Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Wish For The Past ❯ Breakfast of Champions ( Chapter 53 )

A/N: In case you couldn't tell, I'm not a night owl. I like to go to bed fairly early and get up really early, so it doesn't do my temperament much good to be up this late. But I did it all for you, my readers! I stayed up late just so I could finish the chapter! ^_^

Despite the fact that he'd burned a few of the fish and would be faced with having to eat them himself, Bardock was feeling more cheerful than he had in days. Specifically, since the visions come back to haunt him. It was a lot less depressing to think that a dark future might happen if he made a poor decision at some point than to think that the same future would happen no matter what he did. Even with the weight of the responsibility of discovering that choice dampening his mood somewhat, he would at least have a chance to avert the disaster he'd foreseen, and that was definitely cause for celebration in his eyes.

On top of all that, ever since he'd set aside his concerns, he'd quit burning as many fish. In fact, some of them looked downright appetizing! Scooping another almost perfect fish off of the pan and onto the sixth heaping plate, he glanced over at the table to find that Goku and Goten were just barely sitting down, still dressed in their colorful night shirts, and grinning happily in anticipation of a good breakfast. After tossing another fish into the pan, the older Saiyan picked up two of the heaping plates and set them down in front of each boy.

"Good morning, Goku, Goten," he greeted them, ruffling the hair on each boy's head affectionately before going back to bring the other plates of fish to the table. It would probably be only a manner of minutes before Trunks, Vegeta, Radditz, and Bulma joined them, so it'd be best to set out all the food now.

"Ohayoo, grandpa!" Goten chirped, followed closely by Goku's enthusiastic, "Ohayoo, tousan!" before the two began to stuff their faces with fish, their hands a blur of motion as they shoveled food into their mouths as quickly as possible. They either didn't notice or didn't care that some of the fish were a little charred on the edges, wolfing each one down indiscriminately as though it was the best thing they'd ever tasted.

By the time Bardock had brought the last plate out, Trunks and Vegeta had joined the two at the table and were now doing their best to make their own dents in the mountain of fried fish. Bardock was about to turn around and go back to cooking the rest of the fish, but paused and took another look at the two new arrivals. Something was... different. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was a subtle shift in the atmosphere that hadn't been there before this morning. Furrowing his brow in puzzlement, the warrior examined first Trunks, then Vegeta, in search of some sign or subtle clue as to what had changed. After a moment of observation, the only thing he could determine was that Vegeta kept casting wary looks at Trunks and... Goku. His whole demeanor was... quieter, moody, contemplative. There was something on his mind, and Bardock would bet his tail that it had something to do with Trunks and Goku. The only question was what it was, and how it would affect Bardock and his family.

Unable to discover any more about whatever it was that was troubling Vegeta, Bardock shook his head in frustration and turned back to his cooking, noting mournfully that he had nearly burned another fish. With a sigh, he flipped the barely edible thing out of the pan and onto his plate, then turned the stove off, since it looked like he had cooked enough fish to feed everyone.

"GET OUT! GET OUT!! GET OUT!" Bardock's head snapped up as Bulma's piercing, anger filled screams shook the house to its foundations - if capsule houses had foundations - and he turned around to look in the direction of the disturbance. "GET OUT OR, DAMN IT TO HELL, I'LL KILL YOU!!!" A few moments later, Radditz scampered in through the door, looking confused but relatively unconcerned as he sat down at the table and immediately began to chow down.

"What was that all about?" Bardock asked his son, lifting one eyebrow questioningly, loading his arms with cups before walking over to the table to set them down.

"I don't really know," the teenager said between mouthfuls. "I walked in to tell her that breakfast was ready, and she just started screaming. Something about being naked, but I don't understand that part. She wasn't naked, she was wearing one of those female bathing suits." Shrugging the matter off, he lifted a large bite of fish to his mouth and went back to eating.

"You walked in on Bulma when she was changing?!" Trunks exclaimed, pausing in mid-bite to stare incredulously at the older boy. "You're lucky to be alive, Radditz! She practically took my head off the last time I did that to her, and I'm her... uhh..." The boy gulped when he realized just how close he'd come to slipping up and revealing he was Bulma's son... in front of Vegeta! "Her... umm... friend," he finished lamely.

"Oh," was all Radditz said, not noticing Trunks's verbal stumbling. After a few moments of staring at his fish and trying to puzzle out the information he'd just received... "So humans have a strong taboo against nudity?" he asked, looking to Trunks for an answer. When the lavender haired demi nodded, the teenager frowned. "Humans are strange. They have a taboo against nudity, and yet are perfectly willing to wear clothing in public that shows almost everything," here he was referring to the swimsuit contest, "but if you walk into a human's room while they're wearing the same thing, they'll throw a fit..."

"Uh... Radditz? Bulma wasn't wearing a bathing suit," Trunks stated, blushing a little. "That was underwear, and humans also have a taboo against being seen in only their underwear. That's why Bulma got mad."

Radditz stared disbelievingly at the other boy for a few moments. "But what's the difference?!" he asked, exasperation tingeing his voice. "In fact, what that little onna was wearing was more modest than some of the things those other females were wearing at the swimsuit contest!"

A drop of sweat rolled down the back of Trunks's neck and he shrugged uncomfortably. "I never really understood it myself. That's just the way it is." He picked at his food with his chop sticks, feeling rather odd about talking about his mother in her underwear.

"Humans are crazy," Radditz stated firmly, then snorted in disgust as he turned back to his food.

Pursing his lips in thought, Bardock walked back to the kitchen to fill a large pitcher with water. As the thing was filling up, he made a mental note to add beverages to the grocery list he was compiling in his head. Water was all well and good, but drinking nothing but that would get old quickly. Once the pitcher was full, he picked it up and walked back to the table in time to see Bulma enter the room, her eyes red as though she'd been crying, but her head held high. This behavior instantly raised suspicions in Bardock's mind that Radditz had not told everything that had happened. From what he understood, the boy had only walked in on Bulma in an embarrassing moment, but she was acting as though the teenager had done something to break her heart.

"Good morning Bardock, Goku, Goten, Trunks. And you too, Vegeta," Bulma greeted them with a cheerfulness that sounded forced. Her failure to mention Radditz was highly conspicuous, and when she deliberately sat as far from the wild maned teen as she could, Bardock knew that something had definitely happened. Bulma was no longer infatuated with his oldest son, and while that didn't really bother the scarred warrior, since he knew that Bulma would eventually - well, hopefully - partner with Vegeta, he still wanted to know why.

Radditz eyed Bulma warily, thinking that her lack of pestering was almost too good to be true. No puppy love eyes, no offers to be 'helpful' in some way or other, not sitting next to him and trying to attract his attention... It was a breakfast that the Saiyan had only been able to dream about ever since he had first met the strange human girl what seemed like months ago, but was, in reality, about three days. Smiling cheerfully, the teenager grabbed the pitcher and poured some water into his glass, downing the cool liquid in a single gulp. He was about to stand up from the table and head outside to warm up in preparation for the spar with Goku he had planned, when his father interrupted him.

"I was originally thinking that we could get on with the hunt for the other four dragonballs," Bardock began, bringing everyone's attention to his scarred face. "However, this morning I noted that we have very little in the way of food other than meat, and since we're still close to a city, it would be wise to take advantage of it while we can. Bulma," he caught her gaze with his own to make sure she was paying attention, "I know you've already spent quite a lot of money on us, but-"

"No, you don't even have to ask," Bulma interrupted him, a small smile forming on her previously serious lips. "It'd be my pleasure to pay for the food. After all, Goku is my friend, and you're his family and..." She paused, glancing at Trunks and Vegeta. "And his friends."

With a grateful smile on his face, Bardock nodded and said, "Thank you, Bulma. Would you like someone to go with you, to help you determine the quantities you need to buy things in? After all, Saiya-jin eat a lot more than humans."

"I was planning on training with Goku," Radditz hastily interjected, anxious to excuse himself from the possibility of being picked to accompany the blue haired terror on yet another shopping trip. He was even prepared to grab his little brother and shamelessly flee in order to avoid that prospect.

"I wasn't planning on asking you," Bulma retorted coldly before turning to Trunks and Goten. "Would you two like to come with me?"

"Yeah!!" Goten cheered excitedly, a huge grin plastered onto his face. "Can I help pick out the food? Pleeease? I'll be good, honest!"

A mischievous glint sparkled in Trunks's cerulean eyes as he thought of all the possibilities for pranks and jokes that going shopping with his young mother provided. If nothing else, he might be able to get her to buy some supplies necessary for good jokes to play. "Yes, we'd love to go with you, Bulma!"

"And we can get ice cream, right? Huh? Pretty please? Oooh! And rice balls and watermelon and cookies and hot dogs and hamburgers and corn on the cob..." The black haired chibi trailed off, his eyes glazing over and drool dangling from the corner of his mouth at the thought of all that delicious food. Snapping out of his day dream, he turned his best Son Puppy Eyes (TM) on the older girl. "Pleeeease can we go with you?"

Grinning at her two volunteers, having no idea what she was getting herself into, Bulma nodded decisively. "All right, you two can be my little helpers," she said self-importantly, the heartbreak from earlier that morning already fading a bit. "If you two are done eating, go get dressed so we can get going as soon as I have a chance to eat, too."

Goten and Trunks grinned at each other, the first with innocent delight and the second with mischievous glee, and darted off to their respective rooms, whooping and hollering with excitement. Watching his two friends run off to prepare to go shopping with Bulma, Goku fidgeted enviously in his seat, sipping water from a cup to wash down the last mouthful of fish. It sounded like they were going to have lots of fun, and he sort of wished that he could go, too. Then what Radditz had said only a few moments ago sank in, and he looked hopefully up at his older brother. "Oniichan?" Once he had Radditz's attention, Goku set down his cup of water. "Do I get to train with you?" Yes, his brother had said he'd train with him, but Goku wanted to be sure.

Still feeling immensely relieved that Bulma had decided not to try to include him in her shopping trip, Radditz grinned at his little brother and reached a hand out to tug the boy's rainbow colored night shirt. "Sure, but only if you change into a training gi. I won't spar with anyone who's wearing a night shirt." He would have added something about how it looked like someone had spilled multiple cans of paint on it to create that particular pattern, but he could tell Goku loved the shirt, so he kept his opinion to himself.

"Hurray!" Goku cheered, leaping into his surprised brother's arms to give him a quick hug before jumping down to the ground. "Tousan, did you hear that?" The seven year old hopped enthusiastically from one foot to the other as he looked up at his father joyfully. "Niichan said he's going to train me! I'm gonna go put on my clothes now, so I can get started right away!" With another loud yell of delight, the chibi Saiyan zipped out of the room under the amused gazes of his father and brother.

"Since when did you decide to train your little brother, Radditz?" Bardock asked curiously as he sat down with his plate of charred fish. Grimacing with distaste, he stuffed a mouthful between his teeth and quickly chewed and swallowed. I am definitely never going to allow myself to think while cooking again! Shuddering, he took a swallow of water and forced himself to continue eating the burnt food.

An embarrassed flush tinged Radditz's cheeks and he stared down at his now-empty plate. "Well, er... it just seemed like a good idea. Goku's so weak, and he hasn't really been trained well... If you wanted to be the one to train him, I really don't mind," he added hastily, glancing up nervously to observe Bardock's reaction.

Bardock's eyes danced with amusement as he took another swallow of water, then shook his head. "No, no. You're probably the best one to train him right now, since you're closer to him in power than I am."

Up until this point, Vegeta had maintained an uncomfortable silence. He had vaguely wanted to go with Trunks and Goten, but the idea of shopping indefinitely with the annoying blue haired female made him dismiss that idea swiftly. However, talk of training brought up in his mind another possibility for a way to pass the time until Trunks and Goten got back. "Bardock," he cut in abruptly, his voice blank and emotionless. "I want to spar with you." He managed to keep all trace of his feelings out of his voice, even the regally commanding note that usually accompanied such statements. There was no pleading, no demanding... a simple statement of fact. And it caught Bardock completely by surprise.

"N-nani?" he gaped. Surely that wasn't Vegeta speaking... was it? Vegeta-ouji would simply order me to spar with him, since I'm only a third class soldier... and that didn't sound like an order... Does this have anything to do with those odd looks he was giving Goku?

"I said, I want to spar with you," Vegeta snapped irritably, scowling off to one side instead of meeting Bardock's eyes. "The other two brats are going with the chibi onna, so you're the only one... you're the only one who's..." It was difficult to say, even though he knew that when he got older, it probably wouldn't be true anymore. "Who's stronger than me," he finally forced himself to say, wincing at the sting to his pride that admitting weakness to a third class caused. His tail twitched wildly with suppressed emotion until he managed to regain control of himself. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head so he could stare defiantly into the other Saiyan's eyes. "I need a worthy sparring partner, and you're all there is," he said loftily, sounding more like his old self than he had earlier, despite the fact that he had just referred to a low-class commoner as a 'worthy sparring partner.'

Still taken aback by the ten year old's reaction, Bardock nodded wordlessly. Radditz stared with slack-jawed amazement before he caught what he was doing and closed his mouth with an audible click. Bulma, being unfamiliar with Saiya-jin society and mannerisms, didn't understand what was going on, but noticed the fact that the bratty little prince seemed to be behaving... oddly, though she didn't know exactly what it was that told her this. Shrugging it off as a Saiyan thing, she went back to eating her small portion of fish.

Dressed in his traditional orange gi, although it didn't have the symbols of the Turtle school on it, Goku waved cheerfully as Bulma took off in her capsule car, followed closely by Trunks and Goten, who had wisely opted to fly under their own power. They both knew exactly what kind of driver Bulma was. Driving with the blue haired girl was an experience to give even a Saiyan gray hairs and was something they actively tried to avoid. Once the car and the two demi-Saiyans were out of sight, Goku eagerly turned to his older brother, who was patiently standing beside him.

"I'm ready to start training, niichan!" The little Saiyan's tail waved behind him happily as he shifted into the best fighting stance he knew, waiting for his brother to do the same.

"All right, little brother," Radditz smirked, positioning his feet to indicate he was ready to begin. "Let's see what you've got."

*pulls the sock out of her mouth and drops it on the floor* Eeeew... stinky sock in my mouth... Pftheew!! Darn that Vegeta!

Kaio-sama: Hehehehe!!! *snort* *chuckle* Good one! Get it?! Darn? Sock? *rolls on the floor, laughing his head off* Bwahahahaha!!!

Brenda: *sweatdrops* .... riiight.... *looks back at the readers* Anyway, please review!