Before we begin, I have to give my sincerest thanks to Kaeli-san, Sylv-chan, Rebecca-san and Yasai-san for pre-reading for me. They have really helped to get rid of some of the glitches that bug fic writing. Thank you everyone.
The Present: Chikyuu - Year 789
"Sir, you have an appointment with the Chief Scientist of the Research Division," Trunks' secretary said politely through the intercom. Her reminder also served as a warning that he should not be thinking about climbing out of the window in an attempt to escape from his duties. He reluctantly backed away from the window. What Trunks most wanted to know was how the woman knew exactly what he was considering, even through the wall. Okaasan must have searched forever to find this one, he thought with a sigh.
Bulma was still involved with Capsule Corp.- she dealt mostly with the development of new models - but since Trunks had come of age, she had unceremoniously dumped the main running, the day to day decisions in his lap. And it was not a task he enjoyed hence the secretary with x-ray vision, to keep him from escaping out the window. [Little did he know it was not x-ray vision which allowed her to keep such a tight watch on her boss's activities but a little device Bulma had given her when she was employed. It set off a little alarm on her desk whenever Trunks approached the window. It was toned differently if the window was open or if he attempted to fly. He couldn't go off on a whim. After all, he had the largest company on earth to run.]
Trunks sighed again, flopping back into his chair. I'm the President of the largest corporation on Earth but every time someone doesn't agree with one of my decisions, which is almost always, they take it to Okaasan, and if she doesn't over turn it, they take it to Ojiichan. I have no power and they wonder why I want to escape the job all the time..? Oh, how little do they know! His eyes narrowed suddenly. Chotto matte! Did she say 'Chief Scientist of the Research Division?'
From his position, leaning back in his chair, he swatted at the intercom button on his desk with his foot. After setting off the air conditioning, altering the lights and managing to pipe heavy metal music through the room, set on loud, he finally managed to activate the intercom. He swung upright and bashed, gently of course, he had no wish to replace it again, the mute on the stereo in time to hear his secretary inquire, as politely as always, what he required. Her voice though, somehow managed to convey the warning that he shouldn't swing on his chair and he shouldn't use his foot to try to activate the intercom. Oh yeah, forever. He ground his teeth in annoyance, before asking, "Who is my meeting with?"
"Your meeting is with the Chief Scientist of the Research Division, sir," she paused. "He's just arrived. Shall I send him in, sir?"
"Yes! I need a dose of reality!"
His quip brought a masculine chuckle before his door opened and Son Gohan walked in. "There, there, Trunks-kun," he admonished gently. "Someone has to take care of all this and well... Since you're Bulma's..."
"I know, I know!" Trunks held up his hand. "Since I'm Bulma's son, it's my responsibility to run Capsule Corp. But enough of that. What does my Chief Scientist want?" Trunks asked. Talking to Gohan was one of the better parts of being President.
Gohan looked at him questioningly before he made the stunning intuitive leap that Trunks had not read the memo he'd sent earlier. There was nothing surprising about that though. Trunks rarely read official memos so Gohan would just have to start from the beginning, that's all. "It's about the new encapsulation procedure," he began, switching from friend to scientist in an instant.
"Uh huh," Trunks nodded. "You said something about needing a dark light telescope..." Trunks forgot that request had been almost six months ago.
"Un, we got that," Gohan replied, patiently. "It was useful in corroborating several theories. The point is, Trunks, we are nearing the prototype stage."
"Honto ne..?"
Gohan smiled at the excitement in Trunks' tone. He could be such a child over the development of new lines of products for Capsule Corp. It wasn't that Gohan didn't share Trunks' excitement, he was after all the Head of the division responsible for the development of new products and technologies, it was just amusing seeing the sudden shift in interest from bored to raptly attentive. "Really!" he confirmed. "We're fairly sure we've got the mass problems solved, so even encapsulating a car should bring it down to an acceptable weight."
"How'd you do that? The last report I got said things could be encapsulated but it'd triple their mass. Not very useful to anyone." Trunks looked sly for an instant. "Although I could probably pass them off to our fathers for weight training."
Gohan grinned. "How else do you get ten tonnes into a small enough form for them to train with?" he asked. "What gravity is Vejiita-san up to now?"
Trunks rolled his eyes. His father trained for at least four hours a day, everyday under gravity in either Super Saiyajin or Super Saiyajin 2 form. He shuddered remembering the few days Vejiita hadn't trained, through mishap, complications or because Bulma demanded the whole day with him. Vejiita was usually difficult to deal with at the best of times but those particular days... "I have no idea Gohan. Although he probably uses a base of at least 500 and works his way up from there."
Gohan nodded. "I think Otousan had Kaio-sama weight his clothes but I have no idea what weight he's carrying."
"So that's how he does it!" Trunks said brightly. "Heh, you should know, it's one of Otousan's chief grievances that Goku-san improves without training."
"I know, I know! But Otousan does train, he just does it differently from your father." Gohan took a deep breath before he continued, switching back to a scientist. "As I was saying, we're fairly sure we've got the mass problems solved but there's a couple of issues with re-expansion. We are not going to be able to deal with them until we have a prototype."
"What kind of issues?" Trunks asked. Gohan wouldn't have brought them up unless he thought that they were significant.
Gohan looked thoughtful before he began. "The standard procedure is to 'encapsulate' an item, using the field Dr. Briefs developed. This new one would more accurately be described as compression. Well, it's more of a hybrid procedure since compression as we discovered maintains the mass. Now, we're compressing items using some of the gravitational theories developed by your Okaasan. It's basically the same technology used in the gravity room, just on a smaller scale. The only thing is, we're using the same forces which exist in black holes, miniaturized and controlled. We've solved how to preserve the material going in but we're unsure if we can decompress the items as well."
"One way encapsulation?" Trunks asked. "It could be useful for waste disposal." Trunks' business instincts were true even if he didn't like to exercise them.
Gohan shook his head. "No that's not quite correct. We can decompress materials, we're just not sure if they'd survive. Our modeling was a little vague on this, despite our best efforts to sharpen the algorithms. The only way we'll know is to try a prototype."
Trunks nodded. He could now see why Gohan had brought this to him. "Will it be dangerous?" The memory of the last time something had been tested and had gone wrong still haunted him. His ears still rang from Okaasan's 'little conversation' with him, not to mention Otousan's speech. And he could swear, in some corridors of the Corp. the smoke had still not cleared.
"It shouldn't be, but we're not sure," Gohan looked apologetic. "I seem to be saying that a lot. Basically Trunks we need your permission to test it and build the prototype but we thought we'd go for something non explosive this time."
"Non explosive?" Trunks seemed mildly amused.
"Nothing which could be too flammable. The Design Team were thinking along the lines of a stuffed children's toy rather than something mechanised, like a car or fridge."
Trunks nodded again. "Well if you're that far advanced, then build and test a prototype. I get the feeling that you're not going to progress much further unless you can get actual data?"
Gohan nodded his response. "It's the decompression that's critical."
"Build it then..." His voice took on a reflective tone. "But use the Delta precautions. I don't need my Okaasan and Otousan complaining again."
"Hey, that's not fair!" Gohan exclaimed. "You only got yelled at twice last time? I got the whole thing four times; Bulma-san, Vejiita-san and then when I got home Videl! And to top it all off, a few days later Okaasan knew about it, so I got it again!"
Trunks winced in sympathy. "Aiee! Your Okaasan? I wonder how she found out?"
Gohan shrugged. "It doesn't matter," he said happily as he rose. "Your Okaasan probably told her." He riffled through a file of papers he was carrying, selected a few and handed them over to Trunks. "If you can sign these, Mr President. I 'll see that the prototype is built promptly."
Trunks sighed at the reminder of his official duties as he reached for a pen to scribble his name on the bottoms of the papers before he handed them back to Gohan.
"Thanks Trunks." Gohan smiled knowingly as Trunks flopped back into his chair with a resigned look. "Don't despair, wasn't I your last appointment for today?"
Gohan caught a brief glimpse of Trunks' joyous face before he found himself looking at an empty chair. The window curtains 'swished' in a sudden breeze. "I wish I could move that fast," he murmured, ignoring the fact that he could if he needed to. It was just a figure of speech. He neatened his paper stack before he headed to the door. He had better tell Trunks' secretary that the President would be unavailable until tomorrow.
Vejiita hovered in the exact centre of the room. He wasn't moving, he was just standing in mid air, ankles crossed and arms folded over his chest. His chin was resting on his torso and his eyes were closed although his expression was not peaceful and he was not resting. Far from it. His brows were drawn together in concentration and his hair rose blond, in jagged points. The gravity was set relatively low, at about 500. Once you got that high, it was a little difficult to be precise. And it was only set at that from habit and to make sure that no one burst in and interrupted him. At the moment if someone interrupted him, he'd likely murder him or her from frustration. His training was not going well.
Except this couldn't really be called training. Well, it was and it wasn't. He was trying to duplicate something he'd seen done and seen repeated almost every time he saw Kakarotto and his misbegotten brats. And it was something which looked easy, deceptively so. But it was proving far more difficult than Vejiita had thought.
Anyone watching his training would have known he'd been trying to do this for weeks and although he had been careful to hide his frustration from his mate, she was beginning to suspect that something was wrong.
He sighed quietly, his features softening for an instant before they hardened again in renewed concentration. The familiar flame gold aura of a super saiyajin appeared around him. He smiled coldly, it didn't matter how many times he did this, there was still a rush of power every time he brought this aura into being but that wasn't what he was here for. This next part was the part he could not do.
Yet.
He was the Saiyajin no Ouji, there was nothing he could not do.
He focused on relaxing, allowing his features to smooth and become peaceful as he sorted through his memories, choosing several which were particularly strong. The birth of Trunks, of Bra, coming home to Bulma after fighting Buu and the feeling he had, waking up one morning next to his mate when he'd known Chikyuu had become his home. They were all good memories, they were all happy memories.
He focused on that, focused on his happiness. Without meaning to he let his mouth move into a smile, one he knew lacked his customary coldness. He could still feel his aura, the yellow flames rippling over his skin. Vejiita turned back to his memories but he didn't suppress the smile. They were good memories, they still made him feel happy. They were memories he never thought he would have.
Trunks... His son... His son! And although he now spent his days trying to escape his responsibilities as President of Capsule Corp., he was still a strong and formidable opponent. But Vejiita could still remember his birth...
He'd known Bulma was pregnant long before she had. Her ki, always so weak had changed. It had been amplified by another, one that even unformed was curious about the world. It reached out and touched with a feather light touch, investigating everything around it. Vejiita had barely noticed. But that touch..! Vejiita had known, once he worked out were it was coming from, that this was a warrior's touch. The child the human woman was carrying would be a formidable foe. The child had somehow recognised him then and that feather touch had changed. It hadn't caused him pain, it was far too weak to do that but it had become hostile to him and protective of the one it rested in. He could feel the accusation every time he got within the child's reach. It was not a feeling he enjoyed so he had left.
But he'd still known when Bulma had given birth, he'd felt it, her pain and as the ki which had been entwined with hers freed itself and become whole. And even if it was hostile to him, he'd still been happy. He had still been proud that that strength was his son.
Happy... He had been happy... He was still happy... And his aura for now was still in place. Vejiita's smile widened a little more. This was further than he had come before. He let his memories continue.
Bra. His second child. Something unheard of for the Saiyajin no Ouji. His daughter, a miniature version of her mother but she possessed his stubbornness. Not a warrior though and there was a time when he would have been disappointed with this but she was formidable in other ways. And for the warrior he was, this could be just as dangerous as facing his equal in battle. Her blue eyes even though she was still so young could be as hard as a super saiyajin or as soft as a puppy’s. And her birth and her being, like that of her older brother, made him happy.
Vejiita pictured her face before him, smiling at something and he felt his heart melt. He smiled in response to the image he had summoned. His aura ebbed...
No!
His features hardened instantly and his eyes snapped open in time to see the last few tatters of yellow flame disappear.
No!
He grabbed on to his memories of Bra, forcing himself to feel the emotions again as he tried to hold the power of a super saiyajin but he could feel it slipping through his fingers. The rage, the hatred was disappearing as he held to the image of his children.
No!
He felt his hair change back, it's stiff jagged peaks softened and fell slightly into more gentle points as he lost the power completely.
NO!
Why couldn't he do it? Why couldn't he do it? He'd seen Kakarotto and his brat do it. He'd seen his son and Kakarotto's younger brat do something similar, so why couldn't he do it? Why couldn't he feel joy, why couldn't he feel happy and maintain his super saiyajin form?
Why could he only feel the happiness of blood lust and the joy of an enemy’s fear with the super saiyajin power? Why could they feel the joy of friendship, of life and in that thrice-darned Kakarotto, the love for his children and still maintain the power?
A snarl echoed through the room. How did they hold on to their rage, their anger and still feel love and happiness? "How does Kakarotto do it?" It was something he did not understand.
He simply could not hold on to his rage at the same time as he was happy and whatever the trick to it, he could not bring the two, rage and happiness, into balance. He scowled. He might have pushed it a little further today but the result was still the same. But I will work it out, he thought uncrossing his arms and legs as he gently lowered himself to the floor. He might have failed, again, to master that particular trick but he had other training to attend to. He wouldn't fail forever and when he did succeed it would only be a matter of time before he brought Kakarotto and his annoying brats to their knees.
Kakarotto first though.
He shunted his memories aside, returning his focus back to his training.
Vejiita gestured towards several small blocks that had been lying haphazardly
against the floor. They looked like a child's building blocks, except these
ones weighed a tonne a piece. Obediently they rose and bobbed gently through
the air and arranged themselves around him. This was an exercise to sharpen
his control. He started them spinning around him.
The blocks suddenly stopped, they almost seemed to hang in the air before they crashed into the floor as Vejiita's concentration shattered. Vejiita was just staring straight ahead at the one block that remained air borne. His body was trembling with rage, a tremble the block echoed as it shook in the air. He clenched his fist, his hair once again turning blond as it rose in sharp points.
There, on his dull matte grey training block was a splash of color. Not just any color but pink. Arranged in lines that clearly formed a face. A smiley face. There, on his training block was a child's drawing, a child's doodle. He screamed in rage, small white lightnings flickered around him and his hair became longer as he made the transition to super saiyajin two. He didn't even notice.
He clamped mental fingers down on the block, crushing it but that wasn't enough. He could still see the face and could still see a flash of pink as the pieces of the block hovered in his power. He brought his hand up, an incandescent ball of ki appeared and then flashed into the centre of the debris. It expanded slightly consuming the block and then vanished. Not even dust remained.
Vejiita gasped for air, his rage had constricted his breathing but his thoughts were racing. Bra knew to leave every thing in this room as it was. She wouldn't have touched that block. Trunks? No, the last time Trunks had touched his training equipment had been over ten years ago. Vejiita had made sure that he wouldn't do it again. Kakarotto's younger brat? No, he too had suffered Trunks' fate and he hadn't been around the last few days so that left...
Pan. Son Pan. She had been here the other day and as usual the brat had been allowed to wander. She was the only one. She was going to pay. The lightnings intensified around him. Vejiita smiled coldly as a new realisation came to him. He was going to make that brat pay but at some stage he'd have to go through Kakarotto. She wouldn't be a challenge and if he somehow got to her first, Kakarotto would be sure to show up later so he would at least get a decent fight.
He picked up the remaining blocks and set them to orbit around him as he pulled his power back down to a standard super saiyajin. A smirk adorned his features. Perhaps the loss of the block wasn't that bad, he'd at least get a decent fight. "One day Kakarotto... One day..."
Outside the gravity room Bulma sighed and let her hand fall from the intercom switch. She knew her husband's tone of voice too well and she had heard enough. She had wanted to see if he would like to spend a little bit of time with her and Bra this afternoon. It was more like she was about to deliver the ultimatum to spend some time with her but she knew once he got to that tone he was interested in nothing but training.
Bulma knew she should be annoyed, angry at a man like that. "Most women would have thrown him out or walked out by now," she whispered. It was her personal joke. "But I'm not most women," the reply followed. But today it seemed tired, even to herself.
She sighed again and turned back up the corridor. At least the trip down hadn't been an entire waste. Vejiita had been increasingly distant for the past couple of weeks but at least she now knew why. I should have known, I guess. It's not like it's something new. The words, ' "How does Kakarotto do it?" ' confirmed exactly what was going on. Vejiita was always trying to copy or catch up to Son-kun. After 25 years, you'd think he'd be used to it... But if he was, I guess I'd wonder where Vejiita had gone.
Bulma paused for a second before she continued into her lab. "I guess I should tell him that I put the smiley face there. I thought it would cheer him up." Bulma chuckled slightly. "I never thought it would get that much reaction! Tonight. I'll tell him tonight, since he seems inclined to wait." She turned slightly serious. "Son-kun will kill him if he touches Pan-chan."
She put a note on her reminder sheet and accompanied it by an instruction to herself to make a new set of training blocks for Vejiita. She'd better double their weight as well and if she did it before asked, well had the demand made is more accurate, he might even forget the face.
Bulma turned to her newest invention. It was still not complete and she wasn't even sure if it would work. But if it does, I wonder if he'll wear it or whether it will offend his Saiyajin pride..? I won't know until it's finished though. Either way, how do I get him to test it?
The thought didn't really give her that much concern. She hadn't lived with Vejiita... or more accurately, he hadn't lived with her, for the past 25 years without learning a thing or two on how to motivate stubborn saiyajin.
Morphine strode through the corridors of the palace. Heh! Soon it will be my palace. It had been a week since the Council's vote and even though he had seemed upset about it he was not quite as upset with the Council's decision as Dru thought. He'd been expecting something like it, but he had worked hard to get a reputation of unreasonableness if things didn't go his way. But they had gotten used to their independence. I can clamp down on that later, but for now, this was the only compromise that could have been accepted by both... But once I destroy this Son Goku... Then they will know it is I who rules! Perhaps Cecrisafi wasn't the waste I thought it was.
A smile crossed his features, revealing a sharp glitter of white pointed teeth. It died as something tugged at his memory. Son Goku... Son Goku... I have heard that name before today. Cold and Kooler? They did say it as the man they would have revenge upon... No... There's something else... Son Goku... The way they said the name... There was something they feared there... It wasn't Cold and Kooler, they did not fear. Snow and Arctik! Them..! What did they say..? "Son Goku. One of the few remaining Saiyajins... The race we must destroy..!"
Morphine halted and backed into a dark shadow. The words were coming slowly to him. He hadn't really paid much attention to either of them, they were beneath his notice. He only remembered this conversation because of the desperate fear which had colored their tone. Those two had been of the same race as the Colds and fear was not something they showed.
Morphine closed his eyes, putting himself into a light trance. What else did they say..? "Son Goku... Saiyajin... A race that must be eliminated, a race that could challenge us..!" No, that wasn't it. It was something specific, something only about Son Goku.
Dru's voice suddenly imposed itself on his thoughts. Morphine would have batted it aside but for the knowledge his trance allowed his subconscious to bring forth information his more rational mind would dismiss. ' "Obviously surpassed all limits the Saiyajin were believed to have." ' Yes, he would have had to, to defeat Freeza, Cold and Kooler. Dru's words brought the long forgotten conversation of Snow and Arctik into focus. ' "A race that could challenge us but Son Goku is the Super Saiyajin and to him, we would not be a challenge." ' That was it.
Super Saiyajin... So that legend is true. My teachers on Dimenice-sei mentioned it but I do not think they believed it. This could be more interesting than I thought. Morphine slowly opened his eyes, breaking his trance. It appears waiting to see this Son Goku in action was a wiser course of action than I originally perceived. It would be best to determine the strength of this legend first.
Morphine began walking down the corridor again. The situation with the Council was resolved for now, and he could see this Saiyajin’s strength soon enough but he still had other things that required his attention. He hadn't gotten so far without learning to split his focus.
Xanax is due to report in soon and if he had moved to the final stage, he will need several guard platoons. Morphine sighed, Xanax was brilliant but he tended to wander. If he has, I will have to pull him back on track again. I'll need that project finished by the end of the Budokai. He continued through the palace, making his way to his ship.
Upon reaching his ship he moved directly to the communications suite. A glare was sufficient to clear out the crew. They were his own race and he was the Chosen One, they knew better than to get in his way. One particular set of equipment, high velocity, scrambled communication lines, activated at his voice and after it had run through several other identification checks, its little screen displayed the message. "Initiating Contact." It was annoying but Xanax's little project should be worth this level of security.
The screen blinked at him once before it broke into a haze of horizontal lines which quickly resolved into a face, very similar to his own. There were differences there, two pieces of glass balanced precariously before the eyes and the whole expression was slightly vague and unhardened.
"Ara, Morphine-chan! We weren't expecting you to call this soon."
"Ojiichan, enough! I always call when you aren't expecting it. How goes the project?"
Xanax looked slightly mournful. "Not as well as we would like Morphine," he became slightly more serious.
Morphine almost screamed. He recognised the tone. "What is the problem now?" he asked with exaggerated patience. It was only the fact that he needed this project which kept him from scrapping it immediately.
Xanax laughed. He did know of Morphine's exasperation with this project. "For once, it's not that serious. We just have a small delay on a piece for the prototype," he finished proudly. They weren't meant to be up to the prototype stage for another three months but they had broken the technology far faster than they thought possible. And even the most stringent rechecking confirmed that what they had discovered was truth and not something close to it, or something completely incorrect.
"Prototype?" Morphine's voice had a dangerous edge. "Old man, you had better not be playing."
"Iie, Morphine-chan," Xanax said cheerfully. "We just broke the barrier faster than even we thought possible." He appeared to be looking for something but he continued his explanation. "We have triple checked our results and we are now ready to build the prototype... Ah, here it is!" Xanax looked directly back at Morphine. "You are not happy?" he asked, holding up the affirmative printouts.
"Oh, I'm happy," Morphine purred. He had gotten over his surprise. "And you should be too since I was calling to move the schedule up. But since you are this far, I will move it up further," he smiled again, sharp teeth glittering with mirth. If they were moving this fast at least none of the dissidents could have moved. He'd have time to bring in his own guards.
"Morphine! We can't possibly..."
"I expect the prototype to be built and tested by the end of the Anniversary Budokai," Morphine instructed, ignoring and drowning out Xanax's attempts to argue. "That should be enough time."
"The end of the Anniversary Budokai?" Xanax questioned. It was more time than he had expected.
"I'm not completely unreasonable. I will give you a final completion date, after that."
"Hai, Morphine. The prototype will be completed."
"Good. And given that you have completed so much, I will be sending some extra security. I do not want this project compromised."
Xanax nodded. This project would form the final protection for Dimenice-sei. It would hold for the future for those delicate and dangerous times when they were between Protectors, when the Chosen One of that generation had yet to come of age. He was proud that it was his grandson who had initiated this project. Didn't this prove that Morphine could not bring dishonor to his race?
"Ah, Morphine could you please send guards who are a little less... ah spectacular?" Xanax seemed unsure how to phrase his question.
Morphine couldn't help but smile in amusement. The Ontralan guards were efficient and powerful but they were a little too conspicuous. Their presence had caused the project to be attacked twice before he got rid of them. It was serious but it was still amusing. "I was thinking of sending Saiyajins. They have proved to be efficient and discrete. And they will be able to enter the final escort stage."
"That would be appreciated Morphine."
"Expect them in two standard galactic weeks," Morphine said by ways of dismissal as he closed the connection.
He half closed his eyes, considering. Prototype, already? A grin appeared on his features. Prototype... The Kaio's must be smiling. But then a sense of urgency took over. He was entering dangerous territory here. There were those who would not follow him even though he bore the red eyes of the Protector. They were nearly extinct but they would object to this on principle. I need those guards as soon as possible although I hope their contract is uneventful.
Morphine rose and went to his own quarters. As he entered the guards
he had left there bowed and shifted slightly, giving up their positions
to Kaolynite and Serax. He looked over at one of them. "Have Kohlrabika
report here," he instructed as he entered.
Kaohlrabika reported promptly and was allowed entry by Kaolynite and
Serax. He was dressed in standard issue armor but like all saiyajin his
was accessorised by a furry belt. His hair hung down to his shoulder blades
but was not as wild as a normal Saiyajins. He made some attempt to bring
it under control. It was mostly slicked down but there was a piece on the
top which stubbornly kept popping up. "Sir, you called for me."
Morphine looked around from the window. "I did, Kohlrabika. I have mission for you. You are not entered in the Budokai?"
"No. The new rules are somewhat restrictive."
"I thought you would find them like that," Morphine smiled knowingly. "My mission should be more interesting," although I hope it's not, "and it will be useful to your race. But I must first ask you if you will regret not seeing your Ouji?" The question was quite deliberate.
"No. We are aware that Vejiita survived Freeza but he was not the one who defeated him." Kohlrabika looked down at his hand, flexing it slightly. "I am no where near your level Morphine-sama and I am still no where near Freeza but I would be more powerful than the Ouji. I cannot have loyalty to such a man. There would be others of my people who think differently but," he looked up with a slight smile, "they do not need to know the Ouji is attending the Budokai. And if he continues to believe that he is only one of two Saiyajin alive, then he will not be tempted to empire."
"Good. I wish to hire two squads. They are to provide security at a research station which is likely to be attacked by dissidents." Morphine handed over a data chip. "I will pay at one and a half the standard rate and for that I expect no compromises on security."
Kohlrabika nodded, accepting the chip. "I will lead them personally, Morphine-sama. There will be no breaches." He saluted as Morphine gave him permission to leave.
They will guard Xanax's creation while I observe the Super Saiyajin. Morphine narrowed his eyes as he turned back to the window. The strands were beginning to come together but the road was still long.
"I'll see you in six months, Hahaue," Uub said, looking around his family. Goku-san had already taken to the skies and was waiting for him to finish his farewells.
"I know," his mother said. "But we'll miss you all the same." She leaned over and kissed his cheek lightly. "Now go, Goku-san is waiting."
Uub looked over to his father. He was just standing there, beaming at this reminder that it was his son who had saved the village and it was his son who was being trained by a former world champion. Uub couldn't help but smile. His father, as all people on this world knew only part of the truth. There were times when Uub wondered what the reaction would be if he knew it all. "I'll be back in time to help with the harvest, Chichiue. So will Goku-san," he said before leaping into the air, careful not to create a shock wave.
He brought himself level with Goku-san before turning back to wave again. From this height though he could see his whole village waving back and it was his heart which swelled with pride. This was his village and his people, and all of them were wishing him well as he left again for another six months.
"Chichi'll have lunch waiting," Goku said as he turned and flew towards the far horizon, leaving a red tinted ki trail.
Uub smiled. Yup. That was definitely his sensei. He waved one last time
and followed, his own ki trail blending with the sky. They had begun this
little ritual a little over four years ago, after Chichi had so dramatically
entered the village after her husband. His ears still rang from her voice.
Even so, he still looked forward to returning to Goku's home. There was
something comforting about someone who saw the ability to fly and being
super strong as a mere hindrance to the house cleaning, who didn't react
with awe. His village had gotten used to seeing him and Goku flying but
there was still an undertone of disbelief. Chichi was a good reality fix.
And although Goku didn't say much, Uub knew he enjoyed the time he spent
with his wife. There was something between them beyond their marriage.
Of course with Goku-san, it could be just her cooking. Uub grinned
at the reminder of lunch, even though he knew their bond was so much more
than that, and hurried to catch up with his sensei.
Word/Name Meanings
Chapter 3: Unchanging Son's