Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dragonball V: A World Both Familiar and Foreign ❯ How Many Saiyans Does It Take To Screw in a Lightbulb? ( Chapter 18 )

DragonBall V: A World Both Familiar and Foreign

Author's Note: I feel I must explain a few things about Gohan and his power, since I seem to have upset a few of you who feel Gohan should be sneezing and blowing his competitors out of the stadium. First, ki and power levels are all extremely relative and unpredictable, especially Gohan's. We all know that a Saiyan's power is closely tied with his emotional state. That desperate need for more power, or extreme rage can shoot a Saiyan's power level through the roof. But, when there is no great need, their power level is basically at a lower controlled state. It's like weight lifting. You might be able to bench press 150kg at your maximum, but that doesn't mean that every time you work out you'll bench that much. If you did bench your maximum every time and more than once, you'd tear muscles, strain yourself in places that you really don't want to strain, and so forth. Power levels are the same way. When you absolutely have to and have that desperate need to blast the hostile alien to hell, you can shoot out a ki blast at maximum level, but if there is no need you'd probably be lucky to shoot one for half that power. Another thing you should realize is Gohan's power is even more tied to his emotions than Goku's or Vegeta's. When he was grief-stricken and scared after his father died and Cell came back, Gohan was at a very low power level (relatively) and had to work himself back up to the level necessary to destroy Cell when the necessity was there. Gohan has had no ki training for the last 3 years therefore his average power level isn't much higher than it was after Piccolo's training. Another thing is that Gohan is absolutely terrified of the vast majority of his ki so he has subconsciously blocked it off, only allowing him to tap up to a certain amount that he feels is safe. Now if Videl was trying to kill him and destroy the Earth, he might have let himself tap a whole lot more of that power, but since she wasn't he didn't need to so he didn't. Also, ki takes a lot of effort to build and maintain. If you could bench 150kg 5 years ago but you only lift 20kg or so for 5 years, you're not going to be able to lift 150kg without serious injury (such as a crushed larynx when the bar drops on your neck and your spotter is looking at the cute girl doing aerobics). In training the warrior must not only work on building up the strength of their maximum power, but they must also work on building up their ki endurance, hence one of the reasons why they might spend 6 to 8 hours in sparring, to work on their hand to hand skills as well as their ki endurance. Then there is of course meditation to help rebuild and focus your ki, there is controlled blasts where you shoot a ki attack out at just enough strength to do something and no more, and lots of other training that Gohan just hasn't done, meaning his average ki level is much lower than when he fought Kui and Ume. So now we look at Videl, who I feel has a vast reservoir of untapped ki potential that she just barely draws on unconsciously. She hasn't been told by anyone that strength comes only from muscle density like Mr. Satan believes, she knows she's small but powerful. Gohan showed her a meditation that allowed her to focus and get in touch with her ki and she was subconsciously drawing on it throughout her fight. Any time you have a weaker fighter battling a stronger one, the weaker one's power has a good chance of building up as they struggle. That's what happened to Videl, she was able to channel her ki into her hand to hand fighting. She knows nothing of ki blasts or other ki techniques such as flying though, so there isn't much she can do to build up her ki potential as of yet. I think I've said enough on this now. I've put a lot of thought into not only the fighting but the theory behind it, so I appreciate not being told that I'm an idiot for Gohan not blowing the arena to pieces. Now don't worry, Gohan will eventually come to grips with his power and work on it, so enough with the crying about how weak he is, ok? Heh Just try to enjoy the story, whether you like how certain parts are handled or not. Like I've said before, it's an Alternate Universe fic. The battles are not going to be won in the same way as in the show. So don't worry about it. Oh and one last comment… Videl doesn't have the "hots" for Gohan, she's just a normal healthy 8 year old girl. We're very affectionate and "kissy" at that age, and the boys usually hate it. The "girls have coodies" syndrome. She does like him though, but I doubt she's not having naughty thoughts. At least I hope not… Enough of that, on with the fic.

Required Disclaimer: I don't own the DB franchise, I've never worked for them, I'm not making any money off this, and I'm dead sexxy baby! Read and enjoy.

Chapter 18: How Many Saiyans Does It Take To Screw in a Lightbulb?

Goku and Vegeta stepped off of the Capsule Corporation space ship soon after it landed, taking just enough time to check the readings on the gravity, air quality, and climate on the outside of the ship before disembarking. They had set the ship down about 30km away from the people they sensed there at Vegeta's insistence. "I still don't see why you didn't just land closer to them. Why do you want to sneak up on them if they're Saiyans?" Goku asked, scratching his head and frowning at the Saiyan prince.

Vegeta sighed. It was the fifth time that Goku had asked that question since they landed. "For the last time, Kakkarot, it's precisely because they are Saiyans that I'm being careful! We need to make sure it isn't a trap, first of all. Secondly, we don't know how aggressive they are. They might have lured us here in hopes of capturing us and turning us in to Frieza's old minions. I had always heard rumors that Frieza himself was working for someone that remained in the background. His warriors are still out there, whether they're still trying to take over Earth or not. And I'm sure they'd be happy to torture and kill us for ending that soulless creature's life. Now, just be quiet and keep your ki suppressed. We don't know whether they have scanners or even if they are able to sense ki or not. So we do things my way, got it?"

Goku shrugged. "Whatever you say. I just hope you don't scare them by hiding in the shadows and watching them. I've always found it best to just present myself and see where things go."

"Yeah well, you were lucky when you met me, Kakkarot. I had bigger things on my mind than destroying your little planet. These Saiyans, if they are indeed Saiyans, might not be so distracted. They might try to destroy us simply for the challenge." Vegeta growled out as they started running towards the ki signatures.

"Yeah, but come on, we're both Super Saiyans. We can handle outselves. Especially after working up to 500 times gravity training. Man, I feel ripped! I was sure that we'd end up pancakes." Goku complained, his tone slightly whiny. It was mostly for show, as Goku was feeling the same caution as the older Saiyan. He just preferred covering it up by acting like a child as he often did.

Vegeta, however, had grown accustomed to the younger Saiyan's demeanor. He didn't buy the whiny innocent child act for a moment. "Quiet, Kakkarot. We're getting close."

They approached more slowly, crouching down and moving silently along the desert sand. The planet, they had discovered, was mostly desert and the area the inhabitants occupied was close to a large oasis. An ideal place to settle down. The sun was slowly disappearing over the horizon and the area became much darker, though their exceptional night vision kicked in so it wasn't a problem. They traded grim expressions as they came to five small houses made of packed and heated sand and laced with wood for extra support. They heard voices coming from the largest of the structures so they approached slowly. There were two ki signatures coming from inside it, and a third was a few kilometers to the north. They both knelt down and peeked into the doorway, seeing a young woman sitting at a crudely built computer station and a young man standing to her left. The man was talking. "Peasa, you're wasting your time with that machine. You've been sending out messages for over a year now and we haven't received a single one back! We are the last of the Saiyan race, just accept it!"

The girl, Peasa apparently, shook her head and hissed at the man. "Oh shut up, Cabitz. There's nothing better to do right now. At least leave me to my hobby. Why don't you go help Lehtus with the hunting? We've been eating grass and lura fruit for days now, we could use some meat to keep us sane."

"Those are Saiyan names… and their ki signatures feel Saiyan." Vegeta whispered to Goku so low that even with his exceptional hearing he barely heard the prince.

"They don't have tails, though." Goku whispered back.

Vegeta frowned. "Neither do we, anymore. And look, the girl has it around her waist. The man might have lost his, or had it removed if he couldn't control his Oozaru transformation."

Peasa paused as she checked a reading. "It looks like there was a minor gravity fluctuation in the desert to the south. Do you think we should check it out?"

Cabitz shrugged. "It was probably just another meteor rock. We've been getting a lot more since the debris field moved closer. In another few years we'll probably have a large number of rocks hit the planet. We might not even survive it. Of course, Frieza may find us before that happens, with that damn signal you're sending out."

Peasa scowled up at him. "It's on a Saiyan frequency in the Saiyan language. Only a Saiyan ship can pick it up. Which may be why we aren't getting a signal back. We can't assume that any surviving kin still have working ships or communication arrays."

"Yeah well, you're assuming there's still some left. Just give it up." Cabitz growled.

Vegeta frowned and looked at Goku. "I think we'll be ok to announce ourselves to them. They're not that much stronger than I was when I first came to Earth. Unless of course they know how to hide their ki, which is doubtful." Goku nodded so they moved towards the center of the area and Vegeta shouted to announce their presense. "Hello!? Any other Saiyans here? We received a signal coming from this planet! Show yourselves!"

"Real tactful, Vegeta." Goku snickered.

"Quiet, Kakkarot. I am their prince and I will act the part." Vegeta growled softly.

Moments later Peasa and Cabitz poked their heads out of the door, their hands out ready to blast with ki if the situation required it. They both frowned at Vegeta and Goku and came out slowly and cautiously. "You're Saiyans?" Peasa asked uncertainly. When Vegeta nodded Peasa looked skeptical. "Where's your tails?" Her own tail swished around as if to give an example of what she was looking for.

"We lost them in battle." Vegeta replied, looking at Cabitz. "Your male friend there doesn't have a tail either. Does that make him any less Saiyan?"

Cabitz growled and advanced a step but Peasa put up an arm to hold him back. "Of course not. You understand our skepticism, of course? Why didn't you send a message to let us know you were coming? This is rather… unnerving, as you might imagine."

Vegeta shrugged. "I wanted to make sure you were really Saiyans and that I wasn't walking into a trap of course. Now, your names?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer. He had to be polite, of course.

"I'm Peasa. This is Cabitz. How about yourselves?" The girl asked.

"I'm Goku, nice to meet you!" Goku blurted out, making Vegeta grimace.

"I am Vegeta. This is Kakkarot, though he insists on using the name his adopted family gave him. I keep hoping that he'll snap out of it and use his Saiyan name." Vegeta elbowed Goku in the ribs as if to emphasize his point.

"Vegeta? But that was the name of our planet." Cabitz said, obviously a bit slow.

Peasa frowned. "Cabitz, remember your lessons. It was also the name of the king. And the prince as well, if I remember right. The king was one of the first to die… so this must be…"

Vegeta gave her a haughty smirk. "Yes, girl. I am Vegeta, prince of all Saiyans." He frowned as he looked at her. She was 15, 16 at the most. The male looked a bit older, 18 perhaps. "Where are your parents?"

Peasa frowned. "Dead. Our uncle is hunting. I should send up a flare so he comes back, I suppose."

Vegeta shrugged. "Let him hunt. There's no reason to deprive you of your meal tonight, after all. This is really quite extraordinary… I was sure that Kakkarot and myself were the last Saiyans alive, along with his brat. So, there is just the three of you then?" Vegeta looked a bit disappointed, hoping a good number of his people had survived.

Peasa nodded. "Yeah. We weren't even sure whether we were the last or not. I'm happy to see I was right about there being more. Won't you have dinner with us tonight? Hopefully Lehtus is bringing back enough for all of us."

Goku's stomach growled. "Sure!" He cried happily.

Cabitz leaned over to whisper in Peasa's ear. Peasa nodded and frowned before walking off into one of the buildings. Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "What was all that about?"

"I told her to get out some of the stored food and start cooking. It's nothing to worry about." Cabitz tried to assure him.

Vegeta frowned and glanced towards the north. "The other guy is heading back. Judging by the ki blast, he was probably successful in his hunt."

Cabitz mouth dropped open in shock. "How can you tell that from here?!"

Vegeta smirked. "Talent I picked up from Kakkarot here… um… Kakkarot?"

Goku was inching towards the building Peasa was in, rubbing his stomach and looking hypnotized. "I smell food!" He exclaimed.

"Have some fucking manners, Kakkarot! You're embarrassing me!" Vegeta snapped.

Goku grinned and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, but I'm hungry!"

Cabitz suppressed the grin that was tugging at the corners of his mouth. Moments later Peasa walked out. "That's all done, now hopefully… Lehtus!"

Lehtus appeared, a grizzled and tough looking Saiyan warrior, complete with a tail that was swishing around behind him as he lugged a huge lizard like creature over his shoulder. "Hey, little one." He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted Vegeta and Goku. "Who are our guests?" He dropped the carcass and took a step forward before gasping in amazement. "King Vegeta?! No… you couldn't be. Prince Vegeta, then?" After Vegeta nodded, he dropped to one knee and bowed his head with his arm across his chest in the Saiyan salute. "Greetings, your highness. It is truly an honor!"

Peasa scratched her head. "So this guy really is Prince Vegeta? Wow. So, you caught a tahkta? That should be plenty for all of us."

Lehtus sighed. "Forgive her, your highness. She grew up on this planet since her birth, and even though she's been told of the royalty she's never encountered them. She knows not how to act."

Vegeta shrugged. "I've grown accustomed to it. You needn't prostrate yourself so much, Lehtus. A bit of respect is fine but don't overdo it. I no longer have a royal court or enough subjects to bother with formality. I grew up without it anyway. Let's eat and discuss what has happened to us all since our home planet was destroyed, all right?"

They entered the building where Peasa had been cooking and five stomachs growled as the scent of the foot assaulted their senses. A carefully controlled ki blast from Peasa had the lizard roasted, so they tore into it and ate the greens and fruit that was available as well. Vegeta noticed Peasa continually staring at him and he frowned, finding the attention a bit annoying. 'What is she staring at me for?! I know I'm the first new face she's probably seen in her life, but damn…'

"How did you come to be on this planet? And how long have you been here?" Vegeta asked. "And for that matter, how did you survive the planet's destruction?"

Lehtus told the story since he was the only one to have first hand knowledge of it. "We were on a ship at the time. Their parents, I mean. They were… defectors. They did not want to serve Frieza, though they were still loyal to King Vegeta, of course. So we removed ourselves from the records and left. It was barely a day later that Frieza destroyed Vegeta-sei. We grieved for our lost brethren but we couldn't go back. We had no set course so we just drifted from one star system to the next for years. We collided with an asteroid in that field out there and crashed on this planet. We couldn't fix the ship and we knew we could survive here so we just stayed. We salvaged what we could of the ship and build this encampment. A while later, Cabitz was born, then a few years later little Peasa here. Sadly, their parents died about 12 years ago, stung by one of the giant insects that populate the east desert. We had no means to create an anti-venom serum, unfortunately. And so, it's only the three of us left, my niece and nephew here." Lehtus sighed as he finished his tale.

"How did Cabitz lose his tail?" Vegeta asked, frowning at the young man.

"He suffered from Manic Oozarosis, unfortunately. Removing his tail was the only safe treatment." Lehtus replied.

Goku leaned over and elbowed Vegeta in the ribs and asked softly, "Um… what's mana… mina… what he said?"

Vegeta sighed. "It's a rare disease that causes a Saiyan to go into Oozaru form in times of stress, as well as any time they are hit by any small amount of moonlight, full moon or not. We usually end their lives rather early, because the disease progresses to the point where they cannot change back from Oozaru. We never considered removing their tails… we didn't know that the tail was the source of the transformation back then. But it's a very rare disease, like two or three cases a generation."

"Oh…" Goku frowned and stuffed a handful of lizard meat into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

"May I ask how you managed to survive the destruction of our planet, my prince?" Lehtus asked.

"And why you're both missing your tails?" Peasa added, gaining a quick swat to the back of the head from the aged Saiyan. She shot him a dirty look and went silent as Cabitz chuckled at her.

Vegeta recounted the events of his early life in the service of Frieza. He then added how he met Goku and then how they both destroyed the icy tyrant. Lehtus listened in awe and once he was finished telling his tale, he raised a hand into the air and made a sound of happiness. "This calls for a celebration! Frieza is dead and our brethren are avenged!"

"Hey… sorry to pipe in again, but are you planning on staying here? If you're going to leave, maybe we could go with you? There's not much point in staying here, after all." Peasa griped.

Goku scratched his head. "Sure! I don't see why not."

Vegeta sighed, glaring at the younger Saiyan. "We'll consider it. Though I'm inclined to agree with Kakkarot."

Cabitz scowled. "But this is our home. We were born here and we grew up here! Why do you want to leave, Peasa!?"

"Because this place is sucking the life out of me! I want to be around more than two people for the rest of my life! Is that so wrong? Stay here if you must, I want off of this damned planet." Peasa exclaimed.

Lehtus glared at the young Saiyans and then turned to Vegeta. "It would be an honor to leave with you. It is a decision we will have to consider carefully, however."

"Let's go now!" Peasa exclaimed, obviously excited by the prospect of going into space.

Lehtus dropped his face into his hand and sighed. "Forgive her impudence, my prince. She's an excitable child."

Vegeta grinned. "It's refreshing. Don't worry about it. Actually, we could take you with us right now. There's obviously not much to do on this planet than hunt, eat, and sleep. You can come with us to Earth and if you decide not to stay we can bring you back, or just give you a space ship and you can come here or go where you please. It would be nice to be around Saiyans. It's an experience I've been deprived of my entire life, save a few exceptions."

"You mean you want to bring them back to Earth?" Goku asked, trying to catch up.

"Yes, Kakkarot." Vegeta said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh… that would be so cool! Let's go!" Goku jumped up and started walking out of the door.

Vegeta closed his eyes for a moment, praying to Kami for patience and the strength of will to handle an overexcited Goku. "What do you say then, Lehtus?"

Lehtus nodded. "It would be an honor. Cabitz, Peasa, pack your things. If you want to return after we visit this Earth, we shall."

Cabitz growled but obeyed and Peasa had already ran out and was halfway done packing up her stuff. A little while later they had flown to the space ship and boarded it and set a course back to Earth. Vegeta eyed the gravity controller but decided to hold off on it until later. For now, it was time to sleep.

Vegeta was nearly asleep in his quarters when his door opened quietly. He scowled, thinking it was Goku coming to bother him about something or other. "Go away, Kakkarot. I'm trying to sleep."

"It's not Kakkarot, Vegeta." Peasa said softly, kneeling down to look Vegeta in the eye.

Vegeta stared up at the girl in confusion. "What do you want, little one?" He noticed that all she was wearing was a loose shirt which brought a frown to his face. He had an idea what she had planned.

"I shouldn't be so forward, but it's not like I have any experience in this. Would you mind if I shared your bedding with you? Lehtus and Cabitz are the only males I've ever been around, but they're family. And Kakkarot… well… I'm not interested in him." Peasa whispered, leaning down to give a tantalizing glimpse down her loose shirt.

Vegeta's eyes moved down to look at her though he wasn't surprised that it was just casual interest in beauty and no arousal came. "Girl, do you know what this means?" He pulled his collar away from his neck revealing the bite mark there.

"It's a scar. Looks like someone bit you." Peasa said innocently.

Vegeta sighed. "It means I have a mate. Which means you have no chance of getting me interested in bedding you, no matter how lovely you are. So you may as well scamper back to your room like a good little girl and let me get to sleep."

Peasa frowned but wasn't ready to give up. She leaned over him and nibbled at his lip before he pulled away. "I won't tell your mate… just this once. I want to know what it's like to be with a man… please Vegeta. Don't make me beg."

Vegeta growled. "Have some pride, girl! I told you I was mated! Even if I wanted to I couldn't get interested. So just leave me alone!"

Peasa growled and moved over him, pressing herself against the prince. She moved her hands over him clumsily, unsure of what she was doing, but knowing she had to do something. Vegeta growled and shoved her away roughly. "Get off me, brat! I won't warn you again!"

Peasa frowned. "I'm sorry. Can I at least sleep in here? I know you won't touch me the way I want you to, but please… at least give me that much."

Vegeta scowled. "Fine, sleep on the cold floor if that's what you want. I can't stop you short of beating you into the ground, I suppose. But if you try anything more, I won't be nice in stopping you."

Peasa nodded and lay down on her side facing him, using her arm as a pillow. She grimaced at the coldness of the metal but kept her complaints to herself, though she fidgeted around enough to make the older Saiyan growl. "Fine, girl. Come over here. But like I said before, try something and I'll hurt you."

Peasa grinned and slid over onto his sleeping mat and cuddled up with him, sharing in his warmth. She fell asleep almost instantly. Vegeta frowned down at her for a moment before relaxing. 'I'm feeling protective of her… almost like… a father. Is it because she's the last Saiyan female? She would probably make a good mate for Gohan… she's not that much older than him. 7 years is nothing. Yes… perhaps I'll see about getting her and Gohan together.' Vegeta grinned at the prospect of more little Saiyans running around as he drifted off to sleep.

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Oh no, competition for Videl! Ha ha. But this is just the beginning of the story with these other Saiyans. Next chapter: A slight… detour on their way to Earth! Hijacked in space! Oh no! And perhaps a bit of correspondence between Gohan and Videl? Stay tuned! As always, review and tell me that you're going to name your first born girl after me. ;) That's Lucy… with a C. Not Lucille, not Lucinda, just Lucy. Haha.