Special thanks to BluEydMnstr for beta-ing!

Chapter Four

Vegeta had had enough. "Kakarotto, where the hell is he taking us? We've been flying for hours!"

Goku turned to regard the seething prince patiently. "I don't know," he admitted as open curiosity played across his face.

"Don't tell me you don't know, Fool!" Vegeta commanded sharply. "Ask him!"

"Alright, alright!" Goku conceded with a shrug. "Hang on a sec."

He left the prince behind in a blaze of light as he increased his power to catch up to the lead figure. Once he reached him, Goku twisted onto his side. "Kaio-sama! Where are we going? I think Vegeta's about to blow a gasket..."

King Kai didn't bother turning his pudgy head. He simply pointed. "There."

Goku blinked once before he moved his gaze in that direction. Then he saw it. "Vegeta!" he shouted to the man behind him.

Vegeta's head snapped up, and his eyes immediately fixed on a point in the distance. What the hell?

The nondescript gray platform, no more than five square meters by Vegeta's best estimate, floated in complete contrast to the sunset-like color scheme that seemed to surround everything in Otherworld. He pushed his own speed up and as he got closer, he scanned the makeshift island in the sky with growing fury. It was plain, and it was completely bare. Not so much as a marker or anything!

Goku and the Northern Kai landed. Goku took a few steps, looking around in wonder as the small blue deity waited, a look of utter satisfaction all over his round, cobalt-hued face.

"Wow, Kaio-sama! You can see everything from here!"

Vegeta was not nearly as impressed as his feet touched down on the smooth stone surface. He stalked up to the creature who led them to such a useless place with clenched fists. "This is what we came all this way for? To stand on a fucking ledge?"

"Vegeta!"

"No, bastard!" Vegeta spat at Goku as a vein bulged from his forehead, narrowed onyx eyes glaring death at the pair before him. "I'm already fated to go to HFIL, so I owe nothing to anyone here! Do not presume to chastise me for not respecting this bulbous blue Fool after he leads us halfway through Otherworld for nothing!"

"Tsk, tsk," King Kai scolded lightly. "I thought you wanted to help Bulma, but if not..."

Goku winced, as he could almost hear Vegeta grate his teeth together. "C'mon, Vegeta, let Kaio-sama speak. I'm sure there's a good reason why we're here," Goku pleaded as he jumped between an enraged Saiyajin prince and the much weaker Kai. He turned to the smaller of the two quickly. "Right?"

"Of course there's a good reason!" the little man declared with an indignant huff. "This is the exact center of Otherworld," he declared proudly as he made a grand, sweeping gesture with stubby arms.

"So?" Vegeta cut in, smirking as the swollen chest of the being deflated a bit.

Goku scratched his head in confusion before it finally hit him. "I get it!" he cried out triumphantly, the infamous Son grin plastered on his face. "If this is the exact middle of Otherworld, then I should be able to use my Instant Transmission technique to pinpoint Bulma's location anywhere in the universe! Then I just zip over, grab her, and voila!"

Vegeta balked. "You... you mean you can find her no matter where she is?"

"Yep."

"Then what the hell are you waiting for?" Vegeta demanded. "Find her now!"

"Okay!" Goku shouted before turning his back to the older Saiyajin. "Jeez, you don't have to yell at me, you know." Goku drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting his consciousness clear before pushing it outward. "This may take a little while. The universe is a pretty big place..."

Vegeta cursed under his breath in several different languages before he allowed the younger man the silence he would need to concentrate on finding the blue-Yesred woman's ki signature.

King Kai watched the pair with a knowing grin. For only a moment, he allowed himself to wonder how the proud Saiyajin Prince would react if he knew that Goku had been watching him off and on over the past few months since his death, and knew that Vegeta had been just as lost as everyone else.

"Maybe Goku will tell him someday. I don't want to be the one to do it, that's for sure!"

Bulma groaned softly as she fought to hold onto the pleasant blanket of sleep she was slowly emerging from. She wanted so much to go back to her dream where, even as a group of strangers threatened to capture her, Goku once again appeared at the perfect moment to save her. Just like the old days.

"Goku..." she murmured softly as she pulled the pillow from under her head to crush it against her chest tightly. It was strange, that even in her dream she could almost smell the soft musky scent of him around her. "God, Goku... I've missed you so much," she whispered as a single tear escaped through her eyelashes and pooled at the bridge of her nose. Instinctively, she tried to blink it back, and in doing so, brought herself completely out of her comforting slumber. With a soft sigh, Bulma allowed herself to wake up as she stretched languidly. The soft silken sheets caressed her skin lightly, almost tickling her which brought a small smile to her graceful lips even though she allowed her eyes to remain closed.

Wait a minute! I don't sleep on silk sheets...

"Vegeta must have laid me down in his bed," she reasoned as she ran her hands over her face. "Lazy bastard... my room's only a few doors down."

A soft growl from the foot of the bed answered her musings, and Bulma couldn't help but chuckle. Aw, he even stayed to look after me...

"Don't growl at me, monkey boy. You know it's true," she stated with a sleepy grin. Her bleary eyes worked slowly to focus in the dimly lit room. "You used to train for fourteen hours straight under 450 G's, but you can't take the ten extra steps needed to put me in my own room."

"I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

Bulma's eyes shot open. That voice...

"Goku?" Bulma jumped up only to have a wave of vertigo overcome her. She swayed before a strong arm steadied her from behind her back. It gave her enough time to focus her sight, though it didn't last long. As soon as she made out his face, her eyes brimmed with tears of unfathomable joy that distorted her eyesight once again.

It didn't matter; she'd know that form anywhere.

"Oh my God... it wasn't a dream!" she cried as the fathomless black eyes looked down at her. "You're here! You're really here!" she exclaimed. Dizziness forgotten, Bulma latched onto the man's neck like a vise as she sobbed into his shoulder. "I can't believe... it's really... you... you're here..."

"Bulma," her savior answered tightly as calloused hands wrapped around her arms and drew her back gently. "Let go of me."

Bulma pulled back just enough to look up into the man's face and nod once. "You're right... we've got to get out of here," she stated as her eyes darted around the enormous room. "God, Goku, you have no idea how scared I was!" she exclaimed as her mind replayed the past few hours quickly. "This place is huge, and all these people kept acting like they knew me, and..." She shook her head quickly, banishing the wayward thoughts. "I'll tell you about it later. Let's go before someone catches us!" When he didn't move, Bulma scowled. "Well? What are you waiting for?" I know you're not scared of a fight, but I'd rather not be in the middle of it, thank you very much!"

"I suggest you calm down," he replied quietly as he backed away from her. "No one will hurt you here, and we have much to discuss."

"So you know where we are?" The man nodded, and Bulma let herself blow out a relieved sigh. "Thank God..." With her nerves calmed somewhat, Bulma finally gave herself the chance to look over the man for the first time in months. "Well, you still look great," she noted with a grin as she took in the sharp features of the man's face surrounded by ebony spikes that jutted haphazardly about. "Wow, and you decided to wear one of the sets of Saiyajin armor, too."

Narrowed onyx eyes widened. "Of course... What else would I wear?"

Bulma chuckled and rolled her eyes even as her heart sped up in reaction to the thin layer of stretchy material that molded to every dip and curve of the man's flawless physique . "Well, duh! Your orange gi thing. God, you really are a Fool sometimes..."

"Nani?"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Bulma cried out as realization hit her. Her cheeks flushed softly as sapphire eyes became no more than glittering slits. "Damn it, I should have known!"

"Known what?" the man questioned defensively as he took another step back at the outburst.

"There's only one reason you ever wear that get-up." Bulma scowled. "I can't believe this! This is so typical of you, you know that?" she bellowed incredulously at the thoroughly confused Saiyajin.

"What...?"

"Here I was, scared to death and running from God-knows-who, and instead of rescuing me, you were sparring with Vegeta!" Beautiful angular features became even more drawn as he balked at her. Bulma snorted in self-satisfaction. "Don't give me that look, mister. You seem to forget who you're talking to, buddy. You thought I wouldn't figure it out, huh? Well, I did, and I hope you're ashamed of yourself! I swear, Goku..."

"Damn it, woman, do you ever shut up?" he spat out suddenly.

Bulma blinked. Twice. "What's wrong? I was just kidding, really..." She gave him her best disarming smile. "Come on, Goku, you know I could never stay mad at you..."

The strong jaw clenched several times. "Don't call me that," he hissed sharply.

"Huh? Call you what? All I said was Go-,"

"That!" he answered, cutting her off with a sharp glare.

Bulma's brow creased deeply. Something was wrong, and the feeling made the blood in Bulma's body run cold. The only time she had ever witnessed such a look from her benevolent best friend was when he was about to fight an enemy. It had never been directed to anyone he cared about, especially not at herself. "What... what is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"

His eyes closed for a moment before opening up once again to regard her indifferently. "My name is not Goku," he explained with a slight grimace. "I am Kakarotto."

"What?" Bulma asked timidly, her eyes growing impossibly wide.

"I am not who you believe me to be," he continued quietly. "This place," he motioned around him, "is my home. I am not sure how you came here, but it is obvious that you do not belong, and until you tell me exactly what happened, I am unable to help you return."

"But, Kakarotto... that's your Saiyajin name," she commented more to herself than to the man standing in front of her. "And if you're not my Goku, then..." she stopped as her mind whirled out of control. "How? I don't understand..." Bulma managed out even as her building fear threatened to overwhelm her mind.

It seemed the man who called himself Kakarotto noticed, for his face softened slightly. "Neither do I."

He knew it should not matter whether this woman was afraid of him. Yet it did. "You have nothing to fear from me," Kakarotto stated honestly as he watched the color drain from the woman's already pallid face.

Bewildered blue orbs fell to the floor. "That's easy for you to say. You're not the one who's being told her best friend isn't the guy he's supposed to be. Sure, I know my Goku would never hurt me, but..."

"Neither will I," Kakarotto interrupted impatiently. "If I wished to harm you, you would be dead right now."

Bulma seemed to consider the logic for a moment before she allowed herself to relax slightly. "Maybe, but it doesn't change the fact that instead of being the sweet guy I know, you're telling me you are a cruel, heartless Saiyajin!"

"And what do you know about Saiyajins?" Kakarotto asked, genuinely intrigued. The woman he had known in his time had little experience with them, so to hear her speak with such disgust regarding his race was slightly disconcerting.

The lovely woman huffed indignantly. "Well, aside from you and Vegeta, and God knows that Vegeta's still a work in progress, Saiyajins are all a bunch of blood-thirsty barbarians!" she declared. "They're all the same. Radditz, that big guy Nappa, Turles..."

Kakarotto almost choked. "Nani? You've met them?"

"Yeah, well, Radditz kind of met us," Bulma explained with a shrug. "And then after you... I mean Goku and Piccolo defeated..."

How can this be? She's met all of them! But... how?

"...Nappa and Vegeta came..."

"Enough," Kakarotto commanded as he ran a hand over his weary eyes. "It's quite obvious that there are some significant differences in your time and mine," he explained slowly, "and I don't believe discussing them will do any good. I am more interested in how you came to be here."

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Bulma spat out defensively. "I was just taking apart the time machine and I got mad and I was crying and I... I..."

Kakarotto raised an inquisitive eyebrow as the woman faltered. "And what?"

"Well... I sort of... threw my drill at it," she mumbled into her chest as an embarrassed blush crept its way across her delicate features.

Kakarotto found himself completely speechless for several moments. When he finally collected himself, it took every ounce of self-control he possessed to keep his face straight. "Let me make sure I heard you correctly. You... threw your drill... at the machine?" Bulma nodded, though she still refused to look back up at him, making the situation too much for him to handle any longer. "So what you're saying is that you ended up here because you threw a hissy fit," he stated tightly.

Bulma was about to argue with the demeaning observation when the sound of laughter burst out, echoing loudly within the walls around them. Bulma's face shot up at the all-too familiar sound she had missed since Goku's death. She was powerless to do anything but stare as the carbon copy of her heart's keeper laughed so much that his eyes glistened brightly with moisture and both powerful arms were clutched tightly around his waist. That simple scene bled itself into her frightened mind and washed any anxiety she had away, and after another moment, she found that she, too, was chuckling lightheartedly at the idea. Through her giggles, Bulma managed to put on a small scowl. "It wasn't a hissy fit!" she cried out, though the effect was lost as soon as the smile broke through the mock indignation.

Kakarotto smirked in response. "Of course it wasn't," he retorted playfully, throwing her a knowing look as he calmed himself down with several deep breaths.

"Hmph, don't give me that look! What do you know?" Bulma shot back with a grin. "You're not Goku, so that means you don't know a thing about me."

The innocent statement brought Kakarotto crashing back to reality, and he stiffened immediately as he realized just how much he had let himself go. He couldn't even remember the last time he had laughed like that. No, he corrected himself silently. He remembered exactly when the last time was. It had been the last time he had seen his mate alive.

Damn it, what the hell is wrong with me?

"Hey, what's wrong, Go- I mean, Kakarotto? You look like someone just died or something."

Kakarotto shook himself out of it and put the uncaring mask firmly back into place. "We don't have time to play games," he answered sharply. Pushing all unnecessary thoughts away, Kakarotto brought his full attention back to the problem at hand. "Are you sure that the machine was functional?"

"Yeah, but it hadn't been tested or anything, so maybe one of the boards overloaded or something," Bulma responded softly as her own mind began working through the data she remembered from her earlier adventures in the strange place. "It doesn't make sense, though. I mean, I saw what you guys pulled from the databanks, and it didn't show any sign of traveling through time at all."

Kakarotto nodded once. "I noticed the lack of destination as well, though at the time I did not realize what system that information came from. We were approaching our investigation from an inter-planetary standpoint. Now that I know what that craft actually is, the data makes more sense."

Bulma balked openly. "Who's 'we'? I mean... you didn't actually understand the stuff on those sheets, did you?"

"To answer your first question, 'we' is Earth's engineering and technology team," Kakarotto replied. "And yes, I understood most of it, though some of the variables seemed to be inconsistent with a normal spacecraft. Of course, now I know why that was, don't I?"

"Oh God," Bulma breathed as she ran a shaky hand through her shoulder length aqua hairr, "that's too weird."

"This whole damnable situation is weird," he stated frankly. Kakarotto took several steps around the room as his mind worked to formulate a plan of some sort. "I suppose we should first determine exactly where you are in relation to where you should be," he reasoned to himself, though he knew the woman would hear him as well.

Bulma shrugged. "You got a calendar around here?"

Kakarotto looked at Bulma in mild surprise before motioning for her to follow him with a quirk of his head. He turned and walked out, forcing her to jump from the bed and run to catch up to him. By the time she did, he had already made it to the his destination, a small computer terminal embedded in the stone wall of the adjoining room.

Bulma watched, her curiosity at the unique technology getting the best of her, as Kakarotto placed his palm along a clear surface just to the right of the keypad. A soft red glow circled his outstretched fingers even as the once solid plate became fluid, surrounding Kakarotto's digits and molding itself against his hand. A diagram of the palm print etched slowly onto the monitor before it performed an action similar to connect the dots, forming lines between specific points along the three dimensional image. Then the computer blinked to life, a soft feminine voice stating that it was ready for the user's request.

"Wow, it actually worked..." she breathed in unabashed awe at the high-tech user identification system. She herself had toyed with the idea of something almost identical to what she had just witnessed, but between the new baby and the ordeal with the various androids, she had put the budding project on hold. "Hey, Kakarotto, who created that thing?" she asked suddenly, though deep down, she already knew. It was just too damned similar to be anything else, and considering so many scientists and doctors had recognized her...

Kakarotto grinned as he noticed the expectant look on her beautiful face. "You did."

"Cool." Then with a hand on her hip, Bulma raised one thin eyebrow up to regard the tall Saiyajin beside her. "Nice to know my talents are properly recognized. I wonder how many other ingenious and otherwise noteworthy effects I've had here?" She watched as Kakarotto thought over the question for several moments before turning his bottomless onyx gaze on her, the raw intensity stealing her breath away as he voiced a truth she had yet to comprehend.

"More than you would ever know."

End Chapter Four