Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Amazon & Saiyan: Consequences ❯ Happily Ever After: A Son's Love ( Chapter 4 )

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Amazon & Saiyan: Consequences

Chapter 4: Happily Ever After: A Son's Love

The sun was casting its last glorious rays across the rugged mountain range when the tiny truck rolled to a stop at the bottom of a huge mountain. The driver sat in the seat, absently admiring the brilliant colors of the storm clouds gathering on the horizon. She had always appreciated the irony that the most beautiful sunsets were created by storms, and it wasn't often she had time to enjoy what nature had to offer.

When the sun finally slipped behind the mountain, she climbed out of the truck and threw her head back while she arched her back and stretched her arms and legs. The drive from Mt. Paotzu to Mt. Frypan was a long one, and she had never been in the habit of breaking it up into two days. Of course, she'd hardly ever driven it before, either; flying was much quicker, but there was much to be said for driving down half-empty roads at a high speed with nothing to do but think. It was a good opportunity to sort out her thoughts, as well as try to simulate different plans on approaching her son.

As of yet, none of them had ended happily.

She shook her dark hair free of the bun it had been in all day, recapsulized her dusty truck, and slipped it into the pocket of her lightweight dress. Even though her father's home was more than halfway up the mountain, one never drove directly to the castle; it was blasphemous to the memory of the proud kings who had once ruled over this area with strength, fairness, and all of the other virtues that were admirable in kings.

There was little left for the Ox-king to actually rule over; most of the land was gone, although a large stretch of it was still farmed and occupied by tenants, who basically governed themselves. Her father had turned to treasure hunting to occupy his time, and now the vaults beneath the castle were bursting with various exotic and expensive items.

Chichi gazed at the bright lights of the castle for a few minutes, trying to decide if she wanted to walk up the main path, or take the shorter route. A mischievous smile flashed across her lips as she settled on the latter.

Kicking her sandals off, she carried one in each hand, along with a fistful of skirt. She shook her hair back and dove off the road onto a little winding path next to it, still visible despite the years of disuse. The dirt was comforting against her feet as she ran full-tilt up the path, allowing memory to take over. She and Taro had used this path for years as children, and she had learnt every rock, every tree branch, loose root, and unexpected twist in the footpath to the point that they could traverse it blindfolded; and even now, her body remembered the rhythm of the race.

She grinned into the wind she was generating and began to sprint in an open area, remembering that now she would be coming up on the one spot that had troubled them-the stream. The path crossed at the narrowest point of the river, where the bank on one side was much higher than that on the other. It had been nearly impossible to cross until Taro had borrowed an ax and cut down a tree to serve as a bridge. The tree had always been slick and slippery, often dumping her into the stream, and the hard rocks beneath the water's surface. Chichi had simply solved the problem by learning how to jump better, which was what she was planned to do now. After all, it wouldn't do her any good to show up at her father's doorstep soaking wet, would it?

The young woman gathered her momentum and prepared to jump before pushing herself off the ground several yards away from the bank. She cleared the stream and the higher bank easily, and instinctively began to aim for her landing-spot.

Unfortunately, there was something between her and it.

It was large, green, and wore a white turban.

Chichi opened her eyes just in time to see the Namekian's startled expression and let out a short cry just before she collided with him.

Piccolo, unprepared for the Amazon trying to use him as a trampoline, had been unable to step out of the way, and the force of impact sent them both hurtling into a convenient horde of ferns. When he'd recovered his senses after being mauled by a black-haired blue blur, Gohan's mother was sitting on his chest, rubbing one of her ankles.

The Princess stared at the demon-Namekian who had taken her son from her, and annoyance flashed in her eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

The Namekian grunted and pushed her off him, quickly rising to stand next to her. He'd discovered that towering over the little humans often gave him an advantage.

Unfortunately, the height difference did not faze Gohan's mother, whose giant father was easily as tall as the Namekian. She simply lifted her chin and stared at him, foot tapping in annoyance, unaware of how ridiculous she looked with her skirts bunched up around her thighs. "Well?"

Piccolo glared at her. "Do I look like a runway?"

"No, you look like a trespasser," she snapped back. "If I had my helmet you'd be a headless trespasser," she murmured, knowing perfectly well the Namekian would hear her. Her son may be fond of the demon, but her tolerance did not have to extend to when Gohan was not within earshot.

"I am not trespassing," Piccolo declared, folding his arms across his chest. "Your father knows I'm here."

Chichi sighed. "Of course Papa knows you're here; he knows every time someone steps onto our land." She cocked her head and stared at him hard. "But what are you doing here?"

Piccolo stared at her with an unreadable expression. "Distracting your son." At her confused glare, the man elaborated. Well, elaborated for Piccolo, anyway. He silently marveled that the heritage, which had given the woman incredible ki control, had also made her utterly unaware of it. "Or do you not remember powering up?"

Chichi flushed and sat down on the crushed ferns, putting her head on a level with his knee. "Dear Kami," she murmured softly. "I knew Vegeta's had attracted the boys, but were we that bad?"

She glanced up at the Namek, who was looking distinctly uncomfortable with discussing sex, and decided to ease his misery. "You don't have to answer that." She pulled a hairband from her pocket and wound it around the mass of her hair.

How could she be so foolish? She knew she had what the others would consider an unnatural ability for ki-shielding, but it was natural for her. It was so simple for her to block her ki level that she never really paid attention when it escaped her control. She just assumed that she was still blocking it and went on.

And of course Gohan would know when she spiked her ki; he was her son! She was an Amazon; she would have a mild psychic connection to her son until he was a grown man; and probably after. It generally served to let her know when he'd been severely hurt or was in great emotional distress and needed her, but it worked both ways. He too, would know when something bothered her.

Gohan was probably so confused. She glanced up at the Namek who was watching her with his perpetual motionless façade. "Was he upset?"

Piccolo shook his head. "No, just confused. He and your father were camping that night. I pushed my ki up as soon as you powered up. Since I was closer, I canceled you out." He paused for a long moment. "I am stronger than you are, you know."

Chichi's face remained emotionless at his barb, she was not obsessed over her strength like a certain Saiyan was.

Piccolo continued. "Gohan only felt your ki for a moment or two before I took over; and your father convinced him you were probably hunting dinosaurs."

The woman's eyebrows pulled together in a frown. "Hunting dinosaurs," she repeated slowly. "In the dark? That's madness; I don't hunt dinosaurs in the dark." Then she froze. "Papa knows?"

Piccolo shrugged his massive shoulders. "All I did was train with Gohan, but Kami tells me never to underestimate the King of Ox-he is very perceptive."

Chichi buried her face in her hands for a moment, then sighed, and straightened her shoulders. She wouldn't be surprised if her father figured things out; he was a very observant man, if deceptively jolly. But hunting dinosaurs in the dark? That was absurd.

She glanced back up at the man before her, realizing, in an instant, that he loathed her as much as she him, but they both had a common bond. They both loved her son. The creature was a satellite for Gohan's feelings; and he protected the boy from many things that she could not, including herself. At least he had given her a chance to explain things to Gohan herself. It would hurt him that much more if he'd discovered the way the others had.

"Thank you, Piccolo."

He grunted and disappeared into the small cave nestled in the stream bank a few meters away.

She tried to rise and continue along the path to the castle, but her ankle-the one she'd plowed into Piccolo's chest, protested the movement and she remained sitting on the ground. She unwound the long scarf from her neck and wrapped it tightly around her ankle, in hopes that it would give enough support for her to get back to the castle.

The castle was where she would find her father and her son, who were both waiting for explanations.

It only took her about fifteen minutes to make it to the castle; she slide in through the kitchen doors, where she found her father in the kitchen, halfway through the stack of dishes that could have only contained Gohan's dinner. Only a Saiyan could eat that much; but she knew her father liked to cook as much as she did, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

He glanced up at her and smiled happily. "I see you finally made it up the hill." He frowned. "What happened to you?"

"I had a little mishap at the stream," she answered, limping towards the table.

"Oh-did you see the green man-Piccolo's his name, isn't it? He's staying down at the stream." Ox questioned as he shoved a stack of clean plates back into a cabinet.

"We ran into each other, Papa," she muttered wryly as she popped down into the chair. "Literally."

"I offered to let him use one of the guest bedrooms, but he insists on staying out there," Ox continued, not hearing her. "And there's another storm brewing; I can feel it." He sounded worried, as well he ought. It was common knowledge that anything alive out in the fierce lightning storms was in great danger of electrocution; there had been fires started many times by large strikes.

Chichi shrugged, unwrapping her dirt-encrusted scarf from her ankle. "Don't worry about Piccolo, Papa. He can take care of himself." She couldn't take the sarcasm from her voice, but she was too tired to care.

Ox turned to see what had bothered her when his gaze landed on her bruised ankle. "Chi-chan? What happened?"

"Nothing Papa-I just hurt my ankle trying to jump across the stream." She gave him a placating smile. "I'm kinda out of practice."

Her father frowned. "Chi-chan; I know you've been sparring with Vegeta. Gohan's been filling my ears with tales about how well the two of you spar." He smiled. "I'm glad you haven't forgotten what your mother and I taught you."

Chichi smiled, although her heart filled with sorrow at the mention of her mother. She shook her grief away. Her mother was gone; never to return. Her father was the only parent she had, and he deserved to hear the news from her. "Papa?"

Her father had turned back to the dishes. Chichi rose and began to dry them as he washed, reminiscent of her younger days. "Yes Chi-chan?"

"Vegeta claimed me."

Her father's brawny arm ceased washing a monstrous frying pan, but only for a second. Chichi held her breath as he continued washing dishes; the sound of glass clanking and running water filling the cavernous room. "I suspected as much." He handed her the frying pan to dry. His tone was thick with disappointment, and Chichi had to resist the sudden urge to quiver.

"Papa?"

He flashed her one of his toothy grins that made him resemble a crazed man, and she swallowed. Would this drive her jolly father back into the edge of the insanity he had adopted after her mother's death? He'd arranged her marriage to Goku, after all. She'd just been the one to finalize it. Her match with Vegeta had been entirely of her own making.

He would have to deal with it.

"When Gohan told me how often you'd been sparring with Vegeta I started to wonder." He stared at her for a moment, then tugged her over to the table to sit down. "Chishali," her Amazonian birth name sounded unfamiliar in her father's voice, "you are your mother's daughter." He smiled wryly. "No matter how hard I tried to give you a choice in who you grew up to become, you always chose the Amazon route-even unconsciously."

Chichi felt confused, and Ox squeezed her hands. "I arranged your marriage to Goku because I felt that he would be stronger than you were as an adult; capable of earning your respect, while his nature guaranteed he would never hurt you or break your spirit." He shook his head. "But before you would marry him; you had to know, in your heart, that he was stronger than you. He had to defeat you in a situation where he would not hold back for you to be happy with him."

Chichi nodded; remembering at first her despair at being unable to choose her own mate. It was only proper for her father to choose for her; but she wanted to make the choice herself-she wanted someone stronger than she was, not someone her father thought was suitable. Goku had met both of their requirements.

Vegeta just sent her senses ablaze. After being alone for so long, his very presence excited her; the man simply oozed masculinity, strength, and power. Being near him was intoxicating.

Ox-King watched her for a moment, taking in her rumpled appearance, then patted her hands. "You've had a long day, Chi-chan, and your room is ready. We can talk more in the morning."

Chichi nodded, both relieved and puzzled by her father's almost non-reaction. She rose and straightened her now-filthy skirts as her father went back to the sink. She jogged forward and managed to sling an arm around his neck to plant a feathery kiss on his bearded cheek. "Thank you for watching Gohan, Papa."

He smiled-a true smile that set his eyes sparkling-and patted her cheek. "You're welcome Chi-chan. It's always nice to spend a little time with my grandson; he brings a bit of life back to the place after all these years." He paused for a moment, cocking his head in the fashion that told her someone had just crossed the borders and her father was feeling them out. His face tightened for a moment, then he shrugged, turning back to the much smaller pile of dirty dishes. "Gohan is in Taro's room, if you want to check on him. He tired himself out playing today," Ox's great fondness for his grandson was apparent, and Chichi smiled at him before shuffling out of the kitchen.

She half-ran up the many different combinations of staircases to the set of rooms she and her brother had called their own in the castle. Before it had been rebuilt, the walls had been thick cold stone, rough and unpleasant to the eye. Now the walls were much smoother, prettier, more finished. Chichi's own room had been painted white, the stone walls hidden by several silk wall-hangings her Aunt had produced.

Her Aunt had produced most of the furnishings, actually. The room itself with its wide windows and small balcony bespoke of Amazon design. The only thing that was from her father's culture was the huge four-poster bed elaborately carved out of a rich cherry colored wood. He'd made it for her himself, after the fire demon had hurt her, to give her eyes something to look at while her body recovered.

Chichi stared longingly at the thick, comfortable mattress that she could sink into forever, then at the bathroom door. She had a real bathroom here-one with deep full tub. She loved the standing bath at Mt. Paotzu-but here, here she could really take a bath. Someone had even made sure her favorite bubble bath was sitting on the counter in full view.

She shook her head. Gohan first-then she could sleep.

Her son was in the room across the hall, and she slid into it on quiet feet, pausing a moment to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. This room was almost identical to its counterpart in the original castle. The walls were still blue, one covered with a scale drawing of the star-system. Posters of various fictional space heroes were scattered about the rest of the room, the desk and dresser decorated with small armies of samurai figures and model aircraft. A dirty gi hung off the desk chair, a small sword slung across the seat, just as it had been when she was a small child.

The only difference was the boy inhabiting it. The lump beneath the blankets in the sleigh bed had black hair, not red.

She avoided a particularly complex setup of soldiers on the floor and stood by his bedside, kneeling so she could peer into the familiar face of her son. In sleep, Gohan's hard-earned maturity dissolved, leaving behind the little boy that Chichi hadn't truly seen since he was five. In sleep, her baby could actually be a child.

She reached out and touched the spiky hair, surprisingly soft as it wrapped around her fingers. He'd only been gone a week, and yet he'd grown. Sometimes it felt that if she closed her eyes long enough, her son, once a little baby that needed her for everything, would grow into a man who wouldn't need her at all.

She prayed with all her might that that day would be a long time in coming.

"Mom? 'S'at you?" Gohan had woken up just enough to realize he wasn't alone.

Chichi smiled as he screwed his eyes shut in defiance of being woken-sometimes he was just like his father. "Yes, Gohan. I'm sorry I'm so late."

"'S'okay," he mumbled again. "I like it here with Grandpa." He burrowed back into the pillows, and Chichi gave into temptation and climbed onto the bed behind him, drawing him to her. He automatically curled up against her the way he had as a toddler, pillowing his head on her breast and pressing folded arms against her ribs. She almost missed the feeling of his tail wrapped trustingly around her waist or wrist-almost. With an arm around his waist and ankle thrown over his legs, she rested her chin in his hair and listened to the sound of his slow breathing with her entire being.

They laid together in silence for several minutes before Gohan spoke drowsily. "Did you and Vegeta have a good spar this morning?"

Chichi frowned. She hadn't sparred with Vegeta that morning-unless one counted verbal sparring. Why was Gohan asking about him? "I suppose you could say that," she amended and rubbed his back. "Why do you ask?"

Gohan shrugged. "You smell like him."

Chichi had to work to keep from panicking. It was only an innocent observation-and she hadn't taken a shower that morning, so naturally she would smell like the man who'd shared her bed. Gohan didn't know anything, he was just making assumptions and asking a simple question. Loosing her calm would only make things worse in the long run.

She took a deep breath and rubbed his back. "I had an interesting morning." She sighed. "I'm going to go take a bath," she untangled herself from him and let her feet rest on the cool floor. She leaned over and planted a kiss on his forehead, then rose and moved to the door. "I'll be in the room across the hall if you need me."

Gohan smiled drowsily and went back to his pile of pillows, not having roused enough to truly become alert. "Love you Mom."

She stuck her head back into the room and smiled widely at him. "I love you too, Gohan."

The door clicked shut quietly behind her, and she wandered back into her own rooms and began to draw a hot bath, dumping liberal amounts of the scented oils into the water. She shed her clothes and stepped into the water, allowing herself to sink to her neck in the sweetly-scented water. It smelled of nectar and ambrosia, the same scent her mother had used, the one she associated with her.

Chichi closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the marble rim of the tub, humming softly to herself as she stared out the window at the starry sky.

Both her Mother and Taro had loved the stars. Before she had died; she'd snuck them all out to a ledge further on up the mountain on summer nights, naming many of the stars in the skies. Chichi had been much too young to really listen to her lessons; she'd preferred to sit in her mother's lap and play with her molten hair as Octavia lectured to Taro. All she remembered was the lilting quality of the Princess' voice as the night wore on, and falling asleep in the sweet nectar-scented nightgowns.

She could remember a few of the stories, though. Taro had told them to her often enough before he'd joined their mother in the next dimension. It had been their way of connecting themselves to the fierce woman that had been their mother. There had been one about the North Star, and how it never moved that Chichi could almost remember; could almost hear it recited in her mother's voice.

Even though she knew her mother was disconnected from the living universe and couldn't hear her or see what she'd become, Chichi always felt that when the North Star shined brightly, Octavia and Taro were still aware of her. That somehow, they knew what had become of her life and how confused she had become.

Her eyes naturally strayed to where the North Star shone in the dark sky and she wondered what her mother would tell her about her life now. If Octavia would be proud of the woman she'd become; if she would have blessed Chichi's marriage to Goku and teach her grandson the stories behind the stars. If she would have approved of Vegeta.

Her mother and Vegeta would have gotten along well.

Chichi lounged in the bath and stared at the North Star, trying to let all of her worries soak away in the warm water. She could get her life back on track now-she finally had a man to take care of her while she took care of things.

The North Star twinkled in the dark skies at her before it disappeared behind the silhouette of a man floating next to her window. Chichi's heart froze before she recognized Vegeta's presence-and then it filled with anger.

"What are you doing here," she hissed at him, standing and pulling the plug of the bath. "I wanted to tell them on my own!"

The beautiful dark gaze he gave her nearly sent her to the ground.

He wanted her.

She stared at him as he came to stand at the edge of the tub, resisted the urge to blush as intense dark eyes traversed her body from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes and back again, not missing an inch of her bare skin. When his eyes locked with hers again she felt exposed, but not violated.

He extended a hand, which she took to keep from slipping as she stepped out of the tub, never looking away from his eyes. They shone like onyx in the lights of her bathroom, filled with desire as one of his strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her to him.

"We can't!" She protested feebly as his hands roamed her body. "Not now! Not until I tell Gohan!"His teeth nipped gently at her shoulder and she shuddered as her knees went weak. "Please," she pleaded softly, grasping firmly at her resolve. It faltered as he bent his head again and nuzzled the mark at her throat, sending a chill down her spine, followed by the fire of lust.

He lifted his head and gave her a mischievous smirk. "Do you want me to stop?"

She had practically melted against him the second he'd touched the scar at her throat, and he was taking full advantage of it. "No," she answered huskily, tipping her head back as he stroked her neck, giving him better access to her throat.

Vegeta smirked and obediently massaged the mark, nearly driving her wild.

About the point she was sure she would go mad if Vegeta didn't take her then and there, she realized what they were doing. She straightened up and stopped his hands, trying to get her breath back. "No! Stop, please!"

He stilled his hands but kept her pulled tightly to him. "What now, Princess?" His tone was surly-he'd been enjoying this as much as she had.

She rested her forehead against his own, so that their eyes were mere millimeters apart. "It's not that I want you to stop-kami, any other day I'd make your life hell for leaving me like this, but we can't. It's just-not right. Not tonight."

"And why wasn't it wrong any night for the past four days?" He questioned gruffly.

She sighed. "It's not fair to Gohan."

"What does the brat have to do with sex?"

"I raised him to think about love between adults and a family in a certain way." She sighed and closed her eyes. "I shouldn't have done it that way, but I did, and I can't change that now. What's done is done."

She paused for a long moment and Vegeta waited somewhat impatiently for her to continue, muscles rippling idly across his chest. When she didn't speak again, he gave her a good prod across their bond, which, despite their physical separation, was maturing nicely. Soon enough they would probably even be able to speak telepathically across it.

"And we're going to blow all those views to hell, aren't we?"

Her eyes flew open again, and she found him watching her with an annoyed expression, although there was a flicker of something softer at the corners of his eyes.

She nodded numbly, wanting nothing more than to lean against him and have him tell her everything would be fine. But she couldn't. He wasn't exactly the comforting kind, and she didn't really need comforting. She'd brought about most of the issues to come herself; and she could get out of them herself.

It truly was her fault. She really had been isolated as a child, but not to the extent her husband was. As a child she'd grown up knowing about many different kinds of marriages; those of her father's people, those of her mother's people, and had lived through a Saiyan bonding when neither party knew anything that was going on. She knew about untraditional marriages-she was part of one-and about divorce.

But she hadn't taught anything about that to Gohan. She'd been hardly more than a child herself when he was born, and had taught him about life with a child's idealism. Oh, she knew he'd read about divorce, and what society called unhappy marriages; but they were just facts to him. He just didn't understand that a marriage could be broken-that a person could love others beside their spouse in the same way.

In terms of his parent's marriage, Gohan had been part of a fairytale. She had been a Princess caught in a battle over two lines of succession saved by marriage to Goku, the poor-but-strong man who'd saved her as a young girl. The Princess and her Pauper, a story that crossed all languages and cultures to end in happily ever after.

She knew what happened after the story ended-she'd lived it after all. And it hadn't been happy, at least not until Gohan had come along nearly ten months after the fairy tale had ended, and they'd all finally become a family again. Chichi had lived her fairy-tale ending once more.

Then it had all gone wrong.

Through the tears, the depressions, and the heartaches, Chichi had managed to cling to her belief that everything would turn out right in the end. But it hadn't. She'd ended up with a somber, far too mature son, and a husband who didn't want to come home. At first he had spoken to her a time or two, as he had after he'd died the first time. Then the communications had cut off completely, and her world had shattered. She tried to stay strong for Gohan, but it hadn't stopped her from being miserable.

The man who was holding her now was giving her a chance at a real life again. He was real; not just a memory that haunted her dreams.

She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his waist, ignoring the fact that they were standing in the middle of her bathroom. He frowned for a few moments, then she felt a hesitant arm wrap around her waist.

Chichi giggled softly.

Vegeta lifted a questioning eyebrow. "I'm just trying to figure out how you're supposed to fit into my fairy-tale life," she told him truthfully. "If you're supposed to be a part of happily ever after."

"You're comparing me to children's stories?" He sounded disgusted.

She reached for the silky nightgown hanging off a peg on the wall, stepping out of his reach. It would be better for her to stay covered during the night-to stay away from tempting Vegeta any further. "My whole life has been a big fairy tale," she shrugged as she pulled the long gown over her head. "You've got to fit in somehow."

Vegeta stood next to the tub, arms crossed over his chest, still examining her form despite the nightgown, and the lace dressing robe she'd just thrown over it. Chichi laughed, realizing where he fit in. "You're the evil tyrants henchman!"

"I may be evil," Vegeta hissed, offended. "But I am no creature's henchman."

"Of course not." She agreed firmly, not wanting to delve into his past. He wasn't ready to get rid of his demons. Not yet. "It was just a fancy of mine to think of you that way-to try and fit you into what I believed in as a child." She walked back out into her bedroom and collapsed onto her bed.

Vegeta followed her, eyeing the four magnificent dragons that made the posts and canopy.

Chichi knew she wasn't going to be able to get him to leave. Judging from when she and Goku had accidentally bonded, he was going to want to be within sight of her for a few more days. Not that she really minded.

She made a show of removing her dressing robe and crawling between the covers.

Vegeta stood at the foot of her bed, eyeing her appreciatively.

She arched an eyebrow and asked coyly. "Aren't you coming to bed? Or are you going to stand there and watch me sleep all night?"

From the flicker she felt in the part of her mind that was connected to him, she knew that was what he had intended to do.

She tugged her head towards the empty space beside her. "You've earned the right to sleep in my bed, Vegeta." She sighed. "I belong to you now. If you really wanted me to do something, I wouldn't be able to disobey you." She watched with hungry eyes as he began to shed his spandex, revealing more and more muscle. "But I also have the right to deny you certain things." She smiled at the expression on his face as he joined her beneath the sheets. "They're made of silk."

Vegeta shrugged and moved closer to her as she reached out to turn off the lamp, then settled down to sleep. She shivered slightly as she felt his breath on the back of her neck. "So tell me," he whispered, "why you can't disobey me, and yet you can still deny me?"

She rolled over to look at the canopy of her bed-where the four dragon-tail shaped posts met and wound together. Yards of blue silk were draped over them-another gift from her aunt. "You've brought out my Amazon side. Amazons wish to be…superior…to their men at all times. But the most valued men in their society are those that make us earn their respect." She paused as a surprisingly soft hand began to caress her then continued, wishing she could purr. "When you claimed me after our last spar, you made me yours-you earned my respect by defeating me in combat." She stopped as his hand slid beneath her nightgown then continued in a softer tone. "There are other things, but they're not important now."

"And what is?" Vegeta questioned her, absolutely certain he would get his way that night.

"Sleep." Chichi said firmly, burrowing into the pillow as his hand stopped on her thigh. "I can't go on forever, no matter how badly I may want to do otherwise."

Vegeta grumbled, but she ignored him. "Besides-I'll have a lot of explaining to do in the morning, and I can't do it properly when I haven't slept."

Rubbing her fingers across his arm in apology, she settled herself into bed. "Besides, there's someone I need to go see in the morning before I talk to Gohan, who gets up with the sun."

Her mate wasn't happy, but he respected her wish, at least for one night. He would never admit it to anyone, but the last few days had left him below his maximum level as well. A night's sleep and a good meal would bring him back to his full, and give him the chance to experiment with the super-saiyan form.

He squirmed between the strange-feeling sheets for a few moments then cast a glance at his mate. She lay on her side, the slow deep breaths indicating to him that she truly was asleep. It took a strong woman to admit her weaknesses, he mused, slipping an arm around her waist and drawing her close so he could inhale the sweet scent of her hair and assure himself she really was still there. Within a few minutes, the Saiyan Prince allowed himself to drift off into sleep as well.

In a room much further on down the corridor, the giant Ox-king settled into bed, mentally tallying the guests on his land. Piccolo was out by the stream-and there was a group of hikers camped out by the river-in the small clearing he had created for that purpose. They would move on in the morning. Then there were the guests in the castle. Gohan was in Taro's room-and Chichi was across the hall. Her new man was with her.

Ox frowned. He'd never really known the man before-but he knew enough to know that this man wasn't like Goku, whose great heart counteracted his great strength. Vegeta was different. His aura, his very ki itself, was tinged with darkness. This man was dangerous in a way Goku could never be.

And his daughter had let him claim her.

After the King of Ox dozed off while pondering the new developments in his daughter's life, small pinpoints of light appeared by his window, glistening like stars in the night sky. They whirled together to take the image of a woman in a white and gold toga. Long flame-colored hair fell to her waist, and her eyes glowed golden in the darkness as she approached the man on the bed.

Had the king been awake, he would have been overjoyed to see the form of his wife standing by him, even if just for a few moments. A glittering hand reached out and cupped one of the massive cheeks before running slender fingers through his soft beard.

Sorrow fell across the spirit's face, giving the woman the look of a Greek statue as she looked down upon her husband. "It was not supposed to be this way," she whispered to the sleeping giant. "The stars had our fates written much differently, but the gods interfered."

The molten hair floated along in an unseen breeze, and the woman made no effort to restrain it, wishing that she could wake the man who'd won her heart so many years ago. "I'm sorry you cannot see me-but the she tells me it is not yet time. And she is the mother, while I am a mere Princess-General. I must obey her wishes." A sad smile touched upon her face. "She has even kept Taro from me, but I was allowed to watch him from a distance not too long ago."

One hand draped across the hilt of a shimmering sword. "Our son is a fine warrior, well-versed in all the arts of war, not merely our own." She sighed and stared towards the direction of her daughter's room. "Chishali has the makings of a fine warrior as well. Her strength will be needed. A great calamity is coming to Earth-even the lowliest of spirits like myself can feel it."

She paused, glancing at the sleeping man. "There will be much blood and heartache, that much is clear. I fear that the brunt of it will fall upon the shoulders of our family and friends." She was silent for a long moment, peering into the web of the future that she was allowed to see. "Especially our grandchildren, Ox. They will either defeat the coming menaces, or be devoured by them." She paused for a long moment. "I have no desire to meet them until they have become old themselves." She leaned next to the ear of her sleeping husband. "Remember that Chishali must come into her birthright. She is well on the way to accepting it-her new spouse will both aid and hinder her. But she needs him-and she'll need you too." Her soft voice was whispery as if carried on the end of an autumn breeze.

She pressed soft lips to his cheek as the sky began to lighten. "My time here is up," she told him again as her body began to fade. "But we will meet again, my love. I promise." The last words were nothing more than a whisper as the spirit faded away into nothingness. "Remember."

The Ox-king sighed and opened his eyes as he stared at the place where the ghost of his wife had stood just a few minutes before. He had been disrupted from a most pleasant dream by an even more pleasant presence nearby. But his wife had been dead for years-although he had been certain he'd felt her near him.

He glanced out the window and rose, unconsciously using the vibes of Octavia's ghostly presence to remember her.

While the King of Frypan Mountain prepared himself for another day, his heir and grandson had just awoken, also remembering a nightly visitor to his room. His mother had finally come to get him! He hoped she would stay a few days, though. He liked it up here with Grandpa Ox, and besides-he hadn't explored the whole mountain yet!

Last night his Grandfather had told him about a back room in his vaults-a cave that had a magical gem glowing in the wall. He'd promised Gohan that they'd go visit the vaults deep inside the mountain today, and Gohan really wanted to go. He'd never seen a magical rock before, unless you counted the Dragonballs, which were only rocks part of the time. Grandpa Ox said he'd used one of the smaller gems from that cave in his mom's helmet, and Gohan really wanted to see it.

He hoped his Mom would let him.

The young demi-saiyan hopped out of bed and padded across the hall to his mother's room to ask her. He thought she'd say yes-they always stayed a day or two when they visited Grandfather. But it was always better to ask. What if he and grandfather left before Mom woke up and she thought something had happened to them?

Gohan didn't like to worry her, so he thought it would be better if he told her where they were going. Grandfather had said they'd leave right after breakfast-and he knew Mom would sleep through that if she'd gotten in really late. He went back to his room and scribbled a note on a piece of paper he'd found in the desk. At least now he wouldn't wake her up.

Stepping into the room, he noticed that he was right-she was still asleep. He crept around the bed to put his note on the pillow beside her, where she wouldn't miss it.

There was someone already asleep there.

And the flame-like black hair could only belong to Vegeta.

Gohan's mouth dropped open at the sight of Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince was sleeping in his mother's bed-in the spot where his father always slept!

Stunned and a little confused, he backed away from the sleeping couple and brushed against a side-table, knocking a perfume bottle to the carpeted floor. It didn't break-but it landed with a loud thud.

The Saiyan Prince sat up immediately, eyes scanning the room. They quickly settled on Gohan, who shrank back a little from the Prince's glare. "What do you want, brat?"

At the sound of Vegeta's voice, Gohan was glad to see his mother wake up. She sat up too, glaring at the Prince. "What's going on?"

"Your brat," Vegeta sneered, "woke me up. I asked him what he wanted."

Chichi stared hard at Vegeta for a second before turning to Gohan. "Good morning Gohan," she greeted carefully, going very pale.

"What's Vegeta doing here?" Gohan questioned, confused. "I thought only Dad sleeps with you."

"Not anymore brat," Vegeta snarled, crossing his arms across his chest.

Chichi stared at him angrily, and he shut up.

"Mom?" Gohan was thoroughly confused now. "What's going on?"

Chichi shot him an angry glare before peering at her young son. "Gohan," she began quietly, slipping out of the giant bed and coming to kneel in front of him. "I know this is going to be hard for you…"

She trailed off as Gohan's eyes had landed on her throat, and his little face filled with fury. "You said that Dad bit you there because he loved you," he said, his voice shaking in fury. "In a way that a grown-up man loves his wife. Dad hasn't been home in over a year-and you have another mark now. Who did that to you?"

"Me." Vegeta grunted and stalked across the room to stand over his mate and her brat. "Your mother's mine now."

Chichi had both hands on Gohan's shoulders, as he turned silent for a long moment looking first at her, then at Vegeta. His little body was taut beneath her hands, and she silently railed at Vegeta's harshness.

But what was done was done-and she only hoped she could fix it before Gohan exploded.

"Gohan?"

He turned betrayed eyes to her, and her heart sank. "But what about Dad?" He questioned in a quiet voice, begging her to tell him that this was all just a big mistake.

Chichi swallowed and looked at the floor for a second before answering him. This was not going the way she expected. "Gohan…I don't think your father is going to come back."

Gohan pulled away from her, furious. "No!" He yelled, "Dad always comes back!"

"Gohan," Chichi tried to calm him down. "It's been over a year since anyone has heard anything from him, even King Kai. The galaxy's a big place, and there are a lot of strong warriors out there who don't like Saiyans." She closed her eyes, not wanting to say more, but knowing it was the only way. "Without anyone there to help him, it's quite possible that he didn't make it…"

Gohan shook his head in fury, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. "No," he repeated stubbornly. "Dad's still alive! He has to be!" His gaze and voice turned accusing. "You promised to love him forever! And look what you've done!"

Before Chichi could say anything more her son turned and fled, slamming the door so hard it shattered into splinters across the marble floor.

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