Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Bound ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. DBZ/GT… I. Suck. *wail*

Author's notes: Heyla Minna-san! So many reviews! Awesome ^_^. I'm glad I'm doing this right.

To Elanya - ^_^. I saw you made the same comment on my sisters DBZ fik and it's a good idea except that you're forgetting one very important law of the DragonBalls. No Dragon can undo a wish that another Dragon has granted. Shenron cannot do anything with Porunga's wishes and likewise. ^_^.V

To everyone else - ^_^.V You'll have to keep reading. Blondie gets revealed this chapter so "Yay". Oh and Lisa! Vegeta is not a big girlie sook! He's just very in touch with how he feels *bidah*

\\\-TV/Radio announcers/broadcasts-///

Chapter Two:

Week One -

/crash!/

The building shook and a sifting of dust floated down from the ceiling.

"I can't take it anymore!!!"

Bulma slammed her hands down on the computer desk and shoved herself away from it roughly, the legs of the chair scraping loudly across the floor, then marched out of her lab, tension in her every step.

How was a person supposed to think with all that racket going on?!

Stepping out of the Capsule Corp. building, Bulma glared at where Gokou and Vegeta were standing in the centre of a ring of complete destruction, the former with his hand rubbing the back of his head and laughing sheepishly.

"What on Earth happened this time?!" She growled dangerously and Gokou immediately pointed at Vegeta and slid backwards out of harms way.

"What of it, Woman!" Vegeta snapped his eyes flashing to her dismissively.

"What of it? What. Of. It?! For the passed week I've had to deal with explosions, broken buildings, repair crews, complaints from everyone that lives, or works, within a mile of here not to mention the cacophony of noise that is making it completely impossible to concentrate on your problem; and you ask me, 'What of it' ?!"

Breathing hard, Bulma paused and Gokou stepped forward again, his hands making vague soothing motions, "Come on, Bulma. We don't mean to be so much hassle; and we appreciate what you're doing, really we do. Right, Vegeta?"

At the question, Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest and glared off in the opposite direction.

"See!" Gokou said.

"Gokou," Bulma's voice was tightly controlled, "if you want me to get any work done on this you have to go away. I don't care where, just go!"

Gokou's expression turned injured, "We'll be quiet." He offered.

"Kakorotto! Stop snivelling and let's just go. It's to cramped here for a decent fight anyway."

Gokou looked over his shoulder at Vegeta and frowned, "But…"

"Gokou! Both of you just go! Stay at your own house, at least there you won't bother anyone with your pointless bickering!"

"Bulma…" Gokou began.

"Kakorotto!" Vegeta pushed himself into the air, stopping at the twelve-foot limit and glared impatiently down at the hesitant Saiyan.

"Okay, okay… Bye Bulma!" Gokou waved then jumped into the air, putting on a quick burst of speed as the impatient Vegeta shot out ahead. Well - at least Chichi would be happy.

*+*

"I will not have that man in my house!" Chichi was standing with her hands planted firmly on the kitchen table as she leaned towards the front door and the objects of her declaration.

"But Chichi…" Gokou tried to placate her.

"No! If it isn't enough that I have my own family to feed, my husband has been cursed and I have no idea how we'll get the money we need to live on; now you want to inflict another mouth to feed on me and Kami knows where he'll sleep!" Chichi waxed from heated lecturing to tearful laments, then back again finally ending with a growl, "And I will not put up with you blowing my house to smithereens!"

"But Chichi! We won't…"

"And I do not want these kinds of interruptions to interfere with Gohan and Goten's studying! How are they going to get into good schools if they're constantly distracted like this?!"

"Chichi…!"

"Woman!" Vegeta finally stopped his intent study of the trees outside the front door and growled, "I will not be blowing up your house, disturbing your children or you in any way. The only reason we're even here is because Kakorotto insisted. Saiyan's are quite capable of tending to ourselves if needed and we will simply go someplace else if you have a problem."

Chichi's expression turned from dark to furious, "How dare you imply I'd turn away a guest! You're staying right here, Mister. Whether you like it or not, and don't you dare complain!"

Vegeta smirked and went back to his contemplation of the trees as Gokou stood blinking.

"Now both of you, out!" Chichi made vague 'shooing' motions with her hands "Get out of the way and don't be late for dinner!"

Both men wisely left the house immediately, looking for somewhere they could spar in peace yet still be close enough that someone would know if something had gone wrong.

"Wow, Vegeta! How'd you know what to say? I didn't think anyone could handle Chichi that well." Gokou was trailing along behind Vegeta, his hand running through his hair as he spoke.

"Shut up." Vegeta ignored Gokou as best he could, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I guess you would learn how to do that though, since you live with Bulma…"

Judging they were far enough away from Kakorotto's house, Vegeta spun on his heel, a punch already aimed at the other man.

Gokou dodged it easily; already growing used to Vegeta's sudden attacks, and flowed perfectly into a simple martial art form, "Do we really have to spar now?" he tried half heartedly, "We could go fishing and do this later."

Vegeta growled and jumped into the air, a kick aimed at Gokou's head, not bothering to reply.

Gokou sighed and ducked the kick, his own foot lashing out as he moved, in a failed attempt to knock Vegeta over.

Training. It was all Vegeta seemed to do apart from sleeping (sparingly) and eating (copiously).

Now, Gokou admitted, he loved to fight just as much as Vegeta did, but the constant 'all day, every day' routine was wearing thin. Didn't the man ever stop? Didn't he ever want to just pause, take a look around, and enjoy his surroundings?

The battle had branched out into aerial combat now and Gokou was currently moving his arms rapidly - blocking the nearly imperceptible flurry of blows being aimed at his head, chest and midsection.

He watched for his chance, and it came quickly enough. With both of Vegeta's arms spread wide from blocked punches, Gokou countered with his own set of barely blocked hits and then slipped in a kick that connected and sent Vegeta down the short distance to the ground.

Gokou had enough time to register that his attack had worked then Vegeta was on him again.

Using the ground to speed up his momentum, Vegeta launched himself at Gokou, catching him by surprise and landing a solid punch to the side of the man's face, hurling him backwards through the air and sending electric jolts up Vegeta's arm.

Vegeta didn't stop to admire the blow. Instead he threw himself after Gokou's hurtling figure, phasing out briefly to appear in time to send the bigger Saiyan flying upwards, curtsey of a powerful punch to the stomach; then phased out again and appeared higher up in the sky, a swift kick sending Gokou plummeting downwards to slam into the ground. Hard.

Now would have been where Vegeta stopped to admire his handy work. Normally.

Instead he was lightly touching down on the ground near his rival, making damned sure the twelve foot limit of their Bond wasn't breached. Vegeta hated it. He was bound unavoidably to this softhearted third-class moron and the prince already knew he wouldn't last the entire year they would be bound.

He'd figured out years ago that he couldn't stand being around the taller man. His laugh, his too-big grin, and his infinitely moronic comments all served to drive the prince into a near fit of frustration and irritation. How could Kakorotto, this complete fool, be a member of such an elite race as the Saiyajin? Every moment Vegeta had to be around him his disbelief that this man, this man, had gone Super Saiyan before his prince; had gotten the revenge their race so richly deserved on the tyrant who had destroyed them, and in nearly the same breath, could defeat Vegeta in a proper battle every single time, grew.

It was insufferable; and he was now faced with it every moment of every day. It had only been a week, but already Vegeta was feeling the strain. One week. He needed to get away. Away from Kakorotto, away from his pathetic moronic comments and smiles, and away from the hurtful reminders of exactly how impotent he really was.

No matter how hard he strived, he was always second best. Normally he could deny it, pretend that, given enough training, he could defeat the other. But with the man around him all the time...

Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest trying to dampen the electric feeling that still raced through the limbs, as he stared down at the dazed figure at his feet, "Get up." He commanded.

Gokou stared upwards. No way. He wasn't getting up till Vegeta gave in and let them go to the river or something, "I'm not sparring anymore." He said matter-of-factly.

Vegeta frowned, "Get up and fight me, Kakorotto!"

Gokou, unheeding of how ridiculous it looked, crossed his own arms over his chest, "No."

It was a show down, a clash of wills. So far Gokou had been going along with whatever Vegeta said, but now he was drawing a line.

Vegeta stared into Gokou's eyes, weighing the man's resolve against his own; it was hard as steel. Gokou let his determination to win this silent battle show in his eyes and Vegeta suddenly felt trapped. As if he were being sucked down into the liquid black depths, a disconcerting pull beginning to draw him forwards, towards the other man; willing him to reach out, to touch him.

Vegeta blinked and re-caught his balance, shaking the feeling off. "Fine, do what you want." Turning away, he levelled his glare at the surrounding trees.

Gokou blinked then his look of determination melted into a boyish grin, "Follow me!"

A few minutes later had the two men standing on the bank of Gokou's favourite fishing spot.

Vegeta glared as Gokou began to strip of his clothes.

"I'm not going in." Vegeta declared and Gokou blinked at him for a moment before he clicked.

"Oh... well just sit real close to the edge then."

Vegeta glared again then simply gave up and sat at the water's edge then closed his eyes, effectively blocking the other man out, and resigned himself to a wasted afternoon.

*~~~*

Week Two -

"Stop it."

Silence.

"Kakorotto. If you don't stop that this moment I'll kill you right now!" Vegeta snapped and turned his head to glare at the man who stared impassively back.

"But I'm not doing anything." Gokou protested, his eyes going wide in complete innocence; genuinely having no idea what he'd done this time to annoy the other Saiyan.

Vegeta growled and had to restrain himself from leaping across the distance that separated the two and strangling the third-class idiot; "You have been staring at me, non-stop, for the past two hours, Kakorotto. If you don't stop it now I'll make you stop."

Irrationally, Gokou's face went bright red. "Ahhh... Sorry. I hadn't realised…I didn't mean…I was just thinking…I… Sorry." He stammered out.

Vegeta glared at the other man for a moment before going back to his contemplation of the inside of his eyelids.

Gokou was still blushing. He really hadn't noticed he'd been staring, and certainly not for that long. And what had he actually been staring at anyway?

Letting his gaze linger on the wall beside him, Gokou tried to dredge up whatever had been going through his mind only moments before. Whatever it had been had fled when Vegeta's voice had intruded on the silence and all Gokou could capture were brief, confusing mental images of his and Vegeta's past battles and then a sudden, blindingly clear, thought. A wordless appreciation of the way Vegeta looked as he meditated. The soft even breath's, impassive expression, which for once wasn't twisted in a smirk, snarl or mask of hatred; and the way his body, his Ki, and his very essence was at peace with everything around him.

Gokou shook his head in mute confusion then shrugged, eyeing Vegeta again.

The Saiyan wasn't nearly so at peace now. While he still had the air of meditative trance about him, his Ki no longer flowed outwards, balancing him with the energy's around him. Now it was held close, guardedly. Watching.

"Kakorotto, if you haven't anything useful to do then go to sleep." Vegeta snapped, not even bothering to open his eyes this time. Gokou started guiltily.

"Right. Good night." Gokou waited for a brief moment for a reply but was rewarded by nothing more then a slight tightening of Vegeta's lips.

With a sigh, the earth raised Saiyan pushed back the blanket on his pallet, on the floor of the living room (where Chichi had relegated the two men too), and lay down under it.

Within moments he was asleep, leaving Vegeta to his silent contemplation of the night around him.

*==*

"C'mon guys! Hurry it up a bit, I do want to get there sometime today."

"We're coming already!" Krillin muttered under his breath as he and Yamcha sped up their steps to catch up with Bulma, "Why did she come anyway?"

Yamcha shrugged, "Something about wanting some of Gokou's blood for an experiment, or something like that."

Krillin blinked. Blood from Gokou? That certainly wasn't going to be easy, not unless she planned to slice him up with a sword or something.

"Come on, Guys!" Bulma's impatience finally got to her and she marched off ahead of the other two, only coming to a stop when she finally reached the Son's front door. As she raised her hand to knock, the door was pulled open and Chichi stood there watching her.

"Hi!" Bulma chirped. "Is Gokou around? I need a blood sample."

"He's not." Chichi scowled, "He and Vegeta have gone somewhere to train."

Bulma frowned, "I'll have to wait - I really need this sample."

Behind her there was a faint rush of air as the object of Bulma's visit, having felt the Ki of his friends nearby, arrived suddenly, "Krillin! Yamcha!" Gokou sounded absolutely delighted.

Bulma turned and smiled as she watched Gokou greeting his friends then cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Bulma! What're you doing here?"

"Well, I need some more samples for my research."

Gokou's eyebrow twitched and he took a half step backwards, "A sample?"

Bulma shifted her gaze to glare at Krillin and Yamcha meaningfully and both men suddenly realised why she'd decided to come with them. The two briefly exchanged a look, then sighed realising they didn't really have a choice.

They pounced.

"Noooooo! No needles!!" Gokou landed flat on his face with both Yamcha and Krillin pinning him down and began to struggle for all he was worth.

"You should hurry this up Bulma!" Krillin said and grabbed Gokou's arms; "We won't be able to hold him for long."

Bulma had grabbed the bag she'd been wearing as soon as the two men had gotten Gokou to the ground and had a needle ready in three seconds flat. "Hold his arm still!" she snapped at Krillin and was suddenly on the receiving end of a fairly good death glare.

"Bulma! Get that thing away from me!" Gokou's voice was slightly hysterical, "This isn't funny! Guys! Chichi!!?"

Bulma began to growl as she watched for any pauses in Gokou's wild thrashing to get the needle in his arm then jerked back slightly in surprise as a gloved hand suddenly reached over her shoulder and pinned one of Gokou's arms flat on the ground.

"Well? Hurry up, Woman! Or I'll let him go again."

Bulma ripped her surprised eyes away from Vegeta and quickly jabbed Gokou with the needle.

The man howled.

Narrowing her eyes, Bulma decided to take advantage of the situation and pulled the spare syringes she'd expected to need out of her bag; filling them quickly to get four vials instead of the one she'd been sincerely hoping for.

"There, you big baby, all done." Bulma began to pat Gokou soothingly on the arm but suddenly he wasn't lying on the ground anymore.

Krillin and Yamcha were sprawled across each other to one side and Gokou was running in the opposite direction, dragging a startled and swearing Vegeta behind him. Then the two men were in the air and gone.

Bulma blinked at the sky for a moment and then shrugged, "Well that went a lot better then I expected."

Stowing the vials safely in her bag Bulma turned and smiled at a half anxious, half embarrassed, Chichi. "Thanks, Chichi. I have to get these back to the lab. Bye!"

With a small wave she set off back the way she had come, humming as she went.

*==*

"Stop whining, it was only a small piece of metal; you won't die." Vegeta glowered at Gokou from his place on a large rock that had become his normal position when Gokou insisted on visiting his favourite fishing spot.

Gokou glared at Vegeta, rubbing his arm, "You helped them." He stated accusingly.

Vegeta huffed, exasperated, "Yes, Kakorotto, I helped them. It got the entire thing over with quickly, stopped your pathetic show, and also allowed that woman to get enough blood that she won't have to get more from you for a while."

Gokou perked up slightly at the last, "Really?"

Vegeta ignored him.

Gokou waited for a moment then rubbed his arm again thoughtfully. Of all the things in the world he had a fear of needles were the one thing he knew he could never stand up too.

In a way he was glad that Vegeta had stepped in and helped, Bulma did need the blood sample after all, and Gokou would never have been able to stand still and just let her take one. And the way things had happened he hadn't accidentally hurt anyone either.

Gokou realised he was staring at Vegeta, in what was beginning to become an unconscious habit, and finally pulled his hand away from his smarting arm.

"Vegeta?" The Saiyan prince remained silent, still ignoring Gokou, but the taller man had learnt, over the past two weeks, that even if the prince was ignoring everything around him, he was also always listening. So Gokou ploughed on regardless of the silence, "Thank you."

Vegeta didn't even twitch an eyebrow, Gokou shrugged and pushed himself backwards, sprawling out across the soft grass by the river and closed his eyes, soon falling into a light doze.

*==*

Insufferable third-class moron!

Vegeta was fuming.

What kind of example did Kakorotto set for people to judge the true worth of a Saiyan?! No wonder Vegeta had such trouble getting the pathetic earthlings to show him any sort of respect when Kakorotto was reduced to acting like a spoilt human child, throwing a tear filled tantrum at the mere sight of something as insignificant as a needle, and then running away like a terrified idiot!

It galled Vegeta to know that this fool was the strongest man in the universe. He was the first to go Super Saiyan. He was able to defeat any foe. He had seemingly inexhaustible wells of reserve power to call on whenever he needed to become more powerful. And there he was, taking a nap by the side of the river after having been struggling to escape a weak woman with an insignificant piece of metal.

It was insufferable! Unbearable! And Vegeta had absolutely no choice in having to witness it whatsoever.

Slowly releasing a breath, Vegeta slipped further into his meditation and tried to get the thoughts to leave him. To stream away from his consciousness and allow him to have a few moments of calmness amongst the rage of emotion that Kakorotto inspired within him.

He'd been meditating more then normal since the infernal Bond with Kakorotto had been imposed upon him. It helped him to zone out on the other man, though it didn't seem to be helping the fact that, even deep in meditation, Vegeta was completely and unavoidably aware of the other Saiyan. At any moment of the day or night every movement Kakorotto made was firmly embedded in his brain. And once again he didn't really have a choice in the matter.

Damn this infernal Bond anyway!!

An entire year like this; an entire year feeling every movement Kakorotto made, going nowhere without the unwanted company, and saying nothing without getting a ridiculous response.

If Bulma didn't think of a cure quickly - he just might go insane.

*=+=*

Week Three -

"Vege~~ta!"

Vegeta absolutely hated it when Gokou said is name like that. His hackles immediately came up, deep burning fires ignited in the depths of his eyes and he nearly always growled. So, Gokou said it like that now, getting the Prince's attention immediately.

Ignoring the glare Vegeta levelled on him, Gokou bounced over to the Saiyan prince, "Vegeta, could we…"

He was cut off. "No."

"But…"

"No!"

"You don't even…"

"No, Kakorotto."

"But Vege~~ta!"

A growl.

Gokou slumped down, sitting cross-legged on the grass near Vegeta's rock. Vegeta was becoming more and more unreasonable as time passed and Gokou feared it wouldn't be long before Vegeta simply trussed him up, dragged him back to his Gravity chamber and wouldn't release him until the wish had been undone.

Gokou flopped backwards, spreading his arms out across the grass, and stared at the clear blue sky above him.

Three weeks. It wasn't really that bad… Maybe… He and Vegeta were certainly learning a lot. Their ability to synchronize their fighting styles had reached whole new levels and Gokou's conviction that he and Vegeta would be a completely unbeatable team grew with each passing day.

And the man's power level was growing steadily and quickly too, though Gokou was half convinced Vegeta hadn't even noticed. His training in the Gravity chamber, which Bulma had built for him, made him strong, but it was slow. His everyday training with Gokou though, was pushing him beyond limits he didn't even know he had.

A ghost of a smile spread across Gokou's lips. His own power level was increasing rapidly as well; which was lucky for him if he was going to remain one step ahead. The event of the Bond had certainly made things interesting.

Gokou was glad of the power increase for another reason also. That man who had wished them Bonded in the first place.

Things were far too quiet now and Gokou was getting itchy. His instincts insisted that something big was going to happen but for the life of him he didn't know what.

Sighing he refocused his gaze then turned to Vegeta again, "Just for a little whi…?"

"NO!"

*==*

Sleeping. Again.

Vegeta glared down at the slumbering form of his ever-present rival then slipped off of his rock to stand on the soft grass beside him.

How was it that Kakorotto could remain so strong when he trained barely half as much as Vegeta did? What was the secret that kept his Ki spiralling upwards when it was most needed?

Vegeta frowned then allowed himself to slip into a sitting position, his back against his rock and his legs crossed before him. It wasn't a secret; it just was. Kakorotto's strength came from his amazing Will, his love for this planet and from the very people he fought to protect. Kakorotto would never lose to evil. Kakorotto would never allow anything to happen to the lives he strove to protect.

Vegeta yanked a handful of grass out of the ground by his knee and began to filter it through his gloved fingers as he continued to watch the face of the man before him. Kakorotto, the strongest in the universe; because he would not fail his friends or the trust of the innocents who didn't even know he was there to protect them.

Vegeta snorted softly, derisively. Kakorotto the weak, third class fool. Kakorotto the harmless child sent to Earth, from Vegeta-sei, as many of their race's weak were. Kakorotto the only other pure blooded Saiyan alive, and Prince Vegeta's only true subject. How ironic…

Vegeta, the true heir to the throne of Vegeta-sei, surpassed by a simple minded, low-level fool whose only true Saiyan characteristic was his desire for battle. And even that only became truly manifest after he'd transformed into a Super Saiyan.

Kakorotto let out a soft sigh in his sleep, puffing his fringe up slightly then resettled, his breaths coming deep and even.

Vegeta followed the path of the dislodged strands of hair with his eyes then, of it's own volition, his hand moved slowly to smooth those same strands back from the sleeping man's forehead letting them slip through his fingers as the strands of grass he'd been playing with earlier had. For once the sharp electric feelings that normally accompanied any contact Vegeta made with the other man were curiously muted, as if they were watching. Waiting.

This man was the reason Vegeta stayed on this miserable planet. The only reason he consented to remain near that annoying blue haired earth woman, and the only reason he trained as hard and as long as he did. He had to surpass him. His pride in his lineage, his pride in himself, would not allow this low level soldier to win. No matter how many times he was beaten…he would store the information and go on, strive to be better, to be the best.

Vegeta came out of his thoughts as Gokou's eyes opened staring up at him in innocent confusion.

Innocence. How did Kakorotto manage to stay so innocent with what he'd been through? How could he be so simple that the many situations that sort him out merely slid passed him, barely piercing his barriers?

"Ve…Vegeta?" Gokou's voice was hesitant and Vegeta suddenly became aware that he was viewing Kakorotto's newly opened eyes from a close up view. They were nearly nose-to-nose.

Vegeta jerked backwards releasing his tight grip on Gokou's hair, which was obviously what had woken the man up, a blush surmounting his features for a moment before being replaced by a scowl.

"Ve…geta?"

Vegeta rose smoothly to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest, "You can visit your friends." He snapped and glared at an indeterminate piece of thin air.

"Wh…what?" Gokou sat up slowly, watching Vegeta struggle with the blush that kept trying to steal across his cheeks.

"That's what you wanted to do earlier isn't it?!" Vegeta turned back to Gokou and growled, "If you've changed your mind though, we can go train."

Gokou shook his head suddenly, "No! No. Let's go now."

Vegeta nodded sharply then the two men rose into the air, headed for Kame-house, and leaving Gokou to put aside his odd awakening to think about later.

*=+=*

Week Four -

\\\- …o you live from the scene of all this mayhem and disaster! Up above us is what's believed to be the person responsible for this violent outbreak in the city. Let's see if we can get a closer look… -///

Krillin leaned closer to the TV as the camera began to bounce along, showing disconcerting images of the ground then suddenly came up again, focusing on somebody's back, high up on top of a building.

\\\- And there you have it folks. The ringleader of this uprising and director of the attack! My cameraman and I have risked great perils to bring you this footage and hopefully it will be used to find this man and bring him to justice! -///

Krillin's expression fell into a look of horror as the man turned where he stood and his face was revealed to the camera.

Behind him there was a startled exclamation of surprise and Krillin twisted in his seat to see Juuhachi-gou coming to lean on the back of the couch.

"I… I have to go get Gokou!" Krillin jumped from his seat as his wife nodded and moved to sit down and then he ran out the door, in the air and flying before it had even swung shut behind him.

*==*

"Haaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!"

Blinking, Vegeta came out of his meditation and stared at the man going super Saiyan twelve feet away from him.

"Kakorotto… What are you doing?" Vegeta's voice wasn't loud but Gokou heard him.

"..aaahhhhhhhhhh…" The golden aura surrounding Gokou suddenly melted away, taking the blond hair and blue eyes with it. "Vegeta? I thought you were meditating."

Vegeta glared, "I was until you started playing with the energy currents. What were you doing?"

"Oh." Gokou rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "I was just going Super Saiyan."

Vegeta growled and prayed for patience, "I could see that, Kakorotto. Why?"

Gokou shrugged, "Something to do."

Vegeta stared at Gokou, who'd started grinning inanely, then turned his back on the fool, intending to go back to his meditation.

He'd barely closed his eyes however, when he sensed something in the distance. Something…

"Kakorotto!" Vegeta moved to his feet.

"Hmmm?" Gokou stared at Vegeta for a moment then cast his senses in the direction the prince was staring. "Hey that's… He's the one who made the wish!"

Vegeta nodded grimly, "Kakorotto, let's go."

Gokou nodded firmly. "Right!"

*==*

Krillin landed at Chichi's front door quickly and banged on the door.

Within seconds it was answered, being pulled open by Gohan.

"Gohan! Where's Gokou?!"

The fourteen-year-old blinked then shrugged, "He and Vegeta always leave early in the morning. Why?"

"Grrrr…" Krillin growled in thought, "We have to find him; I saw that man that made the wishes with the Dragonballs on the news. He's attacking a city and we need to get there."

"Why don't we just go? Maybe Dad and Vegeta are already on their way."

Krillin blinked then nodded, "Right! Come on, Gohan."

Gohan turned back into the house slightly, "Mum! I'm going with Krillin!" then the two leapt into the air, heading for the city.

*==*

"Vegeta. Can you sense him?" Gokou and Vegeta stood on a rise near the city, watching as plumes of smoke announced fires, destruction and maybe worse.

"No. He's hiding his power level."

"I thought so." Gokou frowned and then both he and Vegeta launched themselves into the air, heading into the city.

*==*

"Well? What do you think? Can you sense them?"

Gohan dodged a piece of falling masonry and stared around, attempting to find his fathers Ki signature, "I can't sense anything. There's so much going on and I think he's suppressing it."

"Me too. Hey! Watch it!" Krillin dodged out of the way of a fleeing man and then rejoined Gohan, "Most of the smoke is coming from the centre of the city. We should go see if anyone needs help and put those fires out."

Gohan nodded in agreement then they began to wind their way further through the city streets.

*==*

"Huaaahhhhhhh!!" Gokou and Vegeta's voices mingled as they used their Ki to smother yet another fire then Vegeta raised his hand, a small Ki-blast making an opening in the rubble for the people stuck in the building to find their way out.

"Where is he!?" Vegeta grit his teeth and fired another blast, clearing more space.

"He's still here; I know he is." Gokou helped the last of the innocents out of the building then he and Vegeta exited after them.

"Gokou!!"

"Dad!"

Gokou turned as Gohan and Krillin ran over, "Gohan! Krillin! What are you doing here?"

"I saw him on the news, Gokou. That guy who used the Dragonballs! He was here in the city and they said he was the one who did all this." Krillin responded.

Gokou nodded, "Vegeta and I sensed him here earlier, but now we can't find him. And the destruction doesn't seem to be stopping either. The more fires we put out, the more that are starting."

"I know! Gohan and I have been putting out fires too, but they just aren't stopping!"

"So whoever is setting them is following along behind us." Vegeta stated from where he stood nearby, his arms crossed over his chest and surveying the burning city.

"Vegeta!" Krillin let out a startled shriek, not having realised the man was there, and stumbled backwards.

Vegeta snorted and ignored him. "Those two should keep working on the fires. We should backtrack."

Gokou nodded slightly then looked at his best friend and son, "Keep helping people, and be careful. Vegeta and I will cover your trail and find whoever is relighting the fires."

"Right!" Gohan and Krillin chorused then powered up, taking off to the next burning building down the street.

Gokou and Vegeta went in the opposite direction.

"I can't see anything…" Gokou muttered, straining to see through the smoke with his eyes and desperately casting around for Ki signatures with his senses.

"Left!" Vegeta barked abruptly and Gokou turned his head quickly, watching as a sudden explosion sent another building into flames. And fleeing from the fire were three flying figures.

"Let's go!"

*==*

It was tiring using Ki to put out fires and Gohan was beginning to feel the strain as he and Krillin moved onto their sixth burning building since leaving his father to search the fires' back trail.

"Come on, Gohan. We're doing really well and the fires haven't been restarting so Gokou must have caught the pyromaniac who's been following us." Krillin said.

Gohan slowed slightly, staring backwards, "Do you think he needs some help?"

Krillin glanced backwards too then shook his head, "We'd know if he were in trouble, and he has Vegeta with him. Despite his personality he and Gokou could probably defeat anything."

Gohan nodded then began to speed up.

"Hey!" Both Krillin and Gohan stopped suddenly as a large man in a business suit suddenly darted out into the air in front of them, "So it's you scum who've been putting out our fires."

"Wh…what?" Gohan twisted in the air as two other people, a blonde teenage girl and an older looking man, flew up behind them.

"We went to a lot of trouble to set those worthless buildings on fire." The older man snarled.

"Who are you?!" Krillin demanded.

"We are Servants. We do the bidding of our lord, Domino." The blonde girl said, then pouted, "But you're getting in the way of our tasks. Now it's our task to eliminate you."

"Oh man. I don't like the sound of this…" Krillin and Gohan closed ranks, floating back-to-back as the three 'servants' began to fly in closer.

Those people look like normal passers-by from the street…but how do they know how to fly?

Krillin ducked as the businessman threw a punch, then ducked a second and a kick. Behind him, Gohan faced off against the older man and the blonde girl hovered in the background, watching. Krillin was getting a really bad feeling about this.

*==*

"Haaaaaahhhh!!" Vegeta and Gokou combined an energy blast, knocking their first opponent out of the sky to lay dazed on the ground then turned to the other two. Gokou tried again to question them.

"Who's 'Domino'?!"

"He is our Lord!" Two black haired men, twins, answered in unison and Gokou growled.

"Where is he, what does he want?"

"He is here. He wants death." And the twins attacked again, twisting around either side of the Saiyan's and boxing them in.

Gokou and Vegeta moved till they were back-to-back and then released Ki-blasts once again, but this time they were deflected, arcing downwards to send sprays of harmless rubble into the air. Soon the third man, a surfer by the look of him, rejoined the twins and they began to close in again.

"We don't have time for this, Kakorotto!" Vegeta snarled.

"I know!" Gokou dodged a series of punches then retaliated, knocking one of the twins back in the air, "But I don't want to hurt them; they look like normal people. I'm guessing this Domino has possessed them somehow."

"Then how do you…" Vegeta used a Ki-blast to throw the second twin plummeting towards the ground then dodged a badly aimed kick from the Surfer and retaliated with his own, better aimed, "…explain their abilities!?"

Gokou growled and spun underneath his opponent, grabbing his feet and thrusting him downwards to meet his twin as he flew back up from where Vegeta had blasted him, "I don't know!"

"Then let's just blast our way through them! Maybe they're working for their 'Lord' willingly."

"And maybe they're not!"

"Kakorotto! We'll be here forever if you keep procrastinating!" So saying, Vegeta powered up, knocking the three men back to crash into various buildings around them; plumes of dust and rubble flying into the air to indicate their impacts.

"Vegeta!"

"Let's just keep looking, Kakorotto! They're dealt with."

*==*

"Oh man!" Krillin got up from where he'd been knocked through a concrete wall and searched around quickly for Gohan, seeing him after a moment, attempting to fight off the man in the business suit and the blonde girl. "Oh great! So where's…!"

A solid blow to the back of his head answered Krillin's question and sent him sprawling forwards, ending up half buried in a pile a loose rock.

"Krillin!!" Gohan abandoned his opponents and raced to stand over his downed friend.

"Why won't you be a good boy and die!?" The blonde girl asked as she and her companion came to land next to the older man; the three surrounding Gohan.

"Haaa!" Gohan attacked the older man, leaping through the air but was knocked backwards again to land beside Krillin who was dazedly sitting up.

Krillin blinked as he suddenly noticed the three balls of red energy about to be unleashed on them and closed his eyes, expecting the worst.

"Piccilo!"

Krillin let one eye open as Gohan let out his exuberant yell and took in the scene. One green Namekian; cloak covered and smirking. Three pissed off looking servants of Domino climbing to their feet a few feet away. Time to go find Gokou.

"Hey! We have to get to Gokou!" Krillin climbed to his feet and shot up into the air and was followed quickly by Piccilo and Gohan.

Streaking through the air towards where they could now see more signs of fighting, the three Z fighters raced to stay ahead of their pursuers.

*==*

"Aaaaarrggghhh!!"

Vegeta threw the two men who'd attached themselves to his arms off and then powered up again in frustration glaring over at a wild looking Kakorotto.

"Kakorotto! I don't care if they're civilians! If another one of them attaches themselves to me I will start killing them!"

"Vegeta, we can't!"

"We have too! There are to many of them to be careful!"

The two men had barely flown far when they had been ambushed by another five of the human's turned servants of Domino and Vegeta's short fuse had long expired.

"Dad!"

"Gokou!!"

Vegeta dodged another flailing servant and dropped to the ground as Gohan, Piccilo and Krillin finally joined them, bringing another three of the pests that the Saiyan Prince desperately wanted to destroy.

"Gohan! Krillin! Are you alright?" Gokou touched down on the ground and Ki-blasted two servants out of the air, hopefully only knocking them unconscious.

"Gokou! What is up with these people?" Piccilo demanded and Gokou dropped flat against the ground to avoid a hurtling body, then jumped back to his feet.

"They call themselves, Servants. They're possessed by a man called Domino!"

"Is he the one who made the wish?" Krillin demanded as he and Gohan finally knocked the blonde girl unconscious and looked around to help the others.

"I don't…" Gokou saw a flash of red light out of the corner of his eye and spun on his heel in time to see a Ki-blast come flying out from a gap between two buildings. The blast was different from the ones that the servants had been using, Gokou could tell immediately. This one had power and would do some serious damage if it hit someone.

Gokou's eyes flickered to track the blast's path; it was heading straight for Vegeta's unguarded back.

Vegeta!

"Vegeta!!" Gokou threw himself across the short distance that separated him from the prince and knocked Vegeta out of the way, cradling him in his arms and curling his own body protectively around the smaller Saiyan's; staying still even after they'd hit the ground.

Everything around them went silent as the fighting drew to a temporary halt, then Vegeta stirred slightly, pushing against Gokou's chest.

"Get off me, Kakorotto."

Gokou tightened his arms slightly his heart still beating wildly from the fright he'd gotten when he'd seen the Ki-blast arc out of nowhere.

"Kakorotto." Vegeta growled warningly and Gokou finally loosened his grip a little.

A small clatter and a shower of rocks to their left suddenly alerted the two Saiyan's that someone was standing on top the rubble above them.

"How sweet." A half familiar voice purred, "Would you be so quick to hurl yourself in front of him to take the blast as well, Son Gokou?"

Gokou frowned but didn't look around or relinquish his protective position over Vegeta. Instead he watched the expression on the prince's face and realised he was correct about the identity of the familiar voice.

"You will not face me, Son Gokou? That is quite rude, but then I suppose you are distracted enough by the man in your arms. I would guess I am not as interesting."

Gokou tensed slightly at the last words but remained silent, his senses moving out to where Krillin, Gohan and Piccilo stood close by, listening intently.

"Very well. I guess I will have to make an attempt at becoming more interesting in your eyes. The Bond. Yes, I see that got your attention." The voice smirked. "I thought maybe I would tell you a small amount about the Bond that I placed upon you and your…companion. Would you like me too?"

The man waited, listening for a response and smiled when Vegeta nailed him with a glare over Gokou's shoulder.

"Kisama! How do you get it off!?"

"Off?" Domino flicked his eyes to his fingernails and began to examine them negligently, "I am afraid it does not come off - Unless you were to acquire and utilise the Dragonballs of course.

"However I suspect you will not be able to do that. I fully expect you will be quite dead by then."

Vegeta stirred slightly, but Gokou didn't move except to narrow his eyes and give Vegeta a quelling look.

"Your death will be a great deal easier to achieve now you have the Bond upon you." The man's eyes glittered and he finally looked back at the two Saiyans. "It works on more then simply physical distance - it Binds you spiritually as well. So if one of you were to meet an untimely demise, the other shall follow.

"And also, to make it that much harder for you; the twelve foot distance you have today will be growing a great deal smaller very soon. And will steadily decrease as time moves on… Though I begin to think you may not mind that so much. You seem quite comfortable as close as you are right now."

A low chuckle came from above. Gokou clenched his jaw and finally gave in to Vegeta's insistence that he move, rolling to the side and revealing Vegeta's gloved hands and the powerful Ki-blast he'd been building up as their enemy talked, it's density hidden by Gokou's own aura.

No sooner had Gokou moved, then Vegeta released the blast upwards, catching the man by surprise and hitting him dead on.

The area was immediately engulfed in clouds of smoke, dust and debris and both Saiyan's leapt to their feet. Ready.

"Come out! Kisama!" Vegeta snarled getting ready to release another blast into the smoke but was suddenly lynched from behind, as was Gokou.

The two men struggled to get away from the unending sea of servants.

"Gokou!"

"Dad!"

The smoke finally cleared, revealing the area to be empty.

"That was not very nice, Prince Vegeta." A snarling voice came from above them but Gokou couldn't see anything for the bodies that covered him.

"I think it is time I showed you both a small amount of my power, besides how I gather my servants of course. Enjoy, Saiyan's!"

Gokou hurled a mass of bodies off of himself in time to see the giant blast of bright red energy that came hurtling towards he and Vegeta.

One thing entered his mind before the blast hit. He had to protect Vegeta!

Screaming something unintelligible, Gokou freed himself from the last of the servants and threw himself through the air again, knocking Vegeta back into the writhing sea of Servants and covering him completely with his own body.

Then everything went red.

*=+=*

End Chapter Two

Wow… wasn't that a long one?! ^_^. Remember to R&R!!

~Vanyel-san