The Half-Blood Prince

by TazoClarity

"I went to find the woman in her paltry laboratory and there I found a child of my blood," Vegeta responded. "How can I ignore such an occurrence? I have grown since those years past, because I've been from planet to planet, searching for it. And if Earthling blood is the most powerful asset to Frieza's defeat, I do not care what all of Vegeta-sei thinks!"

33. Vegeta Will

A/N: I'm sorry you had to wait 100 days! The chapter got very long, and I figured out that I wasn't willing to break it up for what I wanted to close it out with ...so here is my long chapter. I have a feeling you may get more long chapters in the future :) Thank you so much to Toulouse22 (thank you, and yes, it's gonna go down lol), NNP (I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer for Geta, but not MUCH longer! Haha), Nahnah1 (It was a wait not as long as last time, but I think the next update will be much quicker, I hope you enjoy!), and 4 Guests (your new chapter is finally here!) for their reviews! It really makes it so much easier to write, even when I hate a wall like sometimes happens! Thank you again!

Chapter 33:

When Krillin kept muttering about Goku causing an "international incident", Dende had no concept of what those words could mean. Goku was one of the nicest people that he had met outside of Namek, and he couldn't imagine anyone not liking him (besides Nappa, but nobody liked Nappa, not even Trunks!)

But still, Krillin muttered incomprehensible worries all through their trip that did nothing for Dende's nerves. And his curiosity at Krillin's worry was not alleviated… until he stepped off the spaceship to be surrounded by the glaring, scary-looking guards under the haze of red that fell over the cold, metallic hangar on Vegeta-sei and was swallowed by a thousand different worries.

The lavender and sage shades of Namek could never have prepared him for the harsh slashes of this world, the buzzes and clangs. He could only look around in heart-stopping terror without taking anything in, until there was a cry of "GOKU!"

Dende, startled, looked around to watch, and so did the guards. Goku, somehow prepared for this, opened and caught a small, humanoid creature up in his arms. He laughingly spun the whirl of blue, yelling "HEY, Bulma!" with clear joy.

But it was only a second before Goku was separated from the Bulma and slammed violently to the ground by four of those guards, the force reverberating through the hanger.

Dende stifled a wail of fear at the sight, and silently edged behind Krillin. From his vantage point, the human that Goku had been spinning around was actually a female who was dressed like a princess—like in those books he found on the ship. Dende watched, unblinking, as the girl now fought in the arms of a fifth guard. Then she turned, narrowing large blue eyes at someone behind her, yelling.

"YOU COULD HAVE STOPPED THAT, VEGETA!"

"Why ever would I have wanted to?" came a low, gravelly musing, as the Saiyans parted and the person she was deriding came into view. Dende gulped and wondered how the woman had gotten the bravery to do it: the man was scowling and authoritative and emanated a power that he had only experienced once before: when the Ginyu Force was wiping out his village.

The Saiyan's hair flamed upward in the same thick, black stalks that Goku had. He looked completely unmoved by the woman's plea as he observed Goku pinned to the floor. And he looked disappointed.

"The fool needs to understand what happens when he lays hands on you."

"Come on, Vegeta, she ran at me!" Came the muffled complaint, but it didn't sound as upset as it probably should have. Krillin winced audibly as Goku pried apart the guards on top of him with relative ease. The guards appeared shaken by that, even in the commotion, but immediately set to leap on him again before the angry man raised a careless hand and shook his head, sending them at attention. He no longer looked as disappointed as he had before, now that Goku had freed himself.

"He's no danger to her," he elaborated to the guards with reluctance. "He is …a guest …of the Queen's."

Goku grinned. "Heh, I guess you're not gonna go easy on me now either, are you, Vegeta?"

"I can't imagine why I should," the flame-haired Saiyan—Vegeta (it now stuck in Dende's mind)—sneered back. "You've never inspired feelings of mercy in me, Kakarot."

Seeing this, Krillin's worries made all the sense in the planet. Dende's heart was beating nearly out of his chest at the killer energy that was surrounding him, at odds with the calm, conversational behavior of Goku.

It was like …he didn't understand what was going on around him. Dende didn't understand either, but at least he registered the clear threats all around them!

"Don't worry, Goku, I don't have any more luck than you. Let go, Bok!" The blue woman elbowed the hulking giant who held her. The guard immediately released her with a glance at Vegeta, who (Dende surmised) was the one who made the rules. Bulma scowled.

"You," she huffed at Vegeta. "Is this how you want your Queen to greet guests?! Wrestling with her own guards?"

The Saiyan-in-charge showed her gleaming, white teeth as he smiled at her fury. Dende shuddered.

"So dramatic, little Queen. For your information, I could care less whether you greet anyone beneath you at all. And don't flatter Kakarot. My patience for him is far thinner than it is for you, despite your many irritating qualities."

Goku appeared to take the exchange between Vegeta and his female friend with fondness, not seeming disturbed at all. He bounded toward them and gave the protesting Bulma a sideways hug as he addressed the other Saiyan. "Hey, you're the King and you're still so grumpy! I can't wait to see what the King even does!"

"Provided you live much longer."

"Vegeta," the woman sighed again, though she was burrowing affectionately into Goku all the while with a big smile on her face. Vegeta's hackles rose as he watched it, and she ignored him. "Knock it off…"

Vegeta was King. Dende vaguely remembered that he had already known that, though he had been not very concerned at making those connections at the time. But then, that would mean….

Dende looked between the Saiyan King and the blue woman (the Queen) and studied their features and the stately clothing. Trunks was the Prince of this planet, and he had the woman's coloring and the man's face, and these had to be …his parents.

And the woman who was dressed like a princess, who was casting an annoyed look over at the King… this was Trunks' mother. This was the mother he had come to rescue!

Dende felt a brief burst of elation on his friend's behalf, to see her clearly alive and proof that the Dragonballs had worked. Trunks must have been so happy when he got here! It made everything else seem slightly less scary.

Where was Trunks, though?

"GOHAN?!" Goku was exclaiming, and moving past the guards he had thrown off, not even paying attention to Vegeta's grim shake of his head, staying their efforts to subdue him.

Dende tried to peak past all the large forms to see what Goku was talking about. He caught just a sliver of Gohan, smiling sheepishly and nearly of-height with his father. Goku clasped his arms and laughed out loud. "You GREW! When did this HAPPEN?!"

Dende wanted to see better, and he finally drew up the courage to step forward, only to jump when a hand grasped his shoulder. He looked up to find it attached to the Queen of the Saiyans, who cheerfully wriggled her fingers to her bald friend, next to Dende. "Hey Krillin!"

"Wow, am I glad you're okay, Bulma," Krillin said, offering her a quick sideways hug like Goku had, with a careful glance at Vegeta, who was approaching them. "Really glad. But don't let me be rude."

Dende gulped reflexively, but Krillin gave him a look of reassurance as he made an introduction. "This is Dende, from Namek. He offered to come with us and help take care of Frieza!"

Dende looked up at her, quite at a loss. He didn't know really what mothers were like, but something about this woman and the way that her eyes twinkled at him made him feel warm inside. He eyed the ground bashfully, while she beamed rather similarly to Goku, and he felt a flush on his cheeks.

"Well Mr. Dende, we're honored to have you here with us." She straightened and gave a hard elbow to the scary King who had suddenly appeared beside her. "Aren't we, Vegeta?"

"Whatever." Vegeta drawled, not even looking at him. "Woman, get that clown under control before I lose my patience and let the guards do as they will."

"He's not—" Trunks' mother looked around and her touch disappeared. "Goku! Don't antagonize them, alright? They're just following orders, not trying to fight you!"

"Although," Vegeta said to himself as Trunks' mother hurried toward Goku, who was eagerly sizing himself up against the guards who had thrown him down earlier. Gohan was nowhere in sight. "If they can't hold their own against Kakarot, they deserve to be taken down..."

"Geez, Vegeta," Krillin chuckled, though it rang a little with nervousness. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

"That depends," Vegeta said, "whether you consider my royal status 'a change'."

"Oh yeah," Krillin responded, his voice schooled into lightness. "Trunks mentioned that… and hey, where is that kid?" But Krillin might as well have been talking to himself, as the King seemed bored by this conversation or the company, now that Trunks' mother was gone. His eyes followed her and rested there as she reasoned with Goku.

"No, we're not fighting right now!" Bulma griped, planting her hands on her hips in a way that made Goku shrink just a little. That, or the smaller woman seemed to get taller. "I swear, if you say that word to Vegeta, I'm going to forget how happy I am to see you and you'll spend your entire time here in the lab being my rat! And for that matter, where did Gohan go? Why isn't he here with you when you just got here?"

To Dende's great relief, that got the King to move away and back towards his Queen. Goku was saying, "Relax. Gohan just went to find Trunks. But the lab?! What good am I going to do there?!"

"The Woman is as loaded with empty threats as ever, Kakarot," Vegeta cut in, waving a commanding hand. "As if I'd let her take you to her little lab, where she has chemical explosives stored and all manner of things you could accidentally set off!"

Goku chuckled, and there was none of the nervousness that Krillin had displayed. If Dende had been listening to only Goku's side of the conversation, he would have thought that the King was Goku's beloved friend. "Aw, Vegeta, just say that you want to have a battle. I've been waiting all this time!"

"I can't say that destroying you isn't tempting…"

"See—this is what I'm talking about!" The blue-haired woman bemoaned with frustration. "We have bigger things to worry about then—"

"Don't whine, Woman. You think I don't understand the urgency of our plans?"

"I think that sometimes you have a one-track mind!"

Goku chuckled at the interplay. "Wow, you guys are still as funny as ever! So what are we going to do, make a plan or fight?"

Vegeta rumbled "fight" just as Bulma stated emphatically "plan". They exchanged looks, and the King gestured toward Gohan's father.

"You're really going to 'make a plan' with Kakarot? Let me know how that goes." Even Dende, who was utterly foreign to the little nuances in tone, could hear the sarcasm dripping on his every word. "And anyway, sometimes fighting is the plan!"

Bulma rolled her eyes.

"You know what? Fine. Have fun. I need Krillin anyway." Krillin jolted in surprise. "And Gohan and Trunks, where's—"

Vegeta flung up a hand. "You can have Kakarot's spawn, Woman. But I need our brat."

Her hands went back to her hips, but Vegeta didn't shrink like her friend had. "What for?"

"For training," Vegeta sneered, as if he was lowering himself to even explain it. "Keep that incandescent little mind on your toys, and I'll give you Krillin, and the other brat, and even that small, green, martian, …but Trunks stays with me."

"What are we, baseball cards?" Krillin grumbled under his breath.

There was something of a staring contest between Trunks' parents, and Dende would have assumed that they were speaking telepathically, however he didn't believe that Saiyans or earthlings had such capabilities. Not even Goku made a peep, waiting on the word of the blue-haired woman with anticipation, like a younger brother would his older sister.

Instead, her eyes lit up as she looked past them all. "Hey sweetheart," she called. "Tell your father that you want to come with me to the lab!"

Gohan had reappeared with Trunks, and Dende's jaw dropped as he got his first real look at the both of them. They had grown an incredible amount since he had last seen them, and it was not normal by Namekian standards at all!

They both appeared to have adult bodies, though they had looked like older children when he had last seen them. Dende wondered what caused it… the red sun? Saiyan genetics? Dende felt about two inches tall now… and far more childish than anyone else on this mission.

Trunks, in particular, seemed very different from the boy he had met. The guards around them straightened at his presence the way they had for his father. His eyes scanned, but to Dende, it felt like he wasn't really seeing any of them. He looked forbidding enough as he walked in that Dende hesitated to go over and say 'hi' to him.

Goku didn't; he clapped Trunks on the back and said, "good to see you again! You grew too, huh?"

"Yeah." The impervious effect lessened as he cast his mother a long-suffering look at the request she had made, which then seemed to reignite his parents' argument.

"Tell your mother that she's a lunatic for wanting to hole you up in a lab when we have business," Vegeta snapped, still looking at Trunks' mother. "I'm not doing this for my own amusement. I have work to do with my heir, and I already know very well that you don't actually need him. You're just trying to shield him from spending the day with me!"

"Sheesh," Krillin muttered. "Like seriously …nothing has changed. This is exactly how I'd imagine them coparenting…"

"I heard that, Baldy!"

Trunks for his part, was looking around waspishly at the guards. "How about some space?" he said with irritation, but then his eyes widened slightly as they actually did step back several paces in unison. "That's not—whatever…" he shook his head. "Before we all start splitting up, maybe we should discuss what it is we're doing here?"

"We're here to fight Frieza," Goku said, like a star pupil to his instructor. Trunks and his mother both flitted their eyes over to him patiently, but the King was not of the same mind.

"We're here to stand against the Cold Empire," Vegeta said coldly. "There is only one person in this room who will be facing Frieza. In fact, many of you probably will not be necessary at all, as anything but cannon fodder."

Dende swallowed hard and Trunks caught sight of him for the first time since he had appeared in the hangar. A look of recognition, and then a brief look of apology passed over his face. He smiled a little and Dende took it as "hello", and his eyes came up to clash with his father's with renewed resolve.

Dende then saw Guru's sword still strapped to the Prince of the Saiyans' back and for him, the air relaxed just a little.

"Everyone in this room could be necessary," Trunks announced. "If you let them be…"

There was hardly a pause before Vegeta refocused on his son and Dende recalled acutely that Trunks hadn't seemed to care for his father at all while he was on Namek. It wasn't even much what he had said, but the same cold, hard, tension that was falling over the room right now.

"Hope for the hopeless," the King said mockingly. Trunks' mother shook her head, but stayed quiet. Trunks, on the other hand, opened his mouth readily, but Vegeta continued. "Boy, you can make whatever plans you want with them, as long as you do your part. And they stay out of the way of the plans we already have."

Vegeta turned that intense stare on his Queen too, but she did not react under his scrutiny. Dende didn't think he could ever not quake in fear if he was unfortunate enough to be under that look.

"And …provided you don't distract your mother either with your hare-brained nobility …or she doesn't distract herself with it."

"Excuse me, Your Majesty," Bulma rolled her eyes at him, to everyone else's amazement. "Try and keep saying that, once I save your Saiyan ass with my 'distractions'."

"Yikes…" Krillin muttered.

Vegeta did nothing more than raised a fiendish eyebrow. "I look forward to it," he told her with that same mocking tone.

"Mom," Trunks ignored his father and addressed his mother calmly. "What do you need my help with in the lab?"

The woman looked reluctant to answer. "I need …a test subject that has a physiology unlike a full-blooded Saiyan," she admitted quietly, in a way that suggested that what would come next would be no surprise to her. Vegeta whirled around, his sharp voice coming in abruptly.

"Then the boy isn't a good subject for you! You've said yourself, multiple times, that earthling/Saiyan physiology is enormously skewed-Saiyan and not useful to your study!" He gestured toward Krillin. "Use HIM."

"Me?!"

"And what do you want?" Trunks demanded of his father with significantly less calm.

Vegeta didn't reply, he just stared at Trunks. But something in his expression must have meant something to Trunks, because he let out a breath and turned to his mother. "I think it's better if I go with them. I'm no good at the lab—not the way I can be there."

Bulma favored him with a look of chagrin, defeated for now. Dende wondered if this was a standard family dynamic for Saiyans. It seemed unnecessarily combative, if he was properly following it.

"Sounds like you already know what your father wants, and what you're going to do about it. I won't stop you, sweetheart."

Trunks gave her a short nod and then his face softened a little as he said quietly, "Let me know if you do actually need me…"

She winked at him. "Of course!" Then she turned to Krillin. "Alright, let's go! We've got work to do. I hope your power level has improved since we last met!"

With an abundance of familiarity, Bulma grasped Dende's hand and pulled him along too, who found himself helpless at the behavior. It was nice, actually… like he belonged somewhere and was needed to do something! While these were things he already believed, it was comforting to feel it from another person, and someone who was the Queen of this planet...

But still, could he do the things he wanted to dare to do? He didn't have a home anymore—not for now. If he kept himself busy, he didn't have to think about it.

Help me, Guru… Help me to be strong the way that you helped Trunks…

Krillin gulped as he followed after them, still glancing both ways at the guards and giving Bulma's personal guard a wide berth. "I guess I should have known that you weren't going to just take me to my hotel room to veg…"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Geez, Krillin, when has that ever been our life?"

"Never…"

"See ya later, guys!" Goku called, pumping his fist, his voice carrying after them. "Alright, Vegeta, let's take the boys and see what we can all do!"

VBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVB

Gohan closed the narrow space between he and Trunks to speak in an undertone that hopefully only his friend could hear, as Goku peppered Vegeta with questions about Saiyan training as opposed to Earth training. He didn't yet realize that Bulma was responsible for most of their improvements. "What exactly does your dad want us to do? Back there, you were acting like you knew."

"I know Vegeta," Trunks replied, his eyes remaining straight ahead. There were too many things on his mind. "He just wants to get stronger, the only way that he knows how."

"Then why does he need us to come?"

Trunks hesitated before answering. It felt obnoxious to respond with his true thoughts, but then again …it was the truth. They were in the Gravity Chamber, and their fathers were paces away. Vegeta was removing his cape, ignoring Goku, anticipating the grand finale instead of the opening act. Trunks shed his space jacket, tossing it to the side. He couldn't make his mouth smile. "Because he can't do what I can."

"Well Kakarot," Vegeta said, eyes flashing darkly, "Let's see it."

Trunks and Gohan bent their heads back as their older counterparts leapt into the air (Goku with a laugh), both avid to discover what had changed. It didn't matter how old you got, Trunks supposed. There would always be some awe in watching a rivalry that had lasted your whole life. Trunks had only heard about it. Gohan had seen it before.

Trunks had been blinded with fury the last time he fought his father. He hadn't noticed much beyond the force of his blows and matching it with his own. Seeing Goku and Vegeta fight was like art… he didn't know why, just that there was something about it that made you not want to blink.

"They're both way better," Gohan observed. "And …not trying to kill each other."

"Give Dad some time," Trunks responded grimly.

Vegeta wasn't trying as hard as he could have. Trunks wasn't sure about Goku, given that Goku tended to find reserves of battle strength when the stakes were raised. Maybe that was why they did make such a good challenge for each other. His father typically had no problem bringing out the kill moves. Goku noticed too.

"Come on, King Vegeta!" he called, as he blocked and flipped above to land a swinging kick to the Saiyan King's head. Vegeta saw it a mile away, grabbing Goku's ankle and sending him like a discus. Goku used the momentum to launch himself off of the wall and missile back towards the fight. "Give me everything you have, for real!"

Vegeta smirked, just as amped-up as Goku, but always hiding it. "You can't handle my best, Kakarot. And you two!" Trunks and Gohan jolted, caught. "Stop standing around and train each other!"

"Right!"

Trunks, as with anything his father did these days, was annoyed. But he drew his sword at Gohan, whose shoulders slumped a little in disappointment. The weapon forced them both to fight with a certain level of discomfort, but Trunks was stubborn like his parents, and he wasn't about to give up on it. More than that—he wanted it to become his signature, and he would get his way.

"Dodging," Gohan breathed, launching himself up.

VBVBVBVBVBVBVBVB

"My Lord, this is a closed session. And the personal training chamber of the King himself," the guard moved in front of the door, fixing Cumber with his bland gaze. Cumber scowled at the second class. As if he didn't know that.

Under this Vegeta, the guards had become very territorial. Especially the ones assigned to the Royal Family… It was a development that none of the Elites would have foreseen, and Cumber wasn't sure why it had come about.

He never ventured this far into the palace, but going all-in with the King's plans meant avoiding nothing. His gaze fell to the window at the guard's left, catching some movement in the corner, but it disappeared just as quickly.

The Queen had constructed this hulking structure for the King long ago… From the outside, it was mysterious, and Cumber had refused to be curious on point of principle. He went to the window and got a true glimpse of the inside. His mouth dropped as he took in the interior, because it was …magnificent.

There were two pairs of people fighting inside, but Cumber hardly noticed them at first. The building hummed with life itself, training bots hovered at the ready, looking sturdier than anything the Cold Empire produced. The walls looked somehow amorphous, but thick. No sound filtered back out at them.

If Cumber would ever understand his monarch's obsession with this weak little Earthling woman he crowned against all sense, it would be from having seen this masterpiece. He blinked, thinking of Paragus' and Cauli's knowing expressions, and realized that they did know just what she had been doing. They must have.

He had time to think no further though, as he had finally found himself able to offer attention to the sparring within.

"Lord Cumber—"

"Hold for a moment." Cumber turned to see General Cauli behind him, raising a hand to the guard. "There will be no interference, you have my word."

Cumber wasn't sure why Cauli offered an explanation to the guard, but as one of King Vegeta's most loyal advisors, he had clearly banked some respect among them, and the guard reluctantly drew back to his post. Cumber gave him a questioning look and Cauli titled his head.

"The King has certainly already sensed us. He would banish you from this part of the palace if he truly wanted to."

Cumber already had his eyes back in the room. "Would he notice?"

The King and his sparring partner seemed thoroughly unaware of anything else, even the other fight unfolding underneath them. The Prince was making use of his sword, something that Cumber found entirely bizarre, but he still fought a cut above any other Saiyan, which must have been his royal blood. Commanding his attention more, was the King's battle.

Who were these new Saiyans who could challenge royal blood at such a level?

"He'd notice," Cauli chuckled. "Forgive me for saying, but I believe that your time ignoring the King's presence has left you with a lack of understanding as to how powerful he is."

Disregarding those moments when he had flexed his considerable power at Elite meetings, of course. Cumber admitted that it was a bit different seeing it now—a drawn-out, intense interplay with an opponent. King Vegeta made it look effortless. Not only could Cumber hardly track his movements, but his endurance at that pace was to the degree that he seemed more than Saiyan.

And given what King Vegeta was said to be, it was appropriate.

"That's not what surprises me," Cumber finally said. "What surprises me is that the King is fighting another Saiyan at all. And where did they come from?"

"The King does not dispense information lightly," Cauli answered wryly. "As we well know. His silence on the subject of his Queen, and the young Prince… I have no idea where they come from, however, I do believe it has something to do with the Queen, once again. And so I doubt there will be much of an explanation provided, in any case."

"Why doesn't this bother you?" Cumber was unable to contain himself and he heard the guard shift from one foot to the other. Let him try something. The General, on the other hand, paid it no mind.

"Because there's no reason for it to bother me," he said simply. "Why is it such a rock in your boot? Have you wondered that?"

No. Cumber hesitated. He didn't need to say anything, because the General was in the mood to offer some sage advice, apparently.

"You have always displayed a desire to understand every movement of the Prince—now, the King—and have always seemed to want some sort of explanation for his actions," Cauli observed.

"It's natural to want that."

"As it relates to the future of our planet, of course it is. But you have always gone beyond that, Cumber. You've always wanted more than that from the King. And no, I cannot understand that. When he was a Prince…" Cauli was staring intently into the chamber, memories in his eyes. "The King was sent away with no one but Lord Nappa and one Saiyan third-class to attend. Our culture was far from him, and to be perfectly honest, I believe he had to do away with whatever couldn't help him survive and get stronger. I did not understand that, at first…"

"Then what makes you believe it?"

"I got to know the Queen." Again, there was the color of amusement in the General's voice when he spoke of her. "The Elites, the former King, there was no attempt to even understand at all why she was brought here in the first place."

"Forgive me for being blunt," Cumber shook his head, a tinge of nervousness pinging in his brain, but forging ahead anyway. "But we all knew exactly why that pretty, soft, humanoid creature was brought here…"

This chamber, it was soundproof… and yet in a moment, Cumber felt the heat of Vegeta's eyes, and his opponent's squawk of surprise as a too-large blast erupted from within. Even the younger two hesitated and looked up at the incident. There was a slight reverberation, and then the fighting continued. However, Cumber knew that Vegeta was more than aware he was here.

"You're very stuck on that, like many of them were…" Cauli said. He continued to watch the fighting within. "Yet you stand here, next to this…" he spread his hands, looking upward at the structure that Cumber had unwillingly admired minutes before, "and you know that no Saiyan mind has the capability of constructing it."

Abruptly, arms crossed, he turned to Cumber and inclined his head, saying conversationally, "if you stay, watch the Prince. He's a gifted warrior…"

Cumber was unable to avoid his meaning as he departed: just because things were not the way that they had been, didn't mean that they were wrong. He frowned deeply, scrutinizing the fights within a little longer.

Or better, said a cruel voice in his head. The Prince fought Saiyan: controlled, practiced, efficient, powerful.

He watched the fluidity, the choice to forego an offensive risk to steel his defense instead, and the sword. He also fought very unlike a Saiyan… but again, Cumber couldn't maintain his honesty and also assert that the change was worse. Not Saiyan, he squinted into the room, unable to know what he saw, until he gave up and left.

VBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVB

Dende glanced around, his mind as scattered as the aliens rushing around the substantial lab of the Saiyan Queen. Trunks' mother seemed insusceptible to their energy, her fluttering steps taking her (and Dende, by the arm) toward a separate room.

"Geez, Bulma," Krillin whined. "Can ya give us a moment to take it all in? I'm never gonna find my way out of here by myself!"

"Not really," she replied, "and if you think Vegeta's gonna let you just wander around here exploring, then you missed the memo about what's about to go down." The tone of her voice continued to be not what Dende would have thought. More practical, not like a voice from above. Not like Guru.

But why was he expecting Trunks' mother to be like Guru?

She released Dende as soon as she whipped into a well-sized, but empty room, swinging around to face them. Her guard hadn't followed. He posted at the door and closed himself out like he had done it a million times before. And Bulma spoke as soon as it clicked shut.

"So you have to know what's coming, otherwise what are you doing here?"

"Yeah, Goku wanted to get in a fight against all the intergalactic space monsters," Krillin lamented. "I just wanted to collect some Dragonballs…"

"Well, unless Goku is miles stronger than he was the last time I saw him…" Bulma trailed off, and Dende was so lost at how fast the conversation was moving that he almost swore he hadn't been there for the beginning of it. But maybe this was how long-time friends spoke to each other on Earth. Bulma clapped her hands and Dende jumped. "But we won't worry too much about that! I've got plenty of contingency plans!"

"But can you just—" Krillin hesitated, but then said the rest in a rush. "Can you explain how—how you got to be the Queen in this—and what… well." He faltered then, and though Dende was a Namekian and not an Earthling, he completely understood what Krillin was thinking. He had been looking at Trunks' mother from the time she had knelt by him and spoken to him. He had been looking around in horror at everything else from the time they landed, everything awash in red.

Bulma didn't seem to understand as well, if the furrow of her brow was any indication—like she was disappointed that that was what Krillin wanted to discuss, rather than battle plans. "Uh, so is there any chance that can wait, Krillin? I mean—"

"I'm not asking for a long story!" Krillin said quickly, holding up his hands. "But to be fair, you gotta understand what it was like for us, Bulma. We hadn't heard from you in years, besides your dad, and he doesn't ask for details… and then you're dead. And then Trunks gets our help and Nappa says he's like a prince—or son of the king, whatever. And …I don't know, we thought you were like, here—being held against your will—?"

"I was!" Trunks' mother said indignantly, blue eyes flashing and hands on her hips.

"But not now?" Krillin tried.

"I—no. We… It's complicated, alright?" While Bulma sputtered a response, Dende's small mind was spinning to keep up, but he decided that he probably didn't need to understand most of this conversation. It was like two old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time, and if he needed to know something, he would probably pick up on it. His head thanked him, and he looked around at the office. There was lots of parchment with scribbles on them.

"—and do me a favor, Krillin, don't say anything about Yamcha to Vegeta while you're here."

"So you guys are an item, then? This isn't just a political marriage or something?"

"Political marriage, ha! It's about the farthest thing! And why do you care?! Did Yamcha actually put you up to this, or something?"

"What—no!"

"Then why bring him up?!"

The parchment had some formulas he understood written there, but most that he didn't. So Trunks' mom wasn't a strong warrior or anything. She was smart. He felt a small smile in his heart as he watched her flail her arms in agitation at her friend. Dende was glad she wanted him nearby, because she would probably understand him best.

"Well, I'm just saying," Krillin was saying with a small voice, "this… this was supposed to be a rescue mission, I think…"

"You mean that my son told you to come here and force me on a spaceship headed for Earth?" she guessed dryly. "In the name of my protection?"

"Well that wasn't something I was going to broadcast in front of Vegeta, but yeah…" Krillin said. "And then we get here and you're the freaking Queen, so I'm not sure what Trunks was that worked up about. It's not like Vegeta has you locked in a dungeon somewhere. You've got plenty of perks now that you're not dead."

"Just give me a break, Krillin, okay?" Bulma interrupted. "It's not all it's cracked up to be. I've decided that I am the Queen and I'm very interested in keeping this planet safe, because if I DO keep this planet safe, then I keep Earth and the entire galaxy safe, by extension."

"Wow, you've definitely gotten more noble," Krillin snickered. "And I guess all someone had to do was put a crown on your head."

Dende thought this sounded kind of mean, but all Trunks' mother did was give the other Earthling a bright smile. "That's what I was trying to tell you bums the whole time: we do best when I'm in charge!"

Krillin chuckled. "Sure. Now you're getting the chance to prove it." He suddenly deflated. "But why am I here in a lab with you, and not with the fighters? I know I'm not the strongest guy, but I can make up for it with determination!"

This time, Bulma's laugh was a far cry from the light-hearted, excitable tone Dende had heard before. There was something close to fearful in it, and a flatness that put the young Namekian at attention again.

"I'm not sure how far determination will get us this time, Krillin. I don't even know if Vegeta thinks we can pull this out."

She stared at the door, closing them off from the rest of the lab, her words coming slow and grave. "And if I can see through Vegeta's bravado …then I'm betting that we're in for the fight of our lives."

She looked between the two of them, ignoring the way that Krillin's mouth hung open, as if to protest. "But I do need your help. The both of you. And I think that's going to be part of our best chance. Just let me explain."

VBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVB

Trunks was surprised Vegeta had waited so long to turn the battle on him, but he wasn't surprised when it finally came. Goku was a really good sparring partner, but he hadn't had proper motivation or a spaceship to get him somewhere the creatures and their powers were challenging enough—Trunks knew that from brutal experience. And a perfectly-aimed ki blast nudged Gohan and Trunks apart for a long enough moment that Vegeta insinuated himself.

"We've wasted enough time warming up," he pronounced to them all. "Now let's start on the business of bringing the Cold Empire to heel."

Trunks saw Gohan go slack-jawed, breathing hard. Goku frowned.

"You mean Trunks' special power?" He guessed, hitting on exactly the point in that alarming way he had when it came to battle.

Vegeta's hackles raised at his son. "So you showed them too?"

Trunks jerked his head in a "yes", curt and cold. "I even wanted to that time."

"You can show us all how?" Goku's voice raised even higher in excitement.

"No!" Vegeta snarled. "I'm sure he can't!"

Trunks smirked. It was nice not to feel out-of-control, for once. It was nice to be able to do something that Vegeta couldn't. "How would you know?"

"Because," Vegeta said with all of his Saiyan omnipotence, "You cannot tell me that this power isn't a result of your royal blood, boy. And if you would, I'd call you a liar!"

"Then call me one," Trunks said. "Because it's not. Otherwise, wouldn't you be able to do it?"

Blood rising, again Trunks felt like he was in a physical fight with his father, without raising his hand to him at all. He could see the twitch in his father's muscles, as if itching for it. Then he willfully calmed.

"And can't I?" Vegeta wondered. "Or why else would you be so closely guarding how you can do it?"

"I'm not guarding anything—"

"And if I had to conclude anything," Vegeta interrupted loudly. "I would imagine that your DELUSIONS that I am holding your mother captive have something to do with why you WON'T tell me how you've attained such power!"

"The fact that you HAVE held Mom captive for YEARS has nothing to do with why you CAN'T do it!" Trunks declared just as loudly, but far more angrily.

"Do what?" Vegeta mocked.

Trunks exploded, and it cast them all down.

The feeling was magnificent. He could do anything, he could conquer anything. He could throw his own father from his throne, if he wanted. He could smash it all in one blast.

Vegeta suspended himself from skittering away before he got too low. Gohan and Goku pulled out of his bend of energy later, less than prepared for it. The last time he did this, he had been on Namek and had eased himself in. Not this time. His father didn't deserve it.

"THIS." He didn't even sound like himself, and he liked that too.

Vegeta sailed back towards him, stopping short of his glow, but examining him with all of his focus. Trunks let him.

"If it was about your blood, wouldn't you have already done it?" Trunks asked with that same bewildering echo that seemed to drip from this form like the golden glow. "Or your clone? You wouldn't have needed me or Mom. But what did you do …you came to Earth and you ripped her out of the lab and forced her to come here because you know that it's not your blood!"

Goku pulled up next to Vegeta, breathless and silent, with the same intent eyes.

"You know it's MY blood …or you're afraid that it is. And you'd have a better chance if it was. But instead, it's because I needed it, because I love something besides myself, and you can't. Or you won't. Whatever."

Vegeta grunted, appearing thoroughly unconvinced. He had always been able to show a brave face when he was down. "So you've run into that fool, Paragus?"

Trunks didn't know what his father was talking about, besides that he was talking about some Saiyan, somewhere. "I don't know why I'd talk to any of them about this or anything else. Nobody on this planet knows anything about what I can do, Dad. Isn't that why you were gone so long from Vegeta-sei in the first place? To find something to help you?"

"Wait, is that true, Vegeta?" Goku said.

Vegeta ignored him. "You seem to think you know a lot, boy."

"I know something that you don't. And it kills you, doesn't it?"

By way of answer, Vegeta disappeared, to everyone but Trunks.

Trunks …he tracked his father's movement like it happened in slow-motion. Again, if this is what his father wanted? He'd give it to him.

He let Vegeta surge forward and begin to lift his leg, and Trunks effortlessly hooked him right in his jaw, hurtling him into the closest wall. Trunks winced, hoping that his mother wouldn't need to make another repair because of him, but the wall held strong. Goku and Gohan had just begun to turned towards the sound when Trunks flew toward the felled King, pulling him out of the dent to incense him more. Vegeta shoved him away and Trunks acquiesced, dropping his arm.

He tried a few more times, but it was far too easy. He couldn't even hope to overcome Trunks like this. And Trunks wasn't sure what he was hoping to learn by trying.

"Stop wasting time!" Vegeta bellowed finally. "Don't you understand, brat?! If Frieza comes—"

"Forget it, Dad. This form is everything you think it is. And you won't be able to do it, because if you could, it would have happened for both of us at the same time. Don't you get it?"

"SHUT UP!" Vegeta yelled, blood dripping from his lip. Trunks thought he'd be happy, but he wasn't. He was just disappointed, like he had hoped that his father would burst into light at that very moment. But instead, there was just Trunks, and there was just Vegeta's desperation.

"Don't YOU get it, you stupid brat?! Or will it take Frieza coming here and wiping us all out—including your beloved mother—to understand?!"

"I WON'T let that happen!" Trunks shouted. "And you know it! This is just about your EGO! And that's why you can't!" He powered down, the loss of the form leaving a lot of silence in its wake.

"Come on, Trunks," Goku said from somewhere to the left, rather calmly. Of course, they had been watching the whole time. "That's not true. I'm sure it's not true."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Trunks told him, trying and failing not to be rude. "Where have you been?"

"We're here now," Goku insisted.

"And you'll take my mom home," Trunks said. "After I take out Frieza. We don't even need a plan!"

"If that were true, then what are you doing here, with me? In the Gravity Chamber?" Vegeta argued. "You had to have known why I brought you here!"

"I did, but I guess I'm still as stupid as you think. Who knows?" Trunks felt like he had given up on something, and the knot grew greater in his stomach. "Fool around some more with Goku, if you want. But I'm out of here."

He heard Goku say "let him go", but he wasn't sure if Goku was speaking to Gohan or to Vegeta.

If he had to guess, he'd say it was Gohan.

VBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVB

Vegeta listened, for once. But his eyes never left where Trunks would have been. Gohan was afraid to say anything, and he was worried that his dad wasn't.

"Hey, Vegeta—"

"Gohan, would you please show your infernal father where he will be staying for the duration?" Vegeta said immediately, pinching his nose. "We'll regroup in the morning."

Oh, Gohan thought. So Vegeta was going to pretend like they hadn't seen anything. It made sense.

Trunks' power really was just enormous. Gohan felt like he had really been hit with it this time, fully fledged. The initial blast was like running into a solid wall, but he hadn't even been moving. He didn't have much of a doubt that Trunks could take Frieza, with an ability like that. And he understood why Vegeta was mad about that, but he saw more than that on Vegeta's face. He saw worry, and he couldn't understand why.

So he was all too eager to pull his father away from Vegeta. And for once, Goku didn't resist. His father seemed thoughtful.

"Have they been like this since you got here?"

"Yeah…" Gohan said, as they let the heavy door slide shut behind them. "Pretty much."

"Man, Bulma must be upset…"

"She's staying out of it," Gohan responded sagely. "And Dad …you probably should too."

"Oh, it'll work out," Goku said at once. "Just like it all will work out."

Gohan felt it—that little burst of impatience he got when he felt like his father wasn't really acknowledging how bad a situation could be in favor of some overly optimistic mindset. He glanced sideways at his dad, who still had that pensive expression on his face, and it cooled his impatience a little.

"I guess…" Gohan tried bravely. "I mean, Trunks is super powerful, so he can probably take Frieza…"

"Oh, Trunks isn't going to beat Frieza." Goku said confidently. "Vegeta will."

Gohan stopped short, speechless now. Goku stopped after a moment, and turned back to look at Gohan, confused. "What's up?"

"Why do you think it will be Vegeta?" Gohan finally answered.

Goku shrugged. "Just a feeling I have…"

"It doesn't make sense."

"But not much makes sense, does it? We just can't ever give up, that's when things go wrong." Goku's voice was light, and he started walking again. "So let's get going, Gohan! I want to see the room. And the quicker we see the room, the quicker we can get back to fighting! Come on, I haven't been able to train in a Gravity Chamber for forever!"

Gohan followed, and then sped up so he could lead the way, and they didn't get lost. He really hated that his father did such a good job at making it seem like everything was going to work out. It didn't feel fair.

VBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVB

Vegeta was thinking of sand. Black sand.

He stood in the room alone and he ached to change the terrain. Sand, like the answers that continually slipped through his fingers. Like his son. Like his son's mother. Like power.

Like the night she died.

Trunks' words weren't lies. He should have elevated to something extraordinary the night that Bulma was lost to him, and he didn't know that there was any way to get her back. He hadn't then, and whatever Trunks had that night, he hadn't possessed.

He was the King, he told himself. He had become a King that night, after he lost her. He couldn't save her, he won his son's resentment and a Kingdom and nothing else.

He didn't have a choice anymore!

But he hadn't had a choice that night, either. And nothing had happened. His power hadn't changed at all, besides a rise from that momentary rage when he took it out on the clone.

Feeling sorry for himself got him nowhere. He felt himself hardening again, but he wouldn't give in and bring back that black, sweltering desert. And Trunks wouldn't help him, or couldn't…

So what would help him?

Who always had helped him, even when he worried that she wouldn't?

Bulma, always Bulma…

What was he missing? What piece of this was he missing?!

And something about Trunks' words brought Paragus to mind… he couldn't fathom why. They couldn't have spoken—Trunks likely couldn't have picked him out among a grouping of Elites, and yet…

Transform for her and receive her kiss.

Isn't that of what his son was accusing him of being incapable? Faced with her death, and no way to bring her back… he hadn't become anything more. He had received hundreds—thousands—of her kisses.

"Headache?" her voice asked.

"No!" he growled, removing his hands from his head immediately. Then, he remembered that he shouldn't argue with the voices in his head. Then, he remembered again that she wasn't dead anymore, but must have been there. He twisted around and she stopped short.

"Did I actually take you by surprise?" she asked, her mouth dropping in shock. "I had to cut the gravity to get in here!"

He rubbed his forehead, belying his earlier denial. "I have more things to worry about than where you are or what you're doing!" he snapped at her. "And where's your damn guard?!"

Bulma smirked at him. "He's right outside the door. My, you are just full of contradictions today, aren't you? Is this what finally seeing Goku again does to you?"

His fists clenched in self-control. This scene felt too familiar; the way that he felt while he stood here with her, on a darkening day.

Her sunniness in the face of his black mood tightened his chest in a way he wasn't sure he had ever experienced before. The desire to explode all of his frustration on her competed desperately with the desire to protect and hold her. The shame of this change crested into one moment where his mouth opened with some terrible thing and from the corner of his eye, he saw her tense and immediately, the wave crashed and the shame abandoned him.

One thought he had never considered came to him: how had she lived with him all of these years? And why had she stayed?

He hadn't been good to her. He knew this as well as he knew anything. And he only cared about that for as much as it took to keep her with him and possess her… But she had chosen to stay anyway, enduring him, here even tensing as if bracing herself for a physical blow. New shame rose in its place and he tried to close his eyes against it.

Her hand, small and firm, fell warmly onto his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see her concerned expression, searching his. It made him want to rend himself apart. "I wasn't being serious," she said gently.

He refused to move away from her touch. His discomfort could be penance. "I know," he answered dismissively. "It's …nothing is your fault."

"Oh." Her tone suggested that she wasn't sure what to say to that. He started to turn away from her, in lieu of doing any more damage, but her hand then landed on his jaw, holding him there with a touch. He didn't move, but he looked down at her. Now, she looked like she was taking courage for something. He waited and wondered why she would possibly need it. "You've been…"

"What?"

"Different."

"Since?"

"Since… I woke up."

"You didn't 'wake up', you died," he told her bluntly, speaking around the fingers that had drifted toward his mouth. His wrapped her up, pulled her in, pressed her against him until he couldn't go any further. "You were gone." He had a realization and he spoke it. "How could I not change?"

Trunks was wrong. Bulma was right.

And the fact that it didn't make a difference to his abilities wrenched at him, but still, he wouldn't turn away this time.

"Why," she breathed.

"Hmmm?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she whispered.

"How would I know?" Came his rough whisper back, and he delved into the cursed beauty of her mouth.

He didn't know. He knew that she knew, and he wanted to die inside of her.

Until his hand found her breast, and moved lower, as it would. And his heart suddenly stopped.

A/N: Yes. I'm cliff-hangering you. Feel free to guess what's wrong with Vegeta's heart :) I hope this wasn't too agonizingly long, but with the reunion in the beginning, things got a little bulky. Some of you may be disappointed by the lack of Goku, but I have to say that the next chapter is going to be considerably more Vegeta/Bulma/Trunks. I'll leave it at that haha. I really hope you enjoyed it, but please let me know what your thoughts!