Chapter Four
Freezer stepped out of his ship, as he once again surveyed the Chikyuu warriors that dared to oppose him again. He laughed as he saw nothing different about those gathered there. All the men and Saiya-Jins were still present, along with the Namek-jin and the woman.
"Are you wimps back for more?" he asked in an annoyed voice, his tail twitching impatiently, a scowl gracing his white face.
"Yeah, but this time we're gonna hand your ass to you in a paper bag, kusottare," Vegeta growled. The three Super Saiya-Jins stood in a line, in front of everyone else. They were not yet Super Saiya-Jin.
Freezer scowled at the Saiya-Jin prince. "I liked you better when you were little monkey whelp, Chibi-Ouji."
Vegeta was getting tired of being called "little prince." He turned to his fighting comrades. "Now?"
"Hai hai. Now," Goku replied.
The familiar golden aura flared into existance, hanging in the air around the three Saiya-Jins. Hair shot up into yellow spikes, eyes flashed a shocking aqua green, and strength and appearence was enhanced tenfold. Three Super Saiya-Jins stood proud and determined in front of a stunned Freezer and an equally shocked King Kold.
"Na…na…nani?! Th--three Super Saiya-Jins?! I thought the brat and the tall monkey were the only ones, now the Chibi-Ouji as well? Chikusho! You monkeys will DIE!!!" Freezer screamed. Vegeta, Goku, and Trunks only smirked the smirk that only a Saiya-Jin wore.
"Oh, watashi wa shinanai, Freezer. Yakusoku. I've already been to Hell. Now it's your turn, ne?" Vegeta's aura flared a blinding white-yellow. Goku and Trunks followed suit, all three screaming and rushing at Freezer, dissapearing and reappearing on his either side. In a flash, the Saiya-Jin trio took their offensive positions: Goku's hands cupped by his side, Vegeta's right palm flat out facing Freezer, his left arm holding his right in place; and Trunks's thumbs and index fingers forming a triangle after many swift movements of his hands.
"KAMEHAMEHAAAAAA!!!!"
"BIG BANG ATTAAAACK!!!"
"BURNING ATTAAACK!!!"
The screamed names of the monsterous attacks that exploded from the warrior's hands were almost drowned out by the massive thundering of energy as a golden-red, crackling dome covered the surrounding area. All the Z senshis felt Freezer and Kold's kis wink out of existance. When the dust settled, only three figures remained, the smoke rising off of their clothes, golden hair moving slightly in the wind.
The rest of the senshis could only stare at the massive powers before them. The three kis washed over their senses, filling their minds. The Super Saiya-Jins quickly powered down, walking towards the others with grim pride and a certain aura of satisfaction.
"Ahh, thank Kami, what a miracle!" Krillin exclaimed as the three warriors joined the others.
"Yatta! Yosh'! I knew you could!" Yamcha said happily, slapping Goku good-naturedly on the back. Goku gave a small smile and glanced at the Saiya-Jin prince, who was facing away dejectedly, with a distant look in his eyes.
It was all because of you, and yet they still congradulate me, Goku thought sadly, as his friends continued complimenting him and even Trunks. He noticed, however, that Bulma nor Trunks said anything to Goku or the others, but stood quietly, staring at their feet. They obviously shared Goku's thoughts.
After a while of more cheering for Goku and Trunks, Bulma became silently fed up. She walked over to Vegeta and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Come on, Vegeta, we're leaving," she said in an annoyed and dissapointed tone of voice, an unreadable expression on her face. Vegeta complied without complaint, and was gone in a flash of blue. Trunks pursed his lips into a thin line and took off after them.
The remaining senshis, excluding Goku, stood with confused looks on their faces, wondering out loud why the three had left, mainly Bulma and Trunks. Now, even Goku became severely annoyed and dissapointed by his friends' careless behavior.
"Don't you guys get it?"
Krillin, Yamcha, Chao-tzu, Tenshinhan, and Gohan gave Piccolo odd looks. He hadn't said anything since the victory was won.
"Uhh…whaddaya mean, Piccolo?" Krillin asked. Goku growled impatiently. Piccolo gave his fellow Saiya-Jin warrior a look that meant they were both thinking the same thing.
"You bakas were standing there jumping all over Goku and Trunks when it was all Vegeta's fault we even won," Piccolo explained gruffly.
"Geez, even I'm not that thick-headed," Goku said scornfully. "You people should be ashamed. Vegeta deserves as much respect as me, although you may not think that."
"Well, I'm tired of standing around with you disrespectful dunderheads. I'm going to go train for the next three years. If you need me before then, you'll have to try and find me. Gohan, are you coming or not?" Piccolo growled, scowling at everyone except his student and the boy's father.
"Err…hai, Piccolo-san," Gohan replied cautiously, shooting into the air with his sensei.
"I'm leaving to train, too. Vegeta would probably like a sparring partner." Goku brought his fingers to his forehead and blurred out of sight, leaving Tenshinhan, Yamcha, Krillin and Chao-tzu alone.
"Well…e…I guess I'm going to train at the Kame house," Krillin anounced awkwardly.
"I'll come with you," Yamcha said. "What about you two?"
"We'll train by ourselves," Tenshinhan replied. He and Chao-tzu took off into the air. Krillin and Yamcha flew off towards the Kame house, contemplating the previous events.
***
Vegeta, Bulma and Trunks landed at the Capsule Corporation, standing in embarrassed silence for a moment, then turning to enter the huge building. Just before they went inside, Goku blurred into sight right in front of them, giving the trio a small smile.
"Err…gomen about that, they really didn't know…just came to say arigatou," Goku explained in a small voice. "Really, you were great."
"Hmph. At least SOMEBODY noticed I did something," the prince replied, hurriedly entering the CC. Goku and Trunks watched him leave, and Bulma rushed after him, the couple dissapearing around a corner.
"Well, I guess I shouldn't have scolded them. I mean, Vegeta shunned their compliments all the other times they thanked him, maybe they thought he wouldn't care," Goku said quietly to Mirai Trunks. The purple-haired teen nodded slightly in agreement.
"Umm…wanna spar or something?" Trunks asked. Goku nodded, and the two entered the Capsule Corporation, heading for the gravity chambers.
***
"Vege-chan? Doushitano?" Bulma called down the quiet upstairs corridors, which the dejected Saiya-Jin prince had quickly stormed down, silently removing himself from Bulma's view. The aqua-haired woman became frustrated. "Kami, you would think the man would at least want company," she growled under her breath.
"Looking for me?"
Bulma shrieked and spun around. Her eyes met deep, glittering obsidian eyes, a dark, angular face, a quite unusual widow's peak, and a shock of wild black hair. The familiar face gave Bulma a rather expressionless look.
"Nani? Vege-chan? Don't sneak up on me again, you hear?" the young woman barked at the Saiya-Jin prince. He snorted.
"I can hear you a little too well, woman. I go wherever I please and you can't do anything about it. Like I said, you were looking for me?" Vegeta crossed his arms impatiently.
"Hai, baka. Doushitano?" Despite Vegeta's familiar generic expression, Bulma could tell with her 6th Vegeta Sense that everything wasn't just dandy with him. Vegeta only scowled.
"If you're talking about those weak fools that were jumping all over Kakkarott, you've got nothing to be concerned about. Is there something of actual mild importance you were wanting to tell me?"
"Arrgh! I can see right through you, Vegeta, so don't try your stubborn-baka 'There's Nothing Wrong With Me' stunt, mister! I've known you long enough to look past that!" Bulma yelled impatiently at the haughty ouji. To her surprise, Vegeta smirked at her.
"Ah, hai. I guess so. You're smarter than you look, Bulma, and don't get me wrong, there's nothing dumb-looking about you. There's not many who can decipher me besides Kakkarott. You should be proud." This, if anything, startled Bulma even more. Actually recieving praise from the prince was something not often experienced.
"E…arigatou, Vegeta. So, now that you know there's no lying allowed, doushitano?" Bulma asked him again. He snorted and turned his gaze to his white boots.
"Lie', I don't need anything. I'm fine, so stop worrying about whatever you were worrying about. Kakkarott and Trunks are sparring, I'm going to join them." Vegeta then pivoted and strode down the hall, Bulma watching his back with a concerned look until he dissapeared from sight.
***
"KAMEHAMEHA!!!!!"
Trunks dodged Goku's quick attack with much difficulty. The two Saiya-Jins sprang around the gravity chamber like lightning, almost unable to be seen. Flashes of light erupted every now and then as ki was fired rapidly, the ubiquitous bolts of energy creating a real challenge for the two strong fighters. A slight rap on the gravity room door stopped Trunks and Goku in midair. Floating down to their feet, a golden-haired Goku walked to the door, and upon opening it, found himself looking down on the small frame of the Saiya-Jin prince.
"Ah, konnichiwa, Vegeta. Wanna join us?" Goku asked happily, a goofy look of relief on his face.
"Hai, Kakkarott." Vegeta walked into the gravity chamber and nodded in greeting at his future son. Goku closed the door behind them and turned the gravity back on. Vegeta burst into golden flames, slightly powering up to get his Super Saiya-Jin ki ready for a long spar. There was a long silence which was filled only by the slight backround noise of blazing ki. Trunks broke the silence.
"Maybe we can beat them this time," he said in a contemplative tone.
"Nanda?" Goku asked.
"He's talking about the jinzouningen, baka," Vegeta growled.
"Ah. Hai, I sure hope so! This time I won't get sick, I can help fight them!" Goku stated with a happy look on his face. Trunks gave a small smile.
"We have more Super Saiya-Jins in this time. I'm just a boy, I still couldn't defeat them at this level by myself. I'm hoping to train alot here, however. I'll get stronger before I go home, and then my goal is to get rid of our set of Jinzouningen once and for all," he said in a serious tone.
"They most likely won't pose a threat. After all, there's still three years until they get here. Gee, when are you going to be born here, Trunks?" Goku asked. Vegeta turned an almost unnoticable light pink below his eyes.
"Ahh…I dunno, but in my time I was born in about a year and a half. Of course, I was counting on only telling Goku-san anything, so now I don't know," Trunks replied, throwing a punch at Goku and nearly recieving a ki blast from Vegeta, while at the same time ducking a fierce kick from Son.
"Ah, wait until Yamcha finds out, ha," Goku said, slightly laughing in remembrance of the look on Yamcha's face at the would-be party, and thinking about the look on his face when he saw baby Trunks in a year and a half…or something around that time. Goku almost got punched in the face by Vegeta and hit by a Burning Attack from Trunks, but managed to dodge both and send a Kamehameha in Vegeta's direction. The Saiya-Jin prince blocked and returned the favor in the form of a Big Bang Attack. It went on like this for hours, the session finally ending with the gravity chamber nearly going up in smoke and Bulma chasing the trio out of it so that she wouldn't have to completely rebuild the complicated machine.
"Dende, I'm hungry! When are we going to eat?" Goku asked.
"You mean, you're not going home for dinner?" Bulma asked her friend in reply, a curious look on her face as she came out of the gravity-chamber room after fixing some damages. The young woman wiped grease from her face as she entered the living room, where Vegeta was sitting on the couch, eyes closed and arms crossed, and Trunks was examining one of the many small machines located all around the Briefs residence. There were so many of them that all the different uses for the small gadgits were frequently forgotten by their own creators.
"Lie', I thought I would stay here, since Chichi is at her tousan's house and Gohan is still training with Piccolo. You wouldn't mind, would you, Bulma?" Goku told his long-time friend. She smiled at him and nodded.
"Hai, Son-kun, stay for dinner. I always get plenty of food from somewhere." Bulma then journeyed up the stairs to take a shower. "I'll be down to get something to eat in just a little bit, Son-kun!" she called from the next floor.
***
After her shower, Bulma ordered pizza (and lots of it) for her three Saiya-Jin customers. Once again, Vegeta quickly dissapeared with his food while Goku, Bulma, and Trunks sat down in the kitchen. Bulma started a conversation.
"So, Trunks, how long are you going to be staying?" she asked.
"Umm…maybe a day or two more. I have to get back to my kasaan in the future, she's probably worried that I stayed so long as it is. I told her I would only be gone for a day, but it's so nice here with everyone…alive," Trunks replied with a depressed look on his face.
"I see exactly what you mean. Your mom probably needs help, though," Goku said as he finished off a seventh piece of pizza. He gave Trunks a trademark Goku smile and started another piece of pizza. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence.