A thick asteroid belt formed the thickest ring of a starless gas giant. Thousands of miles wide and deep, it formed a silent wall in space, lightless and lifeless. Lasers blasted through the darkness of space, blowing asteroids apart. Chunks of exploded rocks struck the hull of the Raider Six with hollow thunks that echoed throughout the ship. Seated in the cockpit, Trunks kept his eyes on his targeting screen, firing at green x's on a darker green background. Beside him, Goten ignored his computer and fired at the asteroids he could see through the main screen.

Behind them, Gohan clung to Piccolo, hiding his face in his mentor's cape. Piccolo would've scolded him for it if he hadn't been squeezed by the strongest fighter in the universe. Another shower of broken asteroids hit the hull and Gohan shuddered.

"Cool," Goten said. "It's like a videogame but without music."

"No music," Trunks said, blasting another asteroid. The ship tilted to the right as he dodged one that slipped by, then righted again. "I have to hear if any of those rocks punch through the hull."

Gohan groaned. With a sigh, Piccolo pulled his arm out of Gohan's grip and hugged him close. "Relax," he said. "This ship is heavy on defense, remember?"

"Not that," Gohan said. "Stomach--"

"Whoa, big one," Trunks said. "Hang on!"

An asteroid larger than the ship zoomed past the view screen as Trunks pushed the ship down and forward, ducking around and coming back up to narrowly avoid another one. The gravity lurched around, throwing anything not tethered around, until it tugged it all back down again. Pencils and empty cups hit the floor and Piccolo's chest turban drooped over his eyes.

With his eyes closed shut, Gohan unbuckled his safety harness and made a blind dash for the bathroom, one hand pressed over his mouth. Piccolo watched him go, then glared at the two pilots. "Can't you fly straight?"

"Sorry," Trunks said. "But we have to go through this field and I have to dodge these rocks."

"Only a few more minutes now," Goten said.

Piccolo growled and walked back after Gohan. As he walked out, he passed by Goku, who sat in a back corner. The cockpit lights didn't reach him, leaving him in the dim red glow of a few buttons and blinking read outs. He sat with his arms folded, his legs crossed and stretched out in front of him. When an explosion lit the screen bright white for a moment and drew a triumphant whoop from Goten, he didn't give any signs of noticing. He didn't look at anything but the back of the chair in front of him, and even that he seemed to stare through.

"We're out of it," Trunks said, looking back. "Should be clear sailing from here on in."

Goku looked up. "How long?"

"A couple more weeks," Trunks said. "It should pop up on our sensors in half that."

Goku nodded once and looked down again. The Raider Six shot off along the rim of the red giant and deeper into empty space.  

*  

The castle halls echoed with footsteps as Saiyans went back and forth, some flying out the windows on errands, others flying in. Most gathered fruits and wild roots from the nearby groves, bringing back basketfuls without leaving a dent in the amount still on the trees. As Vegeta walked down the hall, he grabbed a deep purple verka root from a basket and bit into it. He paused as the juices filled his mouth. Just as sweet and crunchy as his dreams.

"Kigeta truly works miracles," he whispered. "A real dragon god, not like Shenron or Porunga."

"Little brother!"

Vegeta turned and watched Raditz come down the hall. He smiled and waited. "How'd you get away from Bardock?"

With his own verka root in hand, Raditz grinned and walked beside his prince. "Said you'd called for me. He's still grabbing Saiyans who aren't doing anything. Got a bunch lined up in the training hall on maneuvers."

"Surviving hell just to be ordered around again," Vegeta said. "I'd wondered why so many volunteered to gather food."

"If you can call it food," Raditz said. He finished his root off in two bites. "Plants are fine and well, but I'll be happy when we have another roast ginx on the table."

"Next season," Vegeta said. "When they've bred. We'll take the weakest and dumbest and make a feast out of it."

They came out of the castle and into the main garden. Bushes and trees lined the walls and formed convenient blinds from Bardock and his military rebuilding, at least until some of those bushes rustled and muffled groans came from inside.

"The way things are going," Vegeta said, "every Saiyan will be pregnant in a week."

"That long?" Raditz snagged two chokto fruits from a passing basket and tossed one to his prince. "Can you imagine a city full of babies wailing in the middle of the night?"

"A little while and I won't have to imagine it. And when will you take a mate?"

Raditz sighed and looked towards the sky. "Few Saiyans came back unmated. I'll wait to see the selection. If not, I might find some off-worlder."

"That explains why you're here and not in those bushes," Vegeta said.

"Those are just the horniest." Raditz finished his chokto and chucked the core into a bush. A disgusted curse followed, but the bush kept swaying back and forth. "And where are you off to?"

"It's been a long time since I've seen home," Vegeta said. "I want to explore at least some of it today."

A Saiyan carrying clumps of dozo shoots passed by them, and Raditz skimmed the top shoots off and stuffed them in his mouth. Vegeta shook his head and looked away.

"You're as bad as your brother," he said.

"Kakarrot? You knew him?" Raditz swallowed the last shoot, slurping it in like a spaghetti strand. "I thought the little bastard died killing me."

"You'd be surprised how many times he's died." Vegeta lay one hand on his stomach. His child's ki was steadily growing, warm and soft and soothing. "And yes, I knew him. In many ways."

Raditz looked at him and his hand. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Good God, Kakarrot? That retarded traitor? He truly must've been the last one alive."

"He was," Vegeta said, laughing. "But...well, there's a lot there."

"Little brother..." Raditz lay his hand on Vegeta's shoulder. "Your child...I know this is sensitive, but--"

"It's all right," Vegeta said. "Don't worry. I going to keep this one. I'm finally going to keep one."

"I'm glad," Raditz said and smiled. "I was afraid--never mind. Turles will be glad to have a nephew. A shame my idiot brother couldn't see his child, though."

"I'm sure he's angry," Vegeta said.

"Angry? Little brother, is Kakarrot dead or alive?" The smile disappeared from his face.

"Alive, I'm sure," Vegeta said. "Raditz, you must promise me never to tell anyone this. He could never get here on his own. I'm safe here."

Lecturing the prince on a Saiyan's love of his child would've been a cruelty, Raditz knew, and so he said nothing about it. "I promise. So where are you off to in such a hurry, that I had to catch up?"

Instead of answering, Vegeta flew to the top of the castle and stood on the highest tower. Raditz joined him a moment later, and together they scanned the city. A stream of Saiyans flew back and forth like ants from a few groves to the castle. From their vantage point, they saw Bardock shouting commands to his new recruits and a few Saiyans in the rear of the squad sneaking off for the bushes.

"He should stick with the ones who volunteered," Vegeta said. "Draftees are worthless."

"He's just going overboard. He'll calm down in a few days, when he realizes he doesn't have any many to pick from as before. Hm, look. There's Nappa. I hadn't seen him 'till now."

Vegeta fell silent. He watched his former bodyguard practice next to Raditz's brother Turles, quick to follow Bardock's commands. He hadn't felt the larger Saiyan until now either, but then he hadn't been looking. "I'll have to deal with him sooner or later," he whispered.

Not hearing him, Raditz turned and looked back at the palace and the arched windows. "I wonder where the king is. I haven't seen him all morning."

Closing his eyes, Vegeta searched for his father's ki and found him almost immediately in the east wing, moving down into the cellars. "He's checking on the foods they're bringing in. Making sure they're storing them and not skimming off the top, like some Saiyans I know." When he didn't hear Raditz's reply, he look over at him. "What?"

"You can tell without looking?"

"Yes, I sensed his ki." When Raditz gave him a blank look, Vegeta sighed. "I'll explain on the way."

"On the way where?"

"Oh...this way." He waved his hand vaguely westward and flew. Raditz pulled even and followed him into the wilderness.

Since his planet had been destroyed and his world nothing but pain for a lifetime, Vegeta had forgotten the joy that came from flying. Flying was meant for purges, higher vantage points for ki blasts, an added dimension to battle. But now the feel of wind in his face, the yellow grass beneath him a blur as he skimmed over it, the mountains in the distance moving slowly by or growing larger until he passed them, all reminded him of his first few flights as a child. Nights of sneaking out of the castle and losing himself in flight. Days of hunting and play fighting.

After his first flight, he'd wondered how anyone could fly and come down again. After one day with Frieza, flight was another battle skill, nothing more.

Now he let hand trail in the grass as if it were a lake, and when he sailed over a mountain top, he flew so low that the red wildflowers brushed against his face. When he came up again, his hair and hands were red with petals, and he shook them off, watching them rain back onto the ground.

"I recognize this place," Raditz said. "The Dragon's backbone."

"What?" The prince looked around and noticed that the mountains range extended far into the distance, valleys and ridges without shadows in the noontime suns. "It does look like a backbone."

"The Dragon's eyes shouldn't be too far ahead then," Raditz said. "You remember? Two crescent lakes--"

"--and hot springs," Vegeta said. "In a jungle."

Without having to speak, they flew towards the lakes. Mountains and grasslands turned into scraggly trees and thick bushes, and then forests of red-leafed trees. They dived through the branches and into the trees, flying around thick trunks and startling birds into the air. Black furred creatures lumbered out of their way, leaving deep paw prints and claw marks on the trees.

Farther in, the ground turned to mud and the trees sagged under heavy vines that wrapped around their branches and blotted out most of the light. The Saiyans slowed down and found the air was muggier, laying on their skin. Chirps and low whistles came from creatures hidden in the tall green grass.

"Not much further," Raditz whispered. He pushed aside several vines hanging before them, and they stepped out onto a sandy bank.

Clear water, tinted green, sparkled before them. The lake extended out for miles, ending only at the treeline they could barely make out on the far side. Small green hills stood on either side, the trees covering them swaying in the wind. A few boulders jutted out of the water, too high to climb, and they alighted on the top of one. The gray surface was smooth and dry, and Raditz flopped onto his back. Vegeta lay beside him and watched the clouds gather and form above him.

"I think it may rain," Raditz said.

"Let it," Vegeta said. The breeze swept over them, bring the scent of vegetation and damp. "A little water never hurt."

Raditz laughed and glanced at his prince. "Yes, but it'll make your hair droop."

"At least mine's not a damn pelt."

"Cute, little brother."

Long minutes crept by. Vegeta rolled onto his stomach and watched the wind push the water, lapping up waves against the rock. Leaves drifted with the small crests and landed on the sand, pushed into piles and lines. White fish darted around the base, rising to the surface and blowing bubbles before slipping out of sight again.

"I've missed this," he whispered. "I hadn't realized how much, but to have it back..." He rose up on his elbows and smiled. "The Earthlings had a saying, you don't realize what you have 'till it's gone. I didn't know what I had until I got it back again."

"I used to dream I was back here," Raditz said. "All of us were, and Frieza was dead, and the suns never came up, only a constant night. And the moon was full and silver and perfect, and the stars lit the sky. For awhile I couldn't stop dreaming it."

"On Frieza's ship?"

"In hell." Raditz turned on his side. "I think that was the point. What good is hell if you can't dream of heaven?"

"Mm. I was never in hell long enough to dream. The first time I was resurrected, and the second time I was pulled into..." He tilted his head. "I don't think you could call it heaven. The next dimension, maybe, though that's a poor term for it."

"No paradise and beautiful creatures to serve you?" Raditz asked, smirking.

"Is that the best paradise you can imagine?" Vegeta said. "Beautiful servants...not much of a heaven for them, is it? No, I don't know what paradise is, but it wasn't that. More like a beuraucracy--"

A high pitched beep startled them. Raditz reached into a pocket and pulled out a scouter, fixing it over his eye. He turned on the audio, but the video input took a moment longer to come up. "Dammit, I said I wanted no messages unless the fucking king himself--" He froze as the picture appeared. "Your majesty."

Vegeta started laughing.

"Yes, your majesty, he's with me...the Dragon's eyes...of course, your majesty. We're on our way." He whipped the scouter off his face and glared at his prince. "Quit laughing, you little brat!"

"Oh God, your face," Vegeta said, one hand over his stomach as he laughed. "Cursing out my father..."

"Your father wants us back at the palace," Raditz said, standing. "Something about a certain prince skipping out on his lessons?"

"Damn." Vegeta sat up and sighed. "I guess he noticed I'm not there."

"What are you reading now?"

"Five thousand years worth of history," Vegeta said. "I was just taking a break."

"Uh huh. Right. Come on, let's go."

"Raditz, those books are boring as hell."

"They're our race's fight for survival," Raditz said. "How can that be boring?"

The wind blew again, stronger this time, cold and crisp. Vegeta only moved to look up at him. "They could have pictures of you screwing a fuzzy ginx and it'd still be boring."

Raditz made a face and closed his eyes. "That...horrible image aside, you need to know our history. Besides, your father'll have my head if I don't get you back."

"No."

It had been years since Raditz had seen his prince's stubborn streak, and as much as he loved to see it back, he'd also forgotten just how stubborn he was. And since he wasn't strong enough to force Vegeta, a different tactic was required.

"I suppose I could help you get through them faster," he said.

"You know all five thousand years of history?"

"Enough to get by. Enough to maybe explain the boring parts."

"You must know quite a bit," Vegeta said. "You just want to make sure you don't get stuck in Bardock's army."

"Guilty. Now are you coming?"

Heaving a loud sigh, Vegeta flew up a few feet and waited for Raditz to follow. "Fine. It'll be fun to see you try to stay awake."

They flew back slower than they had gone out, delaying their arrival as long as they could. When they passed into the mountains again, Vegeta noticed that the birds had been busy building nests in the thorn bushes and crevices. Each next was made of twigs and grass and dotted with red petals.

"Little brother?"

"Yes?"

"Is it true that you've achieved the super Saiyan state?" Raditz wouldn't meet Vegeta's eyes, worried that the rumors weren't true and that the prince might get upset. An upset Vegeta was not pleasant.

"I have."

Raditz took a deep breath. All that power..."My prince, forgive me for asking, but could you show--"

Even the fine scenery couldn't help Vegeta's mood. "Is this what I have to look forward to, being asked to show off? I won't have it turned into some kind of freak show--"

"You misunderstand me," Raditz said. "Do you think you could show me how to achieve the state?"

The question startled Vegeta so much that he dropped a few feet in the air. As he caught himself, though, he told himself that he should have expected that. In fact, he'd probably be asked to demonstrate and teach all Saiyans how to ascend. He thought about the time it would take to do such a thing, to train the entire world, even if it was less populated than before, and if he thought reading dry history texts was tedious, how would he handle training every single Saiyan on Vegetasei. He looked again at Raditz. Another super Saiyan to take half the workload would be useful. And to see the Saiyan's long hair turn gold...

"I think I could," Vegeta said. "It'll be worth it just to see what you look like at level three."

As much as the idea of levels interested him, Raditz still puzzled over something Vegeta had said before. After turning the phrase over in his head and still not understanding, he looked at his prince. "What's a freak show?"

"A human phrase," Vegeta said. "I'll explain later. First we need to get back." He increased his speed so much that plumes of sand followed in his wake, and Raditz was hard pressed to keep up.

Half an hour had passed before they arrived, Vegeta heading through his chamber window. Raditz followed, shaking his head, and he wondered why his prince had such a problem with the idea of doors.

The prince's chambers held little more than a bed and table, and even those were cut from the same rock that made up the rest of the palace. A carved wooden circle covered the stone table, matched by a wooden chair, and a soft mattress topped the long slab that made his bed. His few clothes and armor, which he suspected Kigeta had made sure were there complete with the royal crest, lay folded in a stone chest. Vegeta knelt and opened it, taking a scouter from inside. The woman had always wondered why he hadn't taken to human closets and dozens of outfits. A handful of training suits and armor in a chest was enough.

The pile of books on the table caught Raditz's attention and he walked over. One of the books had a leaf stuck between two pages, and he opened it up in the middle. "The Besde war," he said, sitting down. "It's surprising what the dragon chose to recreate and what he left."

"I'm surprised he thought of something so small," Vegeta said. He slipped the scouter over his eye and adjusted it, setting it to record but not activating it yet. "When he was creating everything, to remember something like history books..."

"I wonder why he woke us up naked," Raditz said, "instead of dressing us in clothes he left around the city."

"The ways of Kigeta are mysterious indeed," Vegeta said. "Why are you sitting? Get up, we're going out again."

"What? Little brother, you said you'd study--"

"I also said I'd train you to become a super Saiyan." Vegeta stood next to the open window, his familiar smirk in place. "You coming?"

"I...yes..."

"We'll need an empty desert," Vegeta said. "Someplace that can be blasted without causing much damage."

"You're worried about the landscape?"

"I just got Vegetasei back," he said, "I'm not about to smash it up. Do you know a place?"

Raditz nodded once. "Yes, the Jakek desert. There are a few caves, but mostly the land is flat."

"Is it far?"

"Not for us." Raditz flew out the window with Vegeta at his side. One of the suns was already setting, making the shadows stretch. In a few hours the second sun would set, and the two would fight by starlight.  

*  

In the palatial courtyard, Bardock raised one hand and looked over his little army. "Enough! You want to screw so badly, go. Flatten the bushes, I don't care. Just be back here in an hour."

Saiyans scattered left and right, flying out along the food gatherers to find their mates or hunting through the palace halls and dragging a mate into an empty room. Within a few seconds, only a handful of Saiyans remained. Bardock flew to the top of the wall behind him and sat on its edge, staring over the garden. Every bush flailed back and forth, and a few of the looked as if they might break in half as their tops swayed wildly.

"Lucky bastards," Bardock said. "At least their mates are willing."

The two remaining Saiyan, Nappa and Turles, joined him on the wall. For awhile the only sounds they heard were groans and leaves tearing from the plants. Bardock started to laugh.

"Did you two ever see anything so stupid?" he asked.

"If I did," Nappa said, "I blew it up. You?"

"The same," Turles said. "They keep this up for much longer, I might blast a couple of 'em."

"Stupid young brats," Nappa said. He looked down at his hands, scarred and calloused. "But I'll take horny Saiyans over dead ones anytime."

Turles nodded once.

Overhead, Vegeta and Raditz zoomed out of the prince's bedroom window and passed by, unnoticed by all by the three Saiyans. Within seconds, they'd vanished in the distance.

"There they go," Turles said. "Must be nice keeping a prince company."

"Maybe now."

Both of them looked at Nappa, who stared at the window and frowned.

"What do you mean?" Bardock asked. "Was he cruel?"

Nappa sighed. "No, but...things were insane on Frieza's ship. It was like a madness that infected everything. Bad things happened there."

"Bad things?" Turles asked.

"Bad. Things I wish I'd never seen. And the prince took the worst of it. There are some things that cannot be excused...but sometimes on that ship, it was the only thing he could do."

"Nappa?" Bardock said. "What do you mean?"

"All of us went mad for a time. I can't blame him for anything he did. But he had to do things that, no matter how much I wanted to protect him, I felt a kind of relief that it wasn't me." He looked away from the window and faced Bardock. "Is it true that Frieza's dead? And that Vegeta has ascended?"

"Yes, our king told me so," Bardock said. "Frieza's been dead for years, at Kakarrot's hand."

"Kakarrot? Hm, I'm not too surprised. He fought well against me."

"Is he the one who killed you?" Turles asked. "He's great at killing his own kind."

"No," Nappa said and changed the subject. "Vegeta seems calmer now."

"Yes, the king says the dragon restored him," Bardock said.

"Restored him? Then..." A dark thought entered his head and he frowned.

"What? What is it?" Turles asked.

"I hope Kigeta only had to restore his body. If he had to calm his mind...and Vegeta had lived like that for years and years..." He sighed again. "Like I said, I feel a little guilty feeling relieved that he ain't me."

"It's only natural," Bardock said. "I don't--"

"Bardock!"

Their heads all snapped up as King Vegeta flew towards them, pulling up in front of Bardock. Unable to bow and knowing that dropping to the floor might seem like they were running, they each bowed their heads once.

"Yes, your majesty?" Bardock asked.

"Don't you act innocent with me," the king said. He waved his hand at the dancing greenery. "Look at this! Saiyans rutting everywhere. The ones in the palace have dropped their food and their pants. You can't take a step without tripping over a pair."

"I only let my troop out for an hour," Bardock said.

The king looked around himself and sighed. "We must be the only ones not mating."

"Not my fault," Bardock said. "You said you were busy."

After a quick glare from the king, Turles and Nappa zipped away as fast as they could, leaving the two mates staring at each other.

"I am busy," King Vegeta said. "Everyone's been busy for the last three days."

"No wonder they dropped everything then," Bardock said. "No one's meant to be celibate that long."

"Bardock..."

"Look, everyone else is taking a break..." He flew closer, careful not to loom over the king but rather keep level with him. "What could it hurt if we take one, too?"

"I'm past my bearing cycle," the king said.

"So? All the better, no worries." Bardock took his king's hand in his own. "Frieza's dead, our enemies must not know about us yet, and we are out of hell. What more could you ask for?"

"And what of your recent vision?" King Vegeta asked.

Bardock growled and looked away. "I knew I shouldn't have told you. You're always too serious--"

"An asteroid is serious. I have several men watching the screens if something that big heads our way." He shook his head. "If they aren't rolling around on the floor right now."

"Let them, we have time." He smiled at the king again. "Besides, this is a command straight from Kigeta, remember?"

King Vegeta eased by him, floating down to the ground and sitting against the wall. Bardock joined him there. "I think," Vegeta said, "that Kigeta may be the only god on our side."

"What do you mean?"

"Our race comes so close to extinction so often, and this time it took a divine act to resurrect us. Now with an asteroid perhaps on a collision course, I worry the gods may be against us."

"Ah, my King, I can take your worries away," Bardock said. "At least for a little while."

Smiling sadly, and with quick glance to make sure they were all alone, the king allowed himself to be plied with caresses and pushed against the ground. With all the weight of the planet on his shoulders, a moment of forgetfulness, no matter how quick, was enough of a lure to close his eyes and pretend.  

*  

On the Raider Six, Goku was vaguely aware of Goten piloting the ship with Trunks sleeping beside him, or Gohan getting motion sickness again and again, and Piccolo trying to meditate in his chair despite the harness. Once in awhile a bright explosion would catch his attention as Goten shot down any debris coming too close , but for the most part he sat in the back, looking as if he was asleep.

"Trunks," Goten said, nudging his mate. When that didn't work, he tugged on Trunks' hair. "Something's beeping."

"Huh?" Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Trunks sat up and glanced at the screen. "Let me see."

"Is it another asteroid field?" Gohan asked. "Please say it's not. My stomach can't take anymore."

"It's not." Trunks started typing, and the viewscreen lit up with green numbers and data. "I think it's Vegetasei."

Wide awake now, Goku leaned between Gohan and Piccolo for a better look. "Are you sure?"

Trunks frowned as he looked up at the red point that marked Vegetasei's location. "No. It's exactly where father said it would be, but...the energy signals aren't matching up. Vegetasei should be a rock, maybe some plants and an atmosphere, but it should be mostly lifeless. Instead I'm getting high energy spikes."

"Can you see if those are people?" Gohan asked.

"This isn't Star Trek," Trunks said. "I'm only getting these energy readings 'cause they're so high. And one of them's higher than the rest. Way higher."

"That's probably Vegeta," Piccolo said.

"Maybe," Goten said. "What if other people found out about him? Those could be bad guys."

"Well, we'll find out soon enough," Trunks said. "We should arrive in a week."

Quiet again, Goku frowned and sat back in his seat. He still couldn't feel his mate. A week? He could fly around the Earth in a few hours. He had teleported to King Kai's planet. And now he could see Vegetasei but couldn't get off the ship. He looked through the viewscreen at all the stars, the blue nebula off to the left. The galaxy had never seemed so vast and intimidating.

He heard Trunks nestle against Goten for more sleep, and Gohan did the same with Piccolo. Goku smiled. The trip would've been lonely without them. He couldn't stand the thought of being completely alone for several weeks, with nothing to look at but the few bright spots in a black void.  

*  

At that moment in another dimension, little blue demons carried stacks of paperwork back and forth across Lord Enma's floor. Loose pages flitted about the room like confetti, and the line of souls to be judged extended far out of sight. Some souls zipped out of the line and flew around the place, dive bombing the demons and setting the pages on fire. In the middle of it, Lord Enma stood behind his desk, the phone in the crook of his neck as he signed pages with one hand and put out fires on his desk with the other.

"No," he said into the phone, "I don't know how they got out. There were no flights scheduled--of course I wouldn't schedule one for them, but sometimes they get hijacked, you know. No, the cleaned and resurrected ones didn't go back. Just the ones in hfil."

His left foot started to feel rather warm, and he kicked it a few times. As it grew hotter, he looked down and found a clump of souls around it, fanning the flames. He shrieked and dumped his drink on it. The souls scattered, but he grabbed one and flung it back into the line.

"Sorry sir, just had a small situation...We're checking for weak links in our security right now, but I don't think they broke out. They just disappeared. That's what one of my men said, they were there one minute, gone the next. I have no idea--"

The voice on the other end interrupted him. Enma nearly dropped the phone.

"Ki--kigeta?" he whispered. He fell back into his chair with wide eyes staring at nothing. "Who let him out?"

All of the demons around him stopped running and instead stared at him. The papers slowly settled on the floor, catching fire, but for now no one cared. Even the souls paused and looked at him.

"That little fool," Enma hissed. "But now what--an asteroid? So I can expect to see those Saiyans again soon?" He grinned, his smile cheerless and full of teeth. "Wonderful. We'll prepare a warm welcome for them. Yes sir. Goodbye."

Across the dimension, the Supreme Kai set the phone down and looked again at the rock he'd created. As large as a mountain, its shadow fell for miles around, plunging the landscape into darkness and cold. He stepped around it and put his purple hands against its side, adjusting them bit by bit for perfect aim. One degree off, and he would miss the planet.

Once he was certain his aim was true, he blasted the rock hard enough to move it, but not break it. It drifted into out of his dimension and into space, moving slow at first but picking up speed as it traveled past stars and careened around gas giants. He smiled. It would reach Vegetasei in about five months. And once the planet was dust again, he would find Kigeta's dragonballs and hide them somewhere no one would ever think to look.  

*  

Sitting on the windowsill of his room, Vegeta gazed up at the night sky. Thousands of stars streamed from left to right, and the human's nickname for it, the Milky Way, seemed appropriate more so tonight. As always, the quiet dim glow of the galaxy made him sleepy. His tail twitched and swayed more out of instinct than habit. His eyes half-closed as he sipped nuda, a pain reliever, from a glass. Again, the baby kicked a sore spot he'd kicked before. Vegeta grumbled and took another sip.

"Rotten brat," he said. "You kick as hard as I do."

Outside in the garden, torches had been set along the wall, burning orange light revealing a few Saiyans passed out in the grass. Other Saiyans either slept in the palace or had claimed a house in the outer city, and the stars made those white houses shine softly.

He rubbed at a bruise on his arm, the only hit Raditz had managed to score against him. The larger Saiyan had not ascended, but Vegeta was willing to wait. He would simply continue recording the fights on his scouter until Raditz succeeded, and then training other Saiyans would be much easier. Besides, he'd never trained a Saiyan to ascend, and it might take some time. Unlike Trunks, who had turned before he'd even thought to expect.

Trunks. He took another sip. If there were any regrets about leaving Earth, it was in leaving the boy behind. Trunks should have been here with him, been part of the rebuilding. The boy would've found the history fascinating, his power and intellect would've been invaluable. He swirled the red liquid around in its glass. Perhaps when the first enemies appeared, he would take their ship and return for his son.

He glanced at the corner of his room. Kigeta's dragonballs lay there, on a cushion, waiting until the cathedral could be rebuilt and they would again rest on the altar. On Earth, the dragon had been like a genie. Gather the balls, summon it out, demand your wishes. Here such a summons seemed disrespectful, even dangerous. Kigeta was not a genie, and one does not idly call down a god.

His door creaked open, interrupting his thoughts, and he looked over. His father, dressed like his son in blue with white gloves and boots, walked in and sat beside him. He noticed the glass.

"The child's kicking?" he asked.

"Mm. Feels like he's going to kick his way out."

His father laughed softly. "You were much the same. I must've downed buckets of nuda before I had you."

"Must run in the family." Vegeta smiled and looked at the sky. His smile faded.

"You're thinking of the asteroid?" his father asked.

"It wouldn't surprise me. All the dead Saiyans disappearing from hell would be quite a shock. I worry it will appear as I'm giving birth."

"You said you've seen the gods before," the king said. "Why would they hate us so?"

"I don't know. We're arrogant, proud, maybe even stronger than..." His voice trailed off. He looked at his father. "Maybe that's it. I've met the rulers of the other dimension. I'd met the Supreme Kai. And I was stronger."

"You think they may be afraid of us?" the king asked. "Why would we want to rule heaven and hell? A planet's damn hard enough, can you imagine the headaches from ruling as a god? You would have to be omniscient."

"Yes. At least to rule justly." Vegeta frowned as he remembered the kais he had met. None of them had seemed omniscient. None of them had seemed particularly godly. "But the weak always fear the strong."

A knock at the door startled them both. "Enter," Vegeta said.

A young Saiyan came in and bowed. "Your majesty, we've spotted something on our deep scanners. Not an asteroid," he said before they could ask. "We think it's a ship."

"Our first curious visitors," the king said. "Just one ship?"

"Yes."

"Not an invasion, then," Vegeta said. "Father, when they get here, we should let them land."

"Agreed. How long until they arrive?" he asked.

"A few days. Not long."

"Good," the king said. "Thank you."

After a quick bow, the other left and closed the door again.

"'Geta, I haven't asked before but, how far along is the child?" He stared at his son's stomach, only slightly distended.

"A little over four months. Don't worry, father, I don't think the dragon left him stunted. My children are usually small at birth." He hid his wince as he realized he'd made a slip. "I'm afraid that also runs in the family."

"True. I don't think we'll ever see a Vegeta as tall as Nappa." If he noticed his son's comment, he let it pass. "I'll have the nursery readied for you and the child. You'll find it a bit more comfortable afterwards. Will...will you have Raditz assisting?"

"...yes." He downed the rest of the nuda and set the glass aside. "I trust him."

"I know. After you've taught him to ascend, you'll have to teach me." He smiled at his son's look. "Don't be surprised. I have to know everything about my world if I'm to rule it. Good night, 'Geta."

"Good night, father." Once the king had left, Vegeta looked back up at the sky. That was quick service, to think about a ship and then have one announced. He would have Trunks on Vegetasei sooner than he thought. On second thought, he should bring Kakarrot's brats as well, if they were willing. He hated to leave the planet vulnerable to attack, though.

He walked over to his bed and slid underneath the thin sheet. Perhaps once the ship arrived, he'd think of a way to retrieve his son that didn't involve abandoning Vegetasei.

~*~*~*~

TBC...

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