Chapter 12

Disclaimer

A/N: Long one for you. Also, to those of you who started with me years ago, it might be worth rereading some of the chapters. I rewrote a few.

oOoOoOo

Videl was securely strapped into the pilot's seat as she prepared for entry into Earth's atmosphere. Vegeta sat co-pilot. Vegeta had insisted that Videl should take control of the ship.

"No brat of mine," he had informed her earlier, "is going to be incapable of piloting a ship."

They had successfully made contact with Capsule Corporation's corporate airfield as they negotiated the terms of their landing.

Videl spoke into her headset. "Aircontrol, this is Capsule Corporation Galaxy Express, 5993029, requesting to land. Over."

A man's voice answered.

"Galaxy Express, you are not schedule to land today. What is the purpose of your visit? Over."

"Research cargo from trip to deliver material goods from asteroids. Over."

Bulma had pre-arranged for them a series of lies for them to use for such occasions as these.

"You are not registering in our logs. We need to confirm your ship and mission. Over."

"We'll wait. Over."

Videl leaned back. This whole process was ridiculous. She glanced over at Vegeta who was leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed, seemingly indifferent to the landing process. She sighed. They had already waited three months. What was five more minutes?

Fortunately, they did not have to wait long at all.

Another voice sounded over the radio.

"Vegeta," a woman's voice said, "Is that you?"

Vegeta opened his eyes before switching on his headset.

"Yes, Onna." He said. "It's me."

"Galaxy Express, 5993029," the woman continued, "you are cleared to land immediately in Hanger 5. Over."

"Roger that." Videl responded to the new voice. "Over."

As Videl began to guide their ship to their designated landing area, she felt three powerful ki's moving to their location.

Vegeta had clearly noticed too. His eyes were focused into the sky. Videl followed his gaze, noting three distinct ki trails meeting at where they were to land. She quickly turned her attention to the task at hand.

Hanger 5 was almost completely clear. It was clearly a private hanger. As the ship touched down, Videl looked out the window to see four people standing at the hanger's exit.

"Who are they?" Videl asked Vegeta.

"The woman is my mate, Bulma."

Videl vaguely remember her giving her a bath the last time she was on Earth.

"The purple hair boy is my son." Vegeta continued. "The black haired boy is, I assume Kakarrott's youngest."

Videl moved her gaze to the tallest of the four figures. "Who is he?"

"He is Gohan. Kakarrott's oldest son."

"He is a Saiyan?"

"A breed." Vegeta corrected. "A very powerful breed."

Videl began to unbuckle her seat belt and remove her headset. She stood up, unsure of what to do next. She looked to Vegeta.

Vegeta had risen and began moving toward the exit of the ship. He paused just before opening the door.

"Keep your tail about your waist."

Videl hadn't noticed that her tail had come undone. She quickly wrapped it about her. She felt incredibly nervous.

"What do I say to them?" She blurted out, not knowing what to do. She had no idea why she felt so nervous. She must have looked so foolish.

"I'll introduce you." Vegeta said.

He opened the door. As soon as he did, they were both assaulted with the screeching of the blue haired woman.

"Damn you, Vegeta! You stupid, reckless, selfish piece of space trash. How dare you show up here like this completely unannounced? You…" The woman continued, throwing every insult Videl had ever heard at Vegeta and some she had not.

Videl was completely taken aback. She looked at Vegeta.

He was smirking.

He strode confidently toward Bulma. Videl watched with her mouth slightly agape.

"Oh no! You don't come near me. You have a lot of explaining to do! You…" She screeched.

Vegeta grabbed Bulma mid-sentence as she raised a fist to hit him, pulled her close to him, and kissed her on the mouth.

Videl had never seen Vegeta show such a display of affection. She felt herself blush, feeling as if she had no business witnessing the exchange between the two of them. She looked away and to the other three males. The two young males were watching Bulma and Vegeta with a mixture of the embarrassment and disgust that Videl felt. The oldest of the males, however, was watching her.

She looked back at him because, quite frankly, it was more comfortable to meet his gaze than it was to watch Vegeta and Bulma. He was tall and his shoulders were broad. His eyes and hair were pitch black. He was wearing a blue training gi that was much looser than the training gi's that she and Vegeta typically wore. His gaze was friendly enough.

She noticed his gaze move to her waist. His eyes widened slightly before shooting back to her face. Videl, suddenly very self-conscious about her tail, tightened about her. The expression on his face completely changed. It seemed to her now that he was glaring at her. Uncomfortable by his sudden change of mood, Videl returned her gaze back to Vegeta and Bulma.

Vegeta pulled away from Bulma, who was slightly dazed, and looked to the purple haired boy. He extended an arm towards him. The boy approached tentatively at first before plowing himself into Vegeta's side. Vegeta rested his arm about the boy's back.

"Trunks." Vegeta acknowledged.

"Dad." Trunks returned, looking up at Vegeta's face with awe.

"Girl!" Vegeta barked. "Come here."

Videl walked forward to where Vegeta stood ignoring Gohan's gaze which she felt was still on her.

"Trunks," Vegeta said, "This is your adopted sister, Videl."

Trunks turned to look at her. "Hello," he said. "Do you know how to fight?"

"Yes." Videl responded, taken aback by the childlike bluntness. "Father taught me."

"Good." Trunks declared, seemingly satisfied. "Then you can fight me and my friend, Goten. We were trained together. We are very strong."

"I'm Goten!" A bright child voice interrupted.

"Hello, Goten." Videl said, turning to look at the dark haired boy. "It is good to meet you."

"You're pretty!" Goten exclaimed.

Videl wasn't sure how to respond to that or how it was relevant to anything. "Um… thank you."

"Gohan," Goten said, turning to his brother, "don't you think she is pretty?"

Before Gohan could respond, Goten's eyes moved to Videl's waist.

"I like your tail! I have one too! See?" Goten said, as he began to wave his tail behind him. "Can I see your tail, too?"

Videl was saved from responding by Bulma.

"She has a tail?" Bulma asked, confused and alarmed.

"Yes," Vegeta answered. He was not looking at Bulma, however. He was watching Gohan, who had yet to look away from Videl. "We can discuss it once we settle in."

"Gohan," Vegeta commanded. Gohan's eyes lingered on Videl's face before he slowly moved them to look at Vegeta.

"Hello, Vegeta." Gohan said, politely, if not somewhat disinterestedly. "It has been awhile. It is good to see you back on Earth."

"Hmm." Vegeta acknowledged, folding his arms across his chest as he took inventory of Gohan's mood. "We are long overdue for a spar. What do you say?"

The corner of Gohan's mouth raised, although the smile was never really completed on his face. "I wouldn't expect anything less. Tomorrow, perhaps?"

"Yes." Vegeta agreed.

"Can I come?!" Trunks asked, his eyes alight with excitement.

"Me too! I want to come too!" Goten declared along with his best friend.

Bulma let out an exasperated sigh.

Vegeta considered silently before Gohan interjected, "They are quite strong, Vegeta. I think you'll be quite impressed."

"Hn," Vegeta grunted, in affirmation to the boys before adding, "Videl will come as well."

Goten, Trunks, and Gohan all appraised her briefly before Goten said what the rest of them were surely thinking.

"She doesn't seem very strong, Mr. Vegeta. She could get seriously hurt."

Videl was use to such assumptions about her strength and ability. But she didn't mind. She had come to count on people underestimating her. Being overlooked and underestimated was a tremendous advantage in any fight.

Vegeta had always been happy to play along with other people's assumptions about Videl's strength. He met Videl's gaze briefly before addressing the issue.

"Then be sure to take it easy on her."

The two young boys groaned. Gohan, however, looked between Vegeta and Videl with confusion on his face.

"Videl," Bulma interjected, changing the subject, "we need to get you settled in. Follow me, if you don't mind."

Bulma then turned to Gohan. "Gohan, will you take Trunks for tonight? You don't think Chichi would mind, do you?"

Videl watched as Gohan's cheeks reddened ever so slightly at the implication in her words. "Oh…no…I mean, its fine. My mother won't mind."

Goten cheered in approval. Trunks looked a little downtrodden at the prospect of leaving his father but as Goten started to draft impromptu plans for their evening, Trunk's mood immediately changed to glee.

Videl looked at Vegeta, looking for some kind of indicator of whether or not she should stay. When Vegeta's eyes had yet to leave Bulma's face, Videl took her hint. Videl felt no embarrassment at the thought of Vegeta and Bulma coupling. But she knew better than to impose herself on the woman whose name Vegeta muttered in his sleep.

"Bulma, it is very kind of you to offer a room, but I have a few places I'd like to visit before I settle in here."

This was, of course, a lie. Videl had nowhere to go. In fact, she had no idea where she could go. But she had a bag full of capsules. A few of which contained decent sized homes. All she really needed was a spot of flat land to open a capsule up on and she would be good for the night.

Bulma didn't even acknowledge her as she looked at Vegeta.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Videl said to no one in particular, before turning on her heel and flying off into the sky.

Moments later, she felt Trunks, Goten and Gohan blast off in her direction. They caught up to her rather quickly.

To Videl's surprise and slight discomfort Gohan fell in pace with her flight. He turned his head slightly, looking to the two boys drafting off of him.

"Trunks! Goten! Why don't you see who is the fastest and race to the castle?"

"Yes!" Both boys yelled in unison.

"Ok!" Gohan said. "On three! One… two…three!"

The boys sped off like comets.

Once the boys were gone, Gohan asked, "Do you really have somewhere to go?"

"No," Videl admitted, "I was just trying to be polite. Besides, I didn't want to be around while Vegeta and Bulma were having sex."

Her frankness made Gohan blink. "Well, you certainly were raised by Vegeta."

Videl didn't respond.

Gohan continued, "You can stay at the castle too if you wish. We have the room."

Videl wasn't expecting that. She considered his proposition. She didn't see a lot of advantage to it. It would, however, save her the trouble of trying to find unoccupied land to set up camp.

Gohan, still waiting on her silence, said, "We will arrive in time for dinner if you would like to eat. The castle has quite accomplished chefs."

Videl very much wanted to eat. She was so sick of space food, the thought of a real meal brought her joy.

"A castle?" Videl asked, not ready to confirm her decision.

"Yes."

"Why do you live in a castle?"

Gohan looked quite abashed. "Well, I'm sorta a king."

Videl blinked in surprise. Vegeta had never mentioned that.

"Oh," Videl said softly, not sure how to address him, "I would very much like to eat. But I'm not sure if I need to stay at your… castle."

"Whatever you prefer. Either way, I'd be happy to have you over for dinner." Gohan said, taking the lead now. "Follow me."

oOoOoOo

Bulma was still angry at Vegeta. She wanted to punish him for leaving her. Punish him for never contacting her. Punish him for allowing Piccolo to take her son away from her without her permission or knowledge. She wanted to teach him that he was not allowed to treat her as he did.

She didn't want to want him the way she did now. She did not want to kiss him the way she did. She did not want her rage to be translated into desperate joy at having him back in her arms.

Whether it was hate or love that she felt, Bulma did not know; with Vegeta, such emotions felt the same.

oOoOoOo

As he flew, Gohan was rather unnerved not being able to sense the girl flying directly behind him. A few times he had to look back to visually confirm if she was still following him or not. Every time he looked, she was still there, tailing him. Each time, she would meet his gaze.

Her eyes were an intense icy blue lined by black eyelashes. Her black hair was tightly pulled into a single braid that stopped in the middle of her back. Her skin was smooth and so pale it was nearly iridescent, it almost didn't look real. It was too… perfect. There were no blemishes, scars, or even visible pores. While striking, something about her didn't seem…natural. Gohan could not think of a single person who would be able to train with Vegeta without earning a few scars. Something about it didn't quite add up.

She wore the same training gi that Vegeta typically wore. To Gohan's great embarrassment, it left very little to the imagination. This was something he tried not to focus upon.

In addition to having almost no ki, she did not have the stature of a warrior, either. Gohan could not fathom as to why Vegeta would invite her to a spar between them. She was closer in build to Bulma than she was say to Chichi. His mother had been built for fighting. This girl was slight and narrow and didn't look like she could pack much of a punch.

Then there was the issue of her tail that she kept about her waist. Gohan, despite himself, had been utterly fascinated by it initially. So much so, he hadn't really been able to move his gaze from it. It wasn't until Vegeta had brought his attention away from it was he able to break his intense focus on it.

Gohan increased his speed, not thinking Videl would be able to keep pace. To his surprise, she kept up rather easily. Her ki did not fluctuate. In fact, her ki still was non-existent. Had he not been flying right next to her, he would say that she wasn't there at all.

Gohan started to slow as they approached the air traffic that surround the capital of Ox Kingdom. Gohan lowered himself down to the edge of the city where a hidden tunnel was located that would bring them directly back to the castle. Trunks and Goten were waiting impatiently for them.

"Took you long enough." Trunks said, "What were you two doing? Kissing?"

Gohan felt himself blush.

Videl, without missing a beat, responded, "If we were kissing, believe me, it wouldn't have been that quick."

"Ewww!" Both boys screamed together.

Gohan felt himself turn even redder.

"We need to get up to the castle." He said, deciding to change the subject. "Otherwise, we'll be late for dinner and mother wouldn't like that."

Trunks and Goten turned quickly, suddenly very motivated by food, moving into a nearly indiscernible crack in the wall.

"Be sure to change your clothes for dinner!" Gohan yelled after them as the two boys flew down the tunnel.

Videl followed as Gohan stepped through the wall into a dimly lit tunnel.

"Do you have any other clothes?" Gohan asked, moving quickly.

"Only training gis." Videl responded, keeping pace. "Do I need to wear something else?"

"I'll have something brought to you."

Making quick work of a rather long and winding tunnel with many interconnected tunnels feeding into it, Gohan and Videl arrived to a bricked wall.

Gohan placed his hand a brick above his head and his foot on a brick next to the floor and pushed both at the same time. The wall swung open.

They stepped into a closet, filled with fresh linens. Gohan closed the wall and then opened the closet door as they stepped into the hallway of the servant's quarters.

This was perhaps one of the best parts about moving from his small home in the mountains to the castle of Ox Kingdom. The ancient city had so many secret passages it had been a tremendous thrill finding and exploring them.

Gohan sensed for anybody moving nearby. They were in the clear.

"Follow me." He said to Videl.

Gohan entered another door. This revealed a long narrow stairway frequented by the maids. He began climbing the staircase, taking three steps at a time. After they had moved up five flights of stairs, Gohan exited the stairway with Videl at his heels. He glanced at her. Her eyes were alight with mischief. She was clearly enjoying this detour.

They were now standing in a large, ornately decorated hallway with many doors.

Gohan led her to one of them, opening the door.

"This is where we typically house guests. If you choose to stay here tonight, this will be your room. I will send clothes for you. You can change in here."

Videl looked around the room and then at Gohan. "Thank you."

Gohan offered her a polite smile. "My pleasure. I'll see you at dinner. Someone will be sent to bring you down."

Gohan quickly turned, racing off to his quarters. He called for a maid through the intercom in his room.

"Send women's dinner clothing to the Dragon room in the guest wing." Gohan paused, not knowing Videl's knowledge of Earth clothing. "Also, send a maid to help my guest dress."

"Yes, your Majesty." A voice responded over the intercom.

After showing and dressing, Gohan did a quick ki scan to determine if Trunks and Goten were still on task. They were both in Goten's room. It appeared as if they were doing what they were told in getting ready for dinner.

Gohan then also probed for his mother's ki signature. She was home. She had been out of the country for several days on some diplomatic tour. He could tell by the uneasy waves of her ki that the trip had been a difficult one.

Watching his mother rule, it was quite apparent to Gohan that he was too young when he had first tried to assume the throne. His mother was much better at ruling than he had ever been.

Although, at the time he assumed the throne all those years ago, his mother was not emotionally capable of ruling a country. With Goku dying and Goten being born, Chichi had been so dominated by grief that she could barely get herself out of bed in the morning. It hadn't left Gohan with much of a choice. Now, however, his mother was no longer controlled by her grief.

Gohan had never really recognized Chichi's capacity for leadership. Her presence had been so overshadowed by Goku's that he hadn't ever given it much thought. Additionally, as the only child of the Ox King, she had been raised to rule. She had been indoctrinated with the formalities of ruling while at her father's knee. Gohan had not. And it showed.

The intercom sounded.

"Dinner is ready, your Majesty."

Gohan left, making his way down to the royal family's private dining room.

Goten and Trunks were already waiting, staring fixatedly at the roasted boar on the table.

Gohan smiled at the sight before taking his seat at the table. As soon as he sat, he heard the door open. Videl entered. She had been dressed in a dark blue dress with a high color and long sleeves. Her hair, which had been so tightly braided before, now hung loosely about her shoulders. Her tail was wrapped around her hips, looking like a brown belt. Gohan felt his eyes drawn to it. He felt a ridiculous urge to touch it.

She walked tentatively to the table before taking a seat opposite from Gohan.

A moment later, Gohan's mother entered, flanked by her personal guard. Android 18 was one of his mother's personal guards. Her ice cool eyes met Gohan's briefly.

Chichi turned, waving her guard off. The two women who flanked her moved to the corners of the room, becoming hidden by the shadows.

"Hello, mother." Gohan said, smiling. "How was your trip?"

Chichi smiled warily, "It was… exhausting."

Chichi then moved her eyes to Videl.

"Who is this?" She asked Gohan.

"My sister." Trunks informed her before Gohan could answer.

Chichi blinked, clearly confused as she pulled out a chair and sat.

As soon as Chichi's bottom touched the chair, Goten and Trunks attacked the boar before them, consuming the meat at an astounding speed. Gohan showed more restraint, using his knife to cut off a sizeable chunk of the boar and transfer it to his plate.

Gohan answered the confused look on his mother's face, "This is Videl. She is the adopted daughter of Vegeta... He returned from space today."

Chichi raised an eyebrow. "It's been… what? Six… no, seven years? I suppose it's about time."

Gohan paused, "Also, Trunks is staying with us tonight… at Bulma's request."

Chichi nodded in understanding, needing no further explanation.

"I'm assuming," she said, "that…Videl, ..is staying with us for similar reasons."

Gohan was rather uninterested in thinking about the topic of Vegeta and Bulma much further. Gohan could no longer handle his hunger as he tore into the boar on his.

Videl responded due to the lack of response of Gohan, "Yes, if that is alright."

Chichi grabbed her fork and knife and began eating at a much slower pace. Videl followed suit mimicking Chichi's actions to the best of her ability.

"So," Chichi said, addressing Videl, "you're Vegeta's … adopted daughter?"

Videl nodded. "Yes, I've been traveling with him for the past seven earth years."

"Are you a Saiyan?"

"I'm Human. I was born here on Earth. But I've been…modified to be more Saiyan like."

Chichi raised an eyebrow and Gohan slowed his eating suddenly very interested.

"Modified?" Chichi asked, raising a delicate bite to her mouth

"My bones have been lengthened and reinforced, my skin has been removed, modified and regrown, my immune system boosted, and Vegeta's DNA was used to give me my tail."

"So," Chichi responded, "you are more than adopted. You are actually part Vegeta?"

Videl blinked, clearly surprised. "I had never thought of it that way before."

Chichi continued pleasantly, "How long do you plan on staying?"

"Only the night I think."

"After such time, you plan on living at Capsule Corp with Bulma and Vegeta?"

"Umm…"

"You hadn't considered it." Chichi assessed.

"No," Videl confirmed.

"If you've been trained by Vegeta, is it safe for me to assume that you are a proficient fighter?"

"It's a fair assumption." Videl said, somewhat unsure of where this conversation was leading.

"Should you find that you do not wish to stay at Capsule Corp, I am actively seeking another body guard, if you are interested?"

Gohan choked on his food.

Videl blinked, "I'll consider it."

"Do." Chichi said, taking another bite of her meal.

oOoOoOo

Chichi excused herself early from dinner. Trunks and Goten followed suit, whispering something devious between the two of them. This left only Gohan and Videl sitting at the table.

Videl, nervous under Gohan's gaze, prepared to excuse herself as well.

"Have you ever had wine?" Gohan asked Videl, gazing at her intently.

"No, I don't think so." Videl said.

"Would you like to try?"

"Um… what is it?"

"A drink made from fermented grapes." Gohan supplied. "The Ox Kingdom has extensive vineyards in our mountains. I might be biased, but they are the best in the world."

"Do we need to go to your vineyards, then?" Videl asked.

Gohan smiled, chuckling. Videl thought it was a pleasant sound.

"No. But that is an excellent idea. I was thinking we would have it here. But I like your suggestion more. We will have wine at the vineyard."

Gohan stood. "Will you come with me?"

Videl wasn't even close to tired. She had no desire to go back to the guest quarters but she wasn't so sure about going with Gohan. She remembered the warning Vegeta had given her about her tail. She had managed to keep it wrapped about her for the entirety of dinner. It was, however, getting sore being in one position for so long.

She looked down at the dress she was wearing, not much liking the thought of having to fly in it.

"Yes." She said, deciding, "I would like to go with you. But I would like to change my clothes. I don't want to fly in this."

Also, it would allow for her to unwrap her tail momentarily and wrap it about her in the other direction.

Gohan smiled widely. "Of course. I'll send for more clothes for you."

After Videl had changed her clothes and readjusted her tail, she stepped onto the balcony attached to her room. She honed in on Gohan's ki signature before flying up to where he was waiting on his balcony. She landed in front of him. He blinked at her in surprise.

"Why don't you have a ki signature?" He asked.

"I don't know." She supplied back. "It's just something that nobody has ever been able to detect. I don't know why."

Gohan furrowed his brow, clearly not liking Videl's answer. However, he didn't comment further on it.

"For future reference, try not to fly within the city. We don't want anybody to find us out."

"Oh, sorry." Videl mumbled.

"It's not a problem. Just don't do it again."

Videl followed Gohan out the way they came in. Once they reached the edge of the city's walls, they took to the air.

They slowed once they reached the mountains. Videl looked down upon them with awe. The light from the setting summer sun made them appear gold. They lowered themselves down to the ground in a dense outcropping of trees near a small village. She followed Gohan as he strode toward a large wooden building.

As Gohan walked into the building, a man behind the countered yelled with his back to the door.

"We're not open. We are closed for…"

The man turned. His eyes went wide before he bowed deeply.

"So sorry, your Majesty." He stuttered. "I…I didn't realize it was you."

"Rise." Gohan said.
"What can I help you with, your Majesty?" The man said.

Gohan smiled. "We would like to try some of your wine."

Videl and Gohan sat down at a table that overlooked a massive hill of trees.

"That's the vineyard." Gohan informed her. "That's where they grow all the grapes."

The man had brought them out several glasses. All of which he filled with different liquids from different bottles. He left them the bottles as Gohan waved him off.

Videl watched, as Gohan would swirl, smell, and drink the wine. She followed suit.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"It is certainly… different." Videl said, looking at Gohan.

She took another sip. "It's pleasant."

"Try this." Gohan said, pushing a different glass toward her.

After they had tried all the wine on the table. Videl felt pleasantly warm.

Gohan was amusing. She laughed freely at his humor as he told her about Earth.

"So, what was it like traveling with Vegeta?" Gohan asked.

"He's a tough teacher." Videl admitted.

"No doubt." Gohan nodded. "Where did you travel?"

"Four planets in total." Videl said. "We spent most of our time training on planets that were previously occupied by the Saiyan Empire."

"I've only been to one other planet outside of Earth. What were they like?"

"Vegeta had a taste for the barren planets." Videl said. "Anywhere where we could train without being disturbed, really."

"You're able to keep up with Vegeta?" Gohan asked.

"To a point." Videl conceded. "But I don't know now."

"What do you mean?"

"I haven't sparred or trained in over a year. I've been recovering from my surgeries. Tomorrow will be the first time I will have the opportunity to spar in a long time."

"Why did you need to have surgeries?"

"My bones were stunted from training in the high gravity conditions, my skin was heavily scarred and my immune system was wrecked from constant injuries and foreign planet diseases. If I were to continue to be trained, I needed to be modified to withstand training with Vegeta."

Gohan seemed absolutely fascinated. His eyes bore into hers with shining curiosity. She felt flattered by the attention.

"How were they able to improve your body?"

"They broke, stretched, and healed my bones. They then infused by bones with a polymer – metallic bonder to reinforce them and help them heal faster should they be injured again. My skin was removed and remade with a bacteria that encourages healing. I was also given a virus that attacks any foreign bodies in my system which aids my immune system."

"And the tail?" Gohan asked. "Why the tail?"

Videl felt suddenly very insecure as she tightened it about her. It had slowly begun unwinding.

"Vegeta wanted to formally recognize me as his daughter. It's symbolic."

Gohan leaned back in his chair, looking at the ceiling.

"I miss my tail." He mused.

"Why was it removed?" Videl asked.

"I'm assuming Vegeta has told you about Ozaru?"

Videl nodded. "Yes. Many times. He taught me a great deal of Saiyan history and mythology."

"My tail was removed largely because of that. Secondly, it was to make me more human-like."

Videl nodded, unsure of what to say to that.

"Is it sensitive?" Gohan asked suddenly.

"Um… what?"

"Your tail." Gohan clarified. "Is it sensitive?"

"Yes." Videl said slowly, unsure of where Gohan was going with this. "I've been training it."

"Yeah, I remember that. Mine was too."

Gohan leaned forward, hesitant.

"Feel free to say 'no'," he started, "but I was wondering if I could touch you tail?"

Videl felt her cheeks get red.

"I don't think…"

"Sorry." Gohan said quickly. "That was really rude of me. I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's okay." Videl said, feeling embarrassed.

Gohan hesitated. "Should we go back to the castle?"

"I think," Videl said, suddenly wary of the light in his eyes, "I am going to stay in the mountains tonight. I have a capsule house I can stay in."

"Oh…" Gohan said, clearly disheartened. "Did you want me to help you find a place to set up your capsule house?"

"Sure." Videl conceded, somewhat hesitantly.

Gohan stood up and walked over to where Videl sat as he pulled out the chair for her.

Videl stood up and turned to step out. However, she found that she was blocked by Gohan. His eyes were intensely gazing down into her own. She tried to push past him but found him to be a solid blockade.

He bent his head forward so that his nose was at the curve of her shoulder and neck and sniffed, breathing in deeply.

Videl felt a chill run down her spine; it wasn't entirely unpleasant. Her heart began beating furiously in her chest as heat rushed to her face.

She then felt Gohan's fingers on her hips, with the tips of his fingers brushing the bottom side of her tail. It twitched at the contact. The twitch of her tail was enough for Gohan to move one of his hands higher to rest directly on her tail. The contact made her knees buckle. This didn't matter, however, as he caught her. She suddenly felt his lips on her neck. She froze, unsure what to do; either unwilling or unable to push him away from her. It felt the same.

He mumbled into her neck, "You smell better than the wine."

Videl was caught somewhere between wanting him to continue and wanting him to stop. She didn't know what to do.

He turned his head so that he was speaking directly into her ear. The sensation made the hair on her tail stand on end.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked.

"No." She breathed out wanting him to obey her while wanting him not to heed her word. "Not yet."

"Not yet." He repeated, slowly…painfully.

She felt his muscles tense as he set her back down in her chair as her knees were still weak. He then took a step back, his face conflicted.

"I'm sorry." He said. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I… I just want to…" he stopped, obviously frustrated, and growled.

The growl caused the hair on her arms to stand up.

"I have to leave." His said quite abruptly before tossing a wad of cash on the table and turning on his heel and walking out the door.

Videl watched him go, feeling her rush from his touch begin to fade.

oOoOoOo

Chichi learned heavily into her chair as she permitted her maids to wipe the makeup off her face and unravel her hair. She briefly glanced at herself in the mirror. She looked so tired. She hadn't quite recognized herself.

In the years since the Cell Games several small wars had broken out between neighboring countries fighting over resources. When Cell had wiped out the population of entire countries, so too had he destroyed the borders each country had previously respected. Her father, the former Ox King, had been one of the culprits in assuming the rights of resources of countries that no longer had people. It had been a lucrative decision that had left the banks of the Ox Kingdom overflowing upon Gohan's ascension to the throne.

While Gohan was driven very clearly by what was right and what was wrong, he did not have the mind or experience for politics. He had foolishly decided to pay back the countries that bordered the Ox Kingdom. He should have never acknowledged the Ox Kingdom's guilt. It made the country a target for would be "do gooders".

Fiscally, the debt had been more than paid. But the counties were still demanding more. What was once small skirmishes at the Ox Kingdom border had become large impromptu battles with unnecessary human casualties. She had made peace treaties with each of the countries. That did not stop individual citizens from carrying out their version of justice, however.

She didn't want war. It seemed, however, as if she were about to have it.

Chichi had never wanted the throne, either. She had watched the throne destroy her parent's marriage and ultimately take her mother's life. As a girl, Chichi naively believed that should she become a wife and a mother, the sad fate that had befallen her mother would not befall her as well. Chichi was determined to become the thing she never had. She had nearly done it too. She married Goku, lived a modest life, and raised a beautiful boy. Chichi had made a good wife and an even better mother.

However, the person Chichi wanted to be and the person Chichi needed to be were not the same.

She had tried to avoid the responsibility of the crown. It had been self-indulgent and short sighted to allow Gohan to become crowned king at the age of twelve. It had always been the plan that Gohan would inherit the throne. That was why his education had been so rigorous. She wanted to prepare him the best she could. Only, she thought he would have been much older when the crown fell on his head, not when he was just a boy.

Just because a child could save the world didn't mean that they were capable of leading it. As she watched as the pressure of the crown bear down upon Gohan, making him miserable, she realized she had failed at the one thing she wanted to be above all else. Chichi had failed Gohan as a mother.

A maid set a glass a wine in front of Chichi. A taster stepped forward, taking a drink of the wine, before setting back down in front of Chichi. Chichi had gone through four tasters. Three had died and the fourth was currently in a coma. An assassination attempt was made on Chichi at least one a month. The fifth taster was well compensated for the risk. Chichi raised the glass of wine to her lips, considering the girl who had she had eaten dinner with, Videl.

Videl, if she truly was trained by Vegeta, would be more than qualified to act as her body guard. Chichi needed more bodyguards. She had solicited members of the Z-Team to be her body guards. Android 18 and Krillen were the only takers. Krillen accompanied Chichi on many diplomatic tours. Android 18 preferred acting as a body guard when Chichi was in the country.

The girl, Videl, didn't look much like a warrior, but Chichi knew that didn't mean much. She was certainly beautiful. Almost unnaturally so. Given her explanation about her surgical modifications, however, it wasn't so surprising. She hoped the girl would take her up on her offer to be a body guard.

Then there was the way her son Gohan's eyes lingered on her. That was interesting. Gohan had never paid much mind to the many women and girls that vied for his attention. As the young bachelor king of the world's largest country, he had his pick. He never responded in any way to the attention he got from women. Additionally, he had turned down every potential suitor suggested by the council. Chichi was concerned that perhaps he was gay. They would have proven to be problematic should the Mao line be continued.

However, he certainly seemed interested in Videl. This was a relief if not a downright joy. Chichi took another sip of wine, considering.

If Bulma Brief's publically declared Videl as her legally adopted daughter, she would become a very suitable candidate to marry her son. While Bulma Brief's had no claim to Earth royalty, she was perhaps the most famous woman on the planet with incredible resources. Such a marriage could benefit both families. Chichi would have to make sure to speak with Bulma on this matter.

If Videl were to become her body guard, she would have to accompany Chichi on council meetings, diplomatic meetings, and public engagements. Furthermore, Gohan would not suspect anything. If Chichi suggested outright that Gohan court Videl, it wouldn't work. She knew her son too well for that. Gohan would have to find his own way to her.

Chichi could mold Videl to rule in a way that she could never mold Gohan. Gohan was brilliant, strong, kind, and a good man. However, good men didn't make good kings. Videl had a killer instinct in her cold blue eyes; the same killer instinct that was in Vegeta's eyes. It was the kind of coldness that made for great conquerors.

oOoOoOo

Gohan flew, feeling an irrational anger mixed with a confused shame.

What was wrong with him?

He hadn't meant to kiss her neck, touch her tail, or ask to kiss her. He wasn't raised that way. He was never that forward.

He had wanted to though. Badly. It was confusing. There was a great deal of things he wanted to do to her… very badly. The softness of her tail on his fingertips…She wasn't like she was the first woman he had ever seen, or wanted for that matter, but certainly the first that had made him react that way.

He could smell that she wanted him too. But her body language told him otherwise. There was a very small part of his rational mind that could read that. That rational part made him set her down and take a step back.

He barely knew her. But he wanted everything about her. Viscously.

Gohan rushed off to the desert. He flew to the gravity chamber that Bulma had designed for him. His heat cycles were approximately every two months. He was nearing one now, but not yet in heat. This didn't make sense, but this is what that felt like.

Gohan was so distracted that he didn't even notice that Vegeta was waiting for him as he arrived at his gravity chamber.

"Vegeta!" Gohan said in alarm, landing in front of his hidden gravity machine "What are you doing here? How did you find this place? Why aren't you with Bulma?"

"My woman puts trackers on all of her machines and you and I are due for a talk." Vegeta said, ignoring Gohan's last question.

Gohan blinked, feeling ashamed. Did Vegeta know what he had just done?

"What did you want to talk about?"

Vegeta stepped forward. He sniffed Gohan briefly before furrowing his nose in disgust.

"You've spent some time with my brat." Vegeta assessed. He sniffed again. "But you didn't take her… even though you want to."

Gohan blushed.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest.

"Desire nothing to be ashamed of." Vegeta said. "It is only a shame to take if she does not want to give."

Gohan felt bewildered.

"Vegeta, I…"

"Shut up." Vegeta commanded. "Just listen."

Gohan closed his mouth, shifting.

"You're responding to her tail and her scent in addition to experiencing a lunar pull." Vegeta said.

Gohan thought on her tail and her scent as pang of desire rang through him.

"A lunar pull?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "I'm going to assume by the stupid look on your face that Kakarott never had this talk with you. Although," Vegeta added as an afterthought, "I doubt that third class baka ever fully realized his own instincts."

"I still don't…"

Vegeta cut him off. "On Vegetasi, we experienced a full moon nearly every two Earth months. It had two purposes: the first was to fight and the second was to fuck."

In the animal kingdom, those two actions typically went hand in hand. It appeared now that it was the same with Saiyans. Gohan had suspected as much but had nobody to talk to about it other than Bulma. Even she hadn't fully known.

Vegeta continued. "Her tail is a mating trigger for you. Given that you have never seen a Saiyan female before, I image you are feeling quite… overwhelmed."

"She's not Saiyan."

"No," Vegeta agreed, "not genetically. But physically… she is. And you're reacting. Her scent was changed when they used my DNA to grow her tail. And although I admit, she doesn't smell completely Saiyan, she certainly no longer smells like a human. Although, given the right circumstances, a human female can smell… adequate."

"How do I control myself during a lunar pull?" Gohan asked, not wanting to think of Vegeta and Bulma.

"You don't."

"What do you mean?"

"You either fight or you fuck."

"But, you didn't have sex with everything that moved prior to Bulma… right?"

"No," Vegeta agreed, "I trained until I couldn't stand."

Gohan felt disappointed. He had desperately hoped the Vegeta could tell him something more insightful and helpful than that. Gohan already did that trying to control himself during a heat cycle.

"There is nothing else?"

"There is one thing." Vegeta admitted.

Vegeta reached up to the collar of his training gi, pulling it down slightly to reveal a scar in the shape of a bite mark on his neck.

"You can mate. Not just fuck. But properly bind yourself to another."

Gohan didn't like the sound of that.

"You've bound yourself to Bulma?"

Vegeta nodded. "It took time before I decided to follow though. But yes."

"I'm not planning on sleeping with Videl."

"You want to though. I'm not an idiot. Even if I couldn't smell it on you, it's all over your face."

Gohan opened his mouth to disagree but thought better of lying to his prince.

"It is none of my damn business what you do with your damn genitals nor is it my business to dictate what Videl does with hers."

Gohan looked up at Vegeta, completely surprised.

"Then why are you here if you don't care?"

"If my brat wishes to mate with you, I don't care. That is up to her and you. However, if my brat does not wish to mate with you and you try, I care very much."

Gohan put his head down, thinking back to Videl telling him 'no' and how hard it had been to respect that.

Vegeta continued. "I suspected that you did not fully understand what was happening to you during a lunar pull. Saiyan men can become quite unreasonable if they don't know how to mitigate the effects. I didn't want my brat to deal with one who did not know how to manage himself."

"How did you know?" Gohan asked, suddenly.

Vegeta smirked. "The girl might not have a readable ki, but after living with her for seven years, I've developed ways to track her. I can tell when she is distress."

"Is she very strong?" Gohan asked, thinking on her unreadable ki.

"I suppose," Vegeta said, "there is only one way to find out."

oOoOoOo

R&R

A/N: Y'all don't deserve to wait around as long as you do.

I'm going through a very stressful point in my life, and as a result, I started rewriting my fanfictions I started years ago. This is my therapy and how I am able to calm myself down. It calms my anxiety to get lost in this universe.

Thanks for talking this ride with me.