." Goku patted his son on the head.

Krillin's mouth fell wide open. "You can't be serious. You want us to trust those guys? And what? Help them find the dragon balls?"

"No...he's right that they deserve a second chance. We need to find out their real motives for wanting the dragon balls."

"No, Goku." Yamcha interrupted, "We need to get Bulma back! Am I the only one concerned that she might be dead right now?"

Goku knew that wasn't true. Bulma wasn't stupid, and she certainly didn't have a death wish. She wouldn't have so easily handed herself to the Saiyans if she didn't have some sort of survival or escape plan. That is...if she even wants to escape. He couldn't explain that thought really, about how he could just tell Bulma wasn't totally against being around the Saiyans...especially the one that nailed Yamcha in the head. And that Saiyan seemed pretty willing to accept Bulma for Gohan. Sure, Bulma did know about the dragon balls, but they didn't need her if they had the radar. If anything, she was just deadweight. But he couldn't exactly say that. "I care about her too, Yamcha. She's one of my best friends."

He didn't like his harsh tone. He never meant to sound so serious, especially since Yamcha seemed to be inwardly beating himself up over becoming unconscious so easily and letting Bulma be taken like that. Goku patted his friend on the shoulder. "We'll get her back. I promise."

"She will be okay!" Gohan nodded reassuringly and then turned to Dende, "And I'm sorry about that man Uncle Vegeta killed..." Gohan shook his head before exhaling. "He doesn't mean to. I know that sounds silly, but Uncle Raditz says he's like a baby."

"...yeah, a mass murdering baby," Krillin muttered.

"I hope you can forgive him one day." Gohan held out his hand, and Dende slowly took it, smiling somberly.

The small Namekian didn't really say anything, but then turned to Goku, "If you find the dragon balls, Porunga can wish him back. Those men...they seemed like Frieza henchmen, but their loyalty..."

Gohan's eyes grew in recognition. "They hate that guy! That's the bad man!"

Dende nodded, "He's known to be a horrible overlord. He takes over planets only to sell them off."

"Sell them? Are you serious?" Krillin was practically laughing with nervousness. "Those guys were pretty tough...he knocked Yamcha out with one hit. And then there's some even more powerful alien out there? What do I get myself into..."

Goku, however, was incredibly curious. "Do you know more about this Frieza?" Bulma had mentioned his name before, but was reluctant for his help. Why? He was never one to back out of a challenge. He was never one to lose a challenge either...not with a full stomach anyway. And after training under100x gravity, he was stronger than he had ever been before.

"No, but I know someone who might..." Dende slowly hovered over the ground. "Follow me."

Krillin looked at him agape, "You can fly?"

"All Namekians learn how to fly at a young age. Please, we need to hurry and talk to Lord Guru. He'll know what to do."

Goku scratched his head, "Hey...isn't that the guy you two met before?"

"Yeah. Good idea, Dende. Let's hurry. We need to save Bulma as soon as possible." Yamcha unclenched his fists before taking off the ground, standing midair next to Dende.

Goku reached to pick up his son, but Gohan shook his head, flying easily on his own. His sudden power was incredible, admirable, and despite his initial anger at his brother for stealing his only son, Goku had the strangest thought that it was for the best. The boy had been nothing like himself when he was a child. Gohan had the normal Son curiosity, but no courage to drive it. He had been morally sound, but not brave enough to stand for what he believed in. This Gohan...this Gohan was different. "Dad, are you coming?"

"Yes, Gohan." Goku flew up ideally and then reached out to pat Gohan on the shoulder.

But the five year old responded quickly, rushing into his father's arms for a tight hug. "I really did miss you, Dad. Don't get me wrong, Uncle Raditz...he was nice to me, but I missed you and Mom a whole lot."

"I missed you too, Gohan." He patted his son's black hair lightly before looking back to Yamcha.

"Did Bulma know them?" Gohan blinked, something clicking in his mind. "Was she the Earthling that Uncle Vegeta always talked about?"

Yamcha turned, "What do you mean by always?"

"...Nothing. He actually didn't really like talking about it at all, but whenever I mentioned wanting to know about it because Earth was where I'm from, he'd always get really angry and..."

"Never mind, Gohan." Yamcha sighed.

Krillin patted him lightly on the shoulder after meeting them in the air, "Well that explains why he decked you..."

"Krillin..." Goku began.

"And at least we know that they probably won't be killing her, well at least not before he..."

"Krillin, let's just go see Guru." Goku glanced in Yamcha's direction. He used to be a confident fighter, never really any sense of worry unless Bulma was yelling at him or when he had been terrified of girls. "She'll be okay, Yamcha. She knows what she's doing."

His dark eyes seemed dulled when he looked back to Goku. "That's what I'm afraid of."

This was eerily familiar. She didn't think the memories would come back so easily; it had been twelve years ago. But they did. They were slow at first, rising into her brain like soft bubbles coming up to breach the air, but the way Vegeta was holding her, the way his heat radiated through her skin as the wind flurried passed their aerial bodies, made them burst through her brain. Not so much memories...but feelings. How anxious she had been on Frieza's space station, how confused. How she was head over heels for Zarbon of all people. How she was so worried about how Vegeta would fit into her life on Earth. Vegeta...on Earth.

It was a stupid thought now, an impossible thought. She should have wished him there when she had the chance. How could she have not? How could she have left him in Frieza's hands to rot? He must hate me.

But his face was expressionless. Vegeta was only looking ahead, keeping her body over his shoulder like some dead carcass. He stopped suddenly in the air which made her shift forward, but if the Saiyan Prince had noticed, he certainly hadn't reacted. "They're not following us." His deep tone was uneasy. "Woman, what's going on?"

She didn't rightfully know herself. Why aren't they? She felt a dig of uneasiness in her chest. None of her friends were following them? Not even Yamcha? Did Goku really have that much faith in her? "Good." It was what she wanted. She didn't want any of them to die. "I thought you just need me anyway."

"Hmph." Vegeta levitated down and carelessly tossed her on the ground before taking a step back and crossing his arms. He raised an eyebrow, "I don't need you, Woman. I need the dragon balls."

"And you need me to get them." Bulma stood up and brushed herself off. She raised a finger, poking Vegeta in the chest defiantly. "And you, mister, need to be a little nicer to me if you want my help. I'm helping you stop the monster who's been plaguing you your whole life. The least you can do is show me some respect!"

"Respect? You think you deserve respect you cowardly wretch!" He was practically spitting with anger, "I owe you nothing, not even the privilege of keeping you alive. You hear me? This will not play out like twelve years ago, Woman. You will not so easily lie to me. I will not fall victim to your stupid promises. I'll sooner kill you." His black eyes sparked with energy at his words. He was infuriated, perfectly livid. His whole body tensed and quaked as he spoke, causing Bulma to edge back in slight fear.

And she was...afraid of him that is. She never thought she could be, but her heart was quickening with what could only be fear. Vegeta was furious with her. More than furious. He wanted to kill her. He seemed to be restraining himself from killing her as he spoke. She didn't know what exactly happened before she got wished back. She had been waiting for Vegeta to return, waiting to bring him with her to Earth and then snap, she was gone.

"You will do everything I say. The less you talk, the more breaths you will take in the future." He was turned away from her now, not allowing Bulma to see the anger that matched his tone.

Nappa and Raditz were hovering a safe distance above, probably uncertain of what their prince intended on doing with her. I guess that whole lover thing is out. There was no way anyone would believe that one with the cold display Vegeta was showing. "Does Nappa know?"

To her surprise, Vegeta turned back around. He glanced back towards the sky, noting that Nappa was clearly out of earshot. "Don't be an idiot. Of course he doesn't know."

"Does Raditz?"

"Yes."

That actually surprised her. She hadn't really expected Vegeta to trust anyone...not after the little speech he had just given her. But a part of her was relieved that Vegeta wasn't holding the secret to himself. "What exactly do you want with them?"

"You don't know?" He raised an eyebrow and took a step closer to her. Whatever fury Vegeta once had seemed to be slowly fading. He let his arms fall to his side. "Immortality."

...what? "Why?"

"Do you not remember?" His frustrated tone was back. "Zarbon told you himself. There is no possible way for a mortal to beat the demon. I need to be..."

"No, Vegeta." She was shaking her head, though she knew he would never listen to her. "Don't be an idiot! Wishing for immortality is good for now, sure, but do you really want to live forever?"

Vegeta smirked, "I fail to see the negative."

"Everything around you will eventually be gone! And the phrasing...you could live forever, but it could be forever as an old man! You could just keep aging and aging and never really actually..."

"WOMAN!"

She stopped talking. Vegeta was dangerously close to her now, noses almost touching. Bulma blinked several times, not sure how exactly he got there, and, for once, not liking their proximity to each other. His heat felt dangerous, like blue fire, and it was then she noticed there was this weird aura surrounding him, like when they would fly, only this one was blue-almost on the verge of turning yellow. But Bulma didn't back away this time. She placed her hands on her hips, staring the Saiyan Prince in the face. "Sorry if I just popped your bubble right there, buddy. But you're going to have to come up with something better than that."

Vegeta growled in dissatisfaction, making Bulma grin before continuing, "And don't even think about wishing him dead. The dragon can only kill people that their creator can."

"What the Hell does this have to do with dragons? Are you saying these things are literally..."

"Ew, no! But you'll see what I mean. That is, if you don't kill me before we get them all."

He huffed, "As tempting as that is, I think I'll manage."

Bulma was suddenly reminded at the distance, or lack thereof, their chests were to each other. His upper body felt hard, harder than she had remembered, and she couldn't get those images, her dreams, out of her head. Sure, Vegeta was alive now, but how close was he to death in the past twelve years? Did her abandonment look bad to Frieza or Zarbon? Or had he just been training all of this time? She gulped and hoped for the latter.

He still had that power, she noticed. It was unbelievable. So wild, so different than what she had become familiar with Yamcha. Vegeta was completely unpredictable. Scary or exciting, she couldn't tell. Whatever this was, it was making her blood rush.

"And I wouldn't give some stupid dragon the satisfaction that is mine." Vegeta took a step back, breaking Bulma's dangerous train of thought.

She couldn't be falling for this...not again. "And Nappa?" Her breath seemed slightly more flustered, but she chose to ignore it, trying to redirect her thoughts to fearing him again. It wasn't really working. "What does he think we're doing here?"

"Looking for some unknown Namekian device that threatens the Cold Empire."

"Cold Empire?"

"Frieza and his family's domain."

That word stung her. "FAMILY? You mean...there's more of that thing?"

"These things do not concern you, Woman. You are here for one purpose only and that is to find me the dragon balls."

"And how are you going to explain to Nappa that me, some lowly Earth woman, knows about some crazy Namekian device, huh?"

Vegeta shrugged, "You had a Namekian on Earth. Perhaps he told you. Raditz will cover the story."

"You mean Piccolo? Piccolo wouldn't tell me anything..."

Vegeta sighed, "Would you please stop talking? Nappa will believe whatever I say. If I deem it necessary that you come with us, then he will believe it."

She couldn't stop her mouth from talking. She was just too curious. "You know that it isn't actually necessary, right?" Bulma dragged the Dragon radar out from her pocket.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, "Woman, do you have a death wish?"

Bulma shook her head, letting her blue hair fly behind her pink headband. "Not yet, Vegeta. But give me two more hours with you and I might change my mind."

She was absolutely infuriating. He didn't think it possible for someone to be so incredibly obnoxious in such a short span of time, but the Woman somehow managed. She was worse than Gohan, worse than Raditz, worse than the sickening combination of Raditz and Gohan. She was going to make him pull out his hair, that is, if he didn't accidentally blast her first.

Bulma was insanely curious about the Cold dynasty, and Nappa, of course, was happy to oblige her questions about the overlord. He explained to her that Frieza's father, King Cold, started the Planet Trade Organization which was now basically fueled by his more powerful, and youngest son. "And he's got an older brother too."

"Older brother? He must be more powerful..."

"Nah, Cooler's nothing compared to Lord Frieza. It's good to be on the winning army's side, am I right, Vegeta?"

The Saiyan Prince just grunted. He would never affirm anything good about being 'comrades' with Frieza. He half noticed Bulma glance to Raditz's direction, probably sizing up whether he was stronger than Kakaort. They were back in the cave, waiting as Bulma tried to fix whatever the Hell was wrong with her radar. "Woman, will you please stop using your trap and get back to doing something actually useful?"

"It's just...the frequency is off. It must be because we're on a different planet." There was something trembling about her voice, but Vegeta chose to ignore it. He had no doubt that Bulma wasn't a lying slug, but there was no need to get her infuriated and yelling at him again. That was just wasting time. The quicker he got the dragon balls and his wish, the quicker he can get his revenge on Frieza before the alien lizard sees it coming.

Nappa looked over from his corner of the cave, confused, "You mean, that device thing can find whatever threat we're looking for?"

"Um, yeah..." Bulma set the radar down. "It...um...detects certain elements that are indigenous to both Namek and Earth. I know you've never been to Earth, but the two planets are pretty similar. Same gravitational forces. Same basic atmospheric properties and density levels. It only goes to say that there are similar geological attributes found in the soil."

The bald Saiyan raised an eyebrow, obviously confused. "You mean...we're looking for dirt?"

Bulma shrugged, "Vegeta informed me that there is some sort of element that may be poisonous to Frieza's...umm...species of alien. He said we need to take a sample of it, and me, being a scientist and all, can analyze the toxic levels present." She smiled cockily and turned to the prince, "Isn't that right, Vegeta?"

That woman. He couldn't believe how adept she was at this. She had basically constructed a whole scenario on the spot, not only explaining her little device she had there but also ensuring that Nappa won't kill her prematurely. In her scenario, they actually did need her, not just the annoying, beeping device she held. Vegeta couldn't help his growing smirk. "Yes. Though I'm surprised your tiny brain will be able to help us."

"True. I haven't done a lot with soil composition...but my friends have." There was that annoying grin of hers again. "It may be in your best interest if you don't kill them yet. You know, so they can help save Frieza."

Absolutely ridiculous. "No." Her smile immediately deflated at Vegeta's abrupt disapproval. "When the time comes, I'll have Nappa dispose of them."

"Alright!" Nappa punched the air, ignoring Bulma's paling face.

But Vegeta didn't take back those words. When the time came, he would have Nappa go off with his little battle, and Vegeta would make his wish. He was sure Kakarot could keep the old Saiyan Elite occupied. But what to do with him while I find them?

He needed Nappa in case things with the Namekians went horribly wrong. There were fighters on this planet, fighters that he didn't want to get involved with. Perhaps that will be a good distraction for the brute. "Nappa, you and Raditz seek the Namekians with the highest power levels. Keep them busy. I do not want any interruptions while I look for the dangerous compounds."

"Are you sure, Vegeta?" Raditz moved over to the group, reaching for his scouter, but then remembering that he had no use for it anyway, not with Gohan's tricks.

"Do not question my direct orders, Raditz. Keep them distracted, but do not kill them. We don't need them angrier at us. And please, Raditz, don't let yourself get killed."

Raditz nodded, "And what if we run into Gohan and...the Earhlings?"

"You want us to take care of them, Vegeta?" Nappa asked eagerly.

"No." It was hard to not notice Bulma's bright smile when he said those words. The Earthlings meant nothing to him. But he couldn't help but remember Kakarot's offer. If worse came to worse, he would much rather form a team of third class Saiyans to challenge Frieza instead of going back to that hellhole. "If they do not attack, do not attack them. It's not worth your energy."

"They might have left anyway..." Bulma sighed, but there was a lack of honesty in her voice. She and Vegeta both knew that they wouldn't leave without her, that the stupid scar faced human was probably just waiting for her to come back.

Night never came to Namek. The planet had too many suns and no moons, which Bulma was incredibly grateful for. She had no desire to see the Oozaru, especially not four of them. The Saiyans, however, were asleep, all except Nappa and her. Stupid Vegeta.

He told her she couldn't sleep until she had fixed her radar. Too bad there was nothing for her to fix. Despite being on a totally different planet, the radar was working fine. She could already detect two dragon balls within a 500 meter distance. But she couldn't tell Vegeta that. She couldn't let him wish for something so stupid.

Immortality? Really?

Vegeta was being desperate. She could see it on his face. Bulma had thought the younger Vegeta had been incredibly strategic, always planning ahead, but the Saiyan Prince didn't even think of what he was going to tell Nappa about her. He didn't have any explanation to why he was keeping her alive when he so obviously wanted to kill her. Unless he never planned on taking me at all.

But the way he had said it...that he wanted her...it made her neck run cold. She had missed his candor, his aggressive way of approaching anything and everything. Even when he had yelled at her, there was something positively alluring about it. He had fought with her, unafraid to get angry, unafraid to put her in her place. It was something no one else had really done before.

Vegeta was a grown man now, that was easy for her to see. But despite his maturity, Bulma could tell that the teenage boy she had met was still there. He was still wishing for the same things, a life with freedom, something so incredibly uncomplicated it should be innate. But Vegeta wasn't offered that basic right. She reminded herself that Vegeta had been held prisoner, forced to kill or be killed, for probably over two decades now. He was blood thirsty, a murderer, a monster.

Then why do I want to help him?

Nappa was outside, though Bulma didn't really know why. She supposed he was looking around for any signs of trouble, but then she heard him talking. It was low at first, but then she could hear his voice begin to rise. It wasn't long before Bulma was right by the entrance of the cave, leaning halfway out but still keeping herself covered from the Saiyan's view.

"He's up to something, Zarbon."

Bulma froze. She never wanted to hear that name again, not unless it came right before the words ' is dead'. She caught her breath and let Nappa continue, "He won't tell me exactly what's going on. Something about dragon balls and wishes...yeah, he said something like that to the Namekians and they all...what?...WHAT?"

That wasn't good. That was really bad. Bulma pressed her back against the hard rock wall, trying her best not to squeak.

"You mean...anything? Are you sure?...How did you...Raditz's scouter?...Oh! Yeah, that stupid Earth girl."

Crap. Had Frieza been listening the whole time?

Bulma couldn't believe it. Her blood felt icy at the realization that, not only did Frieza now know about the dragon balls, but that now there was a possibilty that he would come here.

A/N: and the plot thickens!

but of course, this wouldn't be Namek, if Frieza and friends didn't make an appearance.

Oh, and maybe now with Gohan's new bravery he won't go through that silly Saiyaman phase :P who knows!

hope you liked it guys :D