Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Whispers of a Banshee ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3

Goku shifted slightly, looking at Trunks and considering his question. "I really don't know what he'd do. Vegeta's-complicated. I've never known him to do one thing for only one reason. He usually has so many reasons that latching onto one is impossible. Then there's that half-truth thing and sometimes he's a pretty good bluffer." He shrugged, placing a hand behind his head in the Son fashion. "That's a tough question, Trunks. Where'd it come from?"

Goku, Trunks, and Goten were all preparing for a light spar before dinner in the same place that Vegeta and Goku had just that night been sparring. Goten watched the two conversing back and forth as he stretched, curious as to where exactly the question that had popped out from his best friend's mouth originated.

Trunks lay back on a grassy part of the knoll they were warming-up on, starting on sit-ups. "It actually came from mom. She asked Vegeta and he said he didn't know, which in Bulma and Vegeta talk means he wouldn't come out with a straight answer. She asked me, but frankly I'm a little worried about something else she said. Something about Vegeta saying something that disturbed her. She kind of shrugged it off at the time, saying he was always coming up with 'half-brained ideas and crazy schemes' but she looked as if it was still bothering her. I would love to know what he'd said."

Goten leaned up and crossed his arms over his knees as he paused his own sit-ups to consider Trunks. "What're you so worried about? I'm sure everyone worries about what their loved ones will do once they aren't around," he made a circumspect glance at Goku that Trunks caught and understood, "but Vegeta isn't going to do something stupid. I mean, sure, he was-impulsive when he was younger, but he's changed now. I mean, he's not going to just up and decide that he wants to take care of dad and rule the universe. He surely won't succeed. Dad's still stronger than him."

Trunks nodded until Goku gently cleared his throat. "Actually…."

Both Trunks and Goten reacted to the trailed-off word with wide eyes. Trunks stopped his sit-ups to gape at the older man. "No way! He can't be stronger than you! You've always been stronger than him!"

"When did this happen, dad?"

Goku chuckled sheepishly. "Right before Bulma's stroke. I, um, knocked him to the ground and he wasn't too happy; went Super Saiyan 4. He said some pretty nasty things and we were really duking it out and before I knew it he had me on the ground with a couple good hits. He's stronger and faster. Ever since-your mom died, I haven't been keeping up with my training like Vegeta."

Goten nodded thoughtfully, at the words and the pause. 'Dad was hit pretty hard by ChiChi's death. It must have been harder than anyone had thought if he'd quit training.' "So, now I'm worried."

Trunks chuckled nervously. "Oh, come on! Dad wouldn't do anything-" He looked as if he was trying to convince himself of that. His next words confirmed it. "Would he?"

Goku shook his head. "Nah! Vegeta's changed a lot since he first arrived. I mean, he's still rude and nasty and likes to hurt people a little too much and he's grumpy and-"

Goten cut through the rambling list. "Dad! That isn't helping." Goten put a finger to his chin, looking suspiciously like his older brother. "Well, let's look at the facts. Vegeta has three grandkids and two kids, plus one daughter-in-law. One of his kids," he motioned to Trunks, "is best friends with his, um, enemy's youngest kid. The other is going to college full-time to become-well, she hasn't figured that out yet…." He grimaced and continued. "If Bulma dies, then none of us knows what Vegeta will do. He's stronger than dad, but you said he was training Vegeta, your Vegeta, Trunks." Goten shrugged. "I'd say Vegeta is the unknown variable here. Someone needs to get close enough to figure out the guy's motives. That's all."

Goku and Trunks shared a look and then blinked at Goten. Trunks was the first to speak up. "I thought you were teaching Karate classes, Goten. Where did this all come from?"

Goten rolled his eyes, standing up and brushing off his training gi of grass. "Come on! You're saying I can't learn something? My brother does have a Masters degree."

Trunks nodded. "Sorry. You look too much like Goku for your own good, you know."

Goten nodded seriously while glancing at Goku out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah, but appearances can be deceiving."

Trunks agreed wholeheartedly; it looked as if Goku had quit trying to figure out what they had meant and was standing up to prepare to fight off both Trunks and Goten.

Trunks was the last to rise. "But who could we get close enough? Dad never takes me seriously, and we certainly can't worry mom with this. He would rather beat up Goku than get all introspective. Really, no one else is close enough."

Goten suddenly got a twinkle in his eye that was much too scheming for Trunks' liking. "What?"

Goten shrugged. "Well, I know of one person who could be persuaded to ask simple and innocent-seeming questions. All we have to do is feed him with all the many mysteries that are Vegeta and he'll take the bait like a well-trained cod."

Trunks raised a brow at the analogy, though the fact that it had used fish shouldn't have surprised him, considering his sire. "Who in the world are you talking about, Goten?"

Goten grinned, an eager look that made Trunks nervous. Goku was too into trying to strategize how he would beat the duo to notice the look. "Why, Trunks! You can't figure it out? He wants to be just like Vegeta. So, his twenty-questions wouldn't be looked at as anything more than understanding his idol. Vegeta might even get an ego boost out of it. And our fears are put to rest."

Trunks shook his head. "No! You are not getting my son in on this! He's fifteen!"

Goten rolled his eyes. "Jeez, Trunks! You were causing trouble in the cradle. It's no wonder Boxer gets into so much! It's perfect and you know it. You're just too much a father to see it. This is a plan Vegeta himself would be impressed by. It's perfect."

Trunks shook his head. "Perfect until my wife or Vegeta catches on. Then I'll be a perfect smear on Vegeta's glove and a perfect head trophy on my wife's wall!"

Goten put his hands on his hips. "And how would they find out, Trunks? Are you going to go tell them? Vegeta, yours, won't know a thing about it. If you want, I'll keep you totally out of it. You can reap the rewards while Goku and I work on your boy. Your boy will go straight to Vegeta with a million questions about his heritage that will lead us straight to an answer to our question."

Trunks was about to shake his head when Goku finally took notice of the conversation. It must have been the fact that his name was mentioned. "What do you mean by 'work on'?"

Goten grinned again, thoroughly enjoying the fact that it was now he who was goading Trunks into some idea and not the other way around. Hey, he'd have to have learned sometime. "How much do you know about Vegeta, dad?"

Goku scratched his head in thought, tilting it to get better reception. "Just what he told me on Namek. Then when Buu came, he said a lot. Other than that, not much."

"And how much do you know about Saiyan culture; about how they lived and acted?"

Goku shook his head. "Next to nothing. I didn't want to learn and Vegeta wasn't helpful about it except for all that warrior and strength stuff. Most of that must be affected by his time under Frieza, though."

Goten nodded. "Exactly. Now, Trunks' son is one to question everything. We all know that. So, when we tell him the little we know, he's going to want to know more. And who will he go to for answers?"

Goku scratched his head some more. "Um, Piccolo?"

Goten slapped his face with one hand. "Where in the world did you come up with Piccolo, dad?"

Goku shrugged. "Well, you asked and I didn't know so I thought it would be better to guess than say 'I don't know'. I didn't guess right?"

Goten shook his head while Trunks stifled a moan. "No, dad. You didn't guess right. Vegeta would be the one he'd have to go to."

Goku nodded. "Okay. I guess that makes sense. Are you sure it's not Piccolo?"

This time Trunks did groan. "Can we just get this fight over with so we can go eat? I'm already getting hungry."

All three heartily agreed and the fight was underway; the sound of smacks, grunts, and slams the only sound filling the deserted wasteland that was fast becoming a flat plain instead of a rugged mountain range.

* * *

The younger version of himself had gone into the kitchen to help his mother prepare dinner, leaving the older Vegeta to find his wife, white towel draped over his shoulders to keep sweat from dripping on the carpet. He'd really received the loud end of Bulma's mouth the first time that had happened.

He paused just inside the door, staring down at the scene of Bulma holding a sleeping Slip to her chest. The tiny smile on both of their faces made them all the more identical. In fact, the little one's curly hair vividly reminded Vegeta of a similar hairstyle the woman had had. He had hated that hairstyle.

He frowned lightly as he moved toward the pair, noting the drawn, pale look on his mate's face with concern. She looked almost like a ghost lying there, with a living, breathing child in her arms. He couldn't help but shiver at the ghastly scene and leaned over Bulma, one hand extended to her arm. He had the sudden, insane fear that he would be chilled to the bone by her flesh; that she would be de-

Bulma's eyes popped open and he jerked back, stumbling over his own feet as she half-levered herself up to stare at him wide-eyed with surprise.

"Vegeta?" The look on his face right before he had jerked back had her heart in her throat. She'd never seen him look like that-terrified. "What's wrong?"

Vegeta cleared his throat, quickly masking his features. "I came to wake you up. Dinner's almost ready. We'll eat it in here so you don't have to get up."

Bulma rolled her eyes; Vegeta's look forgotten as her anger rose at his constant concern. "Will you please give me some breathing room, Vegeta? Now, I can see your concern over the stairs, but I think I can manage from the couch to the kitchen. Anyway, do you really want to pick up the food the kids throw into the carpet?"

Vegeta folded his arms across his chest, huffing for a second and looking as if he was going to throw a royal fit, appropriate considering his title. He took a deep breath and surprised Bulma by merely nodding. "Fine. But I will not just stand by if you start to fall or something, so don't ask me to give you 'breathing room'. You gave up that kind of privacy when we mated." He reached down and took the still-sleeping child from her. Slip mumbled something in her sleep and opened bright, green eyes to stare up at Vegeta.

Vegeta reflected that they looked like emeralds set in the pale face she had inherited from her grandmother. The only thing she looked to have inherited from him was her nose. It was sharp and angular, tilting up at the tip like all of the royal line of Vegetas did.

Bulma smiled at the look on his face as she rose, using the couch's arm to lever herself up unseen. Vegeta may have been right about the privacy part, but he didn't need to hover over her as if she would keel over at any moment. She walked closer to the pair and Slip's eyes moved to take in her presence. "Bul-ma!"

Bulma smiled, eyes twinkling in a way that made Vegeta's body react. They hadn't done that in far too long. "Yes, I'm Bulma." She pointed to Vegeta. "That's Vegeta. Can you say Ve-ge-ta?"

Slip's little face screwed up much like his daughter's did when she concentrated. Vegeta watched avidly as she mouthed the three-syllable word, silently willing her to say it. She suddenly beamed up at him and he couldn't stop his answering smile if he tried. "Vee-gee!"

Vegeta frowned, trying to ignore his wife's snickering in the background. "Vegeta."

Despite the firm tone of voice, Slip merely grinned again and repeated herself. "Veegee!"

Vegeta let out a growl and Slip's eyes widened, her lower lip starting to tremble. Vegeta's eyes widened and he hurriedly transferred the girl to Bulma's care before she could start wailing. Slip giggled as Bulma cradled her with a smile that was suspiciously like a smirk, heading for the kitchen. "Come on, Veegee, let's go get some dinner!"

Vegeta gritted his teeth, following after his woman with the full intent of letting her know in no uncertain terms that he would not be called-Veegee, only to be met with three sweaty men all relating their brief yet exhilarating fight to an avidly listening Boxer and Vegeta at the kitchen table.

"…I didn't even see the punch coming! Of course, then Goten and I got mad."

Goten rolled his eyes. "You mean you got mad and dragged me along for the ride! He insisted we fuse."

Boxer's eyes were as wide as they could go. "Fuse? Like when you fought that bad ol' Buu?" His legs kicked the air as he leaned his elbows on the table he sat at.

Trunks nodded and Goku took up the story. "I could tell what they were going to do and tried to warn them not to, but they wouldn't listen. The last time they'd fused was when we fought Buu, so they were rusty."

Goten snickered. "You had your fingers pointed wrong, Trunks."

Trunks huffed indignantly, looking like his father in a pout. "I did not! You had your leg sticking out too far!"

Goten folded his arms across his chest, scowling and raising an eyebrow. "I did not! You just don't want to 'fess up to making a fat Gotenks!"

As the shouting match slowly began to escalate, the three unwillingly listening leaned back further and further. Finally, Vegeta stepped up as close to the boys as he dared for the growing sound. "SHUT UP!"

Both Trunks and Goten whirled around with eyes as big as saucers. Vegeta 'hmphed' and crossed his arms. "You two are not setting a good example for the kids. And your screaming isn't helping certain people in this house!"

There was a huge silence that lasted all of a minute before a small, feminine voice from Bulma's arms piped up. "Veegee mad!" The giggling that ensued from Slip was soon joined by snickers from every corner of the room as Vegeta tried vainly to conceal his embarrassment.

Trunks giggled. "Veegee? Oh, Veegee, getting mad isn't good for your blood pressure you know."

Vegeta leaned in close to the boy, hands spread on the table, his devilish smirk causing Trunks to gulp back laughter and everyone else to quiet immediately. "Your brat may get away with mocking me, boy, but you sure won't. What do you say we have a little spar after dinner, hmm? Teach you to respect your old man?"

The younger Vegeta, seeing a need to stand up for his father, spoke up then, an innocent smile alighting his features. Considering he looked so much like Vegeta, the expression made him look demonic. "But you said we needed a way to distinguish you from me. I think my sister's nickname for you would fit perfectly. You look like a Veegee."

Vegeta's glare immediately transferred to the other, but his look-alike was far too much like him at the moment for the anger to hold. That, and the fact that Bulma decided to have her say as she strapped Slip into her highchair. "I think it's perfect. Right, Slip?"

As if the young girl knew exactly what was being said, she flailed her arms and squealed, pronouncing the new name as if knighting the unfortunate name's owner. "Veegee!"

Vegeta grumbled under his breath and moved to take a seat as Rose busily moved around the kitchen, setting down plates heaped with food that smelled as good as ChiChi's or Bulma's mother's ever had.

As the strangely grouped, yet complete family delved into the food, alternating between complimenting the chef and holding small discussions between themselves, Vegeta grunted, sparing a glance at the only other full-blooded Saiyan seated at the table. "So, Kakarott, who won? You or Gotenks?"

Kakarott hurriedly swallowed his food, which shocked Vegeta, considering the man hardly ever paused to do such a-mannerly thing. "Oh, I think I won. Really though, me Super Saiyan 3 and a fat Gotenks Super Saiyan 3 is no contest."

Vegeta nodded, sparing his son a glance he didn't see. "Yes, my son needs to polish his style, but then I always thought that."

"Say, Vegeta, Trunks brought up an interesting topic today…."

Trunks' forked paused halfway to his mouth and he managed to quickly lean back and over, since Goten was between him and his target, cuffing Goku right upside the head.

Goku turned wide-eyes at Trunks while Vegeta watched on with growing interest. "Ow! What did you do that for?" The whining voice made Vegeta's smirk widen.

Trunks shrugged, grinning slightly. "Sorry. I needed to ask dad something and it wouldn't wait."

Goku narrowed his eyes, an injured expression still on his face. "Yeah. Whatever."

Trunks turned back to Vegeta, who held up a hand to forestall him. "No, I want to know what exactly you asked Kakarott-son." The pause before the word had Trunks sinking into his seat, feeling as if he was not old enough to avoid the butt kicking he'd get from this one. Vegeta smirked and turned fully toward Kakarott. "Continue."

Goku looked from Trunks, who was desperately trying to mouth something to him, to Vegeta, who looked like a pleased cat. "Well, um, we were talking and Trunks asked me and Goten a question and I thought, since we didn't know the answer, you would, since it was about you."

Vegeta grinned benignly. "Yes?"

Goku sweatdropped at that look. "Um, but I don't think I'm supposed to say anything."

Vegeta frowned. "If it was about me, then it automatically becomes my business. Wouldn't you want me to tell you if Goten and Trunks were talking about you behind your back?"

Goku's face went shrewd, which was as out of character as Vegeta's earlier look. "Yeah, but would you?"

Goten and Trunks couldn't help but share a look and snicker at that. Vegeta huffed and stood quickly, pinning them with a death-glare. "I see how it is. Two scrawny brats that can't even fuse correctly think they can talk about the Prince of Saiyans behind his back, mock him, and get out of his house unscathed?" His smirk stretched across the whole of his face. "Especially since one of them is sleeping under the Prince's roof…. This is interesting."

He turned to Slip, not two seats from him with a serious expression. "What say you, child? Do these two deserve the punishment they've got coming to them?"

Slip giggled and clapped her hands, cheering the whole scene on, and Vegeta turned back to the two nervous demi-Saiyans. "The verdict is in. We have only to wait for the executioner to arrive now." Pronouncing that statement, Vegeta sat back down; head erect and rigid as if he had just made a royal decree. Considering the size of his ego, he probably had.

There was a slight silence as Goku continued eating, oblivious to the tension. Bulma smiled, letting everyone in on the expression, including her husband beside her, who blinked. "Man, I love these family reunions!"

There was some nervous laughter all around before the conversation turned to normal banter.

Some time later, Vegeta leaned back from his completed meal, watching his mate carefully from the corner of his eye and noting the way her head seemed to sag down, only to snap back up as someone addressed her. He stood, this time pushing his chair back, and positioned himself behind her, leaning down to whisper in her ear as he put his hands on the back of her chair. "Bow out gracefully, woman. No one here wants to see your head fall into your food."

Bulma swiveled her head to mock-glare at Vegeta and hissed back, "Are you suggesting I need a nap, Vegeta?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes, noting that the woman's pride could get in the way as much as his own, as he pulled her chair out smoothly. "No, I'm suggesting that I don't want to be embarrassed by a wife whose face is coated in mashed potatoes. All this excitement has drained me. Let's go to bed for a little bit. No one here will mind."

Bulma grinned. Sure, old age wasn't all it was cracked up to be, but it sure made her husband nicer. "Well, if you're really tired, Veegee…."

He growled, but said nothing as he held out a hand and helped her up to everyone's stares, which made his growl audible. Everyone who was smart and knew better turned back to their meals. This meant that Boxer was the only one left staring since Slip was busy throwing her food about the room. After hearing all those stories of a Vegeta who beat up people on a daily basis, this image conflicted with that one perfectly.

Vegeta vowed to have a small chat with his youngest grandson on respecting his elders as he led Bulma out of the room and upstairs to softly called 'goodbyes'.

A/N: Goten has a good idea? Or is it destined for failure? Poor Trunks. Lol The consequences of being a family man…. Heehee *clears throat* I wish to warn you, a friend of mine gave me a truly evil and delicious plot twist. Yep, just a warning.

JadedBest: Sorry, but- Got milk? Lol Trunks…. Interesting. At least it's Chibi. *hisses in a breath* That was a low blow! Um, uh…er-Oh Kami, I'm just going to shut up and eat a slice of chocolate orange…. JB, you'll say the same about your own kids. Lol she's aware na onna isn't she, Vegeta?

Susan: Wow! Well, I hope this was one too. It's hard when death is knocking on someone's door, eh? Lol

SkittleKicks: Yes, the more Vegeta's, the better! lol