Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Wish For The Past ❯ Ouji and Chibi ( Chapter 58 )

Upon completing her shopping, Bulma carefully placed the newly acquired capsules in her purse and stepped proudly out the door of the grocery store... And into a scene of utter chaos. Water still spewed with the intensity of a geyser where there had once been a fire hydrant, a puddle of cold, hard plastic spread itself across the sidewalk, a nearby toy store had suffered a broken window... Bulma's eyes widened as she took in the scene, and the suddenly realized that the damage was not just local but all over the city. At least, that's what the plumes of smoke rising into the air and the sounds of sirens from all over the city told her dazed mind.

The intelligence that she had been gifted with at birth finally kicked in, and the blue haired girl blinked away the shock. First things first, she needed to find the boys and make sure they were all right. Walking briskly over to the capsule car, she peered inside and smiled as she saw both demi-Saiyans in the back seat, curled up next to each other sound asleep. She furrowed her brow in puzzlement as she took in the state of their clothes - Goten was wearing a green grocery sack and Trunks had what looked like strings of cotton candy dangling from his shirt - but guessed that they must have been playing some kind of game while waiting for her. At their feet were two plastic ice cream buckets, both completely devoid of any ice cream except for a few smears here and there. Similar sticky trails adorned the faces of the two sleeping chibis, telling a tale that needed no words. She didn't even notice the teddy bear that Goten clutched in his arms protectively.

"You two are so adorable when you're asleep," she cooed softly, pulling out a newly bought Polaroid camera. They looked so peaceful and innocent like that, she couldn't help but take a few pictures. Carefully placing the snapshots in her purse, she got into the driver's seat and started the car. "Well, I'll just let you two sleep until we get back. Kami knows we've got a long journey ahead of us just finding those other four dragonballs." So saying, she revved the gas pedal and took off into the sky, leaving behind a bewildered city picking up the pieces left from the brief reign of terror of two chibis named Saiyaman and Sugar Boy.

Unbeknownst to the boys from the future, this had inadvertently altered history to where Saiyaman was now considered an evil villain in what would soon become a popular comic book series, thus depriving a certain half-breed named Gohan of his super hero identity of preference. The poor demi-Saiyan would now be forced to play the part of the mysterious Gold Fighter, unwittingly saving himself and the citizens of Orange Star City much embarrassment and humiliation, since a Super Saiyan would never borrow poses from Sailor Moon!

For one brief moment, Bardock felt as though his heart had stopped beating in his chest. His mind railed at him that this wasn't supposed to happen, that it couldn't happen. Not to his son! Goku had eaten one of the magical senzu beans, and his eyes had obviously healed, considering that they had lost their misshapen look, so why were they still white?!

And then Goku blinked.

When he opened his eyes again, the chibi looked up at his father with perfectly normal eyes, black pupils focused inquisitively on Bardock's face. He must have had his eyes rolled up in his head, he realized with intense relief. Shoulders sagging with the release of tension, the smile returned to his face in full force as it dawned on him that his son was well and truly whole.

A barely audible sigh of relief drew Bardock's attention to the other boy in the room, catching Vegeta in the act of smiling genuinely at the sight of Goku's fully healed eyes. The older Saiyan felt the smile on his own lips fade as he stared at the young prince, trying to sort out his feelings toward the boy. Vegeta was almost certainly the one to blame for Goku's injuries, but he had claimed that whatever he had done was an accident. How does someone 'accidentally' burn half of a child's body, not to mention roasting his eyes to the point where Goku would have been permanently blind, if not for the senzu bean? his angry thoughts asked as he narrowed his eyes briefly. Before he could voice any accusations, though, the image of Vegeta's haunted eyes as he carried the wounded chibi in flicked in front of his mind's eye, followed by the look of pure joy on the prince's face as he held the senzu bean in his hand. In fact, he had sounded... concerned... as he pleaded with Goku to eat the little brown bean. And now... now he was smiling.

With a start, Bardock realized that Vegeta's guard was down, that what he was seeing was a glimpse at the ten year old's true self. The boy hovered in the air, his chest level with Goku's head so he could peer anxiously down the younger child, as the carefully constructed facade he had worn almost all of his life dropping away for a few moments as genuine concern etched itself into his features. No longer the proud and arrogant Saiya-jin no Ouji, no longer the cold and callous warrior prince, no longer even the strong and rebellious boy, Vegeta, stripped of everything he tried to be for other people, acting only as himself, appeared simply to be a child whose friend had just been hurt badly, but was better now.

As though he could feel Bardock's eyes on him, Vegeta suddenly looked up to catch the older Saiyan's scrutinizing gaze. In an instant, the ten year old's face became blank and emotionless, as though an iron portcullis in his mind had slammed shut with an almost audible clang! Vegeta dropped back to the floor, back straight and chin held high as he stared directly ahead, barely even blinking. His posture and stance reminded Bardock of a soldier who had failed in some task but was determined to accept his punishment stoically.

The reaction left Bardock thoroughly confused, his brow furrowing in puzzlement as he tried to analyze what had just happened. He realized that I saw him showing concern, but I don't get the impression that that's what made him react like this. It's more like he shut himself off in preparation for my reaction, not as a reaction to the emotions he was displaying. He's expecting me to retaliate, and cutting himself off from his feelings is his way of protecting himself. He was guessing there, of course, since a few weeks was hardly a long enough time to truly get to know someone, but those speculations felt right. But that would imply that he feels that whatever I might say or do could somehow hurt him emotionally, otherwise there would be no need to block off his feelings from himself. And that would mean that he actually cares about what I think.

"Tousan?" Goku asked, cutting into Bardock's train of thought. Returning his attention to the child in his arms, Bardock found his son staring up at him curiously. "Is something wrong?"

Bardock pursed his lips and regarded Vegeta for a moment longer, surprised to note a look of despondency or resignation on the boy's face, as though he was expecting to hear a pronouncement of doom. With mixed emotions weighing his tongue down, the older Saiyan opened his mouth to reply. "I... don't think so, Goku," he said slowly, still watching Vegeta intently as he tried to sort out how he was feeling towards the child. He guessed that the boy had been the cause of his son's second near-death experience, as well as the first, so his first impulse was anger for the pain Vegeta had caused his youngest son. But after seeing the effect Goku's injuries had had on the prince, Bardock couldn't find it in his heart to hate the boy. Vegeta had seemed genuinely upset by Goku's pain, and then pleased with the younger Saiyan's recovery. I think maybe he was telling the truth when he said 'it was an accident.' Whatever it was that happened. Even so, he would need a little time to calm down before he could question Vegeta about the incident, or else he might jump to the wrong conclusions about the ten year old's intentions. Returning his attention to Goku's still-bloody face, he added, "Other than the fact that, once again, you need a bath. Honestly, Goku, can't you go one day without getting so dirty that the only option is to put you in the tub?" Bardock was all for a moderate amount of cleanliness, when possible, but this was getting ridiculous! The boy had had to have a bath nearly every day since they had first met!

"I'm sorry, tousan," Goku apologized sheepishly. "I don't mean to get dirty... it just happens."

His mouth quirking up into a smile, the warrior set his son on the floor and took hold of one of his hands. Bardock glanced in Vegeta's direction, noting that the young prince still seemed to be waiting anxiously. "Vegeta." A slight flinch, imperceptible unless you were looking for it, twitched the ten year old's body. "Goku and I will be in the bathroom." Where I can get him cleaned up... and try to sort out my thoughts, he added silently as he led his son out of the bedroom, leaving Vegeta standing there with a slightly startled and confused expression on his face.

Why didn't he question me? Vegeta stared at the open door where Bardock had disappeared through, feeling almost dazed. He had prepared himself for the worst, knowing that the older Saiyan had grown protective of his youngest son, knowing what it must have looked like when Vegeta had carried the severely injured chibi in. So why hadn't Bardock reacted in the way he had expected? Why hadn't Bardock snapped angrily at Vegeta, or demanded an explanation? He hadn't ignored the prince, per se, not in the way that would tell him that the warrior was intentionally ignoring him, but Bardock had hardly treated him any different than he normally did. Maybe... maybe he's not mad at me. Maybe he believed me when I said it was an accident, he thought, perking up a little.

I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you, the oh-so-familiar voice in his mind taunted. Bardock just has his priorities straight. Giving his son a bath is more important to him than interrogating a baka like you. Don't worry. When he's done, I'm sure he'll find time to punish you for nearly killing his son.

For once, Vegeta couldn't think of anything to say to the mocking voice in his head. Shoulders drooping in defeat, he trudged over to Goku's bed and crawled under the sheets. You're right... he conceded dispiritedly, curling up into a ball facing away from the door. Kakarot's more important to him than I am, or ever will be. "After all, I'm not his son, I'm only the Saiya-jin no...... No. I'm just the Chibi no Ouji," he whispered harshly. "And not a very good one, either. Kakarot is my subject and I can't even protect him from myself. I couldn't control one simple attack, and I couldn't even help heal him because I'm too stupid and ignorant to know even the most basic field medicine. I'm supposed to be the Prince of a warrior race, and a third class soldier knows more about treating wounds than I do!" Angrily blinking back a tear that threatened to form in his eye, he set his face in a firm, familiar scowl. "Vegeta-sei doesn't need a weakling idiot like me for a king. When this is all over, maybe I should just stay here on Earth and let them find someone else to be king."

Unable to maintain it any longer, the scowl on Vegeta's face faded into a more miserable expression. I don't deserve to be the Saiya-jin no Ouji. I'm just a worthless failure who's always letting people down. Wrapping his tail around his ankles, he stared listlessly out the window at the sunny world beyond, oblivious to the cheerful scenery. Resigned to his fate, he awaited his inevitable punishment in silence. He'd take what was coming to him - he did deserve it, after all.

After removing what remained of the burned and bloodied gi he had been wearing, Goku hopped into the steaming water in the tub with a delighted laugh, leaving a cloud of blood and dirt in his wake. Despite the fact that he didn't really like baths, he was just as glad to be rid of the sticky aftermath of his spar with Vegeta. Well, it wasn't that he didn't like baths, it was more that the concept was too new to him for him to really appreciate them. He was so used to running around in the wild without a care for what got on him, with fishing and being caught in rain storms being the only times he truly got wet. The idea of purposefully getting in a tub of water to remove normal dirt and grime had been completely foreign to him until Bulma had made him take a bath when they first met. His Grandpa Gohan might have given him baths when he was younger, but he didn't really remember.

Now he had found his dad and it seemed like he had to take a bath almost every day for one reason or another. After taking so many baths, he had to admit that he was beginning to enjoy them a little. The warm water on his skin was relaxing, and soap bubbles were nothing short of pure fun! Not to mention the fact that he didn't seem to itch as much after scrubbing away all the dirt, or dried blood in this case. Speaking of which...

Taking a deep breath, he plunged his head under water, using his fingers to work out the blood that matted his spiky black hair. He'd still have to put that shampoo stuff in to get it clean, but it was driving him nuts having his hair stiff - well, stiffer than normal - and sticky and glued to his head in all sorts of weird positions! Satisfied that he had gotten out as much of the gore that he was going to with just water, Goku came up for air and began looking around for the now familiar bottle of shampoo.

Casting his eyes around the bathroom, the seven year old suddenly noticed his father sitting next to the tub, staring moodily off into space. Shampoo forgotten, Goku waded over to where the older Saiyan was sitting and, tugging on Bardock's shirt, he asked, "Is something wrong, tousan?"

Startled out of his thoughts, Bardock glanced down at the boy standing waist deep in the soapy water, his mind finally registering what his son had asked. Goku waited patiently for his father to reply. He knew how hard it could be to say what you were thinking in a way that other people would understand, which was obviously what Bardock was trying to do right now.

After another few moments of silence, the older Saiyan finally spoke. "Goku..." he said carefully. "How exactly did you get hurt?"

Glad that what was bothering his dad wasn't as serious as he had feared, Goku rubbed the back of his dripping head and grinned cheerfully up at Bardock. "Oh, that! Well, y'see, Radditz and I were practicing out in the forest, and he wanted to go take a bath, so he told me to keep practicing my mouth blast." The grin turned a little sheepish. "It kept coming out of my nose because it tickles so much that I sneeze!" Oblivious to the amused expression on his father's face, the chibi rubbed his nose at the memory and continued his explanation. "But practicing by myself isn't as much fun as sparring, and Vegeta was there, so I thought maybe I could practice my mouth blast and spar at the same time. So I asked him if he'd spar with me, and at first he didn't want to. I think maybe he thought I was too weak and he didn't want to hurt me, but I convinced him to spar anyway. I mean, how can I get stronger if I don't fight other strong people?" Eyes widening with excitement, Goku waved his arms around to help express his feelings. "And, dad, Vegeta's strong! I mean really strong! Maybe even as strong as you are! We didn't get to spar for long, but I don't think I've ever had more fun! I messed up on my mouth blast again, but the fight was great! Vegeta did this really cool attack, Garlic Gun or Gallic Gun or something like that, and I countered it with my Kamehameha. I think I put all of my energy into that attack, and..." the seven year old paused dramatically, absolute glee written all over his face. "Vegeta still beat me! He didn't have to knock it aside or anything, he just used his own attack to overpower my Kamehameha! I'm hoping maybe he'll spar with me again and teach me how to do that! That would be so cool!"

Surprise and confusion flickered across Bardock's face all while Goku chattered away. At the end of the explanation, a frown creased his father's brow. "But how did you end up in the half fried condition you were in when Vegeta brought you here?" he asked, cocking his head to one side inquisitively, his eyes searching his son's face for something, though Goku had no idea what he was looking for.

Scratching the back of his head thoughtfully, the chibi idly rubbed some dirt out of his tail with his other hand before answering. "I think that happened when Vegeta's Gallic Gun hit my Kamehameha. I held him off at first, but then his ki got so strong that it just swallowed my blast and then hit me." Remembering how much it had hurt when Vegeta's attack had engulfed him, Goku shuddered a little and looked down at the bath water. "I don't remember much after that, except that it hurt a lot." Not allowing his father a chance to say anything, Goku lifted his head to peer up at Bardock anxiously. "But Vegeta didn't mean to hurt me! He said he was sorry, and I believe him!" he stated firmly.

"Vegeta apologized to you?" Bardock asked incredulously, surprise etched into his features. Goku briefly wondered why his dad was surprised, but quickly brushed his curiosity away so he could answer the question.

"Uh huh," Goku replied, nodding his head simply. "And then he flew me back home. I think I fell asleep on the way, 'cause I don't remember much after he said that. At least, not until I woke up with you holding me." A vague memory tickled at the back of his mind and he furrowed his brow in thought. He could remember Vegeta telling him not to touch his face, and that he hadn't meant to hurt him... but he'd also said something else. The memory was all fuzzy because he'd been in a lot of pain and he'd been feeling really tired, but it felt important somehow.

"I think I need to talk with Vegeta," the soft voice of his father interrupted his train of thought, causing the memory of whatever it was Vegeta had said to vanish like smoke. Goku looked up at Bardock curiously, wondering what the older Saiyan wanted to talk to Vegeta about. He opened his mouth and was about to ask, but Bardock cut him off. "Do you think you can finish cleaning up by yourself?"

Goku took a moment to seriously consider the question, scratching the back of his head in thought. He figured after all the baths he'd had to take recently, he pretty much knew how to get himself clean, but he had yet to actually take a bath on his own. No, he wasn't scared or anything like that, especially since he was used to fishing in rivers and lakes much larger than a tub of water, but he'd found that he liked having company while bathing. It made an otherwise somewhat dull task into something more interesting. But he couldn't always have someone there with him, he knew, and if his father wanted to go somewhere else, then it would be childish to insist that he stay. Goku didn't want his father to think he was a baby. "Yeah, that's okay, tousan."

In a gesture to emphasize his ability to take care of himself, Goku reached down into the water to grab a washcloth that had fallen in, and so missed the small, affectionate smile that briefly crossed Bardock's face. Standing up with washcloth in hand, the seven year old gave his father a cheerful smile, to which Bardock responded by grinning and tousling his son's damp hair. "All right, then, I'll leave you to your bath. If you need something, I shouldn't be too far away." That said, the older warrior stood up and walked out of the bathroom. Once the door clicked shut behind him, the room suddenly seemed a lot emptier, but Goku was determined not to let it affect him. With a sigh of resignation, the black haired chibi sat down in the tub and began the process of scrubbing away the rest of the grime on his body.

All right, I admit it. I ended the last chapter like that just to make you all think I'd made Goku blind. I'm an evil author. ^_^ Well, not TOO evil, since I didn't actually make him blind... Anyway, please review. ^_^