Stirring before any bird thinks to begin its morning chorus, Vegeta wakes in the pre dawn darkness and rises from his bed. Not feeling groggy in the slightest, he stretches and looks across in the gloom to his doorway to see Ryoko tucked up and fast asleep. Twice during the night he had to remind her to not cross the doorway into his room. Putting on his usual blue outfit, gloves and boots for training, Vegeta walks towards the exit to his room and looks down at the woman sleeping there. The fact that she needed his company to make it through the night does not touch his blackened heart, and it disturbs him how easy it was for her to persuade him to let her watch him sleep for her own comfort. He kneels down to sort out her blankets, both to keep her warm and to cover the excess flesh she was revealing to him when she lets out a little groan in her sleep. Looking up at her face as it begins to smile, he spies tufts of brown and cream among the unruly cyan and two sets of ears begin to twitch. Ryo-ohki yawns widely before bounding out and stretching her limbs like a cat with Ryoko mumbling the Saiyan's name after her sensitive ears are tickled by the escaping cabbit. The small animal looks up at the man and meows expectantly. He puts his fingers to his lips to silence the spaceship before stepping over Ryoko and continuing on his way downstairs with Ryo-ohki following him like a shadow.
Walking about in the gloom he makes his way to the training room when loud meowing comes from Ryo-ohki circling his feet. She looks up at him and paws at his boots. Five carrots appear in-between his fingers and the delighted animal starts to bound up his body towards the food it wants, then the carrots disappear. The dismayed cabbit mewls as it lands on the Saiyan's shoulder, he says it will have to work for its food and find where he hid them before it can eat. Shrugging off the cabbit, Vegeta opens the large metal door and steps inside to begin his early morning training. He does not switch on the console, or turn up the gravity. For hours he stands in the room transforming to each of his super Saiyan forms and back again; his hair turning from black to gold, muscles bulging then receding, sparks flying in the air then dying out and his eyebrows fading away and then growing back.
With the Sun now fully over the horizon and its low, glaring beams shining into the lakeside house a noise separate from that of grunting, lightning and the crackle of ki can be heard. Humming to herself as she descends the stairs, Sasami cheerfully smiles and waves to the content cabbit munching on a carrot beside two already gnawed stalks. Bursts of light flash out intermittently from the training room porthole, illuminating the Juraian girl. The first two states are proving no problem to Vegeta whatsoever, but going in and out of the third form of super Saiyan for so long is depleting his ki, even if he is only briefly flaring into and then back out of this ascended state. This, essentially, is his strategy for dethroning Goku. Gaining perfection over super Saiyan three will close some of the power gap between his and his rival but it will not be enough by a long shot. With one year of training he hopes that he'll be able to accomplish what Goku did for the Cell games and gain a monumental bonus to his stamina when pushing himself to his absolute limit. However, right now being in the form anywhere near an hour would be asking too much of him, and so he continues to train.
Knocking on the bulkhead door stops him and he deeply exhales as he powers down and descends back down to base form. Wiping his brow on the back of his weighted gloves, Vegeta opens the door and looks down at the smiling Sasami. A very welcome scent hits his nostrils as she informs him that she has made him breakfast. He thanks her and follows the young girl into the kitchen, seating himself down before the hearty meal fit to feed a family. The food is delicious, as it always is when Sasami cooks, and nourishes the Saiyan's depleted ki and energy. Looking over at the girl as he consumes more and more, he tells Sasami that she is welcome to sit at the table also and she does with a cheery smile on her face. A loud and excited meow comes from somewhere in the house as Ryo-ohki discovers the penultimate hidden carrot which makes Sasami giggle.
"Mr. Vegeta, when you marry my sister do I become Trunks' aunt and get to call you big brother?" Swinging her legs as she sits and watches Vegeta eat her cooking, Sasami asks an out of the blue question causing the prince to choke on his food and cough loudly to clear his windpipe. He swallows and looks across to the happy face of the smiling lass. Confused and unprepared for such an abrupt query, Vegeta continues eating several more mouthfuls before setting down his cutlery and turning to answer the girl. He prefers to not discuss such things at all, yet the thought of this twin tailed school girl skipping around calling him her 'big brother' is something he prefers a whole lot less, there is nearly 40 years separating the two.
" … I have not agreed to the engagement between myself and your sister yet, Sasami." Reluctantly he indulges the girl's conversation and replies. He goes straight back to eating after talking, intending to end it there and then whilst thinking to himself whether he should have said that 'yet' or omitted it. Chewing down on the last scrap of food he hears Sasami make a perturbed sound at his response.
"Why not, Mr. Vegeta? Don't you like my sister, because she really likes you and the prince always marries the princess. That's how it works." Sasami swivels on her chair to directly face Vegeta as she states this with absolute confidence that just this one fact is enough reason for him to love her sister. Still at an age where she is innocent enough to believe those fairy tales , the young Juraian waits for Vegeta to answer why he is not marrying her sister. He sighs to himself at her misguided notions of how love and romance work. Sasami has not been told yet about why he cannot choose a woman and explaining such things to her would be difficult, thinking on it he realises that he himself was probably the first person she knew to die. Uncaring for enlightening her into what she is curious about, the Saiyan instead decides that he might do well to get what information he can from this girl.
"When you come of age to think about relationships yourself then you shall understand that nothing about this whole damn thing is ever that simple or clean cut. Both mine and Lady Ayeka's status as royals fails to get around the fact that we come from very different worlds, yours existing for a start. I know as little about your customs as you do of mine, for all I know Juraian marriage could be nothing like what I shared with Bulma. Your father himself has two wives of his own, that is not the way of Earth at all."
" Is it weird to have more than one wife or husband? I thought that was normal and you could marry Ryoko and sister Ayeka so they can both be happy." This is news to Sasami that polygamy isn't accepted everywhere, just naively thinking that what is the norm to her or her people is the norm to all others. It does however explain to her why Ryoko and Ayeka fight so much if they cannot 'share' Vegeta in holy matrimony like she thought they could. That idea of being wed to both women paralyses the Saiyan for a full second as he dully gazes into nothing; his life becoming a perpetual and eternal battle between the two forevermore and with the added stress of maintaining a healthy relationship between both of them and his son. Both he and Bulma struggled a lot to keep their marriage afloat due to his abrasiveness and Saiyan ways, even though a considerable amount of the negative qualities of his have been blunted and lessened this polygamy would utterly fail and explode in his face.
" … You would be wishing my death if you want that to come true. Saiyans might have had little faith towards their own partners if a stronger mate came along but … I will be no bigamist. One woman and one alone is what this prince will claim for himself." Vegeta comes back to his senses and finds his tongue, telling the blue haired girl that her plan for a happily ever after for him and both women is not on the table. He rubs at his forehead to clear his mind. Sasami is beginning to annoy him and he has no wish to do anything but train right now despite his leg still being on the mend. As soon as he stands up Sasami does as well. Instead of dissuading her from talking to him he seems to have only piqued her interest.
"So you're not marrying my sister because you don't know how to choose between Ryoko and her? Do you want me to help? I can tell you all the nice things about sister Ayeka I know and then you'll love her like I do." Sasami's chirpy demeanour and eagerness to play matchmaking is irritating the Saiyan. Her constant smile, optimism and cheery disposition is so diametrically opposite to his own that he finds it annoying. She also has gone and broken the unwritten rule concerning this prideful prince; she asked to help him.
"No. I will settle matters on my own, without any unwanted and unneeded interference. You know nothing of what you speak. A small child like yourself is as welcome in my own personal affairs as a slug. Pester someone else and stop with these incessant questions." Vegeta turns his broad back to her and walks off to continue his training, leaving her with his disapproving reprimand of her nosiness towards matters she has no clue what she is talking about. The metal door slams shut leaving Sasami on her own, pouting and looking quite offended by his words. Clearing up the plates in a huff, she mumbles to herself that she was just trying to help and he didn't have to be so rude, feeling that her act of goodwill deserved better than that. Blinding rays dazzle her eyes as she leaves the kitchen. Shielding her face, she makes her way back up the stairs and towards her and her sister's room, ignoring Ryoko in the corridor and letting her sleep.
Entering her room, Sasami is greeted by violet ambient light and violet, unadorned tresses rolling off her sister's bed. Having not been told too much about what occurred yesterday with her sister when she was ill, except enough by Ayeka to sate some of her natural curiosity, the girl does not know why the window is now made of ki and not glass or what most of the shouting and screaming yesterday was all about. She desperately wants to know, for her beloved sister was so distressed by it all, yet her questions went mostly unanswered. Hoping for more answers today, Sasami walks up next to her sister's bed to wake her up when she gets momentarily distracted by an object on the bedside cabinet. She looks over to check that Ayeka is still sound asleep and then picks up this book that was left out. With her curiosity getting the better of her, the blue haired princess flicks open the hardbound cover and several pages to see that this is her sister's diary. She feels naughty in invading her sister's privacy like this but her quest for knowledge fails to be dissuaded by that small feeling of guilt. However, she does suddenly drop the book down with a loud thud when she flicks several pages over and turns onto a selection of sketches, one of which is not meant for the innocent eyes of a young girl.
Hearing a loud noise next to her, the eyelashes of the first Juraian princess flutter and her half open eyes spy a door closing quickly. Sitting up in her bed, yawning and stretching, Ayeka wakes up to the morning sunlight and soft purple glow of the replacement window. She feels a world better today. Being well rested and having her pneumonia mostly disappear before she went to sleep, Ayeka wakes up feeling refreshed and ready for the day and mildly surprised that the barrier of ki is still there. She worried that when Vegeta went to sleep it would dissipate but fortunately it did not. Standing up from her bed she feels something hard underfoot and looks down to see her diary. She bends down, thinking nothing of it, and secrets it back under her bed where it belongs before walking out of the door to go and bathe. Having spent a full day bed-bound, the upper class lady has a severe want to cleanse herself fully and change from this nightie she has been in for far too long. As soon as she leaves her room though she stops dead in her tracks and frowns.
" Kicked out were we? Doesn't Lord Vegeta like stray animals scratching at his door? Such a shame." Ayeka stands over Ryoko, waking her up by derisively mocking the place she is sleeping. Coming out of her room to immediately see this pirate snoozing at Vegeta's door has put her in a sour mood, and being abruptly woken up by sardonic insults does the same to Ryoko. Frowning at the thought that this woman has attempted to share a bed with Vegeta for a second night in a row, Ayeka takes satisfaction that she was instead forced to sleep outside on the floor like an animal. She remembers what Vegeta said to her about Ryoko and would love to ruin her day by telling her that Vegeta intends to go to Jurai within the next two months but she will keep that as a surprise for later. Looking disdainfully down on the drowsy woman slowly waking up, Ayeka scowls further when Ryoko throws the blankets off herself and reveals her negligee underneath, obviously what she tried and failed to use to persuade Vegeta with.
" … I wasn't kicked out." Ryoko sits up and scratches the back of her head as she yawns deeply and then unashamedly adjusts her bra and underwear before the princess. Feeling tired and groggy from not getting much sleep thanks to the darkness of night and her Nyctophobia, Ryoko can't be bothered to get into a proper argument with the princess. Though it does please her to see the irritation her state of dress has caused and how she is lain outside the prince's room, it pleases her more to see that daylight has come around and her night of lying awake staring at Vegeta's uncaring back by the light of a red ki ball has come to an end. Ayeka derisively snorts at this weak comeback.
" Oh, so you just decided that the floor was a nice place to sleep then. As much as it suits you, it isn't very considerate to block everyone's way with your sagging body."
"And it ain't very considerate of you to make Vegeta stop his training all the time just so he can save your sorry arse from being pounded into the dirt." Ryoko offhandedly threatens the royal as she stands up, knowing full well this should silence her as it does, and carelessly kicks the borrowed bedding back into Vegeta's room. With her golden eyes she looks to see the infuriation and indignation plainly written on Ayeka's face, Ryoko smirks to herself and teleports off.
Ayeka loudly exhales. She carries on her way to the end of the corridor where the bathroom is, opens the door and her composure falters again. Glaring at her from a few metres away are the predatory eyes of a now naked Ryoko about to get into the large bath herself. The two lock eyes for several seconds, their animosity flaring up, and then Ryoko simply turns her back on the royal and stalks off into a deeper part of the bath. Ayeka warily watches her go and waits a minute after the pirate has left her sight before starting to take off her nightie. She folds it up neatly and wraps a towel around herself for modesty's sake before lowering herself into the warm waters and lets out a long sigh of comfort. Apart from the sounds of the bath and their movement in the water, both women bathe in silence far from the other. The Juraian princess spends her time cleansing and grooming herself extensively to rid herself of the unladylike smell and sweat from her day of inactivity and illness, scrubbing herself meticulously, shampooing her hair and lathering her body. Whilst off in the distance Ryoko lies there inactively soaking. Blankly staring up at the artificial lighting, she lets the hot bath water seep into her pores and diffuse out the tension in her body. She can't recall whether she has ever voluntarily slept in the dark after her imprisonment, and an anxiety grows within her that this night she will have to do the same. Dunking her head under to wash the worries from her mind, Ryoko surfaces and begins to doze and catch up on the sleep she lost in the hours of darkness.
As the minutes while by, Kiyone and Mihoshi have already prepared for the day and have grabbed a light breakfast to eat in front of the television. Sasami follows them for lack of anything else to do and asks whether they know if Trunks is awake or not and they both shake their heads. Complaining about his laziness in her boredom, the three females sit down on the sofa. With an unexpectedly girlish yelp Kiyone stands up suddenly and reaches down behind the back of the sofa's cushion to fish out the offending carrot she had unknowingly sat upon. As she starts to look about in confusion as to why the root vegetable was there, it is nimbly thieved from her fingers by a leaping Ryo-ohki, who runs off with the carrot in her jaws to eat it. Kiyone sits down again next to her partner now that the uncomfortable object has been removed and Mihoshi picks up the remote and switches the T.V on. Whilst the two officers munch on their breakfasts and Sasami idly sits about in their company, the blonde cop flicks through the terrestrial channels until something grabs her attention. Of all channels that could have drawn Mihoshi's interest it was unexpectedly the news channel for Satan city that did it.
A great red cape majestically billows in the wind behind the costumed vigilante who hides his identity behind a helmet seemingly more fit for that of a fighter pilot. The sun glints harshly off of his pitch black visor and into the film crew's camera as the Great Saiyaman gets hounded by the press after foiling a crime. Mihoshi seems captivated by this masked superhero as he calmly walks away from the reporters, strikes an awkward pose and then takes off into the sky. Kiyone, on the other hand, spotted a few things that have got her mind working concerning his garish costume. His boots and gloves are the exact same as those being worn by the Saiyan prince training in the adjacent room. It is obvious to her that this man who takes the law into his own hands owes his powers to Saiyan blood, and the fact that his species' name is blatantly there within his own name does not help to conceal it. However, with his face concealed it is impossible to say whether the Great Saiyaman was the other Saiyan she saw briefly when she first arrived who Vegeta detests, or some other she does not know of. Her detective instincts have kicked in full at this mysterious do-gooder, it intrigues her even though she does not condone vigilante action. Her blonde partner does not seem to mind that and appears still in awe of this real life superhero.
"Kiyone, Kiyone, can we do that? Can we go and stop criminals and be awesome like him?" As excited as a small girl, Mihoshi beams across at her partner with childish fantasies of being a hero playing out in her mind. Kiyone sternly shakes her head, instantly dismissing the stupid notion of the two of them prancing around in full spandex attire as they share the one gun they have. It is at times like these that she would prefer a different partner to this blonde klutz.
"I would rather die than wear an outfit that idiotic, and we have no jurisdiction to enforce the law on this planet."
" You said it yourself though that you want to be out there stopping crimes though and doing some good." Pouting at her idea being so unequivocally denied, Mihoshi argues for argument's sake and uses words that her partner said for her own means. She thinks it would be fun for them to get out of this house, even if they don't go and indulge her fantasy, but Kiyone is a brick wall of duty who will not budge in the slightest.
"I do, but vigilante action is not the way forward, police forces are formed for a reason. Our job is to guard Miss Ayeka and Sasami, not to play dress up and make fools of ourselves."
Back upstairs Ryoko lounges and floats about in the steaming waters, relaxing and content. Bobbing about and without a care in the world she hums to herself while continuing to indulge in the warm waters. A while has passed since Ayeka finished lathering her slender body with soaps and oils and washed herself off and is now dry and sat down running a silken brush through her equally velvety violet hair. Having pampered herself for a long time, Ayeka takes a few more minutes to finish grooming herself to perfection before standing up. She flicks her luscious hair behind her slim shoulders and looks about where she left her nightie. Her shoulders slouch and her crimson eyes nervously fidget about. Making doubly sure that her towel is tied tightly around her, Ayeka sees that she did not bring any clean clothes in with her to change into, all she has is either the towel she is wearing or her dirty night clothes. A tinge of red seeps into her cheeks. The prospect of walking to her room dressed in only a towel is shameful, even with it being only a few metres, but she is left with little choice.
Disgruntled at having to debase herself by walking around in such a state, Ayeka triple checks that her towel is fastened properly and covers as much as possible before hesitantly stepping towards the door. A crude remark echoes from behind her, making the maiden bristle, and purely out of spite she flicks the light switch for the bathroom as she opens the door to step outside. Ayeka jumps with fright when she hears a startled yelp from back in the baths and suddenly she feels Ryoko's fingers fumbling over her own to turn back on the source of light. Confused as to why this dreaded pirate is acting so desperate over her simply switching off the lights, Ayeka is about to open her mouth and question Ryoko on her actions and then her mouth slyly curls up into a smile. It makes sense if she factors in the actions of yesterday; Vegeta saying she was punished, her floating by her light socket and inspecting it and then this morning roughing it on the cold floor by Vegeta's room. The lights come back on and Ayeka's grin widens.
" Sasami stopped needing a night light when she was 3." That icy and sneering jab is delivered with a small chuckle from the amused princess. Taking her hand out from under Ryoko's and holding onto her towel, she faces this nude woman and upon seeing the plain look of dying panic on her face she laughs.
Great heaving pants whistle in-between the clenched teeth of a super Saiyan 3 at his maximum power. A perpetual storm of lightning fills the whole room and his shining brilliance leaves him unable to see the room in which he is standing in. This training is taxing and chews away at his ki like he does at a meal table, but for Vegeta it is worthwhile considering the state his leg is in. Without destroying this room, his house or creating fissures throughout the whole landscape it takes Vegeta a long time to ascend to this zenith of his power, and now he has to stop. Jeering laughter, shouts, raised voices, the circus never ends to his dismay. The storm surrounding him and his blinding aura fade away as the bitter argument he hears escalates. He remains in his transformed state, eyebrow-less and with hair as long as Ayeka's, and goes to settle down the women.
Walking out with purposeful strides, his frightful appearance and the permanent frown set upon his face by his pronounced brow scares Mihoshi. Vegeta ignores the three watching Television. He stops at the top of the stairs and barks for quiet down the corridor. His commanding tone and presence startles Ayeka. Breaking off her row with Ryoko she looks down at herself and the single towel she has to cover herself with starts to feel very inadequate and improper before the Saiyan prince. She shies away as much as she can but the doorway to the bathroom contains Ryoko and so her chance for modesty is blocked. Vegeta notices her discomfort and turns around so he is not looking at Ayeka anymore and also shouts for Ryoko to dress herself. With them both being in the entranceway to the bathroom he safely assumes that they have just finished bathing and will not tolerate Ryoko going about his house in the nude just because he is in the corridor.
" I could hear both of you clear as day whilst training. Ryoko, if you do not wish to be teased for your fear then get rid of the fear." Vegeta starts walking back off to train after saying those few words. His need to train is strong. Yesterday he barely accomplished anything whilst training and to meet his goals he will have to use today to catch up. His harsh and uncaring words spark a smug grin on the modest princess but as she looks back into the bathroom to gloat at Ryoko she does not see her anywhere. With Vegeta on his way back down the stairs, she goes into her room to get dressed and cover herself up properly.
Vegeta is not impressed with their antics starting up within an hour of them being awake, and he sighs to himself as he senses a presence within his training room. She has teleported downstairs and into his sanctum to force him to have to talk to her, Vegeta knows what this conversation will be about. Just to be unpredictable and foil her scheme so that he doesn't do something Ryoko wants him to again, he stops where he is in the front room behind the sofa and instead looks across to the Television display.
" The Ginyu force nearly kills all of us on Namek and he goes around emulating their antics. Gohan has less pride than his clown of a father does, pathetic." His brusque voice causes the two officers and the young girl to turn their heads away from the television that is still playing a piece on the hero of Satan city, and they hear the ire in his voice. If it were not for Goku then Gohan would be Vegeta's main rival, having surpassed him many times as a mere child and saved his life, though this rival who never trains he could easily take with his 3rd state. It does not please him to know that someone with Saiyan blood and such a massive potential could go and waste it all by burying his head in books instead of competing with himself and Goku.
"So his name's Gohan, does he get his clothes at the same place as you?" Kiyone snidely remarks back to the Saiyan about the similarities between the Saiyaman's attire and his own. She has put the pieces together from what little Vegeta said to learn that this costumed hero is the son of the other Saiyan she saw, and she wonders how many other Saiyan's are hiding in plain sight on this planet. The glowing man looks down at her and coldly states something that shuts Kiyone up.
"My late wife made him that outfit."
Vegeta crosses his arms and watches the women squirm at the awkwardness of the conversation now. Out of respect for the dead, Kiyone cannot continue her insult. Instead she turns back around to look at the screen. Though scared of his intimidating appearance and just scared of him in general, Mihoshi sees this link to the superhero through Vegeta and her eagerness gets the better of her.
"Did she make any spares? They look so cool and I thought-"
"You would choose to disgrace yourself by looking like that? Sorry, but the idiot who got the spare is his weakling of a girlfriend. I'm sure it won't be too hard for fools like you to find other ways to shame yourselves though." The Saiyan is done making small-talk, or insulting, Mihoshi and Kiyone, the conversation is done and his need to train is outgrowing his want to not walk into what Ryoko wants. He grunts under his breath in annoyance and the T.V screen and power within the house flickers. The Saiyan tells Mihoshi, Kiyone and Sasami to leave the room, and they do.
With a strong arm he knocks on the training room door, leaving a sizeable indentation in the metal and calls Ryoko's name. The ki signature from in-front of him snaps to a few inches to his left. As he slowly turns his head to address the nyctophobic woman he feels a deliberately light impact of damp knuckles against his cheek. She is annoyed with him, both for his insult and for purposefully making her impatiently wait for him. Vegeta turns his head against the hand on his cheek and looks at the cross woman frowning at him and he pushes away her fist with his hand. His eyes follow drops of moisture running down from her head, onto her neck and into her cleavage before quickly bringing his gaze back up to her face. Ryoko's ears are prominently sticking out with her usually wild and untamed cyan mane now plastered down against her forehead and back, her unusually straight hair sodden and dripping water everywhere. Like he told her to, she has covered herself up with a towel however, having not dried herself its thin fabric is sticking to her wet, glistening and voluptuous body in all the right places. Vegeta sees this act of rebellion against him and his enforced modesty and counteracts it simply with a warm wave of ki to dry her off.
" I do not pay additional heed to women in flimsy towels, nor do I accept such indecency within my home." He lets go of her hand which she puts on her hips and noticeably glances at the entrance to his training room to make sure Ryoko knows he has things to do and places to be. His attempt at drying her off has worked for the most part except for her hair and the towel which remain damp and dripping water onto the floorboards. Ryoko takes a step to the side, putting herself closer to Vegeta and also directly in his way to the training room. She places one finger in the middle of the chest, poking him hard with her nail, and stares deep into the Saiyan's piercing blue eyes.
" When you walk about in your snug little shorts you bare a helluva lot more flesh than I am so don't give me that. Boss me about with your double standards and I won't listen. Now take it back." Ryoko is deadly serious as she speaks eye to eye with the super Saiyan 3, not letting his transformed state or immense power intimidate her at all. Her finger presses harder against his sternum and pokes a small hole in the front of his training gi. He doesn't react to her words, just continues to stare at her. She repeats her last demand to him again. Vegeta now looks over her shoulder and reaches past the woman in the way to grab the door handle for the training room.
" I have to get back to training, good day Ryoko."
A hand slaps down on his own, trying to force it from the door handle unsuccessfully. Ryoko moves in his way and closer to him so she is nearly touching him, blocking his way and making him uncomfortable about her proximity.
" I am not a baby! Don't you dare look down on me 'cos I'm not as suicidally, arrogantly brave as Mr. Second Best here." Her voice is dangerously low, her predatory, slit like pupils unmoving from his face as she leans in close to him, fronting him. She grips tighter on his hand, trying to force him to move and relent. The metal handle buckles slightly. Vegeta sees that she is in the mood for confrontation and answers likewise for she has tempted him out with the name she called him, a name he cannot forgive. He slowly lifts his hand from the door with hers still attached to his and takes one step forwards, taking Ryoko by surprise. His radiant body is now against hers, the undeniable force of his being pushing her so that she has to push back to remain where she stands. The heat of the monumental ki coursing through his body dries her towel making vapour trails of steam rise around Ryoko.
" So would you prefer me to treat you as my elder, like you are? Ryoko, you are ashamed of it, so do something about it. You know how this world works like I do, we both know what happens to those with such a crippling weakness as you. The strong survive, the weaklings scurrying after light and other luxuries perish." Holding no quarter, Vegeta retaliates with his own insult and continues pushing forward and forcing Ryoko back. Her shoulder blades feel cold metal behind her as she is pushed back against the door by the ascended Saiyan. He is not wasting his time dancing around the issue or sugar coating his words and just lays it out clean and simple for Ryoko. Both of them have lived most of their lives by the logic he speaks, the clean cut and uncomplicated rules that let them survive.
With her back against the wall and her front firmly pressed against the solid mass of Vegeta, Ryoko snarls. She does not want to hear this from him, not for it being untrue but for it being so undeniably true that she cannot form any sort of counter argument. All her usual fantasies her dirty mind would normally concoct at being forced against a wall by Vegeta with her basically naked body against his are discarded against the humiliation of being talked down upon, lectured and ridiculed like an infant. She hates this and this situation. Having to face the dark means hardship, a lot of effort and feeling scared on a regular basis, all things she wants to avoid at all cost. Her eyes dart about like a caged animal. Vegeta waits for her to make her move as the heat from his ki becomes uncomfortable for the towel robed woman. Acting on instinct, she teleports behind him with ki charging in her hands.
"Don't go trying to blow up my house over your own fears and inadequacies." Hands like vices clamp down on her wrists and force her to cancel out the energy that was growing in her hands. Nothing she can do will ever match his speed, especially with him being in his ultimate form. Vegeta's cold eyes stare into her again, boring deep, trying to get her to surrender. She has little inclination to do as he wishes even as she sees the futility of trying to stand against this hard-headed man.
If she so much as gives an inch then she knows it will be lights out for her again this night and all following nights in this house, not an all too pleasant thought. Consequently though two opposing thoughts are weighing heavily in her mind in favour of the opposite; one for herself and the personal benefits she will gain by ridding herself of this fear and secondly about Vegeta, earning his respect and showing him that she is a strong and capable woman. She rotates her hands and grabs onto Vegeta's wrists as he holds hers, smirking to herself. As much as she is loath to go through more nights of darkness it would hurt her a lot more to know that the Saiyan would treat her differently and like an ill-behaved child if she continues to refuse facing her fears. Telling herself in her head that it is for the better, Ryoko makes up her mind to stop resisting so hard and try and force a compromise out of this prince.
"Then how about you stop being such a bastard about this and pressuring me into something I hate. I'm not like you, sure I served under Frieza but there is more to my life than just being a fighter, y'know." She doesn't say it outright, she won't say it to his face that he has more or less won. Ryoko shakes her head as she dries her annoyingly wet hair with ki and makes her single towel flutter riskily about. The Saiyan's eyes do not fall for her trap of allure, he can see there is but a trace of hostility left in her eyes, most of it replaced by the creeping hunger she has for him.
"Like booze, sleep, squabbling and trying to solicit sexual relations with me? I am trying to help you Ryoko."
"... Well you could go about things a bit smoother than just throwing me into the deep end. Easing me into things wouldn't be too much to ask instead of just darkness everywhere. You've got to treat a lady with more care, Vegey." Ryoko moves closer to Vegeta as her golden eyes gaze at him intently, she enjoyed him saying that he was doing this to help her. Not shying away from him calling out her actions she unashamedly takes the aggressive route forward to those sexual relations he knows she wants. Her mischievous smirk has returned to her face and Vegeta can see that her mind has moved on past her fears and onto her greatest desire. As her mind no longer wants to dwell on that issue it is back to the same old for him and her unwanted proximity to him.
" Pain and fear is only ever temporary, shame and humiliation will live with you forever if you don't fight, remember that." Gruffly speaking a lasting reminder to her, Vegeta lets go of her and steps back. He takes a few deep breaths and Ryoko cocks her head to the side as she watches him. Super Saiyan 3 is starting to take a toll on Vegeta, he has been in the form for almost half an hour now and it is getting hard to sustain. A smug chuckle comes from the top of the stairs.
"Then it would take a lifetime of fighting for that shameless woman to take back her honour and pride." Ayeka descends the stairs with her her hair in a single braid and wearing a lavish gown of green with sleeves embroided with a rich tapestry of leaves and gold. Even though she hurried to get dressed to stop Ryoko trying something, which she obviously has being stood there in nothing but a towel, her fair appearance is still that of the jewel of Jurai. Looking disdainfully down on the barely clothed woman, she doesn't even manage to make it down the steps before some retaliating insults and threats are sent back her way. The Juraian royal huffs and scolds the revealing rogue for her lack of attire, which Ryoko ignores, and bows her head and greets Vegeta as she approaches him. The Saiyan sees the detonating bomb before him and low and behold within seconds the two women are in a heated and venomous argument. Ayeka is not letting go of this embarrassing truth she has recently learned of and derides and mocks Ryoko for her fear. Both cats have their claws and teeth bared and the super Saiyan 3 stood in the room soon becomes part of the scenery. He came out of training to silence their bickering, he has failed.
Vegeta calls for silence yet all that does is drag him into their row, with him being their main point of conflict anyway. He has no want to get involved, just train. Anytime he says anything to deter Ryoko from lashing out with violence only seems to fuel Ayeka's confidence and act detrimentally towards ending the argument. Standing in between them, physically blocking one from the other and placing a hand on either woman's shoulder to separate them and tell them to back off only silences Ayeka for a few seconds because of the touching. Ryoko, on the other hand, takes advantage of him touching her by touching him back to aggravate the princess, at which point the argument between the two women reaches the grounds of Vegeta, an area that is awkward for the Saiyan prince and the Juraian princess. Vegeta calls for silence with a bark and a cease fire again which grants him a minute of peace. He senses ki above him.
Trunks has awakened and after rolling out of bed and getting ready he contacts his father telepathically, complaining about the noise that awoke him. Vegeta retorts to his son that he is lazy to have slept so long in the first place but also agrees that the noise from the argument needs to come to an end and soon.
'Dad, if you're wanting to train and keep those two quiet how about you do that technique Tien has?'
A list instantly goes through Vegeta's head: Dodon ray, Tri-Beam, Solar Flare, Four Witches, Evil containment wave. He did not let Bulma's knowledge and experience with the other warriors go to waste, finding out and researching their own moves to fuel his own strategies and battle tactics. None of them have any applications outside the battlefield unless he plans on blinding them or putting two hands on either woman's shoulders, that is until he remembers a technique Cell used that originates from the triclops. On the surface it sounds like the cure to most of his problem and will allow him to train. However, he has never used it or thought about using it because of its major disadvantages. Vegeta closes his eyes and thinks back on what he saw and sensed when he saw Cell use it, and Piccolo and Krillin use it against Nappa. Both women look at him as he raises his arms in a bracing position and watch him descend back down to base form.
These are old memories he has to work off and the technique appears complex and is unlike any he has ever learnt and so it is easier for him to attempt this in his natural state and without a constant drain on his energy. It is not immediately making sense to him how it is done. His frowning face is misinterpreted by Ayeka who questions him to see if he is feeling alright, him suddenly powering down is unusual as is his stance and look of absolute concentration. Ryoko meanwhile taps him on the shoulder to get his attention or to see what he is doing. He replies to neither and wrestles with how his ki needs to be used for this technique that is below him. After a few minutes of the women looking curiously at Vegeta just standing there looking like he is ready to block an incoming attack the silence between the two is broken. With only a few words traded between the two, Ryoko takes the advantage by proclaiming her love for Vegeta in front of both him and Ayeka, putting the purple haired princess on the spot. Flushing, she begins to stutter and her mind turns to smoke.
Vegeta finds the sweet divide of his ki, the flow is correct, and he can feel the three rivers of his ki now diverging apart and splitting into their own. His eyes open and he grins, he has learnt the Multiform Technique. Sensing his ki signature altering and changing, Ryoko looks away from the blushing maiden and at the Saiyan, what she sees is intriguing her and she smiles also. Standing side by side are now three identical copies of Vegeta smiling in triumph at the feat he has pulled off and what it means for his training schedule. Before the incredulous Ayeka can get a word in as she looks about in confusion at the multiple Vegetas, one of the Saiyans has already disappeared off within the training room. His power might be split and he might not gain as much from training this way as he would as a whole being but now he never has to fully leave the training room to deal with any issue that may arise. He is quite content at this and what this ability will do for him when faced with all these constant distractions.
"Two for the price of one, I like this indeed, Vegey. But, I can do this little trick too." Right on cue, two Ryokos are grinning at the two Vegetas with sordid thoughts going through her minds. Both Ryokos blow the Saiyans a kiss before they return to one single body, Ryoko being done showing off her little trick. Vegeta is less impressed with her ability and more concerned as to how it can undermine his Multiform as a solution to keeping the two women in line. Not knowing why there are suddenly multiple copies of people in the same room and very confused by the matter, Ayeka begins to ask what is happening when she is cut off by the stern voice of the prince(s).
"I am not doing this for your amusement. You two have driven me to weakening myself thus because of your incessant arguing, now I can train … and supervise the misbehaved children." As one version of himself starts his relentless training, the other two speak in perfect unison, serious and unamused. Both women bristle at his condescending remark, with Ryoko sticking her tongue out impishly and Ayeka beginning to apologise for her behaviour which she knows is sub-par when in the presence of Ryoko.
Suddenly, Ryoko and one of the Vegetas vanish from the front room. They reappear on the roof with Ryoko looking around at where she has been taken, Vegeta has separated the women for the time being so they do not disturb each other. The two stand there with the morning sunshine on their backs and Ryoko's damp towel riskily flapping in the light breeze. She places both her hands over his, the point of contact he used to teleport them both up here. As nice as it is for her to be alone with Vegeta she knows that he is also alone with Ayeka back inside the house, this is complicating matters for her and truthfully makes her a tad confused about how she feels concerning his multiform. She doesn't mind this yet it does not satisfy her. A fraction of Vegeta is not enough for her, she wants every last bit of him to be hers.
"It is nice up here, Vegey, but honestly, if you call me a child one more time I'm gonna have to take this towel off so you can see how wrong you are. … Oh yeah, and don't ever call me old again, short-arse." Ryoko looks over her shoulder with a cheeky smile but the smile fades seeing the no-nonsense expression on Vegeta's face. She nods to herself and shrugs but still retains hold of his hand under hers. He makes no move to remove it. They stand there on the rooftop looking at each other and not speaking a word as clouds drift on by overhead and a lone theropod roars in the far distance. After a while Vegeta takes a deep breath and exhales loudly, his breath somewhat tickling Ryoko's elfin ears making her smile. Before he ruins their moment by speaking, she lets go of his hand, turns around to face him and hugs him tight.
" Do you always have to bicker with Ayeka over me? It does not aid your cause." He speaks slowly and with great deliberation as he is embraced by Ryoko. Having seen each other naked, shared a kiss and shared a bed he sees little reason to overreact to such a mundane act, he stands there and accepts the hug.
"She's the bitch who started it, not me." She disinterestedly snorts, nuzzling against the side of his face as she tries to make the most out of this allowed physical contact. As soon as her ears touch against his though Vegeta raises his ki to let her know he wants her to cease and desist. With one last squeeze she lets go and stands before him, the atmosphere between them is awkward and she doesn't know what to do or say.
" … If you don't want to be called a child then you can stop arguing like one for a start. I'm not asking for you two to be friends, hate each other's guts for all eternity, but don't disrupt my training. … You two fight for me. Going against each other is a wasted effort. I am your true opponent, not her." Vegeta breaks the silence between them, carrying on with what he said earlier and moving towards his goal of preventing any further fights or squabbles between the women. He acknowledges and accepts the women's rivalry and grudge but their day in day out shouting matches accomplish nothing but irritating him and wasting his time. In his rivalry he strives to better himself first before clashing with his foe, and he wants them to learn to do the same. No constant quarrels, just them competing towards the goal that is him. If they spent as much energy trying to gain his affection as they do trying to get a petty advantage over their rival then maybe he wouldn't still be unable to let go of Bulma.
Ryoko eyes him quizzically. He said something to a similar nature yesterday about her attempts to charm him but from his actions and mannerisms she can't help but feel a falseness to it. She does try to make him her own, she tries more or less whenever he isn't training but all she ever gets is the cold shoulder or he is too busy with Ayeka instead. It doesn't make sense to her. He pushes her away and denies her advances and stands there telling her to keep trying her luck. It is not a game for her, it hurts when he declines her, for as much as she wants her feelings reciprocated she won't just blindly follow these orders.
" But I can't do battle with you yet, can I? You won't let me." Her words come out colder and bitterer than she intended, it sounds more like an accusation than wanting him to clarify his statement. She doesn't care, it's how she feels anyway. All this waiting for nothing, waiting for anything, waiting for him is not how she wants her pursuit of Vegeta to be.
" In 2 months time after conquering both Kakarot and the tournament of Jurai I will choose my next wife, what makes you think the battle hasn't already started just because there isn't a victor yet?"
" … Jurai … You decided this with Ayeka didn't you? Naughty, naughty. I don't like Jurai, Vegey. I don't want you to go there." As intrigued and glad to hear that the race for his heart is on and she doesn't have to piss about for two months in the mean time, that planet's name has instantly eradicated any happiness he invoked in her. There is nothing positive for her to be associated with Jurai, it brought her pain, betrayal and her biggest nemesis, speaking of which she can deduce where said idea has originated from. She was the one who got him to agree to a deadline of sorts for his decision in the first place and now Ayeka has swooped in and made it her own. That does not please her, nor does the fact that Vegeta is going along with it as if it wouldn't mean anything to her, he cannot gloss over the fact just by hinting that her aggressive pursuit of him might not be met by as much resistance.
" And all of Jurai will not want me to go there. I chose this as I need a venue for my duel with Kakarot, not to appease Lady Ayeka." Vegeta can easily see the open hostility Ryoko has towards anything to do with Jurai and tries to defuse the situation. He might be playing into Ayeka's hands by accepting but he doesn't have anywhere else to stage his fight or that will entice Goku to fight him in the first place. Ryoko is having none of it, she growls under her breath and looks off to the side.
" Then choose another damn rock in space. Don't you see a little favouritism going on here?" Jealousy is rearing its ugly head again and making its presence felt. Ryoko can read between the lines, just because Vegeta admitted to being more open to advances for him does not make her the only one with said opportunity. Scowling, she curls her hands into fists and crosses her arms tightly about her half exposed chest. For someone who always claims to treat and view both herself and Ayeka as equals this does not seem fair to her. He is handing himself to the princess on a silver platter if he goes to Jurai, a planet Vegeta would be as welcome on as the plague. Underestimating the shy maiden made Ryoko blind to too much, she won't allow her to have this monumental advantage. Vegeta reads all this from her body language as if she were a book.
" You're scared of what she might accomplish on her home planet with her family's support and her royal power … when she goes home with me as her proclaimed fiancée." The Saiyan appears behind the half naked rogue and whispers in her ear her own fears of losing, and that dreaded word 'fiancée' to seal the deal. Ryoko's ki greatly rises in response to that term.
" I am not going to lose to her! I am going to make you love me." Passionately shouting those fighting words right in Vegeta's face as she spins around, Ryoko quickly darts forward with her face after speaking to steal a kiss from the prince. A nimble movement of his head is all it takes to make her miss. Her forward momentum from her headlong head-butt carries her into the prince and so she embraces him again and presses her barely clad body against his knowing such womanly wiles hold minimal effect on him. She really enjoys the feeling of him against her yet she sorely yearns for him to enjoy it back, she squeezes harder. The physical distance between their hearts might be as minimal as possible, with the exception of phasing through the other person, yet the cold gulf between them is painfully apparent to her.
"Here's a tip for you then, stay away from Ayeka so you don't disrupt my training." Delicately he places a finger at the top of her sternum and gently pushes her off his person, her grip lingers for a few seconds before she releases him and stands there silently. Ryoko drops her eyes to the floor. She cannot change his mind on Jurai, not unless she goes off in search of another tournament for him but in that time who knows how far she will have been left behind by Ayeka. It's a tormenting thought. As she stands there thinking about her situation and what she can possibly do to win Vegeta over before they journey to Jurai, her mind wanders onto another time in which her position may be in peril. Vegeta is taking her silence and subdued demeanour to signify that their conversation has ended though as soon as he makes the tiniest movement to leave, Ryoko's arm darts out and grabs onto the front of her outfit.
" Wait. I wanna ask you a question, about your mating season." Ryoko's eyes are still not looking at him, her mind is still wrapped up in thought. With no trace of her usual lust filled behaviour about her Vegeta can tell this is not her usual dirty train of thought. However, he has no want to discuss these private matters with her. She tugs at his clothing as he turns his head away from her and raises her golden eyes to look at him, a nervous wondering within them. "I know you're going off planet to protect us but …is there any build up or lingering-"
Vegeta pulls away from her grasp. The enquiry has taken a turn more towards her usual probing into his sexual behaviours and he will not give her the satisfaction of answering her, even if she isn't acting as her normal dirty minded self. He pivots on the spot and starts pacing away as her hand reaches out for him again. Vegeta doesn't allow it to touch him, he has had enough and wants to become one being again to restore his strength and train properly. With great hesitation in her voice, Ryoko blurts out the question she needs answered.
" Will you not look at me as a woman because of my-of me … You said it's natural, and for you to mate and procreate … does that rule me out then?"
Vegeta stops dead in his tracks, turning his head to the side to glance back at the woman fearing his insatiable period for reproduction could cost her everything. He stays silent for a couple of seconds looking at her, her eyes imploring him for an answer as her outstretched arm hangs there between them. This had not crossed Vegeta's mind. The worries she has that in the period that he is around them and near his time that his natural urges will make him stray down the path of Ayeka are not worries he can ease. If she is infertile for him and he knows that then will his lust driven self be put off by that, he does not know. Answering about such things is not what he would prefer but he cannot leave her to worry herself about this, it would only serve to make her more desperate and apt to do something he would not like.
"I hear your concern, honestly I have not thought about that. I will not discriminate against you or base my decision for a future partner on those grounds, but … it changes me. … Yes, there is some marginal increase before it starts and afterwards. I cannot say what my primal self will be attracted to, or not as the case may be."
"Promise me you won't let it pick her." She teleports in front of him with a serious look on her face. That was not what she wanted to hear and so she wants him to reassure her that his mating season will not betray her, Ryoko grabs both of his shoulders. He raises an arm so that she lets go of him, steps back and awaits his answer.
"Oozaru I can control, over this I have little power. I will try, for you."
Vegeta vanishes, teleporting into the training room to merge with the other copy of himself. Ryoko stays on the roof, a bit unsettled but happy to know that he will put the effort in to make sure it stays a fair contest between her and Ayeka. For now she'll abide his rule of not pissing off the princess and so teleports down onto the floor and weakly smiles through the portholes of the training room at the Saiyan.