Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Crossed Paths ❯ Stalemate ( Chapter 5 )

Crossed Paths - Chapter 5: Stalemate

by Mia Skywalker & Wataruo

 

PAIRING: None for this part. Although eventually B/V and one other (a surprise, not giving it away yet)

RATING: PG

C&C: I would really like to get some C&C on this. Pretty please! ^_^

WARNINGS: Some language

DISCLAIMER: We don't own DBZ, nor do we claim to. We wish we owned Radditz and Vegeta, those incredibly sexy Saiyans, so we could cuddle with them at night. ^_~ We do own this fic, the ideas in this fic, and this particular "what if?" storyline. Although we wish we could sell it to the owners of DBZ, because it would be a nice little "what if?" movie for them to make. ^_^

SUMMARY: The Saiyajin and Chikyuu-jin discuss a few things.

NOTES: 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.

 

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Previously on Crossed Paths:

 

Radditz stared in shock at Bulma's actions, but it lasted less than a second before he acted. Before any of the others could stop him, he responded with the impulsive rashness that had gotten him - and the other Saiyajin - in trouble so many times.

 

Radditz lunched forward, lifting Bulma up by the throat, his face a mask of murderous fury. "NO ONE touches the prince!" he roared, lifting her so that she was at eye level with her and squeezing her throat so she couldn't breathe. "Anyone who does, DIES!"

 

Bulma tried to choke out a reply, but was unable to with the giant Saiyajin crushing her windpipe. Desperately she clawed at his arms, but her wild thrashings were completely ineffectual. As she felt her vision going dark, she wondered why she had to die so uselessly, why no one would come to her rescue and save her. Goku! her thoughts cried out, as she wished desperately that her friend would once again come to her in time to save her.

 

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"Radditz..." Vegeta's tone was mild as he reached up absently to rub his cheek. "Drop her." He could see the incredulous expression on Radditz' features, and the about-to-be-voiced objection, and spoke again. "Now, Radditz."

 

Radditz dropped Bulma instantly, and turned from her abruptly with a growl. His emotions were in a violent turmoil. He wasn't sure what he thought or what he felt, as the rage and grief over his brother's death washed over him. Because of the hibernation he and Vegeta had experienced, it was as though he had learned of his brother's survival - and his death - just hours before. He was having trouble coming to terms with it, so was lashing out at anyone he could, anyone vulnerable to his anger.

 

Bulma fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, her legs collapsed under her. She rubbed her throat with a shaky hand, desperately taking in deep, rasping breaths of air. Her heart pounded in continued fright and terror, the adrenaline still pumping through her. She knew that if the smaller Saiyajin hadn't stopped him, the larger one would have killed her. She didn't understand it. She hadn't done anything to them, and yet he would have killed her without compunction.

 

She could feel bruises forming on her neck and wanted to burst into tears, but she reined it in and glared up at them furiously. She opened her mouth to yell at them, but as she drew a breath, the pain caused her to break down in deep, choking coughs. It was several minutes before she got it under control and could stop coughing.

 

She felt a nudge at her elbow and glanced up to see Kuririn's concerned face hovering near her, a glass of water in his hand, which was held out towards her. With a grateful smile, she took it from him and drank the water eagerly, feeling the cool water soothe her throat.

 

When she was finished, she handed the glass back to the small monk, then stood up again on shaky and trembling legs. To the amazement of the two strangers, Bulma's ire was once more piqued, and she strode towards Radditz without any apparent fear.

 

"You obnoxious JERK!" she shouted at him, her voice still raspy from the damage, which made her begin to cough again. The others could see that the coughing was starting to take its toll on her, and she looked like she was about to pass out. She shook herself then, and continued glaring at him, bringing her voice lower so it wouldn't hurt her throat.

 

"You almost killed me! And for what reason? Because your prince is as big of a jerk as you are! You arrogant asshole! Why the hell should we even help you now? Why should Goku? After what you've done to me, he won't even want to have anything to do with any of you! Or if he does, it'll be to fight you and kill you, like we did to your other friend, Nappa!"

 

Radditz glared at her angrily. "My brother is dead!" he growled back at her, not hiding his grief. "He's not going to be helping anyone!"

 

"Yes, he is, you jerk! We've already wished him back! He's on his way back here right now!"

 

Silence fell over the group, and as the tension increased, Bulma suddenly grasped what she had said. Her eyes widened at that realization, and she stared at the large Saiyajin in shock. "Oh shit," she whispered, dismayed at what she had inadvertently given away.

 

Vegeta folded his arms over his chest, wondering what had possessed him in the first place to let the blue-haired woman live. Then he smirked in amusement as she proceeded to get into a shouting match of epic proportions with Radditz. He couldn't help being more than slightly annoyed. No one - NO ONE - ever touched him - let alone hit him - without paying some sort of price, unless they were so powerful that he couldn't fight them. Why he had ordered Radditz to let the puny female live was a mystery to him.

 

The Saiyajin Prince merely observed her curiously, trying to figure her out. At first she had seemed to be terrified of them, and then to his complete surprise, she had started screaming at Radditz as if he hadn't almost crushed her windpipe only moments before. A corner of his mouth twitched in appreciation of her bravery. Perhaps these humans are worth more than Freeza thinks.

 

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden deafening silence. His eyes flickered over to the blue-haired woman who looked as if she wished she could take back what she had said. The warrior frowned and ran the conversation through his mind once again.

 

"Wished?" He narrowed his eyes, pinning Bulma with his gaze as he made his way toward her. "What do you mean, woman?" He stopped directly in front of her. "You will tell me now, if you value your existence and the lives of your friends."

 

Bulma shot her friends a desperate look, hoping one of them would come to her rescue. But they all stared at her helplessly, and she knew there would be no assistance from that quarter. She looked at Vegeta, suddenly terrified of him, as she hadn't even been afraid of Radditz. There was something far more intimidating about him, no matter how much less imposing he appeared physically.

 

She sighed and shrugged. She had the feeling that they were going to be cooperating with these Saiyajin in any case. There was no point in fighting with them, although she was determined to make their situation one where she and her friends weren't subservient to these aliens.

 

"All right. I'll tell you everything, but I just have one condition for that information and our cooperation." She lifted her chin defiantly. "We are not your servants, your slaves, or your inferiors. If we're working with you, we're not working for you. You got that?" Her gaze was unwavering as she looked into his eyes, without a trace of fear in her demeanor.

 

Vegeta chuckled a bit, surprising the female in front of him. So, she thinks she can order me around, does she?

 

"Human, if you don't cooperate with us, a very unpleasant lizard will wipe out all life on this planet and then sell it to the highest bidder." For reasons he didn't try to decipher, he reached up and held her chin between his fingers, effectively trapping her. He knew that she would not pull away; that would be admitting her fear of him, and he surmised she would not want to show that kind of weakness to him.

 

Yamcha moved forward a bit as Vegeta reached up to touch Bulma's face, but as he took one step forward, Vegeta's eyes snapped to his and froze him in place. The expression on the smaller alien's features was clear - stay where you are if you wish to live. The baseball player was not an idiot, and the malice in those eyes was unmistakable. This was a man who killed without regret and without mercy, and Yamcha was not about to put his or Bulma's lives in danger.

 

"Well, woman?" Vegeta asked, his voice dropping a little deeper than normal. "Care to rethink your position on the subject?"

 

Bulma's expression didn't change in the slightest, nor did her gaze waver from his. She didn't pull away from him, although she could feel the heat of his fingers even through his gloves.

 

"I didn't say we wouldn't work with you," she replied calmly. "I just said that if we do, that you won't treat us with the sort of contempt that you've shown for us so far. You will treat us as equals, or we will not work with you. We can work very well on our own; we don't owe you a thing."

 

Her face softened slightly, the hardness in her gaze leaving a little. "I think we do need to work together. I think you need us, or you wouldn't be here, would you?"

 

Vegeta snorted and let go of her face. "Equals, woman? You fancy yourself an equal with a Prince?" He laughed derisively. "I will agree only to this - if you assist us, we will let you and these miserable people live."

 

Yamcha swallowed hard. Stalemate, was his only thought as he watched the scene in front of him. Someone needed to say something; he knew Bulma's stubborn streak, and if his manner was any indication, the shorter Saiyajin was the same. Yamcha sighed inwardly. Kuririn would never speak up, and Piccolo... well, Piccolo did what he wanted, when he wanted. So that leaves you, baka. Say something.

 

"Sounds reasonable to me," Yamcha spoke up, drawing everyone's eyes to him. "If we agree to help them, Earth stays in one piece, and that's what we really wanted, ne?" His eyes pleaded with Bulma's, silently asking her to back down, at least for the time being.

 

"No." Bulma's answer was decisive, as she folded her arms and stared at Vegeta confidently. "No. We won't work 'for' you. We won't be your slaves, and we won't be your servants. We may not be as strong as you are, you may be able to kill all of us if you want to, but we have something you will find useful, and we will not give you that information unless you agree."

 

She lifted her chin again, her mouth firmed in determination. "I won't compromise on this. I won't be treated as a servant or an inferior. If that's what he wants, he can go elsewhere, and he'll never find out how Goku is coming back to life."

 

Kuririn couldn't suppress a groan of dismay. What was Bulma getting them into? He knew she couldn't sense the ki levels of these two, but they were off the scale as far as the human warriors were concerned. He knew the larger Saiyajin was at least as powerful as the strongest of them, and this prince was at least ten times more powerful than that. He knew they couldn't take these two on. Was Bulma trying to get them killed?

 

Gohan heard Kuririn's groan and Yamcha's sigh. His gaze darted uncertainly from Yamcha, to Kuririn, to Piccolo, Bulma, and the two Saiyajin. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but could feel the tension in the air, and was suddenly afraid of what could happen if nothing defused it.

 

"Wait. Why are you here?" he interrupted all of them. "Why is Earth in danger? Are you planning to destroy it? If you are, then why should we help you at all, if that's the sort of people you are?" His own gaze was clear and unwavering as he looked into Vegeta's eyes, asking him questions that broke straight to the heart of things as only a child could do.

 

"This planet has no interest to me at all." Vegeta made a dismissing gesture with his hand. "It does, however, interest a being named Freeza. He acquires planets for interested races. A client gives him certain specifications and he finds the match. In this particular case," Vegeta folded his arms across his chest and smirked at the small monk, "your planet fits in perfectly. It will bring in quite a sum."

 

"But people live here!" Yamcha blurted out, drawing Vegeta's attention to him. "You can't just...."

 

"Oh we can, I assure you. Many worlds have been purged of their native inhabitants, and yours would offer no resistance whatsoever."

 

"You would just kill everyone?" Yamcha looked extremely sick at the thought.

 

The only reaction to Yamcha's expression was a slight smirk playing on the Saiyajin's lips. "You could say that. And it would have been taken over by now if Nappa had not failed."

 

Gohan frowned indignantly at those words. "I thought you said you wanted my daddy's help! My daddy wouldn't help you do something like that!"

 

Bulma was frowning as well, but for a different reason. Their statements made no sense to her; something didn't add up. Her gaze focused on the distance as she began speaking. "You aren't here to destroy this planet. You're here for something else. You wouldn't have expected Goku to help you destroy his own planet, nor would you have expected him to help you if you had destroyed his. So there's something else you want his help for, something you aren't telling us. If you won't tell us what it is, we can't help you."

 

She shifted her clear gaze back to Vegeta's piercing one, apparently completely unintimidated. "No, you need something from us, or at least from Goku. But no matter how you try to badger it out of us, you won't be able to. You simply won't get anything from us if we aren't willing to give it to you. And you're just as unlikely to get anything out of Goku unless you tell us the truth. You don't really think he will help you just because you try to beat it out of him, do you? If you destroy his home, his family, his planet, his friends? No, you need his cooperation, which means you need ours."

 

She smiled suddenly, her face lighting up. "Come now. It can't be that hard to be nice to someone, can it? I'm not asking for anything unreasonable. We are willing to help you... of course, depending on what you want our help with...."

 

How annoying can these people be? Vegeta wondered. He had been just about to give in to the impulse to kill them all and be done with it, when she suddenly smiled at him. Vegeta felt so many conflicting emotions at once that he was uncertain what to do with them. As was his habit in dealing with something that he did not immediately comprehend, he stifled the feeling of warmth that shot through him from her smile and hid his discomfiture behind a well-practiced wall of indifference.

 

"Who said I wanted your help for anything, woman?" he asked with disdain. "I want Kakarotto's help to kill the lizard. After that, I don't care what he does."

 

"And if you want his help, you'll have to go through us!" she quipped smugly. "You don't really think he will help you if you kill all his friends, do you?" She frowned then. "You want his help to kill someone? I'm not sure he would help you with something like that. Not unless there's a very good reason for it."

 

"And I think that if he does not cooperate with us, his friends will be dead anyway. Freeza will see to that." He gave her a smug look before looking back over at Radditz. The other Saiyajin had been quiet for the past couple of minutes, and Vegeta noted that he seemed a little calmer. "Do you think that is a good enough reason?" he inquired as he looked back at Bulma.

 

"So this Freeza person... is that the one you want his help to kill?" She frowned. "Why does he want to kill us? I don't understand it."

 

"What's not to understand?" Radditz growled at her suddenly, turning back towards them. "He finds a planet he wants, takes some of the natives as slaves, and then purges the planet of the remaining inhabitants! Those planets he can't use, he destroys!" Bulma saw a sharp flicker of pain wash over his face, and wondered about it. "Do you think we would have chosen to be Freeza's slaves, and do his bidding? Freeza destroyed our planet as well! We want revenge!"

 

He moved closer to her then, and Bulma could see fierce flames flickering behind his eyes. Despite this, somehow Bulma knew he wasn't angry with her and that she was in no danger. She stared up at him, avidly curious as he continued speaking harshly.

 

"My brother Kakarotto was one of the last of the Saiyajin to be sent off as an infant before Freeza destroyed our planet and took myself, Nappa, and the Prince as his slaves, forcing us to do his bidding. We are a warrior race, the strongest warriors in the galaxy, so he used us as warriors. Freeza had enslaved our people for generations, training us to be his world purgers, destroying every race we encountered. It was not something we had chosen to do; we were his slaves, we had no choice. Our kings had sworn our loyalty to him only out of..." He growled, not wanting to admit that the word in question was 'fear', not wanting to admit that even the Saiyajin had been afraid of something or someone.

 

He turned away from her again. She could see the tension and anger in every line of his body. She also sensed the grief that he had felt at the thought of Goku's death.

 

"You keep calling him Kakarotto. His name is Goku; at least that's what he calls himself. He was raised here, you know. Maybe he is a Saiyajin like you; maybe he is your brother. But he also belongs here, on Chikyuu. If he helps you, it will be because he wants to, not out of a sense of vengeance like you feel." She smiled at him warmly, and he stiffened, somehow sensing her smile even with his back towards her. "If you really want his help, your best bet is to be nice to him. Goku's the kind of person that will help you if you're nice, but not if you're not."

 

She shook her head, her teal hair flowing smoothly down her back. "Goku should be back in a few more hours. If you really want to wait for him, we can't stop you." She frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose you can even join us for lunch. I've made enough for everyone, and I suppose you're probably hungry." It was obvious that the invitation was extended only grudgingly, but she made it regardless. "But I don't want to hear any complaints, and I don't want you ordering us around, or you can just wait out here while we go inside and eat without you!"

 

Vegeta exchanged a look with Radditz. The Saiyajin Prince hadn't been sure at first, but the blue-haired woman's invitation to eat with them proved it; humans were insane. He had no idea if it was all the fresh air, or it was something in the water, but whatever it was that had prompted the human female in front of him to offer her enemies a meal, Vegeta was convinced that it meant that the whole planet was cracked.

 

"It's not like we have anything else to do," Vegeta replied mildly. "Come, Radditz. We will wait for your little brother to show up."

 

Radditz narrowed his eyes at the humans in suspicion. He couldn't help but feel that they had avoided his original question, and he was determined to get answers. His Prince had ordered him not to touch the woman, but he had said nothing about the other human warriors. Radditz knew that Vegeta had intended him to not attack the others, but because he hadn't specifically ordered him not to, Radditz chose to take Vegeta's original command in a literal manner.

 

Moving so fast that the human warriors could barely see it, Radditz had blurred over to Yamcha, picking him up by the gi in both hands, and holding him so their noses were almost touching. "Human, you will tell me what she was talking about. My brother died - I heard it! How can he be coming back? Tell me! NOW!"

 

Yamcha had little time to be impressed by Radditz' speed before him found himself nose-to-nose with the larger of the Saiyajin warriors. The baseball player was speechless with shock as he looked into furious eyes, but managed to find his voice when Radditz shook him to get a quick reply.

 

"We wished him back," Yamcha answered.

 

Radditz continued to glare at him for several seconds, before his eyes widened almost imperceptibly. He remembered them mentioning 'wishing' Kakarot back before, but it still didn't make any sense.

 

"Wished?" he snarled at the human. "What the hell are you talking about?"

 

"We used the dragonballs," the handsome man replied simply. When he saw Radditz' furious scowl, he added, "All you have to do is find the seven dragonballs, call the dragon Shen Long, and he grants you a wish."

 

"Any wish?" Vegeta asked, frowning thoughtfully. Where have I heard something like that before? he wondered before Yamcha's answer interrupted his thoughts.

 

"Whatever is in the dragon's power. Some wishes he can't grant," Yamcha replied, wishing he had never met the two brutal men.

 

Radditz stared at him, then dropped him abruptly and turned to stare at Vegeta. "Any wish?" he unconsciously repeated Vegeta's earlier question, then blinked. "Your Highness, think of what we could do with that...."

 

He knew Vegeta was thinking exactly the same thing that he was; the two of them might be able to use a wish to defeat Freeza somehow. Whether by wishing him dead, or by wishing they had the power to defeat him, or some other wish along those lines, Radditz couldn't think at the moment. But with something like this, Freeza would no longer be a threat.

 

Yamcha grumbled as he dusted himself off. Just who do these people think they are? he groused to himself, glaring at Piccolo over his shoulder when he noticed that the Namek hadn't moved an inch during the whole incident. He doesn't need to treat me like a disobedient child.

 

"Indeed." Vegeta inclined his head in acknowledgement. "There are endless possibilities. I will have to consider it. Where are these dragonballs now?"

 

"Now hold on!" Bulma snapped angrily. "Why should we tell you anything about them?" She shot a glare at Yamcha, before turning her furious gaze back to the Saiyajin Prince. "Why should we trust you? You'll probably do what everyone else wants to do with them - wish for immortality, or to rule the world, or something selfish like that! You're just the sort of self-centered jerks that would wish for something like that! And I will certainly not help you with that!" She wasn't about to tell him that she was the one with the dragonradar; if she decided not to help them, they wouldn't be able to find the dragonballs, and that was all there was to it.

 

"The thought of immortality had yet to occur to me," Vegeta replied, barely managing to hide a smug smile at her annoyed expression. "But it is an idea worth some thought. I have heard of something similar to your `dragonballs' before. I think I know where to find another set."

 

"Another set?" Bulma blinked, looking puzzled. "How can there be another set? They're linked to Kami, and he's linked to Piccolo. If he dies, the dragonballs vanish...." She trailed off as she realized she had given away more information than she had intended. Still, she didn't think it gave Vegeta too much information. All that told him was that they would be useless if Piccolo was dead; it didn't tell them where they were or how to find them. Or even the fact that they were currently inactive.

 

"Hey, didn't that other guy call Piccolo a Namek or something?" Kuririn interjected. "Maybe they're something that Nameks make or something like that...."

 

The two Saiyajin shared a knowing and determined glance. They might not know where Namek was, but they knew they could find it if they needed to. Vegeta had the funny feeling it was a planet, and it was likely to be in the databanks of their spacepods. They just had to find the coordinates.

 

Bulma's jaw dropped as she thought of that, then another realization dawned on her as she saw the glance that the two Saiyajin had shared. "No! You are not going after them!" she shouted at them, suddenly furious. "What the hell do you want them for, anyway?"

 

Radditz turned to her and glared impatiently at her, his eyes narrowed in anger. The knowledge that his brother was truly alive had done much to abate his ire, but he was still somewhat on edge, and every little thing was making him feel violent. "What we want them for, woman, is to destroy that monster Freeza, the one that destroyed our planet and intends to destroy all the inhabitants of this one. Is that not enough? Or do you want another reason?"

 

"He's after... us? But why?" Bulma looked genuinely confused. "We haven't done anything to him!"

 

"That doesn't matter!" Radditz shouted in reply. "Freeza doesn't need reason or rationality! He destroys without care, mercy, or conscience! He's the most evil being in the galaxy, and we're going to kill him!"

 

Bulma weighed his words in her mind. She couldn't really find anything to argue with him about it. After all, it really did sound like Freeza was evil, and these two hadn't done anything to prove themselves enemies yet. Well, they had attempted to intimidate her friends a little, but that had been all, and Bulma couldn't consider them evil just for doing that. She had, after all, done the same thing many times herself.

 

"Well, you can't go after our dragonballs," she told him thoughtfully. "We just used them to bring Son-kun back, so they won't be active for another year. So I suppose you'll be after the Namek ones then. We can help you with that, I guess. I know how to find the dragonballs, and you don't. But I'd have to know for sure what you're going to wish before I'll help you."

 

Yamcha had been pondering something as he listened to them. "How did you know Goku was dead?" he interrupted suddenly. "You said you 'heard' he was dead. How did you hear that?"

 

"We heard it though Nappa's scouter," Vegeta replied, sounding bored.

 

"Scouter?" Bulma frowned. "What's a scouter?"

 

Radditz shrugged at her question. It didn't seem like it mattered significantly. "It's a device that's worn over one eye that shows various data, from power level readings to air composition to gravity levels. It also acts as a transmitter when turned on, sending all audio data to a central location, or to other scouters tuned to the same frequency."

 

Bulma pulled a small device out of her pouch. "You mean one of these?" she asked curiously. "I pulled this off the Saiyajin that my friends killed last year."

 

Radditz and Vegeta stared at the device, startled. Vegeta's face didn't change expression, but Radditz' surprise was supremely evident. They could both see the red light flashing on the side of the scouter, indicating that it was turned on... and transmitting. Everything they had spoken the entire time had been transmitted to their enemies.

 

With a curse, Radditz snatched the scouter from Bulma's hands and turned the device off. "How long has this been on?" he snarled at her.

 

"On?" She blinked at him. "I didn't know it could be turned off. When I discovered its power source, I modified it so that the power source would last indefinitely, since it looked like the original battery was somewhat limited. I didn't know there was any way to turn the thing off. Why? Does it matter?"

 

Vegeta gave a bitter laugh. "It means, woman, that Freeza has heard everything we have said. And you can be damn sure that he is on his way to Namek as we speak." The Saiyajin Prince folded his arms over his chest, eyes narrowing on Bulma. "Looks as if we have a race on our hands, wouldn't you say, Radditz?"

 

"Yeah. One we're going to lose." Flames flickered behind Radditz' eyes. "He's got a head start on us. And we only have our spacepods. We'll never make it before he does." Despair started to overwhelm him. So close! Just when there was hope that they could finally defeat the Ice-jin, everything was turned to ashes.

 

"Why not?" Bulma asked, looking puzzled.

 

"Because he has warships, and we have only our spacepods!" Radditz snarled, desperation in his voice and stance. "They're designed for long travel, but they're not fast! Freeza will get there long before we will, and he'll make those wishes before we're even close! And now he knows that we're against him, he'll kill us too...."

 

"Not if he can't find them," Bulma pointed out. "I don't know about on Namek, but on Earth the dragonballs aren't so easy to find. I had to invent a radar to find ours, but your Freeza won't have anything like that. He probably won't be able to find them. And even if he does, he may not know how to use them."

 

Neither of the Saiyajin seemed particularly relieved by her statements. They knew from personal experience that if Freeza were determined to do something, he would manage to find a way to do it. This was no different from anything else.

 

"Besides," Bulma said off-handedly. "There is the spaceship that my father and I have been working on, based on the technology in your friend's ship. I don't know how far this 'Namek' is from us, but if I know the coordinates, I should be able to figure it out. There's still a chance, if you're willing to work with us."

 

She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at them. "But it looks like you need us more than we need you. So, are you going to treat us as equals, or inferiors?"

 

Vegeta's eyes narrowed dangerously on the pale-skinned female. She dared to try to command him? Well, it really didn't matter; he would kill her the first chance that he got, along with the others. ::Radditz,:: he telepathically commanded his companion, ::we will go along with them for now. If she starts being a nuisance, we can kill her, but not until I say. Until then, we leave them be. Is that perfectly clear?::

 

His gaze never left Bulma's face as he waited for Radditz' reply, but he tilted his head in acknowledgement of Bulma's comment. "I suppose then we are partners." For now, he added to himself.

 

::Yes, Your Highness,:: Radditz replied telepathically, not initiating further contact than that. Anything else would have been disrespectful. In fact, it was extremely unusual for an elite like Vegeta to telepathically contact someone of Radditz' class, but as the last two Saiyajin - the last three, if Kakarotto was indeed alive - he supposed he was the closest thing Vegeta even had to an equal.

 

Bulma smirked triumphantly at Vegeta's acknowledgement. "Well then, you might as well eat with us while we wait for Son-kun to return! It shouldn't be very long now!" She glanced at her watch, then spun on her heel and glanced over her shoulder at them. "Thirty seven more minutes and he'll be back. So, come on!" She headed into the house, her teal hair swinging behind her, and her hips swaying unconsciously as she walked.

 

Vegeta shrugged, looking more disinterested than he really felt. His years of imprisonment with Freeza had taught him to conceal his emotions and he knew how to do it well. The less the lizard had to work with the better, in his opinion, so Bulma would never know how curious he was about Earth food. Saiyajin were known throughout the universe mainly for two things. The first was for being one of the fiercest warrior races in existence; the second was for having appetites of epic proportions. Vegeta gave Radditz a look that clearly indicated he wanted him to go along with this, as he turned to follow Bulma into the kitchen.

 

Yamcha dusted himself off and winced when his fingers brushed over his sore backside. Damn. If these people can do that much damage just by dropping me, do we really have a choice not to assist these Saiyajin? Yamcha looked over at Piccolo, who merely returned his regard with a fierce scowl that had Yamcha inwardly cringing. Damn, you would think he wants to fight these people.

 

The athlete hated admitting to himself that no matter how much training with Kami they had done, he and Kuririn were no match for the Saiyajin warriors. He was still more than willing to fight; it was just that the warrior was well aware of his limitations.

 

"Well, Kuririn," he commented, making his way past the bald monk, "let's go and eat before Goku gets here; you know how he eats..."

 

The two human warriors weren't surprised at the way Bulma had her robots scurrying around with plates of food, but the Saiyajin warriors shared an odd look that the humans couldn't interpret, almost as though they were judging something. Vegeta wasn't about to say anything, but the technology level of the planet didn't appear to be quite what Freeza's databanks had indicated... unless domesticated robots were the extent of their advancement. Perhaps they still didn't have anything in the way of space travel or robotic workers. They would have to wait to find out. The Earth woman had stated that she and her father had built a spaceship based on the technology of Nappa's space pod, but he dismissed that quickly, still not believing that she could have done much with that to make feasible transport for them.

 

Vegeta's gaze lingered appreciatively on the rounded curve of the woman's backside as she bent over the stove, retrieving some odd container of food from it, which she handed to one of the robots to deal with. He noticed that the robots were pulling food from the other stove, and it didn't take much intelligence to perceive that she was just trying to avoid the two Saiyajin for a few minutes by looking busy. But then he saw her kneel down and press some buttons on one of the robots, and it scurried out of the room. He wondered where it was going, and what she had told it to do.

 

Bulma looked at him as she stood up again, and blinked curiously at the warriors who were still standing around gawking. The two Saiyajin warriors looked disgruntled and annoyed, and the two human warriors looked too nervous to sit down while the Saiyajin were still standing. The Namek had stayed outside, which didn't surprise Bulma, and relieved her slightly, as she still wasn't entirely certain where he stood with them at the moment. Only little Gohan had sat down already, and started to serve himself some food.

 

Bulma scowled at the four of them indiscriminately. "Well? Are you just going to stand around like a bunch of bakas? Or are you going to eat? My food isn't THAT bad! So sit down already!" She pointed to the chairs, which fortunately didn't have solid backs, and the Saiyajin tails would fit comfortably through them.

 

Kuririn laughed nervously. "Okay, okay!" He hurried to one of the chairs, lifting himself slightly to get into it, his feet dangling a few inches off the ground like a child. He still looked a little anxious, and didn't serve himself right away, as he looked up at the others expectantly.

 

Yamcha smiled sheepishly at Bulma, then gave her a bow. "Whatever my lady wishes," he teased, his eyes twinkling as he looked back up at his former girlfriend. He eyed the two Saiyajin warily as he passed them on the way to the table, earning a snort from the shorter of the two before he sat down.

 

Vegeta's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He had caught the look that passed between the blue-haired woman and the taller warrior as he sat down. Not Kakarotto's mate then, but maybe this one's? Vegeta managed to keep the contempt he was feeling hidden as he sat down as requested. What could she possibly see in him? he wondered to himself as he watched the two laugh as though at some private joke. I doubt that he can satisfy her.

 

Vegeta started at the way his thoughts were wandering, and then scowled at his foolishness. I knew it. I am starting to act as insane as these bakas. Why should it matter who she spreads her legs for?

 

Despite the way his thoughts disturbed him by the direction they had taken, he couldn't help enjoying the exotic - to him - Earth food that these humans were serving. He did notice that the woman - despite the fact that she almost seemed to be 'serving' them - was not treated as a servant by any of the human males. In fact, they seemed to defer to her most of the time, something that both Saiyajin - particularly Vegeta - found oddly puzzling. It wasn't as though she had high ki, but she had a strangely commanding air about her, and the human males seemed to accept her leadership willingly. It was strange, but both Saiyajin realized that there was definitely something here that needed to be studied further. Perhaps the woman shouldn't be dismissed so readily after all, in spite of her low ki....

 

The humans were startled when they saw the amount of food that the two Saiyajin consumed, but Bulma quickly realized that this must be a Saiyajin thing. In a way it didn't surprise her to know that her best friend wasn't human; she had always known there was something odd about Goku. It did bother her that his race seemed to be evil, but then again, maybe these two weren't entirely evil. They hadn't been particularly nice, but unlike that first one - the one they called Nappa - they hadn't tried to kill them.

 

Bulma touched her throat briefly, feeling the bruises on it. Well, maybe the larger one had been more than a little rough with her, but the smaller one had stopped him. And she could understand why he might be upset if Goku was his little brother and he thought his brother was dead. Bulma shot him a sympathetic look, thinking how she would feel if she had a brother or sister that she had just found out had died somewhere far away. Not that she had ever had any siblings, but she had always wanted one, and she thought that she might go crazy if she didn't know if her brother was dead or not.

 

She didn't realize that her sympathy hadn't gone unmarked by the two Saiyajin. Radditz' brow knit when he saw her smile sadly at him, and wondered what that was about. He had also noticed her touching her throat where he had grabbed her, and he frowned at the already purpling bruises showing on her neck. He couldn't help feeling a twinge of remorse over hurting her that way. She hadn't done anything to deserve it, and if she was indeed a friend of his brother's, perhaps he had been too hasty. Not that he had never killed beings who hadn't deserved it in the past, but there was something strangely unsettling about the way she was looking at him, as if she might actually care about him in some way.

 

Vegeta continued to eat, surprised by how good this Earth food was and how much he enjoyed it. The Prince could not remember a time when meals had not been rushed. The only exception had been at his family's home when he had been nothing more than a child. He could vaguely picture the great dining hall of his father's castle; the warriors - male and female alike - bantering back and forth, telling stories of their prowess in battle, or bragging about their latest lovers.

 

Vegeta scowled and looked down at his plate. It was not like him to so nostalgic, longing for things he could never have. It had to be this planet. Something about the camaraderie that the group of people at the table seemed to share was bringing it out it him. Perhaps it was the soft laughter of the woman, or the teasing joking of the Earth warriors. For some reason, the taller of the two - the one called Yamcha - insisted on teasing Kuririn about not having a girlfriend. In response the little bald monk, Kuririn, would blush profusely and stare at his plate. Then Bulma, the teal-haired woman, would scold Yamcha for teasing his friend.

 

For some reason, their interactions fascinated him and he did not understand why. He was still thinking about this when Yamcha's voice caught his attention.

 

"How much longer until Goku gets here?" the scarred warrior was asking Bulma. "It feels like I haven't seen him in years."

 

Bulma glanced at her watch when he asked the question. "Soon!" she answered, looking almost surprised. "Maybe ten more minutes, if Kami's estimate was accurate." She smiled warmly at Yamcha. "It has been a year, you baka. He's been dead, remember? And from what I understand, training under Kaioh-sama. I wonder how much stronger he's going to be now?"

 

She didn't notice the piercing and startled looks that the two Saiyajin shot her. Kakarotto had been training under the Kaioh? How in the world had he managed that? They had never heard of such a thing! Then again, they had never heard of anyone dying and being brought back to life, and such training under the Kaioh would be useless unless you could come back to life in order to take advantage of it.

 

Bulma glanced around at the warriors. "If you're done eating, we can go outside and wait for him. There's still plenty of food for Son-kun, thankfully. I know his appetite!" She shared a smile with Yamcha as she stood, her eyes sparkling. She couldn't help feeling happy that her friend was coming back to life after the past year. She had missed the other two as well, but with a slight pang realized that they had been wished back with the dragonballs before, so couldn't be brought back again.

 

Even as she moved towards the door, somehow Gohan managed to beat her there. He opened the door and ran past her, and she laughed at his eagerness. It wasn't as though being there first would make his father arrive any sooner, but she understood the little boy's impatience. She wondered briefly if anyone had told him how his father had died. She shot Piccolo a swift glance as she stepped out the door, and was vaguely surprised when she saw a tiny smile flicker over the Namek's features, to disappear so swiftly she almost thought she had imagined it. But then she saw the little boy walk up to Piccolo and smile into his face, and her eyes widened as she realized that - odd as it might seem - some sort of friendship had formed between the mismatched pair.

 

Yamcha grinned as he watched Gohan bolt out the door. Man, did I have that much energy when I was a kid? But then, I was a bandit when I was a kid.

 

He was still smiling moments later as he walked out the door and leaned casually on the porch railing. He watched as Gohan said something to Piccolo, and saw the tall Namek turn his head down to look at the boy as he gave a reply. Whatever Piccolo's response had been, it had Gohan giggling as he took off like a shot for the beach, plopping himself on the sand as he proceeded to play in the fine white grains.

 

Yamcha tilted his head slightly as he heard the Saiyajin come out after them, and he observed them from the corner of his eye, wondering what they were thinking. He noticed Vegeta sit down under a tree, one leg folded underneath him in an apparently relaxed position, as he awaited Goku's arrival. Radditz on the other hand, stood in a tense battle-ready stance, slightly behind the man that he called 'Prince', his eyes scrutinizing everything around them, including Yamcha himself.

 

Yamcha found himself looking right back at Radditz as the taller warrior stared at him. The way the other warrior was looking at him made the baseball player nervous. It was almost as if Radditz was sizing up his worth in the cold glance that he was sending his way, so Yamcha, not about to let the other man intimidate him gave him a friendly smile.

 

Radditz' eyes narrowed at the human warrior's smile. Why was the human smiling at him? Was Yamcha trying to disarm them, make the Saiyajin trust him, and then he would stab them in the back? Radditz had seen that many times during their enslavement under Freeza. And yet... there was something different about these humans. They weren't... they didn't seem antagonistic, but that could be a front. Radditz wasn't used to beings who didn't have ulterior motives, who weren't out to either abuse you or use you in some manner. Or even, many times, to do both. Particularly amongst the strong, and despite what Nappa had transmitted to them a year ago, Radditz knew they weren't that weak. They were stronger than most of Freeza's warriors, some of them were even as strong as Radditz himself.

 

Radditz was confused by this. His scouter's readings when they had first arrived had indicated that these humans weren't nearly as weak as Nappa had claimed. So what had happened? Could they have improved that dramatically in the past year? Even knowing they were coming, and even if they had been training constantly this past year, surely they couldn't have improved that much. He didn't know of any species other than Saiyajin that could increase their power levels so quickly. Many species reached a plateau that was much lower than those of the warriors surrounding the two Saiyajin, even amongst the elites of each race who were picked for Freeza's army.

 

Radditz' gaze drifted over to the small demi-Saiyajin now seated in the sand, carelessly playing in it. The boy puzzled him. He seemed so Saiyajin, yet at the same time, he seemed strangely different. Unlike most Saiyajin children, he had a happy innocence about him, a carelessness that often irritated those of the Saiyajin species. Yet he had shown a very Saiyajin determination earlier, and Radditz knew he would have bravely fought alongside the others against the two of them, even if it had meant his death. That was something Radditz hadn't seen in children other than Saiyajin. The young of most races tended to simply whimper in fear or run away, but they never stood and fought. He couldn't help feeling a surge of pride that this was his nephew who had been willing to fight so bravely, and there was a wave of fierce joy that even though he had no son himself, his brother did, and his nephew was someone of whom he could be proud.

 

The tiny smile that snuck over Radditz' face as he studied the boy went unnoticed by himself and the Saiyajin whose back was towards him, but several of the others noted it and couldn't help feeling surprise. Bulma stared at Radditz for a moment before following his gaze to the tiny tailed boy playing in the sand, and then understanding slowly dawned on her. She hadn't consciously connected the fact that since this warrior was Goku's brother, he was also Gohan's uncle. Gohan seemed completely oblivious to the relationship. It took Bulma a minute to realize why. Although the large man had mentioned that Goku was his brother, she suspected that Gohan hadn't connected that information with the idea that this meant that the Saiyajin was related to him as well. A sly smile made its way over Bulma's face as she decided that it was time she did something about that.

 

"Gohan," she called out, making her way towards the little boy.

 

He looked up at her curiously, his hands hovering over the sand castle he was patting down. "Yes, Bulma-san?" he asked politely, his eyes bright and curious.

 

Bulma crouched down next to him so that she was almost on a level with him. "Gohan, how would you like to meet your uncle?" she asked him, smiling warmly, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

 

Gohan's brow furrowed as he frowned slightly. "My uncle? Do I have an uncle?"

 

Bulma managed to suppress her laughter as she nodded her head. "You sure do! I can introduce you, if you'd like!" She held a hand towards him invitingly.

 

The little boy stared at her, not noticing her outstretched arm. "But shouldn't I stay here, for when my daddy comes?" he asked, sounding both confused and anxious. He didn't want to argue with his father's friend, but he also wanted to see his father again.

 

This time Bulma couldn't keep herself from giggling. "You won't have to go far!" she assured him, still smiling. "Your uncle is right here!"

 

"He is?" Gohan looked startled, and this time he took her hand and stood up. "Where is he?" he asked, darting his head around curiously, as though he expected someone to spring out at them from the bushes.

 

Bulma laughed as she led him towards the two Saiyajin. "Why, Gohan! Didn't you realize that this is your Uncle Radditz? Gohan, say hello to your Uncle Radditz!"

 

Radditz had listened in slowly growing shock as he had overheard the human woman tease the small boy earlier. When the two of them finally reached him, he simply stared down at them, unable to form any sort of coherent thought or sentence. What the hell was he supposed to say to a boy whom he had never met before? This was his nephew, yet what sort of impression had he made on him?

 

Gohan didn't seem any less confused than Radditz was. He stared up at the enormous man in front of him, wondering what he should say or do. This man was even larger than his father! Somehow the training that his mother had always instilled in him managed to assert itself, even though he hadn't seen her for the past year.

 

"Good morning, Radditz-san," he said formally, as he bowed politely.

 

Bulma giggled at his reaction, even as Radditz stared in dumbfounded disbelief. "Gohan! He's your uncle, not a stranger! Call him Ojisan!"

 

Gohan blushed slightly, and bowed again. "Good morning, Ojisan," he said quietly, almost nervously.

 

Radditz just stared down at him, completely at a loss to how to respond.

 

Yamcha managed to hide a smiled at the two. Imagine that. They come here to annihilate the planet and what happens? A five-year-old boy renders them speechless.

 

Vegeta observed the situation with some amusement. Only Radditz would be at a loss to how to treat the child. It wasn't as if the prince knew anything about children, but at least he would have been able to say something back to the kid without staring down at him like he had been ordered to put together a laser cannon. He was about to comment on Radditz' lack of coherency when he noticed that Yamcha and Kuririn both looked over at the horizon at the same time, smiles spreading over their faces.

 

"Son is back," Piccolo growled, speaking up for the first time in almost an hour. "It looks as though a family reunion is in order."

 

"How do you know he is coming?" Vegeta asked the Namek suspiciously. "You have no scouter to detect him."

 

"Oh, that's easy," Yamcha interrupted with a wave of his hand. "We don't need scouters. We can sense ki levels." He was staring out into the distance, not even thinking about the implications of what he had said as the two Saiyajin exchanged looks. But before Vegeta could question either Yamcha or Piccolo about this strange ability, he could see a figure heading quickly towards them.

 

A few moments later, Goku dropped down on the beach. He glanced briefly around at the faces of his friends before his eyes settled on the Saiyajin warriors. It was apparent even to him that they had not been fighting. In fact, from the semi-relaxed faces of Yamcha and Kuririn, it looked as if they had been waiting for him.

 

"I'm back," Goku announced with a smile.

 

To be continued....

 

~~~~~*~~~~~

 

And in the next exciting episode of DragonBall Z: Crossed Paths... A little family reunion.

 

~~~~~*~~~~~

 

Review Responses:

 

Lauryn S.: Actually, even in the anime Goku wasn't the strongest at this point - Vegeta was. And is, in this fic, as I'm following anime power levels. Right now Goku is around 5000 without Kaio-ken, and about 15,000 with Kaio-ken. Vegeta is 15,000 at this point, so he's equal to Goku's Kaio-ken strength, and considerably stronger than his normal strength. A friend of mine and I had reason to research the power levels of the various characters at this particular point in time, which was very useful when my co-author and I started this fic. Radditz and Chi-Chi? *gags* I'm not sure I can handle that particular pairing.... ^_^;; Besides which, you just saw Goku come back at the end of this chapter, so you know the Chi-Chi/Radditz pairing isn't going to happen. ^_~

 

The Fierce Deity: Well, then obviously you aren't an author. Commenting on a fic before it's completed gives authors an idea of what they may be doing right or wrong. There is something called "constructive criticism". Without it, authors have no idea if they're going way off the mark, or what they might be doing right or wrong. We need input from our readers - not purely gushing praise (that's nice, but it's not what I look for), but well-thought out reviews that tell us what you like, what you don't like, what we're doing right, and what we're doing wrong. The thoughtful reviews are my favorites, even ones where the reader indicates that he/she doesn't like the fic. If they can tell me WHY, then it helps me improve for future fics. But without that input, how can any author possibly improve?

 

Papa Bear: Ok. :-) But you know, I'd like to know what you like specifically and what you don't like about this. It would be helpful, you know. :-)

 

ThE_wEiRd_KiD_nExT_DoOr: You don't want Bulma to die? *looks innocent* But... why not? ^_~ Hah, everyone knew I wasn't going to kill her. I don't know why you all assumed that though - someday I'll have to post the piece where my friend Rei and I killed her off. It was fun. I do so love tormenting Vegeta! ^_^ As for name spellings, if you think about it, the spellings are irrelevant. I happen to prefer using 'Kuririn' as compared to 'Krillin' and 'Tenshinhan' compared to 'Tien', but the way we write, I only have the choice of spellings for certain characters. My co-author writes for Vegeta and Yamcha in this fic, so she chose the spellings of their names. And despite the fact that she has never seen the dub (she's only ever seen subbed episodes), she uses 'Yamcha' and 'Vegeta'. I also prefer using 'Bulma' and 'Yamcha' over 'Buruma' and 'Yamucha', but I'm ambivalent in my preference about 'Vejiita' and 'Vegeta' (although I am used to 'Vegeta'). But really, the spellings themselves are more a matter of preference - it's the pronunciation that's important. And since the Japanese don't distinguish between 'L' and 'R' (they really can't hear the difference), that makes the spelling even less important.

 

Jorge: *sigh* I wish we could. Unfortunately, my co-author hasn't had internet access or a computer in several months now, since at least before Hallowe'en. And I've been insanely busy packing for a major move across the country, so I haven't had time to do edits on this, or writing on the other fics I'm working on. (I'm working on about half a dozen, with different co-authors. Including DJ Fusion, Kichi, and Selenity Jade.) We've written probably about 13 chapters of this, but it's just a matter of having time to do the edits and posting them. As it is, you won't see any further updates on this for about a month, as I'm going to temporarily lose internet access and even computer access for about that long. I apologize, as I really had intended to post this more quickly, but life just keeps getting in the way.

 

Ryukai: Well, thank you. :-) See? It's not that hard to review on Media Miner! ^_~ And thank you for your comments. It does help, knowing people are reading this, and reading the other things I write and post. It's helpful and encouraging, and without that, I'm just not as encouraged to post each part quickly.

 

Daniel of Lorien: Hm... well, was there anything particular that you liked/disliked about the last chapter? Or any chapter? Do you like/dislike our characterizations? Do you like/dislike the storyline? Do you think it moves too fast, too slow, just right? Would you rather the romance come on more quickly, or do you like it the way we haven't even hinted at any of it yet? Although we won't be able to change anything we've already written (and we've written quite a bit), it will help us for future fics.