Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Crossed Paths ❯ Reunions ( Chapter 6 )

Crossed Paths - Chapter 6: Reunions

by Mia Skywalker & Wataruo

 

 

PAIRING: Hints of Bulma/Vegeta, and.... ???

RATING: G so far. But that will change.

WARNINGS: None yet

DISCLAIMER: Neither of us owns any of the DBZ characters, but we both wish we owned Vegeta. (We do own Vegeta action figures. Does that count?) These characters are owned by Toei, Viz, Akira Toriyama, and FUNimation, even though the last one is a crying shame. We do own what we've written here, and our specific storyline, just not Dragonball itself. We make no money off of any of these guys, nor off this fic.

SUMMARY: What might have happened if Nappa had been the one sent to Chikyuu to destroy it, rather than Radditz? What might have changed? And how might Vegeta and Radditz have reacted afterwards?

CHAPTER SUMMARY: A reunion of brothers, and they realize Freeza's real plans.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I have to thank both Selenity Jade and W-chan for their betas, and especially Selenity for all the help she gave me on this! ^_^ It was her encouragement that got me to start posting this. I hope you enjoy reading this fic as much as we're enjoying writing it.

NOTES: This chapter is a little confusing. There is a split towards the end, with two groups going off. I chose to put them in this order, although perhaps it would have been less confusing the other way. I don't really know. It seemed this way was better, but maybe that's just me.

 

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Bulma rolled her eyes at the way Goku managed to state the amazingly obvious, but deigned commenting on it. "We can see that," she replied dryly. Before she could continue - or anyone else could react - Goku was bowled over by a handful of small demi-Saiyajin.

 

"DADDY!" the little boy cried out, hugging his father fiercely. To Goku's amazement, Gohan's grip was surprisingly strong; much more so than it had been before he had died.

 

"Gohan!" Goku exclaimed, a wide grin spreading over his features as he scooped up his five-year-old son and held him in one arm. "You sure have gotten bigger, Gohan," he said, reaching up to ruffle his son's hair with his free hand. "Stronger, too. What have you been doing since I've been away?"

 

"Training!" Gohan exclaimed proudly, excitedly trying to hug his father, to convince himself that Goku was really there. "With Piccolo-sensei! He taught me how to fight!"

 

"Training? With Piccolo?" Goku's emotions flickered over his face in seconds, ranging from surprise at finding that Piccolo had been willing to teach him, to concern that it had been Piccolo who had done so. He was even more astonished when he saw the confirmation in the Namek's eyes.

 

"No wonder you have gotten so strong! I am proud of you!" he said with a smile, ruffling the boy's hair again, his affection for his son showing in his actions as well as his words. Goku did not want to admit it out loud, but the thought of Piccolo training his young son unsettled him. But he took comfort in the fact that Gohan seemed to have benefited from Piccolo's tutelage rather than suffered from it.

 

"How's your mom?" he asked, trying to dispel the uneasiness that had settled in his stomach. "She's going to yell at me when I get home."

 

A faintly wistful expression appeared on Gohan's face. "I don't know, Daddy," he said sadly. "I haven't seen Mommy since you... since...." He blanched as the memory teased at him, and once again shied away from it, refusing to face the fact that he had seen his father die. "Piccolo-sensei said I had to be strong, because we had to fight those Saiyajin that were coming. He said that you were going to need me."

 

He looked confused then, as he glanced over at Radditz and Vegeta. To be honest, he didn't think either of them seemed all that frightening, despite what he had been told. Sure, they had seemed scary at first, but no one had gotten into a fight yet, and he had the strangest feeling they weren't going to. And strangely enough, he found himself liking the tall Saiyajin who was apparently his uncle.

 

Bulma blinked at their exchange, then, unable to resist the impulse, she took one of Goku's hands and one of Radditz' hands and moved them together. "Goku, meet your brother Radditz. Radditz, say hello to your little brother Goku. Now, isn't it nice to be with family again?" She couldn't suppress the mischievous giggle that burst out at the expressions on both of their faces.

 

Goku opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it again without making more than an almost inaudible sound. He repeated this process several times before it finally hit him. He had a brother. "I didn't think I had any family." He looked into Radditz' eyes curiously before once again stating the obvious. "You don't look much like me."

 

Radditz' brain finally started to function again at his younger brother's words, and he shook his head, still feeling numb. "No. You look like our father. I take after our mother. You don't...." He frowned. "You don't remember anything, do you? You were only a baby when you were sent away. You wouldn't remember... wouldn't remember me."

 

For the first time in his life, he felt a strange longing, a wish that things might have been different. If only he had known his brother, if they had grown up together.... Then he shook his head again to the confusion of the others, and realized what that would have meant. If they had grown up together, Kakarotto would have been enslaved by Freeza, just as he had been. Unless he had grown up here, along with his brother....

 

Radditz glanced around the island, for the first time really seeing it as it was. He saw the palm trees swaying gently in the wind, heard the waves of the ocean as they lapped softly at the shore, saw several birds flying peacefully by. He saw the green of the grass, the blue of the sky and the ocean, the white and gold of the sand. He swallowed heavily. Yes, he would have liked to have lived here. He wasn't sure if he would have managed to keep himself from destroying the contentment and peace of this place, but... he might have liked having the chance to try. Anything would have been better than being Freeza's slave.

 

Then he glanced down at the Saiyajin Prince next to him, and couldn't help the flush of embarrassment as he realized the treachery in his thoughts. He was wishing that he had lived a more peaceful life, but he knew exactly what Vegeta had been suffering through the past twenty or more years. All the hell that Radditz had survived was nothing to what Vegeta had to constantly endure. Radditz couldn't help the fury that washed through him at the knowledge of everything Freeza had done and had taken from the small Saiyajin, unaware of how easily he was displaying every emotion on his countenance.

 

Radditz turned his gaze back to his younger brother, almost all emotion washed from his face except for one - resolute determination. "Kakarotto, we came here because we need your help against the monster who destroyed our home, our planet, and our people. And he will, unless he is stopped, do the same to this planet. Will you help us against him, little brother?"

 

Goku stared at him. "Our people?" He paused a minute before he remembered something that Nappa had said, something about him being a Saiyajin. "Oh. That's right. The other guy said something about me being Saiyajin."

 

Vegeta blinked. "Yes, you are Saiyajin. Despite your lack of Saiyajin traits, the fact that you remember nothing of what you are, what you are capable of." Goku's reply was to shake his head, not at all sure what the smaller Saiyajin was getting at. "Did you hit your head as a child?"

 

Goku blinked rapidly. "Yes, my grandfather said I did when I was really young."

 

"Then that would explain why this planet still exists," Vegeta stated calmly.

 

"What do you mean?" Goku asked, frowning slightly.

 

"I mean, Kakarotto, that as an infant you were sent here to destroy all life. The injury to your head damaged you so you forgot your mission and instead grew up as a human." Vegeta cocked his head to the side, ignoring the surprised looks he received from the others. "But it does not cancel the fact that Freeza will be going after the Namek dragonballs. If he gets them, he will wish himself immortal and crown himself King of the universe. If he does that..." Vegeta's fists clenched. "Then there will be no way to stop him."

 

"Goku?" Yamcha spoke up quietly. "They both said that Freeza will end up coming here eventually, and will kill all of us and then sell the planet. They said he has done this many times in the past. I don't think we should let him continue to kill so many innocent people."

 

Goku folded his arms across his chest and pulled his eyebrows together, deep in thought. When he had been with Kaioh-sama, he had been told that the Saiyajin warriors would try to destroy Earth, but this was unexpected. Instead of wanting to kill him and the others, these two wanted his help defeating someone who had killed his original people.

 

Goku looked up, his decision abruptly made. "All right. I'll help you."

 

"Wait a minute!" Kuririn burst out, standing up from where he had been sitting on the porch. "I just want to know one thing! Why did Nappa come here to kill everyone, when you're saying that you didn't? How do we know you weren't sent here to do the same thing?"

 

Both Saiyajin looked over at the small human contemptuously, but it was Radditz who spoke first. "We were," he replied simply. "We were ordered to come here to finish what Nappa had failed to do. We chose not to."

 

"But..." Kuririn blinked at them in confusion. "How do we know you won't decide to destroy all of us later? If you work for this Freeza person, you must have chosen to, otherwise...."

 

"Have you ever been a slave, little man?" Radditz snarled at him, fierce lights suddenly flashing in his eyes. Kuririn hesitated a moment, and then shook his head slightly. He had, but he wasn't going to admit it. There were parts of his past he had never even told Goku, and he never wanted to. Radditz didn't appear to notice the hesitation, however, and simply continued.

 

"Then you don't know what it's like, human! To be a slave to someone who not only destroyed everything you care about, but everything you ever could care about, and who could finish that by killing you and what little you have left, just with a single thought! For the past twenty years, I have lived for only two things - to protect my prince, and to get revenge on Freeza for what he did to our people! But to do that we had to live, and to live we had to obey him, no matter what we felt about him or anything else!"

 

His mouth quirked up into an evil smile. "I cannot speak for my Prince, but I cannot say that I never enjoyed myself. We Saiyajin fight because we like fighting; it's in our blood to seek combat and challenge. But most of the time those we were ordered to kill were no challenge worthy of a Saiyajin warrior." He winced in remembered humiliation. "There is no honor in fighting those who cannot fight back. We do it, and sometimes there is the joy of a hot, fresh kill, but it is not the same as the glory one feels when defeating a worthy adversary. It is true that you human warriors might have made worthier opponents than Freeza had believed - you did kill Nappa after all, and he was an Elite warrior - but we have refused to do so. We will not be Freeza's slaves any longer. My Prince has decided that it's time to take our stand against him, and I will obey Prince Vegeta to my last breath."

 

The only visible sign that Vegeta had even heard Radditz' declarations of loyalty was a simple arched brow. The Saiyajin Prince had always known of Radditz' obedience to him - had expected it, in fact - and it was no surprise to the younger man. What caught him off-guard was the amount of emotion with which Radditz made his statement. But instead of saying anything to contradict the taller warrior's claims, he simply folded his arms over his chest and gave Radditz a pleased smile. The smile lasted only seconds, but did not go unnoticed by the Z warriors, none of whom knew what to make of the exchange.

 

Bulma looked from one Saiyajin to the other, almost in surprise. The passion with which Radditz spoke showed her how strongly the two must feel, and she couldn't disbelieve his words. Despite everything that had happened earlier, she was beginning to believe that much of it stemmed from misunderstandings, and that these aliens couldn't be as evil as they had been led to understand. After all, who had it been that had made them believe it? A single alien who had attacked all of them, and had self-admitted he had come to the planet to destroy everyone. These two Saiyajin didn't dispute what his mission had been; they had simply indicated they had no interest in pursuing that objective themselves.

 

Bulma smiled suddenly at Radditz and Vegeta. "Well then. It looks like we are going to help you after all. But you're going to need MY help more than Son-kun's, at least if you want to get to Namek before this Freeza person. I'm going to need to know the coordinates of this planet that we're heading towards, and we'll have to make sure that the spaceship has adequate supplies."

 

At Goku's surprised look, Bulma arched a brow at him. "What? You didn't think that all of us were wasting our time this past year, did you? I am a rocket scientist, you know! I'm sure that with my genius, we'll get to Namek long before this Freeza person makes it there!" She tossed her hair over her shoulder arrogantly, giving all of them a smug smile.

 

"Namek?" Goku blinked a few times. "Why are we going to Namek?"

 

Yamcha grinned. "Well, that, my friend, is a REALLY long story. Come on in. You can eat something while I explain what you missed." Goku's stomach growled in expectation of being fed, and Yamcha shook his head ruefully. "It's nice to see some things haven't changed," he told one of his oldest friends with a smile.

 

"Now, if we are done with this touching family reunion," Vegeta broke in, "I think we had better get started. Freeza already has too much time to get to Namek before we do. I would rather not give the lizard the satisfaction of getting there first."

 

Bulma looked at Vegeta thoughtfully, then looked at Goku's expectant expression. She couldn't help but laugh at how anxious her innocent friend looked at the idea that he might not be allowed to get something to eat.

 

"Why don't we let Son-kun get something to eat, while Yamcha and his older brother catch him up on where we're going and why? You and I, my surly friend," she smiled impishly at the compact Saiyajin's scowl, "will go to wherever your ship is, and you will get me the coordinates for this Namek planet. Then we'll go to my place, and program those coordinates in my ship. And then we'll have to see how long it will take to get there with the technology my father and I developed in this past year." Her eyes sparkled as Vegeta's scowl deepened, enjoying his discomfiture immensely.

 

Radditz arched an eyebrow at his irritated prince. "It's a good plan," he commented quietly, a smirk playing about his lips. "And it will get us there a little sooner." He didn't know exactly why Vegeta was so irritated with the idea, but for some reason he was enjoying it almost as much as the human female.

 

Vegeta inclined his head slightly, signaling his agreement. He was slightly irked that Radditz was in accord with the human female. Not that her plan was not a good one. It made a lot of sense actually, demonstrating to him that she was more than just talk. What aggravated the Saiyajin Prince was that she was presumptuous enough to think she could order him around. He was so annoyed that he found himself plotting ways on how to get even with the human upstart.

 

"Go with them, Radditz. Fill your brother in on what he needs to know." Vegeta smirked a bit, made his way to Bulma and without any prior permission, scooped her off her feet. The sudden contact startled her, making her squeak in surprise. "We shall return shortly," Vegeta informed them.

 

Vegeta couldn't help the small satisfied chuckle that escaped him as he shifted her in arms, watching the emotions play on her face as the smirk on his face widened. "Hold on," was all the warning he gave before he shot straight off the ground and into the air, kicking up dirt and dust that the others had to blink from their eyes.

 

~~~*~~~

 

Yamcha's jaw dropped open in surprise. The smaller Saiyajin's actions had taken him completely off guard. Judging from the expression on Bulma's face as Vegeta had picked her up, she was probably going to raise holy hell when she got her wits back. The warrior smiled slightly, secretly glad that he wasn't going to be on the receiving end of one of Bulma's verbal tirades, and then looked toward Goku. "So, let's get you fed!"

 

Goku grinned as his stomach grumbled in agreement, then put his son down and headed into the house. Yamcha was about to follow when he realized Radditz was still standing outside, looking perplexed about something. "You coming in? Or are you going to stand there all day?"

 

Radditz wasn't going to admit it, but he was puzzled by Vegeta's behavior. Vegeta never touched anyone, not for any reason, at least not willingly. Oh, he had taken lovers in the past, but only when he had to, and Radditz knew that other than when he was in bed with a woman, he had never voluntarily touched them. Nor did he touch anyone else. Vegeta never even touched Nappa and Radditz, and those were the only two who could even come close to thinking of Vegeta as a friend. The only times he ever touched anyone were in combat, during sex, or when he was forced to.

 

Radditz shied from that thought. He knew Freeza had tortured Vegeta even worse than he had tormented the other Saiyajin, but none of them had been able to do anything about it. It had gnawed at both of the other Saiyajin, knowing that they couldn't help their prince; that they had to watch as he was abused in ways that no one - particularly someone of royal blood - should have had to endure. The three of them had chosen to pretend it didn't happen, rather than dwell on something that could not be prevented, but it had been simply one more reason the three of them had sworn vengeance on the evil lizard.

 

Radditz pulled his gaze away from where his prince and the human woman had vanished, and turned back towards the human warriors. "Hmm...? Why? Are you eager for my presence?" He arched an eyebrow at the tall, scarred warrior, and gave him a penetrating look. For some reason the human flushed, causing Radditz to grin wolfishly. He didn't know why, but he thought he was going to enjoy baiting this human. There was something about him that was simply too tempting.

 

"Look your fill, ningen," he remarked, smirking wickedly. "But don't touch. I'm probably more than you can handle." Then, enjoying the human's discomfiture, he brushed past him and into the house where his younger brother was already seated with his son.

 

Once again, Radditz found himself pausing, gazing speculatively at the young half-Saiyajin. It was obvious that the boy - Gohan, he thought he had heard him called, although that was a very un-Saiyajin name - was already quite strong, more so than any normal Saiyajin child. He wondered if it was the ningen blood in him. They had been told that ningen weren't very strong, but right now that puzzled him; the ningen they had seen here - other than the female who had left with Vegeta - were all very strong. Most of them were stronger than Freeza's men, other than a few elites, such as his closest lieutenants and the Ginyu Force. Radditz didn't understand how their data could have been so far off... unless these warriors were exceptions, and the majority of the ningen on the planet were as weak as that woman.

 

Radditz dragged a chair towards him and straddled it backwards, facing the table and his brother. He grinned and shook his head when he saw the way his brother shoveled his food in, with no regard for manners. Only the youngest Saiyajin would eat that sloppily; it was apparent that no one had ever taught Kakarotto any finesse.

 

"So, Kakarotto," he said almost conversationally, "you wanted to know about Namek? Apparently it's where we can find more of these 'dragonballs' the woman mentioned to us earlier. We need to find them before Freeza does...."

 

Radditz quickly filled the younger Saiyajin in on exactly who and what Freeza was, and what he had done - glossing over some of the specifics he didn't think Vegeta would appreciate becoming common knowledge - and explained why Freeza's knowledge of the dragonballs was dangerous, and why they had to gather them before he could, at all cost. It didn't take much convincing; Goku had seen far too many would-be world conquerors try to gather the dragonballs for their own ends, and had grown used to doing everything he could to keep them from falling into the wrong hands.

 

"Oh, man!" Kuririn moaned, dropping his head into his hands in despair. "Not another one! Goku, why are we always trying to keep people from trying to destroy the world?"

 

Radditz arched an eyebrow at him curiously as he stood up and began gathering food onto a plate. Like Vegeta, he had enjoyed the meal they had eaten earlier, and was determined to eat some more of this exotic Chikyuu food before his brother inhaled everything at the table without regard for anyone else.

 

"I don't know, Kuririn," Goku replied, shoveling more rice into his mouth. "But it usually turns out okay in the end, ne?"

 

"Most of the time," Yamcha answered. "But last time you ended up dead." Yamcha leaned against the doorframe, trying to look calmer than he felt. "Remember that?"

 

Goku smiled at him. "Well, I did get wished back."

 

"Yes, there is that," Yamcha agreed, fighting the desire to look at Radditz. "But you can't be wished back again."

 

The longhaired warrior was aware of the Radditz' gaze on him as he spoke, and he was trying his damnedest not to look as uncomfortable as he felt. I won't let him rattle me, I won't. For reasons he could not fathom, the taller of the Saiyajin warriors made him feel... well, Yamcha wasn't sure what the sudden warmth in his stomach or the weakness in his knees meant when Radditz said such outrageous things to him. It was almost as if Radditz had been teasing him or flirting with him, but that wasn't possible. Radditz was a man, and he was a man, so maybe he had misunderstood what the Saiyajin had been implying.

 

"Then I will be careful this time, Yamcha," Goku promised, startling Yamcha out of his thoughts. "I swear."

 

Radditz frowned at Yamcha, his brow furrowing. "What do you mean, he can't be wished back again? Why not?"

 

"You can only be brought back from the dead once," Yamcha replied, his eyes meeting Radditz'. "So, because he has been dead once, we can't bring him back again."

 

Radditz' glare darkened, and then he turned his gaze back to Goku. "Why?" he asked bluntly. "What other limitations do these dragonballs have? I don't suppose they could be used to wish Freeza dead or something then, could they?"

 

He realized instantly that even if that could be done, Vegeta wouldn't allow that sort of wish; Freeza had done too much to them, and had hurt Vegeta too personally over the years; Vegeta would want nothing less than personal Vengeance. Death simply wouldn't be good enough for him. But he didn't have time to think about it before Yamcha replied to him.

 

"You can only do what's within the dragon's power. It's limited by the power of its creators, so to speak." Yamcha put his hand to the back of his head, feeling out of his element trying to explain what Kami had explained to him over the past year. "I don't think it could grant that wish."

 

"Kuso!" Radditz exploded, feeling his hopes dashed with their words. "Then what use are they? What sort of things can you wish for? Pointless things like wealth or love? Or...." His eyes gleamed as he leaned forward. "You mentioned immortality. Can they grant that wish? Can someone be made immortal with the dragonballs?"

 

Yamcha swallowed, hesitating to answer. He was tempted to lie to the alien, to tell him it wasn't possible. But something in the other warrior's eyes made him reluctant to give him that excuse. Yamcha lowered his gaze from Radditz' as he replied. "It's possible."

 

"But who would want to live forever anyway?" Goku piped up, drawing Radditz' attention. "I wouldn't. I don't want to outlive my son."

 

A wicked smile slowly made its way over Radditz' face. "But what if you both could live forever? What if all of you could? Could a wish like that be made? Can't you imagine how glorious it would be, unable to die, able to fight forever, immortal and unstoppable? Can you imagine the possibilities? The rush of power, the glory of the fight...." Radditz could already feel his heart pounding and his blood pumping at the thought of being able to fight endless battles, of being able to get more powerful without dying.

 

"And watch everything and everyone that I care for die?" Goku shook his head. "No, I think that I am very happy with what I have." Goku gave him an apologetic smile. "You see, with each person I fight, there is always the possibility they will be stronger than me, that I could lose to them. If I chose immortality, how I would I be able to improve my skills if I am impossible to beat?" Goku shrugged. "I suppose we are different in that respect."

 

Yamcha's mouth gaped open a bit before he remembered himself and snapped his jaw shut once again. Now where did that come from? he wondered, staring in shock at his friend. It never ceased to amaze him that Goku could be so dense about some things, yet could still surprise the hell out of him on occasion. "I agree with Goku," Yamcha said quietly.

 

Radditz frowned thoughtfully, studying both men. He hadn't considered that; if he and Vegeta became immortal, would they have the same drive to improve? Could they become stronger if they couldn't die? All a Saiyajin normally had to do to become stronger was to be badly hurt; the more hurt the better. If they reached the point of death and managed to survive, their power often increased exponentially. The problem was survival, of course, which was what the immortality wish would be for.

 

"Would you rather die in battle, and leave your loved ones to mourn your passing?" he returned swiftly. "Wouldn't your mate grieve, if you or your son were killed by an enemy? Would you leave your mate unprotected, to be preyed upon by any male who wanted her?"

 

He knew, even if his brother didn't realize it consciously, that a Saiyajin male's sense of protectiveness would never allow his mate to be harmed in any way. He assumed that Kakarotto had a mate, since he had a son, even if his mate had to be one of the Chikyuu-jin and not a Saiyajin. He had no idea if the blow to Kakarotto's head might have caused him to lose his instincts the way he had lost his memories, but he didn't think it was possible.

 

"Well, Chi-Chi can take care of herself." Goku smiled when his brother blinked in surprise. "But I'd rather not live forever if I couldn't be with my son or Chi-Chi."

 

Radditz shook his head. It seemed that at least some of his brother's Saiyajin instincts had been blunted, and he couldn't help the strange feeling of disappointment that washed through him. A Saiyajin male would know that his mate could protect herself, but he would also want to make certain that no other Saiyajin male poached on what he would consider his territory. Kakarotto had lost that drive, making him less Saiyajin than Radditz had expected.

 

"If you say so," he said with a sigh, not wanting to argue the point. He had only just found his little brother; he didn't want to drive him away with his anger. "But we'll need to come up with something to help us defeat Freeza. Either an increase in our powers, or a decrease in his, or something that gives us an edge." He pondered it for a moment. "We need to talk to Prince Vegeta about it. He may have some ideas."

 

He spoke with the confidence of someone that had traveled with the prince for most of his life. He knew Vegeta was able to devise strategies and plans that were both intelligent and complex, granting them victory many times against opponents of equal strength who had far outnumbered them. It had only been as their powers had increased past the point where not even being outnumbered had made much of a difference that he had stopped bothering with complicated strategy, preferring a simpler approach. But he knew that if necessary, Vegeta could come up with something, they just had to tell him.

 

"THAT'S IT!!!" Yamcha shouted excitedly as he beamed at Radditz.

 

"What's it?" Goku asked, wincing at the older man's volume.

 

"We can't use the Earth dragonballs for another wish, but if we get the Namek dragonballs first we can ask their Shen Long for the power to help us beat Freeza." Yamcha grinned. "That will give us an edge, don't you think?"

 

Radditz blinked. That was what he had suggested already. His brow furrowed as he began to wonder if everyone on this planet had mental problems. Was it something in the air? The water? The food? If so, then he thought he and his prince should get off this planet as quickly as possible. It wouldn't be good if it could happen to them as well. He was about to say something, when they were interrupted by the arrival of the short bald human from earlier.

 

Kuririn had stayed out of most of the earlier conversation, feeling too intimidated by the enormous Saiyajin warrior to speak. He knew that technically he was more powerful than Radditz - although not by very much - but the alien was large and frightening. Kuririn simply wasn't very brave most of the time. He would be there when it mattered, but he wasn't the most courageous person in the world when it came to confronting people.

 

When he had heard the telephone ring, he had stepped out of the room, glad for an excuse to do something else. He had been disappointed when Roshi had answered the phone, but as it was the turtle master's home, it was certainly his right. Kuririn listened to the old man, aware that what he was doing was technically impolite, but grasping for an excuse to not go back into the other room. When Roshi had ended the call and had informed Kuririn that Bulma wanted to meet them at Capsule Corp, the little man's eyes had bugged out in surprise.

 

"Sh-she's inviting them to stay with her?" he had asked, his voice ending on a nervous squeak. "But they're dangerous! They might try to kill all of us!"

 

Roshi had nodded, looking solemn. It wasn't often that the old man was serious, but when he was, the others had learned to listen to him. "Yes, that's true. But right now, I don't think they will. They need your help as much as you need theirs. And you do need their help, boy! They're much more powerful than any of you, and if their enemies are so strong that they're afraid to fight them directly, then you wouldn't stand a chance against them, any of you!"

 

The old man had poked his staff at the monk, frowning thoughtfully. Then his expression had suddenly changed back to its usual hentai leer, as he had continued. "And maybe Bulma will let me stay as well, and she'll introduce me to some of her scantily clad friends!"

 

Kuririn had fallen over in surprise, then had stood up again and shaken his head. He knew the old man would never change. "I'll go tell the others," he had said in a subdued voice.

 

Now that he was back in that room, he almost debated not saying anything, as the tall Saiyajin moved his piercing gaze towards him. But that warred with his fear of the blue-haired termagant, and as always, his terror of Bulma won out.

 

"Hey, guys. Bulma just called. She and Vegeta are heading to Capsule Corp. They're going to get the ship ready to leave in a day or so. They figured we should be there to help figure out what we're going to do." Kuririn tried to keep his gaze on Goku, and not make eye contact with the intimidating Saiyajin. It wasn't that he thought that the Saiyajin would hurt him, but he just made him nervous.

 

Radditz stood up abruptly, and headed towards the door. "If my Prince is there, then I should be there as well. Kakarotto, where is this 'Capsule Corp' place? Can you lead me there?"

 

Goku nodded, swallowing his last mouthful of food. "It's not that far from here." He stood up and headed to the door to join his brother. "Well, at least not if we fly."

 

"I am coming, too," Yamcha announced, trying not to squirm as Radditz fixed his gaze on him. "We are in this together, ne, Goku?"

 

"Aa," the younger man agreed, eyeing Yamcha curiously. Goku could not put his finger on it, but something was making one of his oldest friends nervous. Yamcha's aura felt different, but Goku wasn't sure what had caused the change. He knew Yamcha and Kuririn had trained constantly the past year and had gotten considerably stronger, but there was something else beneath the surface that puzzled Goku. "We should probably all be together anyway. Knowing how fast Bulma organizes things, I'm sure we'll be able to leave soon."

 

Yamcha grinned at him. "There is that. She probably has enough put together by now to supply an army." He looked at Kuririn and winked. "You're coming with us, right?"

 

Kuririn smiled at his taller friend, knowing Yamcha was teasing him. The two of them had grown close in the past year while training under Kami, and they often teased and joked with each other. Kuririn still didn't know what was troubling his friend, but he knew Yamcha wasn't even completely sure what it was either.

 

"Of course I'm going, Yamcha! You don't think I'd miss out on all the fun, do ya? I mean, what if ya meet some babes? Don't think you're gonna leave me behind!"

 

Radditz paused on his way out the door, and arched a brow at the small monk. 'Babes'? Was he talking about children? Once again Radditz was convinced that humans were insane. Why would this small human want to find infants? He didn't say anything, however, but simply shrugged and stepped out the door, looking towards his younger brother to follow his lead.

 

Once all four warriors were outside, they took off, following Goku towards Capsule Corp.

 

~~~*~~~

 

Bulma gasped in surprise at the way Vegeta had simply picked her up and taken off, but she didn't really object to it. She hadn't had much of a chance to fly before, at least not like this. She remembered flying tucked in Goku's shirt when they were children, but that hadn't felt quite this... intimate somehow, despite the fact that at that time she had been against Goku's bare skin, and right now she was separated from Vegeta by his armour and gloves.

 

She was glad that she had chosen to not to wear a skirt that day. Even though her shorts left much of her legs bare, at least they wouldn't lift and expose her in ways she preferred not to have strangers see. At least, not since she had been a teenager; she had often used flashes of her panties to blackmail other people when she was younger, but as she had matured, she preferred keeping things like that more private. And there was something in Vegeta's piercing gaze that made her feel both slightly insecure, and oddly exposed.

 

Bulma found herself staring into his face as he flew off, not even noticing that he must have been protecting her somehow as they flew. If she had thought about it, she would have realized they were going so fast that even tiny particles in the air would have hit with enough impact to hurt her, but nothing like that happened. She vaguely noticed the ki glow surrounding them, but didn't know what it was for. None of her friends had ever flown this way - most of them had only learned to fly in the past year, and she had never seen them do it until today - so she had never flown with any of them like this.

 

Bulma studied his features curiously. He was an enigma to her, and she was determined to figure him out. Radditz at least made sense; although he had seemed violent at first, as far as she could tell, it had been due to his anger and grief at learning of Goku's death. Once it had become clear to her that he was Goku's older brother, his rage was understandable, and she had been able to deal with him.

 

But this one, he simply didn't make sense to her. Even with his friend, Vegeta seemed distant and aloof. It was as though he felt the need to hold himself apart from everyone, including those with whom he associated. Bulma wondered why, and she continued to study him, trying to make it out. It wasn't until they had been hovering above his space pod for several minutes that she realized she was still staring at him, and that he was returning her gaze with his own penetrating glare. She had no idea what he was thinking, and she blushed when she realized how rude her behavior must seem.

 

Though Vegeta did not show it, he was well aware of Bulma's scrutiny as the pair of them flew to his space pod, but he tried desperately to ignore it. So, let her look, he thought smugly to himself. It is not as if the males on this planet are worth looking at.

 

It made him a little uncomfortable when she continued to stare after he had stopped flying, but he said nothing as he waited for her to come to her senses. A small smile quirked at the corner of his mouth when she blinked and looked away, blushing when she realized he had been aware of her appraisal.

 

"Find something interesting to look at?" he asked her, but he did not give her any time to reply as he dropped to the ground and set her on her feet. He removed his hands from her waist and turned from her, heading toward the pod, then popped open the hatch and sat down in the seat to access the computer.

 

He typed in the necessary codes and was somewhat startled to see that Freeza had yet to block out his access to the main ship's computers. "Hmm, that is interesting," he murmured to himself, forgetting Bulma was standing behind him as he lost himself in his thoughts. What game are you playing this time, lizard? You know what I am planning, so why leave my access open?

 

Bulma glared at his back as he slipped into the ship. How rude of him to assume she was staring at him because she was attracted to him! It wasn't at all like that; she had just been curious about him, that was all. It wasn't as if he was good-looking or anything; he was much shorter than her friends, especially Yamcha. She tried to convince herself that she wouldn't possibly be interested in someone like him, but didn't find herself all that convincing.

 

"What's interesting?" she demanded, elbowing him aside. She ignored his furious glare as she studied the symbols scrolling across the screen. Fortunately, she had learned the language in the past year from that device - a 'scouter' the other Saiyajin had called it - when she had been modifying it. With her intelligence, it hadn't been difficult to learn the language, and since she had spent most of the last year working on that device as well as the spaceship based on plans stored in that scouter, what she was seeing here looked as familiar to her as her native language.

 

"Let's see... what is this? He's got data on this planet? What in Kami's name...?" Her eyes widened first in shock, then in growing horror, as what it said gradually became clear to her. "You were supposed to take this planet because... he has plans for it? He wants this planet? Why?"

 

Vegeta glanced at her, looking somewhat resentful that she had pushed him aside and was pressed so close to him. "Apparently this planet has several resources that he is very interested in." The Saiyajin Prince turned away from her, his attention returned to the screen as he typed in a few more requests. "I am thinking - though this report is several years old and badly written - that he wants Earth for its water and natural resources." Vegeta snorted. "Not to mention that the remaining people could be used as slaves." He glanced back at her again. "He was also interested in a scientist. Someone named Briefs."

 

Bulma had also seen that part of the report, and her face paled. "He wants...?" She stopped the automatic scrolling and read that section more carefully, scrolling the screen more slowly. As she read, her face continued to grow even whiter as the blood drained from her face. "No, he can't.... He couldn't! No...."

 

She shuddered, feeling a chill go down her spine. She knew that if the report was accurate, and this Freeza wanted her father for his brains, it would inevitably lead him to her as well. "Then I'm in danger, too," she said in a faint voice, feeling like she was about to pass out.

 

Vegeta resisted the urge to grab her, as she seemed on the verge of losing consciousness. "Why would some scientist named Briefs affect you?" His eyes narrowed as her eyes snapped to his. The fear in her eyes surprised him, and he came to his own conclusions.

 

"Is this person a relative of yours?" he asked, his eyes narrowing on her in suspicion.

 

Bulma nodded, still feeling faint. "My father," she whispered. "And if he wants my father, it has to be for his intelligence. If he knows what my father can do, then once he figures out what I can do, he'll want me as well. I've invented at least as many things as my father has. I was the one who invented the capsules; my father just had to take the credit because no one would have listened to a twelve-year-old girl."

 

"I see." The corner of Vegeta's mouth tilted upwards in the hint of his trademark smile. "Then you need us as much as we need you, wouldn't you agree?"

 

She gasped, her eyes widening, unaware of how vulnerable it made her look. "If he finds out, it will be worse for you than you might imagine. I'm not just a genius; I'm the greatest genius in the world! I invented Hoi Poi capsule technology. If he gets his hands on that... he might be unstoppable. You have to stop him! For your sake as well as ours!"

 

"And what it this thing you have created that you are so afraid of him getting his hands on? Some sort of weapon?" He watched her expression go from fear to anxiety in mere moments. "What does it do exactly?"

 

Bulma shook her head. "It's not a weapon or a device, it's a... a theory. A way of storing things. Like this." She stood up and stepped away from the space-pod, then pulled out one of her capsule cases and selected a capsule. "This will do, I think," she murmured, then pressed the button and tossed the capsule away from her.

 

With a loud 'BOMB!' that startled Vegeta, where the capsule had been tossed now sat a shiny air-bike. Bulma walked over to the air-bike and sat down, revving up the engine and moving it closer to the space-pod where Vegeta sat in dumbfounded surprise.

 

"It makes things small," she explained. "Anything can be made into one of these capsules, no matter how large it is. With it, you can transport anything. It's helped our planet eliminate hunger and disease, since medicines and food can be transported without fear of contamination or spoiling, and without high cost or energy. And if you encapsulate a specific item...."

 

She got off the bike, pressing a button on the side of it as she did so. It made another loud 'BOMB!', and she picked up the small capsule it created. She handed the capsule to him, letting him look at it. "Can you imagine what someone like Freeza could do with this? It would be terrible!"

 

Vegeta turned the capsule over in his hand, thinking about the possibilities, which in his mind were endless. The military uses of it alone were enough to amaze him. He looked back up at her, handed it back, and narrowed his eyes on her.

 

"It has certain advantages that would appeal to him," he agreed. As it was, some of those applications were appealing to the Prince as well, but it was something to think about later.

 

He turned away from her and pulled up the coordinates of the planet called Namek. He immediately scowled when he noted the distance. "Impossible. No matter what you have accomplished with this capsule technology, you can't beat this." He gestured to the screen in front of him. "It would take at least a thousand of your years to get there on your technology." He folded his arms across his chest and grumbled under his breath. "He will get there long before we can."

 

Bulma looked at the numbers, the color slowly returning to her face as she sat down at the console again. She shook her head, her face expressionless. "It looks like this is outdated, maybe about twenty or thirty years old. My family's company has improved the technology of our world considerably past this point. Besides...."

 

She glanced over at Vegeta, trying to ignore how close they were, pressed together in a seat designed for just one person. "We're not going to use Earth technology to travel. At least not completely. My father and I used that ship that your friend arrived in last year, and developed a spaceship based on that technology. It is definitely big enough for all of us, and it will travel at a much higher speed than even his original ship would have managed, if my improvements work as they're intended."

 

"You improved Nappa's ship?" he asked, eyebrows coming to together in a frown. "How did you..." He stopped, then shook his head. "Never mind. I just want to know how fast it goes."

 

Bulma frowned, and looked back at the console. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, and it suddenly occurred to him to wonder how she understood the language. Before he had a chance to ask about it, however, she spoke again, her eyes still glued to the screen. "Well, if Namek is the distance that it says here, then based on the speed I estimate the ship would travel...."

 

She paused for a moment, frowning thoughtfully. "I would say about a month. Maybe two. It could be less...." She sighed. "I really don't know. It hasn't been tested yet. It's not like we've been able to go anywhere yet. So until we do, we really don't know for certain. It could be anywhere from two weeks to two months, I suppose."

 

Vegeta growled under his breath. "That is vague." Not at all amused with the current situation, he leaned over her to type a few other things into the computer, and grunted when the information he requested popped onto the screen. "Seems he is far from Namek as well. It will take him at least a month and a half to get there. Unless he decides to kill a few engineers to get them to put more power into the ships engines." He turned his head, his nose almost touching hers when he glanced at her. "We may just beat him."

 

Bulma nodded, a small smile beginning to make its way over her face. "We might. After all, I am a genius!" Her eyes twinkled mischievously as a small dimple played in one cheek. "If anyone can get us there, it's me!"

 

She moved to stand up, brushing past Vegeta in the cramped quarters, and stretched when she stood outside. She glanced back at Vegeta as he followed her out of the pod, then looked thoughtfully at the ship. "I can't encapsulate your ships in anything I have with me," she murmured to herself. "I don't have anything large enough. We'll want to move them to the compound; I wouldn't want anyone finding them out here. No point in letting everyone know that aliens have landed...."

 

She pulled out her cell phone, dialing her father's number. He answered on the second ring, his voice distracted, obviously working on something that had most of his attention. "Daddy!" she chirped at him. "I'm going to be coming by the house with some friends, all right? Can you make sure we have..." She glanced at Vegeta, and calculated quickly. "Five guest bedrooms ready? Oh, and I'll need an encapsulator that can encapsulate a couple of items that are roughly two tons each." She was silent for a moment, and Vegeta could hear someone speaking, but he couldn't tell where they were. He assumed the device she held in her hand was allowing her to communicate with someone. "Thank you, Daddy! Don't forget to tell Mom about my friends coming over!"

 

She pressed another button on the phone, hanging up, and then dialed Roshi's number. She quickly told him they would be heading over to the Capsule Corp compound, and that she expected Goku, Kuririn, Yamcha, and the Saiyajin warrior to meet her there. She didn't know if Piccolo would come or not, but he was invited as well. Roshi said he would pass the message on to Goku, and she hung up, turning to Vegeta.

 

"Well, it looks like I get to take you home!" she teased the Saiyajin Prince. "What will my parents say, me bringing home a strange man, and you being an alien at that?"

 

Vegeta arched a brow at her. He knew she was insinuating something, but couldn't figure out what. Instead, he chose to ignore it, shrugging it off as a strange ningen quirk. "It does not really matter what they think, does it? So, where is your residence?"

 

Bulma looked at him curiously for a second, then shrugged. "It's about fifty miles that way," she said, pointing. "We can take my car," she offered, indicating her capsule case. "It would take about half an hour that way. Or you could fly us there."

 

She was hoping he would want to travel the way they had traveled to the space pods. It had been strangely exhilarating, and she wanted a repeat of that. It had been so long since Goku had carried her in his shirt, and back then she had been terrified of it. This time, for some reason, she hadn't been in the slightest bit afraid. She didn't try to analyze it, but simply looked at him expectantly.

 

"We will fly," he said after a moment. "It will be faster than your 'car'." He approached her, and lifted her into his embrace. He waited until she had wrapped her arms around his neck to brace herself before he took to the air.

 

"Which direction?" he asked as he sped off.

 

Bulma pointed again, and then allowed herself to relax against him. He felt curiously warm and reassuring with his arms around her, despite the fact that when they were on the ground, he behaved as forbiddingly as possible. She was beginning to feel that his aloofness was some sort of shield, although why he would need one was something she had yet to determine. The other Saiyajin, at least, had seemed very protective of him, so she didn't think it was because he expected his comrade to betray him. But she was confident that she would be able to figure it out. After all, she was a genius, as she always boasted, and she knew that she could figure out anything she wanted to.

 

To be continued....

 

~~~~~*~~~~~

 

And in the next exciting episode of DragonBall Z: Crossed Paths... Preparations for a long trip.