Vegeta's expectant smile was concealed by darkness as he stood on the balcony, where he'd flown the instant he woke from his day's rest. He had been waiting for this moment, and he was finally ready to make Kakarot his. Vegeta's smile quickly faded, though, as he realized something was very wrong. He could not sense Kakarot's presence in that room-he could not sense where Kakarot's presence was.

Vegeta's lips turned down in a deep scowl and his brows lowered into an intense glare as he reached for the balcony door, only to feel a searing pain shoot through his fingers. While withdrawing his hand into his chest with a hiss, Vegeta recognized through the panes of glass in the doorway the movement of a figure within the room. It was the figure of a man, though certainly not Kakarot.

Vegeta scoffed to himself as a wry smile crossed his face. He recognized what this was, and if those weak mortals thought they could possibly keep him away from Kakarot, he would show them exactly how useless their efforts were. He would find Kakarot, but not before making the meddlers pay.

Vegeta nearly reached for the door again in his fury, but growled when he recalled the pain he'd felt the first time he touched it. Fortunately for him, physical contact wasn't required to open a mere door. Vegeta let out one psychic concentrated blast, forcing the doors to fly wide open, even breaking the hinges from the booming force as he glared at the shadowed figure standing in the room.

"You have made a drastic mistake," Vegeta said as he stepped towards the doorway, "and it will cost you your life."

The figure stepped forward brazenly, revealing his cocky grin to Vegeta's seething countenance. "I don't see it that way."

Vegeta growled and lunged for the man. "I'll kill you now!"

Yet, Vegeta seized when a disgusting, repellant scent filled his nostrils. He couldn't bring himself to enter that room. A closer look confirmed his suspicion-the room was cloaked in garlic and holy water. That was why he couldn't open the window.

Piccolo smirked victoriously as he watched the realization dawning on the vampire's face. The vampire had to realize that Piccolo was not some unworthy opponent. When the monster narrowed his eyes suspiciously, Piccolo chuckled.

"Where is he?"

Piccolo's smirk stretched wider. "Who?"

"You did something with him." Vegeta clenched his teeth as he spoke, fighting to suppress the raging fury that was simmering beneath the surface. "Reveal him now, and I might show you some mercy."

"Really? You would spare me? That's hard to believe." Piccolo crossed his arms. "For hundreds of years, you monsters have been bloodthirsty killers. You spare no one."

Vegeta smirked. "You're right. I never said I would spare you. You will die, regardless. I was simply offering to give you a quick death, rather than the slow torture I'm planning right now."

Piccolo chuckled and took a brazen step forward. "You are in no position to kill me now, and I believe you are the one who should have the advantage at this hour. Imagine how things will change, once the sun rises."

Vegeta bared his teeth as his eyes moved fervently, searching for a way to reach his untouchable prey. He could not tolerate the mockery coming from his counterpart, though! Something wasn't right here. This human knew too much about vampires. Vegeta's vampiric weaknesses shouldn't have been so clear to a mortal.

Piccolo waved his fingers, beckoning for Vegeta to come. "Come and get me, if you can."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

"Me?" Piccolo smirked, while a look of realization crossed Vegeta's face. "I'm Piccolo. I think you already know what I am."

Vegeta growled and clenched his fists. "Mortal or not, you will die by my hands, and you cannot stop me from taking Kakarot!"

Piccolo's eyes bulged. "K-Kakarot?"

"The man you are hiding from me."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the stricken look on Piccolo's face. It seemed that Piccolo recognized Kakarot's name, was even shocked to hear it. If Piccolo was truly a hunter, as Vegeta suspected, it was possible that the two of them could've crossed paths in the past. Possible, but unlikely.

Vegeta relaxed his posture and crossed his arms as a smile crossed his face. "Too much of a coward to come forward and face me? Are you that intent on hiding behind your relics, Hunter?" Piccolo glared, but remained stationed where he was. "Then I am done wasting my time here. When we meet again, there will be nowhere for you to hide."

Piccolo growled at the vampire's dismissive insults as Vegeta dissipated into an eerie cloud of black fog, before disappearing into the night sky. He had to take care of the vampire in the daytime, or he knew he'd be outmatched. But seeing that he failed the previous day, Piccolo wasn't sure if his original plan would work. Of course, Goku would be unable to interfere this time around. Still, Piccolo was wary of just how powerful of a foe Prince Vegeta was.

Krillin's downward gaze into his lap did nothing to conceal the anguish he was currently suffering. He was sitting on a bench at the deserted cemetery, overlooking Yamcha Puar's freshly dug grave. When a warm hand clasped gently over his shoulder, Krillin flinched and gasped, then relaxed again when he realized who it was.

"Krillin," Roshi said as he made his way around the bench and eased onto the seat beside him, "I've been looking all over for you. I'm not surprised to find you here." Roshi sighed. "You did what had to be done. Yamcha is in a better place now."

"I guess you're right." Krillin sighed. "I still hate it, though."

"We shouldn't be out here now, Krillin. It's not safe."

Krillin raised his head to eye the shadowy epitaph in the tombstone which he couldn't read in the darkness, then the shadowy visage of his elderly relative. "Is anywhere really safe for us?"

Roshi frowned in understanding, but clapped his hand against Krillin's back. "We should find Mr. Piccolo. He's the only one I trust now to know how to keep us alive."

"What's happened to Goku?"

Roshi was about to stand, but at Krillin's question, he simply lowered his head. "I'm afraid Mr. Piccolo has decided to lock him away at Dr. Brief's. Mr. Piccolo even received Miss King's approval to do so. He seems certain that it's the only way to keep Goku from the vampire, and therefore from turning." Roshi shook his head. "Goku's not himself anymore."

Krillin gasped. Roshi looked at the young man, intending to reassure him after receiving such shocking news, but when he saw Krillin's distant, fixed stare, he realized the younger man's gasp was not solely due to their conversation. Slowly, Roshi turned his head to view where Krillin was staring behind him, while a chill crawled up his spine.

Krillin's breathing became ragged as he stared at the unearthly figure staring back at him. He didn't know what to believe. He thought he'd believed the words when he was told before, but now that he was seeing her with his own eyes, he realized he didn't truly believe it, not until now. The two men stared, until Roshi finally forced himself to speak.

"B-Bulma?" Roshi breathed in awe.

Bulma's lush lips spread into a smile. "Mr. Roshi, Krillin. It is so good to see my old friends again."

Krillin felt his heart thumping in his chest as Bulma took a graceful step forward, and another one, her eyes intently set on him while her smile remained. Her eyes were mesmerizingly beautiful. He gulped. He couldn't move if he wanted to, though he was absolutely terrified and wished he could escape.

"Bulma..." Roshi muttered in a daze, while Krillin's dry mouth refused to form any words.

"Goku is locked away at Dr. Brief's, then?" Bulma smiled slyly and nodded as Roshi's eyes widened. "Yes, my prince will be pleased to know." Bulma closed her eyes momentarily, a serene look overtaking her pale face as her long lashes fluttered and she smiled again. "Vegeta..."

Roshi and Krillin exchanged a glance. They couldn't let her share that information with Prince Vegeta. The night was nearing its end, but the Prince knowing where to find Goku would start more trouble than they needed. Bulma's smile widened as she opened her eyes and a murderous intent shone in her eyes.

Roshi grimaced to himself and reached for the secure feeling of his stake in his hand. He was relieved when he felt it there, still in his overcoat pocket. He gripped the roughly carved wood in his palm and discreetly pulled it from his pocket while Bulma stared hungrily at Krillin. But then, she turned suddenly on Roshi, her keen eye catching the tool in his hand. When Bulma's influence on Krillin wore off with their loss of eye contact, his mouth fell open.

"Before I head to Prince Vegeta's castle," Bulma said to Roshi, "I'd like to give you a kiss goodbye."

Roshi's mouth slightly fell open as the grip on his stake loosened. Bulma proceeded towards him. He couldn't help being stunned by the way her eyes focused on him, the way her lips parted subtly, and the way she swaggered seductively towards him, swaying her curvy hips. Even if she was still human, this would be Roshi's ultimate weakness. He always had a thing for the beautiful young woman, and now she was offering herself to him, and she was even more enchanting as a vampire. His fingers unfurled as he was completely distracted by Bulma's sensual approach. The stake fell from his fingers.

At the thump of the stake hitting the hard soil, Krillin blinked out of his stupor. Roshi remained slack-jawed as Bulma reached for his cheek, gently stroking it as she licked her lips. When she opened her mouth to expose her pointed teeth, Krillin dove for the stake on the ground. Roshi froze while Bulma's teeth burrowed into his neck. Bulma's eyes rolled back in her head as blood filled her mouth, but she wasn't able to enjoy the sensation for more than a moment. A piercing pain shot through her back and chest and then radiated through her body. She felt like she was being torn apart from the inside. She screamed her dying breath before falling to the ground.

As Bulma fell, revealing Krillin panting, wide-eyed, behind her, Roshi gasped. "Krillin!"

"Bulma!" Vegeta's neck snapped to the side at the sensation of his disciple's energy fading. With his brows lowered in a glare, he nodded his acceptance, before finally smiling to himself. "Thank you, Miss Brief. You've served me well."

He was standing on a balcony, gazing into a room of a sleeping couple-not the first one he'd visited for the night. He needed to feed before a fight with Piccolo, but it seemed Piccolo warned the people in town to take precautions against him. So many rooms in the area were inadmissible, guarded by crosses and holy water. Fortunately, it seemed Vegeta had finally happened upon a pair who was not smart enough to protect themselves. It was ironic that he would be there when he received Bulma's psychic message.

As Vegeta crept open the balcony doorway of the Briefs' bedroom terrace, he thought about how he would proceed with freeing Kakarot from his imprisonment. He would first feed off the deeply sleeping Briefs, but by the time he was fully satiated and powerful enough to overpower all his foes, dawn would be approaching.

With limited time, Vegeta couldn't risk throwing away his chances of retrieving Kakarot, not when the humans would surely retrieve his lover after sunrise. He had no doubt that Kakarot was being closely guarded during the night. That didn't mean the humans wouldn't let down their defenses during the daytime.

Bending down over Mrs. Brief and burying his fangs deeply into her neck, Vegeta prepared himself for battle, and a deep rest by getting his fill of blood. The humans and that hunter may have postponed his plans for a day with all their efforts of resistance, but tomorrow night would be the long-awaited night he was hoping for. One more night meant nothing to someone like him, who could live for eternity, but everything to them. It was time for Vegeta to leave for now. He needed to speak to Nappa.

Nappa paced anxiously, awaiting his master's return and guarding the castle for any sign of further intruders. He realized his master could handle himself, and that any intruder who considered barging into the castle during night hours had to be a suicidal fool, but Nappa was still anxious for his own survival. He was a great barrier that stood in the humans' way of destroying his master. Nappa didn't plan on being taken out anytime soon, not after he'd sacrificed his soul to preserve his life and gain immortality by Vegeta's side. When a familiar fleeting shadow finally approached in the sky, just as the sun was barely lighting the horizon, Nappa smiled in relief.

The vampire swooped in and assumed his human form with a determined glare. "Nappa, why didn't you inform me of there being a hunter in my castle?"

"I informed you of the intruders!"

"Not," Vegeta growled, "that one of them is a hunter!"

Nappa contorted his brows in confusion. "W-what is a hunter?"

"He's from a rare bloodline of humans-he's not human, exactly."

Nappa cocked a brow. "Not human?"

"He's probably been hunting us all his life. He and his family have unique abilities. They are the reason there are so few of my kind left." As he eyed the rising light at the horizon, Vegeta huffed and cautiously stepped deeper into the shadows. "Nappa, the humans have Kakarot locked away in the Briefs' residence."

Nappa gasped. "What?"

"What do you expect?" Vegeta snapped. "He's beginning to change, but he's still vulnerable. Still, they're afraid of him."

Nappa chuckled and wrung his hands together excitedly. "What do you want me to do, Prince Vegeta?"

Vegeta smirked. "The sun is rising. I need to rest. But while I do, you go there. Free Kakarot before sunset. Then take him here, where I expect you to bring him to me and keep anyone from disturbing us."

Nappa tilted his head. "Disturbing you from what?"

"From me turning him. For Kakarot to return to his original self, I have to make him one with me again."

Nappa's mouth fell open in realization. "O-oh!"

Vegeta growled through his teeth. "Are you capable of fulfilling your task?"

"Yes, Master!"

"Good." Vegeta squinted and braced an arm over his eyes as the blazing sun finally peeked over the horizon. "I need to rest. Wait until the end of the day, Nappa. Then do as I said."

"What about now, Master? Aren't you vulnerable?"

Vegeta smirked. "By allowing Kakarot to stay in their hands for now, I have assured my own peaceful rest, Nappa. Kakarot will give them enough difficulty on his own. They won't have the chance to come after me again as long as they have their hands full trying to save Kakarot."

Vegeta chuckled and turned to retreat into his castle, towards the comforting, dark soils, where the sun could not touch him. He only wished he could stay awake during the daylight hours so he could witness the hunter and the humans futilely attempting to subdue Kakarot.

At the Briefs home, as sunlight broke through the windows on the lower level of the home and flooded the halls, Piccolo stirred from his sleep. He had dozed off in a chair, at his post just down the hall from Goku's locked cell. At the sudden, forceful, metallic bang that echoed from the other end of the hall, Piccolo jumped and nearly fell out of his chair. As the banging continued, carrying on louder and in sets of three, Piccolo grimaced and turned his head in that direction.

"Kakarot…" Piccolo drawled as he rubbed his hands over his tired eyes. He rose to his feet when another set of three bangs sounded, followed by a furious yell.

Piccolo grit his teeth as he stared angrily towards that sealed cell, where Goku was trapped. He knew he was sought by this town to save all humans from the vampire, and he did still want to save the human Goku Son. But with the vampire name by which Prince Vegeta called Goku Son revealed to him, things weren't quite so black and white for Piccolo anymore. For over a century, he'd wanted revenge against the one vampire responsible for killing his father. Now he had the chance for his revenge, but that would only happen if all traces of the innocent human, Goku Son, were gone.

Piccolo approached the thick, solid door and clenched his fists. When he looked up, his eyes met the furious set of eyes staring back at him through the tiny window of the cell door. Within the man behind those dark eyes existed both Piccolo's enemy, and his ally. From both sides, Piccolo knew he was hated at the moment. It was time for the day to start, and Piccolo knew it would not be an easy one.