Chapter 12

"What's holding you up, Trunks? There isn't much time left! It won't be long before your aunt's flight arrives in West City!"

"I'm coming, mom! I'm almost ready!"

"When you're done, meet your father in the living room!"

"Ok! I'm just trying to find my sunglasses! Uh-oh, where did I put it?"

Vegeta sat alone on his most preferred spot on the sofa near the window as he listened to his spouse ushering their son to hurry up. He would normally have been wearing his usual training armor, but instead the Prince of Saiyans wore a dark blue buttoned-up shirt, light brown trousers, and black dress shoes. Anger wouldn't be enough to describe how he felt at that moment. His arms were folded in a cross manner, eyes were closed and he was tapping his foot against the floorboards impatiently while throbbing veins were seen all over his face as he was becoming more and more furious with his wife for putting him in this crappy situation. All he wanted to do was to train in the gravity chamber but if he left this spot in the living room, Bulma would give him an earful and do something even worse than restricting his access to the gravity room for a week. 'Damn that woman! How does she have THIS much leverage over me?' He couldn't enjoy his breakfast in peace due to his very foul mood. His wife and son were in such a giddy mood that it made him sick to his stomach, so he ended up leaving the table without even finishing up his food. Bulma's parents were worried about him after his abrupt departure and had asked their daughter several times what triggered Vegeta's rage, but she would just make up all kinds of excuses.

He tried complaining to his wife again after breakfast about having to pick up her damn sister from the airport, but she wouldn't have any of it and ordered him to sit in the living room. Anyone who passed by him wasn't dumb enough to say anything to him. The Prince tried thinking of ways to escape this stupid responsibility his wife put him up to, but each time he just came up short. It took everything in him to not explode in fury, having valuable training time wasted.

"Alright Dad, I'm ready!"

The Prince opened his eyes when he heard his son call out to him, breaking him out of his unending thoughts. He unfolded his arms and stood from the sofa, looking him up and down. Trunks stood in front of him wearing a Hawaiian shirt with summer shorts and a pair of sunglasses hanging from his pocket. It was as If he was dressed to go on vacation somewhere. Before he could make any comment, Bulma appeared in the doorway to the living room with a smile that pissed him off.

"You ready Vegeta?"

He gave her a hostile glare, his muscles tensing and his jaw clenched. "Are you SERIOUSLY making me do this!?" He snapped.

"You don't have a choice, so deal with it." Bulma laughed.

That reminder rang through his ears and he found the rage building up even more. Fists were clenched at both sides, but he fought to remain in control. He marched over to her. "How stupid! I'm sick of you always treating me like your own personal servant!"

Bulma shrugged her shoulders at him nonchalantly. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with doing a few favors for me."

Vegeta's eye twitched in disbelief. "A few favors!? You do this all the time!"

Trunks slipped away from his father, as he could feel his boiling rage. He now stood beside his more-than-determined mother who bent down and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry son, I'll handle this." She whispered to him, before standing back up and scoffing at her husband. "Oh, come on Vegeta, is it going to kill you to do something for me every now and then?"

His eyes hardened as he was growing tired of her incessant foolishness. "I don't care about what you want! It's bullshit!"

"Well Mr. Saiyan Prince," Bulma narrowed her eyes at him. "It's as I said before, it's either you pick up your sister-in-law from the airport or say goodbye to the gravity room for one whole week. I suggest you pick your choice wisely." She then smirked, knowing that he was fighting a battle he couldn't win.

He just stood there, feeling the walls closing in around him as his spouse gave him an ultimatum. He thought back to all the times his wife would force him to get out of the gravity room just so he could run errands for her. Thinking about all those times made him come to a decision right on the spot. Then he faced Bulma again, and she had her arms folded as she waited for him to come to a decision.

"What's your choice?" she repeated with a smirk. "Time is passing by; I hope you realize."

He started laughing at her, confusing both her and Trunks. "You want to know MY choice!? I won't go through with your foolish request. You know what I'm doing instead? I'm going to find somewhere else to train because I CAN survive one week without the gravity chamber. Good luck finding someone else to pick up your long-lost sister. I'm not willing to waste anymore of my valuable training time listening to your babbling!" He quickly got his laughter under control, turned around and marched for the door, leaving them in shocked silence.

Both stood there stunned as Vegeta was heading for the exit, dressed in his casual clothes. Bulma could feel her son's disappointment as her husband almost made it to the door. Then all of a sudden, she felt herself fuming in anger. Why did her husband insist on being so stubborn? It was just one thing she was asking of him for the whole day and he just had to be a jerk. Her husband was going to the airport with their son or there would be hell to pay later on. She could go the extra mile and restrict his access to the gravity room for a full year, but would that really be effective?

'Of course!'

Her husband had a weakness that nobody was aware of, and she knew just how she could use it to her advantage and get him to cave in. Just as Vegeta was about to open the door-

"Alright, if you don't want to go… how about if you help Trunks with his science project?"

His hand was touching the doorknob as he froze, feeling himself get worked up all over again. "Science Project!? Just who do you think I am!?"

She didn't reply to him, but instead just exchanged a knowing glance with their hybrid son. He nodded quickly before hurrying up to his room to retrieve the project he had been working on for quite some time. Vegeta's hand left the knob as he watched Trunks run up the stairs. He narrowed his eyes at his wife, displeased. "What are you up to this time? Nothing you say or do will make me change my mind on this!"

Bulma had to hold herself back from laughing, as her husband truly had no idea what she had in store. "Oh, you just wait and see."

It didn't take long for Trunks to arrive back in the living room and in his arms was a cardboard box with piles of dirt in it. He held it out in front of his dad. "Take a look! I've been working really hard on this!" He scowled at his son before peering down in the box, surprised to find nothing but huge chunks of dirt. Vegeta rolled his eyes at the sight. "Seriously? This is supposed to be your so-called 'science project'? A bunch of dirt!?"

"It isn't just a 'bunch of dirt'. You've got to take a closer look at it."

Trunks stood on his toes and held it up to his father's face. Vegeta paused, seeing a chunk of dirt fall off. A long and thin animal crawled out from inside the dirt and wiggled its way onto the surface, landing on the cardboard. And it wasn't just one of them, but countless of them were crawling out. The color drained from his face and he took several steps back from his son, sweat dripping and body shaking slightly.

"Wait… don't tell me… those are… t-those are…

He jumped back in extreme fright, back touching the wall and with a trembling finger pointed at his son's science project. His look was a mixture of fear and disgust.

WORMS!?"

Finding it utterly hilarious, Bulma's soft giggles turned into full blown laughter. "My dear husband is afraid of worms!? I knew you had a weakness after all!" She managed to get herself under control and wiped the tears that formed as a result of her hysterics.

Vegeta backed away even further, covering his mouth and trying to resist the urge to puke. The longer he stared at them the sicker he felt. "Get those slimy, little creatures away from me!"

"Come on dad, they won't hurt you." Trunks picked up a worm from the box and held it in view for his father to see. His dad smacked the worm away, far from sight. "Oh, come on! Why'd you do that?" He rushed over to the worm before it could crawl away, gently putting it back inside the cardboard box.

"Disgusting! You're out of your mind if you think I'm touching that!"

"Well mister… it's up to you." Bulma said, ganging up on her petrified husband. "You can go with Trunks to pick up my sister, or you can stay here helping him with those little fellas without any training of course…" A domineering smile formed as she saw that her partner was cornered. "And before you ask, no. This is non-negotiable."

Vegeta looked between the box full of worms, and his annoying wife. Every second he stared at his son's science project; it disgusted him to the core. Anything would be better than touching those slimy creatures. "I'm going to be sick… Tch, fine! I'll go pick your long-lost sister from the airport, happy now?"

"Bravo!" Bulma clapped her hands, glad that she finally got what she wanted from her husband. "See? It's not so hard when you co-operate."

"Shut up! I want nothing to do with… those creatures!"

"Alright, Alright, I'll knock it off." She laughed, waving it off and checking the time on her watch. "The both of you should go to the West City airport right now. Her plane arrives in an hour. It's now nine o'clock."

"You got it, Mom!" Trunks said, setting his project down nearby.

"Oh, and here's some money for transportation. Remember to call a taxi once you see my sister." Bulma took out some zeni bills and handed it over to her husband, who simply snatched it and stuffed it inside his pocket angrily. "One more thing, Vegeta." Her eyes narrowed at him briefly. "Try to be nice with her please. I don't want to find out that you were mean to her the entire time."

"Whatever… can we go now?" He said rather irritably.

"Yeah, that's all." Bulma smiled. "You better leave now."

"Tch!"

"See you later, Mom!"

Vegeta swiftly turned around and angrily marched towards the door, his son trotting happily behind him like a carefree child. Bulma held back a laugh as they were leaving, hardly believing that worms would be the last resort to getting her husband to submit. She broke out of her thoughts when Vegeta swung the door open with so much strength and shot out into the skies like a madman in hot pursuit with little regard for anything else around him. The strong wind from his sudden departure made Trunks almost lose his footing. He panicked, realizing that his father was leaving without him.

"HEY DAD, WAIT UP! DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND!"

He flew into the skies at top speed, struggling to catch up to his raging father. Bulma sighed as she gazed up and when there was no sight of her husband or son, she closed the wide-open front door.

Both could tell that they reached the West City airport in record time as noisy airplanes flew past them, ready to make a big landing. They looked below them and found crowds of energetic people bustling back and forth with their belongings, pushing, and shoving at each other as they made their way over to their destinations. Announcements for flight arrivals and takeoffs were made over loudspeakers. Security checks took place inside the airport. The sounds of horns honking and vehicles leaving or entering the parking lots didn't do Vegeta's sensitive ears any justice. If only he could turn around and fly back to Capsule Corporation… but doing that would mean facing his wife's wrath for an unlimited period of time. They managed to levitate slowly on the ground without anyone noticing, not that the Prince really cared if they were spotted.

Vegeta and Trunks landed right in front of the entrance. They could barely see a thing due to the massive, boisterous crowd blocking their view. Only glimpses of people checking in their luggage and some sitting in there already waiting for their flight or waiting for someone else's flight to arrive.

"We're finally here, dad!"

"Tch!"

He stood on his small toes and even then, he still couldn't see much. "Why don't we sit inside and wait for Aunt Tights?"

The older Saiyan was quick to shoot down that idea, glaring at his son as he did so. "You're joking, right? We'll be doing no such thing. We will wait outside for your aunt to arrive, somewhere she can easily spot us. It's bad enough that your mother forced me to come out here with you to pick her up and sacrifice hours of my training time. The last thing I want is to be sitting in there with a bunch of idiotic strangers!"

"Okay, Okay…" Trunks raised both his hands up in the air, not wanting to make his father angrier than he already was.

Vegeta led him away from the crowd of people and to a more secluded spot near the entrance, where they would easily be spotted. They now stood alone on a patch of grass and waited patiently for Tights' arrival. Almost immediately, Trunks broke the silence as well as his father's peace and quiet.

"Dad?"

"What now!?" Vegeta hissed.

"What do you think it'll be like meeting Aunt Tights?" Trunks asked, curious.

He couldn't help but scoff. "Why are you asking me this? I haven't got a damn clue!"

"Well… I think she'll be pretty cool. Mom says she's a science fiction writer, so I think she's written all sorts of awesome books!" Trunks spoke, despite his father's less than enthusiastic response. "And you need to calm down. All mother asked you to do was to just pick her up. This isn't the end of the world."

"Tch!" Vegeta turned away from his son, back facing him. He had no interest in having a conversation, so he found himself staring far off into the distance.

Trunks let out a sigh. Any attempts to engage his father in a conversation had been fruitless so far. Even during their trip here to the airport, he had tried to make small talk with his dad but he would either give him one word replies or just give him the cold shoulder. He didn't want to annoy him even further, so he said nothing more and just looked down below at the grass. He didn't realize how much time had passed before they heard the announcement of another flight arrival.

Trunks's ears perked up and he checked his wristwatch for the time. "I think that's Aunt Tights's flight!" He said to his father excitedly. "Her flight is supposed to arrive here at ten, and it's exactly ten! Though it might take a while for her to make it through all those people, and she might also be carrying a lot of bags!"

Without even looking at his son, Vegeta let out a grunt in response.

Trunks put on his sunglasses and scanned through the crowd of people for any signs of his auntie, but with no luck. There were too many people checking out of the airport and he also didn't know what she looked like in appearance. He would just have to wait until she came out and recognized him. He turned his gaze away from the noisy crowd and towards the same direction as his father, enjoying the eye-catching view. A blonde woman was already navigating her way through the massive crowd carrying only a suitcase and a bag. Once she was free from them, she raised her hand above her head to shield herself from the hot sun and noticed the boy who fit the description her sister had given her.

"Is that my nephew Trunks?"

Trunks turned around at the mention of his name to find his Aunt Tights standing there with a big smile, looking a little bit disheveled but otherwise fine. "Auntie!" He left his father's side and ran towards her, still not believing that he was seeing her for the very first time. She dropped her stuff and bent down, outstretching her arms for him. He hugs her tightly with all his strength.

Tights releases him from the hug, looking him up and down in amazement. "It's nice to meet you. Woah… you resemble your grandfather a lot!"

"Yeah!" He grinned. "My Mom tells me that all the time!"

"How are you?"

"I'm great Auntie! Actually umm, I just found out about your existence!"

"Really?" She asked, bewildered. "Your mother has never mentioned me?"

Trunks shook his head rapidly. "No, she never did. We only found out about you yesterday, but it doesn't seem like she hates you at all. Otherwise, my dad and I wouldn't be here."

"Oh no, there's no bad blood between us." Tights reassured him. "I've just been away for too long."

He sighed in relief. "That's great! Come on, I came here with my dad." He picks up her suitcase and bag from the floor, leading her to where his father was waiting. She whispers a silent 'thank you' as they're getting closer. As soon as they reach there, Trunks sets her stuff on the grass.

"That's your dad?"

"Yeah." He said with a nod. "His name is Vegeta."

She could see her brother-in-law standing all alone staring at the view. But why was he by himself? Both him and her nephew could have gotten free seats inside the airport. Despite her curiosity, it would be rude of her to not introduce herself especially since he came all this way to pick her up. Tights walks up to him with a friendly smile, until she is standing right behind.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you. I'm Bulma's older sister Tights." She said, holding out her hand for him to shake. "You must be her husband."

Vegeta turned his head, glancing over his shoulder to notice his sister-in-law standing right behind him with her hand outstretched. "Hmph...yes, that's who I am. Nice...to meet...you." He said with a bit of difficulty. There wasn't any attempt to shake hands with his wife's sister but instead, he just chose to look the other way.

Seeing that he wasn't willing to shake hands with her, Tights pulled her hand back. 'What's the deal with this guy? He doesn't seem like the friendly type, and he doesn't seem all that glad to be here either.' She thought to herself in wonder. Regardless of how she felt at the moment she didn't let this get to her and just said with a smile, "I can't believe I'm meeting you for the first time. I had no idea my sister was even married."

"Whatever." He finally moved from his position and walked over to where his sister-in-law's belongings were, trying to hide his annoyance. "Let's take a… taxi? Is that right, Trunks?"

"Yeah! Weren't you supposed to do that?"

"Tch… I've never needed any kind of transportation before in my life," Vegeta mumbled under his breath. This was one moment where he wished they could have flown back home but of course they couldn't do that, as it would leave his sister-in-law with an endless number of questions he wasn't in the mood to answer.

"But dad, Mom told you to call a taxi once we find Aunt Tights!"

"Alright, fine!" He snapped, caving under the pressure. "I'll do it."

Tights stood there awkwardly in silence. Despite feeling a little bit intimidated by her brother-in-law's presence, she decided to spare him the trouble of finding a taxi. "No need to worry you two, I'll do the honors. I saw a taxi stop near the airport when I was coming out, so we can try getting a ride from there!"

"Really? Thanks Aunt Tights!" Trunks's eyes then brightened as he turned to face his irritated father. "Dad, take her luggage please?"

'You don't think I know that already?' Vegeta grumbled to himself, bending down and grabbing her suitcase and bag with both hands.

"Come on, you two. This way!" Tights beckoned with her hand and led them away from their waiting spot and towards the taxi service spot. It had taken them only a few minutes to reach a long row of taxis parked by a quiet street close to the airport with a signboard nearby reading, 'West City Taxi Stop.' They stood out on the sidewalk and under the shade, away from the burning sun.

A driver spotted the trio and rolled down his window. "Hello there fellas, where can I take you?"

"We're going to Capsule Corp." Tights answered, checking her wallet to be sure she had enough money for the fare.

"Alright, we'll be on our way. Just put those in the back and we'll be ready to go." The driver said, unlocking the boot of the taxicab.

Vegeta moved from the sidewalk and over to the boot, loading his sister-in-law's stuff inside. As he was doing so, Tights looked over her shoulder as if keeping a close watch on her brother-in-law. She then bent down to her nephew's height and whispered in a hushed tone, "Your dad doesn't talk that much. What's the deal with him?"

Trunks stiffened and peered over at his father to be sure he wasn't listening in. "W-Well, he isn't all that bad… he's kind of-"

Both were startled by the boot slamming shut. "Are you two going to get inside or not?" Vegeta asked, trying not to show that he was growing impatient.

"O-Oh yeah, s-sorry dad." Trunks apologized before pulling Tights's hand. "Come on auntie, let's go!"

"Relax kiddo," Tights chuckled as she followed him to the passenger door.

"Oops," Trunks said, letting go of her hand.

Vegeta sighed and opened the passenger door for his son and sister-in-law. Tights sat inside first, scooting until she reached the window. Trunks entered the taxi next and sat right next to his aunt and finally, the Saiyan Prince was the last to get inside, occupying the window seat. Once everyone was comfortably settled in, the taxi driver turned his head to the three passengers and asked, "Everyone ready to go?"

"Yeah." Came the response from Tights.

The engine was switched on and the driver pulled out of his parking spot and sped off towards Capsule Corporation. As they were driving further away from the airport, Tights looked all around her and smiled. People were minding their own business as usual. She could hardly recognize West City, as it changed quite a bit since the last time she was here. Only a few places were familiar to her as she vaguely remembered going there with her family as a young child.

"Aunt Tights?"

She turned her attention from the window and faced her nephew. "What's up kiddo?"

"Mom told us you're a science fiction and adventure novelist." Trunks said in an effort to start up a conversation.

"That's correct. I write stories based solely on those two topics." Tights said with a proud smile.

He jumped around in the backseat excitedly. "Whoa… that's great! I love science fiction stories!"

"If you're interested, I can show you some of my books when we get to Capsule Corp." She told him with a grin.

"You bring your books with you when you travel?" He questioned.

"Sometimes. Just to keep myself occupied." She answered. "I just like to indulge in my hard work during a ride. It prevents me from getting bored."

"I'd love to read them!"

Tights ruffled his hair. "I'm sure you'll love them. Now enough about me. What are your hobbies?"

He tapped a chin on his finger in thought. "Hobbies? Well… I love to play videogames, train, and fight!"

"That sounds really cool-" Tights said with a smile and then paused. "…wait a minute, you train and fight?"

Trunks nodded his head in excitement. "Yeah! And it's even better when I do it with my dad!"

As their conversation was taking place, Vegeta sat in silence looking out through the taxi window with his arms folded in a cross manner.

Now Tights was even more intrigued. "Your dad trains you?"

"Yeah. We practice almost every day. And he gets really angry when I want to stop training." Trunks explained, shuddering as he remembered just how hard his father would push him during their training sessions.

"No way… that has to be a joke. He's that harsh on you!?" Tights stared hard at her nephew, wide-eyed at this news.

"Yes, but…" Trunks's tone became softer, and was filled with admiration. "I got used to it after a while. It's his way of telling me that he cares about me becoming a great fighter and a warrior. And I'm okay with that because I think my dad is the best. Even if we don't always get along or agree on everything, he loves me and my mom. He'd do anything to keep us safe from danger. A pretty cool guy to have around if you ask me. There's nothing I love more than spending quality time with him."

'Trunks…' Vegeta hadn't been paying much attention to their conversation but he managed to catch that last tidbit and briefly pondered on it. Despite the initial anger he felt, he closed his eyes and a fleeting smile soon appeared on his face after realizing just how much his son looked up to him. He would never admit this to anyone but deep inside, no matter how many times his family might get under his skin, he would always appreciate them.

After hearing that, Tights turned her attention to her brother-in-law, who was still looking out the window. "Aw, it sounds to me like you really adore him."

"Well, he's my dad. And he's a skilled warrior. Maybe he doesn't like to openly express his feelings. He's more of an 'action guy' than a 'talking one', to be honest."

Some things were starting to make sense to her now that she had input from her nephew. If Vegeta made both him and her sister happy, then who was she to complain? Right on the spot she was starting to develop a newfound respect for him just for the role he played in being there for his family. Her lips then curved into a small smile. "I get it now."

"But deeeeeep down, he's got a big heart and cares for others in his own way," Trunks said softly.

"Awwww, that's so sweet of you. I'm sure he appreciates it."

Finally sick of being the topic of discussion, Vegeta turned his head from the window sharply. "Ok Trunks, that's it! You don't have to keep talking about me all the time!"

"Why not?"

The Prince avoided eye contact with him, grimacing as he did so. "Tch! It's that...it makes me feel...uncomfortable."

He tried peering in closer to get a look at his father, but the older Saiyan only shoved him away. "Why? Is it wrong to admit that you're a great guy?"

"Just...don't do it...in public. It's embarrassing!" He said, annoyed.

"Whatever you say…"

Vegeta looked back out the window and noticed that they were now stuck in traffic. "I hope we get back home soon." He let out a long sigh, tired of this car trip. It felt like they had been in the taxi for eternity.

"I'm sure we will." Commented Tights.

"I think mom will be jumping in one foot when she sees you again, auntie!"

"I think so too. We haven't seen each other in a long time!" She leaned her head against the backseat as she imagined how her sister and parents would react upon seeing her again for the first time in years.

"So, are you helping mom with all the party planning?"

"Yes, I am. Aside from writing novels, I love planning parties and public events!" Tights said in excitement, bringing her nephew in closer for another hug. "I also want to spend time with the whole family!"

Trunks doesn't waste another second in returning his auntie's embrace. "Well, if you're just like mom when she invents all kind of things, then I think that it'll be an awesome party!"

"Thanks kiddo."

The traffic finally dispersed once the light turned green and soon the taxi was back on track, continuing on the way back to Capsule Corporation. The drive took a little longer than expected, but the driver parked right in front of the entrance and turned to his three passengers. "Ok fellas, we're finally at your destination!"