Krillin let out a heavy sigh, his hands shaking as he wrung them together and stared at the lifeless body of his friend laid out before him in the undertaker's office. Lifeless as the body appeared, Krillin understood that it would reanimate if he didn't do what had to be done. It felt like he'd been deliberating over this for hours, when in reality, it'd only been thirty minutes at the most. Yamcha already lost his life. Allowing him to rise again as the same monstrosity that killed him wouldn't be right. But the alternative was gruesome in Krillin's mind; it was so hard to face.

He reached a hand slowly, gliding it inches over the wooden tabletop in the center of the office on which Yamcha's body laid. His fingers fell on the rough wood of the pointed stake that he'd carved for this task, which was deposited beside the limp, pale arm of his dead friend. Krillin's fingers curled slowly around the splintering wood until he held it in a firm grasp.

Krillin took another deep breath as he looked at Yamcha's face. His skin was so pale, his eyes were closed, and his black hair shagged roughly around his handsome face. His lips were nearly a shade of blue, and on his neck, Krillin could see the very small, delicate, raw bite marks that had ended him. As Krillin looked past Yamcha's discolored scar across his cheek to his eyes again, a terrifying momentary image flashed across his mind. The imagined sight of Yamcha's eyes opening to look directly at Krillin with deadly intentions sent a chill through his body.

Krillin's teeth chattered together unwillingly as he twisted the stake in his grip and placed his other hand around it, as if the security of a doubled grip on the device would make this any easier. Nothing could make this easier, he realized, nothing at all. Krillin closed his eyes tightly as his gut wrenched with disgust and guilt at what he was about to do. He wondered why he was the one stuck with this task, just as he was realizing that Piccolo and Roshi were facing Prince Vegeta at the castle right about now, and Mr. and Miss King were saddled with the task of handling Goku's condition. Krillin knew he had to do his part, too, without complaint.

Clenching his teeth and opening his eyes, Krillin looked down at Yamcha with a new light of determination. This had to be done for the town, for himself, and most of all, for Yamcha. Krillin clasped the stake tightly in both hands and raised it above his head before he decisively took the plunge.

A pair of determined men craned their necks as they stood in their Victorian overcoats at Prince Vegeta's doorstep in the hot sunlight, looking up the length of the castle's massive double doors. Piccolo twisted his lips as he studied the massive, ornate structure, which was practically surging with dark energy. Roshi tapped his foot anxiously as they waited.

"Do you expect them," Roshi asked with a dubious frown, "to allow us in?"

Piccolo turned to his companion and chuckled wryly. "Of course not. Prince Vegeta is incapable of doing so at this hour, while his servant would know better than to allow us inside." At Roshi's confounded look, Piccolo added, "It's not in his master's best interest, and vampire slaves are extremely loyal."

Roshi nodded mutely, while Piccolo returned his gaze to the doors, studying the exterior of the castle front. After a few minutes of shifting his weight and waiting in silence, Roshi raised his brows at Piccolo. "So…what is our plan?"

"Shh!" Piccolo pressed his brows together in deep concentration as Roshi grunted in surprise at the other man's chastising tone.

When Roshi opened his mouth to speak, Piccolo cut him off with a curt chuckle and a point towards a window a few feet to the left. Roshi leaned past Piccolo to leer at the window. Surprisingly, he recognized a large silhouette crossing the room, to whom Piccolo called out, "We are here to see your master! Allow us access now or we will talk to him about this when he wakes!"

Roshi frowned as the figure crossed the room hurriedly, disappearing from view through the window without a sound. He raised a brow at Piccolo, unsure what this was all about, or how Piccolo was aiming to get into the castle without confrontation.

Nappa was a large, powerful man. And if he was truly determined to protect the sleeping vampire, Roshi had his doubts about whether any of this was a good idea. Subconsciously, he clutched-through the course fabric of his black overcoat-the wooden stake hidden in his pocket. Piccolo had also supplied him with a vial of holy water, which was hidden in his opposite pocket, though he prayed to God he would have no need for either item.

A metallic clack sounded from the other side of the door, making Roshi perk up with interest as his eyes set expectantly on the line of division between the doors. It widened as the door creaked, paused, then creaked again as it opened wider. When it was only a few inches opened, a scowling, unpleasant face was pushed out through the slit of an opening. Mr. Nappa's eyes searched Roshi's person up and down before his lip turned up in a sneer and he looked over an unaffected Mr. Piccolo.

Piccolo clasped his hands casually at his waist, while the expression on his face remained anything but casual. "We wish to see Prince Vegeta."

"He's not," Nappa began as the gap of the door's opening slowly closed, "available. Come back in the e-"

Piccolo roughly planted a foot in the closing doorway. "I'm not asking. Tell him Mr. Piccolo and Mr. Roshi wish to see him."

Nappa glared through the slit in the doorway when his second attempt to force the doors closed failed, only making Piccolo issue a grunt at the disturbance to his foot. "Master will not be pleased."

"I know that." Piccolo smiled slyly as the pressure eased off his foot. "He'll have to forgive us for disturbing his rest."

Nappa narrowed his eyes at Piccolo. "How do you know the master is resting?"

"I know your master well, Servant."

"You," Nappa growled, "do not know Prince Vegeta."

Piccolo glowered back at the stubborn glare of the vampire's slave. Piccolo would know one of them anywhere. Even worse than the creature that created them, those beings needed to be put down, too. But Piccolo also realized this made Nappa more formidable than some large strong human.

"Please, Mr. Nappa," Roshi wisely interjected, "let us into the waiting room. Then you'll have no worries about the vampire being angered over your refusal to be polite to his guests."

Nappa drew his lips in a hard line as he mulled over Roshi's reasonable suggestion. As much as he wanted to beat the living hell out of the rude intruder and his elderly companion, Nappa was concerned that Prince Vegeta might be angry with him for doing so, as proved to be the case when Goku Son trespassed in the castle.

With a decisive sneer, Nappa opened the doors, expecting the two men to walk calmly into the waiting room, as promised. When they lunged past him into the castle with vigor and intent, Nappa spun around and growled at the deceptive, scurrying intruders. These guests would not be so easily handled, but he knew now that he had to do whatever it would take to protect his master and his secrets, at least until the sun set.

Goku woke from his rest, in his own bed in the sunlit Kings' home, his head throbbing as he immediately recognized an unpleasant smell. He wrinkled his nose as he sat up in bed, disbelievingly eyeing the changed environment of his room.

Hanging all over, as if decorative mobiles, where nearly a dozen entire cloves of garlic, strung across the window frames, furniture, and lamps. Beside him on the lacquered nightstand, a porcelain cup of hot tea waited, still steaming, as if recently placed there. The scent completely disagreed with his nose, though he couldn't tell if it was worse than the garlic. Another strange addition, the cross hanging oddly over his window, struck Goku as out of place in his room.

He brought a hand to his forehead, rubbing the tender area between his eyes, just as footsteps sounded from the stairs. Goku didn't have time to question the oddity of hearing footsteps from that far, when usually he'd only be able to hear steps from the hall just outside, before his door opened, revealing his fiancé and soon-to-be father-in-law.

"Goku!" Chi-Chi carried in a tray and placed it dismissively on the side table near the door, before sitting on the bed beside him. "You're awake."

Goku quirked a brow at Chi-Chi's oddly patronizing tone, while she and her father smiled at him with guarded expressions. He'd never seen either of them act that way towards him, and he couldn't understand why they were starting now.

Goku threw his legs over the side of the bed and looked at Chi-Chi. "What's going on?"

Chi-Chi scooted closer, her warm, silk-covered outer thigh butting against the rougher fabric of Goku's sleeping clothes. "Here," she reached for the teacup and offered it to Goku, "have some tea."

Goku pushed it away. "No, thank you."

"Goku," Ox said, "you really should eat something. Chi-Chi made some of your favorites while you were resting."

Goku followed Ox's hand as it gestured towards the tray of food Chi-Chi had carried in. Usually, he would find such an offer enticing, but Goku felt oddly repulsed by the strong odors wafting from the tray. "My favorites?"

Chi-Chi scowled at Goku's dubious tone. "Yes, your favorites! Eat!"

As Chi-Chi stood to head swiftly towards the dresser, Goku grimaced, his stomach churning at the mere thought of her removing the silver lids from the foods and strengthening the scents in the room.

At the risk of his fiancé's offense, Goku waved a hand in refusal. "No, Chi-Chi! I don't want anything!"

"Goku!" Ox gasped, "what is happening to you?"

Chi-Chi returned empty-handed to the bed, wrapping an arm over Goku's shoulder as she scowled at her father. "You know very well what's happening to him! We mustn't upset him, Father!"

"Oh!" Ox gasped before smiling apologetically at Goku, "is there anything I can get you, Goku?"

Goku blinked in bewilderment, his gaze shifting from father to daughter as his eyes narrowed suspiciously. He had a very bad feeling. Something wasn't right, and it wasn't just what was going on in his room that he was concerned about.

"Anything at all?" Ox pressed with a hopeful, toothy grin.

Goku contorted his brows in confusion, before deciding with a subtle shrug, "you could take all this garlic out of my room, and tell me what happened with Piccolo...and Bulma...and Vegeta."

Chi-Chi gasped sharply, while her father cringed. She felt emotions welling in her chest, realizing that her fiancé was indeed showing the signs Piccolo had warned them about. He wasn't being himself. The Goku she knew would never refuse her cooking. All at once, the buildup became too much to bear as she let out a misery-laden wail of a cry.

Goku gaped at his emotional fiancé. He had no idea what he'd said to upset her so much, but he really did need to know what was happening, especially with the feelings he was having, and now seeing their reluctance to tell him anything. His mind kept returning to Vegeta. Something wasn't right!

"Mr. King!" Goku addressed the older man formally, yet with a glare, "tell me! What is Piccolo doing?"

Disturbed by Goku's harshness and distrust, Chi-Chi wailed again, before running from the room with her head in her hands. Goku looked towards the doorway, then Mr. King, who was also watching his daughter's hasty exit with a helpless expression.

"I-" Ox's eyes darted back to Goku as his posture deflated, then back to the doorway, then back to Goku again. "I-I'm sorry, Goku!" His head shot towards the doorway again. "Excuse me! Just w-wait here!"

As Ox ran out the door calling Chi-Chi's name, Goku rubbed the back of his head, frowning to himself. If they weren't going to shed some light on what was happening, Goku would just have to find out for himself. Besides, it would be a great relief to escape from that oppressive room.

Without hesitation, Goku stood from the bed to reach for his dresser drawer, slipped on a new pair of pants and a heavier shirt, and darted for the door. He knew Chi-Chi wouldn't be happy when she found him gone, but he had to get to that castle.

When his vacant room was later disturbed by the sighing entrance of a somber woman, the whoosh of the door was the most notable sound. Chi-Chi was speechless as she looked into the room to find Goku gone again. This only confirmed that he was as bad as he seemed. If he needed so badly to get to Piccolo and the others, and to escape the scents of garlic and his beloved foods, then Goku was becoming less human by the minute. Still, she couldn't believe that her love would be lost. She had to have faith that Piccolo and Mr. Roshi were putting a stop to this.

Putting a stop to this was exactly what those men were trying to do as they evaded Nappa's pursuit and searched the castle. Roshi wandered towards the stairs, while Piccolo knew exactly in which type of environment the evil Prince would be sleeping. As Roshi entered room after room upstairs, Piccolo was stalked by the angered servant as he made his way towards the dark room that led to a downward-heading staircase. Piccolo smiled at the sight, feeling smug with his discovery, even though the sun was preparing to set and it was getting late. There wasn't much time.

"Turn around and face me, you slug!"

Piccolo lowered his chin, frowning deeply at the resentful voice of the doorman he'd so cunningly worked his way past. If only he'd said something when Roshi headed up the stairs. Dealing with this fiend alone would have been more satisfactory, but now the chance that he might not be capable of doing it at all made him regret his decision. Slowly, Piccolo turned to glare at the menacingly large man and powerful behind him.

"That's right!" Nappa chuckled, "if you think you'll get past me that easily, you really are too full of yourself. There's no way you're going to disturb the master before nightfall."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists tightly by his sides. "How old is your master?" He tilted his head in thought. "One hundred? Two hundred?"

Nappa drew his head back with a dubious scowl. "What are you going on about? I don't ask the master his age. Is this your way of stalling to avoid the beat-down I'm about to give you?"

"But you know it's possible that he is that old." Piccolo replied with a satisfied smirk. "Tell me, how does it feel to be a slave? Slave to a vampire that's probably killed hundreds, maybe thousands?"

"You mean to be powerful and immortal myself?" Nappa asked with a demonstrative opening and closing of his powerful fist. "It feels pretty damn good. Better than being on the wrong side of things, like you."

Nappa stepped aggressively towards Piccolo. Piccolo flinched, but wouldn't back down. Instinctively, he wanted to reach for the crucifix in his overcoat pocket, but he knew that would do no good against this one. He was no vampire. It might have some effect, but Piccolo knew he needed more to combat this powerful foe. He needed a strategy. The standoff became more tense as Nappa took yet another domineering step forward, closing the gap just as a loud boom echoed from the entryway of the castle.

Nappa raised a brow at the intrusion. "Prince Vegeta?"

"Prince Vegeta!" The voice yelling from the castle's entrance was instantly recognized by both parties as they looked at one another in shock, debating whether to call out for the man who could just as easily side with either of them. "Mr. Roshi!"

When the sound of footsteps thumping loudly and quickly up the stairs alerted them that Goku had gone the other way to pursue the older man, Nappa pounded a fist in his hand and smirked at Piccolo. He was going to take care of this ill-intentioned trespasser now, while he knew he still had the upper hand.

As the noise from the scuffle starting from below traveled upstairs, Goku hesitated in the hall, glancing over his shoulder as he debated whether to return downstairs or continue chasing the shadows he'd seen sweeping past the staircase. The nearby moan of an old man drew him instead towards the next open doorway. Goku tiptoed towards the door, keeping his steps silent as he peered past the opening to view the moving figures behind the doorway. His breath caught in his throat when he sighted Mr. Roshi with one of the bizarre women he'd encountered in his bed the other night. She looked weary and weak as she draped her body over Roshi's, but Goku was willing to bet the old man didn't mind. Then Roshi's posture slackened as the woman moaned sensually into his neck and caressed his back with her lithe fingers.

Goku almost thought he was intruding on something private, until the woman turned just slightly to reveal to Goku her mouth's contact with Roshi's slim, wrinkled neck. Goku's presence remained unnoticed as the woman's eyes shut lustfully and her upper lip pulled back from Roshi's skin. A crimson flood of blood was revealed to Goku's eyes, which the woman hungrily caught with her tongue and lapped off Roshi's skin. Goku gaped, his heart pounding in his chest, when he noted Roshi's fingers clinging to something by his other side.

"Mr. Ro-"

Goku's voice served as a helpful distraction for Roshi, who took the opportunity of being freed from the woman's leeching lips. He plunged the item in his hand forcefully into the woman's chest. When the woman screamed and Roshi stumbled backwards, Goku's eyes bulged as a thick piece of gnarled wood was revealed protruding from the woman's chest.

"Roshi!" Goku stumbled forward, unsure who he was lunging for. Roshi seemed woozy and shocked by his own action, while the woman...

Goku extended his hands towards the woman who was visibly wilting to the floor. "A-are you-"

Her sudden collapse on the ground, which ended in a hard thud on the waxed, wooden floor, made Goku stand upright in alarm with his hands by his sides.

"Goku!" Roshi was the first to speak, having regained his voice after staring in horror at the dead body of the vampire on the ground. "What are you doing here?"

As Roshi clasped his palm protectively over his bloody neck, Goku snapped back to reality, blinking in realization when he recalled exactly what he was supposed to be doing at the castle. "Vegeta!"

As Goku dashed out of the room, Roshi grimaced in realization. His old pupil and dear friend had been terribly misled, if he felt so driven to rush there for the vampire's sake. But when Goku set his mind on something, Roshi knew there was no stopping him. He felt horrible for poor Piccolo. He would have no chance of staking the vampire now.

"Prince Vegeta!" Goku called as his feet moved quickly down the stairs and his eyes fervently searched his surroundings for signs of the others.

It was when he reached the landing of the stairs that Goku recalled the earlier sounds of a scuffle down below. He turned to the dark room where he'd seen Prince Vegeta the other night, assuming that was where Vegeta would be. When he was greeted by the sight of Nappa bashing a fist over Piccolo's head, Goku stumbled back in perplexity. Nappa turned at the sound of Goku's footsteps with a hostile glare.

"What's going on here?" Goku asked, stepping into the dark room.

Piccolo groaned in pain, rubbing his head as he clung to Nappa's leg and attempted to climb to his feet. "Son! You need to take action now or your life is forfeit!"

Goku's brows creased tightly in confusion as Nappa roughly shook Piccolo's hold off his leg and turned his attention to Goku. "This trespasser was trying to kill Prince Vegeta! You couldn't possibly side with him."

"Kill Prince Vegeta?" Goku asked, sending Piccolo an incredulous glare. "You don't even know the man! Who are you to have the right to take his life?"

Piccolo groaned and rubbed his head, before raising his gaze to glare at Goku through the darkness. "That's just the problem. He is no man. He is a vampire, as I told you!"

"You!" Nappa snarled, before bending down to grasp Piccolo harshly by the neck of his overcoat.

"I think you'd better leave, Mr. Piccolo." Goku said, indicating for Nappa to set him free with a curt nod.

Reluctantly, Nappa threw Piccolo towards the doorway, while Goku stepped aside to make room for his exit.

"Piccolo!" Roshi's voice called from the entryway as Piccolo stumbled forward and became visible to the other man near the exit. "Come on, get out of here while you still can!"

Piccolo growled as Goku readied himself for a fight, but Roshi ran towards them, grasping the beaten Piccolo by the lapel of his overcoat and dragging him towards the exit. Defiantly, Piccolo staggered out of the castle, and Nappa hurried behind them to bar the doors.

When Nappa returned to the dark room where Goku stood solemnly, their eyes met. Prince Vegeta was still in his tomb at rest. It was much too early for him to rise at full strength, like the female vampire had unwisely decided to do before meeting her demise at the hands of Roshi. Somehow, Goku knew this, yet he still couldn't believe the man he was so drawn to was a...well, a vampire. Prince Vegeta had to have other reasons for being vulnerable in the daytime. It was just good he had Nappa looking after him.

Nappa's eyes lowered to the ground. He couldn't bring himself to thank the human who had so boldly entered the castle against his demands the other day. Yet, incredibly grateful was exactly how Nappa was feeling...and maybe a little flabbergasted. Here was a man who was willing to possibly put his life on the line for Nappa's master...a man who'd possibly just saved Nappa's life and Prince Vegeta's. Still, he was only a human and refused to acknowledge that Prince Vegeta was even a vampire. The master's lost lover he could not possibly be. This man was no Kakarot, and if he was no vampire bound to Prince Vegeta, Nappa had no need to show him respect.

"It was no problem, Nappa." Goku said with a smile.

"N-no problem?" Nappa balked. "I didn't-"

"You didn't have to." Goku explained with an understanding smile. "I know you will protect Vegeta. Keep taking good care of him. I'll be back."

Nappa gaped at Goku's back as the other man turned to leave. He didn't know what to make of that. The man seemed like he truly cared for Prince Vegeta, even more than Nappa expected him to. It was like...it was like Goku Son's feelings for the Prince ran deeper than he was letting on.

When Goku returned home that afternoon, he immediately settled in for a well-needed nap. Despite having an earlier nap, the afternoon sun and the castle escapade had completely drained his energy and returned that massive headache to full strength. Fortunately, he managed to slip in his home unnoticed, avoiding having any confrontations before he could find the rest he sought.

Chi-Chi tapped on Goku's door after noticing it was sealed shut again, after hours of the room being abandoned. She had received an alarming call from Mr. Piccolo and was expecting Goku back at any minute. When she found the room torn up in a shambles, with the garlic disposed of and the sheets thrown off the bed while Goku slept unusually still, flat on his back in the center of it, she gasped quietly. She did not want to wake him. She did not want to alarm him, even when she was feeling incredibly alarmed. She was only grateful that Mr. Piccolo was already on his way over. He would know what to do with Goku.

While Goku slept, Piccolo arrived, being immediately bombarded by Chi-Chi and her concerns over Goku's return behavior. She didn't care to notice Piccolo's fatigued and battered state, though the bruising from Nappa's beating was already visible on his face. After Chi-Chi divulged everything out of the ordinary, Piccolo's scowl held his concern and contempt for the turning vampire. He knew from his earlier encounter with Goku that the transformation was further along than Piccolo hoped.

"What are you going to do?" Chi-Chi finally asked when she realized the situation was dire.

Piccolo set his jaw tightly before forcing the words. He didn't want to be the one to say this, let alone do it, but it was all up to him now. These people were clueless. "We need to lock him up, for his own safety and everyone else's." He glared at Chi-Chi's shocked expression. "Before nightfall."

Chi-Chi gaped, but fervently nodded in agreement. "If that's what we have to do to save him."

"It is." Piccolo said. "If he interacts with that vampire again, there will be no stopping this. Locking him away is the only way I see possible to keep him alive, especially because he will want to see the vampire when he wakes." Piccolo frowned at the somber expression on Chi-Chi's face, but he continued, "Hopefully we can prevent him from arising at all during the night, when he is likely to be most difficult. Have your father summon Dr. Brief. I'm sure the doctor can inject Son with a sedative potent enough to last through the night."

Chi-Chi nodded and wrung her hands together. "I'll have my father ask him."

Making her way towards the stairs, Chi-Chi grabbed her father and informed him of Piccolo's decision. She knew Goku would not be happy about this when he woke, but they had to act now, while he was out cold and harmless. She could hardly believe that her dear, sweet Goku could be dangerous, but apparently, that was precisely the deceptive danger of a vampire.

Chi-Chi knew exactly where to keep Goku safe, which she was sure Piccolo was already aware of, seeing that he seemed so certain in his planning. Dr. Brief's home included a single solitary cell, reserved for the mentally unstable patient not suited to stay in the hospital with others. Dr. Brief had this built into his home solely for the requirement of direct observation around the clock with this sort of patient, and the fact that he needed to be home with his family. The room would be perfect for this situation, and Chi-Chi was certain they could return Goku to normal, if only they could keep him contained long enough. The vampire would never be able to reach him. She just hoped Goku didn't hate her for this decision when he woke.