Chapter 55
The seat at the head of the table is vacant as Ryoko gorges on the feast celebrating her engagement. When Ayeka entered she made the excuse that he was tidying up his room and packing in preparation for his year of training, now she sits in a subdued silence more messing with her food than eating any. It does not take too long before another seat empties as Trunks prematurely leaves, uncomfortable at best at this meal for Ryoko and wanting to see what his father is truly up to since his power that he can sense is fluctuating. Sasami and Mihoshi keep in good cheer, congratulating Ryoko as the rogue's ears wag with joy at all the delicious food she is sampling. A few strands of noodle get deposited on the royal princess' plate, breaking her out of her detached musings, and before Ayeka can say a word of thanks Ryoko has helped herself to a portion of the uneaten food on her plate. During the meal Kiyone tries to stay out of the debacle of Ryoko although her inquisitive mind is curious to know what has transpired to cause this chain of events and so instead informs the elder sister of Sasami's escapade when she ran away with Trunks. At that Ryoko makes a quip that it must be genetic for Juraian princesses to run away with those of Saiyan blood, she smiles across to Ayeka but she does not seem amused by the joke.
Towards the tail end of the meal, with an appeased Ryoko lounging back with a full stomach, Mihoshi having excused herself from the table and Kiyone helping Sasami with the dishes, a couple returns from their date. Washu giggles to herself as Yamcha carries her through the threshold and seeing the gathering of people they head over there after Washu gets put down. The pair take notice of Ryoko's presence as they all greet one another, Washu smirking to herself that she probably has some fun data to go over and see what occurred during her absence. Kiyone jokes to them that next time they get to look after the kids and she gets the stress free day out to which Washu rapidly replies that she will have enough of that soon when she has her own children to deal with. A small girl appears at Washu's side, looking up at her and a bombardment of questions follow, Washu smiles as she answers Sasami's curiosity with as much freedom as she is allowed when under the watchful eye of Ayeka. The princess feels a tug on her arm and turns to see Ryoko standing up and pulling at her sleeve to come with her. She nods towards Kiyone to oversee her sister and Washu to make sure that nothing is said to the young girl concerning children that should not be divulged to someone of her age. Ayeka stands and follows Ryoko. Ryoko then grabs at Yamcha and in a hushed voice tells him she has some questions for him, Yamcha obliges and Washu smiles at him as he walks off.
"You know lots of things about Vegeta and Bulma, don't you? You're the one who was with her before Vegey, I got this right don't I?" Just outside the front door to the house Ryoko begins with her questioning, securing the foundation of her inquisition before diving right in. She has never really talked to Yamcha about this sort of thing but as she has taken Vegeta out of action this scar faced man will have to suffice as her source of information, and maybe he might be more willing to confess certain secrets to her. Ryoko stands close to Yamcha, closer than Ayeka deems proper and closer than Washu would prefer if she were present. An eyebrow raises, Yamcha feels thin ice beneath him concerning what he might have to say later on in this questioning.
"Yeah, on and off but sure I was Bulma's boyfriend for a good dozen years or so and was there living with those two after Namek. This about Vegeta and his season?"
"Hell no, he's told me enough about that. What I want to know is about Bulma and about this." Ryoko waves off that topic, she has talked about that already today and will not revisit that dark area anytime soon, instead she whistles. One meow and a few seconds of scampering later Ryo-Ohki appears. Yamcha stands back as Ryoko lifts up her spaceship and places her upon her head. The princess believes she knows where this is going and disapprovingly shakes her head. Saying the word carrot to her pet perks up the cabbit's ears and with that the rogue sticks her chest out and points to the expectant creature on her head.
" You wanna know 'bout her father's cat? 'Cos that's all I'm getting from this, it is a strange cat, very old and … very smart, but I don't think you care."
He is not getting anything from her balancing her cabbit on her head, for all he knows she could even be asking about spacecraft Bulma made. None of this is something he believes Ryoko to have suddenly found an interest in. Ryo-Ohki paws at Ryoko, wanting the carrot she was promised, so Ryoko takes her off her head and strokes her in her arms to pacify her. Yamcha sees a very stern expression on Ayeka's face as the princess steps up to her rival, it is definitely something important that he is failing to catch onto, and there has to be a reason why he is being asked instead of the Saiyan himself. A hand is placed on Ryoko's shoulder, Ayeka will not allow this.
"Miss Ryoko, please, do not do this. Lord Vegeta already said-"
"What you mean is Lord Vegeta lied. He lied to us. His wife's special treasure would not be kept locked away under a wardrobe, she would keep it in her house, not this one. Yamcha, I have come into possession of something of Bulma's, Vegey ever so kindly gave it to me with Ayeka's help here. So, now you need to tell me what Mr. Former Flame knows of Bulma's weird cabbit-eared outfit."
Ryoko did not buy what Vegeta told her, there are too many flaws and it does not explain his shame and reasoning for hiding it. She left after he gave it to her due to gratitude not because she was fooled by his words like Ayeka was. It might not be a complete lie yet there is a large amount of omission at the very least, and Ryoko does not like it at all when Vegeta lies. He can protect his dead wife if he wants, he can play innocent and appease Ayeka by skirting around certain topics in her presence, she just wants to know what kind of use her new present has seen. Judging by an incredulous look growing on Yamcha her theory gets reinforced. Ryoko has no sexual desires or drive towards Vegeta currently but following a hellish near death experience she has a large want to know if there is anything else like that hidden in his darkness.
The hand on Ryoko drops. Ayeka shakes her head. She saw no lie, she saw a man driven to his knees by Ryoko, even if there is a secret it should be left alone out of respect. Her prince is not a deviant like Ryoko is insinuating. She owes this to Vegeta to stand against Ryoko if she tries to push any further to disgrace both her prince and try to dishonour the deceased Bulma. Ryoko has caused enough damage, she should be satisfied and back down. The outfit is a personal belonging that holds special memories, that is all, that is all Ayeka will allow. Ayeka grabs firmer this time at Ryoko to try and dissuade her but gets pushed backwards by Ryoko, being friendlier does not excuse the princess from getting in her way. As Ryoko turns back to Yamcha she sees anger.
" How the hell did you two get Bulma's bunny girl costume? And what makes you think I'll tell you anything?"
"See, both of you getting very defensive over it makes it seem oh so suspicious. Vegey blushed, and clothing normally doesn't spark such a juicy reaction from him. Just tell me, princess might judge but I won't."
"Whatever Vegeta said is what it is. Be careful what you say, Ryoko." He might be one of the weakest Z-fighters but Yamcha is not going to be pushed about by some woman sticking her nose where it does not belong.
His history and relationship with Bulma was complex but she still was a woman he loved at one point and stayed close friends with after, this is not a line of questioning he will tolerate. He knows what she is trying to get at and trying to get him to say and that is not a betrayal he will make. Even forgetting his fear towards upsetting Vegeta or Trunks with this, Yamcha is not going to let any shame befall a woman who cannot defend herself since she has passed. It is not his business how they managed to part that outfit from the widowed Saiyan, he can guess that his actions during his mating season are still being punished, it is his business if Ryoko wants to insult Bulma.
"... Be careful, or what? Vegeta doesn't scare me, what hope do you have?"
Unfortunately, Ryoko is not one to allow herself to be threatened. Her damaged psyche following such a trauma is dead set against showing weakness or vulnerability, or giving into someone's threatening behaviour. She squares up against Yamcha, wanting the truth to be given to her. Ryo-Ohki hops down out of her hands and runs off to Sasami in the kitchen. There is a good chance he is bluffing, Ryoko does not think he has the courage to hit her when there is the possibility of Vegeta stepping in – she does not know that Yamcha is rationalising such a possibility as pure karma for all the times Vegeta attacked Washu.
Ayeka steps in between them and gives Ryoko a hard shove of her own. The vivid red sleeves of her furisode whip about. Three times now she has had to interject herself to stop Ryoko's stupidity from causing herself harm. This sort of behaviour is just disappointing after their talk. A hard glare is sent her way from the golden eyes of Ryoko who proceeds to start smoothing down the long sleeved black t-shirt that she borrowed from Vegeta. Yamcha takes this moment to take a step backwards and stand down, cooling his head from the provocation of Ryoko.
"Stop, right now, Ryoko. This accomplishes nothing but debasing yourself. I thought you better than to stoop to disrespecting the dead. I told you to end your vendetta, are you truly not satisfied even now, not even after you- we nearly drove Lord Vegeta to tears? Stop this witch-hunt. Cease and desist, or else." She holds her arms out wide to block Ryoko and her small guardian logs materialise in the air to show that she is not making idle threats. The burning crimson of her eyes stares fixedly at Ryoko, hoping that she will not be foolish. Her rival should be better than this. Ayeka made a promise to Vegeta and she is keeping it, she will try and stop Ryoko if need be, she is out of line, the princess shakes her head.
" I don't like Vegey lying to me. You shouldn't either, Ayeka. ... Fine, I'll drop it, if Yamcha tells me one new thing about my new outfit."
"She got it the same day she met me when we were both kids, so it's actually older than Ayeka and most probably a few sizes too small for you."
With that the man betrothed to Washu leaves and goes back into the house, not saying another word to Ryoko and leaving her with that basic fact that might counter Ryoko's theory. A teenage girl does not stay the same size forever, it will not stretch to Ryoko's size and likewise a middle aged Bulma would also face similar problems. Ryoko is already well aware that her latest acquisition is not something she can wear if she ever finds the want to do so, proportions aside she is taller than Vegeta who was taller than his wife, its age however does interest her. The item is not something of Vegeta's. His wife had it years before Vegeta knew where Earth was and if that is so her main want to find the truth vanishes. The bunny girl costume hides no further sexual deviancy that might threaten her and hurt her. Ryoko crosses her arms and turns to look out across the lake. There is a soft fizz in the air as Ayeka dismisses her guardians.
The afternoon has progressed far, Summer will not last much longer and the Sun has begun its final descent in the sky. Ryoko's feline pupils scan the horizon and look to see if there are any stars out this early in the evening but if there are then the mountains and forest hides them from her. She can sense Vegeta. She can always sense his large power just like she knows precisely where Goku and Gohan and Piccolo are without paying any conscious effort to locating them. Trunks is in the room with his father. The father and the son, and so she guesses that makes her the evil step-mother in this situation. Mother, it is not something she wants to be. Wife, that is what she wants. She does not want to think about all that, she does not like that she wants Vegeta to be her other half. The air is cooling down. Grass rustles at her side, Ryoko lazily glances to see Ayeka still with her.
"I really hope for your sake you had me accompany you so I would stop you like I did. Enough is enough. You owe me for the three times I have had to protect you from your raging stupidity, I will be your saviour no longer if this idiocy continues. Grow up." Ayeka is stern in her scolding. Her jealousy for her rival will not let Ryoko squander herself in such mean spirited pettiness, if she is to be a rival of the princess of Jurai then she will have to act the part or it will shame her even further than her envy does already. Ayeka reaches out, grabs Ryoko's left hand and slaps her wrist. Physical discipline is not something Ayeka likes but needs must when all else seems to fail at getting through to Ryoko.
There is no resistance from Ryoko. The slap stings but there is no retaliation. The Sun is creeping lower in the sky and Ryoko can see the long shadows as shade encompasses more and more of the landscape. Ryoko nods at Ayeka, part showing her gratitude to her for those three times and part as agreeing that she brought her as a voice of reason. Yamcha is ignorant of her new ability to read minds and if she wanted information then abusing that simple fact would accomplish that for her. A Juraian acting as her saviour is a sour thought for Ryoko, bitterer still since it is Ayeka of all people but right now Ryoko is perfectly fine with that. Right now she needs someone like that. She does not care who they are. Without Ayeka right now she would be alone. Ryoko looks about at the ground and the outside of the house. In a sedate manner she takes several steps over till she is in the middle of the large window. She leans back against the cold glass. Her hands run through her hair as she takes a deep breath and slides down the wall until she is sat upon the grass. There are dark stains in the woodwork at the base of the wall. She can sense the ki of Vegeta rising and falling, steadier than it was before she had her feast but still out of control. She can sense him. She can smell him on his clothes that she is wearing. Ryoko shivers. Hesitantly she outstretches a hand to the side and turns to look at Ayeka.
" … I'm scared."
Ryoko's voice is ever so quiet as she stretches her hand out further. She is ready to drop her guard now, drop her facade of bravery and let it out. The onset of darkness cannot be stopped. The Sun will set soon and with that a whole new difficulty will present itself to the pirate. She has lied, Vegeta does scare her, there is no way he could not. Her continued feelings for him scare her, as does the terrible pain she went through. She has been at this house on edge except for the times she was delighting in her tongue's new ability. Ryoko is very scared. Scared of what might come, what might happen and the constant intimidating power she can sense. She wants her ally that hates her. She will admit her fear to Ayeka. The princess knows a lot about her already, enough that if she wanted to hurt her she could with ease, Ayeka has not done anything of the sort since that fateful day and so she trusts her with this confession.
Ayeka steps forward and takes Ryoko's hand with both of her own. After having hit someone and them to now be looking so forlorn really messes with the already large amount of guilt Ayeka is dealing with. She reassuringly squeezes the hand as it holds tightly onto her. This is not a side of Ryoko she thought she would see. Vegeta's apparent lie fooled her and so now has Ryoko's courage. She has seen this sight of a vulnerable Ryoko before and she does not enjoy seeing it again. After close to a full day back in the house with Vegeta and her, Ryoko can no longer maintain herself, she is tired, quite a few things have happened and Vegeta is still an issue for her. She managed to hold a conversation with him and admit her own feelings to herself but even still this goes beyond that. Ryoko is scared of being under the same roof as Vegeta. Ryoko is scared of sleeping in the same house as him. Night is something she has been avoiding.
" I've been having really bad nights, lots of … night terrors, real bad ones. Have you- Ayeka, how do you sleep with Vegeta so close?" Not once since it happened has she been able to grab more than a few restless hours of sleep at a time. She is mentally scarred and those pure red eyes leering out of the darkness always finds her as she rests. A different pair of red eyes are looking at her now. Ryoko asks for help. If Ayeka can somehow manage to do this then she thinks she can too. Otherwise, Ryoko always has the back-up plan of drinking until oblivion claims her, and being passed out and comatose will only serve to make her that much more vulnerable. Waking up in cold sweats with every muscle taught with dread is horrible. Ryoko cannot go to Vegeta about this, she cannot let him see how much he damaged her or let him see how weak she is and so she has to rely on Ayeka. The princess she knows was terrified of Vegeta and yet she never fled from this house, Ryoko needs answers so she might sleep.
"My sister. We cuddle up together, she helps, immensely."
Ayeka freely gives the secret to her own mostly untroubled sleep. She smiles down at Ryoko and Ryoko weakly manages to give her own smile. This information is of no use to Ryoko, there is no comforting and warm embrace of family for her. Ayeka knows this will not help her rival but the truth is the truth, she has no secret tricks, and there is nothing else she can think to say to Ryoko about this. Suddenly being confronted by a frail Ryoko is confusing for her and she has already been nice enough towards Ryoko today she feels but even so with that it would reflect so poorly upon her if she decided now would be the time to walk away. Ayeka half expects some familiar mocking from Ryoko playing off her prior engagement to her half-brother and her now sleeping with her sister, Ryoko does not even register it.
There are now three large powers within Vegeta's room. Ryoko has large ears but they do not offer her the same level of hearing as Saiyans have, she cannot make out any of the conversation being held between the three males all tied together by the web of Bulma. She suspects that after having heard about Vegeta's generosity Yamcha is checking the situation for himself. She confronted her fear by going into that room, that was not hard for her, the dusk is, the loneliness is. Ryoko lets out a little sad laugh about her predicament, having someone be there for her in the night would help.
"Don't think Ryo-Ohki's gonna cut the bill for that. … Would- Would it be OK if-"
"I am afraid it would not. … If you ask nicely I may stay up late and keep you company, watch a film on T.V, or I could teach you my marvellous culinary skills to pass the time." It stings Ayeka to hear her rival ask such a thing of her, for Ryoko to be driven so far by her fear that she would ask this of her. The princess has to decline. There is no way she will trade Sasami for Ryoko, she will not abide Ryoko to share her bed. She makes this offer to be her friend in this situation and tries to alleviate the sombre mood with a joke. Ryoko nods.
"I'd like that. … The light's still gone in my room, isn't it. I can't sleep there. Fighting enough here as it is, I don't want to be in the dark – it-it happened in the dark." Ryoko fully voices the thing controlling her actions and pushing her to these extremes.
This is the problem she cannot combat and has to seek aid from Ayeka for. Ryoko's phobia has grown, all the progress she made to fix it with Vegeta has been undone. She is fighting the battle of Vegeta, the event and her affection, there is simply no will left in her to fight against the pervading black that invades at night. Ryoko is petrified of being in the dark. For days she has been teleporting strategically to chase the Sun for her nightmare filled naps. Now she is making her stand by staying at this house and she cannot run from that which she fears. She wants help, she wants Ayeka's help, she needs help to face the night. Her bed is cold and lonely and has no source of lighting, the corridor to Vegeta's room is not somewhere she will crawl to, Ayeka's room has a light.
"If you do need somebody maybe Mihoshi or Kiyone will be willing, maybe even Washu-"
"Washu's lab is dark. It is all dark. … And I've had enough of hopping into bed with people I barely know. They wouldn't want to be caught aiding and abetting a known fugitive. Is it trust?"
"Yes, trust is a part of it, as is the fact that I cannot just allow someone into my bed with me, be they woman or man. It would not be right, much as I hate seeing you like this. A compromise might exist, though it does depend on whether it affects Sasami or not. Since me and my sister only occupy one of the beds in our room the other would be free. Whether or not the light being on keeps my sister awake and stops her sleeping will determine the other part of the problem. … Or, we could just be sensible about this and simply ask Washu for a light bulb. Now I don't have to worry about your thieving or perusing of my diary." Ayeka squeezes Ryoko's hands as she warmly smiles, the best solution is most often the easiest one. Truthfully she would not feel comfortable with the compromise she made in jest, acting friendly towards a wounded and hurting Ryoko is one thing but her room is not a place she will welcome her. Someone with such violent mood swings and a history of violent actions towards her is not someone she will trust to sleep in the same room as herself and Sasami. Ayeka knows that Sasami would see no problem with it and the fact that their light would be on is no issue as she found out after Ayeka smashed their window and the glowing purple barrier of Vegeta's was temporarily put in place.
Ryoko chuckles. She closes her eyes and laughs to herself. So wrapped up in her phobia that that answer had not even been considered by her. The scientist who brought her taste will bring her light. She can sleep without there being any darkness. She will sleep with Ryo-Ohki as her only source of comfort but there will be light and no darkness and her light will be on and she will not have to be scared. It happened in the dark, the bad things happen in the dark, but she will have her light so she will be safe and Vegeta will not hurt her ever again. She pulls on Ayeka's arm as she stands up, smiling at the princess, still holding her hands. Ayeka is right in that she owes her, Ryoko owes her even more now and so she will give her what she can at the moment. For a while she stands there not saying anything. The moment of euphoria over gaining light has passed, the roots of her phobia are deep as is her internal conflict concerning Vegeta, a tremble enters her hand which Ayeka quells with a stronger grip.
"On your date with Vegey, dance with him. Play, have fun, he likes the sport and competition, and the dancing … it's good. You probably can dance better than I can anyway, unless it's too hands on for you. … This time we won't be sharing him between us, but I do still hope he won't end things with a kiss like he did with me. … He never raises a hand to you, guess being pretty only counts for so much." Advice for her date is what Ryoko chooses as the commodity she can give, along with as much blessing as she can spare for her rival's date. Dancing with him made her very happy. Now Ayeka can enjoy the same, she deserves at least that much for the kindness she has shown. There is not much else Ryoko can think she can do except for one thing and if Vegeta's actions did not make her do it then a debt to Ayeka will not make her relinquish her love for Vegeta. Remembering back to her date, however, brings with it less happy memories, and a self depreciating comment escapes her lips at the massively unfair treatment she was and is victim to. Vegeta has little qualm in causing her physical pain, a sentiment he does not share towards the delicate flower that is Ayeka. Her want for equality in her proposal has not given her the fair and equal treatment she wants.
"So in all your bargaining and vengeance you never thought to ask for that instead of taking something of Bulma's from him. Wait until after your time in the training room, and then you can tell him to never treat you ill again. After all, you are the Princess of all Saiyans now."
Another simple plan is gifted from Ayeka to comfort Ryoko. For now there is not much to be done about that, Ryoko is in no state to go before Vegeta and make demands and the princess has no clue how well Vegeta is faring after she left him. Ryoko takes her hand back. She does know that the reason for Vegeta's ability to strike her comes from some respect towards her as a fighter, not some want to cause excessive physical pain to her and only her but she does not want that. Ryoko wants to be treated with respect, what she deems as respect and not some Saiyan warrior version of respect which injures her. She enjoys Ayeka calling her a princess, an equal.
"Pretty sure that means he has the right to hit me even more, don't it? I don't need to be some royal, or a monkey, I'm Ryoko and that is why he will never hurt me again. He can't. He won't. He can't. And he won't hurt you either."
Stating that, Ryoko motions for them to go back inside. The cyan haired pirate takes a moment to regain her air of confidence before she makes a straight beeline towards the kitchen and Washu. Still entertaining Sasami and her endless curiosity, Washu is enjoying boasting about her love and relationship if only to a young girl when she gets tapped on the shoulder and Ryoko tells her that the machine in the training room is making funny noises. Ayeka seconds this as she goes to her sister to disengage her from questioning the scientist any further, both Kiyone and Washu can sense something is up but Washu regardless seems not to care and goes for the bait. It comes as no surprise that as soon as she enters the training room that the bulkhead door she cannot budge gets shut behind her and her machine appears to be in perfect working order. She asks what Ryoko wants, Ryoko says it and Washu nods and accepts. One light-bulb to fit in the empty fixture in her room and a dose of sedatives, nothing taxing to Washu or a task that will take her more than a few minutes to accomplish. The door creaks open as Washu is released. Ryoko looks towards the machine humming away to itself, the machine falls silent and Ryoko's ears prick up.
A pulse of ki runs through the house followed quickly by another and then another. A storm of roars and shouts thunder from the floor above, light shines brightly on the upper floor and Ayeka rushes from the kitchen to see what is going on with an arm sheltering Sasami who followed her. Teleporting out from the training room, Ryoko tells her what she can sense: Vegeta has gone Super Saiyan in rage and his son has done the same to stop him, Yamcha has also raised his power in defence against the prince. All too quickly the shouts die down and a single female voice is heard whimpering in absolute terror. The golden light grows as Trunks appears escorting a badly shaken up Mihoshi downstairs, he stays Super Saiyan even though his father upstairs has descended, the female cop sits down heavily on the sofa, covering her face. Kiyone quickly exits the kitchen and goes to her friend's side to see how her partner is doing and what happened. Mihoshi mumbles that she thought she would be helpful and help them pack their things. Ayeka visibly winces and guiltily looks away as Trunks looks across at her. The natural blonde tried to be nice whilst upstairs and believed what Ayeka had said, she then proceeded to casually enter Vegeta's room at a bad time and see the Saiyan in a weakened state which his pride took great offence at.
Voices raise again upstairs, Mihoshi cowers hearing the angry Saiyan and hopes Yamcha will be OK. Ryoko's eyes are locked on those of the glowing and golden haired boy and his blue eyes rest on her for a while as the two lovers of Bulma shout at one another. Her ears prick up further as she hears her name. At the slightest movement from Sasami to investigate what is going on and put a stop to the shouting Trunks bars her path and blocks her as she tries to move around him. He tells her to stop and that it is not her business, Sasami turns to look at her sister but Ayeka is moving towards Mihoshi, the princess bows her head to the policewoman and apologises for her lie. The scared cop understands and does not hold it against Ayeka for having lied and claims it is her fault for not having knocked, to which Trunks agrees. A small girl tugs at the crimson robes of her older sister, Ayeka shakes her head and explains to Sasami that this is not something they can get themselves involved in without making matters worse. Sasami obviously wants to end the distressing yells and bring peace to the household yet she acquiesces to the will of her elders and goes to cheer Mihoshi up, she finds Ryo-Ohki has already taken the job as it nuzzles against the cop.
Humming to herself, an unperturbed Washu exits from her lab and throws two items across to Ryoko. Trunks being Super Saiyan reassures Washu that her fiancée is not in any immediate danger and she has faith in him that this exchange between the two fighters will go well, she also knows it is something they have needed to do for a long time. The son of Vegeta steps up towards Ryoko, eyeing her carefully, and she flippantly tells him she has no interest in going to his dad and vanishes upstairs to her own room instead. Trunks mumbles to himself that Ryoko has at least learnt not to teleport to his dad when warned against it. The Sun has not set yet but a light goes on inside Ryoko's room, she smiles and begins listening as she relaxes onto her bed with a container of sedatives in her hand. Her name and Ayeka's crops up again, and then so does that of another woman.
"As if you have any right to insult the choices I make! You are just some weak fool! Do not lecture me on them when all I see is some pathetic dog pawing at some shadow of its former master. You are with Washu purely because she reminds you of her. Of my wife! Don't think I do not see it, and you are as committed to her as you are to the trade of fighting."
Downstairs sets of eyes glance and shift towards the pink haired scientist. They can all clearly hear the booming voice of Vegeta. Washu fiddles with her hair and pretends that nothing is wrong, she can feel the glare of Trunks upon her, the mention of his mother ringing loud in his ears. Two physical years are shed from her appearance. She is paying very close attention to this conversation now, it is not as if Washu has never made the connection she has just never asked Yamcha anything along those lines. Whereas both Ayeka and Ryoko have a new thought crawling within their mind. Neither were aware that both Yamcha and Vegeta see Washu as the one closest in similarity to Bulma. A brilliant scientist with a strong ego, sense of vanity towards her appearance, a powerful drive towards her work and the ones she cares for, and the courage to disobey a Saiyan whether it be wise or not. Ryoko huffs to herself on her bed. Vegeta hates Washu with a passion, she sees no threat in a woman like Washu – and she assumes that him seeing a twisted version of his dead wife in her is a strong part of his hate towards her.
"A guy's allowed to have a type, y'know, so what if she shares a few qualities? I love Washu. And you are out your damn mind if you think I'm the one doing the rebound here."
Washu smiles. That is the kind of answer she wanted to hear. She had no doubts to begin with, even so it is very pleasant for her to hear her lover yell that in defiance at the Saiyan's face. Yamcha's answer, however is displeasing for the women courting Vegeta. Rebound is not a nice word, or a term they ever want to be categorised as. The ki emanating from Vegeta spikes and Ryoko's light bulb flickers, she sneers at the effects of his power. At this point Trunks straight up walks out of the house. The golden aura enveloping him lighting his way through the dusk.
"Shut your damn mouth, worm! Adulterous scum like you know nothing-"
"I did not cheat on Bulma! You- … You know. As much her fault as it was mine, not like you can complain."
"Pretty sure Tights would have something to say to the contrary. You do not just sleep with people by accident."
The smile on Washu's face disappears as she walks to the bottom of the stairs. Yamcha told her he had never cheated on a woman, this appears to be a piece of evidence pointing to the opposite. Data surrounding his breakup with Bulma and the beginning of Vegeta's relationship with her is sparse, and Washu's prying never gained much insight on the subject bar a few vague comments. The older sister of Bulma definitely seems to be a strong enough reason for the rocky relationship of Yamcha and Bulma to finally shatter. Looking about the room downstairs she sees a few more glances her way, her emerald eyes dissuade them from lingering. At this point she realises only through her research does she know of Tights Briefs and no-one else within this room does. Washu calmly states who Tights is, mainly directing her sentence towards Ayeka. Sasami pipes up questioning why Trunks never mentioned he has an Aunt Tights. The heavy sleeves of the red furisode of her sister fall on either side of her head as hands clap over the small ears of Sasami, Ayeka had forgotten herself following Vegeta's conversation. There are things being said that her younger sister shall not hear, adultery and sex are topics for when she is much, much older, Sasami fidgets to escape but soon gives up.
"You've changed your tune, 'cos that's exactly what you were saying when you knocked Bulma up. Or Ryoko."
If anyone in the front room had the ability to then they would sense a fourth power growing out of emotion, no light bulb is bright enough to ward off words like that. Yamcha is overstepping his mark. His fiancée's confidence in letting him handle this argument is fading fast. Washu's fingers rap against the banister along the stairs, she wants to stop Yamcha from running his mouth but her current amicable standing with Vegeta and lack of want to be attacked by his rage leaves her stood where she is. An old grudge is rearing its head between the two who lived at Capsule Corporation HQ. Going for the low blow and attacking Vegeta's assault on Ryoko is not doing the bandit any favours, or earning him any allies. He is also lucky that Trunks foresaw an escalation like this and removed himself, or else a derogatory mention of his own conception would not be welcomed. Ryoko has stood up from her bed and is listlessly pacing. No-one gets to mock what happened to her, especially not some happy-go-lucky man parading his own happiness in her face. However, running screaming into that room is something even she realises is a bad idea, and before she has the chance to let her emotions boil over a resounding roar continues the heated argument.
" I stopped myself! That is more than you can say about you and your member!"
"So when's the wedding then? After shagging someone and getting 'em pregnant that's the next step, right?"
Personal attacks fly left and right between the two men. Washu and Ayeka wince, they know of the hornet's nest that Yamcha just kicked. Only because he would feel it to be so degrading to use his transformation against such a weakling does Vegeta hold back his transformed state. Any previous clash they had would normally be interrupted and stopped by Bulma, her absence is heavily felt by the two Z-fighters. The door to Ryoko's room opens, a sword blazing in her hand as she tries to force herself to control her growing rage. She has killed men for less. Inside the room she senses a change of position as Vegeta moves himself over closer to his door, blocking her path and barring her any possible entry except teleportation which he can do nothing about. Ryoko wants to attack Yamcha for his careless insults. In the corner of her periphery she sees a flash of pink and her elfin ears pick up the sound of creaking stairs. Slit-like pupils fix as Ryoko's anger burns through her.
" … Your Washu never told you what she did, when she locked Ryoko up, when you tricked her into becoming an experiment and having fear thrust into her face? I. Cannot. Impregnate. Ryoko. Did you think every alien species can just mate? And I would be thinking very carefully about your next move. Ryoko is listening, Washu is a prime target now especially when she goes running her mouth so much about your own plans for children. Begone, worm. Silence your tongue before I take this second woman from you." Sparks fly around his hand as Vegeta pulls open his door. Ryoko's attention switches back from the scientist as she is revealed to Yamcha, her golden eyes focused more on the Saiyan who is enraged more than she is. An immense air pervades around Vegeta as his colossal ki almost hides that of Yamcha's. The former bandit sees the sword gripped in Ryoko's hand and quietly exits the room. He says a mute apology to Ryoko, she shakes her head in disgust at him and moves partially out of his way as he passes her.
Now at the top of the staircase, Washu seizes one of Yamcha's arms and marches him downstairs and back towards her lab. She is ashamed and embarrassed by his disgraceful words. There is plenty of the evening left and Washu is planning to allocate the majority of it over to interrogation to find out more of what Vegeta revealed. She expected better from him, not that she can entirely blame him considering who he was up against – Vegeta is conflict personified. No woman downstairs gets to say a word in edgeways before Washu briskly ushers Yamcha away into her realm. The final insult he said she could have prevented, if not for patient-doctor confidentiality that she saw as prudent to uphold considering Ryoko and Yamcha having no need to know of her physiology. With the door to the laboratory closed, Ayeka removes her hands from Sasami's ears and Mihoshi says an apology, believing herself to be the catalyst for the row.
"Think you said that loud enough?"
Her sword fizzles out of existence as she absently drops it from her hand, her irritated and snarky tone indicative of her residual anger. Gold and black collide and clash. Ryoko makes no move towards the charged up Saiyan as they face one another, she just makes a disparaging remark about how everyone now knows of her very personal issue. It is not something she wanted to become public knowledge, Ayeka knowing of it was bad enough for her and now Kiyone and Mihoshi do as well as Yamcha. There is no answer from Vegeta as he stands there next to his door. The inside of his room is neat and tidy as it was before Ryoko ransacked it except for a few charred patches of flooring. Ryoko then asks him who this Tights woman is that Yamcha supposedly slept with. To that Vegeta says Tights is his sister-in-law, Ryoko nods, learning that a sibling of Bulma's exists but ultimately uncaring.
"I can give you an easy out if you want. Were you trying to really piss Yamcha off so he would say shit like that so he becomes the one I hate and not you, a fresh scapegoat for my loathing and fury? Ayeka would like that kinda thing."
"You do not like it when I lie." Vegeta gruffly tells the truth, too tired from it all to bother going along with that easy lie. He is the one to break eye contact first, dropping his gaze to nothing in particular as he rubs at his large temples. Both their rages are brimmed to the top where any spark could set them off. Vegeta does not have the mental capacity to plan something like Ryoko said, nor is it a strategy he feels he would use. The Saiyan turns and looks behind him, seeing the far off glow of his Super Saiyan son on the opposite side of the lake. The first week shall be the hardest, the 51 following it he hopes will get easier as they get stronger.
"I don't. … Also don't like real loud noises or powers when I want to sleep, which I think I'm gonna do now, so keep it down. Try not to blurt out any more of my secrets while you're at it. Good- … Goodnight. And if you come anywhere near my room..." Her fears slip that last half of a sentence out as Ryoko decides she has had enough of it all.
The day has been long and hard and she wants it over and done with, so she will make it so and force tomorrow to come where everything will be different and Vegeta will be training. Ryoko sees Vegeta look out the hallway and he notices the light coming from her room but does not comment upon it. She guesses that he has ceased that punishment, or from the looks of things is too far gone to remotely care about it. Ayeka was right, she can see the damage he let her do to him as he yielded the bunny girl outfit to her. It does comfort her to know that despite all the terror and suffering he has wrought unto her she, with such ease, managed to do this back to him without trying for it. Vegeta grabs his door-handle, presuming their talk to have ended.
"Night."
"Wait. Rebound?" Ryoko wants one thing cleared up first before she forgets and gets left with the thought stewing in her mind. Vegeta makes a disinterested sound. His ki level begins to gradually decrease.
"It would be if it were not for the year I will have tomorrow. Night"
The door closes. It is hardly the best way he could have phrased it but Ryoko takes it for what it is worth, he is not rushing things with them and is taking his time to make sure that he gets over his wife first before making his decision. She wants to relay this to Ayeka but her want to avoid the crowded room downstairs is greater and so Ryoko goes back into her bedroom. The curtains remain open, the light turned on and Ryoko picks up the container of sedatives and reads the dosage recommendations. It only contains as much as it recommends, Washu eradicating any possibility for an overdose before it can happen. Ryoko sets the small container down and takes the red lower half of her outfit off, undoes her bra and slips it off whilst keeping Vegeta's black long sleeved t-shirt on and runs her fingers through her hair as she stretches. Her bed is welcoming. She heavily flops onto it, throws the covers over her, curls up tight and shuts her eyes. The sedatives remain untouched. Ryoko lets exhaustion take her as she sleeps in the comfort of a bed for the first time in a few days. An hour into her sleep and the Sun has almost set when Ryo-Ohki silently pads in after phasing through the door, hops onto the bed and cuddles into her mistress' warmth. Twice she abruptly wakes up as nightmares seize her, and twice she seeks solace in her cabbit companion and after that she manages to find the state of deep sleep that had eluded her for so long.
A light-bulb burns as the Sun creeps over the horizon, the dawn chorus begins and ends and then Ryoko's mouth opens into a cavernous yawn. Early mid-morning is not a time she usually sees, or is awake for. Early to bed means early to rise. She stretches under her displaced and messy covers and hears a tired meow as moving fur tickles her. Floppy ears and a small furry face stick out from under her collar as the tiny canines of the cabbit show as she yawns. Ryoko reaches inside her clothing and pulls Ryo-Ohki out and cuddles her, lounging about in her bed as her pet purrs. Two stomachs rumble and the space-ship meows. Ryoko rolls out of bed and lazily attempts to tidy the mess of her hair, Ryo-Ohki bounds out of her grasp and phases through the door in her search for food. Looking about, she grabs a pair of quite short denim shorts and throws them on for the sake of having something on. The freshly awoken pirate takes the smarter and easier route and phases downwards through the floor and into the kitchen. Immediately she notices a lack of Sasami in the room. No welcome smells of breakfast or prepared dishes for her tongue to relish.
She hovers out of the kitchen and finds the child chef. Sasami sits on the sofa playing with some toys in a dark pink dress next to her sister who is joining in and entertaining her sibling. Today it is a pure white robe decorated with satiny and dark hued greens, a vivid emerald obi and a black under-robe that Ayeka has adorned. The princesses look up and greet Ryoko, Ayeka's eyes scanning her unusual form of dress. Ryoko's cat-like eyes have turned elsewhere. An eerie low hum is all that comes from the thick metal door.
"10 minutes for a month, and they have been in for 1 and a half hours now. I have also talked with both Mihoshi and Kiyone on your behalf concerning yesterday evening."
"Thanks. They'll keep their mouth's shut if they know what's good for 'em, and you Sasami?"
"I'm good, thank you." Sasami fails, she is too distracted by her game and toys and gives a response showing she was paying little attention to what was being said. She has no clue what Ryoko was getting at anyway due to Ayeka's censoring last evening and so her answer is as good as any she could give. The girl warmly smiles up to Ryoko, and Ryoko would smile back if she weren't distracted herself by the training room.
It has already begun. The year of training is underway and nearing completion, Ayeka having been awake for long enough to have gotten herself ready to see Vegeta off – though this comes as a side effect of sharing her bed with Sasami who is a natural early riser. Ryoko looks towards the bulkhead and Ayeka's gaze follows, both thinking the same thing. Inside there Vegeta is training and he is letting time pass for himself so that he will be able to accept their feelings for him. Ryoko asks where the two aforementioned policewomen are and Ayeka answers that they have gone out for a morning jog. Half an hour remains. An arm raises and Ryoko nibbles on the black sleeves as she thinks. A merry giggle comes from the youngest Juraian princess as an eager and meowing Ryo-Ohki vies for her attention against the toys.
"Ayeka, you wouldn't happen to know if the cops have any good sports bras do you?" Ryoko turns back to look at the noble woman, asking what seems like a joke in a serious fashion. Both Sasami and Ayeka look confused by this inquiry. Ryoko's stomach rumbles again as she waits for an answer. Ayeka shakes her head.
"I have no knowledge of what undergarments they keep. Why? You should have plenty of clean laundry."
"Because I'm thinking of doing some training in there, just to keep me busy for a bit, a day or something, and the gravity in there makes things complicated and distorts them. Vegey doesn't have this to worry 'bout, but I do. I need more support. I worry enough about him giving me black eyes, don't need to start doing it myself." Practicality is the simple reason she wants to know if there are any brassieres she can borrow. Higher than average gravity affects many things, and from her previous time in the training room whilst Vegeta was dead she learnt the hard way what happens to normal bras when the load they have to support exponentially grows in weight. Ki is always used to protect the clothing, from friction, attacks and its weight dragging itself off the wearer, but a bra has a purpose and it cannot do it under enhanced gravity. Ryoko will be wearing her combat attire and it seems now she might have to contemplate binding her chest – having her centre of gravity move makes training very difficult. Her stomach growls in protest. "I expect some breakfast when I come down again, Sasami, have your sister help, she needs a lot more experience in the kitchen."
Quarter of an hour later, a washed and properly dressed Ryoko happily eats some breakfast, delighting in taste, and gives her compliments to the chef. Crimson and black clings to her skin. Sharp flames dancing around her arms and onto her breast. Ryoko likes this battle outfit she got, she likes the way it looks and feels and is willing to overlook that she bought it with Vegeta's money for she feels powerful wearing it. Her comfort in the tight outfit is hindered by the fabric she has wound and bound herself with underneath which she hopes will stay in place, and in her mind an annoying thought buzzes about reminding her how similar her outfit is to the one she took from Vegeta. It takes her several minutes to eat her food, taking her time to enjoy it and stalling to bring herself closer to her own time in the training room, and after that she stands up and goes and knocks on Washu's door. Her happiness diminishes when Yamcha answers it. He starts apologising to her for what he said but she interrupts and tells him she needs Washu to get her a strong bra for enhanced gravity, Yamcha closes the door and she waits. Ryoko thinks she has guessed right. From what she knows Washu and Vegeta were born on the same planet and it had higher gravity than the planet Earth she is now on and so she assumes that due to this Washu might have a solution to her mammalian problem. Some small talk with Ayeka later and Ryoko gets handed what she wants by Washu, she teleports back to her room to change, and comes back picking up her talk with Ayeka.
Together they discuss a few things; the expected time for Misaki to arrive, Ayeka's ability to cook, Ryoko's excuses that she could never cook as she could not taste and Ayeka then asks about Ryo-Ohki as Sasami treats the cabbit to carrots. After Kain was the only time that Ayeka saw the true form of the space-ship and before that she was unaware that the fuzzy critter was any more than a playful pet, and so she questions Ryoko on her long time companion. Ryoko laughs at the fact Ayeka never cottoned on, that the princess for all this time had been letting her sister play with the space-craft that shot at Ryuoh, and explains about her cabbit pet. The two Juraian siblings listen as the pirate tells of the time she found Ryo-Ohki a couple of years into her mercenary work for Frieza on some planet she was scouting before the invasion forces landed, and how few items of food it took for the cabbit to become inseparable from her. She gained firepower and a more comfortable ride in comparison to the one man pods the Planet Trade Organisation normally distributes to its troops and so the friendship became mutual. Sasami asks if there were other animals like Ryo-Ohki on that planet, Ryoko shrugs saying she saw none transform and engage in the fighting when she was leaving and has not seen any other Cabbits in her travels.
A door opens. The women fall silent as they turn to look at the swinging open piece of metal. One figure walks out.
"Yes. Yes! People! Social contact, people. … I mean, hi, I'm back." An extremely excited Trunks darts out of the training room and is suddenly next to them. The door to the training room closes behind him, which he does not notice. He is overjoyed at the fact that after such an excruciatingly long time there are others to talk to and interact with and they will not try and attack him without warning.
With a year under his belt he has grown a good inch and with his age his musculature has developed slightly, as much as is possible for an 11 year old, and his lavender hair has grown past his shoulders. He could have cut his own hair but he had fun emulating his father's Super Saiyan 3 hair with his own lengthening hair. The only thing he wears is a pair of loose black shorts, and a few small scars dot his exposed chest and back. Sasami greets him and comments on how he has changed and Trunks is eager to get into a proper conversation with her. Ayeka and Ryoko however are looking at the closed training room door.
"Someone chose wisely, Vegey. 20 minutes." Ryoko smirks as she makes sense of what has happened and wryly comments on how only Trunks exited the training room. To her side she sees that Ayeka is not following. " You said a month for 10 minutes, 20 minutes then and his next mating season will have passed. He's not risking it."
Having learnt that if he did leave after a year his season could alter when it struck, both women are happy that Vegeta has chosen the safer route and kept himself confined until it is safe. An extra two months for him will also serve them well in terms of putting additional distance between Vegeta and the death of his wife. Ryoko is glad he is taking his time.
"Drugs didn't work that good, that's why. We-"
Trunks' words grab their attention as he joins in, taking any opportunity he can to talk. He stops himself, realising he might want to explain things more thoroughly. Ryoko takes a step back. The lad looks over his shoulder towards where his father is and scratches his head as he thinks how best to word it. He can sense fear, this is not the news that they wanted.
"Yeah, we did test it properly, much as we could. There was one simulation we could run, and we did, and 18 died in seconds. Some of it was that she was programmed to attack us so dad had to go Super … then, dad didn't hold back, his power restraints were gone. It burnt off, didn't stick, maybe if we were resting but we weren't." Both times they tried it the same thing happened. Trunks activated the only simulation of a female that the training console had and as soon as Vegeta was forced to defend himself and transform the test became a failure. The mental alterations that occur from ascending took his control from him. Added to his low motivation towards not injuring an imitation of someone who broke his arm and his high ki destroying the drug from his system negated any chance he had to hold himself back against the cyborg attacking him. Trunks relays this matter-of-factly, there was nothing else they could do and under the circumstances he hardly saw any chance of success.
Ayeka solemnly nods, it would be nice if Vegeta could hold back but she understands. She was told how his transformations change him, how much effort he puts into controlling his power and if an opponent is actively attacking him then it is understandable the difficulty he would face. The drug is not a necessity, it is a luxury item and she knows it. Vegeta can and does go off planet to eradicate the risk he poses, the drug is there to give them peace of mind and reassure Ryoko that she will be safe. Ryoko's thoughts are less positive on the matter. However, she is seeing a silver lining that part of her wants to attach to and hold. He stopped himself and held back against her, something he could not do for 18 even with drugs running though his system for part of it. The superior strength of 18 lasted seconds and her who is but a speck of dust to Vegeta in terms of power lasted several minutes. It was a hellish lot of minutes, but she has to mean something to Vegeta for him to be able to hold himself back for so long. The two women hear a door opening and react to its sound even though it is not the one they are awaiting. Washu steps out of her lab looking quite exhausted, her hair down and messy and wearing a loose blue work-shirt and trousers. She scans the aged Trunks with her eyes and interjects herself into the conversation she was eavesdropping on – her lab has been fully rebuilt for a while and so her surveillance cameras are functional and keeping her very well informed.
"That's fine. It was the most likely outcome with those meds. I've got a better way now, I think. Involves you two, and any other female of course, his ki is the issue and this will be best way to get around it."
"How does us taking something solve the issue?" Ayeka asks for Washu to clarify and expand upon what she has planned. She will not be some experiment and wants to know what Washu wants for them to take, and why it should be her ingesting a drug instead of Vegeta. Ryoko nods, she wants to know, Washu waving this failure of hers off makes her question how serious the scientist is taking all of this.
"Saiyan mating seasons occur at least twice in comparison to their gestation period. Their population growth was abysmal as it was, but they did not have those kind of accidents to aid their extinction. In the war for my planet I never once saw a pregnant female Saiyan attacked during that horrendous time, Tuffles were, but not Saiyans. I did find out the cause, luckily, and a bit of deception is all it will take to make it work. You lot, and myself of course, take some medicine I haven't made yet to alter a few hormones, create some nice protein factories and get our bodies producing a very specific cocktail of pheromones. We trick Vegeta's body into thinking we are pregnant Saiyans and hopefully his natural urges won't react. His sex drive will be blind to us. Any side-effects will be noted when I test it on Yamcha. Still, in everyone's best interest he should go off planet, until we know it works perfectly." The testing period of the year training is just that to Washu, a test, and a failed one now. The simplest method, excluding what Vegeta already does, was worth a shot at trying and now that she knows it will not work she can move onto her next idea. Washu has a large amount of knowledge on Saiyans – much more than Vegeta on many aspects since he was only 5 when his race was destroyed. There are several things she thinks might go awry and that is where her test subject comes into play. Many things were learnt during the long night as she extracted truth by truth from Yamcha, both forcefully and from persuasive measures. For close to an hour she had fun making him declare his love for her and her alone until she released him in the early hours of the morning.
"You sure? Us taking ourselves 'off the market' is gonna work?" A voice of doubt comes from Ryoko. She is not trusting of this idea.
Washu's first plan failed and if this one fails then she is going to be teleporting away very quickly. Not only that but talk of making her appear as a pregnant Saiyan to Vegeta's instincts rubs her up the wrong way entirely. She has gone through that line of thought of becoming a Saiyan for Vegeta so has the possibility to have children with him and she does not like this reminder. Becoming something he cannot procreate with seems pointless to her anyway as he seemed to only care about her fertility issues as a way to easily hurt and maim her.
"I understand your concerns, Ryoko, but I'm working a different angle here. It is not so much as us becoming non-viable mates for him, as otherwise you would not have been attacked, but we trick him, or his body, into thinking we are the one thing off limits. He has good senses and amazing smell, and his biology dictates that he has to avoid contact with pregnant Saiyans during his time – on that note, Ayeka, don't wear any perfume those days. Fight his biology with a different part of it. It is ingrained in male Saiyans to not attack already impregnated females, and for good reason too. I said I never saw a pregnant female attacked, the opposite I saw a lot of. They are very protective of themselves, aggressively so, and they have the appetite of 2 Saiyans, both for food and bloodshed. … Gohan is an issue, he does more than just train and doesn't live in a secluded spot, so he goes off planet, with help as he cannot use Instant Transmission, or I lock him in a separate dimension. Hmm."
Washu trails off into thoughts and musings as she fine tunes the issue of the Saiyan-Human hybrids and then yawns and stretches. She looks at Trunks and comments that it will be a good few years before he becomes part of the problem to which the boy cockily announces that he will be stronger than his father at that point and able to control himself with ease. Bright golden light dazzles the women and Sasami. Electricity swarms about the air as a pulsating yellow aura burns the retinas of those around. Trunks smirks as his long hair stands perfectly upright and rigid. He crosses his arms and looks about for some applause on his magnificent feat. Washu slowly claps. This is good data for her, Sasami then also claps since an adult is doing it. An investigative poke on his shoulder gets his attention, Ryoko raises an eyebrow in question for she can sense how much his power has changed in just one year.
Cracking his knuckles and flexing as he shows off, Trunks recounts the year of his childhood dedicated purely to training. His father went Super Saiyan 3 and pushed him to his utmost limits and constantly taxed him, holding back just enough so his son was not in any immediate mortal peril. Trunks fought to defend himself, never being taught moves but picking them up along the way out of dire need and mimicking what he saw his father do. That was only half the training. The other half was where he got to have his own fun. Super Saiyan 3 lasts but a short while and as soon as Vegeta was forced to power down Trunks took the offensive and turned the tables as a Super Saiyan against his base form dad. Many injuries were sustained daily. The installed healing pods became their cots for every night. Trunks is sure that at some point he had to have gained a Zenkai boost just by the amount he was pushed to the brink. He fought with his father and his father fought him, they sparred together and grew in strength. No break was earned when Trunks surpassed the first state of Super Saiyan and ascended further, it became less difficult for him in the short run but energy consumption started wearing him down when he used Super Saiyan 2. Whenever Trunks took a rest to heal when his father could still carry on he watched as Vegeta tirelessly transformed again and again for hours to master his ultimate power. Several times Trunks was forced to carry his over-exerted father into a healing tank. They both also developed new techniques on the go, improvising and moulding them in the midst of battle, with Trunks replicating moves that previously only his fusion, Gotenks, could perform. Trunks announces that soon he will become the 3rd most powerful fighter alive on his own, and when fused into Gotenks not even Goku could stop him currently.
"Yeah, that's all well and good, what about the other thing though?" There is a fairly important aspect to the training not being mentioned, and Ryoko steers Trunks away from his boasts and towards the thing relevant towards her. How much power the two gained is not something she ultimately cares for, the only effect she can see it having is whether Vegeta wins the tournament and settles down to a lesser pace. Ayeka takes notice of this question and with imbued eager listens to what Trunks has to say.
" … Me and dad talked."
"And? You gonna attack us with your newfound power or not?" Being purposely stalled by a cocky kid is annoying Ryoko. She asks in black and white whether Trunks is for or against his dad moving on, with the question leading greatly towards Vegeta himself. The Super Saiyan 2 will answer her.
" I talked a lot with dad, scary really, quite easy for me to find the trigger for this 'cos of it. No. I won't attack you, unless you do something to annoy me. … Mom's gone. Dad wants one of you two. He asked me as well, for my opinion, since I am his brilliant son that he is so proud of and loves more than both of you." Trunks continues his gloating as he answers her. The upper hand shall remain his. Only having his dad to talk to for a year has altered his conversation style, as has his confidence grown with his power. He hangs his own valued opinion in front of them. The answer he gave to his father about who he thinks he should choose, an answer they know that Vegeta will listen to. Trunks grins. He has them hooked, if not for his want for social interaction he would be half tempted to fly away and leave them in this state of not knowing. Trunks steps forwards towards his choice. "I like Sasami being around."
The glowing Super Saiyan 2 puts an arm around the girl and grins cheekily at Ryoko. She demanded answers from him and so he gave them to her. Sasami politely thanks him for the compliment and comments on how warm he is. Behind her, Ayeka begins to look smug. Jurai has been victorious this day. She has the blessing of Vegeta's child, something she knows to mean more than Ryoko's marginal advantage in attractiveness. Ayeka flicks her hair back behind her shoulders with a smile on her face, across from her she sees a scowl growing on Ryoko's face. Trunks is an ally to Ayeka and her fight now. Ryoko is seriously annoyed with Trunks.
" You bastard, you sold me out. I played with you that one time and you gave me those smokes-... Congrats, Ayeka, you win this round." Ryoko simmers herself down, trying not to make it seem she is flustered or has any great interest in what Trunks says. She owes Ayeka and so will concede this to her and let her have her moment, and she is not comfortable voicing her affection towards Vegeta so strongly through envy. Ayeka smiles at her. Though very pleased with this result, Ayeka is wondering how much weight her sister holds in Trunks' favour for her – she wants to be valued for herself not her sibling. Ryoko crosses her arms and glances towards the metal door, she sees that Trunks is not finished talking yet and grits her teeth in anticipation.
" Hands down. You're cool and fun and all but Ayeka's better for dad than you, she's nicer, kinder, and I think you'll only make him like he was in the old days. Dad did also say both of you are too lazy for him to love, just putting that out there."
"I knew it!" Washu exclaims. Waking up from a half doze as she somewhat listened to Trunks babble on about his training, she finds that her chosen moment to rejoin the conversation was not the best. In truth this aspect of the women's compatibility with Vegeta is something she has pondered but never enough to warrant the enthusiasm she has just shown. Washu blames Yamcha for this. It is his fault she stayed up so late playing with him.
Speaking out of turn and out of line, the scientist has two pairs of eyes glaring at her. Agreeing so energetically to an insult towards them is not making her any friends. Washu makes a show of yawning to see if that will buy her a free pass, which it does not. The half Saiyan child laughs at this faux-pas. He descends back down from his transformed state, with his hair falling about him, due to Sasami telling him he is too hot. Ayeka wants to ride the high of Trunks singing her praise and saying how well suited he believes her to be for Vegeta yet there had to be an insult thrown into the mix to sour things. She agrees with Trunks on his main point, Ayeka firmly believes that she will greatly aid Vegeta's evolution and progression as an individual more so than a lackadaisical pirate. However, she does not think of herself as a lazy person, once again comparing herself to Ryoko who normally spends most days napping or relaxing in some way.
"Miss Washu, would you care to repeat yourself? I am not 'lazy', as you say."
"Dad thinks you are. He trains all day. Mom worked all day. You two don't do anything, and he hates people who sit about and do nothing. Do either of you have any plans or goals outside my dad?"
"I am the crown princess of Jurai, I aim to aid my people … how I do that remains to be seen, there is much for me to learn and master before I choose my path."
" My plans are secret. Vegey will find out, eventually." Narrow eyes fall on Trunks as Ryoko throws her two cents in. Improvising and going with the flow is her style, yet that is not to say she is incapable of setting up long term goals for herself, you do not last long as a thief if you simply break into a building with no prior set up for the heist. Her motivation to work hard and exert herself to impress Vegeta is low. She will not be wooing him, her effort is going into staying on this planet, though she fully expects some courting of her to be done.
Shrugging off Ryoko's mysterious comment, Trunks asks Sasami if she wants to play a game with him, she happily agrees and motions towards the toys she already has out on the table. In a not so polite manner he turns down that offer and goes to turn on the games console without asking Sasami. She goes along with it and asks her sister if she wants to participate as well since she was playing with her earlier, Ayeka declines and gives a long sideways glance towards Washu. The scientist rubs at her eyes and mumbles to the women that Yamcha is not a cheater. As a change of topic goes to get herself out of the hot water of her rousing herself into insulting them it is not the best, but it is however something she wants others to know following last night's loud argument. Ryoko makes a snide comment towards Vegeta and two timing whilst looking at Ayeka and goes on to ask how many favours she can call in from Washu due to Yamcha's ill mannered words and the previous debt of agreeing to fusion. Washu just shrugs then clicks her fingers and points towards the training room door. It swings open and out of the training room steps a glowing man.