Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dragonball V: A World Both Familiar and Foreign ❯ Rigorous Training and Cheap Cologne ( Chapter 23 )

DragonBall V: A World Both Familiar and Foreign

Author's Note: I wanted to take this time to mention some of the characters in DBZ and their conspicuous near absence in my story. Tien and Chaotzu are easy to explain. I haven't seen enough of them to have a good handle on their personalities. Besides, they seem to spend all their time training in the mountains together (I guess they either really like each other in a yaio kind of way or they just don't feel the need to have girlfriends, I have no idea…) so I don't feel a compulsion to include them in the stories except for plot-critical times such as the big battles. Piccolo hasn't gotten that much of a spotlight, but believe me he's going to be given a lot of attention once the story begins to focus more on Gohan and Videl. (A lot of set up for a Gohan and Videl romance story, huh? Haha.) Let's see… Mr. Satan, I don't like the guy and there's no reason to include him as anything but a background character. Goku, well he's spending a lot of his time dead or missing, so what do you expect? Yamcha… I've never liked him. Not even in the original dragonball. He's ok, I mean he's a decent character but I personally just don't like him. Plus, except for the beginning of the Saiyan Saga before the saibaman guy kamikazed his ass, he was barely shown in the series anyway. Anyway, I do like Gohan, Videl, Vegeta, Bulma, Krillin, 18, and Piccolo the best so yes they'll have a lot more scenes. Deal with it. Haha. On with the story!

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 23: Rigorous Training and Cheap Cologne

Screams of agony filled the gravity training room suddenly moments before Vegeta fell from the air and onto the floor in a boneless heap. "Vegeta!" Krillin screamed, his warning too late. They had been sparring and he had thrown a destructo disc thinking the Saiyan prince would easily dodge the attack, however the intense 400Gs had worn the man down enough that he didn't dodge in time and his arm had nearly been chopped off. As if were, it was cut down to the bone and blood was squirting out. "Aw shit. Computer! Earth standard gravity and page Bulma and the medical staff!"

"Complied. Earth standard gravity in 3, 2, 1. Medical staff and Mistress Bulma have been alerted." The computer replied.

Krillin would have chuckled at the 'mistress' part, but he was too busy gripping the wound on Vegeta's arm in an attempt to staunch the blood loss. "Hang in there, Vegeta. We'll get you in the regeneration tank as soon as we can. You can make it!"

Vegeta cracked an eye open despite the intense pain he was in. "Krillin… before I die… I must tell you something…"

Krillin was panicking. "Stop talking like that, you're not gunna die!"

Vegeta continued as if he weren't interrupted. "I need to tell you… that when I recover… I'm going to… beat you to within a nanometer of your life."

Krillin began to sweat. <He thinks he's dying and that's what he wants to tell me? Sheesh, maybe I should take my hand off and let him bleed to death.> Krillin then noticed the slight smirk on the prince's face before he passed out. <Son of a bitch… at a time like this he's teasing me!>

Bulma suddenly ran through the door, obviously having been asleep until moments before, and a medic followed closely on her heels. "What happened!?" Bulma cried in a shrill yell.

Krillin winced. "He didn't get out of the way in time when I threw an energy disk. I think he was more tired than he was letting on. You know how he gets when he's in training mode." Krillin hoped that she would be more upset with Vegeta for pushing himself too hard than on him for launching the attack. Unfortunately for him, he was the one who was conscious.

"How dare you throw such a dangerous attack at this late in the day! Are you insane?! Maybe this high gravity is crushing your brains, Krillin!" The medic finished tying a tourniquet around Vegeta's arm to further restrict blood loss and then pressed a bandage to the wound. They lifted him onto a stretcher and wheeled him out as quickly as they could towards the regeneration tanks that Bulma had recently finished building using designs that were stored in the escape pod's computers that Vegeta and Peasa had returned in months earlier.

Krillin flushed in shame but he knew Bulma was just venting her anxieties. Over the months, Krillin had received worse injuries from the Saiyan warrior and this was before the regeneration pods were completed. He had to heal the old fashioned way… waiting in agony as someone got a senzu bean, of course. Krillin knew that Vegeta would be in the pod for a while and it was best to get out of Bulma's face before she said something she regretted later, so he decided a bath was in order. Training had left him drenched in sweat and soon it would begin to stink as it grew stale.

The bald monk sighed as he sat on the stool in the wash room and poured warm water over himself then grabbed the soap and scrubber and began to wash. He winced whenever he came upon a bruise or cut but he continued on diligently until he was clean from head to toe then poured another bucket of water over himself to rinse off. He quickly hurried into the bathtub to soak before he became cold and sighed as he began to relax, the hot water soothing the aching muscles and rejuvenating his exhausted mind.

After drying off he slipped on a bath robe and trudged up the stairs to his room to get dressed. Krillin wondered how Roshi's old house was holding up since it had been vacant for the better part of a year now. But the house no longer felt like home, as long as there was nobody else there to share the house with. And being here made if much more convenient for training since he could train with Vegeta. Tien had even made a few appearances to test his skills against the Saiyan and monk, but he never stayed for more than a day and Chaotzu was never with him. Yamcha had given up fighting and had moved up to North Capital City. Piccolo had taken to training near the Son home so he could see Gohan on a regular basis while keeping up with his own rigorous training. Krillin was eager to visit the Namek and test his skills against him, for he was always the hardest Z warrior to get a power level reading on since a good portion of Piccolo's fighting power came in the form of psychic energy.

Krillin pulled on a loose button up shirt and some blue jeans, slapped on some cologne, and looked at himself in the mirror. "You are a stud, Krillin!" He told himself, turning slightly to one side and then the next before nodding in approval. "We're gunna have to see about getting you a girlfriend, my handsome friend." Krillin chuckled as he walked out of the room, hoping that Vegeta was well on the way to recovery and Bulma was calmed down by now. <Time to smooth things over. Oh boy… bring on those androids now!>

He poked his head into the infirmary and saw Bulma with a very serious expression on her face looking at Vegeta in the regeneration pod. Peasa was sitting on an exam table behind her and her tail was swishing back and forth lazily. Her command over the Earth tongue had been mastered quickly and she was already Bulma's official assistant as she was frightfully precocious. She was also quite overtly sexual which both intrigued and frustrated the monk, and drove Vegeta crazy because she still harbored a major crush on the unattainable prince. "Hey Bulma… Peasa." Krillin blushed when the girl's gaze turned to him and she flashed him a saucy grin.

"Come to grovel before my feet for nearly killing my husband, Krillin?" Bulma asked in an overly serious tone.

Krillin blushed again as Peasa was silently laughing at him. <Damn.> "I told you before, Bulma! He was more tired than he was letting on or he would have dodged that attack easily. Hell he's even knocked aside my energy disks more times than I care to admit. It was just an unlucky accident. He'll be ok, won't he?"

Bulma nodded. "A bit of a scar should be all that remains. Not that you would notice on him, that man has more scars than anyone I've ever seen. But, they look so sexy on him." Bulma giggled as her mind drifted towards the gutter.

Peasa blushed, thinking the same thing though she was smart enough not to voice her opinion. "What gravity setting were you guys at?" Peasa asked instead.

Krillin hopped up onto the exam table beside Peasa. <She's not that much taller than me… and so unbelievably cute. How old was she again? Nearly 16? That's not too young for me, is it? I'm not that old yet… Am I getting too desperate?> "425 for about an hour then we turned it down to 400 because I nearly had a quad tear." Krillin replied.

"Quad?" Peasa asked, unfamiliar with the word.

"Quadriceps. It's the muscle group in the front of the thigh." Bulma explained, before chastising the monk. "Krillin, you have to be careful. Your muscles may be getting too dense for the bone to hold. You have to give your bones time to catch up in density before turning up the gravity."

Krillin sighed. "I know. It wasn't me that turned the gravity up that high. You know Mr. Training-Is-My-Life in there adjusts a lot quicker than I do. How many times did I have to have a senzu bean because I cracked bones or tore muscles when I first started training with Vegeta? So, don't yell at me about it."

"I wasn't yelling. I'm just concerned… for both of you." Bulma said with a sigh.

Krillin nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt something brushing against his leg. He glanced down and saw Peasa's tail curling around his leg and making it's way up. He began to sweat… heavily. <She is such a tease…> "I um… I…. I know Bulma. I'm sorr… sorry." <Kami, I shouldn't have sat next to her!> He glanced over at her and gazed down her shirt and grinned lecherously as he eyed her cleavage. <Well, at least there are perks.>

Peasa glanced at him and raised her eyebrow a bit. "Do you need medical attention for your leg? You said you nearly tore the muscle." Her tail slid up higher and teased his inner thighs as it curled around his thigh where the nearly injured quadriceps were.

"Nope… nope I'm ok. A nice ba-ATH…" Krillin coughed. "A nice bath did the trick." <Oh by the green antennae of Kami!>

Bulma glanced back and chuckled as she saw the tail wrapped around the monks leg and saw that he was about to pass out from hormonal overload. "That's good to hear, Krillin. You're welcome to get into the other pod though if you want to take care of all your minor injuries?" She didn't know whether he would accept to get away from the teasing Saiyan girl or refuse so he could be tortured a bit more.

"I… I'm ok, Bulma." <Oh man… I'm in hell! I bet it's the cologne! It's driving her crazy!>

"Yes… you're very ok, Krillin." Peasa stated, cozying up next to him. <Though your scent is being masked by some horrid chemical. Ah well, it's not that bad. I can smell past it. What possessed him to wear that crap?>

<Mixed signals… mixed signals… should I pursue? Oh man…> Krillin bit his lip nervously. "So uh, Bulma… you look a bit tired. Vegeta will be in there for a while, perhaps you should uh… get some sleep?"

Bulma chuckled. <You think she's serious this time, Krillin? Ok, I'll leave you alone.> "You're right. I'm gunna go lay down. Call me if you need anything. Peasa, when you get a chance could you take a look at the systems in the secondary training room? I noticed an inconsistency in the diagnostics." She walked towards the exit of the room, intentionally not looking back at the pair but waiting for a reply before leaving for good.

"Of course, Bulma. It would be my pleasure." Peasa replied, watching the older lady leave. <She's getting pretty big. I guess she'll be having that baby soon? I didn't even know that much about babies before I came to this planet. Not like my uncle or brother wanted to tell me about that stuff since there were no possible mates for me. I hope she knows how lucky she is to have a mate as desirable as Vegeta.>

"So uh… how are you feeling, Peasa?" Krillin asked in a voice that was shaky despite his best efforts for it not to be.

Peasa smirked as she looked at the monk. "I'm feeling a bit… anxious. Do you know what I mean?" As if to emphasize her point, her tail slid up higher eliciting a gasp from the short man.

"Oh… Kami yes." Krillin gasped out. He turned and ran his fingers through Peasa's hair and captured her lips with his own. <Please don't kill me… please don't kill me…>

Peasa sighed and reached down to tickle his abdomen as her tail slithered around to rub roughly against the man's aroused member. She leaned her head down and buried her face into the base of Krillin's neck and inhaled deeply and even licked at the skin. She ran her fingernails up his back, drawing a bit of blood, and then paused. She backed away suddenly and frowned. "Not a match."

Krillin, whose mind was nearly on overload, paused as well and blinked rapidly in confusion. "Nani?"

Peasa disengaged from him and slid back a bit, creating some distance. She still felt the charge of the sexual tension, but it wasn't enough as her hormonally charged blood began to cool. "Not a mate match. You're strong and you're attractive, but we are not meant to be mates. I cannot bear you children. I think we would be ultimately unhappy with each other too, I'm not too sure on the specifics of that. I just know it's best not to get involved with a man you can't bond with."

Krillin was crestfallen. "But… um… so… look, we don't have to get married and have kids. Can't you just have a little harmless fun? If I can't impregnate you, there's no worries…" <Oh man, I sound worse than Roshi. At least he'd be happy with what I've already gotten!>

Peasa frowned in annoyance. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lead you on. We both have to be aroused for me to check. I'm looking for a mate, not someone to have meaningless sex with."

"I understand. I didn't mean to offend you." Krillin stared at his feet. <I am such an idiot. I can't believe I said that to her… though it wasn't really me talking, it was the little guy down there…>

"So why aren't you mated yet, anyway? You're a very desirable male. It doesn't make much sense for you to still be unmated at your age." Peasa asked. <I hope he doesn't take offense to the age reference. Humans seem to be testy about being older. To a Saiyan, age is a thing of honor. A warrior who survives to such an age is highly respected. But here, humans seem to think age means infirmity and uselessness. How strange.>

Krillin shrugged, not even picking up on the age comment. After all, even an 20 year old was ancient to a teenager. "I guess there's several reasons. I'm short, and girls around here don't seem to go for the short guys. They like tall guys like Goku. All that man had to do was smile and women were practically kissing his feet. I was ignored. I can't hold it against him, he was oblivious to it. He only had eyes for Chichi. Another reason is I'm rather shy. I get so nervous I can't talk to a pretty girl like you. I'm probably going to die alone."

Peasa frowned in sympathy. <Human women are stupid if they can't see that you're an ideal mate. If we were more compatible I would have been honored to be your mate.> Aloud, she said, "You're talking to me now."

Krillin shrugged. "You're a friend. Besides, you've already rejected me so I have nothing to gain or lose."

Peasa rubbed his bald head. "Hey, it's not me who rejected you, it's my Saiyan mating instincts. Somehow we're not meant to be together. It's nothing personal. Most likely there is someone more suited out there for the both of us. Saiyan mating instincts are never wrong." <Or so I was told. Not like I have firsthand knowledge. After all, Vegeta and Kakkarot were both mated to human women… though I guess with no Saiyan women around there wasn't much choice in the matter.>

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up. I'll feel better after a bit of moping and self-flagellation." Krillin grinned slightly at his joke, hoping Peasa wouldn't take it seriously.

<Hmm… he looks so cute. Ah, what the hell, I have nothing to lose.> Peasa curled back up against the monk and slid her tail back up his leg and was astonished how quickly Krillin's arousal returned. "Well, you were right, there's no reason not to have a little harmless fun. A one time thing, ok?" <I'm dying to know what mating is like…>

Krillin hoped his nose didn't start bleeding from the excitement. His hands wrapped around her waist and he kissed the girl's neck. "Are you sure? I mean… I feel a little guilty now. You're so young and we both know it's not going anywhere, so…" He trailed off as the girl kissed him deeply. All further arguments were suppressed in a haze of arousal.

Krillin became a little afraid though when she put him on his back and crawled on top of him and used her arms and legs to pin him down and teased his length with her tail as she dueled his tongue with her own. <Oh shit… you wanna do it HERE?!> "Uh… shouldn't we maybe go somewhere more… private?" Krillin suggested hopefully.

"Shut up and quit squirming. Are you ready?" Peasa ignored the plea to relocate. She had no patience for it. Besides, no one would come down here until Vegeta finished recovering which wouldn't be for a few more hours.

"Um… I guess. But… OH KAMI!" Krillin cried, though a small part of him hoped the guardian of Earth didn't reply… or show up. Or anyone else for that matter.

Peasa chuckled and nibbled at his earlobe. "No, I'm Peasa. You can fantasize about Kami if you want to, but I'm the one who is mating with you." She chuckled when she saw the monk pale as she slowly moved on him.

<This is so strange… but oh man… I never realized how good it was!> "Peasa… let me touch you." Krillin whimpered as his eyes rolled back into his head.

Peasa growled softly and leaned down over the man and dangled her small pert breasts in his face. She moaned in response when he captured her right nipple in his mouth.

"See? You're touching me." She gripped his wrists harder and kept moving, relishing the feeling. <Oh… I simply must find who my life-mate is soon. I've been missing out… though I guess I could always play with Krillin-sempai a bit more until I do find my… OOOOH!!!!!> Peasa groaned and shuddered at the unexpected orgasm and slumped down on top of Krillin and nestled her face into his neck. "Wow…"

"Yeah… um… you're not done, are you?" Krillin asked in a pained whisper.

"Mmm hmm. I can't move." Peasa whispered back.

<Oh Kami! No! How could you do this to me!> Krillin groaned in disappointment. "I'm not done yet though… can I keep going?"

Peasa frowned down at him. "I don't think I can take it. Sorry. Maybe a little later we can do it again?"

<LATER?!> "Please… for Kami's sake, I'm so close. Another minute, that's all I ask!" Krillin begged. <I'm not above begging in this situation!>

Peasa sighed and tried to move and winced. "I'm still sensitive. I think this is one of the drawbacks to mating outside of a bond."

Krillin nearly fainted. "Well… could you use your hand or your tail or even… your mouth?" He asked hopefully.

Peasa blinked in surprise. "I hadn't thought of that. Sure, I can see you need it pretty badly." She slid down his body and contemplated his aroused member. <My first close view of one… it looks so strange, but it felt so good.> She wrapped her hand around it gently and began stroking him. "Is this ok?"

Krillin groaned and nodded. <It's not that great but it's better than nothing. What a weird da…. WHOA!> Krillin gasped in shock when Peasa took him into her mouth. She didn't really know what she was doing, but then Krillin didn't know any better so he was in heaven.

"Is this ok?" Peasa asked, pausing for a moment. She took his desperate whimper as an affirmative and continued. <This isn't so bad. I never would have thought of using my mouth in this manner. I wonder how I'll know when he's had his fill though?>

Krillin whimpered and slid his fingers through her hair and used light pressure to urge her own. <Oh man… I wonder if she's still sensitive? I have the urge to flip her over and go to town!> "Peasa… do you think you're ready for a little… more now? Don't get me wrong, I love what you're doing, but I would love to… you know…"

Peasa slid her mouth off of him and cocked her head to the side. "I suppose so." She wasn't sure what he was doing as he pulled out from under her until he got behind her. She glanced back, still on her hands and knees. "Like this?" She asked, unsure of what he wanted.

Krillin looked down and grinned. <Hey… this'll work!> "Sure, whatever you want sweetie." <I still can't believe I'm doing this. Maybe I fell asleep in the bath? But I'd rather drown than wake up from this dream…> He slid into her and they both groaned in pleasure. <Guess she was ready for more.> It took him a few minutes to find his rhythm and he grinned as he gripped the base of the girl's tail which drove her wild. Soon it took every bit of strength and concentration just to keep up with her, but when he felt her inner muscles squeezing down on him as she climaxed, he cried out in ecstasy and joined her. Then both slumped forward and he turned slightly to cuddle against her side and sighed in content. "Wow."

Peasa giggled and felt her tail swishing around lazily as she relaxed and came down off her high. "We really both need to find our life-mates soon." She commented.

Krillin smiled. "Can't argue with you there. Wow…" <Am I going to feel guilty about this later?>

Neither the Saiyan girl or the monk noticed the bubbles coming from Vegeta's regeneration tank as the prince had woken up while Krillin was driving himself into his adoptive daughter from behind. "KRILLIN YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT! HOW DARE YOU SCREW MY DAUGHTER!? YOU BETTER NOT BE MATED TO HER OR I'LL RIP YOUR BALLS OFF AND FEED THEM TO THE ANIMALS!" He shouted mentally, only succeeding in forming some bubbles around the air mask attached to the lower half of his face.

Krillin woke up later to find that he was asleep on his bed, still naked. He looked around in confusion and blinked in surprise, wondering if it had all been a dream. He looked at his window and saw it was nearing midmorning so he stretched and got up and quickly dressed before heading downstairs to see if the three hungry Saiyans in the house had left any breakfast for him. He came into the kitchen and saw everyone there except for Bulma's parents who were up north on an extended vacation. Krillin nodded courteously to Trunks, who he still hadn't gotten to know very well, then smiled shyly at Bulma before sitting down next to Peasa.

"Ohayo gozaimasu!" Krillin said brightly. <Wow, I feel good this morning.>

"Good morning, Krillin-sempai." Peasa said with a bright smile and a nod.

Krillin grinned and started picking at his breakfast. <She isn't acting any different… I guess it was a dream.> He looked up when he felt eyes on him and saw that Vegeta was glaring at him. "Oh… uh sorry about that energy disk last night, Vegeta. No hard feelings, ne?"

Vegeta scowled. "So ka? Well, I'll let it pass this time. But I'll beat the crap out of you in training today."

Krillin began to sweat. <Geez, he doesn't normally react that badly when I accidentally injure him in training. Guess he's just grumpy.> "So, when is the baby due, Bulma?" Krillin asked, changing the subject to one he knew would bring out the Saiyan man's pride.

Bulma rubbed her hand over her belly and smiled. "Well, judging by the speed of his development, I'd say about another 2 months."

Peasa shook her head. "I give it two weeks. Maybe three."

"Nani!?" Bulma cried. She wasn't expecting such an early delivery.

"She's right, woman. Saiyan babies mature rather quickly once they near delivery. Normally a Saiyan woman will carry the child for close to a year with slow development but once it reaches what humans term the 'third trimester', they develop in a spurt that takes a week or two. Don't make any plans for a while." Vegeta grinned and ran his hand over his mate's stomach.

Bulma stared down at the distended belly. "So… I could have been carrying this thing for months before we knew about it!?"

"Humans develop faster early on, your baby is only half Saiyan. Basically the normal human gestation was more prevalent in the beginning but once you reached the Anaxis Point, which is when the Saiyan maturation begins, the Saiyan gestation cycle took over. That would have been about a week ago." Peasa explained. She had studied into the fetal developments of humans a not long after she mastered the language of Earth and had previously learned a lot about the matter from her uncle and later from Vegeta who filled in the gaps for her learning.

Bulma sighed. "I should have asked Chichi what to expect, I suppose. After all, she's carried a demi-Saiyan before."

Vegeta chuckled at her but refrained from comment when she glared at him. "Look at it this way, Bulma-hime, at least you won't be carrying the baby much longer. He kicks pretty hard, ne?"

Bulma chuckled and rubbed at her tummy. "Aa. Wait… why are you calling me a princess? I'm not a princess, Peasa." Bulma frowned.

Peasa smirked. "Yes you are. You're mated to the prince of Saiyans. I am a Saiyan, in case you forgot. Therefore, you are my princess." Peasa's tail waved around behind her as if to emphasize her Saiyan heritage.

Bulma frowned in thought and looked at Vegeta. "I never thought about it that way. I guess it's not important when there's only a few Saiyans left."

Vegeta leaned forward and glared down at Peasa for a few moments before his face softened. "Pea-chan, you know I claimed you as my adoptive daughter. You are a princess too, now. There is no need to be so formal with either of us."

Peasa grinned. "Hai, tou-san."

Krillin jumped in his seat a bit suddenly and blushed. <It wasn't a dream, I think.> "So… so… um… a family moment here, it looks like. Perhaps I should leave… yes… leave…"

"Not so fast, baldie. We have training to do. I promised you an ass-kicking and I'll damned well deliver!" Vegeta snarled.

Krillin groaned and nodded. As he was following after Vegeta he noticed Peasa wink at him and giggle. <Oh man… what have I gotten myself into?> He yelped suddenly when Vegeta grabbed the back of his shirt and tilted his head from one side and then the other. He grunted and let the man go and continued walking. <What the hell was that all about? He looks a little less… uptight, though.> Hours later, as he was recovering in the regeneration pod and hoping he regained feeling in his legs, he reminded himself never to have sex with Vegeta's daughter in front of him, whether he thinks the man is unconscious from regenerating or not.

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Piccolo stood up after finishing his meditation and stretched a bit before he concentrated and split into two identical Piccolos. They both assumed fighting stances and started sparring, moving at a fast and furious pace, both straining to surpass their limitations. Piccolo felt mildly unsatisfied by this method however, for as much as both of them tried to come up with original moves or stamp out tells for their established ones, it was still him against himself and he knew his own moves too intimately. "I need a training partner." Piccolo muttered.

The Piccolos re-merged and he sighed, wondering if he should try venturing to Capsule Corporation and spar with Vegeta and Krillin. They were a lot closer than Tien and Chaotzu, after all. Besides, he had sparred with them more than enough on King Kai's planet and he yearned for someone new.

"Piccolo-sensei!" Gohan called happily, running up and wrapping his arms around the Namek's waist, or rather his upper leg, in a hug. "How are you doing today?"

Piccolo smirked and tousled the boys hair and sat down next to him. "Same as always, kid. A little bored today actually, I'm glad you came to see me. How are you holding up?"

Gohan's face darkened for a moment at the indirect reference to his father's death. "One day at a time. Mom's been acting funny lately too. She was crying a lot but now she seems surprised by something. She stares at herself in the mirror a lot."

Piccolo grunted. "Give her time, kid. And give yourself time, too. So, can I interest you in a sparring match?"

Gohan grinned and shook his head. "Wanna go fishing?"

The Namek groaned. "Fishing again? Fine, whatever you like, Gohan." <Damn… I still can't get him to train with me! Such wasted potential. That girl that he beat in the tournament has already surpassed the limits he set on himself. Perhaps I should get her here so she can kick his butt. Maybe that'll convince him to resume training? Though I guess I should honor his wishes. He's going through a tough time right now. I can't even imagine it, since I never had a father. I don't remember Guru except through Nail's memories, and I still have all my memories from before Goku killed my former self so I can't really think of myself as my own father, not that I was raised by him… me… anyway. I can't relate. Vegeta probably can… he should visit him more often anyway. Not that I want him to do it in lieu of his visits to me of course… a fish just hit me in the face. Sigh.>

Gohan giggled and apologized before diving into the water again. Piccolo tossed the fish onto the grass and scowled, though inwardly he was laughing at the boy's antics, glad that he was in a brighter mood than the day before, where he spent two hours crying on the Namek's shoulder. It had been his father's birthday. "Hang in there, kid. We'll get you through this. I promise." Piccolo said softly as he watched Gohan swimming after a fish that was five times his size.

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Dr. Gero laughed maniacally as Androids 17 and 18 took their first steps. "Good, good! How do you feel?"

"A little tingly." 18 stated flatly with a scowl.

"That's normal. It's your nervous system awakening. Anything else? Any dizziness? Nausea?" <Naughty thoughts about old men?> Dr. Gero added mentally.

18 glared at him for a moment and the doctor wondered if she had picked up on his train of thought. "No. I don't think so. 17?"

17 stretched and hopped around for a moment. "Never better."

18 sniffed and looked at the doctor. "Well, thank you for saving our lives, for whatever reason you did it. We'll be going now. I'm sure you'll send us a bill or something."

Dr. Gero chuckled. "Oh no, my dear. You don't understand. You are to do my bidding, just once, and then you are free to live your lives as you please. You are to kill Son Goku. The details are in your memory."

"You messed with our memories?!" 17 demanded. She paused and realized it was true. She couldn't even remember what her real name was, before she was dubbed number eighteen.

"Chill out, sis. It's no big deal. I doubt they were special memories or we wouldn't have volunteered for this… project." 17 stated, grinning as he wondered how powerful he had become.

18 glared coldly at him. "We didn't volunteer. We were injured, close to death. He found us and decided to rebuild us. Isn't that right, doctor?"

Dr. Gero chuckled. "Something like that, my dear. Now, killing one little man isn't too much to ask for saving your life, now is it? Go and bring me his head."

"I refuse. I won't play your little game. I am grateful to you for saving my life but I have no grudge against this Goku. I could care less." 18 spat out. <The nerve of this old codger.>

"Aw come on, sis. I'm eager to test my strength anyway." 17 urged her.

"I won't kill some poor slob just because this old geezer has a grudge against him. I say he has good taste." 18 growled.

Dr. Gero scowled at the blonde and beautiful android. "You're testing my patience, girl. I'll have you know there are bombs planted in your bodies. Cross me and I'll detonate them."

#'s 17 and 18 both looked down at their abdomens in fear. 17's horrified look turned into a grin moments later. "If you blow us up, you die too." He said, slowly approaching the doctor. "I'll have your head on the ground beside your corpse before you can activate the bombs. Nobody threatens my sister, you stupid little bas…"

Dr. Gero breathed a sigh of relief as 17 was moments away from beheading him when the doctor was able to activate his shutdown signal. "Bombs aren't my only means of persuasion, number 18. Now, won't you be a good little girl and go kill Son for me so I won't use your brother for spare parts?"

"You bastard!" 18 cried, rushing at him.

Dr. Gero nearly dropped the shut down controller in his fear but barely managed to get it activated just as her fist impacted against his skull. He crumbled down and gasped as blood poured down into his eyes. His skull was badly fractured and he was lucky not to have brain damage… assuming he didn't. He crawled over to an automated control sequence and hit it. Moments later Android 12, an early model, came out. It had been built purely as a doctor and mechanic in case of situations such as this. "Put the finishing touches on #19 and convert me into an android using the same design specifications as 19's model, #12." Gero commanded, fighting to stay conscious. "And place 17 and 18 back into their containment pods."

"At once, sir." 12's tinny voice replied.

Gero grinned evilly moments before he passed out. "Good… good. I'll just handle Goku myself."

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It's surprising how I can stay up till 11am writing fics, go to bed and wake up before my 4pm alarm goes off, huh? Sheesh. I should have gone to bed hours ago but I wanted to finish this chapter since I was more than halfway done with it. Let me know how you like it with a review! Next Chapter: The attack of the androids draws near so our heroes continue to train hard. Videl is still training as well, though she doesn't know about any killer androids. She does know that Gohan writes a good email, though. And what is wrong with Chichi, other than the obvious with Goku being gone and all? Stay tuned!