Ryoko is not best pleased. The thundering roars and shouts got her attention whilst she was dozing on her bed, seeing the two police officers sat down outside the Juraians' room piqued her interest and what she saw within that room vexed her greatly. Making sure not to be spotted by Vegeta whilst spying on him as she phased her face through the ceiling she watched him and her for several minutes before she had had enough and had to leave. Now sat upon the roof in a simple tight fitting red dress with a scowl upon her face she curses how she gave Ayeka over to Vegeta basically on a silver platter for him. She knew his wife had died due to a heart virus but she never thought that it would give him such a great weakness to others being ill, especially women. Although her tactic yesterday was not to get Ayeka sick today by leaving her to freeze in the Arctic circle she is still the one who gave her rival this golden opportunity with the Saiyan they both adore and want for themselves. Interrupting their little moment they are having is a definite no-go, she'd just end up getting shouted at again and on her arse outside like the cops. Sulking and sat on her own, Ryoko wishes the princess a swift recovery but only for the reason of cutting short her time spent with the prince and his secret weakness.
They shared a night together in each other's arms and now there he is beside the bed of a different woman. Ryoko's bitterness and jealousy towards Ayeka is peaking at an all time high. Before Vegeta fell asleep she learnt from him that the prince and princess have shared a kiss and consequently how she views her and the Saiyan's relationship between themselves has waned greatly. She will not allow herself to be overtaken by the royal from the race she hates. With a mean and hard look upon her face Ryoko begins to plan and plot as grey clouds drift past above her.
" … So Lady Ayeka, how long do you think we've got till Jurai pays Earth another visit?" Vegeta is still knelt beside Ayeka, constantly watching over her and her condition, and tries to engage in small talk to pass the time more for the under the weather princess than for himself. He felt a ki disturbance above him, hiding is of no use to someone so attuned to his surroundings as he. Ayeka goes to respond to him but ends up coughing instead, covering her mouth with one of her pale hands. By the time she looks back at the prince nursing her he already has one of her lace handkerchiefs held out for her which she takes and thanks him for.
" Unless either me or Sasami tells her otherwise I would not say there would be longer than a week between mother's visits at most. Not that I would want to deprive mother of seeing her daughters I should probably use one of Washu's communicators to ask for some space and time alone on this planet and keep in touch with her that way." Neither of them is too keen on the idea of having Misaki constantly drop by and disturbing them. That doting mother has caused quite a lot of bother for Vegeta, engaging her daughter to him and such, and he does not care for such overly emotional weaklings disrupting him from training. As a sister Ayeka is aware of the fact that Sasami would benefit from conversing with her mother regularly and even she herself might fancy spending some time each day talking to her for lack of better things to do around the Saiyan's house. The super Saiyan stands up and looks out of the window as he frowns.
" I take it then you would be against the idea of me pounding that Tuffle into oblivion. Shame, it might have been some good sport to drive another species into extinction." Vegeta coldly chuckles to himself. He is angry with what that scientist dared to do and the snowball effect her actions have had, she just couldn't leave well enough alone and obviously tried to take advantage of the weakened state he was in. His father made her the last of the Tuffles and now he has a great desire to bring an end to her species. A man with a microscopic capacity for forgiveness will not let her think she can cross him again.
"Lord Vegeta! I forbid you from killing Miss Washu. Whatever transpired yesterday is in the past-"
" You don't know what she did or what that caused. Did you like being stranded in the cold or being sick now? That is Washu's fault and she has not been punished accordingly for her actions." Vegeta and Ayeka stare at each other with serious faces. Their views from opposing cultures and sides of an ended war clashing again. Neither is willing to compromise with the other. The Saiyan blames the pink haired female from the same planet he was born on for the current physical suffering of the princess and the psychological and emotional turmoil that it is putting him through. Ayeka coughs again into her handkerchief.
"No. At that point those things occurring were not of her choice. For me being like this and treated like that is Ryoko's fault, and yours Vegeta. You just want any excuse to vent your sadism and anger on someone, and you promised your wife to never kill or did you forget?" The Juraian still has not fully forgiven him for his poor choice yesterday as she speaks snidely. She loves Vegeta, but that does not mean she is blind to who he is or likes every aspect of him, like his wife before her she conflicts with him over his insensitivity towards murder. She sits up slightly, resting her back on the pillows and her head against the headboard and brushes her lengthy strands of purple out of her way. Vegeta turns his body to face her and a gust of balmy air wafts her way. He grins.
"That promise was made with the exception to protect my family and/or others, I can happily classify her as a hazard to be exterminated. But don't pretend like I am the only sadist here. I saw you fighting Ryoko. You thoroughly enjoyed electrocuting and trying to roast Ryoko alive with your ki and don't you try and deny it."
Ayeka just silently looks at him, glowering. It is true what he says, if she were to attempt disputing his claim she would fail. He can really be a cunning bastard when he wants to. She shakes her head and sighs. She always seems to forget that the more time she spends in the company of the Saiyan the probability of reaching a point of contention increases. Those times when he is honestly kind and caring and worrying about her generally overshadow his dark past but eventually he does or says something and the charm wears off and she is left with the fact that she has fallen for a killer. A redeemed and heroic killer who will sacrifice his life for hers or her younger sister but he is still a man with the blood of innocents on his hands. Dealing with her love for such an abrasive warrior is not easy for her but through the long month when he was suffering penance for his mortal sins it became easier for her to partially accept her feelings for this man and who this man is. Ayeka groans to herself and pulls her blankets higher to cover her better in this half sitting position and spies out of the corner of her vision a flash of fear and concern on the prince's face. His inner dichotomy still confuses her.
"I shall let her live, despite how much pleasure it would give me to kill her. She probably knows this as well and that is why she continues to push me, that goddamn woman has cemented herself too well into this house. Washu is someone I need alive but for one reason: maintaining and repairing my training room. That doesn't mean however she can live a pain free life under my roof." He sits down on the floor next to her bed as he talks, a large trace of aggravation in his words at admitting that Washu is now an indispensable part of his life. Vegeta wants that woman gone from his house or preferably from the mortal coil altogether however his training regime breeds certain necessities and she has wheedled her way into that list of requirements. He is dead certain that Washu has long since figured out his need for her and will use this one card she holds to keep herself alive. Though, he will make sure she realises how thin a wire she is treading and how she is now his slave. He looks up to see the disdainful eyes of the Juraian royal.
"Please, Lord Vegeta, you know I do not like it when you talk about such things. You are here to take care of me and make me feel better, not to depress me with your macabre obsession with death and pain. I know you have committed unforgivable sins but you don't need to keep going on about them like you are boasting with some other like-minded barbarians. I don't like you talking about it Vegeta." She turns her head to face away from him as she mumbles to herself the last sentence. Wearily Ayeka rubs at her forehead and feels a gust that blows her hair into disarray. A shining hand brushes the purple strands from her face and holds her fringe up as a warrior's face comes into her view and his hawk-like blue eyes scan her face. Trying very hard not to let it show, the princess smiles ever so slightly at the nervous and worried behaviour of this destroyer of worlds over her. He is still as completely on edge as when she first woke up and it amuses her to see him like this, his whole front of cold-heartedness cast aside by her merely rubbing at her head.
"I understand Lady Ayeka. Bulma hated me bringing up my past or opinions on such matters, Trunks as well for that matter. … Hmm, you seem OK but I will not let my guard down, appearances can be deceptive."
Downstairs in the living room Mihoshi sits contently watching daytime television by herself as Kiyone left her to investigate the training room now that it is unoccupied to see if it is of any use to someone like her. There is very little the main console offers her in form of choices, plenty in ways for her to die before her brain realises it's dead but not much for her to use for training purposes. The only thing left for her is to turn on double Earth's gravity and do what she sees the Saiyan constantly doing in here. In the kitchen Sasami is busy preparing fresh vegetables for a new batch of soup that she can give to her sister. The girl hums to herself as she cuts and peels the root vegetables with the skill and speed of a professional chef whilst also trying to keep Ryo-ohki from pillaging her prepared food. Just outside the front door Yamcha sits with Puar hovering around him. They are talking to each other fairly quietly but with an air of seriousness covering their topic of discussion. The blue flying cat seems adamant about something and is trying to persuade his long time friend to agree with what he is saying. Yamcha sees the truth in his best friend's words but still shakes his head and prolongs their conversation. Ryoko teleports down into the house and takes note of all of this, making sure she knows precisely where everyone is and what they are doing. There is no sign of Trunks nearby but as she cannot sense his ki she feels she is safe enough to do as she pleases. With no-one watching she silently enters Washu's laboratory.
This is not somewhere that brings back good memories for her nor is it a place she likes being in but she has her reasons for being here. Quickly she takes to the air, distrusting the ground here and acting wary of every corner and shadow in this dimly lit dimension. Her cat-like pupils dilate and adjust to the low level lighting and scan her surroundings whilst she also probes about with her ki sensing abilities. All is clear as far as she can tell. Smiling mischievously to herself she flies off with little knowledge of where she is heading or what she will find in here but with a goal in her mind and hoping luck is on her side. Her golden eyes reflect the light in the darkness, two bright orbs hovering high and rapidly fleeing from sight in a flash of red. Ryoko's progress is slow as she carefully and constantly checks her surroundings to make sure there are no surprises laying in wait for her. She only has one location that she can lock onto in this whole place and that is where she is heading, towards the only signature of ki in here different from all the background noise of Yamcha's drained energy.
Taking a while to get there within this labyrinthine and illogically designed quasi-space Ryoko peers around a corner and finds who she is looking for. Phasing within the ceiling to conceal herself to an even greater degree in this place of shade and low visibility she flies closer and closer until she is directly above her target. Typing, clicking and drawing furiously away on a tablet, Washu sits. Totally absorbed within her work and seemingly oblivious to the pirate intently staring at her from a few feet above her high ponytail, Washu summons another monitor before her and swipes across what she was conceptualising and designing on the tablet onto the new screen. Ryoko continues to lay in wait and patiently observes the pink haired woman below, waiting and waiting for the time she can get her hands on her target.
Washu stretches out her arms and rubs her shoulders as she carries on looking busy but in actuality is skim reading the many proximity alerts appearing inconspicuously upon her screen. Opening up a database of mind-boggling complex data she can pretend to be busy analysing, Washu's great brain busies itself deducing the intentions of her uninvited guest and what to do about her. Half thankful that it is not the Saiyan breaking down her door and her limbs, Washu sets up a recording device on her keyboard, touchpad and monitors before standing up and walking out of the room with tablet in hand. Walking and still walking even when she is clearly out of sight of the room she left knowing that Ryoko will be following her movements through ki, Washu brings up the feeds of the recorders she left active at her workstation on her tablet and waits for her trap to get sprung. Data flows into her handheld device and she smiles at how simple and easy it can be to fool some people.
Having perfectly gauged Ryoko's reasons for coming into a place she by any rights should be avoiding, Washu's emerald eyes glisten in the darkness at what she is reading. It is interesting to her and amusing to watch someone so completely out of their depth try and operate her personal computers. She minimises the security alerts coming from files being accessed by someone without her DNA. Suddenly turning around and casually strolling back to the place she left a few minutes ago the feeds show a great increase in speed of blindly accessed data, Ryoko is panicking and hurrying much to her satisfaction. Then it stops. The recorders come up with nothing new, all files closed and activity ceased. She must have found what she was after then Washu deduces and looks at the final program run. Her brows frown. That is not something she expected. A most unusual goal was what Ryoko had in mind apparently. Playtime over, Washu returns to her desk and returns to work.
Smirking to herself, she slides the item she spawned down the front of her crimson dress. A small cylindrical container with a lid and a very detailed label nestles itself in her cleavage as the pirate makes good her escape and teleports back towards the exit. Ryoko views it as a stroke of luck in that Washu so quickly left her holographic laptops unattended so that she could make use of its transport system and grab an item she believed to be within this lab. Of course all of her plan was based off assumption but it turns out she did not overestimate Washu at all, in fact she greatly underestimated her but she is yet to discover that. Opening the door to the real world the space pirate has to think fast and in the blink of an eye teleports again having nearly walked straight into Yamcha and Puar on the other side of the door. Back outside and on the roof of Vegeta's house Ryoko waits a minute to see if the bandit will follow her and question what she was doing and after a minute she believes herself to be in the clear; Yamcha having shrugged off seeing an alarmed Ryoko teleport in-front of him for she was much too slow to avoid his speed.
Levitating down from on top of the house she now calls home she pulls out the small plastic bottle of pills from her bosom and flicks the lid off. Ryoko empties the pills the bottle contains into her hands and sniffs at them. Satisfied that they give off no odour she drops all of the pills onto the damp ground save for two. She secrets these remaining pills under her faux tail belt. Confident with how well her plan has come together so far she once again teleports within the house and floats inside the kitchen and behind the blue haired girl busy simmering a pot of soup. Speed is on her side, she can strike and complete her plan without ever being spotted by Sasami, however there is one element she was not counting on. With pills in an outstretched hand making its way towards the steaming broth the pet she had forgotten about makes itself known. Ryo-ohki meows loudly at its mistress' appearance and bounds happily into the outreaching hand of the pirate who forgot about her own ship. Responding to the meow and a cabbit jumping cleanly over her head the young chef turns around to see Ryoko looking bemused and stroking the brown fuzz-ball sat on the pills she was about to drop in. Sasami looks up at the adult and frowns, crossing her arms with a ladle in hand.
"Miss Ryoko I don't want you in my kitchen, please leave." Sasami points to the door with her ladle and turns the heat down on the pot behind her that she cannot give her full attention to anymore. The legs of Ryoko reach down and touch the ground as the pirate sizes up this harmless girl standing up to her. To Ryoko it seems quite funny to actually see the kind and permanently happy lass finally show a different side to her. Apparently hitting her and abducting her sister yesterday annoyed this girl.
"Wait … you're actually angry aren't you? Huh, so even you can't hide your Juraian nature forever. But let me tell ya something girl, you can pout your lips and stomp your feet but you ain't getting an apology from me."
" I am a princess of Jurai, I don't pout or stomp my feet."
"Pulling the high and mighty princess card on me now are ya? I'm really sorry to tell you this kid but you're turning out like your sister." Ryoko kneels down so that she is face to face with the blue haired and blue blooded sibling to her rival and condescendingly smiles at her. In a very patronising manner she pats Sasami's head causing Ryo-ohki to jump down onto the work surface and begin scavenging for any scraps of carrots or other vegetables. Just before her hand touches the girl's head though Ryoko throws the pills still in her hand into the pot behind Sasami with her stood there none the wiser. Mocking and teasing this Juraian is proving great entertainment for Ryoko especially after nurse Vegeta spoiled her mood greatly.
"My sister is nice and kind and pretty and ten times better than you, you old woman. You're just a mean, stinky bully! I don't cook food for bullies so there, unless you say your sorry to me and to Ayeka you can make your own food." Sticking her tongue out, Sasami stands her ground against Ryoko. The hand on her head stops moving and retracts. A feared criminal concedes defeat at the hands of this innocent and pure hearted child. Ryoko can barely cook well enough to keep herself alive not that the taste of food makes any difference to her. She stands up and teleports back off into her room upstairs having accomplished what she came in here too do and her source of fun now gone, leaving Sasami on her own again and free to concentrate on the tainted pot of soup.
Not before long the boiling broth is finished and wearing oven mitts Sasami takes the pot off the heat and sets it down to momentarily cool as she fetches a bowl. The hearty aroma of the lovingly prepared soup permeates the entire house, causing some Saiyan nostrils to quiver expectantly and hungrily. Sasami ladles in a generous serving of the warming food and before she leaves the kitchen to deliver this bowl she picks up an item she found whilst rummaging around the cupboards she thinks might be of some use.
A quiet knock is heard on Ayeka's door, Vegeta opens it, illuminates the corridor with his golden light and a summery wave of heat impacts the girl delivering food. Sasami hands over the soup she made to the adult now in charge of taking care of her sister and looks over to her still bed bound sibling asking how she is. Ayeka smiles reassuringly to her worried little sister and tells her she is fine but just needs a bit more rest. She nods, happy that her sister is OK, before disappearing back downstairs knowing she will just get in the way if she were to stay with them. Back downstairs she is surprised to spot someone she hasn't seen today at all. She walks up and greets Trunks who is lounging on the sofa playing video games with Mihoshi who insisted that he let her play as well. In response to Sasami saying hello to him he simply tosses her a controller which she gladly picks up to join in playing games on the holographic projector.
The bowl he is holding is still piping hot and so for the time being Vegeta sets down the fresh batch of soup down until Ayeka can safely consume it. His attention though is drawn towards this secondary item that Sasami brought up with her: a thermometer. He holds it up, balancing it on the tip of one of his fingers, showing it to the princess before giving it to her. Vegeta turns his back to her as Ayeka looks at the measuring device in her lap. She is not too sure as to why the Saiyan has gone and turned away from her after giving this to her after practically lavishing his constant and undivided attention on her because of her illness but picks up this device and puts it in her mouth. Waiting a minute for Vegeta to turn back around and take her temperature in a more accurate manner than touching her flesh with his she purposefully coughs to gain his attention. Fighting his urge to swivel around and check on her health after hearing her cough he asks her if she is done. She replies with a simple yes. Turning his head slowly he sees her sat there with a thermometer in her mouth still waiting for him. He sighs.
" Lady Ayeka, that is not an oral thermometer ..." Vegeta turns his head back around to face away from her as the cogs slowly turn in the princess' head. She looks down at the thing in her mouth, frowning in confusion at what he means. If this isn't meant to take her temperature like this she cannot think of how else, or where else, it could work. It simply doesn't make sense to her. Her eyes suddenly widen in shock and disgust and she spits out the thermometer as she is hit by realisation and understanding. A coughing fit seizes her and she grabs for her handkerchief to cover her mouth as Vegeta hurries to her side to check on her health. His eyes glance over at the discarded thermometer but as he has no knowledge of the core body temperature of Juraian's the numbers it displays means little to him. He reaches for the bowl of soup and blows on it to cool it down whilst offering her a spoonful of it to soothe her throat which she accepts and swallows. Complaining that it is still far too hot for her to eat she refuses any more and the coughing soon comes to an end.
Vegeta watches her still even though he can do little to stop her coughing or to treat her illness in general but the fact that there is something he can do, no matter how small, is enough for him. He sits down on the edge of her bed, his head turned to keep an eye on her. Feeling uncomfortable from his stare and proximity Ayeka blushes slightly and looks down at her hands resting on her lap. She twiddles her thumbs and bites her lip before looking up again at his harrowing gaze.
" Lord Vegeta please don't. I've told you before about my bed, it's- it's not proper. I know you mean well but all this is …" Speaking quietly she breaks eye contact with him again. This situation is still embarrassing for her. It is far too intimate and he has overstepped several boundaries she would rather he hadn't, one of which is simply being in her room. The Saiyan steadily rises and seats himself on the adjacent bed belonging to Sasami. Without looking he reaches behind him and picks up the stuffed animal Misaki left behind for her daughter. Ayeka blushes again as he gently tosses it over to her. She sets it down beside her pillow and looks across at the man in her bedchambers. Vegeta sits and waits. The smell of the soup is enticing to him however he ignores it and thinks of a way to pass the time.
" … If a vegetarian were to argue with you about eating meat being wrong, how long would it take until you changed your diet and lifestyle because of their incessant words?" He looks up at her with an evil smirk on his face. A duel will pass the time, a verbal debate between him and the princess. Small talk is not his strong suit and so testing his wit against hers seems the preferred choice. Ayeka frowns at him. His not too subtle subtext is clear for her to see.
" Lord Vegeta, comparing the lives of cattle and beasts to that of Juraianoids does not work. They are different. A farmer killing a bantha is completely different to you murdering someone." Sitting upright against the backboard she faces Vegeta and takes a no nonsense approach towards his instigation. She combs and brushes her hair with her fingers as the warm air from the Saiyan tickles her skin. Their swords are drawn and brandished before them, his lack of ethics once again taking the helm as a main topic of controversy between these two proud royals. Ayeka is not really in the mood for opening up this can of worms once again. She wants to end this quickly and set straight his corrupted morals if she can. Vegeta smiles and lounges back onto Sasami's bed.
" Why is it? An animal is an animal and a life is a life, the worth you attribute to one and not the other is completely fictional."
"Sentience, compassion, emotions, intelligence, those traits separate us from mindless beasts. In your time on the other side did you see the souls of any livestock?" A very quick riposte from the Juraian. Vegeta sits up and begins to take notice of what she is saying for he can sense the seriousness in her speech and was not expecting her to bring up his deaths. If she is going to take it seriously then he shall take it to the next level. He knows of a grey zone in her logic that he can exploit.
" How would I know if I did or not, without a body species are indeterminable and Hell isn't exactly a place I'd imagine many farm animals being sentenced to. But if what you say is true then where do Saiyans come into it. After all, aren't we just barbaric monkeys compared to all the 'higher' races like yourself?"
" Those are merely racist slurs and even though you try to hide and repress your emotions you still contain all the previous traits I listed."
"You would not be saying that if you had ever seen my Oozaru form and I mean in real life not on those recordings you saw. All those with Saiyan blood and a tail are able to become savage beasts, completely wild and untamed without the proper training. From what you claim all Saiyans apart from me are animals at that point, and so by your definition if I killed Kakarot when he were an Oozaru it would not be wrong." Vegeta smiles, satisfied with the point he has made as he watches the princess's eyebrows furrow. She does not like what she is hearing and knows he is just arguing for argument's sake but what he is saying is something she feels strongly about. A transformation that appears to jump across her subjective classifications has thrown her whole plan of attack out the window, if she continues down this line he will force her to backtrack and take back her words which he will consider his victory. She scowls at him, irritated by his persistence about there being no inherent value to life, and exaggerates a shiver to exploit his personal weakness. Right on cue he is now sat on the edge of her sister's bed with a look of understanding on his face, Ayeka isn't playing nice anymore.
"Enough. Your argument is flawed. Vegeta, killing is wrong. Do not try and argue otherwise and stop reminding me of all the lives you have ended. You are a murderer and you have been damned for your sins. You cannot talk me around what you have done. Is not your eternal sentence proof enough against your way of life?" Ayeka's voice is austere. She has said the point that Vegeta cannot argue against, he cannot deny the month of suffering and torture he went through because of his deeds. If the higher powers that be or gods denounce those who have killed then he is in no place to try and justify his actions from a moral standpoint. Bringing up his deaths is not something she really wanted to do for remembering back to the time when he was deceased still saddens her but because of that she knows it will also have an effect on the Saiyan. Feeling like she has won and taking his following silence as an admission of defeat she watches as Vegeta stands up and looks out of the window. Saying nothing for a while he stands there observing the natural world outside through his blue dyed eyes.
" You said it yourself though Lady Ayeka, I am just a weapon. A weapon that was too strong and powerful for the weaklings I killed, and if I am a weapon then what other purpose do I have than to kill?" Speaking with his back turned to her, he makes use of words she used against her father. He has no want to be described as some sort of unthinking thing that had no will or mind of its own and so he turns that description back on her.
"Shut up. I told you to stop it, and that's an order."
" You have the same breaking point as Bulma. She would always terminate the argument there whenever we had it, and she always hated it when I rebelled against her 'moral schooling' like this." He chuckles to himself. That is victory he can taste on his tongue. Her no longer trying to counter his words but just trying to block them means she has no witty comeback or logic to worm her way back into this argument. Vegeta turns his head to her with a confident grin on his face to her but his smile falls when he sees her. She is trembling. He has pushed things way too far and greatly upset her with this whole talk about his awfully skewed moral compass.
"And I hate it too! Do I have to repeat myself and tell you to not mention such things? I know that you're bored and would rather spend your time cooped up inside your den of psychological retreat then dare to spend it with your own son or, by Jurai, even me but you don't have to try and push me away like this all the time. I hate your past. I hate what you've done and how you try to hang onto your nefarious past even though you know that it is wrong and cruel!" Ayeka raises her voice to him vehemently and looks indignantly at the super Saiyan stood next to her. She has had enough from him. His teasing, making light of murder and the fact that he won't listen to her and just admit that killing is evil has pushed her over the edge.
" It is who I am. I will not discard my identity as the Prince of all Saiyans just because it offends people." The Saiyan turns his body to face her and kneels down so he is at eye level with her. His cold words give fuel to the fires of passion lighting within her. The pebble blocking the boulder has been kicked away and the landslide is already underway.
" Don't you realise you have already forfeited it? Your human wife and child, sacrificing your life for others, caring for me while I am ill and breaking my marriage to my brother, what do any of those things have to do with being a Saiyan? Nothing. You are not that genocidal maniac who bowed to Lord Frieza nor are you some machine made solely for the purpose of destruction and death. Vegeta, you are a widower, a single father and a good man at heart … it's just you try and bury it down beneath those calluses of your dark and troubled past, veiling it behind your arrogance and ego and addiction to power. What you try and cut off from yourself is not a weakness like you think, it's not some parasite that will sap you of all your pride and strength nor is it anything shameful to be embarrassed about, it simply is the final chain holding you back from the man you could become." Ayeka's fiery words assault his notion of who he is and attack at the core problem she sees at the heart of his persona, the non-acceptance of change. Passionately she tries to get him to see things from her perspective instead of from his blinkered and narrow viewpoint. If he would just listen to her and not let his pride dictate that all apart from him are wrong. She can still feel the warmth pulsating from his being warming her up and lifting the chill from her bones whilst flames of anger tickle her core. Her crimson eyes are locked on his unnatural hued irises and her words come from her heart but she can see that none of it is getting through his impenetrable sense of self, sometimes he is truly an impossible man to deal with and it infuriates her.
" A nice speech, but you fail to see that perhaps becoming like the rest of you is something I do not desire. It is always me changing and compromising until I am barely recognisable from who I was and it still is not enough to satisfy you people. Saiyans do not by nature become like me, and especially not like that clown. Everything you and Bulma try and push upon me is unnatural and goes against what I am. The purpose of a warrior is to kill."
" The purpose of a warrior is to protect and to defend those who cannot defend themselves. I'm sure you've heard this before or else you wouldn't have promised your dead wife to never kill again unless necessary so stop going on with this – this – all of this and accept who you are right now. "
" It is not that simple. And now I suppose you'll try and put my pride to question by setting this as something I am incapable of and working off that angle, I know, this is not my first time through this conversation. I commend your passion and ferocious offensive my fiancée-"
Ayeka's hand darts out and grabs the front of his vest. At the sound of that one last word he said tears begin to well in her eyes. She lowers her head with her fringe falling down and veiling her face. Vegeta falls silent and looks down at her and the hand on him. What he tried to do has hurt her. The princess has had enough of his mind games and him toying with her like he does so with that pronoun he used. She raises her head with daggers in her wet eyes and the grip on him tightens.
"No! Don't. Lord Vegeta I am not so dumb or fickle to be played with like that. I am wise to your games of using my-m-my … of using that word to try and get control over me. ... Don't do it. Don't say it. You mock and dishonour me each time you do but even though I know it I can't help but feel … I am Ayeka, princess of Jurai, and not your plaything to amuse yourself with! If you want someone purely for distracting or entertaining yourself with then why not search for Ryoko or those police women, but not me. You-you've told me how you do not agree to this arrangement, you've told me that you won't and I respect your decision. But don't, for the love of Tsunami, don't use it against me. Don't toy with my emotions. … Please. …. I don't like your coldness, I don't like your nonchalance, your deviousness and I hate you sometimes. … And sometimes … sometimes I wish I didn't – that I didn't – that I – I … I can't say it! Why? Why can't I say that I … I l-no!" Infuriated at him and his actions, frustrated by her own inhibitions and her inability to confess her feelings of love to this man's face, Ayeka protests and shouts her feelings as much as her heart will allow her to. Her left hand has joined her other clutching at the front of Vegeta's outfit. Venting herself and all the emotions she has been disguising behind her sensibilities and ladylike mannerisms she just really, really wants to be able to finish that last sentence and be able to say it; to sum up the courage and let loose those heavy and meaningful words to him.
A strong hand gently pats her on her head and strokes her hair in a soothing motion to calm the exasperated and upset princess. A second hand closes over the two delicate and pale hands tight as vices on his vest. Red eyes gaze into his. The golden aura and light fades from the room. Despite her words to the contrary the touch and feel of Vegeta is most welcome to her. The heat pulsating from his being has stopped now so as not to burn her soft and tender skin. Her eyes close, squeezing out a few saline drops, and her emotions overwhelm her. Ayeka falls forward and rests her head against his rock-solid chest, feeling his gentle and soothing stroking.
"You have said it before, and words are just words no matter how many times you repeat them. I know how you feel for me and trust me I understand the feeling of wanting conscious control over that insipid part of our minds, you can gain partial control over your emotions and suppress them but never can you dictate what you actually feel. If such a thing were possible Trunks would not exist and this whole planet would be run by the androids. Lady Ayeka, I apologise for using your emotions as I did. I shall not call you my fiancée if that is what you wish." Vegeta comforts and apologises to Ayeka, his efforts to entertain himself whilst keeping an eye out on her health being the reason for this outburst from the royal maiden. He cannot feel her lowered temperature through his own thick and leathery skin but underneath the powerful aroma of the soup he can still smell sickness in the air along with something else. His underlying phobia concerning her illness is still present and occupies a constant part of the forefront of his mind but that doesn't mean he does not also care about her emotional well-being as well. As much as he tried to talk big about his killer instincts his humanisation shows through strong as does Ayeka's point about him being a different man. Warriors have no need to comfort the weak but here he is with the princess of Jurai in his arms. Ayeka pulls back slightly and he lets go of her. She settles back down into her bed without a word, but not without a slight rosy colouration to her cheeks as Vegeta tucks her back in to make sure she is properly insulated and will stay warm.
" … What I wish is for you to only call me that … if-if … if you mean it …" Pulling the covers over her mouth as she whispers, Ayeka rolls onto her side and turns her back on the Saiyan. Vegeta hears her. The room has been heated up to a high enough temperature that his transformation is no longer necessary and so he remains in base form. He lets silence reign in the room whilst the fallout of their last conversation settles in both of their minds. Moving back to Sasami's bed and sitting down upon it he takes up his vigil again and senses about him to ascertain everyone's location. Annoyed that he can sense Kiyone within his training room, everything else seems to be in order. The only good thing he can see coming out of this inability to be training is that it will give his leg's bone a chance to start knitting together and his body time to rest and get back up to its maximum strength. With ki in his body he can easily keep his fractured leg under control and stop the pain but extreme gravity will worsen it a great deal; unlike most sensible beings who would see this as a warning and so lose all want to train he only perceives it as a hurdle he needs to overcome and beat.
Closing his eyes to meditate, he keeps his sixth sense keyed on Ayeka whilst patiently waiting for her to heal. The soup is cooling down but it appears that the resting woman has no want for the bowl of food. His mind drifts as it ever does towards his one goal in life and the chasm of a gap he has to somehow bridge through sheer determination alone. Zenkai has done close to nothing for him ever since he ascended to the realms of legend and even if he could harness its power his pride would not allow him to voluntarily take a loss to gain a random amount of strength. If he is to beat Goku he is to do it solely by his own merit alone and without the aid or help of any others. Frowning to himself at the thought of how little all the decades of hard work have brought him to being the best he shakes his head at the ludicrous growth that his rival has that he has always lacked. Opening his eyes he sees the princess looking at him from her bed.
" Um, Lord Vegeta?" Ayeka appears to be minutely fidgeting about under her covers. Her face is slightly flushed though some of it seems not to be originating from just embarrassment. Vegeta sits up straight and within an instant is stood by her bedside. " … I … I feel ..."
" Is it the illness? Do you want more food or heat?" Sparks fly and dazzling radiance blinds Ayeka as Vegeta ascends to super Saiyan 2. A crushing hand is squeezing his ability for rational thought as fear and panic claws at his mind. Bulma's death broke him and that mental fragility is spreading. Anxious and worried, he stares intently at the princess rubbing at her eyes whilst her retinas display dancing shapes. Getting most of her vision back she still has to squint through Vegeta's intense luminescence and her hands drop down underneath her covers and clutch at her stomach. A pained expression is on her face. This sight cuts straight through Vegeta.
"No, no it's not, well I don't think it is my illness but I feel … I feel strange. It's weird Vegeta."
" It's OK, you're OK Ayeka. I'll go get Washu to recheck her diagnosis of you and see if she can make you healthy again. You will get better I promise." More attempting to reassure himself than the sick woman in her bed, the warrior looks urgently about and at the doorway. With his mind in disarray he stands still for a few seconds, his want to get help equating his psychological need to stay by her side. A hand reaches out and grabs a hold of his wrist to stop him from leaving. His hair softens and the lightning around him subsides as does most of his aura, snarling at himself and his lack of control he looks back down at Ayeka. Her palms are sweaty as are his.
"Wait. Lord Vegeta you don't need to do that. I just – I – I just feel like I … I have to go."
"Go? No, you're staying right where you are. I will go, I will get Washu." He frowns at her confusing request and instantly denies her. The hand holding his wrist tightens its grip and tugs at him as pleading eyes look at him. Ayeka shuffles about in obvious discomfort.
" Vegeta please, I didn't mean like that. I have to powder my nose. Please Vegeta. I have to go, now." Ayeka words things with a different euphemism this time and really hopes he catches on as she is in pain now. The widening eyes of the Saiyan show that he has now heard her loud and clear and was not prepared for such an eventuality. She is bed bound and ill and he is left with no choice. Descending back down into base form he flips her blankets aside and gently picks her up with both arms. He is very careful not to jolt her as he lifts her and sees the spreading blush on Ayeka's face. She holds onto him and whispers for him not to look at her for now without her bed covers covering her he can see she is only wearing a light heel-length night robe. Opening her bedroom door with telekinesis he walks as briskly as he dare with her in his arms and takes her to the bathroom. Leaving her inside and giving her some much needed privacy the warrior prince teleports out of the bathroom.
That was rather undignified for both of these royal blooded people and embarrassing. Vegeta's ears twitch. Though disguised and muffled he can pick up on a sound that does not please him, nor truly surprise him, in the slightest. Within her own room he can hear the giggling of a certain space pirate. He teleports into her room behind her with his arms crossed and a stern look upon his face. Still chuckling at the practical joke she pulled off without a hitch Ryoko turns around smiling at the Saiyan.
" Back again so soon Vegey? I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away now you've had a little taste." Grinning cheekily as she teases him, Ryoko playfully licks her lips.
" What did you put in Ayeka's soup?" The Saiyan will not humour her nor play her games, he is here for answers and nothing more. His eyes bore holes into the pirate's face, his intimidating scowl demanding these answers from her swiftly. Ryoko continues to smile at him mischievously.
" Me? You think I would do something so childish as spike that princess's food, don't you trust me Vegey? I mean, it's not as if I have a reason to do such a thing nurse Vegeta." Ryoko overtly feigns innocence, not hiding behind her act this time but using it as a medium to simply get across her annoyance at Vegeta's doting behaviour over a woman other than herself. She teleports and lays down on her bed. Vegeta turns to follow her movements, he sighs to himself.
"Jealousy, again, really? You have less self control than a Saiyan transforming under the moon for the first time. Ryoko, you are the one who made Ayeka sick, you left her out in that blizzard and now there are consequences to your actions you don't like. Are you that much of a child you always have to tantrum and shout for attention anytime I look away for a second?" He scoffs at her immaturity at dealing with her palpable envy over something that she caused. This constant one-upmanship and rivalry between the two for his affection that neither can win at this moment in time is something he would rather do without, their efforts are pointless until he has properly moved on from his first love. However telling them to bury the hatchet or settle things between the two of them would be extremely hypocritical of himself and go against his own principles, so whilst they have no control over his hatred of Goku he has no ability to end this permanent state of conflict engulfing his household.
" What, and you expected me not to care that you go running off to that bitch's bed after leaving mine in such a hurry? You said you were going to train and you lied to me. Instead you were having a nice little heart to heart chat with her when you wouldn't even give me the time of day. I saw you in there, trembling with fear and worry over her and looking pathetic-"
" The prince of all Saiyans is not pathetic. You saw nothing in there, got it?" Vegeta lifts Ryoko up into the air with a crushing grip clutching the front of her red dress. His black eyes are scorching with infuriation at his pride being mocked so and angry at himself for letting his weaknesses show so blatantly. His deathly stare is met by the resentful glare of Ryoko. She gets her knees underneath her on the mattress and phases out of his grasp. Smoothing out her dress and brushing a lock of hair behind an elfin ear she shows no signs of fear about his aggressive display and continues staring at him till he gradually lowers his clenched hand.
" Please, and here you are calling me a child. If you want to see how adult I can be I'll show you right here and now Vegey, and anyway you should be thanking me. Now with her crappy body all purged out she'll be better in no time and you can go off and train like you said you would." She crosses her slender arms over her bosom and looks at him with her face turned to the side. In her mind she believes that her actions, though unorthodox and based off a very simplistic understanding of bacteria or viruses within the body, will ultimately improve Ayeka's health through violent expulsion of any foreign bodies that could have infected her. She expected Vegeta to understand this as well and not be this hostile towards her, after all she is helping in her own way, and for her own desires. Vegeta shakes his head to himself over her stupidity.
" That's not how hypothermia works Ryoko." The door to Ryoko's room is opened and Washu strides in unimpressed by this extreme lack of medical understanding over such a simple condition. Vegeta's eyes shoot towards the scientist and the woman visibly flinches, it took her a lot of courage to knowingly enter a room with him in but for her plan to get back in his favour to work this is something necessary." Little miss thief over here thought it would be a good idea to steal some laxatives from my lab and try and finish off Ayeka who she nearly froze to death yesterday. For your information you just made matters worse and now Vegeta will have to spend twice as long acting as an inefficient heater unit. Next time you want to pull a little stunt like that either get my prescription or read the fine print for potential side effects."
Annoyed, Ryoko shouts at this unwanted intruder to leave her room, not liking what she is saying or how ultimately her efforts only served to prolong the thing she wanted to stop. Washu shrugs as she turns around in the doorway. A hand clamps down on her shoulder with enough strength to be painful. A shiver of dread runs down her spine. Vegeta tells Washu to stay and the woman obeys against her better judgement. Turning her around he directly asks her about the consequences of Ryoko playing doctor on Ayeka and the pills in question. Washu quickly replies after gulping down her trepidation and fear that there are only extremely minor chances of a bad reaction or a severe worsening of Ayeka's health due to the laxatives which clearly eases the mind and worries of the Saiyan who lets got of her. She motions towards the doorway again but all he has to do is shoot her a warning glance to stop her and tell her that he is not finished with her. His eyes lose their sharp edge to them as she keeps a watchful eye on him. Vegeta's expression sobers and his gaze momentarily flickers towards Ryoko on her bed.
" One thing I have to ask you Washu, why did you never use it yourself?"
Washu smirks knowingly to herself and exhales loudly. He disguised the topic he would like to discuss because of Ryoko and Washu sees that it worked. It is no real surprise to her that he would be curious and ponder over that which he found out was possible yesterday. She takes it as a good sign that he is being reasonable and discussing things with her and asking for her input on the matter rather than breaking down her matter. Despite all their differences they share this rare similarity. The same birthplace, the same ties to the planet that is no more and fate suffered at the hands of tyrants there, and the same knowledge that their species is gone.
" Tuffles, Saiyans, we have both had our time. No machine of mine can bring back the dead, using it for reasons like that would be pointless, besides the problem of getting enough volunteers for it to make a difference. … If you do want it repaired though I can put my analysis on that little beastie who gave you a run for your money on hold, still take a long time though. Long as in you'd be better off waiting for the dragonballs to stop being inert. " Washu states matter-of-factly. She's had plenty of time to think over this, the temptation to do what he suggested did surface a few times within her mind but digging up the past in such a fashion would do her no good. Her aid is strategically given to show him the great use she is to him and why it might be important for him not to end her like he promised to do. Before Vegeta can get a word in response the woman sat on her bed stands up and looks at the both of them for she has figured out what they are discussing. It stirs up dirt that has not got the chance to properly settle within her mind but after witnessing Vegeta's own weakness she sure as hell won't show her own.
" I don't need it repaired, nu-uh. I don't need your help Washu, you were wrong. It doesn't matter, he said so, it's not a problem. He promised me that it doesn't matter so thanks but no thanks. You might not know but I-"
"Oh I already know Ryoko. I know quite a lot of things that would surprise you, and if you were to compare that with my nocturnal activities ..." Washu cuts short Ryoko's act of bravado, considering herself the most intelligent organic being she knows of she does not like being called wrong or making a mistake. A dark presence rears its ugly head again within the room, and Washu has just gone and alienated herself from her only potential ally. Too late is the realisation that she has made another mistake.
"How about we forget how you came into possession of such knowledge for the moment and get straight to the point, did you have any intention of trying to blackmail me with this knowledge?" A man's form takes up the doorway blocking Washu's only way out. Vegeta awaits for her to answer as Ryoko lets him have his fun with the woman who diminished what she deems a great accomplishment. Fear floods into the emerald eyes of the scientist as a dark smile grows on the Saiyan's face watching his prey squirm under pressure. "Trunks will already know where I was forced to sleep by the way."
Both Washu and Ryoko look confused by Vegeta's statement which he seems pretty confident in considering he was unconscious for that time period and unable to sense his son. Truth be told Vegeta is right on the money as to one of Washu's backup plans though she does not want to attempt to blackmail someone like him, she knows he could find ways to stop her from ever being able to tell anyone.
"Um I'm pretty sure he doesn't, Vegey. Did I hit your head a little too hard last night or something 'cos it was just us two, strictly an adult only zone." Ryoko calls him out on his claim. She was awake for quite a long time enjoying his warmth and embrace and is very sure that it was not interrupted by a kid even for a moment.
"Did you notice that?" Ryoko looks about her in confusion from Vegeta's question. She is well aware of his returned power and speed, that was never in dispute, and she also sees the point he is making. If Trunks wanted to he could easily enter a room and leave before any of her senses alerted her to his presence, a not too pleasant thought for her considering the hostility that this impetuous youth has shown towards her. Vegeta nods at her seeing that she has come to the same realisation he did shortly after awaking. Spirals of smoke snake out from between his fingers and he watches Ryoko look about again to see what he did do, or at this point what he has gone and destroyed. All of her few belongings seem to be in the same anarchic order she put them in and although she would love it if he were bold enough to do so she knows it would be too much to hope that he stole some of her clothing from her drawers. The black eyes of Vegeta point her search upwards. A vacant slot greets Ryoko and her face falls. For a few seconds she just blankly stares up towards her ceiling as she struggles with the implications of his actions. She teleports before him and starts reaching for his still smoking and smouldering hand. Vegeta opens his hand to reveal nothing is left within it, Ryoko continues pawing at his empty hand though. In denial at the cruel thing he has just done she looks up at him morosely.
" I think this makes us even. You make me live through my fear, and here is the favour repaid. Now who is the pathetic one?" He closes his hand and crosses his arms whilst staring deadpan at Ryoko. Her actions were not deliberate but if he does not punish her for what could have easily cost Ayeka her life then there is a chance he might have to go through that personal hell again. Vegeta offers no sympathy to the stunned woman shocked by him literally taking the light out of her life.
" C'mon Vegey I didn't do it on purpose. I'm sorry now just tell me where you keep the spares please." She reaches out and grabs one of his arms as she pleads for that which was taken from her to be returned. Her phobia of darkness is not something she wants him to go playing around with now. She does not want him to see her in such a scared state as she is when left alone in the dark, the many decades she spent behind lock and key causing the same mental aversion to the dark as he has to sickness. Ryoko hopes he keeps extra light bulbs around somewhere and that this is just a little prank of his for she does not see this as fair. Her actions caused him to be at a discomfort for merely an hour or two but if she has no source of light in her room then every time the sun sets and she tries to sleep will she be haunted by those memories of imprisonment and abuse. Ryoko strokes at his arm but to no avail at getting the Saiyan to relent.
" I stayed and faced my greatest fear and now you shall do the same. How were you ever considered a fearsome pirate when you are scared of such a simple thing as the dark? Overcome it and make yourself stronger."
" No, please Vegeta you don't understand, I need that light. Don't be so cruel, please, just give me another bulb and I'll do whatever you say, I won't misbehave at all I promise." Sincere in her begging, her large golden eyes beseech and implore him to show mercy upon her and her fear that she tries to keep a secret. His emotionless stone wall of a face offers her no remission. Ryoko looks about in desperation and her cat like eyes lock onto another woman with fear growing within her. "Washu you must ..."
Ryoko stops herself. The scientist is going to be of no use to her in the state she is in. What Ryoko needs is a ray of hope or inspiration, she has to bring back illumination into her room by whatever means she sees fit. A dark and ruthless plan is birthed and hatched within her mind.
" Washu, you've got surveillance devices in every room right? And you were the one who created that bathroom, give me a new light bulb and some juicy footage and I'll keep him off your back, deal?"
This promise Ryoko has no intention of keeping. Piecing together the fact of Washu knowing of the night she spent with Vegeta and what she is capable of she has come to the safe conclusion that she must have bugged the entire house some time ago, a safe conclusion for her but not for her victim. Since the origin of all the blame can safely fall upon Washu she is the perfect scapegoat to set up to take a fall and the wroth of the Saiyan. Like a deer caught in the headlights Washu looks aghast at Ryoko hearing her push the attention of Vegeta onto her. Eyes containing the burning fury of hell-fire beam into being millimetres from her face. Now was not the time she wanted Vegeta to find out about the microscopic cameras she installed around his house without his permission when he was safely dead. In the background and unnoticed due to her diversion, Ryoko teleports away in search of wherever light bulbs could be kept in the house. Washu stands stock still, her face pale and drawn, as the son of the king who exterminated her people scrutinises her and finds her guilty of what the nyctophobic pirate accused her of.
Smiling sadistically to himself he pulls his face back from hers and watches her tremble and cower before him. Washu's adult body gives way and regresses back to that of a child, helpless and in a heap of trouble that she cannot escape from. One by one the prince cracks his knuckles, each sound causing the scientist to flinch and recoil away from him. A hand grabs her by the scruff of the neck and before she knows what's happening a door is kicked open before her. Trying to grab and pry loose the clutch pinching at her skin, Washu is taken aback and surprised to find herself looking into her laboratory, she didn't even notice he had moved her. Vegeta releases his hold on her but as she tries to scurry away her head gets painfully yanked back. A Saiyan boot stands firmly upon her long ponytail pinning her in place. His gleaming and harrowing gaze fills her with horror and does not leave her face.
Vegeta raises an open palm towards the door and without looking he indiscriminately fires a blast into the depths of her realm. A scorching rush of fiery air rushes through the door, its acridity stinging Washu's eyes dumbly opened wide in shock and horror. The Saiyan prince smiles in a twisted and warped manner down at his prey as a large piece of metallic shrapnel bounces off of his chest and onto the floor next to Washu. Gobsmacked and speechless, she gradually turns her head to look into where she calls home to see a gigantic and massive chasm scarring its way across the floor and then only embers drifting down on a foul wind in blackness. Storms and cyclones of smoke form a palisade that her eyes cannot penetrate and so spares her the sight of how unfathomably vast the crater ripping apart her realm is; a laboratory that spans a greater area than most planets reduced to the blank abyss it was made in. One silent and solitary sob escapes from her mouth at the grand destruction of her whole life's work.
Vegeta lightly taps the scientist on her hands and knees with his foot and launches her into the wreckage. She screams as she flies through the air and lands heavily several metres away, badly jarring her knee on impact.
" Answer me this, which of your limbs is your least favourite?" Striding with a purpose towards the pink haired child cowering in the smoking ruins he caused, Vegeta darkly gives her a choice. Terrified beyond belief, Washu blankly stares at death approaching her. Crawling back away from him she cuts her hands on the shards of metal and other debris littering the floor.
" You wouldn't dare, you need me alive Vegeta. That console I set up is far too advanced for any primitive on this planet to ever figure out and repair when it breaks down in the next couple of weeks. I am the only one alive that can keep that thing operational. Without me you cannot train and get stronger than Goku. You need me to fulfil your dream." Finally she finds her voice and roars back at her would be assassin. She struggles up onto her feet and grows taller than the man still approaching. Laying down all her cards in a final stand for her life she even reveals to him her fail-safe mechanic inbuilt in the training console that will always need her attention regularly and so require her to be alive and well. Vegeta stops and stands still. Watching to see if he'll make any move against her she turns her back on him to begin walking away when a beam burns the air inches from her face.
"I offered you a choice, answer. Lucky for you your life was not an option, for now." Washu does not turn around to look at him.
" Haven't you done enough already?! I'm sorry, Ok? You've made your point, you've won. Let me keep my legs intact and I'll fix yours." Washu shouts at him, the pure desperation of her situation getting to her. With her life already on the line she cannot make matters any worse for herself. She willingly concedes to his will and admits his dominance and offers her aid to a problem that was so apparent and visible yesterday in a last ditch attempt to get out of this without any further pain. In her adult form she is much taller than he is, turned around glaring at him she awaits him to do what he has threatened her with ever since she landed on this planet. Flaming crimson engulfs the room. Rapidly the ruby rays fade away and grunts of pain echo out.
" If only Bulma could see you now. Dude, this is not cool. You want to take out your problems and aggression on some weakling, well here's your weakling." Yamcha stands between his woman and the Saiyan and takes up an aggressive fighting stance. From behind him a tearful and heartfelt thank you is sent his way, he turns his head back and smiles at her. The Saiyan rubs at his jaw and cracks his neck to the side. Vegeta made a mistake in getting too absorbed in his games with Washu, allowing himself to be taken unaware by a surprise attack from this human.
" You think your lowly Kaioken ability will help protect you? It makes no difference to me, your odds of winning are as good as hers. Your bravery and valour protects a stupid little girl who has to pay back her debts, however I did give you responsibility for that leech over there so fine, on your head be it." Vegeta powers up in his base form to remind his foe that he is not bluffing about his power and allows Yamcha a few seconds to see if he will change his mind, lose his resolve and flee. The human stays where he is, as ready as he will ever be against such an opponent. Flames of the Kaioken erupt but already it is too late. An instant transmission behind the bandit and the match is decided. He tosses the battered man into the woman he was trying to protect and knocks Washu onto the floor. Standing over the couple he glowers down at them. Unsatisfied by such poor sport he swiftly snaps one of the desert warrior's legs and tells Washu that her choice has been made for her, turns his back to her and teleports out of the destroyed laboratory.