"-sco? Can… hear me? Can-"

The robot suddenly stopped what he was doing, his systems working to try and unscramble the staticy message he was suddenly detecting. It was coming from outer space, he was sure of that, but it wasn't on any of the frequencies that he had been detecting, and blocking, from the Frieza Force Ships. Other than a single message that had gotten out, so scrambled he hadn't realized what it was exactly until it was already gone sent, nothing had been allowed to leave or come to the ships in terms of communications. And the message that he was getting, apparently in real time, wasn't from them either.

"Isco?" Bulma asked, having noticed him still. "What is it? Is it Gohan?"

"No," he said; everyone was very much on edge with the discovery that Gohan and Dende had disappeared. Elder Sax, along with several older Namekians, were doing all they could to prevent their fellow Namekians from rushing out to find Dende while Chichi and several of the Z Fighters had blasted out of their hiding place in order to search for the children. "I am getting a message… one addressed to me…"

"-Isco, can you hear me?" the message said, far less garbled.

"…sir," Isco said softly.

"Avo!?" Bulma exclaimed. "Isco, can you-"

"Yes… yes, one moment. It isn't the strongest signal so I need to boost it…" He rerouted some power from different devices within himself, his anti-grav engines causing him to drop down a foot as he lowered their strength. But it was worth it when the static completely cleared and he heard Avo Kayos' voice coming in loud and clear.

"Isco, can you hear me?"

"I can hear you, sir," Isco replied.

"We can hear you!" Bulma said only a half second later. "Avo… you and Goku-?"

"We're back," Avo said.

"yeah!" Goku chimed in. "It was amazing, Bulma! We met other versions of Avo! There was one made of bones and one that had spider powers and another that had this Key! And we fought this one guy who brainwashed the heroes of his world but don't worry, we saved them. Then we had to fight this guy, Thanos, who wanted to kill half of the universe! Oh, and I learned some new tricks and moves, I can't wait to show you all! I can now send out my Ki like lightning! Its really fast and I need to work on aiming it a bit better but it is going to be a big help! And Kayos learned how to do some really neat things too! He did Black Parade but it was all of us and they-"

"Goku," Bulma said, cutting him off, "that's really interesting but we are kind of more concerned about what is going on here. I mean, no offense as I'm sure what you went through was really bad but we are having some issues."

"What kind of issues?" Avo asked.

Isco quickly muted the mic on their end. "Might I suggest NOT informing them about young Gohan? I dare say it might cause a panic for the both of them."

"Right, good idea."

"Well," Isco said, returning to the conversation, "the Lord Frieza you were worried about decided to make his presence known."

"Crap," Avo muttered. "How bad, Isco?"

"In terms of actual damage we are all safe. And we have managed to gather many of the Namekians and from several villages and get them to our location."

"We're working on digging out some caves to hunker down in," Bulma stated. "Blasting into the ground… we are finding some hollow spots to work with so that is a huge plus." Left unsaid was that they had been forced to greatly slow down with the Z Warriors having gone to search for Gohan, along with several Namekian elders. "But Frieza is here and so is Vegeta. We also lost some Namekian Warriors when they went to attack Frieza."

Elder Sax had been very saddened by the news that Larin had snuck off, gathering warriors and convincing them to disobey his orders. Especially with the deaths of several of them. It was a shameful act that had led to shameful waste and the older Namekian had merely sighed and murmured that he didn't know what would happen with Larin when he returned.

If… was a better word choice in Isco's opinion.

"Man, we really need to get there, then!" Goku declared. "Good thing the Pleits let us borrow this ship!"

"You have a ship?" Isco said. "And the Pleits… sir, last time we saw them they weren't that happy with you…" He paused. "Did you… actually borrow the ship?"

"If you are asking if I stole it and lied to Goku then no, Isco, I did not do that," Kayos said dryly but there was enough mirth to make it clear he wasn't angry at the assumption. "I made things right with them. Like Goku said I learned a few things fighting Thanos and I also got a real nice power boost… not for sure why I didn't go haywire when I saved that world, maybe it was Entropy's doing that kept it in check, might have been NONE."

"He's an Avo made of bones!" Goku chimed in.

"Long story," Avo said. "Point is I was able to repay the Pleits and now we're on good terms. So we can fly out and meet up with you guys."

"Kayos," Bulma said, a bit nervous, "we aren't exactly that close. It took a week for us to get to Namek… and you don't have the guidance system to direct you. And they have several ships in orbit too… they didn't all land and I bet they aren't going to let you just arrive and pass them by."

Left unsaid was the worry that even if they did know exactly where they were going there was little hope they could get to Namek in time. It honestly amazed Isco how quickly things were spiraling from where they had started. Only a few hours ago they had been meeting with the Namekian villagers, their biggest worry being them running off scared or getting defensive at the sight of strangers. Now they had Frieza breathing down their neck, were working on plans to protect the population, and had Gohan missing. In a week's time there was no telling what exactly would happen… it was very likely that things wouldn't make it a day or two, let alone a week.

People wondered why Isco liked to avoid danger at all costs. This was why. Danger was fast. It came at you hard and quick before you could put in plans for your survival. And there were no back ups often… no chances to hit an Undo button. That was just… that.

He didn't know how organics could stand it.

"Oh, we'll be there in a few hours," Avo said with a cheerfulness that was also coated with dark determination. "We'd be there far sooner but we'll have to arrive at the system instead of the planet and sneak around the Frieza Force ships."

"…sir, is this some magical bullshit?" Isco said.

Avo snickered. "Very much so. Like I said, I've learned a few tricks… and I don't know if Edwin managed to get a souvenir from our visit to that Earth but I did."

"Its called a Sling Ring!" Goku declared. "It allows the wearer to go to other places!"

"I could try and arrive right on the planet but I don't know if Frieza and his forces would detect that," Avo said. "So we'll go the long way but be there in a few hours."

Bulma sagged in relief at that. "Good… that's very… that's very good. We… we really need you two here. Krillin is doing his best to lead but with how everything is spiraling I will feel better if you two are here to help. And I know he will too."
"Well don't worry!" Goku declared. "We're going to be there very soon!"

With that the transmission cut off and Isco and Bulma shared a look.

"Do you think they'll get here in time?" she asked softly.

"Yes," Isco said firmly. "I do believe they will arrive here in time before we face utter destruction. My only concern is how far things fall apart before they do."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Bulma muttered.

~MC~MC~MC~

Vegeta knew he needed to keep moving.

He knew he had to hurry and take flight and continue on with the hunt for the Dragon Balls. Now was not the time to doddle. To waste precious seconds being idle. He needed to get going.

But still… he found himself standing there, savoring his victory.

He hadn't been foolish enough to remain where he had defeated Dodoria. No, he had known that the moment he had killed that big ball of pink gunk that he needed to move. Every scouter, amongst the many features designed to keep tabs on the Frieza Force, had a dead man's switch built into it. Something that would alert Frieza if a soldier was killed. Or rather someone in the Force as he doubted very much that Freiza himself was sitting at a desk watching as information came in about battles.

'Though perhaps, considering that Dodoria was one of his top lieutenants?' he thought to himself as he sat under a rocky outcrop. He had pulled out some of his emergency rations, eating a rather tasteless energy bar and drinking down some water that was warm on his tongue.

But… after his victory against Dodoria… it tested like the finest meal he'd ever had. No banquet had ever been more pleasing than the meal he had at that moment, sated and pleased after a victory against such a hated and powerful foe.

'I've grown stronger,' he thought to himself. 'My defeat on Earth… I knew that such things could allow a Saiyan to rapidly gain in strength but I never imaged it would be this much.' He swallowed another bite of the power bar, feeling it settle heavy in his stomach. For as bland and tasteless as they were they did do a decent enough job to make one fill full, though they never truly felt satisfied. 'Dodoria was always such a smug bastard, throwing his weight around and believing that he was the greatest in the universe. Mocking and arrogant. I wonder how much he is bragging in whatever Hell he finds himself in now.' He let out a huff at that, chuckling darkly as a smirk played along his lips. 'He always thought I was meaningless… a child playing at being powerful. But do you think that still, Dodoria? Or did my might finally teach you that lesson right before you end?'

Most likely not, he realized. Knowing Dodoria he probably was in Hell at that very moment trying to come up with any reason, any at all, for why he was defeated that didn't involve him having to admit that Vegeta was stronger than him.

'Even my father never dared dream testing himself against Dodoria,' Vegeta thought. 'And I killed him with ease.'

His mind went to the plans he had detailed to Nappa and Raditz. How they would overthrow Frieza and create a new Saiyan Empire with Vegeta at the top. He had never admitted, even to himself, his doubts that they'd be able to pull it off. They would have to be cunning about taking on Frieza and the members of his inner circle, picking them off quietly but also as fast as they could. They couldn't risk Frieza finding out… if he did he would bring his full might to bear against them and then they would be done. He had known that the chances for success were slim but he had been willing to try, unable to stand a second more under Frieza's foot.

'But now… now I could kill the bastard easily!' he thought in delight, clenching his hand into a fist. 'Dodoria and Zarbon are roughly the same level of power. Even if Zarbon is slightly stronger than him the way I managed to take out Dodoria… well, Zarbon wouldn't stand a chance. And Frieza… for all his claims of strength, I have never seen him fight. Never seen him perform a single attack. It is entirely likely he doesn't even have any moves. That he has relied upon the legacy of King Cold in order to maintain power.'

King Cold… that was a tricky situation and one that required quite a bit of thought. While Vegeta was coming to the realization that Frieza wouldn't be as difficult has he'd thought to overthrow, what with Vegeta's increase in power, King Cold still remained and he KNEW he could fight. He had seen the grainy footage of him delighting in crushing his foes, reducing them to a red paste with just his bare hands. And despite his disappearance Vegeta was convinced that he still kept tabs on his son and if he were to die he would take that as an affront.

'But this planet… it might be the best way to deal with Frieza,' Vegeta thought to himself, a plan beginning to form in his mind. 'I had considered using this planet as the new homeworld for the Saiyan Empire… but perhaps, once I have claimed my wishes, I can use it as a distraction. Allow King Cold to rush here to find the mangled corpse of his precious little prince… and take his wrath out on the Namekians that live here. Once he has slaughtered them all he will believe that his vengeance as been satisfied and return to whatever backwater part of the galaxy he's decided to retire to. Never realizing that I am still out there, the Slayer of Frieza, gathering my strength until it is time for me to reveal myself to the world.'

Vegeta was pleased with that. Very pleased. Not only would his little plan allow him to gather his strength but it would be a chance to bring King Cold down low. To embarrass him in the eyes of the galaxy.

'It all fell apart for my race the moment King Cold turned his sights upon us,' Vegeta thought darkly, his good mood fading away as he remembered the well known tales of the fall of the Saiyan Race. 'We might have died out when our planet was destroyed but we were a fallen race long before that.'

Though he had obviously hadn't been there that day, for not even his father's father had been born, he had heard the tale plenty of times. Frieza had delighted in telling him of that day; and several other members of the Frieza Force, old timers who had been around centuries and made their money keeping seats warm and shuffling paperwork because their days of fighting were long past, had told him similar tales. And Nappa himself had told him once, and only once when Vegeta had pushed the issue, of what had happened…

~Many Years Ago…~

"Sire," the scout said hurriedly, rushing to where King Parsnip was lounging in his chair. It wasn't as nice as the Great Throne of Vegeta but considering that had been carved directly out of the remains of a mountain that King Onin the Great had destroyed to prove his strength to The Horde Of 17 bringing such a seat would have been difficult. So he had been forced to make do with one of wood, carved in the form of some avian-like beast; Parsnip honestly didn't know what the creature was and any of the people that might have known were long dead, slaughtered by the Saiyans when they had refused to show them the respect they deserved. Their cities were now long overgrown, with Parnsip and his war caravan using them as a hunting ground to test themselves.

That's why they had come to the planet they were currently on. The King had deserved a new hunt, something different from what he was used to, and had selected this planet to have some entertainment. Soon the moon would be rising and he and his war caravan would rampage to their hearts' delight, unleashing all their pent up rage and aggression. That was the problem with trying to make a kingdom built around beings who thrilled at violence and destruction: they needed someplace to cut loose and let such things out that wouldn't leave the kingdom in ruin.

Thus everyone in King Parsnip's tent were a bit on edge, eager to begin the evening's festivities but knowing they needed to wait a bit longer. Parsnip had commanded that there were to be no fights until he gave the word, claiming it was because he didn't want to deal with someone causing a mess and thus eating away at the time the rest of them had to cut loose. In reality, though none of them said the words, they all knew the real reason was that he just wanted the power trip of being able to give the command himself. It was a poorly guarded secret but none dared speak up about it, not wanting to anger the king.

Thus everyone was tense and ready to leap out of the tent and begin firing and blasting anything they could find. To destroy and shatter the planet until morning came. And when the sun did rise they would all walk about the desolation and point out what each had contributed and brag about the destruction they had caused. They would then find the biggest crater or most ruined mountain range and they would call upon the supply ships to bring down a feast, where the Saiyans would eat and drink to their hearts' content before, finally, returning home to Planet Vegeta sated and content. It would probably be the most peaceful time that the planet had had in years, with all of their pent up rage and aggression driven away. He had ordered his subjects to scatter to the other barren hunting grounds in the system for the exact same reason. All would return with their minds clear and an ability to actually focus.

It wouldn't last, of course. It never did. But it would be good enough to buy them some time to actually work together on a few projects. They needed to work on changing the course of the great Maize River and the Tuffles had been causing some problems recently that needed to be addressed. And the restocking of the hunting planets… while it would be easier to just take over new planets sometimes it was better to bring in new species for the Saiyans to hunt, because it meant less travel.

But having a scout come running in out of breath and begging to see him meant that King Parsnip had to put such thoughts on hold.

"What is it?" the king said, slowly rising from his throne, running his fingers through his long black hair. It hung down to the small of his back, splitting right down the middle so that it appeared that he had two massive pony tails. He had gone without the traditional armor of the Saiyans, much like the rest of his hunting caravan, for he had no desire to waste time when the moment arrived for them to become the mighty Oozarus removing the breastplate and gauntlets and such. The only piece of the outfit he did wear was the body suit and the long cape, as well as his boots and gloves which he would quickly toss aside.

"There… there is someone… the planet isn't void of intelligent life!" the scout said.

"You found another species here?" Parsnip asked.

"Impossible!" Councilor Okra snapped; he was an older Saiyan with a long droopy mustache and hair flecked with gray. "We know this planet hasn't had any intelligent life! We investigated it carefully before we arrived… just must have made a grave mistake!"

"Probably saw a pissbeetle and thought it was smart!" someone said with a laugh, which set off the rest of the hunting caravan.

"It doesn't have native sentient life," the scout said before hurriedly adding when it became clear that the King was NOT happy with being interrupted for something that didn't actually exist. "But there is another species here… they claim they already conqueror the planet and that we are trespassing. They demand we leave at once…" He swallowed, "…and they might allow us to escape with only the bare minimum of restitution."

"Restitution?" King Parsnip asked before bursting into laughter, the rest of his hunting caravan joining him. "They ask for restitution? For what… doing what comes nature to a Saiyan? Should we give them food and drink because we breathed?" He looked at his councilors who nodded in agreement. "Who are these fools that dare speak of such things when it comes to us?"

"That… would be me."

King Parsnip suddenly turned towards the opposite side of his tent only to realize that he was looking far too low; he was staring right into the muscular stomach of the speaker. His skin was purple without an ounce of fat upon him, only hard muscle that made several of his councilors, who had allowed themselves to go to seed recently thanks to claiming several planets with rich fatty beasts, shift and swallow nervously. He was wearing only a pair of tight trunks, showing off to all his powerful limbs. Slowly panning his head up Parsnip found himself looking into the bemused eyes of the new arrival, his gaze at once regal and savage. This was a man much like himself, able to destroy all in his path while still maintaining a noble bearing. His head was topped with a bone-like helm that Parsnip couldn't decide was actually a part of his skull or not and a pair of huge black horns.

"Imagine my surprise as I finished taking my laps through the Great Cold Sea to find this one-" he gestured at the scout, "-waiting for me at the shore with the most startled look on his face. He was rather kind enough to tell me all about you and I bid him to deliver my message to you. I don't doubt for a second that he actually did so… meaning you have chosen to disregard what I desired. How… amusing." He smiled at that, hard and fierce.

But King Parsnip refused to back down despite the new arrival's size and mass. After all, he had faced far worse. "I don't know who you think you are but I am Parsnip, King of All Saiyans, and I have claimed to world for me and mine. Any claim that came before that no longer matters and any claim made afterwards is a death sentence."

"Oh my," the new arrival said with faux surprise and awe, which only served to grate on his nerves even more. He pressed his hand to his chest. "Those are bold words to speak to someone you've only just met."

"And I mean then," King Parsnip declared darkly. The moon was quickly rising and soon he would be able to destroy the pathetic man before him. "I am a veteran of a thousand battles. I have slaughtered tens of thousands. I control dozens of planets. And when the moon fully rises I will unleash a power that you can not even begin to understand."

"Is that so?" the new arrival said before, without even looking up, he raised his hand and fired a single beam of blue energy that flashed through the sky before striking the raising moon. Parsnip felt the first stirrings of the power of the Mighty Oozaru within his veins as he caught sight of the moon… just before it exploded into a thousand chunks.

At once all the bravado he'd been feeling disappeared completely.

"How disgraceful of me!" the new arrival said before suddenly rushing forward, wrapping his massive hand around Parsnip's face, fingers curling around his skull as he lifted the Saiyan into the air. "I failed to introduce myself. That was so rude of me." Several of the hunting caravan members moved to attack him only for the new arrival to stare them down, causing them to meekly back away from him as they saw their long, painful deaths shadowed in his eyes. "I… am King Cold. I am the veteran of over 13,453 campaigns. By my own hand or by my command, billions have died who did not bend their knees to me. I have conqueror over a thousand planets. And I don't need some moon to prove my power."

And with that he slammed Parsnip into the ground so hard that the Saiyan's body curled into a ball, bones shattering along with the rocky ground under their feet. King Cold released Parsnip and smirked as he saw he was still alive.

"You…" he said, pointing to the scout. "You are the King of the Saiyans now."

"I… yes, sire," the scout wisely said, bowing his head, the rest of the caravan dipping their heads in acceptance.

"And I am now the Lord and Master of the Saiyans. What I say… you do. Serve me well and I will provide you all you desire. Ever think of displeasing me…" he stomped down on Parsnip's arm, the former king screaming in agony. "What is your planet's name?"

"V…Vegeta, my lord."

"Then you are now King Vegeta the First. I don't want to bother trying to learn a new name, so tedious." He looked at the gathered Saiyans before chuckling, clapping his hands together. "Now then… I believe you need to get back to your planet and let them know about the change in management."

Okra spoke up. "What… what of K… I mean… what of Parsnip?"

"Oh… I will be taking him back with me. He really needs to learn some manners." With that he hauled the broken Saiyan up, the once proud king whimpering in pain as the mere jostling of his bones. "Now hurry along… I promise I will be around soon to speak with you all…"

And he was. Within a month King Cold arrived and explained just what was expected of the Saiyan Race. How they would serve the Cold Force.

Parsnip… was never seen again.

~Present Day~

'The first time Frieza told me that story I called him a liar,' Vegeta thought darkly. 'He didn't even have the decency to get mad at me. Instead he laughed. He laughed.' He could still hear Frieza's chortles as Vegeta, young and brash and full of determination to prove himself to all, had screamed that the Prince was lying. 'He merely laughed and then told the others to tell me the truth.' Negi and Kabocha had both attempted to explain to him that what Frieza had said was the truth. That it was known to all Saiyans that his lineage was not traced back to a great warrior but a scout who had bowed when he had seen the might of King Cold. Vegeta's wrath at that had been so great that the wounds he had given the two had never truly healed, leading to their deaths only a year or so later.

Nappa had been the one to finally get him to calm down and listen. He had explained that yes, his family had started out with just a scout. But King Vegeta the First had still proven himself one of the greatest warriors of the Saiyan Race. That he had killed 10 warlords who had thought they could rebel against the 'False King' in a single night and then went on to led an assault against the Fotos, slaying their Emperor, Kodak, all by himself. The might of the House of Vegeta had only grown. That Vegeta's own father had argued that it showed they were more than powerful fighters but brilliant tacticians that had understood it better to submit to King Cold than to die a needless death.

But Vegeta had only remembered Frieza's laughter.

'Not that he let me forget it,' Vegeta thought. "He brought up that story often, until I could repeat it myself. And then he made me do it.' He curled his fingers into a fist. 'That is when I began to learn about HIS past… and the Legend of the Super Saiyan.'

He thought back to that time, when he had been consumed with trying to first prove everyone wrong and then, when the few history books he'd been able to find that detailed the Saiyans had agreed with Frieza and Nappa's tale (written, of course, on order of Frieza himself, most likely just to aggravate Vegeta), he had begun digging into Frieza and his lineage, wishing to discover something even more embarrassing about him and those that had come before. He hadn't known WHAT he would do with such info and he had realized as he had grown older that revealing a truly devastating secret would have most likely resulted in Frieza slaughtering him on the spot. But he had searched all the same and that's when he'd found it.

'Lord Chilled. The last of Frieza's kin that died not from old age or killed by one of their own kind. His last words to his men were of the danger of the Super Saiyan. Back then no one had known what a Saiyan even was and most likely, when Cold found us, he hadn't learned of his ancestor's warning. But Lord Chilled had been slaughtered by the Super Saiyan, the damage so great that he had been terrified by the mere thought of another Super Saiyan coming upon any of his line.' Vegeta looked down at his hands, curling his fingers closed and then opening them again. 'Is that what I have become? Is that how I was able to so easily defeat Dodoria after my humiliation on Earth?'

It didn't feel right.

'I always assumed that to become a Super Saiyan required some mystical ritual bullshit. That I would need to gather… a bunch of Saiyans and have them concentrate on me and that would give me powers far beyond a regular Saiyans. Ones that were willing to help me because they wished to help me, for no other reason. That's how so many other prophecies always went. Its why I allowed Raditz and Nappa to remain around. To merely gain the power because of a quirk of my Saiyan makeup…' He looked down at his hand once more. 'But… doesn't that also make sense? That to become a Super Saiyan I must become the ultimate Saiyan? The greatest of them? Not just those alive but whoever lived?'

He was more powerful than his father. More powerful than any Saiyan that had come before. He could feel it! So… perhaps he had become the Legend. Perhaps… he was the legendary Super Saiyan!

And if that was the case… what should he do next?

Slaughtering Frieza was always in the cards. There was no question about that. But… what after that? Make his wish, yes. To recreate the Saiyan race in his image. That was-

"Gohan!"

Vegeta frowned, suddenly looking up.

"The female," he whispered in shock as he saw flying through the sky the female Saiyan from Earth. "The female… she's here… how is she here?" He narrowed his eyes in anger. "Raditz and Kakarot… they must be on this planet as well!" But then his eyes went wide in horror. "Frieza…"
What would Frieza do if he learned there was a living female Saiyan? He feared the Saiyans… so the risk of them being able to reproduce? To create more of their kind and, perhaps, be able to build up their strength once again? Vegeta knew that he was carefully watched whenever he went to one of Frieza's pleasure planets… Frieza wanted to make sure he didn't produce an heir with some whore, ignoring the fact that Vegeta would never debase himself like that.

But a female Saiyan…

The ground under his cracked and buckled as Vegeta launched himself into the sky.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Gohan!" Chichi cried out as she scanned the landscape.

She knew she was being ridiculous. And dangerous. Insanely, insanely dangerous.

'Frieza and his forces are out here right now and I am screaming my head off and doing nothing to hide myself! They could catch me at any moment and then what would I do? I've only gotten back into fighting shape… even with the increase in power I gained after Slug I know that I am no match for many of Frieza's elite soldiers, not on my own. What good will I be to Gohan if I get myself killed?'

Chichi knew what she should do: quietly return to the hiding spot they had created and work with the other Z Fighters to figure out a way to better track Gohan down. Perhaps get the Namekians to help, for they knew the planet far better than she did and would know where to look, especially if he was traveling with that young Namekian, Dende. Send out, like Krillin had suggested when they needed to warn the villages, those with the weakest power levels or who could hide their power levels, so that they could quietly fly out and find Gohan and get him back. Assuming they even needed to do that, since the scouters should be down; if that was the case then those that were sneaky and cunning would be able to quietly find Gohan and bring him back. All without screaming his name and drawing attention to themselves.

She knew what she should be doing.

"Gohan!"

But Chichi was a mother. A mother whose son was lost and in danger. And that fear… that trumped everything else. Logic. Sanity even. Her safety… and yes, even her life. If her screaming for Gohan allowed him to escape but at the cost of her life… she would bellow until all the Heavens rang.

'I have to find him. I have to bring him back. I-'

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, WOMAN!"

Chichi came to a rapid stop, practically hearing the screeching of tires even though that shouldn't have been logically possible. She came to a stop, eyes wide as she stared at the fuming form of Vegeta.

"I-"

"Do you realize who is on this planet?!" Vegeta roared, flinging his arms out wide. "Frieza! That tyrant is on this planet right now and you are flying about screaming your head off!? What are you thinking!?"

So startled was she by Vegeta's appearance… and the fact that he wasn't attacking her but instead apparently worried about her SAFETY… that all she could do was get out, "Gohan-"

"I don't know who this Gohan is but you can find your little pet later! You need to find a place to hide, right now! Even with your power-" And with those words he looked her up and down, making Chichi feel very subconscious; it wasn't lecherous or the like, as she was well used to that with Roshi. If Vegeta had decided to stare at her like she was a piece of meat she would have known exactly what to do: his head would have spun 360 degrees from the force of the slap she would have given him. But that wasn't the way he was looking at her. No… he was looking at her approval. And she had no idea how to handle that. "-you are no match for Frieza! You don't have the training I have, woman!"

"My name is not 'woman'," she snapped. "It is Chichi. And-"

"Chichi? What kind of name is that?" Vegeta huffed.

"It is MY name!"

"That is not a proper Saiyan name!" Vegeta argued. "Whoever gave you that name dishonored you greatly and if you chose it yourself then you need to learn to have some pride… true Saiyan pride!"

"My MOTHER gave me that name," Chichi retorted. "A Saiyan, just like you."

"Hmmmpf," he said with a huff, shaking his head. "Then she was a fool."

"Don't you dare talk about my mother like that!"

"I will talk about her however I want when she mocks the Saiyan race by giving a strong, confident, beautiful Saiyan female such a pathetic name as 'Chichi'." He shook his head in disgust and Chichi felt her eye twitch. "Now come on, woman!"

"My name is Chichi and I'm not going anywhere with you!" she snapped. "I need to find Gohan!"

"You can find your little pet later!"

"He is not a pet!" Chichi roared. "He is my son!"

"Your son?" Vegeta asked and Chichi suddenly felt her blood chill.

She remembered well Vegeta's words, how he desired her and wanted her for himself. How… how would he react to Gohan? Would he see him as a threat? Something that must be destroyed? She remembered learning from her tutors that when a new male lion took over a pride he would slaughter all the cubs so that the females would go into heat. They would not raise another male's children. Would Vegeta do the same? Would he now hunt down Gohan?

'I'll kill him,' she thought. 'If he dares-'

"You… have a son?" he asked again before he threw his arms out once more. "AND YOU NAMED HIM GOHAN!? WHERE IS YOUR PRIDE?!"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE FOCUSED ON?!" Chichi bellowed. "I AM TRYING TO FIND HIM! I WOULD HAVE FOUND HIM IF YOU HADN'T INTERUPTED ME!"

"YOU WOULDN'T NEED TO FIND HIM IF YOU HADN'T LET HIM WANDER OFF!"

"I didn't let him wander off!" Chichi screamed.

"You didn't stop him from going off! I just told you that Frieza is on this planet! What do you think he will do if he finds a Saiyan child all on his own!?"

"That's why I'm trying to find him!"

Vegeta just shook his head. "Well, you doing a wonderful job of that! Screaming and hollering and making as much noise as possible! It's a wonder that Frieza hasn't shown up already to ask about your son and his stupid name!"

"Stop saying his name is stupid!"

"I'll say its stupid because it is stupid!"

"I frankly think all three of those names are stupid, Vegeta."

Vegeta suddenly went still and Chichi and him turned as one, staring at the new arrival.

"Now tell me," the green skinned alien, wearing armor similar to what Vegeta and Nappa had worn when they arrived on earth, asked as he flicked his hair with his fingers, "who is your little friend, Vegeta?"