A/N:

I DON'T EXPECT FORGIVENESS. But I figure I owe you all some explanation as to why I went MIA for a brief period. And I guess all I can say is that I was at a loss as to where I wanted to take the story next and my internship took a whole lot out of me. But I got so many reviews that I decided just to sit down, forget about cleaning my room, and write you all a chapter. And I am going to continue to write the next chapter, which I will post much sooner than some stupid two weeks and a half gap. Sigh. I'm sorry. mousiwake goziamasen.

Thanks to all my reviewers! And I hope all of you readers also enjoyed last chapter!

Cloud Envy Shikamaru, KayuraK (teehee, i love the announcer man), ScoobyDoobyDee, BloodyXan-Xan (phew, glad you liked the fighting scene! those are troublesome), Jellyfrosh, slev3131 (haha, yeah sorry about MAW. that one was kind of a downer...), Marie Fortune (this fic is going to go to the Trunks Saga...at least. and thanks!), The0Blind0Writer (can't get between Goku and food...but yeah, I see what you mean), joys, Many Voices In My Head, JeMS7, dyingdreamsv2 (eep. i hope you can wait til, two weeks later on a Saturday...fail.), gege, BlackDiamond07 (sorry for the lack of shout out! I didn't see your review for 13!), The Crystal Rose, Girness (I will! Though I have a nasty habit of only reading completed things), TheDeadlyColera (oh! glad you remembered that!), Gindorf091, PerfectLover, Greenis my fav color, demonic angel23, bvprincess23 (Yeah, it's obvious who one now), gue22 (there's more Goku in this one!), Naughty Cat, Yukira King, johncorn, v-mangrl, Greendragonsheart. Eure, Smile-thebestthingintheworld, keira-kyuketsuki, FishTVCo (slow turnover T_T), anny (Vegeta's letting his emotions getting ahead of himself. he doesn't exactly really know what to do with her yet :D but thanks!), bimbosarahsurfchick, jdboss1, Linneh, Trixie-chan (wow thanks :D i'm glad you like my characterizations ahhhh), MK08 (the lottery would be so nice T_T write fanfic all day long...), bimbosarahsurfchick (again! and good luck with work finding!), dbz-trunks-zbd (hehe stories, books, whatever :D), Cara2012, crazykk2, mulayhna, Katsuargi (yeah, the first chapters make me cringe sometimes. Maybe I'll go back and edit one day. And AH GT. Maybe I can attempt to fix it.), Vehilka Clearskies, purpleshinigami, koii (any reviews are fine with me :D but super detailed sounds exciting!), apple pie 33, The Azu Soul Lilly (glad you're back! and ahh goddess. makes me super happy!), Steo, and 6teenana (from ch 7!).

Goodness. I'm so impressed at all of you that read both Make A Wish and this story in a day. My goodness. I bet my eyes would kill me.

Anyway, I'm glad you all enjoyed the love and pace that I was going at :D Though the plot has once again decided to take over...DARN YOU CANONICITY.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Seriously.

Old Friends

She was incredibly mind boggling. The Saiyan prince had stopped trying to understand her actions, her thought process; it was thoroughly impossible. But at the moment, he was trying to stop his own thoughts from imploding and found Bulma to be the perfect distraction. He focused on her blue hair, thin and soft, and her eyes and pale skin. Not that his destiny had been ripped away from him. Not that he was about to face death head on in a matter of hours -probably less.

"Vegeta?"

His dark eyes shifted downwards, and the prince sighed, feeling the vibrations her voice produced against his throat. He couldn't help but grip her tighter. Vegeta couldn't explain this sudden need for closeness, and he half scowled at the realization that he actually liked Bulma. Well, at least when she kept her mouth shut. He loosened his grip a little. "What?"

"What are we going to do now?"

Die. But he couldn't say that. Damn himself for wanting to protect her. I better not regret this. Vegeta huffed before continuing and completely stepping away from her. Bulma looked a little hurt, but he didn't care. "I will become a Super Saiyan. I don't need those useless balls. It is my destiny, and I will reach it."

"That's all well and good, Vegeta, but seriously. How are you going to do that?"

He bit back the aggravated cry wanting to escape and opted instead for a softer, yet increasingly bitter tone. "Do not doubt me, Woman. The Super Saiyan is mine and mine alone. I will find a way." His voice rang confidence, but Vegeta wasn't a fool. He didn't know what exactly caused the Super Saiyan to awaken. The only relief he held was that the dragon had said the transformation was different for each Saiyan, meaning that there actually was a transformation. And since it was possible, it would only make sense that a Saiyan with royal blood would be the one to transform, not some sniveling, third class...

"Hey, guys. Hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. Kakarot. What does that buffoon want now?

"What is it Goku?" Bulma crossed her arms, visibly irritated. Vegeta smirked at their shared frustration.

Goku just scratched his head, smiling innocently. Vegeta had to admit that he was curious about Kakarot. He acted like a fool, but from what he could sense, he was no weakling. He was able to handle Nappa easily enough, even though the Saiyan prince knew the traitor wasn't dead. His damn ki is rising. Vegeta had been tracing Nappa's ki for a while now, when not distracted by Zarbon, legendary Super Saiyans, and the blasted Earth woman. The bald Saiyan was slowly recovering, probably inside one of Frieza's regeneration tanks. Bastard.

But he was digressing. Vegeta was concerned about Kakarot's ki right now. The third class had a relatively high power level even though he was probably suppressing most of it. How powerful is he? He knew the looks Bulma would get when she talked about 'Goku'. And Gohan had a similar reaction. He was their supposed hero.

Some hero though. He couldn't even stop Raditz.

Yet Kakarot's current ki told a much different story.

"Haha, I was interrupting something, wasn't I, Bulma? See, I always wondered about your wish back then. Just think, if I didn't get that initial Kamehameha wave off then we would have had to rely on Oolong to wish for something and that probably would have been..."

"Would you shut up, Kakarot!" Vegeta could not deal with this clown. "Tell me what happened."

Goku's wide smile only increased, "Well...I can't exactly shut up and tell you at the same time..."

Idiot! The Saiyan prince could feel his muscles tense as his power level increased from Goku's stupidity. It was then that he knew, unlike Kakarot's son, he would not be getting along with Kakarot himself. He was about to physically express how he felt about the idiot Saiyan when Bulma put a hand on Vegeta's shoulder and centered herself between the two. "Goku, not now."

"Yeah, this isn't the time to joke." There was a familiar glint in Kakarot's eyes, something Vegeta had experienced many times himself. "Though I have to admit, I'm kind of excited to face this Frieza guy. His strength sounds unbelievable."

Bulma cringed, "You're excited? What's wrong with you, Goku?"

"He's a Saiyan." Vegeta crossed his arms, stepping away from Bulma's shadow. "What is it you wish to tell us, Kakarot?"

"Piccolo and Dende left. It seems that Nail was off fighting Frieza by himself, and they went to see how he was."

"Are they mad?" Vegeta widened his stance. "I would be surprised if the Namekian was still in one piece!"

Goku shrugged, "Get ready to be surprised then. I can still feel his ki...though it is extremely low."

The Saiyan prince just growled, sensing that Goku was right. Bulma approached from behind again, both hands wrapped around Vegeta's upper bicep. "What about Frieza?" Her blue eyes bulged a little, and Vegeta felt her nails dig slightly into his skin. "Can you guys sense him too?"

"Gohan, Raditz, Krillin, and Yamcha are intercepting him." Goku's voice was solemn, obviously not happy with the idea.

Neither was Vegeta. "You're absolutely insane. You just sent your child to his death."

"Gohan told me he had a plan." Goku was becoming defensive, his ki spiking. "I trust him."

"And why aren't you going with him, Kakarot? Too afraid?" Vegeta smirked. "That's fine. I will go with them, and wish or not, I'll defeat Frieza."

"No, Vegeta. We'll go to his ship like you said. We can handle his troops together and try to figure out this Super Saiyan thing in the meantime before we confront him."

"And what about me, huh?" Bulma stomped, garnering both of their attention. "What are you planning on doing with me? Just abandon me in the middle of this alien planet!"

Goku scratched his head, "Err...well it's not exactly safe to come along, Bulma. But you probably have a Capsule House, don't you? You could hide in that cave over there..."

"No, no way! I am not staying in some cave! Vegeta won't leave me alone like that, will you Vegeta?"

The Saiyan prince didn't answer right away. "Woman..." He removed her hands from his arm and placed them in his own, dark eyes shooting up to her face. He saw Bulma smile in relief, but he took a step back. "Stay right here like Kakarot says."

"Bu-But Vegeta!"

"You're entirely too weak to defend yourself. I don't need you as extra baggage." He turned to the other Saiyan. "I presume we're going now?"

"Whenever you're ready, Vegeta." Goku waved slowly to the pissed off scientist. "Sorry, Bulma."

She crossed her arms, face turning red in anger. "I hate both of you."

Both of the Saiyans then flew off, ignoring the shouts of 'asshole' from the woman left on the ground.

"So...you and Bulma, huh?"

This wasn't happening. Vegeta was not behind some Namekian rock, trying to strategize with some third class nitwit that only seemed interested in frivolous relations. Why did he care about him and the Woman? It was none of his business!

Goku seemed to sense Vegeta's thoughts. "I'm her best friend, you know. I'm just trying to look out for her."

"Friend?" Vegeta hissed out the word, not quite understanding their relationship even after that brief description. "Wasn't that stupid scar faced weakling her 'friend' as well?" His incisors jutted briefly from his mouth, mind distracted from the multiple kis currently pacing throughout Frieza's ship yards away.

The other Saiyan's face became a soft shade of red, "We're not that kind of friends."

"And what kind of friend is that?" He narrowed his eyes, jealousy building in his chest and mind. Although he had blatantly seen the Woman's and the scar faced idiot's less than platonic nature, he still couldn't stomach the fact that they had been together, that he had touched her, kissed her when she was rightfully his.

There must have been anger showing through his eyes for Goku quickly gulped and pointed back over to their destination. "Why are we talking about this now, Vegeta? Don't we need to...uh...concentrate on fighting or something?"

The moron's right. Vegeta shouldn't have been thinking about Bulma now. Not when he had revenge to think of. "There are four main energy sources at each 90 degree interval of the ship." Vegeta pointed at the circular, black and white structure. "After we secure the area, you will meet me in the center of the ship. There, you will wait for my signal and then we destroy each energy output center." The Saiyan prince paused for a second and glanced at his blood stained armor. "Actually, Kakarot, meet me at the third energy output. It should be 270 degrees away from the top section there, going clockwise."

Goku scratched his head, "...270...what?"

"...Forget it." Vegeta had to fight back the strong urge to blast Kakarot in the face. "Let me put this in terms your simple minded brain can process." He spoke carefully, with condescending purpose. "You kill all the people you can and then report back to me. Got it, Kakarot?"

"Sure, Vegeta, but can you call me Goku? I'm not really used to that Kakarot name."

"Your name is Kakarot." Vegeta felt that was answer enough. Before flying down, He quickly tracked the other kis, surprised to find that all of them were relatively okay. Bulma's was extremely hard to trace, however, her weak ki dim in the mass of powerful energies. But Vegeta still managed to find it, hiding away and safe.

"And...do I really have to kill all those people?"

Vegeta glared. Sometimes, Kakarot was absolutely unSaiyan like. He would have been an excellent fighter if it weren't for those Earthlings. But if he was anything like his son, Kakarot had little barriers to his full potential. It made the prince relent. "Make sure they do not get in my way. Or I will kill them."

The predator like eyes from Son Goku had Vegeta internally grinning. "Alright then." Goku patted the prince's back, making the shorter man flinch. "Let's get going!"

They both moved in tandem, energies skyrocketing as they flew forward to the ship. The guards pacing outside immediately shouted to each other and began maneuvering guns. Frieza's minions shot the weak energy blasts directly towards them, but both Saiyans simply smiled before vanishing. There were confused yells from below and then aching screams of pain when Vegeta reappeared and sent a wave of purple light to incinerate most of their bodies.

Goku wasn't as ruthless. The taller fighter punched efficiently, aiming for knockouts instead of straight out deaths. But no matter which tactic the Saiyans employed, both were successful of emptying the space ship of any conscious life. Both were smiling with the invigorating effects of battle, adrenaline and endorphins pounding through their veins. One had a slightly more sadistic smirk on his face, but both Saiyans soon found themselves looking at each other, clear respect apparent.

"Hey Vegeta, you're pretty good." Goku wiped a line of sweat on his brow. "That one move you did...Garlic whatever...seemed like it could give my Kamehameha a run for its money."

Vegeta didn't understand half the things spurting out of the third class's mouth so he chose to respond with an obligatory grunt. But Goku didn't get the message. He continued to follow Vegeta down the hallway of Frieza's now empty ship, trailing behind like a lost puppy. "We should definitely spar later."

"Spar? You?" Vegeta scoffed. "It'd be a privilege for you to spar with Saiyan royalty, Kakarot. Do not make that request so lightly."

"Hey, just saying it could be fun, Vegeta." Goku scratched his head. "Where are you taking me?"

"I am not taking you anywhere. I am going to get a new uniform that isn't stained with weakling entrails. You can wait here."

"Sure." Goku went off to the side, watching the Saiyan prince continue down the hallway. He was never too patient when it came to waiting around, and Goku found his mind wandering. He quirked an eyebrow suddenly. "Uh, Vegeta?"

Vegeta stopped but half wanted to continue along the hallway and ignore the other Saiyan completely. "It can wait, Kakarot."

"...But there's a ki rising."

That stopped any forward motion. Vegeta immediately scanned the area and became rigid at the recognizable signature. But that feeling soon passed, replaced with relief and the satisfying thought of revenge. "It's Nappa."

"Nappa?" Goku scratched his head, "Oh! That bald guy."

"You were supposed to dispose of him." Vegeta continued his walk towards the equipment storage containers. "Now I'll have to do it myself." The Saiyan prince rounded another corner and stopped in front of the white lockers, quickly looking through the suits of armor. "Damn, they ran out of my size."

"What about this one?" Goku picked up a smaller piece of armor from a nearby locker. This one lacked the extended shoulder pads like Vegeta's current set.

But he took the item anyway. "This one's out of style, but it'll have to do."

Goku stifled a laugh. "I didn't really imagine you being so into fashion. Maybe you have more in common with Bulma than I thought."

"Nonsense. Me and the Woman have nothing in common." Vegeta walked over and pulled out the undersuits as well, handing Goku one and a set of armor. "Take this one. It's better than the orange rags you and your friends are so accustomed to."

"Oh, alright." Shamelessly, Goku immediately took off the Kame gi and replaced it with the armor. Vegeta grunted, somewhat surprised that he looked...sort of familiar. The taller man raked his fingers through his upright, black hair. "I'm not sorry, you know."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at the sudden statement, stopping briefly as he undressed as well. "Excuse me, Kakarot?"

"For not killing him. It's not how I am."

"You're less Saiyan than your son." He said the insult simply but only half believed the words. Goku looked like a Saiyan in that armor. His ki, though suppressed, felt as powerful as a Saiyan's ki should. Vegeta finished changing."But you actually did me a favor. Now I get to kill him myself."

Goku silently followed him again through the halls until Vegeta pinpointed the energy. He had been right before; Nappa was recovering in the tanks, probably gaining strength too from that near death experience Kakarot managed to give him. Vegeta raised a hand to punch in the code to open the metal door, but the grip on his shoulder stopped the motion. He snarled, "What is it now, Kakarot? You will not stop me from this."

"No...I won't. Some people only get so many chances. But are you sure he doesn't want to help?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "What?"

Goku scratched the back of his neck, shrugging. "Maybe he hates Frieza just as much as you."

Impossible. The Saiyan prince kept his voice low and dark. "I'm going to kill him."

"Maybe. But let me just ask him first. We need all the help we can get."

"Your naivety will be the death of you," Vegeta warned, pressing the code to the room.

Goku looked ahead to the rejuvenation chamber, seeming unimpressed by the surrounding futuristic technology. He just looked at Nappa, the giant brute still suspended in the blue green liquid. "So far I've been good."

He's still in there? Vegeta was somewhat shocked. Usually, stays in the tank never lasted more than an hour. But perhaps Appule or another one of Frieza's minions never got a chance to release him, not when they were busy getting killed by him and Kakarot. "You can ask him then. Maybe your moronic minds will get along."

"Being nice won't kill you either, you know."

Vegeta grunted and hit the controls next to the rejuvenation chamber. He felt nothing but disdain for the other Saiyan in the tank and his former comrade. For someone who had been around the Saiyan prince his whole life, Nappa was nothing to him on any sort of personal level, if Vegeta had a personal level at all back then. He remembered nothing exactly beneficial about Nappa's presence around him, only that he had been sent away with the older Saiyan when his father had him stay with Frieza. Raditz had joined their motley crew much later. The other Saiyan had lucked out and had been away on a raid when the so called "meteor" struck.

As a young boy he had wandered if there had been any other Saiyans. Surely other ones had been out on raids like Raditz had. Nappa was the one that had told him they wouldn't be coming back. That everyone else was dead.

And that wasn't a lie.

All of the Saiyans were dead. There had been others out in space, but they were gone now. Vegeta was still a young child and had been naïve to believe that all of those Saiyans had simply vanished and died. It was only when Raditz arrived back on Frieza's base, battered and claiming his spaceship was attacked, that Vegeta began to get suspicious.

"What's wrong with you?"

The other Saiyan, with ragged black hair and bloody armor, stared at the short boy. "Sir! Sorry!" He immediately bowed, lowering his head and giving Vegeta an apologetic look. "I-I..."

"No blubbering. It's pathetic looking. As one of the last of our race, I demand you act like an Elite, even if you aren't one."

"Yes, sir."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow and glanced to the charred metal on the space pod. At the news that a Saiyan was landing, Vegeta had rushed away from stupid, boring Saibamen training to meet his new subordinate. "What happened?"

"I think I was attacked, sir. Luckily, I was close to base."

"You were attacked close to base?" It seemed unlikely, insanely weird, but Vegeta couldn't help the gnawing suspicion suddenly in him. Perhaps he was looking for an excuse to be even more furious with his so called 'care taker'. Or perhaps he was just incredibly bored by the easy tasks given to him. But for whatever reason, Vegeta wanted to find out more about these 'attacks', especially since they were on one of his men. He had pride for his people, even as a little boy. "Your name?"

"Raditz ,sir."

"Father?"

He shuffled his feet, "Bardock."

Vegeta snuffed. A third class. Just like he had thought. But any Saiyan was better than none. He lightly smiled, patting Raditz on the back.. "I am Prince Vegeta."

"I-I know, sir."

"And you are to only obey my command, not some stupid demon who terrified our fathers. We are not those men."

They weren't men at all, both boys not breaking 4 feet. Yet there was still an understanding between them. Vegeta didn't consider it to be loyalty. He wasn't going to be loyal to anyone if it meant sacrificing any of his personal safety and advancement. But the young boy still liked the idea of having someone around who wasn't balding or an alien. Raditz, however, had a different idea. "I am only loyal to you, my prince."

"Good." Vegeta continued to smile.

He didn't tell Raditz about how he had killed three of Frieza's men when he had been 'questioning' about the true events of Vegeta-sei's demise. He didn't tell Raditz that it was Frieza's men that scoured the galaxy for left over 'Saiyan trash', exterminating them like worthless vermin. He was still young, but Vegeta was never dumb. He was born with a strategic mind, and tactics told him that he needed a calm Raditz, not some blundering idiot. He already had that in Nappa. But more than anything, he had needed more time. But not anymore.

Goku was staring down Nappa, who was struggling in the tank like a trapped animal. Vegeta smiled at the scene before opening the tank and letting Nappa free to take off the breathing mask and stand up , only wearing his battle armor under garments. "You! You'll pay for that!" Nappa was already making a fist, aiming it towards Goku's face.

The other Saiyan didn't flinch. He caught the fist easily, holding it inches away from his nose. "I wouldn't be doing that."

"Shut, up! With Vegeta here, you're totally..."

"Be quiet." The Saiyan prince stepped forward slowly, shoulder to shoulder with Goku. "You do not deserve to speak. Traitors don't deserve anything but a slow, painful demise." He tapped the edge of the glass. Fear ignited the bald Saiyan's eyes, inducing a devilish grin on Vegeta's face. "But Kakarot here is willing to make you an offer, one that if you fail to agree to, will certainly mean your end at my hands."

Nappa stuttered. His body shook with pure terror. "Ve-Vegeta...you can't."

"Oh, I can. I would be more than happy to end your miserable existence right now. But he insists that we need more fighters to destroy Frieza." Vegeta snuffed, "Though I should be more than enough."

Nappa ripped his hand away from Goku. "You're both insane. Taking on Lord Frieza...it's a death sentence. Unless you..." his eyes widened. "You got the wish?"

Vegeta glared. "You wouldn't be standing here right now if I did! I will be a Super Saiyan; do not think otherwise. It is mine to have. You know my father said so."

The older Saiyan grunted before walking away from the tank and grabbing his armor. Nappa cracked his neck, the thick, wet muscles looking strained and tired from the previous beating. He was incredibly weak, and Vegeta wondered what help Kakarot thought Nappa could offer. He's a goody-goody. He would try to convert everyone to be some sugary brand of hero. Vegeta scoffed at the thought of ever being like that. He was no hero. He wasn't out to kill Frieza to better the universe. He was a prince seeking revenge, nothing more.

Nappa stretched the armor over his shoulders, "Your father was a fool. Yours was too."

It took both Vegeta and Goku a few seconds to realize he was talking to the youngest Saiyan. Goku blinked, "My father?"

"Oh, you didn't know him, did you?" Nappa shook his head, "Poor bastard. Claimed that Lord Frieza was out to destroy the Saiyan race and then decided to go after the emperor himself. Even though this was after King Vegeta had been granted Lord Frieza's help."

"Fuck Frieza's help." Vegeta bared his teeth. "He was the one who destroyed our race! He embarrassed us, Nappa! He made us look like groveling fools, doing his dirty work while he sat on his ass laughing! Why do you hold this loyalty?" Vegeta clenched his fists, ki rising, room shaking. "Why are you so loyal to the monster that destroyed our people and not me? I am the one who will be our redeemer. I will restore the Saiyan race to its former glory!"

"And how do you plan on doing that? With mating with that sick human? You're a traitor more than I am, Vegeta." Nappa glanced down. "You don't even have a tail. You're not a Saiyan."

In one, fierce movement, Vegeta grabbed Nappa from behind and tore out the other Saiyan's tail, wrapping the dismembered appendage around the older Saiyan's throat. Coughed screams reverberated against the walls as velvety drops of blood pooled on the floor. "You'll die on your words."

"Vegeta..."

Goku's hand was on the Saiyan prince's shoulder, but Vegeta ignored the touch. He only gripped tighter, cutting off Nappa's circulation and causing the bald Saiyan's skin to take on a blue hue. He felt the kid drop, falling and falling until it was barely detectable. Finally, Nappa gagged and Vegeta released his body on the ground.

Goku took a step back. "You..."

"What?" Vegeta growled.

"You didn't kill him."

The Saiyan prince nodded and kicked Nappa in the back before dropping the brown, bloody tail on the ground. "The bastard doesn't deserve to be killed by someone like me. That would seem almost noble." Vegeta grabbed a nearby cloth, wiping his white gloves clean. "There's not one shred of nobility left in his body."

"I thought..." Goku shook his head in disbelief. "I thought you wouldn't even hesitate killing him."

"Well it wouldn't be the first time you thought wrong, now would it?" Vegeta let out an intake of breath to try and calm his ki. Although Frieza lacked a scouter, the others could detect him, and he didn't need anyone getting antsy. "Pick up his body."

Goku hesitated, "Why?"

"Because he doesn't deserve the right to die. I was wrong before."

Vegeta led Kakarot to a nearby room packed with escape pods. He pressed a button on one of the side control panels, opening the metal roof to reveal the green, relatively clear sky. Vegeta directed Goku into placing Nappa's unconscious body into one of the pods, where the Saiyan prince quickly pulled some wires. "Communication system." Vegeta pulled another one. "Hibernation unit."

"Where are you sending him?"

He didn't answer right away. Vegeta first plugged in the coordinates and closed the door, watching the singular pod and the despicable man vanish in the mass of green white clouds. "To Hell."

Bulma didn't hesitate to take a bath. She was in desperate need of smelling clean, even though a part of her hated that at the same time she was wiping of any trace of Vegeta. Ew, since when did I get like this?

Slightly disgusted with herself, she dipped into the steaming water, letting waves of hot air and liquid soothe her body into a more serene state. Her mind was still turning. How could it not? As much as she wanted to-as much as she told herself she did, she really didn't get Vegeta. Whenever she thought he was finally ready to take the next step, he would do something completely idiotic that seemed like he didn't like her at all. Such as leaving her alone on some alien planet while crazy, blood thirsty emperors ran around.

How romantic.

She wondered if Vegeta would ever now what love was. Not that she was saying she loved him. No, not at all. She just didn't want to get so emotionally invested with someone who wouldn't even say he loved her. "Maybe I can teach him" Bulma smiled to herself, draining the tub and drying herself off. "Let's face it, Bulma Briefs. If anyone can teach that stubborn Saiyan, it's you."

Her hands wiped the steamed mirror, and Bulma smiled with relief. She looked so much better, no more dirt stains or worried features. It was amazing how cathartic a bath could be. "Not bad." She pulled a bit at the corner of her eyes and blew out her hair, keeping it straight and smooth. Next were the clothes, which she just kept simple with Capsule Corp. attire. She was in the middle of a war zone after all, and it wasn't like she wouldn't look good in anything she wore.

"So boring. Those guys are such jerks." She plopped down on one of the Capsule House's couches with a fashion magazine in tow. There was nothing more frustratingly boring than sitting on her butt while her friends were risking their lives. She wanted to see what was happening. Although she knew she might get in the way or even get hurt, she wanted to at least be useful. That was impossible from this location.

Her mind quickly reverted back to thoughts of the Saiyan prince. And for once, she wasn't focused on his horrible past or even their past memories together. She wondered what it would be like bringing him back to Earth with her, how her parents would react to her final break up with Yamcha and her new man being a prideful, arrogant alien. Then again, both her parents were so oblivious to most things, she doubted they would actually care too much.

But what about Vegeta himself? Would he like Earth life? Goku adapted well enough, but Goku didn't know any better. Would he want to stay with her? Would he want to marry her? Would he want kids?

Bulma bit her lip at the last two thoughts. Since when was she even thinking about children? "Though maybe if he's anything like Gohan..."

Her thoughts stopped at the knock on the door. That was unexpected, most certainly, and she doubted that if her friends were really going after Frieza that they would be back so soon. She cringed back in the chair. Then who is it?

"Nice place here, isn't it Burter?"

That voice sounded familiar. Bulma crawled down on the floor, moving into the small kitchen and placing her back against the cold refrigerator, her body blocked by the bar top separating this room from the living room.

"Jeice, just open the door."

Crap! She unknowingly banged her body against the refrigerator door, making a loud metallic sound. Crap, crap!

"...There's something in there, Burter."Jeice's accent was undeniable. Soon, the Capsule House door was broken open, and two shadows, one tall and one short, appeared inside. Bulma covered her mouth, trying to suppress the cry of fear wanting to escape her throat. Jeice continued walking, and soon she heard the familiar beep of a scouter sounding. "...Hmph. Such a low power level. Could just be a rat."

Bulma rolled her eyes at the familiar saying, but shrugged it off. She needed to be fully aware, to not move or make any sort of noise otherwise she'd be screwed.

The other, unfamiliar voice spoke. "Whatever. I'm starving. Ginyu's rations are a joke."

Eep.

There was nowhere for her to go, no other place for her to escape them. Bulma bit on her lip again, trying to stop the tears and her hands from shaking, but she knew it was inevitable. She was done for.

The two finally made their way into the kitchen, where both stopped dead at the sight of her. Bulma's eyes only widened in fear. Jeice looked exactly the same, with red skin and bright white hair. He hadn't grown at all, but the other guy was much taller, with blue skin and fang like teeth. She quickly scurried to her feet and tried to hop over the bar counter, but the blue alien had already grabbed her arm, dragging her back to face them both. The blue, snake like alien cracked a grin. "Don't bother trying to run away from me, Rat. You can't escape the fastest being in the universe."

"Let me go!" Bulma tried to pull her arm away, but the alien just tightened his grip, creating a vice over her arm. Bulma tinged at the pain, but she didn't cry out. They didn't deserve that kind of satisfaction.

"Well, what do you say, Jeice? Should I let her go? Or kill her or bring her back to the captain?"

Jeice was frozen. The short, red alien narrowed his eyes when he looked at Bulma, and a few seconds later, his head snapped back, recognition finally there. "It's...it's you!"

The blue alien's red eyes glanced to his comrade. "You know this...this thing?"

"It's Vegeta's old toy. I can't believe he went through all that trouble to get you back. Thought he killed you or you just outted yourself, ya know?"

"Get off of me! Let me go!" Bulma tried to escape again, but it was hopeless. The tears were burning her eyes, but even as her vision started to blur, she could see Jeice approach her.

"I think that's exactly what we won't do. Lord Frieza wanted you back then. Safe to say he'd still be interested in you now. Let's bring her back to the cap'n."

The blue alien, Burter, nodded and swung Bulma over his shoulder, after grabbing a soda from the fridge nearby.

A/N:

When did the Ginyu Force get here and how did they find Bulma? What's Gohan's plan to stall Frieza? How's Nail and Piccolo? Why did Vegeta let Nappa go? Will Bulma be okay?

so many questions! and some of them will be answered next chapter...which I will be writing after dinner! Thanks guys for dealing with my awfully timed updates T_T Hope you liked it!