A week passes slowly as the pod flew through space, the stars shining brightly among other things such as planets and asteroids, etc, etc.<br>Vegeta sat up in his bed, his arms resting on his knees where he has rested his chin. He watches Vega stir restlessly, obviously dreaming about Veg, his twin whom he shares a close bond with.<br>Vega cries out in pain, feeling as if something had just kicked him in the side. Within seconds his father is beside him, handing him a sensu bean from his bag for his son's now broken rib. "What is happening to him Vega?"<br>Vega sits up, his side healing. "Their hurting him...I think they found out that he isn't you so their demanding your location."<br>Vegeta nods, "I see. Get back to sleep now..."<br>Vega nods reluctantly, slipping deep into his sleeping bag. "I'll try pop."<br>Vegeta sighs, returning to his bed. It'd been like this since his sons were born. They both shared such a close bond that if one were to become injured, the other would suffer the same wound. The same went for if one of them dies the other will follow. He frowns, knowing he shouldn't be thinking of such things. Death is definitely out of the question, so help him...<br>*Cough Cough*<br>Vegeta looks up to find Zin stiring in his own sleeping bag, reaching blindly for a bottle of water he'd set at his side. Vegeta watches as the boy drank down the remaining water then reached into his bag for more. "Do you ever eat?"<br>Zin looks up, his eyes dark under the hoods of his brow. "No. I only drink water... I'm a plant remember."<br>"Mind you boy, I don't pay attention to the eating or drinking habits of a namek."<br>"Why do you ask then?"<br>Vegeta frowns, "DAMNIT BRAT! MUST YOU BE SO NOSEY?! If I ask a question I expect an answer and nothing more or less of that!"<br>Zin chuckles, "Hey man, don't get your spandex into a twist!"<br>Vegeta rolls his eyes, throwing himself down into the debts of his sleeping bag. "Shut up boy and go to sleep."<br>"Hey, I gotta drink ya know...you don't want a shriveled up dead namek on your hands huh?"<br>Vegeta shudders. "I'd rather not dicuss that at such an hour boy."<br>Zin smirks, knowing that perhaps he has won this particular verbal battle. He'd been raised around the briefs most of his life, but at one point he never saw them for the first 9 years of his life because during that time he spent with his father, seeing a side that no one will ever know.<br><font color=blue>~~~~~Flashback~~~~~</font><br>Zin, a 7 year old namek, four feet ten inches tall sat on a rock, staring at his reflection in the lake. He blinks, touching his jade green skin, wondering why there weren't any other people like him and his popa around. Everyone else had peachy looking skin and hair. All he has is a bald head and antennai. He smiles, flashing a bit of fang. It felt good to be unique in his own way. He stands up, pulling off his purple gi and diving naked into the lake. He swam like a fish, able to breath beneath the water due to the ability to absorb oxygen through his pores from the water. He liked watching the fish swim about him, tickling his jade skin with their fins as they passed him. For a moment he glances up at the surface, rays of sun shining down. From down here it felt like a whole new world. He surfaces, breathing in the warm damp air from the waterfall nearby. He looks up to see if he can locate where his father had been hovering above the cliff, meditating... Zin hated meditating at this age, he felt to fidgety and wanted to explore. Piccolo knew this and hadn't stopped him, encouraging his son to learn about survival and the living things around him. Ocassionally he'd try to get Zin to use mediation as a way to explore the power within him and the boy would often join him at his side and sit with him in silence but only for about an hour before disappearing somewhere to play by the lake where he'd often find him.<br>Zin gasps when something pushes him under the water and tickling his sides.<br>Bubbles flew as he swam away from his attacker and surfaced to find his father's head poking out of the water next to him with a big grin plastered on his face.<br>His father would often take more breaks from meditation to be with him and this is one of those times.<br>"You scared me!," Zin cries with wide eyes.<br>"You have to learn to focus on my ki and you'll know."<br>"I know popa...but I was just watchin' the fish," Zin protests.<br>Piccolo chuckles, "Nevermind boy." He raises his arm up and splashes the boy in the face.<br>Zin laughs, raising his hands up and protecting himself from getting a sore eyefull of water. He splashes back at him, their laughter rising up into the air where someone watched them with a smile.<br>Gohan of course.<br>Zin climbs onto Piccolo's shoulders and covering his eyes. "I gotcha now so ya can't see! Ha ha!"<br>"You aren't playing fair," his father laughs.<br>"You said people never fight fair," Zin retorts in a cheesy gruff voice to match his father's own.<br>Gohan chuckles, <i>Now where have I heard that before</i>.<br><font color=blue>~~~~~End of flashback~~~~~</font><br>Zin smiles, remembering that time well. <i>Those were the good ol' days.</i><br>Vegeta watches Zin sigh dreamily, wondering what the boy could possibly be smiling about. His question is answered when Zin pulls out a picture from under his pillow of himself as a boy sitting atop Piccolo's shoulders in a lake. (a picture that Gohan had taken on that day of them when he was spying).<br> Zin notices Vegeta's eyes on him and quickly returns the picture to where it was with a purple flush of his cheeks, sinking inside his green sleeping bag and drifting back to sleep.<br><font color=blue>To Be Continued...