Vegeta Muyo!

by Llwchwr

A year after the Buu saga the Z warriors continue life in peace until tragedy strikes, a family is shattered and hearts broken. One Saiyan excommunicates himself and lives as a hermit training day and night until one day a visitor crashes into his life.

19. Vegeta Muyo! Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Uh, Trunks? Do you know where we're going?"

"Yeah, 'course. I mean this has to be the way to the main control place thingy, where else could it lead? In any movie did you see the large, brightly lit, mile long corridor leading to a cleaner's cupboard? No, this has to go somewhere important and I bet it's the … the, the … b, b, br, BRIDGE! That's it, the bridge! Trust me Goten, if we follow this path we'll be at the bridge in no time."

After managing to find their way inside the near impenetrable spaceship, two half Saiyan children find themselves walking along this same passageway they have been making their way along for a good few minutes now. The interior is not nearly as industrial or sci-fi as the kids expected it to be, but what can you expect from a ship made mainly from carved wood. From the outside it was clear it was going to be a bit of a trek from this outer prong to the main hub of Kirito however they didn't plan for a maze of interconnecting passages that all look exactly the same and branch off like the xylem in a plant.

Walls of varnished timber line these corridors, not even the keen eyes of the Saiyan lads can distinguish any seeable end or beginning to any segments of the walls. No difference or misalignment in the wood's grain suggests that this whole limb on the starboard side of the ship is in fact made from one single, monstrously large chunk of wood. Hardly anything adorns the walls or ceilings except for the hewn signs in the unreadable Juraian language and the multitude of miniscule lights giving a very natural ambient lighting to the innards of Kirito.

"A bridge? Why would we want to go to a bridge? I wanna go somewhere cool, Trunks." Goten seems confused by this nautical term he has not come across before. They go a few steps in silence before Trunks sighs loudly in annoyance and starts to correct his friend's misconception over what a bridge is.

"Goten you idiot, it's not a normal bridge over a river, it's the main place with the cool controls and buttons and flashing lights and the captain." They take a left turn and then a sharp right, continually angling themselves to stay on this bearing leading them to the large energy they can sense. Saying Gohan is the brains of the family would hit the nail on the head, Goten inherited much from his father: looks, strength and cluelessness. Even Washu's schooling won't help his everyday intelligence, only the times he is directly questioned.

"Wow, that sounds like fun. Would they let us in though Trunks?"

"Better question is what can they do to stop us Goten, first we'll ask and if they're not going to be reasonable then why should we." Trunks smirks. Both children are like their fathers. As a little bit of Vegeta bleeds through Trunks' words, that same knowing and confident smirk born from knowing he belongs to an elite class of strength that but a handful of people are privy to join sprouts on Trunks' impish face. No one can bother or threaten them upon this ship, with their ability to go super Saiyan they can go unrivalled most places … and do whatever their childish minds want to unopposed.

Their footsteps echo through the deserted thoroughfares, their shoes leave a trail of dirt behind them on the flooring made of some material they aren't too familiar with but seems to be a kind of marble looking stone. Both Goten and Trunks can tell they are heading the correct way and are getting closer to the epicentre of the Juraian craft but gradually, all too gradually for impatient youths. Goten asks when they will get there to which Trunks dismissively replies. He underestimated the grand scale of Kirito and should have looked for an entry point closer to their objective. Walking at a very brisk pace they begin to break into a jog, still it is too slow for them so they accelerate. Faster and faster they go until their short legs become a blur, then Trunk stops suddenly.

"Uh oh." His foot has gone through the tile with a crack and embedded itself into the wood of Kirito. He pulls his leg free from the flooring and looks about down the corridor to see if anyone saw him. All clear and with no witnesses but Goten who has also frozen looking at the damage he caused, Trunks tries to place the shattered parts of the tile back in place. He fails. There is no repairing that will save this section of floor. Trunks asks Goten what he should do and his friend offers up the useful response of shrugging. The two lads leave again on their way at a speed which most people can comfortably run with the word 'Sorry' roughly etched into the wall by the scene of the crime.

"We gotta be more careful Goten." Trunks talks seriously to his friend as they continue running towards the core of Kirito. Being the eldest and more mature of the two, Trunks normally takes the lead wherever they go but in his thought he drops back behind Goten. A thought has occurred to him, brought on by his inadvertent destruction.

"We? I didn't do nothing. You're the one who broke the floor."

"Yeah but I need you to promise you won't use any of your powers or fly or anything."

"Ok, why Trunks?" Goten is bemused by this. Normally a main source of their enrichment stems from their superhuman abilities, not using them is something they only do when in public locations which this doesn't appear to be. Goku's child doesn't understand but will go along with it even though flying would negate the possibility of damaging the floor for a second time.

"That Ayeka lady's ship was completely totalled and wrecked by dad stupidly touching it with one of his hands that was only charged by the amount of energy we use to play ball."

Unlike most kids, actual physical items are not normally used when they play. Long ago they realised that any ball, no matter how heavy or well tempered, burst into flames whenever they threw it to one another. Sure throwing slowly would solve the problem but it would also suck half the fun out of their game, they found a different solution. Simply, they designed for themselves a small charge of ki that could be handled easily and had a much lower chance of exploding on contact than the ones used during fighting, lower but not zero unfortunately as they still have a bit of work to do on it. Although they are strictly prohibited from playing such a terribly dangerous and potentially lethal game by Chichi, they still do but only at Trunks' house not Goten's.

" Just think, if we do the same to this space ship then all these weird people will be stuck on Earth as well. You don't know what these space people are like. They're all trouble makers and always cause dad and me trouble, you've got it lucky that none of them stay at your house. Goten, would you want that Misaki woman hugging you all the time?" The only good thing he can think of that came from these aliens living with him and his dad is the stellar cuisine they are treated to from Sasami. Life was simple and easy for him before: he went to school, played with Goten his only friend and then came home to train with his dad. There were no crazy scientists out for a sample of his blood, no people hogging the TV and certainly no one coming between him and his father. It would be just their luck if the flagship of Jurai suffered the same fate as Ryuoh.

"I don't see what's wrong with the hugs, she was a nice lady. But it's that other man who I think would be the problem. Y'know the angry one who was attacking your dad, if he's not careful he'll get hurt big time." Goten doesn't like people getting hurt, even when he was getting bullied at school for his weird hair he never thought about lashing out. Trunks did that for him … and swiftly got them expelled.

"Serves him right for messing with a Saiyan then doesn't it? Ha! Look Goten, a door. We made it, yeah!"

Finally they reach the end of this corridor. Having not passed any junctions or turnoffs for several hundred metres and this being the only way forwards to the ki radiating from the ship, they feel certain that beyond this door lies whatever is concealed in the bio dome. They halt before it, giddy with excitement at the prospect of seeing the workings of a real life spaceship. Together they push open the door, not seeing the control panel to the side for opening it or the lack of door handle or knob. With a loud bang the door falls onto the tiled floor, once again the children check to see if anyone saw this accident. Slightly perturbed by the apparent deserted nature of this section of the ship, they turn to gaze upon the wonders of Juraian technology and culture.

"I thought you said that - "

"Shut up Goten."

"It's just I thought a bridge would be more awesome … and less filled with mops."

At best guess they did not find the bridge as they so hoped they would, instead it does in fact appear to be a cleaner's storage cupboard full of brooms, mops, dustpans and whatnots. Underwhelmed by what exploration has yielded for them, they stay in the broken doorway. Goten looks to Trunks but his friend is just staring forwards at this unexciting and bland room. With a look of determination on his face, the only child of Vegeta marches into the room with an air of purpose about him and begins scanning every inch of it with his eyes. Goten follows, questioning what Trunks is searching for but gets no answer. Trunks presses one button of many on the metallic panels covering the wooden walls and green light engulfs them.

As the emerald light disperses from around them they step out into a wide open area, very different from the broom cupboard they were just in. This is the place they wanted to get to. They are inside the large biosphere. From above the Sun's rays shine through the blue tinted dome of thick glass and beneath their feet is a verdant turf littered with many bountiful bouquets of sapphire, ruby and amethyst. A path of well trodden grass is by the side of them and they step onto it, observing the few other people walking about this indoor meadow.

"Trunks, did we - "

"Yep. They can't fool me Goten. I saw through their trick, trying to make us believe we were lost when we weren't. I've seen it done many, many times before in comics, disguising the way to their secret lair with mundane rooms that won't arouse any suspicion. You can thank me later, now let's see what's over there." Trunks grins widely at his ingenuity. Goten smiles at his friend and compliments how smart he must be because he was totally fooled. In truth Goten was correct to be fooled. There was no great secret or ruse that Trunks saw through, he just had a lucky break that his actions led to success. The button he hit was one for the transporter to send cleaners to this location, with a ship as gigantic as Kirito it would be impractical to maintain without a way of getting around quickly hence the internal transporter system.

Playfully, they run off through the field towards the major landmark in the distance. It's not the sprawling village of feudal buildings lining the perimeter, nor the pristine pools of crystal clear water with fountains spraying high in the air, it is the tree. Kirito itself, the Juraian tree, the heart and core of the spaceship. Towering high above all else it stands tall and proud, in full leaf and placing half of the biosphere in shade under its all encompassing branches. For all the plant life and foliage on the ship it does feel unnaturally quiet though. Quarantine laws and such mean that if this scene were to be complete with bird life twittering in the trees and insects in the grass it would quickly turn into a logistical and administrative nightmare for this flagship to go anywhere.

The few Juraians left on the ship, the politicians, gardeners, cooks and other non military personnel, pay little heed to the children in their midst. Neither Trunks nor Goten look that dissimilar from the Juraians and also, like all people, they mistake them as no possible threat being just small children running about gleefully. Most just think they are children of someone on-board who brought his or her kids along on this mission. It is not an unheard of thing to do as Kirito is supposedly indestructible and so a safe place for family members to stay aboard. Slipping past security to reach whatever they can find of interest on Kirito is turning out easier than they imagined.

With the trunk of Kirito looming above them and fast approaching the ornate and florid mobile palace carved into the base of the tree itself, Trunks and Goten come to a screeching halt. Their eyes dart about wildly as they sense something that eclipses Kirito like the Sun eclipses all other stars when it shines during the day. Try as they might, they cannot focus their vision on the direction where it is happening as the event rockets from horizon to horizon. Trunks and Goten can sense their father's battling. This is something both sons know could be potentially apocalyptic but as soon as it begins it ends … yet both energy signatures of Goku and Vegeta remain.

Slowly, they look at each other and shrug. The Earth just dodged a bullet with both Saiyan adults battling, luckily none of the fight was anywhere near enough Kirito to cause any collateral damage to it through pulverising shockwaves. They wait a few minutes in the calmness to see whether it is merely the eye of the storm but no second fight breaks out. Feeling it is safe to continue, they carry on their way towards the base of the tree the same size as a skyscraper.

Wandering casually up through the gnarled roots rising like great serpents from the ground, the two awe struck lads come up to the perfectly kept lawns of the temporary residence of the Juraian royal family whilst abroad. Utilising their faster-than-most-eyes-can-see speed they get past the few guards left to patrol the palace grounds. With no idea where they are going they aimlessly walk about the halls and lavish rooms until Trunks spots something and tugs at Goten's shirt. With his friend asking what he's found, Trunks points to a few letters carved into a closed door. Goten doesn't understand, neither he nor Trunks has any fluency or knowledge of the Juraian language so this just seems like more unreadable text to him.

"Goten, I know what this says. She taught me this word, it's her name."

The word on the door in Jurai text simply says "Sasami Jurai". They know they shouldn't go in someone's private room without their permission, it's wrong and they would get told off if they were found out. But there is no one to find out and the temptation hangs there. Exchanging a sly look, they push on the door … then learn from their previous blunder and try interacting with the control panel instead of breaking down a second door.

"Washu, you know full well that I cannot allow anyone not of the Juraian royal family or a high priest to ever lay eyes upon those pages. You should not even know about it's existence, or what it may or may not contain … but considering it's you then at least you haven't already managed to find a way to read it. We've been over this before, this time though can you give us a deadline?" Funaho calmly speaks. Whenever she brings up the subject of this project Washu always asks for the book, a book even she has not been given the privilege of seeing. She only found out about it the first time that Washu brought it up and that was just two days after she covertly asked her to start work on this project. It took every contact Funaho knew to verify the book's existence. Azusa had heard the rumours and such about the mythical tome of Tsunami but ultimately even he, the emperor, wasn't too clued up on it. One mention of it in an obscure and ancient scroll was all the trace of it Funaho knew existed and Washu somehow tracked it down from there, as impressive as the feat was it has led to nothing but irritation for the Queen of Jurai.

"Deadline? Nope. No can do. Progress varies wildly, one second it's a breakthrough and the next a decade of dead ends or results of no significance. Anyway it's obvious you don't care about a true deadline, if there were any time restraints you wouldn't be preventing me from looking at the one thing that might contain any true or helpful points of data."

"Just remember Washu, you get paid per completion of a project, not per hour or annum." Funaho sighs and rubs her temples lightly as Washu smiles at her. She cannot admit to the scientist that a wall of red tape is literally stopping her from letting Washu examine what is written in the book. For now Funaho just has to keep up the pretence that for the sake of tradition and the long upheld rules she is the one stopping Washu, although she has her suspicions Washu knows the truth.

The attention of the men has turned from the other's intense and penetrating stare to the scientist and wife of Azusa. Vegeta doesn't care much for looking at the bearded Juraian emperor for any length of time, he just wants for him to make one mistake, one tiny slip up, so he can have an excuse to make his own move. The Saiyan prince feels a soft pressure on his neck as Ryoko slumps her head on him. She desperately wants him to be looking at her, not at Washu who he has a clear dislike of, but for all her worth she can't get him to pay her any attention – the only things she can think of that would are guaranteed to leave him annoyed at her and that would leave her worse off than when she started. In the background of it all, Yosho waits. He surveys what his reporting of Ayeka's location has cost his half-sister, out of guilt he doesn't include himself. Without him his father would not have said those words that crushed Ayeka and he curses himself bitterly for that fact.

"I know, I know. You have my word you'll still be alive by the time I complete this. … Though it seems a bit redundant now. Unless these Light Hawk Wings cause omnipotence to its wearers or something even more then there is no point. The output of them from your first generation ships was truly spectacular, was. Even though they were the single reason you could defend yourself from the Cold empire, my darling Yamcha here could probably take out most of your fleet … and then there are the Saiyans. That point standing, then the question arises of whether it is wise for this technology to exist. On one hand it is a super weapon that is many times weaker than you'd need or on the other hand would be very unwise to just give to any soldier … one slip up and half this galaxy would be gone."

Washu voices the doubts that had been building ever since she started calling Earth her home. Jurai wants a weapon but she feels she will not be able to give them what they are asking for. Jurai wants something that is hands down the most power force ever seen to bring back morale to their troops after their long and bloody war, they want something that will decide the victory of a war before the first shot is fired. She just doesn't believe anymore that these mythical constructs of trees can contend with the might of Vegeta or Goku. For both Wing and Saiyan she has no sure way of knowing how powerful it truly can be but if truth be told she doesn't think even if she could allow Juraian soldiers to be outfitted with Light Hawk wings it would do any more than allow an already large empire to expand its reaches even further.

Vegeta and Goku smirk to themselves at their mention. They worked for their power, everyday of their lives built their strength to these unprecedented levels … which is why Vegeta does not like this idea of Light Hawk Wings. Freely handing around something of such a magnitude unearned is a repulsive thought for him, standing on top of the shoulders of titans to grasp what the puny worms could not get on their own. Even Goku and he have to exert extreme mental discipline upon themselves to control their power but for someone given an exponential boost immediately he fears they would fail and a very large accident would occur. Power corrupts as well, Vegeta knows that fact all too well and all Jurai would need is but one of the alpha testers of this weapon to turn and they could lose their empire in a second. Still, the promise of something that might threaten the position Saiyans hold does entice him.

"Washu? Light hawk wings? What are they?" Yamcha nudges Washu and whispers to her, he would like some slight clarification on what Washu is talking about. Standing by her side silently like an idiot is something he'd rather not do.

"Didn't I tell you Yamcha?" Washu grins at him and gives a crafty sideways glance to Funaho.

"Washu, they are a top secret and highly classified research project. I should hope you haven't just been telling everyone about them willy-nilly." Sounding exasperated by the genius' lack of regard for authority or confidentiality, Funaho holds her head in her hands as she knows what Washu is about to do. Only because she is the best there is with no equal is why Washu is still in employment and not fired for breach of protocol, the pink haired scientist grins as she knows her job is always safe no matter what she does.

" … Well Yamcha, to put it simply, they are believed to be the embodiment of the Goddess Tsunami by these silly religious Juraians. Only ever produced from Juraian trees, they are extremely powerful, even by your standards. The older the tree the better, those of the first generation of trees exhibit more 'blades' of the Light Hawk Wings which equals more raw power. They have both defensive and offensive capabilities belittling most shield or energy weapons even I can devise, they can interlock together and protect the ship from planet destroying attacks and in the next second slice a whole armada clean in two … What Funaho here wants is for this sacred property to be bestowed upon their warriors. Seems they learnt in the war with the Cold Empire that relying solely on their ships will leave them helpless when people like Vegeta decide to pay a little visit groundside... I've even tested your compatibility for testing purposes, Yamcha."

" Today or …?" Yamcha is not surprised to find out that he's been incorporated into this, the amount of times he has been laid out on the table (for research purposes of course) the odds are one, or most, of them were for more than Washu let on. Washu continues grinning seeing the look of minor annoyance showing on Funaho's face.

"Oh no, it wasn't when I saved you from that nasty and dangerous organ lurking within you. 'Bout a week or so ago it was. Turns out the human body might be able to sustain or generate them. Your results, Yamcha, are much better than Saiyans, Light Hawk Wings would seemingly avoid them like the plague … good thing too. But it seems Juraian physiology is still the best suited to hosting this power, makes sense as it originates from their planet." Washu leaves it at that, she is smart enough to see that pushing Funaho too much at this time could cause problems later on down the road. Just because she was in her lab does not mean that she didn't see what happened in her absence outside, she has her ways and is not one to leave herself in the dark. She gave Funaho a few snippets of information to show she is indeed carrying out her work, but not that much. Funaho could always keep her composure and calm during anything, so much so that Washu even took it as a challenge once to see what levels of emotional stimuli it would take to elicit a reaction.

As Funaho escorts Washu further away from the group and disentangles her from Yamcha to continue their discussion about this potential weapon for Jurai in private, Ryoko smiles to herself and tells Vegeta to look at someone in particular. One lone person steps slowly towards the pair, but it is not Azusa. He gradually makes his way from this second group that Vegeta is still having a hard time placing although Ryoko knows who he represents all too well.

"I love how I get to meet so many nice people with you Vegeta, first those oh-so delightful Juraians and now my adoring fans the police. You really know how to spoil a girl, don't you?" Ryoko's sarcastic wisecrack finally allows Vegeta to remember the galaxy wide police force he bumped into once or twice. Close to forty years ago it was when he last had a run in with them, after that they didn't send any uniformed officers after him, just the occasional bounty hunter to keep him on his toes. He joins Ryoko in her smile at this poor soul left with an impossible task.

The being now by Azusa and apologising to him for interrupting any business of the Juraian royal family is of an alien race that bears quite a few similarities to the lions of Earth: broad nose, short snout, tan coloured fur, fanged teeth and two feline ears sticking out from a thick and bushy mane of black. The Galaxy police allows members of any race of a planet developed enough to have made contact and diplomatic agreements with extra-terrestrial cultures to join its ranks, this is clearly seen in the ordered line of cops. Some are reptilian, most appear similar to humans or Juraians with a few minor physical differences and then there are some blasts from the past, an Arlian and even a few colourful fish faced aliens that Vegeta remembers best for his short lived rival of Cui. Their signature lightish blue uniforms distinguish themselves from any local law enforcers. White collared shirt, red detachable tie, baby blue jacket with marks of their insignia and rank and darker hued sleeves and a hat of the same colour as their clothes, Vegeta recalls seeing that same police uniform dyed crimson or charred black.

After bowing to the Emperor of Jurai, who the Galaxy police have very strong ties to, this police officer traverses his way in between the field of wounded Juraians with only minor hesitation. Stopping just 5 metres from the Saiyan prince and the pirate hooked around him, the lion like officer draws both his handheld blaster and a small pen from his holster. Levelling his gun towards Vegeta, he does his duty.

"I am Captain Kythezoguru of the galaxy police, I would read you a list of your offences and your rights but I'm sure you've both heard it enough by now that I don't need to repeat it. I place you, Ryoko the pirate, under arrest, anything you do say can and will be held against you in court. … Vegeta, the prince of Saiyans, ever since the massacre of Vorfox you have been judged too dangerous to be left alive. Capital punishment is to be carried out on scene so try not to move and make this harder than it needs to be." As the brave captain trains his sights on the wanted Saiyan, the pen in his other hand is pressed. A hologram appears by the side of the pen, the badge of the officer. Vegeta looks to Ryoko and then to the regiment of gathered police officers also with their guns pointed at him. He raises both hands above his head and smirks.

Without a word Vegeta lets loose a miniscule shot of ki from one of his raised hands. It flies high into the sky and quickly disappears from sight. Kythezoguru clicks the safety off his pistol and sets its blast charge to max, his finger begins to tighten on the trigger. A flash burns through the heavens, pure, blinding whiteness enveloping the scene for just an instant. By the time the captain's sight comes back he is greeted to Vegeta less than a meter away from him smiling menacingly with one of his fingers blocking the barrel of his gun. Pistols and rifles clatter to the floor behind Vegeta as the police officers look in shock at their empty hands, the Saiyan raises his spare arm and catches the ki he fired up and reabsorbs it into his body. Kythezoguru doesn't manage to take a step back before a fist tears straight through his gun and into his sternum, the captain crumples to the floor as does the morale of his subordinate officers.

With the threat of arrest dealt with and the police left leaderless and fearfully trembling, Vegeta turns his attention back to Azusa whilst Ryoko hovers back over beside him. Out of the corner of his eye Vegeta picks out movement at the closed curtains to a room in his house, obviously they wanted to find out why it suddenly became brighter than a thousand suns outside. Another minute of this stalemate occurs between the proud royal fathers until Vegeta bores of it and heads back off for his house. With his back turned to Azusa, he calls out to his nemesis to 'entertain his guest' by whatever way he sees fit, Goku sheepishly smiles at the emperor of Jurai as Vegeta vanishes back inside with a pirate following after him. If anyone can showcase how Saiyans aren't all that Azusa believes them to be then Vegeta is damn sure Goku can, he might not like either of them but for this to work out for Ayeka he needs to utilise whatever resources are available to him.

Not bothering to open his front door, Vegeta phases into his house and stands in the hallway thinking about what to do next. This is something that cannot be rushed but he fears that by leaving the low class clown with the emperor it is only a matter of time before the fool does or says something idiotic. He can sense that the three female Juraians in his house are all in the same vicinity but his common sense could have told him where to find them. Ryoko's arms wrap around his neck again. Like a devil on his shoulder she keeps on whispering for him to be done with those pesky Juraians and if they are causing him so much trouble to just blow them away. Vegeta says he has no intention of murdering another hundred or so people and no wish for her to do so either. He swore to his late wife that unless someone poses a very real threat to his own person or his family then he would not commit that mortal sin ever again and he intends to honour this promise.

She tugs at him to stop as he approaches the base of the stairs. His booted feet halt and his head turns to Ryoko, she swings around so she hovers in front of him and blocking his progress. A petal from the poppy in her hair drifts gently down to the wooden floor as they silently look at each other. From the sounds of things upstairs he needs to get there quickly if he is to have any chance of success, but for now he has to deal with Ryoko.

"Ryoko, please move out of my way. I -" He can hear the crying and sobbing of Ayeka. It grinds against the small section of his stone heart that was opened to such things by the one who left him a widower. He must make that sound clawing at his ears stop … but he can't just brush past Ryoko and cause more hurt to be mended later on.

"You honestly want me to just step aside so you can go be with her? Well I won't!"

"I don't mean it like that. Tell me Ryoko, would you truly be able to fully like a man who could brush aside things like this as if they were nothing? How would you feel if I ignored you in your hour of need?" To be honest with himself becoming someone like that would not be all that hard for him, go back just a few years and it would have all been true. Trying to get Ryoko to empathise with Ayeka's situation is indeed a long shot, Ryoko being the same woman who branded and tortured her late last night and today helped cause this mess in the first place. Ryoko is not yielding.

" You do ignore me!" She stomps her foot as she shouts. The voices from upstairs stop momentarily upon hearing this. Her golden eyes fix on his, his eyes don't leave hers.

"There is more to this universe than just you. Look, if this is about last night then yes I will talk to you about it, just not right now."

"I ain't talking about that, I'm talking about right now, out there. You hardly said a word to me at all after … after I kissed you." The anger in her tone dissipates as colour graces both of their cheeks; Ryoko's hand subconsciously moves to the flower head in her cyan hair. Silence reigns for several seconds until Vegeta stifles a yawn. A mild growl of irritation arises from the space pirate at this as she settles her feet down on the first step, she is taller than Vegeta normally but now she towers over him by a clear head.

"I let you throw yourself all over me despite my, uh … my preference against such things. Are you forgetting I also just saved you yet again from being arrested? Where's all that 'how could I ever repay you' crap?"

"I could handle those lightweights by myself, I didn't need you to do it."

She folds her arms in front of her chest. Ryoko's tail swishes restlessly through the air as she looks away and sullenly pouts to herself. Vegeta's step forward causes the stair to creak noisily, his dark eyes laden with heavy bags of weariness still have not left Ryoko's face. His eyelids feel as heavy as if he were still under enhanced gravity but he shall not surrender himself to the welcome abyss of sleep until he is not able to push himself any further. Ryoko looks back at him and misinterprets his step forward as a threatening gesture, she backs away up another step.

"Look, Ryoko, can we just drop this now and come back to it later if we must at all? I'll make you a deal. A deal I'm sure you will find hard to decline. Let me go and see if I can settle Ayeka's family issues now and when this all blows over I won't ignore you, at all. Until the training room is back operational I'll … train with you, spar, talk, hold hands, whatever … Together, just us two. It'll be better for you than just lazing about all day, sound fair?" He extends an ungloved hand to her. This is his final idea as to how to get her to acquiesce, it might interfere with what he wanted to do but without the gravity training room he is left with little alternative about how to spend his time. One thought has entered his mind though, that being he really wants to have a talk with Azusa about how he deals with living with two women. His hand hangs there as Ryoko's own falters and hesitates.

"… H-how long we talking about until you scurry off back into that room of yours?" Ryoko's voice is quiet and pensive, her narrow pupils staring at this offered hand. Vegeta can see the thought of spending time alone with him sorely tempts her, exploiting this weakness she has for him is his only sure bet. He gives her a small smile to try and sweeten the deal.

"You'd be better off asking Washu, not me, but she knows not to take too long if she enjoys living a pain free life. I'd say hours not days. The offer stands, take it or leave it." Her slim hand edges ever closer towards his as she tries to see if there are any signs of deceit in his eyes, she wants to be able to trust him fully but with Ayeka in the mix and his actions today she isn't too sure. Her mind dithers over the decision till, with a smirk, her hand darts forward.

"You got yourself a deal, Vegey. Hopefully we can carry on where we left off, hmm?" The moment she grabs his hand she teleports to hug him from behind and Vegeta stands still and accepts it. He gently pats her on the head and whispers to her to stay down here and out of the way till he is done unless she wants her time with him cut short. With a humph, Ryoko teleports over to the sofa and lays down across it so she can keep an eye on the stairway. From nowhere her cabbit hops into her hands and she pulls it close to her face, it mews contently as she snuggles it. She keeps her feline eyes on Vegeta's broad back as he ascends the steps one at a time, slowly and deliberately.

At the top of his stairs he turns right and immediately sees the predicament he has come to sort out. The eyes of two blue haired Juraians turn to him with an air of desperation around them. Both Misaki and her daughter approach him as he strides towards Ayeka's room and the firm barrier the princess has erected around the door. He sighs to himself as Misaki grasps both of his shoulders and starts blubbering to him about how she doesn't know how to take down the shield and absolutely must get to her precious darling Ayeka. With a wave of his hand the bright wall of cerulean shatters into a million crumbling shards and without a second thought Misaki sprints towards the door handle. Her manicured hands impact into the torso of Vegeta though. Just as she is about to open her mouth, Vegeta steps forward and pushes Misaki backwards a pace.

"I will tell you this but once Lady Misaki: get a hold of yourself." Vegeta coldly states. Sasami stands confused and tearful as her mother's attempts to get past the Saiyan are all foiled. Misaki shouts at him to get out of the way and tries to lift him up but gets her hands swatted away and off his person. Vegeta rapidly pushes her to the side and pins her against the wall with his left forearm.

"Lady Misaki, I am not doing this to be cruel or for my own amusement – Sasami stay where you are!" The younger daughter of Misaki takes one hesitant step towards her and her sister's room before getting rooted to the spot by Vegeta's intense glare and words. More tears freely roll down her face and her mother's as Misaki struggles in vain to get to Ayeka. "Lady Misaki, calm down. Right now Ayeka needs her mother, not some cry-baby. She needs plenty of warmth and love from you but also for you to act as a pillar of strength for her, someone to support her not join her in flooding my house with tears. Get your act together right now or you are not moving from this spot."

"Let go of me! Unhand me at once Vegeta, I need to stop my baby from crying." The mother's tears start wetting the Saiyan's arm. Her yells for release are loud, louder than Vegeta wants. No matter how hard he tries, his plans never go the way they should when women are involved. Vegeta racks his brain for a moment in time when Bulma behaved like this to see what he needs to do next but his search comes up blank, he has fewer memories of his family than what he thought he did thanks to his endless training. He'd rather take on Buu without being able to ascend than this right now, he doesn't know what to do or how to control the situation.

" … Lady Misaki, do you think seeing you in the sorry state you're in is helping Sasami? Your tears are being echoed by your daughter, you are adding to her misery. Look at her, your daughter. Is this what you want? Do you want your child to be upset?" Vegeta finally found it, the right string of Misaki's to pull. The tall Juraian's efforts to escape immediately stop as she stares heartbroken at her crying child. Vegeta releases her and takes up his post by Ayeka's door yet again. The small girl whines for her mummy through bleary eyes and her mother beckons to her as she wipes her own eyes with the back of her sleeve. Misaki bends down so she is at the same level as Sasami and opens her arms to her, the anguish in the mother's face is clear as she tries to mask her own pain for the love of her child. Words of comfort ooze like thick honey from the loving mother's mouth as she caringly hugs her youngest till her sobbing ceases.

"Ok little Sasami, be a big, brave girl for your mummy now. Why don't you go and cook up some of that cake that Ayeka likes so much? I'm sure she'll feel so much better because of your lovely, scrumptious cooking. Go on now, go make your mummy proud. I love you sweetheart." Sasami appears hesitant at first but with her mother standing back up and ruffling her hair affectionately she turns to make her way down to the kitchen with a few backwards looks at her loving mum. Misaki beams a tender smile at her daughter until she is out of sight. Vegeta rests a hand on her shoulder and nods at her. If she needs someone to teach her about bottling up her emotions then she will find no better example than him.

"T-Thank you Lord Vegeta. Who'd have thought after all these years I'd need parenting advice from the universe's most wanted." Moisture is still visibly gathering at the edges of Misaki's burgundy coloured eyes and her smile is forced. Her body continues to tremble and convulse as if she were still sobbing as she saturates her sleeves by continually wiping away her tears trying to burst forth. Tearing off a patch of his already ruined outfit, Vegeta hands to her this blue makeshift handkerchief to dry her eyes with. She quietly thanks him as the sound of clattering pans reach the two parent's ears.

" It comes with the territory, Lady Misaki. I might still have that bounty on my head but I've had to acclimatise to dealing with kids, especially my own. No longer can I rely on my wife anymore to deal with Trunks all the time, one year as a single father was the crash course I sorely needed in how to look after my son and be a true father." Vegeta reaches out with his sixth sense to ascertain his son's location and to make sure he is not misbehaving and nods to himself whilst Misaki reflects on his words. The damp rag of clothing she is holding pauses by her face as she realises even though she met with Vegeta's son she was never introduced to the mother of the child, she was too busy with her own children to see this omission.

"Huh? … So the mother of your son is -"

"Dead, yes." He puts it bluntly and curls one of his fists. A slight pang aches inside him saying these words, a whole year has passed but it seems like just yesterday she was smiling at him through the glass of the training room door - much like the time he spent in the hyperbolic time chamber. Now is no time though to be beating around the bush, he needs to get Misaki in with Ayeka pronto … and most probably himself if truth be told.

"I am sorry for your loss, Lord Vegeta. It's-it's just I presumed you and Miss Ryoko were -" Two thuds resound through the house, one of Vegeta collapsing onto his backside and the other of Ryoko rolling off the sofa with a start. Misaki's eyes widen in shock and confusion as she looks down upon the Saiyan slowly pushing himself back up, his arms perceptibly shaking. A guffaw of very pleased giggles comes from downstairs as Vegeta's cheeks flush. As Vegeta stands back up he grumbles under his breath, he tries to rid himself of this image Misaki has planted in his mind.

"N-n-no, Lady Misaki. You misapprehend the situation here, I met Ryoko less than a day before I did your daughter, in fact she was the one who led Lady Ayeka here in the first place. Our r-relationship together is nothing of that sort … despite her best efforts. Anyway, I believe it is time we went to see Lady Ayeka now." He motions towards the door awkwardly as he tries to stop any questions along that line of inquiry. Quickly ushering Misaki through the door he has stopped guarding, he spots a face grinning inanely at him out of the corner of his eye. He says to Misaki he will follow her inside in just a moment but she apparently doesn't hear him as she rushes to be with her daughter. Vegeta turns to look at the head sticking out of one of his house's walls.

"I thought I told you to stay downstairs, Ryoko. If you are going to go back on your word then so too can I." Vegeta sternly says. Now is not the time for Ryoko of all people to begin messing with what he is trying to achieve but she just continues merrily grinning at him with a feminine rosiness to her cheeks. Without saying a word to him she hands an object over to him, winks, blows him a kiss and vanishes, just to be on the safe side Vegeta double checks that her position is back downstairs through ki sensing. Content that she is not threatening to interfere with this most delicate of operations, he looks down to what she placed in his hands. He smiles to himself and bounces the worn out stuffed animal between his gnarled hands, Ryoko might have just gifted him the ace in the hole he needed.

Taking a deep breath of preparation, Vegeta opens the door to the room of the Juraian sisters. Silently, he steps forwards to stand aside Misaki at Ayeka's bedside. The mother is still trying to put on a brave face for all she is worth but cracks are beginning to show through her façade. Tucked up and cocooned in her blankets lies Ayeka. Muted sobs come from under the fabric as Misaki lowers herself down and sits on the edge of her daughter's bed. Remedying words of comfort whisper forth from Misaki like a stream of silk flowing over a babbling brook. Bending down in the gloom of the room with its curtains drawn, Vegeta picks up the discarded item he almost crushed with his boot on the way in. An interwoven half ring of three vines made from ancient, petrified branches of the very first Juraian tree of power, Tsunami herself, Vegeta twirls the royal tiara of Ayeka between his fingers before reaching across Misaki to set it down on the bedside cabinet. He clears his throat noisily when Misaki begins to stammer on her mollifying words due to choking back her own tears.

Vegeta sits down on the vacant bed belonging to Sasami and it groans in protest at his intensified weight, luckily all of the furniture within this house was designed and manufactured with his and his son's strength and training gear in mind. No motion comes from the swaddled up form of Ayeka, just the continual sounds of her distress. Turning on the bedside lamp to bring some illumination into this gloomy room, Vegeta continues just idly watching Misaki struggle to try and get through to her daughter. Blindly rushing in will do him no good, he will observe and review the interactions between mother and daughter as he judges whether his intervention is at all necessary. Even after knowing Bulma intimately for many long years he still was never good at playing the kind and consoling role whenever she had a rough day. The oven door opens and closes in the kitchen downstairs, distracting his ears momentarily.

Misaki was already close to it but now after several fruitless minutes she is close to her wit's end, she doesn't know what to say or do to alleviate her daughter of her troublesome woes. Placing her hand on her daughter in an attempt to break down the wall that Ayeka has thrown up around herself only causes a muffled yelp and for the encased maiden to shy away by rolling over to face the wall instead. Misaki's hand quivers in the air, saline waters drip down her cheeks at this rejection from her own child. Hanging her head, she retracts her hand and holds it over her chest.

"I love you Ayeka, you know that. Nothing that you could ever do will ever change that, not one bit. You are my lovely, beautiful daughter and I -" A subdued voice quietly interrupts her mother, the words unclear from the duvet covering her head and mouth. Misaki pauses and silently lowers her head closer to her daughter's to try and hear what she said. Vegeta caught what was said though, his anger towards Azusa rises like the tide under a full moon. Whilst Misaki continues to repeat her cherished daughter's name to encourage her to repeat what she said, Vegeta rises to his feet without a sound and sets himself down on Ayeka's bed. The tearful eyes of the Juraian mother meet his, ambivalently hopeful and forlorn at the same time. Ayeka tries to tuck her knees in and assume the foetal position but Vegeta is sat upon her blankets and she cannot withdraw further away from the people intruding in her room without freeing herself from the warm blankets encasing her. Just knowing Vegeta is in close proximity to her and on her bed causes distressed whimpers to erupt from the princess.

"Shhh, come now Ayeka. Mummy's here now, mummy's here to make it all better. But I can't do this on my own, I need you to talk to me baby. We're here to help you little Ayeka, both Lord Vegeta and your dear mummy -" Again a hushed voice cuts across her mother, barely audible through her sobbing and crying. Vegeta frowns, she said the same thing. Misaki pleads for her daughter to speak up so she can hear her but there is no response, seeing Vegeta's reaction she desperately turns to him for help. She asks to know what Ayeka said. Vegeta looks down at the semi-curled up form of the princess then back to her mother, he detests getting involved in personal matters like these but since he has already kicked the hornet's nest several times it's his duty to see this through.

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way Lady Misaki-"

"Take what the wrong way? What is my baby saying? Please just tell me!" Frantically she grabs at his arms, this uncertainty is torturing her. She must know, she has to know now. Vegeta waits for her to stop speaking and slowly raises his hands telling her to remove her tight grip from his biceps. She retracts her arms back to herself and wraps them around herself in worry, Vegeta starts talking again.

"Lady Ayeka is saying that … she is not your daughter. Not anymore." The Saiyan tries to put some emotion in his words but it still ends up coming out as cold and callous as always. Upon the relayed words reaching her ears, Misaki gasps in alarm and with a shuddering exhale the dams burst and her tears flood everywhere. Before he has time to react, Vegeta has a grown woman huddled into his lap openly weeping … he realises now his mistake of ever letting his guard down and subduing his power level when seemingly not under attack. This is getting him nowhere but under the current circumstances his options are greatly limited, his first objective he knows to be getting Misaki off him and back into the fight.

Gently he shakes her shoulder, he is not comfortable at all with this stranger being so close and intimate with him and really would like Misaki to get off of him. He shakes her shoulder again but still she sheds tears into his lap. From the scent of baking dancing into his nostrils he estimates he has less than five minutes to wrap things up in here and possibly even less if Goku cannot manage things on his end. Maybe some training dedicated towards handling these sorts of domestic situations would be a good idea for Vegeta as he currently is not faring too well. Patience is deserting him.

"Just because I gave you part of my outfit to dry your eyes on does not entitle you to do the same with the parts I am still wearing. Get up, Lady Misaki." Vegeta waits a few seconds to see if she will comply and when she does not he lifts her from his person and back into an upright sitting position. She apologises to him as she sniffs and rubs at her eyes, he doesn't listen to this though as he turns his attention to the next phase in his hurried and improvised plan. In one fell swoop he rips the blankets from Ayeka, revealing her in her sad and pitiful state. Dropping the covers from his hands he tosses the soft object in his hands to Misaki to keep her occupied for a second as he puts his arms under Ayeka's prone body. Her arms feebly lash out to try and stop him but by the time she registers him touching her he has already done what he has wanted to.

Ayeka's hand lightly hits into her mother's abdomen, she is no longer laying down but sitting on the edge of her bed leaning heavily on her mother. A dainty hand closes over Ayeka's and squeezes it affectionately. The bloodshot eyes of Ayeka look up at the kind and caring face of her mother. They stare at each other, both bleary eyed, until Ayeka lets out a wail and burrows her head deep in her mother's bosom. Misaki strokes the hair of her daughter and puts the stuffed toy into her daughter's arms, which Ayeka hugs close to her chest. She cradles her daughter, slowly rocking side to side as she reaches behind her and picks up a brush from the bedside cabinet. Running the brush through her daughter's long and violet locks, she begins to calmly talk to her daughter about nothing in particular and the latest gossip on Jurai, making a few little jokes about people they obviously know. Soon the sobs from Ayeka grow quieter and slow down until they altogether stop. They just sit there, as mother and daughter, with Misaki brushing and tying Ayeka's hair back into her usual twin ponytails. When she is finished, Misaki lifts her child's chin to look at her face and smiles at her as she dabs away the remnants of tears with the scrap of clothing from Vegeta. Vegeta stands but as he goes to take a step one of Misaki's hands takes hold of his wrist.

"Please, stay Vegeta. … I don't mean to bother you if you are busy, but once again I would like to thank you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking care of my daughters and I am in your debt for it. Also … Well, if you leave now then you wouldn't get any of Sasami's wondrous cake and that would be such a shame now wouldn't it?"

"I wasn't planning on leaving. Just thought you two could use some space." Truthfully it is Vegeta who has the stronger want for privacy and solitude, never one for being sociable when there is a way to avoid it. He feels he has done his job now, that his work here is done for the time being, and should go and check on the other possible trouble makers. Misaki's hand though does not let go of him. Her eyes the shade of a full bodied red wine lock onto his, wordlessly pleading for him to stay. Vegeta sits back down, not for Misaki asking him to but for the timorous glance hazarded his way by the subdued Juraian princess.

The trio sit in silence; Ayeka still in the embrace of her mother and not daring to leave the warmth and comfort that it provides, Vegeta sat with his eyes shut and arms folded cogitating on the days events and Misaki smiling to herself that the worst has passed and that she is able to spend time with her children again, if only briefly. Not before long the silence is disturbed by a mouse like knock on the door. Extending his telekinetic influence, Vegeta opens the door without moving an inch to show Sasami stood there holding a tray with oven gloves.

"Oh there you are, my that looks so delicious Sasami. Come and sit next to mummy so we can all share that lovely cake you've baked." Smiling, Misaki beckons to her youngest and pats at the small space left on the mattress next to her. Saiyan nostrils flutter at the heavenly aroma of freshly baked cake and his eyes snap open and focus on the young girl. She shuffles her feet nervously through the doorway with the steaming delicacy looking all the more delectable the closer it gets.

"There isn't any riphve on Earth mummy so I had to use the only thing we had lots of in the kitchen, Ryo-ohki's not gonna be happy about it though …. A-are you felling better Ayeka?" Sasami's feet shift about, her freckled face showing great worry and concern for her sibling and whether she will like this carrot cake she has made especially for her. It was a rushed job and she didn't take the time to prepare any icing or decorations for the cake, she serves it as a plain loaf on its own as time was of the essence. As she asks her question she tentatively sits down by her mother with the tray in her lap. Ayeka raises her head slightly and manages an extremely weak smile as she nods at her sister.

Beaming at her children, Misaki inhales the smell of the pudding and praises Sasami again for it before distributing the plates on the tray to herself, Ayeka and Vegeta. She takes the bread knife and evenly cuts the cake into quarters and uses her hands to plop a slice on each person's plate. The cake destined for Vegeta does not manage to touch the plate before it is swallowed down his gullet whole, not a single crumb falls onto his spotless plate. Misaki and the younger Juraian females eat their cake with less haste and more gentility, nibbling small bites at a time and waiting until they have swallowed their current mouthful before going for the next bite. Throughout this, Misaki reassures Sasami that all is well and there is no need to be afraid anymore. In this moment of respite, Vegeta contacts his son telepathically to ascertain his whereabouts and if he is behaving himself, the last thing he would want now is Kirito going down in flames. Trunks replies quickly that he isn't misbehaving, a little too quickly though for Vegeta's liking but he'll let it slide.

Collecting in the used plates – or unused in Vegeta's case, Misaki stands up suddenly with the tray in one hand and holding her younger daughter's hand in the other. She asks Ayeka whether Sasami's cooking improved things and her daughter replies positively with a less strained smile than previously. With that, Misaki leads Sasami from the room. Just as he is about to get up and take his leave, Vegeta catches a glance of Misaki's eyes as she closes the door. He clearly sees the intention behind the look she gave him and so slumps back down on the bed, resigned to the fate he can't escape that easily. An awkward and icy tension builds in the room between prince and princess. In the deafening silence, Vegeta looks across at Ayeka several times to see her nervously chewing on her robe's sleeve and messing with her fringe.

" … You do realise you could have just flown when the nimbus dropped you. Your father would have been none the wiser and we could have avoided this whole mess." The silence shatters, but for a short while. Freezing back over to its original wintriness, the air of deadness resists this attempt to thaw it. Vegeta is normally the source of most frigidity in any given room; here though he is trying to break through a frosty wall of depression and being careful what he says or does for he is stepping on thin ice where any slip up would plunge Ayeka back into the saline waters of tears.

Muffled movement is heard coming from the closed door, even without his hearing he can sense that Misaki has stopped to listen in on this 'private' conversation after sending Sasami off somewhere. The uneasy curiosity of a worried parent keeps Misaki fixed to that spot, she who has put her full trust in a man she has known for less than half an hour. Vegeta waits it out, he believes she will, of her own accord, talk to him sooner rather than later … and she does, after a few minutes that were agonising for Misaki.

" … And you could have used your powers to keep me in the air and save me … but you were too busy with that fossil woman of yours to think about me. You shouldn't even be here … Go, please. Fath – Azusa is right, if I allow a man into my sleeping chambers unaccompanied by a chaperone and onto my bed then what right do I have to call myself a p-princess of Jurai. … Please, just leave me alone." Ayeka's hushed voice can barely be heard by the straining ears of her mother pressed to the wood of the door. She makes no eye contact with Vegeta as she talks, all she does is look down into her lap and the soft toy perched there. Vegeta admits she has a slight point there, it was presumptuous of him to seat himself on her bed so he casually stands and takes an alternate seat. Her eyes dart upwards at the sound of his heavy boots and follow him from under her purple fringe as he sits across from her on her sister's bed. He will respect her wishes only so long as they allow him to break her free of this sadness that has gripped her heart.

"By the sounds of things you've already given up, where's that fire from last night that kept you going long and strong in the face of adversity?" Vegeta's eyes stay fixed on where Ayeka's eyes would be underneath the hair covering her face. Lone wolves don't have much chance to practise motivational speeches, or want to perform them, but Vegeta has to do what is necessary even if it not his area of expertise. If it was his area of expertise then that really would not improve matters for Ayeka. Her hands clench together. Her lips part and she whispers one word.

" Gone."

Ayeka's fingers coil and tighten around the toy's neck, with her nails cutting through it's fabric just like she did last night with Ryoko's neck. Images from yesterday race through her mind; that of her defeat and disgrace, the injuries and pain she was subjected to and him with her, kissing. Her knuckles go white, her shoulders shudder and wetness gathers around her eyes yet again.

"Gone with my birthright, my title and pride and h-honour, my claim to the throne … G-g-gone with m-my f-family. All because of you!" Shouting those last words, Ayeka hurls her stuffed animal at Vegeta. It bounces off his chest and onto the floor. Finally he gets a good look at Ayeka's eyes as she stares at him hatefully. Just like her father, she pins the blame upon his shoulders, a weight he can easily tolerate. Provoking a response from her has worked, finding a solution through words alone is difficult when having a one way conversation. As Vegeta bends down to pick up the toy, Ayeka's eyes still remain fixed on him.

"Me? I believe the fault truly lies at your rash father's feet for trying to protect you from someone your father has a very good reason to fear and clumsily overstepping the mark by quite a margin. I always wondered where my own father got that weird trophy from, now I know. If I know the female gender half as well as I think I do then your father will be in the dog house for years because of this." Calmly smiling as he speaks, Vegeta makes sure to drop in the word father several times, even mentioning his own in a random segue that Ayeka did not understand. The princess' scowl deepens with every mention of the one who kicked her out of the Juraian royal family. She just wants to wallow in her own sorrow and self pity on her own, she doesn't think it is truly that much to ask, but this Saiyan prince just won't leave her well enough alone.

"Don't call him that! He made it clear that he isn't my father anymore! He doesn't want me as his daughter, h-he hates me. He couldn't e-even bear to l-l-look at me …" Ayeka's words trial off as the waters from her eyes start to flow again. She covers her face with her small, pale hands as she sobs quietly. Vegeta places down the stuffed toy by Sasami's pillow as he stands up, he takes one small step to cross the gap between beds and looks down at Ayeka. Gradually, he extends one of his calloused hands to her and rests it on her shoulder, giving it the most minimal squeeze he can manage so as not to crush her shoulder blade.

"By the end of all this he will have retracted that statement and apologised to you, mark my words … and not through me forcing him to under pain of death like he has come to expect a Saiyan to."

"You're lying! He never goes back on his word, never! Please, Vegeta just get out of my room and leave me be." Viciously she slaps away his hand, or would have done if she had the power to physically inflict any pain or injury to Vegeta. His hand remains in place. The Saiyan is stoking her flames, getting her ready and pumped up to go out there and face Azusa. Now he has evoked enough of an emotional response from her all he has to do is point it in the right direction and from then on he is sure she can handle herself. He places his second hand on her other shoulder, she tries to shun away from this contact with him yet cannot.

"I will leave the same time you do, so unless you want him to start wondering what you are doing alone in your room with me, you better find that fighting spirit and show him that you are not some little girl to be bossed and bullied around. Didn't you say you had to persuade him to leave your fate in your own hands, you cannot do so until you make your stand against him. Are you going to surrender to him without a fight, just go whimpering away like a scolded dog?" He goads her, trying to get a rise out of her towards defying her father. Through his hands holding her shoulders he can feel her trembling, her shallow breaths and elevated pulse. She cannot tune out his voice nor ignore his words as much as she wants to.

"That's easy for you to say! You haven't just been d-disowned and publically humiliated by-by a rotten scumbag!" As Ayeka's voice turns shrill and she yells straight at Vegeta, one of the Saiyan's hands darts from her shoulder and catches her raised chin. He holds her head in place, facing him. Ayeka tries to pull away but there is no escape to be had by her. Vegeta leans in close, his face stopping inches away from hers as he speaks.

"No, I have not. Do you know why? Because my father is dead, my mother and brother are dead, my entire race is dead, my wife is also dead and of course I, a prince who has to live in the shadow of an idiotic clown, know nothing of humiliation. Count your blessings before you so recklessly throw them to the winds. You have family who love you. You have people who care for you dearly. Misaki, Sasami, Funaho, Yosho and even Azusa, they all love you. Do not forget that. Lady Ayeka, are you honestly that blind you did not notice? His anger was not for you or your choices. His hatred was not for you fleeing from an abominable marriage and taking your sibling with you. Azusa, your father Ayeka, showed loathing towards you … because of me and the blood that runs through my veins." Vegeta enunciates each word clearly and precisely, making sure that Ayeka hears what he has to say perfectly. His growing frustration towards her resignation twisted his words into something not as helpful as it was meant to be. Once done he lets go of her and sits back down on Sasami's bed. The room lapses into silence. Ayeka's head droops back down and she hugs her childhood possession close to her chest.

Minutes tick by. Vegeta's first plan of attack has failed, he let his emotions rule over him and cloud his judgement yet again. Ayeka has drawn back within herself and isn't talking or doing much of anything. The rustle of clothes can be faintly heard coming from the door, reminding Vegeta that he is still under surveillance by Ayeka's doting mother. Failure is the one thing he detests the most, it has haunted him nearly as long as Ayeka has been alive, and so he will not concede and fly the white flag at this neither will he allow Ayeka to do so either. The Saiyan just needs to recalculate and plan a new strategy from a different angle, one guaranteed to get Ayeka's ear and he knows just what it is.

Idly he sits on the bed, just blankly staring up at the undecorated ceiling. Vegeta bides his time, trying to appear uninterested by Ayeka's troubles whilst he waits for the correct moment to enact this new stratagem. His deep breaths permeate the air regularly, Vegeta clears his mind of as much stray negative emotion as he can; but with so many sources nearby it's all he can do not to act on them. Massaging the bridge of his nose and then rubbing once again at his eyes, he faces Ayeka.

"I bet he said it was a collision with a meteor, or a solar flare -"

"Said what? I don't understand what you are prattling on about Lord Vegeta, tell me now!" Ayeka snaps at him, interrupting Vegeta's sentence midway. Surprised by this sudden outburst of irascibility directed at him, Vegeta momentarily pauses to measure in Ayeka's emotions into his plan. He smirks at her darkly yet her eyes flaming with emotion continue to blaze straight at him.

"Yes, that seems about right. Does your father have a rather nasty injury that he would never talk about, something concerning his right leg perhaps? Happened before you were born didn't it?" Now it is Ayeka's turn to be taken aback. Her eye's widen in befuddlement, her mouth hangs open slightly as the fires in her eyes flicker in uncertainty. Even from behind the door, a small gasp of surprise can be heard. Vegeta's gambit paid off. When Azusa attacked him and his energy output was at its highest, Vegeta could sense every inch of his ki filled body apart from one limb that was devoid of all energy. A being such as Azusa would not be able to control his internal ki to such a degree nor would have any reason to, the explanation was simple; his body ended as that limb started.

" How do you know about my fath – Azusa's leg?"

"It never did grow or sprout leaves like my father thought it would … just stunk out the entire palace for months it did."

Vegeta's smirk widens as he sees the confounded confusion in Ayeka's frowning brow. Soon she will know of what he is referring to and at the same time maybe she will begin to understand her father, and his reasoning, a little better. Her tears have been forgotten for now. Vegeta sits in silence, ready for the signal to go in for the kill and finish this once and for all. The slight motion of Ayeka's lips parting to form a question is what he was waiting for, as soon as he sees it he continues.

"When Saiyan's declare war they waste no time, right after the boring politics is done we get straight down to business. You should consider yourself lucky that your father survived and was able to sire you at all. Your existence and your sister's is all thanks to the failure of a certain Saiyan. Not many people ever slipped through my father's fingers … but then again, your father only partially did."

"… A-are you trying to tell me t-that -"

"Yes I am. King Vegeta was the one to sever your father's right leg and plant the stump as a trophy in his courtyard."

Vegeta's smirk dies down as he becomes serious in this dumbstruck silence he aimed to create. Living with fellow space farers has really brought to light some odd and obscure memories from his youth. Some miniscule respect for Azusa has been earned in the eyes of Vegeta for managing to survive an attack from the Saiyan king, he did not figure him to be that strong from the feeble attacks directed at him and maybe the injury could have a part to play in that. He nods to himself half in thought and half at Ayeka shaking her head in disbelief.

"Do you understand now why your dear old papa might not be too fond of someone who looks exactly the same as his murderous father and went on to massacre a good several billion Juraian's for good measure as well? This goes well beyond what you think it does, you were just the unfortunate, little sacrificial lamb to get stuck in the middle of all of this. The valve that allowed him to release his pent up steam." Vegeta explains what he deciphered to be the case, the reason for Azusa's extreme hostility – his personal vendetta against all Saiyans. Footsteps sound on the landing outside, Misaki walks away to leave them and ponder on these developments herself. Ayeka still shakes her head from side to side, not wanting for any of this to be true: the leg, the killings or just today altogether. She wants it to all just to be a bad dream she can wake up from but there is no awakening from real life. Muttering the word 'no' over and over again under her breath, Ayeka's mind tries to wrap around this whole situation she is in.

"Lady Ayeka, come. Take my hand." She didn't even see Vegeta move and now there he is knelt in front of her with his right hand offered out to her. Her eyes usually so kind dart about wildly, for the time being though they are dry. It's too much for her to process all at once. A warm smile is sent her way, although Vegeta is the one who has purposely set her mind awry. Ultimately his cunning plan came down to trying to construct some feelings other than animosity from Ayeka towards her father, to show that he is fallible and merely just another mortal as well as the emperor. The part of tying in what he said earlier about his hatred being purely for him was just an added bonus for him. He wonders whether it was enough though - he is no expert on Juraian psychology or any being's psychology for that matter.

Ayeka's manicured fingers stay wrapped around her toy. Biting her lower lip in anxiety, her eyes dance between those of the man in front of her and his hand. Her mind clouded and obscured by mists of uncertainty, insecurity and doubt, her fragile emotions balancing on a knife's edge; the Juraian woman continues to refrain from reaching out to this lone beacon of light in the darkness lest it burns her. She knows he is her only hope of salvation in this personal darkest hour of hers. Fear of action, of the mess she is in getting even worse, halts her from jumping at this chance. Running away and fleeing, this is the second time she has done it to escape from her father and it has gotten her nowhere. Her father terrifies her, she can not go against the emperor of Jurai.

Yet her dismay and apprehension, her depression and melancholy, all seem to subside and diminish whenever her gaze falls upon the Saiyan prince. He might have been the catalyst for how things turned out but it was not his intention, she was witness to how hard he was trying for her sake to placate matters as much as possible – in his own way. He even let his pride take second place as he realised he had reached the limit of his self restraint. Shepherding all of her scattered confidence, with both of her own she grabs onto Vegeta's hand.

Great desperation shimmers deep in her entreating, doleful eyes as she grips tight, squeezing his hardened skin between her pale and cold digits. Little by little, her lips twitch into a smile. Vegeta's second hand closes over Ayeka's. He nods at her reassuringly and stands up, awaiting for her to join him. She remains seated. Looking back down at her childhood possession, she parts her lips and a hushed whisper escapes her throat.

"L-Lord Vegeta … you don't have to call me 'Lady' anymore. … N-not until … until … until w-we talk things over with my f-f-father. You will h-help won't you?" The disquiet in her voice oscillates with every syllable and her eyes beseechingly jump back up to Vegeta at her question. He nods, trying to add a hint more warmth into his smile to ease her trepidation.

"Yes, I will."

"G-good, that's good. F-father must know that you aren't like you once were, I want him to see who you truly are … and accept m-me and my choices. He has to learn that Saiyans and Juraians are no longer enemies." The more she speaks, the more the apprehension apparent in her words disperses. She stands up.

"Are you prepared? This might not be that easy." Vegeta relinquishes hold with his left hand and summons the crescent shaped object he picked up earlier into his empty hand through telekinesis.

"… I know. But, like you said, he's family and is only d-doing this to try and p-protect me. … Lord Vegeta?"

"Yes Ayeka?"

"Be-before we go, I need to know something. Please, talk to me about y-yesterday and when y-you k-k-kissed me." Ayeka's eyes avoid Vegeta's as she brings up that brief second of time that has been plaguing her mind, the moment that only her own disowning could boot from the forefront of thought. Her cheeks, still with the tracks of drying tears running down them, flush, slight colour even graces Vegeta's face.

Vegeta pauses and silence falls. He inhales in preparation to talk, but just exhales again in a sigh as his smirk dies. The time has arrived. It's only fair that if she has to face something unpleasant due to him he has to confront something that will leave him equally ill at ease. He just hopes answering won't cause as much of a calamity as Kirito's arrival. Ayeka noticeably steels her already fragile self.

"Very well. Yesterday was … yesterday was a time when emotions ran on high. It would be unfair of me to carry on leading you on in ignorance because … I just can't." He said it. Well, at least to one of them, he still has to have the same conversation with a cyan haired space pirate some time later today. Vegeta leaves no time for Ayeka to react to his words, he ploughs on, getting this load of his chest.

"I cannot give to you what you want. Not at this moment. I'm sorry my actions last night raised your hopes for I know how you feel for me … but I'm still in love with Bulma. I can't. I need time, time to get over her and her passing before I could think about settling down again with another woman. I cannot reciprocate these feelings you have for me now and I apologise for leading you to believe so. I'm sorry."

A shiver passes down Ayeka's spine. She retracts her hands from his and pulls them to her chest, over her stricken heart. That was not what she wanted to hear. He was polite and gracious in his explanation of where his heart lies yet she cannot help but feel her own heart sink and a bitter taste creep into her mouth. He did not utterly reject her she realises, he just needs the time to expunge himself of the grief he has kept within him for too long. One last tear departs from each of her eyes.

In the awkward silence following in the wake of Vegeta's statement, he gently places her tiara back on her forehead, brushing her fringe out of the way as he does so and wiping away her tears with his thumb. He tries to smile at her, but not knowing where he now stands with her it appears artificial and forced. Ayeka though does smile back at him. She is holding onto that silver lining she has glimpsed, her chance at happiness here hasn't been extinguished just postponed for a while.

"It's Ok. I-I understand, Lord Vegeta. She … she was your first love and the mother to your son. I wouldn't want you to feel as if you were betraying the wife you l-love for the sake of someone like me … I can wait."