Dragon Ball SS: Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 

Vegeta paced back through the living room, his brow furrowed deeply in thought. Bulma looked up from the papers she was reading as he stalked past the couch toward the opposite door.

 

“Don't let it bother you this much, Vegeta,” she called. “From what I can find in these press releases, the science team hasn't discovered any more than they put out to the press today. I've already put myself on the alert list for any further information they discover.”

 

Vegeta paused in his pacing. “It's happened at the worst possible time,” he said. “We're lucky that Trunks is known for his childish antics, or the mess in that mall could have been a bigger problem as well. I do not want nosy Earthlings to start coming around here.”

 

“The privilege of being a Capsule Corp brat,” Bulma commented. “I used to get away with everything under the sun for the same reason. Trunks is seen as nothing more than a spoiled playboy who always gets what he wants – as long as it stays that way, no one will question anything he does. Bra is in the same boat, except that her classmates know she has a tyrannical father at home who threatens the lives of would-be suitors.” She winked at Vegeta and turned back to her reading.

 

“Hn!” Vegeta sneered. He glanced in the direction of the bedrooms. “Speaking of which, the brats have been quiet for a while now. They must have fallen asleep. There shouldn't be any problems now that there's no one here for them to fight with, but keep an eye on them all the same.”

 

Bulma nodded. “I already have the ice back in the freezer, and I added a few larger packs to the stock as well. I also had the pool out back drained and refilled with ice water. The robots will keep the temperature in it low until tonight.”

 

Vegeta inclined his head slightly to acknowledge her efforts. “And as long as those other idiots stay out of trouble...” he began. He let his attention wander to mentally check on the locations of the others. Upon finding them all in the wilderness or at home, he started to finish his sentence, then stopped short. “What the...”

 

“Vegeta? What is it?” Bulma asked. She watched with concern as his expression darkened.

 

He held up his hand for silence and focused on something in the distance. After a moment, he scowled. “There are too many Saiyan ki signatures,” he said finally.

 

“What?” Bulma asked. “How can that be? Are you sure someone's not just moving around quickly? Maybe Goku with his Instantaneous Movement?”

 

Vegeta shook his head. “I know where Kakarotto is,” he said. “As well as Gohan and the other kids. The extra one is unfamiliar.” He started for the door. “I'm going to see what's going on.”

 

“Vegeta, wait-” Bulma began. However, Vegeta was gone before she ever got the words out. “Saiyans,” she sighed.

 

Trunks rolled over and watched Pan as she dozed lightly beside him. He still had reservations about their relationship, and now that his head was clear once again, his worries about what sort of future the two of them could possibly have together returned. However, Pan seemed to be content; even as she'd climbed into the bed beside him, she hadn't voiced any worries about the two of them.

 

“Is it still bothering you?” Goten asked quietly.

 

Trunks turned his head to glance behind him at Goten. “Mm, yeah,” he replied. “A bit, anyway. There's just a lot to consider.”

 

Goten smirked. “Your playboy reputation is greatly exaggerated,” he said. “And here I'd heard you did a gal who was your mom's age.”

 

Trunks jumped and rolled onto his back to look at Goten more directly. “What?!” he exclaimed. Then, remembering the dozing girls in the bed with them, he lowered his voice. “You made that up!” he hissed. “Where did you hear bullshit like that?”

 

“Word gets around,” Goten replied vaguely. He smiled mysteriously up at the ceiling and avoided catching Trunks's eye. “Are you saying it's not true?”

 

Trunks turned red and scowled furiously. “Of course it's not true!” he seethed. “What do you take me for?”

 

“For someone who would do a set of twins on his graduation night,” Goten said slyly. “Never know what someone who likes double the fun is capable of.”

 

“WHAT?!” Trunks struggled to keep his voice in check. “Goten, I swear, if you're the one starting these rumors-”

 

“What, rumors?” Goten asked innocently. “But they sounded so plausible...”

 

“You are the one who made it up!” Trunks said. “Goten, if you wanted me to kill you that badly-”

 

“Hey, hey,” Goten said defensively. “Take it easy. You freak out too quickly – I made that shit up on the spot.” He grinned cheekily. “You think I don't know how boring you are? If only those 'hottest bachelor' articles knew...”

 

“Your sex life must be quite exciting then, Goten,” Pan interjected. She edged up against Trunks and draped her arm across his chest. “If Trunks is what you'd consider boring, anyway.”

 

Goten turned red at that statement. He clamped his mouth shut suddenly and diverted his eyes.

 

“Exciting enough,” Bra replied. She wrapped her own arms around Goten's torso and nuzzled the back of his shoulder, then peered over at Pan and Trunks. “Though I think if the bullshit gets much deeper in this bed we're going to have to call a farmer with a tractor to get the two of them out of it.”

 

“How long have you two been listening?” Trunks asked warily.

 

“Long enough,” Pan replied. “And I am glad to know that Goten's vivid imagination isn't all that accurate – I'd hate to think that I'd have to stomp any old ladies for being a jealous ex.”

 

Trunks sat up and ran his hands through his hair. “All of my exes are jealous, and all of them know better than to do anything about it,” he said. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned. “I think I'm going to go find something to eat,” he said. “It feels like everyone has left except Mom and Dad.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” Pan said. She climbed out of the bed and pulled her jeans back on over her bikini. The others also got out of the bed and finished getting dressed, then cautiously headed down the hall.

 

The four could see Bulma and Vegeta talking in the living room as they approached; Trunks was about to call out to them, when Vegeta suddenly hurried from the room. His burst of energy was apparent as he quickly took off from Capsule Corp.

 

“Hey, Mom,” Trunks said, “where's Dad off to in such a hurry?”

 

Bulma turned in surprise. “Oh, Trunks!” she said. “He's off to investigate some weird energy he's feeling; he said something about there being too many Saiyan ki signatures around.” She frowned doubtfully at the doorway where Vegeta had disappeared.

 

“What?” Trunks asked. “How can that be?” The two young men and two girls mentally felt out the ki signatures of their families.

 

“Dad and Gohan must be training,” Goten said. “They're both alone and neither of them are at home...” His voice suddenly drifted off. “But...there's also someone with Mom...” he continued. “The ki feels familiar, but I don't think it's anybody I know.”

 

“The extra Saiyan,” Trunks said grimly. “It feels familiar because it's someone of Saiyan blood – that's where Dad's headed.” He frowned. “It doesn't feel like anything Dad couldn't handle on his own, but we should follow him just in case.”

 

Goten nodded. “Let's go,” he said. “I want to be sure Mom's all right.”

 

The four of them quickly headed for the door. “Don't start any trouble that you don't have to!” Bulma called after them. Trunks waved in acknowledgment as they took off into the sky.

 

 

Vegeta frowned as he zeroed in on the foreign ki signature; the Saiyan was inside the Son house, as was Chichi. Goku, on the other hand, was still some distance away. “Leave it to that brain-dead moron to not even realize there's another Saiyan with his wife,” he thought. He paused in mid-air and assessed the situation. The house was quiet, and there weren't any signs of a struggle. Neither the unknown Saiyan's ki nor Chichi's ki were fluctuating any. “I suppose I'm going to have to be the one to tell him,” Vegeta realized. He re-oriented himself on Goku's energy and flew quickly there.

 

Goku looked up in surprise as Vegeta touched down lightly on the bank of the creek. “Oh, Vegeta!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Marveling at your ignorance,” Vegeta replied. “There's an unknown Saiyan on this planet,” he continued, “I decided to let you know in case it comes down to me destroying your house.” He turned and headed back in the direction of the Sons' home.

 

“My house?” Goku called. He looked toward his home in confusion for a moment. “What-” His voice cut off as he suddenly realized the presence of Tullece's ki signature. He hesitated for a second, not wanting to believe that he recognized it, then took off hot on Vegeta's heels. He caught up to Vegeta and glared straight ahead as he spoke. “He's not unknown,” Goku said, “but he is supposed to be dead.” With that, he powered up and raced ahead.

 

The two of them landed outside the small house at the same time as Trunks, Goten, Pan and Bra. Vegeta arched an eyebrow as he looked them over. “What are you brats doing here?” he asked.

 

“We're here just in case,” Trunks said shortly. “Mom told us why you took off.”

 

“And I need to make sure my mom is safe,” Goten said quickly. He was already moving forward toward the front door.

 

Goku had a lead on him and stepped through the open door. He stopped short as he caught sight of Tullece and Chichi seated at the table, immersed in a discussion that was all together too intimate for his liking. “Chichi?” he asked.

 

“Goku-sa!” Chichi exclaimed. She looked up at him, eyes wide, but hesitated before speaking further. She glanced at Tullece, who flinched before turning his head to look at the other Saiyan.

 

“Tullece,” Goku seethed through clenched teeth. “How are you alive?”

 

Tullece stood abruptly and faced Goku. “Through my strength as a Saiyan and my hatred for you alone,” he shot back. He narrowed his eyes as he spoke. “You destroyed everything that I had, but you failed to destroy me.”

 

“I won't make that mistake again!” Goku exclaimed. He lifted his hand before him and gathered a swirling ball of energy in it.

 

Tullece quickly fired a blast into Goku's face; as he expected, it merely made the other Saiyan flinch, but it distracted him long enough for Tullece to get a word in edgewise. “Take it outside, moron!” Tullece shouted. “I knew you were damned stupid when you left your wife alone, but trying to attack me with her right here is over the top!” He leaped forward with a hard punch toward Goku, who jumped nimbly backward into the front yard.

 

The others jumped back as the two Saiyans burst through the doorway and onto the lawn. They stared for a moment, unsure of what they were seeing. Tullece glanced around at them before turning his attention back to Goku.

 

“You're the same fool you've always been, Kakarotto,” he said. “I don't care how much stronger you've gotten; my pride as a Saiyan can only tolerate so much idiocy from you.” He started to raise his hand in attack, but was cut off by a blast from Vegeta that landed between him and Goku.

 

“I expect any Saiyan who's met Kakarotto would agree with you,” Vegeta said. “However, there are not supposed to be any full-blood Saiyans besides myself and Kakarotto left. You were not in Freeza's army – who are you, and how did you survive?”

 

“Vegeta, it doesn't matter -” Goku began.

 

“I will decide what does and does not matter, Kakarotto!” Vegeta snapped. “Your wife is unharmed; be glad for that and leave the rest to me.”

 

“Vegeta?” Tullece asked. “You must be Prince Vegeta...or rather, King Vegeta, now; I had heard the king was killed when Planet Vegeta was destroyed.”

 

“Hn,” Vegeta replied. “Even the lowest-class warriors are sent into space with basic information recorded in their space pods, and most got information through other members of the army; where were you sent that you did not have knowledge of Freeza's actions?”

 

Tullece eyed Vegeta warily. “A place where there is no love for Freeza, that much is certain,” he said. “And the computer in my space pod seemed to be faulty; the recording was disorganized and appeared to have been rushed.”

 

Vegeta smirked. “You're one of the space pirates from the frontier regions of the empire,” he said. “Only they admit even vaguely to disrespecting Freeza. It's no wonder you've had no contact with other Saiyans before coming here...though it seems you know Kakarotto from an earlier date.”

 

“He and I have fought here before,” Tullece said. “I thought that perhaps he and his son would want to come with me and abandon their pseudo-Earthling life here; I was overly optimistic in that regard. Kakarotto insisted on believing himself and his son to be Earthlings rather than Saiyans.”

 

Goku frowned, and Vegeta shot him a look that warned him to remain silent. “And what brought you out again now?” Vegeta demanded. “You've obviously been in hiding for many years.”

 

Tullece tilted his head to indicate Chichi. “I let my guard down,” he said. “Kakarotto left me an open opportunity to fulfill my need for a woman, and I didn't keep my ki suppressed like I usually do.”

 

Vegeta snorted. “And of all the women on this planet, you had to choose Kakarotto's wife,” he said.

 

Tullece smiled lazily. “She's a fine woman...inside and out.”

 

Chichi reddened suddenly and looked at her feet; Goku's expression contorted into one of confusion.

 

Vegeta palmed his face. “I am not explaining this one to him,” he muttered.

 

Goten watched his mother's reaction with mixed feelings. She seemed to be embarrassed but not overly distressed by the allusion; he wondered if it were possible that her only regret with what had obviously transpired was that they'd been caught. He stepped forward hesitantly. “Mom?”

 

Chichi looked up hesitantly at Goten. Before she could speak, Tullece looked his way and interrupted.

 

“You must be Kakarotto's second son, Goten,” he said. “The boy I met long ago did not resemble Kakarotto so closely.”

 

Goten frowned. “I am,” he said. “What's it to you?”

 

Tullece nodded toward Chichi. “Come and take your mother out of the line of fire,” he said. “It's obvious at this point that Kakarotto has no intent of doing so.”

 

Goten glanced at Vegeta, who nodded shortly. He quickly walked over to stand in front of Tullece and Chichi; he assessed Tullece for a long moment before turning to his mother. “Come on, Mom,” Goten said, “this isn't your fight.”

 

“Goten,” Chichi began, “I...this is as much my fight as Tullece's.” She looked at her feet again, then looked back up and met Goku's eyes. “Goku-sa, I'm as much to blame as Tullece is; if you want to fight him, then fight me as well.”

 

Goku shifted his confused gaze to Chichi. “What?” he asked. “What do you mean?” He straightened and stepped closer to Tullece, Chichi and Goten, and he eyed Tullece suspiciously. “Just what is going on here?”

 

Tullece cracked his neck in an unconcerned manner before turning his lazy smile back on Goku. “I have to spell it out for you, Kakarotto?” he asked. “Surely you're not so dense as that.”

 

Goku frowned in response, so Tullece continued.

 

“I screwed your wife, Kakarotto,” Tullece said plainly. “And I must say, she's probably the finest lay I've had. I certainly wouldn't mind having more.”

 

Vegeta chuckled suddenly, then laughed outright. “You've got balls, I'll give you that,” he said. “It's almost too bad you also seem to have a death wish – we could use more Saiyans with spine on this planet.”

 

Goku was not so amused. His expression became suddenly fierce, and he raised a ki-filled fist before him. “Tullece, you-” he started. He swung the fist directly at Tullece's face.

 

Before the fist made contact, however, Goten stepped between them and caught it in his own hand. Goku blinked in surprise.

 

“Goten?” he asked warily.

 

Goten shook his head slowly. “Do you plan on punching Mom as well?” he asked.

 

“Of course not!” Goku replied indignantly. “This is between me and Tullece – now step aside.”

 

“No,” Goten replied.

 

Goku's eyes narrowed as he regarded Goten. “What?” he asked quietly.

 

Goten never took his eyes off his father as he addressed the Saiyan behind him. “Tullece, take my Mom over to stand with the others. Vegeta wanted to speak with you anyway,” he said. He kept his grip on his father's fist firm.

 

Tullece regarded the younger man curiously for a moment, then nodded to Chichi and pointed to where the others were standing. He guided her, protesting, away from the father and son.

 

“Goten...” Goku said warningly.

 

“You messed up again, Dad,” Goten said quietly. “You got lucky when you walked away from Mom before; this time it cost you.”

 

A spark of anger flashed through Goku's eyes in a split second, and as it did so he suddenly jerked his fist from Goten's hand and slapped his son across the face. Then, even as the others gaped in shock, he blinked in surprise at his own action.

 

Goten stood unmoving for a moment as the impact of Goku's slap hit home. He was just as surprised as the others, and for a moment he didn't know how to react. Then, his pent-up anger and the resentment he harbored all exploded at once, and he sunk his fist deep into Goku's midsection.

 

Goku doubled over from the blow, then quickly straightened and responded with a kick to Goten's side. Goten saw it coming and brought his own leg up to block the kick. Before any of the others could recover from their surprise, the two of them were furiously trading blows.

 

Chichi's shock turned to horror as Goku and Goten's fight picked up in intensity. She watched her husband and son speechlessly for a moment before she was able to form coherent words of protest. “No...Goku-sa...Goten...”

 

Tullece scowled and took a step forward. “The boy's fighting my fight,” he muttered. “I won't have it-”

 

He was stopped suddenly as Vegeta reached out and put his arm out in front of him and Chichi. The two looked at Vegeta quizzically; Vegeta shook his head. “He's not fighting your fight,” he said. “This fight has been a long time coming; your quarrel with Kakarotto just finally pushed him over the edge.”

 

“Wha...what do you mean?” Chichi asked. “A long time coming? What's going on?”

 

“You must have noticed how frustrated the boy has been with Kakarotto's constant training,” Vegeta replied. “He makes no attempt to disguise his disappointment in his father being constantly away from home.” He watched the two battle for a moment on the lawn in front of them. “He's wanted to take it out on his father for a long time, but he knows that he can't stand up against Kakarotto's power.”

 

Even as he said it, Goku landed a well-placed kick on Goten's chest that sent his son flying backward. Goten landed on his back at the feet of the others. He remained unmoving for a moment; Goku watched him carefully, and his expression changed from one of jaded readiness to concern.

 

Goten groaned quietly and gripped his ribs, then slowly sat up. Trunks, Pan and Bra quickly reached down to help him as he struggled to his feet. He glared at his father before turning to them.

 

“Mom's safe,” he said, “and I think my ribs are cracked.” He paused to catch his breath. “I can't fight anymore,” he admitted. “Let's go.”

 

“Goten-” Goku began.

 

“Go to Hell,” Goten muttered. He waved off the start of a protest from his mother and looked at Trunks in an unspoken request for them to leave.

 

Trunks nodded and slung one of Goten's arms over his shoulders. “Dad wanted to take care of this anyway,” he said. “We'll get you home and bandaged up.” He looked to Vegeta as the two of them and the girls lifted into the air. “We'll see you later, Dad.”

 

Vegeta watched them out of the corner of his eye as they left, then addressed Goku, Chichi and Tullece. “I want answers out of you,” he said. He pointed at Tullece and indicated that the other Saiyan was to follow him. “We're going to talk where we won't be interrupted.”

 

Then, he glanced at Goku and Chichi. “Kakarotto, your problems with your marriage are not my problem, and I don't want them to become my problem. This Saiyan is no threat to us – I will deal with him. You take care of your own problems.”

 

“Vegeta-!” Goku protested.

 

“I mean it!” Vegeta shouted. “Mind your own business!” He jerked his head to tell Tullece to follow him and took off into the sky; Tullece glanced back at Chichi and Goku, then quickly followed, leaving the husband and wife to stare uncertainly after them.