Sitting down, Gokuu stretched out, leaning back against the comfortable tan pillows. The entire couch felt like one giant pillow to his body, and the sleepiness that usually came after a meal was already affecting him. Normally it would have been nice to relax and take a nap, but today was an exception. He and his family were had all gathered at Gohan’s home this evening to have dinner together. They didn’t do this often; most celebrations, diners, and reunions were held at the Son house. That made it all the more special, though. Videl had called earlier that week to invite them all and had assured him that she would cook a very, very big meal. She was right. It had been enough to fill him his monstrous stomach, but he knew that would surely be hungry again in an hour or so. For some reason, the only cooking that could ever completely fill him up and keep him satisfied was ChiChi’s cooking. And although Videl’s meal had been delicious, it didn’t even compare with one of ChiChi’s creations. Perhaps his opinion was biased, seeing as though she was his wife, but he thought her to be the best cook in the world. Good thing too, because he enjoyed food more than anyone else in the world.

He put a strong arm back to prop up his head and surveyed the room. ChiChi and Videl had just finished the dishes and were standing near the doorway of the living room chatting. In an effort to get attention, Pan was running around their legs making goofy faces at them. Gokuu smiled. She was going to be a feisty one, just like her grandmother.

Gohan was seated next to him, watching his younger brother with a laughing look on his face. Goten was sitting cross-legged on the floor with Koronu, unsuccessfully teaching her how to play a kung fu video game. He was gesturing with large movements at the television screen, explaining the rules of the game and how to use the controller. The older woman stared at her grandson as if he were crazy, her thick, dark hair falling into her face as she leaned over.

She squinted. “Why can’t I just actually hit you? Do I really have to push the button?”

Goten blinked and stared at the controller in his hand. “Because….that’s….not how you play video games. We fight each other on the screen, not in real life.”

Koronu threw up her hands, frustrated. “Why bother? If we’re going to fight, let’s go outside. I think you’re just afraid to fight me in real life.”

Everyone laughed at that, and Gohan got up from the couch to put a hand on Goten’s shoulder. “Give up, Goten. It’s like trying to teach Vejiita the art of bowling.”

Gokuu didn’t blame Koronu at all. He didn’t understand those fighting video games either. There was nothing exciting about pushing buttons to attack an opponent. Gohan had never played them when he was younger, and they hadn’t been around during his own youth, so he didn’t know much about them either. His own life was much more entertaining than some video game could ever be. He smiled to himself. There was much more fighting in real life.

With a smile, ChiChi sat down on the couch next to him, and turned her head to the side, looking at Gohan. “Speaking of Vejiita, how are things at Capsule Corporation? Has he turned back into his normal self yet?”

Her question caught Gokuu’s attention, and he turned his eyes to his son, awaiting an answer. Vejiita was someone that Gokuu had been thinking about a lot lately. As soon as they returned from Sukuashi, the Saiya-jin no Ouji had been acting strangely. He had been especially mean lately, lashing out at the slightest hint of annoyance. Other times, though, he would simply withdraw and be sullen and quiet, like a sleeping volcano. Vejiita may not have been very good to him in the past, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t cause for concern now. He didn’t even seem interested in sparring anymore, which was something that Gokuu thought would never happen. No matter what was going on the world, Vejiita was always willing to beat the tar out of him. Now he couldn’t even get his friend to lift a fist at him.

Goten straightened up and cupped his chin thoughtfully. “I don’t know if you’d call it normal or not. He took off a couple of days ago.”

“Took off? What about the kids?” ChiChi questioned. As Pan ran by her, she gathered her up in her arms and held her in her lap. Gokuu was struck once more at how much the two of them looked alike. He suspected that once Pan grew older, she would look just like her grandmother; they had the same raven black hair and dark eyes, the same sweet smile. And although Pan was much more of a tomboy than ChiChi ever was, they had a bit of the same spirit.

As he stared at the two of them, he repeated ChiChi’s question in his head. Guilt began to ooze up from his stomach until he almost felt sick. How many times had he just taken off and left her alone with Gohan and later on, Goten? He had never meant to intentionally hurt any of them of course, but it still happened. At the time, he hadn’t given it a second thought, but now that he knew how they all felt about it, he was certain to never do it again. And hearing it from a different angle made it seem even worse. Talking off and leaving your children all alone? He had to admit that it was pretty low, even for Vejiita. Though, it was hard for him to admonish Vejiita when he himself was guilty of the same sins.

Gohan sat down on the couch again. “Initially Trunks asked if Videl and I would take care of Bra for awhile. Her and Pan are the same age and enjoy being around each other well enough, plus he had some things that he needed to take care. There were things like bills and property contracts; just loose ends still left after Bulma-san’s death. He was worried that if he had to spend all his time looking after Bra, he wouldn’t get any of it done. But he ended up changing his mind. I guess Bra didn’t want to leave him. Poor little girl. To her it must seem as though she’s losing everyone.”

“Hai. Trunks told me that she took it kind of hard.” Goten agreed. “She is trying to be brave about it, but he can tell that she’s upset.”

Koronu looked confused. “Why did Vejiita leave?”

Goten shrugged. “I don’t know. Trunks is speculating that it has something to do with the pressure of having to take care of everything all of the sudden. In the past, Bulma had taken care of basically everything --- especially involving the kids. Trunks is probably old enough to know how to fend for himself, but Vejiita doesn’t know the first thing about raising a little girl. Besides, he’s not exactly kid-friendly.”

“I was under the impression that the two of them had a fairly close relationship.” Gohan argued. “Are you trying to say that he doesn’t care about her?”

Videl shook her head. “That’s not the point. Can you imagine what happens when she starts her period? Or when she starts getting calls from boys? There isn’t going to be anyone there to answer her questions. Vejiita’s probably just worried about that.”

The more and more Gokuu thought about it, the more he understood. To be able to imagine what Vejiita was thinking, you had to think like a Saiya-jin. Vejiita was a proud, dignified warrior, someone who had been cruel and merciless for most of his life. He was trained to be this way --- had to be this way in order to survive. And then he came to Earth and had to leave that life behind him. He became involved with Bulma, settled down (settled as much as he could, anyway) and had a family. Just adjusting to life on Earth must have been one of the hardest things he ever had to do. He became comfortable here though, comfortable with his family.

And now that Bulma had died, a large source of that comfort was gone. Without his wife around to tell him how to act and keep him in line, he was lost. He knew he couldn’t revert back to his old Saiya-jin warrior ways, but without Bulma, he wasn’t sure how to act on Earth either. And although Vejiita would never admit it, Gokuu suspected that he missed her as well. It would be almost impossible for him not to miss her. After all, they were husband and wife. He ate across from her at every meal, slept next to her every night. Just her absence was probably enough to make him crazy. And if the Saiya-jin prince had actually loved Bulma, as Gokuu suspected, then that impact of that absence would be drastically increased. It was hard enough to be out in the world all alone, but even harder if you were alone because you had lost someone that you loved.

“Maybe he’s just lonely.” Gokuu suggested simply with a shrug.

His family accepted this and went about discussing other topics, but he remained in deep thought. Vejiita had never really been kind to him or treated him any differently, but he knew that someone deep in the Saiya-jin prince’s heart, he respected him. They had taught each other many things over the years. Most of them had to do with fighting, but there were other lessons too, things that you could not learn in battle. They had a very interesting friendship, something that Gokuu often thought about. He guessed that if Vejiita were to ever to truly open up and accept him, they would have a friendship that would last a lifetime. He recognized that again, thinking about the current problem that Vejiita was facing. He may not be able to get Vejiita to cry on his shoulder, but the least he could do was try to get the prince to talk to him a little.

All alone deep in the woods of the mountains, Vejiita sat on a fallen log, warming himself next to a large fire. The sun was beginning to set and it would be dark soon, and he was not looking forward to it. What was the use of sleeping, anyway? Lately he had only awoken to find himself drenched with sweat after having another nightmare. Sleep was useless when he was plagued with nothing but bad dreams. It almost made him afraid to close his eyes.

In his strong hands he held a stick with a large bird on the other end of it, roasting it in the warmth of the fire for dinner. At least he was no longer having seizures. Being alone was good for him. It allowed him to wade through some of the things that had been on his mind lately, and as soon as he began to sort his life out, a little of the stress was lifted. He looked around at the clearing that he had built his fire in. It was peaceful here, quiet enough so that Vejiita could hear the tiniest of sounds in the distance. He was beginning to like the quiet, beginning to appreciate the simple perfection of it.

As he thought of this, he quiet was suddenly and rudely interrupted. In an instant flash of light, a figure appeared before him, wearing a familiar orange gi and an even more familiar grin. Kakarroto.

“Vejiita! Hi!” He said, and waved cheerfully.

Vejiita scowled. The last thing he wanted right now was to have Kakarroto lurking around, pestering him. Though he did enjoy their occasional sparring matches, he did not always enjoy his company.

“What are you doing here, Kakarroto?” He snapped. He turned his attention back to his meal, turning the bird slightly over the warm fire. It was almost cooked all the way even, and the skin was looking nice and brown. Barbequing was something new to him, something that he had learned shortly after living at Capsule Corporation. He could never figure out why, but there was something thoroughly enjoyable about roasting a hunk of meat over a fire. Bulma had always quipped that it was a male thing. He was no where near willing to wear a ‘kiss the cook’ apron and one of those ridiculous hats, but the simple art of barbequing was relaxing to him. And when Vejiita was relaxing, he did not like to be bothered by anyone --- especially Kakarroto.

Gokuu sat beside him on the log. As a sign that Gokuu knew him well, he sat just far enough away so that he wouldn’t invade Vejiita’s personal space. Vejiita thought it wise of him, because at the moment, he would not have any qualms about blowing his head off.

“I was just taking a walk and thought I’d stop by.” He explained, and grinned at him again.

Vejiita glared and then turned his attention to the roasting bird once more. “Fine. You’ve stopped. Now go away.”

Just now noticing the food, Gokuu eyed it all with wide, hungry eyes. Feeling suddenly territorial, Vejiita sat slightly forward, as if to protect his kill. He knew Kakarroto’s stomach. One minute he was in perfect control and the next he was stuffing his face like a maniac. Far away from any kitchen, Vejiita had to scrounge and hunt for what he had here, and he was not about to let Kakarroto take it all.

Oblivious, Gokuu continued to eye the food. “Wow! This looks great! Can I have some?”

“No!”

Ignoring him, Gokuu ripped a piece of meat right off of the bird and stuck it into his mouth thoughtfully. “What are you doing way out here, anyway?”

Pissed, Vejiita drew the bird back and held it away from him, snarling. The vein in his forehead began to bulge, and a furious glare was in his eye. “None of your damn business! Now leave me alone!”

Gokuu ignored his command again and merely sighed, looking around the area. It was nearly dark of course, but it was still nice out. The summer evenings were always long and warm. The birds had since quieted, but the crickets were just beginning to chirp. Vejiita thought of all of the summer nights when they used to open the window as they slept. It had been completely silent expect for the pleasant melody of crickets and the sprinklers out on the lawn. Staying out here reminded him of that, reminded him of a time when his life was uncomplicated. His companion must have been thinking similar thoughts, because he let out a happy sigh.

“It sure is pretty here.” He observed. “I love camping out during the summertime. Is that what you’re doing here? Camping out?”

“No, I am not camping out.” Vejiita spat out the last words mockingly. “I came here to be alone.”

Gokuu laughed a hearty laugh and placed his hands down on the log, leaning back. “I guess that didn’t work out very well, did it?” He paused, looking down. “Everyone needs to be alone once and awhile. I used to go out in the woods by the house sometimes, just so I could be by myself and think.”

“Well, that’s a first for you.” Vejiita said snidely. He didn’t know where Kakarroto was going with this, but it was beginning to sound quite suspicious. Kakarroto would never have come out here just to visit him; he had some sort of purpose. He was probably looking to reprimand him, though Vejiita didn’t think he had any right to do so. Kakarroto had left his family alone more than a handful of times himself.

“It’s funny though.” Gokuu continued a wistful look on his face. “Every time I went out there to be alone, all I would do was think about ChiChi and Gohan. And even though I knew they were only a few minutes away, I actually missed them. Every time I’d start to get far away from home, my stomach would start growling, like it was ordering me to go home and eat some of ChiChi’s food.” He looked at Vejiita pointedly. “Besides, I was more comfortable at home than anywhere else.”

Vejiita crossed his arms tightly. Just as he suspected. Kakarroto was here to say exactly what everyone else had already told him --- what he already knew. And the fact that it was coming from Kakarroto simply pissed him off. He nodded towards the break in the trees, where a huge ravine lay. “If you’re here to lecture me, you might as well throw yourself off of that cliff, because I’m going to do it anyway. Now go away and leave me alone.”

He nodded, a dopey smile still on his face. “Okay, but can I have some more of that chicken first?”

“Get out of here!” Vejiita howled.

Gokuu held up his hands in surrender. “Okay. Maybe I’ll ask ChiChi to make you some food and bring it to you tomorrow. We can spar if you want. I’m not very busy these days. Actually, no one is very busy these days. Maybe I could bring along Gohan and Goten, too.”

Vejiita glared at him fiercely. “Tell me Kakarroto, does your tiny brain understand the concept of alone at all?”

Chapter 10
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