When Bulma woke up the next morning, she was lying on the pile of discarded clothes alone. Her eyebrows furrowed. She looked around the cave, but there was no sign of Vegeta. His clothes were still here, so he surely hadn't gone back to the palace, yet. She grabbed her shirt off of the ground, shook out the dirt, and put it on, not even bothering to button it up all the way. She was the only person for miles, so modesty was a bit silly.

She poked her head outside of the cave, and saw the top of Vegeta's head poking out from behind a rock. The little lake was sitting behind it. A small smile formed on her face, as she raised an eyebrow. He did always enjoy the baths they took together, as much as he complained about the bubbles. Said it was good for his aching muscles. After he no doubt overexerted himself to get to his new form, he probably needed it.

"Quit lurking," he said.

She giggled. She walked around to the side of the lake, the dirt soft against the bare soles of her feet. Vegeta was leaning against a rock, his hair weighed down by the water. She sat on the lakeshore and dunked her feet into it: surprisingly chilly, given how warm it was out here. Still, she took off her blouse and slid into the lake, the water stopping over her chest. She covered her arms and rubbed them, to warm up a bit.

"You're such a baby," he muttered. He pulled her over to him, her back against his torso and his arms wrapped around her waist. She sighed in content. Temperatures never seemed to bother him, no matter if it was hot or cold. His body was always giving off warmth of its own. She hardly needed a blanket, the night before.

She smiled a wry smile, and glanced back at him. "Do you think whoever wrote that legend envisioned it being used like that?" She raised her eyebrow.

"At least not with a little Earth woman."

She hit his arm under the water. "Hey you were the one who came onto me, mister."

"I doubt that someone as vulgar as you weren't thinking about it just a little bit."

"You know me so well, my legendary love." She turned around and wrapped her arms over his shoulders, giving him a quick peck on the lips. His hands rested comfortably on her lower back, and she leaned onto his chest. "So, what is my Super Saiyan going to do now," she asked, tracing the scars on his chest with her fingertips.

"Wait for that bastard to strike, again, then make him regret the day he messed with our people." He buried his nose into her hair. "Maybe break his legs for scaring you, while we're at it."

"My, how romantic," she teased

"Bulma," he said in a softer tone. She lifted her head to look him in the eyes. "I apologize if I've been… difficult, these past few months. You shouldn't have had to put up with it."

She shook her head. "I understand. You were just looking out for all of us. I missed you a little bit, when you were training, but it's for the better of your people. You don't have to apologize for being so dedicated. As long as you stay for the night every once in a while, I think I can manage."

Sometimes, Vegeta didn't know what he did to deserve such an amazing woman. But he thanked the gods every day for leading him to her.

He pulled her down for a kiss, wrapping his arms around her torso as if he was afraid she'd let go. She just melted into his touch, relaxing against him as they waded in the water together.

"Am I interrupting something?"

And just like that, the mood was killed.

Bulma covered up her chest, and pushed herself off of Vegeta. Raditz was standing at the foot of the lake, with an amused look on his face. Bulma went red in embarrassment, and Vegeta glared up at his friend, though to his chagrin, it had no affect on the shit-eating grin on his face.

"R-Raditz," she yelled. "What are you doing here?!"

"The king sent me out to come looking for you two, after you ran out last night. Said you both were needed back at the palace, but," he shrugged. "I dunno, if you need a few hours, I can go back and stall for a little while longer."

"Get out of here, you pervert!" Bulma grabbed a rock and threw it towards him. He just dodged it.

"Piss off, Raditz," Vegeta growled.

"You sure? I mean, if you need an extra hand or two, I'm your guy."

Their eyes went wide, and their faces turned a deep crimson, at his statements. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU," Vegeta yelled. He could have gone Super Saiyan on the spot, from the embarrassment.

Raditz laughed. "Okay, I'll see you back at the palace. Don't have too much fun without me!" He flew off.

Vegeta pinched the bridge of his nose. "Change of plans: first thing I'm going to do is break his legs."

"Don't worry: I'm not gonna stop you."

Bulma had been called to the lab, when she got back. When she got there, Haricot and the other scientists on the team were waiting for her. She took note that it looked like someone was missing, but didn't say anything about it. Maybe someone got sick.

"Hey, Hari," Bulma said. The other scientists rolled their eyes, biting back groans. "What did you guys need?"

"We were about to contact Earth about their findings, regarding the evidence. We wanted you to be here, for this."

She shrugged. "Sounds good." She pushed him out of the way, and leaned over in front of the console, typing away at a keyboard to send a transmission request. The call went through, and, after waiting a few seconds, the other end picked up.

Dr. Brief put another cigarette into his mouth, and glanced at the screen. He did a double take, and large smile formed on his face. "Hey there, pumpkin! How are you?" This triggered more annoyed reactions from the other scientists.

"Hey, dad," Bulma said. "I'm doing great."

"Well, that's fantastic! How's Vegeta doing? Tell him your mother can't wait for him to come visit, again, will you?"

"I will, but I didn't really call to catch up. I'm with the science team." She gestured to Haricot and the scientists sitting behind her.

Brief adjusted his glasses. "Oh, I guess you are. What do you need me for?" He pulled out a lighter, and lit the end of his cigarette.

Haricot leaned closer to the camera. "Did you find anything on the evidence we sent to you?"

"Oh, right. I believe I did. Just give me a moment, here." He rolled his chair to the other end of the room, catching himself on a filing cabinet. He opened it up and thumbed through the folders until he saw what he was looking for. "Aha! Here we go!" He pushed himself back towards the camera, opening up the folder and flipping through it. "It might be a bit of a stretch, but I think I may have an idea."

"What is it, dad?"

He took out a paper. "I have a few different symbols that kind of look like that. I can get copies sent to you, if you see anything interesting." He showed it to the camera. "Don't you think it kind of looks like a bowtie? I couldn't find any companies that use that logo for their stuff, but I thought it might lead us somewhere. Maybe your culprit likes fancy clothes." He shrugged and set it to the side. "Oh, here was the one I thought might lead you somewhere." He showed off another sheet. "When you look at the triangles, they're both acute. Maybe acute is some sort of code for a cute person, or something. You see what a lot of killers look like – start looking for the really vain people as suspects."

The scientists put their faces into their hands, rubbing their temples and shaking their heads. This old man's ramblings were getting on their last nerves. Especially after Mizu was kicked out of the team, this just seemed like more inane nonsense from Haricot. They were convinced they were only giving him the time of day because he was Bulma's father.

Bulma sighed. "Dad, are you sure this is what you could come up with?"

He shrugged. "Best I could do. The only other one didn't make much sense, to me."

"Well, what was that one?"

He thumbed through the rest of his papers, until he pulled out a new one. It was the same symbol etched onto the cylinders, but with an R on each triangle. "The shape reminded me of the old emblem of the Red Ribbon Army."

She squinted. "The Red Ribbon Army? That big military superpower out in the East?"

"That's the one, alright."

"What can you tell us about them," Haricot asked.

"Well, they were a mean bunch of bastards, I can tell you that much. Wanted to conquer the planet and make everyone their serfs. But they were powerful. Even the best militaries in the world couldn't stand up to their level of technology."

"Wait," one of the scientists in the back said. "How come you didn't think it'd make sense?" The other scientists asked the same question. If they were so powerful and strong, then why wouldn't they be behind this? Especially since that DNA sample came from Earth, this seemed like the most likely option.

"They were deposed a decade ago – by a kid, if the rumors are true. And that kid must have been thorough, because no one's heard a peep from any of them since. Wouldn't write it off if they were still around, but those days are long gone."

"Dad," Bulma asked. "Could you still send us what you can about them? Maybe one of them is still out there."

"Sure, but I doubt you'd find anything, sweetheart. That it?"

"Yeah, dad. That's it."

"Great. Let me know when you're coming back home. Love you!" He turned off the transmission.

Bulma put her hand on her chin. If this really did come from Earth, then the Red Ribbon Army might be the only ones capable of something like that. She had been on Planet Vegeta during the worst of it, but she had heard stories about their machines and weapons. Of course, there was no proof outside of the symbol, but it was a start.

"Bulma," Haricot said. "Do you think they're behind it?"

"I don't know. They would be the only ones capable of this, but, like my dad said, they've been gone for years. If there were remnants of their army, then the rest of Earth would have known about it by now. The Red Ribbon Army was never one for subtlety. They would have slapped the whole emblem onto the victims, if this was the case."

The intrigue was shared, among the room. If this was the closest thing to a lead that they had, then this might have been the best they could get. Still, it was frustrating that months had gone by and they still didn't have a clue as to what was going on. The case was growing cold, and with the recent disruptions among the group, their restlessness was growing.

They needed a breakthrough, and fast.

Bulma stayed in the lab, through the evening, sifting through everything her father had forwarded to them. She knew little about the Red Ribbon Army, bar the rumors she always heard, but the articles and books he had sent were filling her in. They had a much more colorful history than she thought, before.

The Red Ribbon Army had been formed nearly forty years ago by a man only known by the name Commander Red. He hailed from a village in the Northeast, conquering villages and assimilating them into his army. His conquests weren't just to take over the world, though. It was said that he had other plans to get through, first. Whatever the case, his army was a forced to be reckoned with, thanks to their technology. They had some of the best scientists recruited into their army, most by force. They engineered some of the finest weapons the world had seen – androids.

Androids were artificial humans made from a mix of machine and human flesh. They were immensely powerful, able to withstand as much as a direct hit from a nuclear bomb. According to a defected scientist named Dr. Flappe, they were all programmed to kill anyone their commanders deemed enemies. It boggled Bulma's mind that such technology could be bastardized and misused in such evil and selfish ways. That could be used to cure diseases or make lives easier, but instead they were used to harm.

The books never talked about how they were deposed. But one article – an interview with Dr. Flappe – went into detail. It was said that it was all put to a stop by a young boy named Son Goku. He went put against their forces, and supposedly ended their reign all on his own. Though, the writer wrote it as if he believed it was bullshit.

Bulma paused. She recognized that name, Son Goku – he was the winner of the last World Martial Arts Tournament. He went up against Piccolo. She looked over Flappe's descriptions, again, remembering the power he had shown in the matches. If this was the same Son Goku, then she didn't doubt it. If he could go toe-to-toe with Piccolo and win, he must have been strong.

As she thumbed through another book, she noticed something interesting. There was a profile of all of the known members of the Army. However, there was a page missing. She clicked back and forth, but couldn't find it. Her eyes narrowed. That was definitely odd. Her father was always a stickler for preservation. She made a mental note to remember to ask him about that, next time they spoke. Maybe something went wrong in the transfers.

She yawned, and glanced back at the clock. She had been up longer than she had thought. She closed the documents and turned off the computer, tucking it away from the drawer. She pushed herself out of her chair, and left the room, dragging her feet. She hoped Vegeta didn't expect a repeat of last night, because she was too tired for it.

She walked through the empty corridors, only dimly lit by candles. Saiyans had impressive night vision, and this was all of the light that they needed. She always forgot to bring a flashlight of her own, so she was stuck awkwardly trudging through the darkness.

Then, her steps slowed to a stop. She looked over her shoulder. In the pit of her stomach, she felt as if she was being watched. She couldn't see clearly enough in the dimly lit darkness to know for sure. That might have been the scariest part. Hesitantly, she kept walking. It was probably her mind playing tricks on her.

Her steps slowly sped up. First to a brisk walk, then to a slow jog, and finally a fast sprint. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was right behind her. She kept going faster, desperate to get to the end of the hall. If she could just make it to her room, she'd be safe.

Her panicked run came to an abrupt stop when she hit something hard. The force knocked her off of her feet and onto her back. She rubbed her head, thinking she accidentally ran into a wall, again. But, when she looked up, she was nowhere close to the end of the hallway. She blinked and squinted, trying to find what she ran into.

Then, she saw it. With the small light she could see, she saw the silhouette of a figure looming over her. She couldn't make out a face, but its stance was familiar. It was slightly hunched over, looking down at her. Her heart jumped into her throat, and she was paralyzed with fear. She scooted back, as it took a step forward. She kept going backwards, until she finally climbed onto her feet and ran.

And then, it grabbed her arm.

"HELP ME," she screamed. "PLEASE!"

In the next moment, she felt a gust of air rush past her, and an arm pushed her backwards. The room was suddenly illuminated by a bright yellow glow. Vegeta was standing in front of her, powered up into a Super Saiyan, snarling at the darkness, and looking around the room for the enemy.

But, when Bulma looked behind her, no one was there.

Soon, it was as if the entire palace had woken up. The Saiyans crowded around, trying to see what had happened. However, when they discovered Vegeta in his legendary form, all they could do was stare with wide-eyed abandon. He didn't seem to notice, too concerned with beating the piss out of whatever scared Bulma.

The king pushed through the crowd, and approached them. "Bulma," he asked. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know," she stuttered, breathing hard from her panic. She was throwing her arms out and around, as she explained what she had just experienced. "I was just leaving the lab, and then it felt like I was being watched, and then there was something that I ran into, and then it grabbed me, and I screamed, a-and then Vegeta came, and then, it was just gone!" She held her forehead.

The king looked around at the crowds. "Back to your business," he ordered. They nodded, and went back to their rooms, mumbling about having their sleep interrupted by some girl's crying hysterics.

"Dammit," Vegeta yelled. His aura burst around him, as he released his Super Saiyan form. "I was so close!"

"Close to what," the king asked.

"It was that murdering coward, I just know it! Dammit, he was right under our noses, and just vanished!"

Bulma's eyes widened, in horror. She turned around so quickly, she nearly got whiplash. "You think it was?" When he didn't respond, her head began to hurt. She could have died tonight, had she not screamed when he did. What if he had been faster? What if Vegeta didn't hear her? She lifted her hand to her chest, feeling her heart racing underneath it. She paced around the corridor. She could still feel his grip on her arm, and still feel it tighten around it.

"If he managed to get in here, then we need better security," the king said. "I don't even know how he could have slipped by." He pressed his fingers against his forehead and sighed. "You two should go back to your room, for now. I need to discuss some things with our guards. From now on, Bulma, don't go anywhere without a guard. Understand?"

She nodded. "Loud and clear, your majesty."

Vegeta wrapped an arm around her waist. Bulma jumped, for a moment, before she realized it was he. He sighed, and they walked back down the hallway. She leaned against his shoulder. Whatever they came up with, she didn't care. She just wanted this all to be over.