A/N:

Yay finals week! Actually just got back from taking a final, remembered it was Wednesday, and decided to destress by writing you all a little chapter. And I do mean little, so sorry in advance for the short length, though I doubt it skimps on the action!

AHHH. I BROKE 500! Thank you all so incredibly much from the deepest part of my rather tiny, but fully functional, heart :D all of you are completely amazing, no matter what you have to say in your reviews. I love reading them all. Special thanks for the reviewers from last chapter:

menga88, JeMS7, Gindorf091, .Nat (wow two reviews in one! thanks!), KayuraK, Dahlia, Alex274, ZombieChick422, bvprincess23 (I did! Thanks again :D), YukiraKing, jdboss1 (well, I kind of had it in my head that immortality doesn't necessary mean you live a young life forever, which would totally suck), Many Voices In My Head, Greendragonsheart, BloodyXan-Xan,Ladylaide, bimbosarahsurfchick (haven't completely decided how long I want to take this fic...but ha, Vegeta at a wedding. HAHAHA), dyingdreamsv2, Cloud Envy Shikamaru, Dahlia, angelstryke (thanks! and glad I made your day! yay!), Shirokame (Yes! definitely give writing a shot!), BLACKONYX (oh you read it out of order? well i guess that works too :D), Katie Loom, MK08. Trixie-chan, ScoobyDoobyDee, DBZer16 (oh my, crossing dimensions may be challenging though), boona, _, Girness(thanks! I'll definitely get to reading it when summer starts!), Smile-bestthingintheworld, Eure, Gan Aurora, Kitty6773, FishTVCo, Cara2012, johncorn, Ravens and Feathersxx, Babylons a city, koii, Greenis my fav color, miikosdesu, Death101-Fox Version, gue22 (Thanks again), and BlueHairedSaiyan.

Oh and sorry for the lack of romance as well (boy, I'm apologizing a lot). The plot decided to take over for a while.

Trigger

He didn't like that he was touching her. That went without saying. He didn't like how the fool's hands easily caressed her skin, how he felt like what he was doing was okay. He didn't like it when he kissed her softly on the cheek, an action that made the Saiyan's mind burn with thoughts of blood and anger and territory.

And he hated that she was letting the weakling do all of these things.

Didn't she have any self respect?

Vegeta scoffed and double backed, ignoring the conversation that the two Namekians that had tagged along were currently occupied with. Whatever the holdup was on the seventh and final dragon ball, Vegeta knew it would not make him happy. And he was this close from snapping already. He didn't need anything else bothering him.

"Uncle Vegeta?"

He tensed at the little boy's voice and turned back around. He sent an immediate glare towards Gohan, but the young half-Saiyan didn't even flinch. And he didn't seem too eager to speak again, so Vegeta lowly growled, "What, Brat?"

"I'm glad you're okay, sir. It's not true, right? That you sent Nappa out to kill us...is it?" There was a soft glimmer of doubt in Gohan's expression, and he turned back to look at the sky. "I mean, I thought you liked us. I thought you wanted us to help you."

"Don't misunderstand tolerance for like, boy. And I don't need your help."

"So you really did send Nappa to kill us?" Goha's ki was slightly rising, making Vegeta relent.

He didn't really want to have to explain his plan to Gohan or anyone else more than necessary. But the betrayal will surely get the half breed angry. Vegeta smirked. An angry Gohan was infinitely more powerful than his normal self. And Vegeta could use all the power he could get, especially if Frieza were here. "No. I sent Nappa to his grave."

Gohan blinked, "Excuse me, Mr. Vegeta?"

"Brat, you're not completely dimwitted. Calculate your power level and your father's and even add in those pathetic Earthlings for all I care. It's significantly higher than Nappa's ever will be."

"But what if he transforms, Vegeta? I sensed a spike in their location now, and..." Gohan's thought drifted off as he looked back up to the sky, zeroing in on his father's location. "...and now there are two different kis there... Hey! One's Uncle Raditz's!"

Raditz? Shit. "What?" He's supposed to stay and watch the dragon balls. Idiot! But the other ki locked his attention more than anything else. Dodoria. Fuck.

He wasn't sure how much Raditz could handle. The third class Saiyan was a lot more powerful than he was in the past thanks to the several beatings he had experienced, and he even seemed to surpass Nappa in power, though the elite Saiyan would never admit it. But Dodoria was one of Frieza's commanding officers, only second to Zarbon and perhaps the more talented members of the flamboyant Ginyu Force.

Gohan's excitement fizzled when he realized he missed an important part of Vegeta's explanation, "Why do you want him dead?" He furrowed his eyebrows, "Is it because he always makes fun of you and Miss Bulma? She was the Earth girl from before right? I can tell by the way you..."

"GOHAN!" Vegeta vanished in front of him, picking the little boy up by the collar of his Saiyan armor. "We are not to speak of that. And no." He dropped Gohan on the ground, creating light clouds of dust, noticing that both the Namekians and Earthlings were staring at him. "He betrayed me. He led Frieza here."

"He did?" Gohan's ki spiked again, and Vegeta smirked. Perfect.

"I have a mission for you, Gohan."

The boy blinked, "Er, it's not going to be to kill someone, is it?"

What a weakling. Vegeta ignored the un-Saiyan like demeanor and shook his head. "No. Raditz has clearly abandoned his post by our space pods. Do you remember where we landed?"

Gohan nodded, "Yes, sir. I'll guard them."

"Good. And Gohan, if anyone tries to sneak up on you, just picture Frieza beating your father to a pulp."

The half-Saiyan's eyes widened in confusion, "But Mr. Vegeta, my dad never fought Frieza."

Vegeta sighed, "Just do it. You're still a slave to your emotions. You'll need to think of something infuriating if you want to unlock your power."

"Unlock my power? With emotions?"

"With anger," Vegeta corrected. "It seems to be your trigger."

"Right." Gohan nodded and waved behind them, "Don't worry, I won't get into trouble!" Vegeta noticed he was only talking to the aliens behind him, knowing that Vegeta could care less if Gohan got into trouble or not. Not as long as he would be able to get out of it.

Satisfied, Vegeta turned back around and crossed his arms. He didn't like the way that stupid scar faced weakling was staring at him, and he liked it less when he began talking. "You seriously just sent a five year old out on his own?"

"I don't see what the problem is. He's the third strongest in this little group of ours." He smirked, "After me and the overgrown plant here."

Yamcha clenched his fists, "Would you get off your damn pedestal already? I'm not as weak as you think I am. And isn't it a little hypocritical to call Nail a plant? He's not the one named after vegetabl..."

"I was named after a planet for which my family ruled over." Vegeta's tone was extra biting. There was just something about this Earthling specifically that made him want to instantly blast him to bits. He supposed it didn't help that the scar faced moron was currently standing next to Bulma. Standing too close to Bulma. "Please, if you have a name that is the equivalent of royalty, I would love to hear the rebuttal." He paused a second, but Yamcha didn't flinch. "No? Fine then. Let's get my wish."

Apparently, Yamcha had his own death wish in mind, because he was soon in front of Vegeta, stark still and eyes annoyed. "I still don't know if I trust you enough to let you have your wish."

Vegeta snorted, but was soon intercepted by Bulma, standing between the two and tugging at Yamcha's hand. "Yamcha, this isn't the time for this!" She turned back around, facing Vegeta. "Would you two just stop fighting for two seconds? Frieza is here. Frieza. Doesn't anyone see what a big deal this is?"

"You call this fighting, Woman?" The ki blast was easily ignited in his white, gloved hand.

"STOP." The new voice drew all three of their attentions away from the thick, primal tension. Nail stepped forward, still looking rather calm despite the loud outburst. "I have no time to deal with this. Bulma is right. Frieza is here and probably killing my people as we speak. You two can whine all you want later, after we get the last dragon ball."

Insolent plant man. Vegeta tugged at the lower edge of his lip with his teeth, but relented. "Fine. Lead the way Namekian."

Nail nodded, "The last dragon ball is in a village to the south of us. It shouldn't take too long to get to, but we may run into some problems."

"Problems? Why do you say that?" Bulma was looking at her own radar to confirm the Namekian's location. Nail seemed to be right, the cursor of the Dragon radar pointed south, just as he said.

Vegeta turned his eyes away from the radar and started to scan for ki. The enormous power level almost made him visibly jolt, but he kept his nerves under control. There were two of them there, two fairly large power levels surrounded by smaller ones that were most likely whatever villagers lived there. Fuck. "We have to go now."

Nail stared at him coldly, "And risk our own lives?"

"What? What's going on?" Bulma's blue eyes grew.

Vegeta scoffed. "Aren't you supposed to be one of these heroes? Consider it to be the noble thing. We'll probably save some of your people in the process."

"Or just delay him." Nail shook his head. "Fine."

Decision made, Vegeta turned back around, ignoring Yamcha's presence and grabbing Bulma's hands. "Woman, you need to stay here."

Her face slightly flushed from their contact, and Vegeta felt his own warmth flooding his chest. But Bulma, realizing what he was saying, immediately snapped her hand back. "Excuse me, Vegeta? I am not staying here."

"Don't be a fool, Woman. This is for your own safety."

"Vegeta." Yamcha walked up next to Bulma, arm slightly in front of her in protection or perhaps to stake his climb. No matter the reason, Vegeta could feel the end of his hairs on his tail become completely on end. The scar faced human kept talking, "It's not safe to leave Bulma here alone. I won't leave her here by herself."

"Fine." The Saiyan Prince shrugged, "Then you stay with her."

"But...but...Vegeta!" Bulma pushed her boyfriend, whatever that was, aside and stood right in front of him. "Don't just abandon me here."

"Hypocritical, don't you think?" Vegeta let loose a smirk, enjoying her reaction. "And I'm not. Your boyfriend will keep you company."

Bulma visibly squirmed at both statements but shook her head, "I want to help you. Let me go with you."

"If you go with me, Woman, you may never see your planet again." It wasn't meant to be presented as a threat, and Bulma knew better than that.

She only nodded, held out her arms and gripped Vegeta around the neck. The Saiyan Prince was taken aback by the sudden action, the sudden feeling of her skin on his again, even though only a small part of them were touching. He could hear Yamcha's low grunt of discontent in the background, and that only fed Vegeta's pride more. He grabbed Bulma by the hips before hovering in the air. "You're too manipulative for your own good."

"Clever. I call it clever." Bulma let her grip fall from his neck as Vegeta gained altitude. The two Namekians and Yamcha were following close behind. "Frieza's there, isn't he?"

"And Zarbon." He could feel her body ice over at that statement. The wind was rushing. Nail and Dende had already taken the lead, waiting for the Saiyan and human fighter to follow. But Vegeta remained in the air, turning Bulma around. She struggled against him, but he ignored her weak protests of slight fear. "You."

Yamcha immediately came closer, grabbing Bulma's hands and looking at Vegeta in surprise when he easily handed her over. "Bulma, are you alright?"

"Listen." Vegeta spoke before Bulma had the time to answer. "These people we are fighting could kill you with a single ki blast which means they could kill her with a single punch. You may be incredibly weak and not worthy of my time, but I think we can both agree on one thing."

Yamcha snorted but raised his eyebrow in curiosity. "What's that?"

"We want to keep her alive." He didn't know when that statement had become completely true, but the last thing he wanted was to see her small, fragile body crushed under the hands of Zarbon or Frieza or anyone for that matter. Vegeta was still addressing the fighter in front of him, but his dark eyes fell to Bulma. She was staring at him intently, hands wrapped around Yamcha's shoulders like they were around his only moments before. Her face looked rosy pink in the cool high altitude air, and Vegeta had to reconnect his thoughts. "If there's a single sign of a fight, you need to get her out of there. Use the radar or ki to find Gohan but just get the fuck out of there before anything can happen to her."

"Vegeta..."

He ignored her whines, "Do you understand? First sign of danger."

"Yes, Vegeta." Yamcha gripped his woman harshly around the waist. For once, Vegeta ignored his complete disdain for the man. "I will."

There was a deep laugh emitting from the pink blob's throat, and Goku edged his way onto his elbows, dirt staining his gi. His outfit was already torn in several places, and Goku was happy that he opted for the non-weighted shirt and wristbands for once. I'll need all the help I can get.

Krillin was still off towards the sidelines, eyeing both his brother and Dodoria in apprehension. Goku had his own doubts about his brother's loyalty. It wasn't to Frieza, that much was easy to tell. Raditz had obviously marked Dodoria as his enemy, standing in front of Goku protectively as if he lived up to the cliché of a typical older brother. But Goku still doubted that Raditz completed trusted them and vice versa. He's doing this for Vegeta. Raditz had announced it himself before: his loyalty was to the Saiyans.

Both Raditz and Dodoria squared off, hands raised in defensive blocks. Dodoria smirked after pressing the button on the eye contraption over his face, "Weak, monkey boy. But I didn't expect anything less. Vegeta's weaker than me and you can't expect a monkey follower to be any stronger than the monkey prince."

Raditz gritted his teeth. "Shut up. You'll get to Vegeta in time, but first you have to fight me."

They took off then, so quickly that Krillin had to do a double take. In colored flashes they were airborne, swinging low sectioned kicks and punches aimed for the face. Arms and legs flew with easy diligence and aggressive strength. Goku's eyes never left the battle. He flinched as Raditz was kneed in the stomach and then sent crashing through a plateau 100 yards away. Goku slowly stood next to his best friend. "Jeez, Goku. How about we get out of here while we still can?"

Goku shook his head at his friend's request. "Why? I can beat him."

Krillin froze, "You serious? He kicked your ass before! Did you eat a senzu bean?"

He nodded."It was something my brother said on Earth, when he beat me up. He almost killed me."

Krillin's attention turned back to the air, where the flurry of punches restarted when Raditz reappeared from the crater he left in the ground. "...Don't remind me."

"He said he was doing me a favor. Near death experiences...I remember from when I was younger. I would always come back stronger."

"So what you're telling me is that Saiyans, after being brutally beaten and on the very brink of death, actually get stronger when they heal again?" Krillin asked.

Goku scratched his head innocently, "Er, yeah! I guess so! I mean, so far the theory's working. Wanna see?" Goku took a step back before summoning his ki. The air around him gained speed, spiraling in torrents and picking up blades of grass and damaged rocks. His fists clenched, Goku bit his lip, letting the sweat soak his forehead from the sheer energy surrounding him. He could feel the battle overhead momentarily pause, their eyes glancing to the once fallen man in clear shock and anxiety. Goku only smiled before getting his body back down to a more normal level. "See already higher."

"Go-Go-Goku..." Krillin closed his mouth speedily. "That was amazing. That 100G training really helped too, didn't it?"

"Yeah it did. Wish I knew some different moves though." The Saiyan shrugged, "But the old one's should be just fine to help Raditz. I'll be right back." Goku nodded towards his friends before jolting up to the sky, right where the two other fighters were still exchanging blows.

It was obvious Raditz was losing. His face was cut and bloody, arms and legs already looking tired. Dodoria had punched clear through a crack in his armor, and Goku could already see some bruising. The pink monster stopped, sending Raditz a wary look not to attack. "Well, well. Do the Saiyan animals want to try and teach me a lesson?"

"Your fight's with me, not Kakarot, Dodoria." Raditz lit a ki blast

"Stupid Saiyan." Dodoria vanished and snapped in front of Radits, punching him in the already vulnerable spot in his armor. The pink fiend then grabbed Raditz's face, slamming it into his kneecap, which caused the Saiyan to flop back down to the ground. "Never learns. Hm?" Dodoria turned back to Goku, who just shot him a dangerous glare.

"You're one of Frieza's henchmen."

Dodoria grunted, "And you're a dirty monkey. Thought we already established..." His crude tone was interrupted by Goku's hand violently crushing into his cheek. Weird colored blood splattered the air as Dodoria spit out, "What the fuck you little asshole! You couldn't even land a punch on me before!"

Goku just shrugged, "Guess I wasn't trying hard enough."

With a single, well placed kick, Goku sent Dodoria''s body crashing. It collided with solid rock and formed it's own cracked bowl on the planet's surface. Goku just watched as the dust rised and settled, seeing Dodoria's unconscious body lay broken in the rubble.

"What are you waiting for?"

Goku edged up but slowly turned to face Raditz. He looked awful, left eye bloodshot and surrounded by broken blood vessels. There was blood trickling down his left shoulder and cheek, and he held his stomach weakly with his right hand. Goku didn't even know how he managed enough ki to fly. "What do you mean?"

Raditz eyed him strangely, "Why aren't you killing him?"

The bluntness stunned Goku a little. He didn't know how to read his brother. Was he here to help them or was he really a blind murderer? Bulma trusts Vegeta and so does he. There must be something more to it. "Why should I?"

Raditz sneered at the question. "What kind of a Saiyan are you?"

"A bad one, obviously." Goku shrugged and eyed Dodoria's fallen body. "What has he done?"

"Killed a lot of people. Made my life and the life of your other brothers a living Hell."

Goku twitched, "Other brothers?"

"Not literally. Our Saiyan brothers. He helped Frieza destroy them all. Even our father." Raditz sighed, still seeing Goku's hesitation. "Some people, Kakarot, deserve to die. He's one of them. I've killed many innocent people, maybe even hundreds, but even that is nowhere near the amount that he has. You have to be brutal, heartless in order to get that close to Frieza. He won't hesitate to kill you or Gohan if given the chance."

At the mention of his son name, Goku immediatlely became infuriated. The risk of letting anyone ever hurting the ones he loved made his blood quicken and become brutally hot. With that, Goku raised his hands, setting them up for a quick Kamehameha wave. The sharp blue blast cut easily through the air, and just as easily through Dodoria's body, turning the once brutal henchman into nothing more than space dust.

"Wasn't so hard, was it?" Raditz patted his brother on the back before following his brother back to the ground. "You have a lot of power there, brother. Almost as strong as Vegeta's. Maybe even more."

Goku didn't acknowledge the compliment. He walked up towards Krillin who still seemed uneasy with Goku's strength, with the action he had just did. His best friend scratched his shaved scalp. "That was sort of ruthless, Goku."

He didn't acknowledge that statement either. There was a surge of anger when Raditz mentioned the possible death of people he loved. That feeling was always there, always present when someone even hinted at threatening his family or friends. He was built for protection, lived for making sure his family was okay. But this time, that feeling was fueled almost completely by unbridled rage, not justice, which he would have liked to make it seem. He was angry then, furious at the possibility of anyone hurting Gohan or doing something possibly worse.

And as much as it pained him to take life so easily, there was something incredibly empowering about this force in him. He felt like there was something inside him that could be unlocked, if only given the right momentum, the right key. Anger seemed to be the answer, and Goku half hoped he would never have to experience anything that would ever make him explode like that.

The other half, however, wished he would.

Vegeta coiled his tail around his waist tightly when they had landed. He was here. He could sense him easily, a bright shining fire of power on a field of fireflies. Frieza was sitting in his floating little ship, flanked only by Zarbon. They had the Namekians cowering in a herd, like scared cattle, and Vegeta could only curse at himself for doing the same thing when he had first arrived.

He didn't want to be comparable to Frieza. Vegeta may have destroyed worlds, destroyed lives, but it wasn't under his own control. He felt no need to repent for his past actions, but there was something mocking about seeing Frieza in the same position he was in earlier.

He must feel powerful now. The Saiyan's lips curled into a smirk. Good. My wish will catch him off guard.

"Vegeta and I will distract the two unwanted visitors." Nail eyed the scene carefully, surprised the aliens hadn't turned around yet. They had obviously been sensed, the clear beeps of the scouters gave that away. He kept his voice low to keep out of earshot. "Yamcha, Dende, the dragon ball should be in the center building."

"Get it and run." Vegeta added darkly, "I'll destroy the scouters, but don't be such an idiot as to not hide your ki, got it?"

Yamcha only nodded, and Vegeta turned to Bulma, who looked absolutely petrified. Her blue eyes looked somewhat hollow when she saw the two figures, backs still facing them but not too far away. They hadn't changed, not like she or Vegeta had. Zarbon had the exact same stance, the same cape, and Frieza...the air around Frieza had never changed from being absolutely chilling, not one day.

Vegeta gripped his waist with his tail even tighter. There were conflicting thoughts in his brain, He didn't have time to do it, but nevertheless, he found himself turning to her anyway. "Woman, if they do not acknowledge you, do not even pretend that you recognize them."

Her voice wavered when she spoke, and he immediately regretted ever bringing her here. "...Okay." Bulma shook her head, bangs flying in the slight wind. She steadied herself before waiting for Yamcha to fall back with her. Nail and Vegeta took the front, leaving Dende, Yamcha, and Bulma slightly behind. One of the Namekians, probably an elder, immediately brightened at the sight of Nail.

"You're here to save us! Thank Guru!" He fell onto his knees, stricken with relief.

"So foolish, aren't they Zarbon." The icy, thin voice carried over, and Vegeta sensed Bulma cringing. Stupid Woman, you're stronger than that. Vegeta turned off the thought and focused on Frieza's back.

The lackey answered, "Yes, Lord Frieza. Incredibly foolish. It's almost sad."

"Hmph." Frieza tapped his fingers in the edge of his floating pod. "Almost as foolish as traitors, I'd say. Filthy, stupid, monkey traitors."

Zarbon was the first to turn around. His white cape flapped behind him, framing his tall, arm crossed figure. He smiled evilly at Vegeta, eyes only wavering a bit to Nail.

Good. Vegeta found himself relieved. He hasn't noticed the Woman.

"And what, Lord Frieza, do we do with such traitors. Kill them?" Zarbon pressed the button on his scouter. "Especially when they are so weak."

"Now, now, Zarbon. You should know better than to simply kill them."

Zarbon opened his mouth in surprise at Frieza's statement, but the shock soon wore off as the overlord turned around slowly, long fingers gripping harshly on the edge of his pod. There was a sick look in his eyes; he was angry, beyond angry. White veins protruded from his hands and neck, holding in his fury. But his voice was still eerily calm. "We need to have a little fun with him first."

His beady red eyes swiftly moved from Vegeta to the blue haired woman behind him, and Frieza smirked.

A/N:

Eep! Yup, another short one. But college is almost over, so get ready! (I know I am). Thanks for reading guys! And drop a review!