Bulma ran out of the mess hall, but instead of heading towards her lab as the others would have expected, she ran towards the lift, sending it down to the bottom floor.  Normally she only went down there in the evenings shortly before going to bed, but right now she felt the need for the comfort she could gain in the heavy machinery below.

She entered the engine room, the loud hums and sounds of the engines filling the room and her ears.  She couldn't help a small sigh as the ambience slowly relaxed her.  There was something strangely relaxing - at least to her - in the sounds of the large machinery.  Perhaps that was why she had always been fascinated by machines and electronics, and why she preferred being amongst them, rather than people.

She changed clothes, pulling on a pair of dungarees and a heavy lab coat from the closet next to the lift.  It was a precaution against getting the grease and oil of the heavy machinery from her normal clothing.  These outfits were designed to handle the stains and potential dangers of such things, and it wouldn't matter to her how damaged they got.  She slipped on a pair of the goggles that would allow her to see in the dim lighting, but didn't pull on any of the heavy leather gloves stored there as well; she wanted to do a few things which would require a higher level of dexterity than afforded by those for a little while.

She moved towards the central core, where the steady thrumming was loudest.  There wasn't anything overtly flashy or obvious about the more critical machines.  She remembered watching a science fiction movie with Yamcha once, and how amused she had been with the way all the critical components were exposed, just to look flashy.  She and her father knew that those sorts of devices were often extremely sensitive to changes in temperature and light, which was why she kept them carefully concealed and covered in casings to protect them.

That was also why she kept the lighting so low in this room; on the occasions when she did have to open up a casing to check some equipment or to repair it, she didn't want to damage it further by exposing it to anything that might harm it.  Between her eyes adjusting naturally to the dimness, and the goggles to enhance what little lighting there was, she wouldn't have a problem seeing even the minutest detail of an electronic component.

She hummed contentedly to herself as she made her way around the room, checking up on each piece of machinery carefully, making sure everything was in perfect order, as the various menial technical robots scurried around her.  She rarely had to do more than adjust anything slightly, but it was a good routine to get into, to make certain there would be no emergencies.  And she really did enjoy being down here, with her beloved machines.

As she let her mind drift and relax, she tried to forget the agitation she had felt earlier, her confusion over the actions of the small alien who had wormed his way into her bed, and was trying to insinuate himself into her heart.  She was trying desperately not to think about it.  His earlier statements had implied a promise of permanency, yet his actions almost immediately following that - and later during lunch - indicated that he preferred not to have anything to do with her.  Whenever she thought about it, it made her heart constrict painfully, so she instinctively shoved those thoughts away.

She was so absorbed in her activity that she never noticed the arrival of a certain Saiyajin, nor did she notice as he stepped up quietly behind her.

Vegeta stalked down to the lab figuring that was were Bulma headed and was surprised upon his arrival to discover she had gone elsewhere. Scowling, the prince folded his arms over his chest and wondered what had possessed him go off in a huff, why he was so determined to find what was troubling his lover.

Lover - the word he had never applied to anyone in all of his thirty-one years.  If he had ever chosen one, it would have meant her death the moment Freeza had found out.  To give Bulma that title after just one night was saying something about their relationship; that perhaps Radditz was right, that there was something different about the way he was pursuing her.

Vegeta snorted silently as he turned on his heel, leaving the lab behind him and heading towards the only other place his pale-skinned scientist would likely be hiding. He followed the hallways, lost in thought, feeling that he needed to come to some sort of resolution about Bulma before he approached her again.

Despite his lack of interest at the lunch table, he had wanted nothing more than to toss her over the table and ravish her.  But years of conditioning, of survival on Freeza's ship, had him refraining from showing anything outwardly. He had assumed that she, like him, would want to keep their relationship private. But the way she had been, skittish and uncertain as she glanced at him throughout the meal she had barely touched, had left him uneasy. So although he gave the group the excuse about the scouter, he had wanted to see what was wrong with her.

He found Bulma concentrating on some task in the engine room, not even aware that someone else was in the room with her.  Vegeta's eyes narrowed irritably.  "You are going to have to develop some sense of when someone is standing behind you," he told her, not moving as she jerked up and spun to face him. "Getting too involved in what you are doing is dangerous.  If I had been one of Freeza's people, you would have been dead five minutes ago."

Bulma gaped at him, and then her eyes narrowed dangerously as well.  "If you were one of Freeza's men, you wouldn't be on this ship, and I certainly wouldn't have...."  She flushed, but refused to allow that to deter her.  "What are you doing here, Vegeta?"

Vegeta chose to ignore Bulma's question in favor of asking one of his own. "Certainly wouldn't have what, woman?" He quirked a brow at her, his earlier irritation with her gone. When the Saiyajin Prince thought about it, it was really strange how the small human woman could evoke such strong emotions in him. One moment he wanted to shake her for being so oblivious to her surroundings, the next he wanted to tangle his fingers in her hair.  "Do enlighten me."

"I wouldn't have let them on this SHIP!" she shouted at him, suddenly infuriated with him for being so dense.  If he was going to play games with her, she wasn't about to humor him.  "And as it is, I'm beginning to regret letting YOU on!  Radditz is Goku's brother and he seems nice enough, but YOU have no redeeming qualities!"

She turned her back on him again, trying to quell the sudden urge to throw something large and heavy at his head.  If he moved as fast as Goku did, she doubted it would connect.  But she still found her fingers itching to at least try to do damage to him.

She picked up a wrench and squatted down to tighten the bolts of one of the machines, even though it didn't need the slightest bit of tightening.  As she did so, she imagined it was Vegeta's neck that was caught in the wrench, and she twisted it hard, smirking in glee at the thought of what pain something like that would cause him.

It may have been really lucky for Vegeta that Bulma's back was to him, as she couldn't see the amusement on his face.  Vegeta would never admit it, but one of the little quirks he liked about her was her quick temper. The fact that she did not fear him as his others lovers had, was at times oddly reassuring.

"I doubt you could do anything about it, if Freeza's people found this ship and wanted to get on board," he told her, as he folded his arms over his chest. "They would make their own 'entrance'. However...." He paused in his speech, watching how Bulma continued to work as he was speaking, doing her best to ignore him. "That is not why I am here."

Bulma tried to pretend she wasn't listening to him, and she said nothing for several minutes after his last words.  But he appeared to be expecting some sort of response from her, so she set her wrench down, and turned her head towards him with a sigh.

"And what did you come down here for, Vegeta?  To interrupt my work?  I'm busy, and this is rather important."

It wasn't, not really.  She had designed the engines to require very little maintenance.  All she had to do was make certain nothing was going wrong with anything, and then fix it if it was.  She checked them every night just to be on the safe side; if they were stuck this far in outer space without working engines, it would be a very bad thing.  So far nothing had gone wrong, and she really didn't need to do anything down here, but she wasn't about to tell Vegeta that the only reason she had come down here was for the comfort of her machines.

"So if it's not urgent, I would prefer it if you would just go away and leave me alone."

She held her breath suddenly.  Would he interpret that to mean she was breaking it off, as he had told her she had the right to?  She wasn't sure what she wanted, but found herself praying he wouldn't interpret it that way, even as she wondered why she wanted that.

'Leave her alone.'  Vegeta scowled at the thought.  "And what exactly do you mean by that?"  There was one possibility that occurred to Vegeta, one that had him in such emotional turmoil that it took several minutes for him to react calmly. "And what if I do not have any particular reason for coming here?"

Bulma sighed irritably, trying to ignore the tension she still felt.  She knew there *had* to be a reason he was here.  Maybe he was still trying to get her to reject him.  He had told her it would be her choice, but she could swear he didn't want to be around her.

"Then I do have work to do, Vegeta.  If you really have no business here...."  Part of her was hoping desperately that he would apologize, that he would tell her everything was all right, that he wanted her and that the way he had acted earlier had been some sort of front.  But he had acted the same way when they were alone, so she didn't think that was it.

Vegeta arched a brow at her. "So you now find my mere presence intolerable?"  Though Vegeta noted the way she was holding herself, the tension about her, he could not figure out the cause of it.  It was conceivable she was regretting their earlier actions, but something about that did not fit either.  If that had been the case, she would have indicated that this morning. Or had she, and he just hadn't noticed?  "Odd that you did not object to my attentions earlier."

"It's not your *attentions* I'm objecting to!" she snapped before she caught herself.  She glared at him furiously, almost terrified that he would either scorn or mock her.  The way he had been acting earlier, she suspected he wanted to end it.  If he thought she didn't, he might openly reject her, to make her repudiate their relationship.  And for some reason, the thought of that made her feel sick.  "If you have a *point*, then make it, or just leave!"

"Of course I have business with you, woman. Do you think I wander around this ship aimlessly like some of your friends?"  His eyebrow arched as he watched her jaw clench in response to the implied insult to her friends. "Where have you put Nappa's scouter? I can retrieve those data files for you.  Or since you are so busy, perhaps I could make an appointment," he finished dryly.

"Well, it's not here!" she retorted irritably.  "I'm not going to drag every piece of equipment down to the engine room.  It's in my lab."

She closed the panel on the engine she had been working on with a loud clang, then stood up and strode back towards the lift.  She slid her lab coat off and hung it up again, but hesitated to change back to her normal clothes with Vegeta around.  She settled on putting them into a small duffle bag she kept for toting equipment, and then stepped into the lift.

Vegeta followed her into the elevator, somewhat bemused by her mood swings, but still puzzled by her behavior. He knew he could be downright infuriating when the occasion called for it. He had perfected it to an art form, used it as a way to annoy Freeza's lesser guards, to gauge their reactions. Judging by the peevishness in Bulma's tone, he had done something to greatly offend her, but he could not for the life of him figure out what it was.

The two made their way to the lab in relative silence, both too lost in their own thoughts to pay much attention to the other. Vegeta managed to snap back to himself when Bulma handed him the scouter. Vegeta popped a panel off the back of the device and entered a series of numbers, waiting for a moment as the scouter up the files he wanted before he glanced over at Bulma.

"I need your computer terminal to download the files," he informed her. "I am aware you can read standard; however, the plans for the tanks are not in that language. I believe they are written in Saiyago. So you may require assistance."

Bulma gave him a glance, not understanding for a moment.  She had assumed the technicians would prefer to just stick with one language, as it would be easier, but then realized he was right - as the tanks had been designed for Saiyajin, and probably by Saiyajin, so the language for the plans for them would likely be in that language.

She was suddenly intrigued at the thought.  She hadn't learned to read or speak his language, and this would give her an opportunity to do so.  She ignored the real reasons this interested her so much, trying to convince herself that because it was a dead language, and because the two Saiyajin seemed to be both secretive and open about their dead culture, that it was an opportunity to learn something rare and exotic.  She was always drawn to learning things that were obscure and unusual, so she told herself this was the only reason she wanted to learn it, and ignored the whisper in the back of her mind that told her it wasn't.

She slid into the computer chair to hook the scouter up.  It took only a minute to connect the scouter to her computer.  She had already built an adapter for it; that was how she had downloaded the original blueprints for the ship.  She hadn't known how to access any of the other files on the scouter, but whatever Vegeta had done, it had opened up access to a lot more than just a single set of blueprints.  She gasped in surprise and wonder at the information she suddenly knew was available to her, and her fingers twitched in anticipation.

But it would have to wait.  The regeneration tank took priority; she was practical enough to realize that survival was more important at the moment than satisfying her curiosity.  She could do that later, but only *after* she had done what she could to give her friends an edge in the coming battle.  Unlike her father, she was a pragmatist, and although she enjoyed learning, discovering, and inventing for the sake of it, there was a side of her that preferred to find ways to make that information she learned become useful.

"Which file is it?" she asked, looking up at Vegeta with eyes wide and shining with excitement.  "Show me!"

Vegeta hid a smile at Bulma's enthusiasm. He leaned over her shoulder, scrolling down too quickly for Bulma to follow, and highlighted the appropriate files.

"These three are the blueprints. The first two," he tapped his finger against the screen, "are the original designs.  The last one," he highlighted it and brought up the data, "show the modifications that were tried, and failed. You might find these useful. It is possible you can find what mistakes Freeza's scientists made and correct them. Or at least they may give you a starting point."

When he turned his head their gazes met and held with an intensity that alarmed and intrigued him. "Unfortunately for you, all three appear to be written in my language."  He studied her expression for a moment. "But since this will allow training to become more intense, I can translate this for you into something you can comprehend.  Or I could simply return the favor and teach you to read Saiyago, as you taught me to read your language."

The sudden urge to have her to be able to read and eventually speak his native tongue was so overwhelming the sheer force of it took him by surprise. He would never have dreamed of making such an offer to any of his previous lovers, but with Bulma the need was something only his subconscious could have explained.

He gave a short, bitter laugh, startling her. "But then you would be able to speak a dead language, known to only two beings left in the universe.  Ironic that a human, another race the lizard holds in contempt, will assist in bringing about his downfall."

Bulma looked at him curiously, wondering about the odd tone in his voice.  He seemed... almost sad about it.  Then she shook herself mentally.  Of course he was sad!  His people were dead, and as he said, there were only a few of them left.  Why wouldn't he be sad?

The idea of 'sadness' didn't fit with the way she saw Vegeta.  She studied him a little more closely, and realized there were depths to him she hadn't even begun to fathom yet.  She wondered if anyone knew him well.  Perhaps Radditz did, but if he did, he would never let on.

But somehow she doubted it.  Radditz seemed too open, in his own, odd sort of way, and she suspected he would never be able to understand the complexities of the man in front of her.  He would expect everyone to be as open as himself; he wouldn't be able to plumb the depths of someone who held things deep inside.  Only she, who hid so much from even her closest friends, might be able to understand Vegeta a little bit.

"I would like to learn your language," Bulma answered honestly.  She didn't tell him that a person's language often told one a lot about the people who spoke it, and even though there were variations in individuals - just comparing Radditz and Vegeta could show her that - it would still give her a good idea about the basis of how they thought.  If a race had no word for 'water', for instance, then it was difficult to describe wetness to them.  And if a language had no past or future tense, then the people who spoke it rarely understood time.  She had no idea what nuances the Saiyajin language would have, but she was looking forward to learning it.

"If you don't mind teaching it, I would like to learn it.  You can teach me while I build the regeneration chamber.  If you don't mind taking the time from your training," she added quickly, realizing he might object to losing that time.

He snorted at the idea. "The time I lose, woman, will be easily recouped." Vegeta did not look the least bit concerned. He was very sure that with Bulma's intelligence, she would pick up his language in a few days.

It never even entered Vegeta's mind that Bulma would not be successful in modifying the machine to her standards. That he did not doubt her abilities should have warned him that he was getting far too involved with her. But like all the other warning signals that Vegeta picked up, he ignored the fact that he never even thought to question how long a project like this would take.

"The benefits will more than make up for it. Radditz and I will no longer have to hold back. And we will get stronger."

Bulma didn't doubt it.  She had seen how Goku often increased dramatically in strength when he was given a challenge beyond whatever his current capabilities were, or when he was injured and had to recover.  His recovery was already considerably faster than normal, and when in the regeneration tank, she could only imagine.

She didn't say anything to him; she suspected anything she might say would be taken the wrong way.  Instead she just nodded, and as she brought the blueprints up on the screen, he proceeded to give her their first lesson in Saiyago.

~~~*~~~

Goku, Radditz, Kuririn and Gohan were the first to arrive at the cafeteria for dinner.  They were just dialing up rather large quantities of food when Yamcha walked in, freshly out of the shower, his hair still dripping wet and hanging loosely about his shoulders.

Radditz almost dropped the plate he was holding when he saw the handsome human enter the room.  If it weren't for the presence of the others there - most notably his young nephew - he might have tried to tear Yamcha's clothes off then and there, and force the human to accept his proprietorship.  He calmed himself, realizing the human wouldn't understand Saiyajin mating behaviours, and would likely take it the wrong way.

But he couldn't stop staring, his eyes devouring where his hands and mouth couldn't.

Yamcha was very aware of Radditz' eyes on him the moment he walked into the hall. It was as if the other man were actually touching him, instead of just watching with a predatory gleam in his dark eyes. The young man managed to suppress a shiver from the look, as he met Radditz' eyes.  He winked at him as he passed by and tried turning his attention to something that Kuririn had asked him.

"You don't look too battered," Goku remarked, as the men made their way back to the table carrying enormous loads of platters of food.

At Yamcha's blank expression, Goku explained. "You were sparring with Piccolo."

"Oh, that!" Yamcha laughed lightly and shrugged. "I do have a few bruises, though. I think he's gained in speed and strength. I guess hovering above a waterfall does that for some people."

Goku smiled at him. "Maybe you should try it."

Yamcha shook his head. "Nope, I think I will get in the hot tub later; my muscles are killing me. What I wouldn't give for a massage right now. I miss my personal trainer."

Radditz couldn't help himself at that comment.  He gave Yamcha a wicked smile and leaned towards him.  "I could be your personal trainer, if you'd like.  I'm told I give *very* good massages."  His smile left no question as to what kind of person usually told him that, and under what circumstances, as his gaze raked up and down Yamcha even more possessively.

To Yamcha's credit he didn't blush, he merely arched an eyebrow at him, hiding the fact that his heart started to pound in his chest from the mental images that comment provoked. "Oh, I don't doubt that." Yamcha smiled back rather mischievously at him, and decided it was time to turn tables on the handsome Saiyajin warrior. "I might take you up on your offer later."

Radditz gave a low growl, one Vegeta would have recognized had he been there.  It was the growl of a Saiyajin claiming his mate.  "Don't think I'm going to let you forget that," he said huskily, unable to prevent the growl from entering his voice.

Before any of the others could voice their surprise at the interplay between these two, Vegeta and Bulma chose that moment to enter the room.  Radditz was probably more surprised than any of the others that they had chosen to enter together; he knew more than anyone else, how far Vegeta would go to show he didn't care about anyone.  If he were showing this much of a preference towards Bulma, it meant that either he didn't care about her well-being, or he simply couldn't help himself.  Radditz doubted the former, and was alarmed by the latter.  He didn't want Vegeta to hurt Bulma, but at the same time, she was no Saiyajin, and Radditz wasn't sure Vegeta was acting appropriately for his station.

"Hey!" Yamcha greeted the two as if he hadn't been flirting with Radditz a moment before. "Where you been, Bulma? We were about to send out a search party to rescue you from your lab again."

Bulma arched a brow at him, taking in Yamcha's wet hair.  He always looked so appealing after a shower.  She was tempted to run to him and throw herself in his arms, but something held her back.  She glanced at Vegeta, and then smiled, looking back at Yamcha.

"Vegeta has been spending the day teaching me his language, Saiyago," she explained.  "All of the blueprints are written in them, apparently, which is one of the reasons Freeza's scientists had so much trouble with them.  Vegeta says the only people who are fluent in it are himself and Radditz."

Radditz stared at the two of them in shock.  Vegeta was teaching her Saiyago?  But that was forbidden!  No non-Saiyajin was ever allowed to learn that language!  It was one of their greatest crimes, almost as bad as treason....

He glanced from Bulma to Vegeta, and back again.  The fact that Vegeta was willing to do this, rather than simply translate the blueprints directly, spoke volumes to him about Vegeta's own feelings towards the blue-haired termagant.  Even if Vegeta wasn't ready to admit it, he had apparently chosen Bulma as a permanent mate.  It was what Radditz had suspected before, and he knew with a certainty now that it was true.  As far as Vegeta was concerned, Bulma *was* a Saiyajin, and so was doing everything in his power to make her as Saiyajin as possible, even if he wasn't doing it consciously.

Radditz' jaw snapped shut and his eyes narrowed, as he studied the two closely.  Although he noticed that both of them very carefully tried to look casual about their presence together, he could almost *feel* a tension between them.  It was as though they were touching even without touching; they were tied together whether they wanted to be or not.  And he realized it wasn't his place to question Vegeta.  The last of their kind, Vegeta was his prince, and he would follow him to the end no matter what happened.

Bulma was continuing to speak.  "I shouldn't have any difficulty with the blueprints at all, with Vegeta's help.  He's said helping make the regeneration tanks will more than make up for the time lost from training.  I don't yet know if I'll be able to modify them for humans, but I'm going to first build one for the Saiyajin before I try that.  So at least the four of them can be healed if they're injured.  I'll work on the second one with modifications later, and hopefully it will be finished before we get to Namek."

Yamcha gave a low whistle. "Today is just full of surprises. Piccolo actually let me in on a secret of his today; apparently Nameks don't need to eat. They just need water to live." He shook his head. "And now you are learning Saiyago?  Kami, woman, is there anything you refuse to learn?"

Bulma tossed her hair back, looking at him archly.  "Of course not.  When you stop learning, you might as well start dying.  As *you* lunkheads seem to have done a long time ago."  Her expression made her look serious, but after Radditz studied the lack of reaction from her friends, he realized she was teasing them in a way he didn't understand.

"Why should we 'lunkheads' have to study when you can out-think us anyways? My pride can't that much of a defeat," Yamcha remarked blandly. "School was never my strong point, you know. Anyway," he winked at her, "between building those tanks and learning Saiyago, we aren't going to see you two much, are we?"

Vegeta snorted at this. "It won't take long for Bulma to learn the language.  She has picked up most of the basics already. Within a week she will have mastered it."

The short Saiyajin made his way to the replicator and ordered up a larger meal than normal. He knew Radditz wouldn't call him on teaching Bulma their language, but he rationalized that it was much easier to teach her the language then it was to have her constantly ask him questions when he was training.

"So," Radditz said casually, looking at Vegeta, "after you've taught her Saiyago, you won't have any reason to be around her anymore, will you?  After all, she won't need you to translate anything for her.  She'll be just fine on her own, and you can get back to your training."

Even though he gave off an aura of nonchalance with his words, he was watching Vegeta very closely as he said this.  He saw Vegeta's entire body tense up, and he waited to see how the smaller Saiyajin would respond.

Vegeta turned his head enough to glare at Radditz. "Hardly.  She will need someone to test the tank on, won't she, Radditz?" He approached the table, placed his multiple dishes down and regarded Radditz with an expression that made Yamcha shift back away from him.

Yamcha wasn't sure what was going on between the two Saiyajin, but the tension was so thick that he decided to defuse the situation before it escalated into a fight. "You may not eat as much as us, Bulma, but you DO need to eat. Did you ever eat anything for lunch today?"

"Of course I did," Bulma lied, not willing to admit to Yamcha that he had something on her.  "I'm not an idiot like you are!"

She calmly took one of the numerous plates of food that Goku had placed on the table, ignoring his pleading look of desperation as she did so.  There was still plenty for him, she knew; he just liked to make a pig of himself.  Or a Saiyajin, more like, she thought critically, eyeing the way Radditz was already devouring the food as well.

Radditz, for his part, was pointedly ignoring Vegeta's irritation.  He knew he was making his prince angry, but he wanted him to be.  He knew that sometimes being angry was the only way for Vegeta to see something right in front of himself; otherwise he tended to shut himself off, and wouldn't pay attention to his own feelings.

"Well," he said, continuing their conversation as though Yamcha had never interrupted, "she can test it on one of us, *after* we've been injured.  I'm sure it won't be you that will need it.  I am absolutely positive you'll make sure it gets tested on me."  He looked up at Vegeta with a bland expression, even as he casually continued to eat.

"Oh, I am sure you will be the first one in that tank, Radditz," Vegeta promised. "I will be the one to put you there."

Yamcha rolled his eyes heavenward, his plan to save Radditz a beating thwarted. Though why he felt he had to protect Radditz was beyond him, when he knew very well the older man could take care of himself. "You know, Bulma, I think I see what you mean about calling these two barbarians all the time. I think they love to beat the crap out of each other."

Radditz shot Yamcha a quick grin.  "Of course we do.  It's what we live for.  I serve my prince by allowing him to vent his aggressions on me, and he vents his aggressions on me and allows me to serve him.  What else is there?"  His eyes sparkled a moment, then he looked more serious.  "Besides which, it's the fastest way for me to become stronger.  Vegeta is *much* stronger than I am.  If he beats on me and you put me in the regeneration tank, in no time at all I'll be a lot stronger.  And that's what we'll need, if we want to defeat Freeza.  And hell, it's more fun than you know."

Bulma choked, then rolled her eyes.  "Men!" she exclaimed, looking irritated.  "All men are bad, but *you* two are the *worst*!"

"For once I am in complete agreement with you, Bulma. I think you just like to be in pain." Yamcha made a face, as he recalled them saying earlier in the day that the more they fought the stronger they became. But what Yamcha didn't understand was why Radditz was trying to irritate Vegeta. ::I guess I'll ask him about it, sometime.:

Radditz chewed thoughtfully as he considered it.  "You know, I think you might be right about that.  I think it's part of our species.  If we're hurt, we get stronger, so pain becomes a good thing for us, something necessary for our survival.  Some Saiyajin will push themselves so hard, embracing pain so eagerly, they can become stronger than their class normally permits.  I was born third-class, as was Kakarotto, and we're both stronger than we were ever supposed to be.  Our father was the same way.  I didn't know my father well, but I was told he was one of the most powerful Saiyajin on the planet, more powerful even than the king.  He went out of his way to push himself to his limits, to allow himself to get so hurt that he was barely alive by the time he got to the tank.  He was practically a legend in the military, but he was the strongest Saiyajin alive by the time Vegeta-sei was destroyed."

He arched a brow at Vegeta.  He knew it irritated Vegeta that Radditz' third-class father had been so powerful, but he couldn't deny the truth of it.  The fact that a 'third-class scum' had been stronger than the king had always rankled with the prince, so he had simply learned to pretend Bardock had never existed.

"You know what really is confusing me?" Kuririn finally spoke up. "Why do you call Goku 'Kakarotto'?  Is that some sort of insult as well?"

Radditz stared at Kuririn a minute before responding.  He had been calling his brother by his real name since they had been there, and it surprised him that someone would be bringing it up after all this time.

"I call him 'Kakarotto' because that's his name.  It's the name he was assigned by the Vegeta-sei government, based on names within our father's family.  The name 'Goku' is not a Saiyajin name, and it is not the one he was born with.  'Kakarotto' is his real name.  It's the name of my little brother, who was sent away when he was born, the little brother I never got to meet.  'Kakarotto' is a Saiyajin, my brother.  'Goku' is a stranger, not a Saiyajin.  So I call him 'Kakarotto', because that is my brother's name."

"Well, I guess that makes sense," Goku remarked around a mouthful of rice. "It kinda sounds funny, but I guess I could get used to it."

"I think I'll just call you Goku.  After so many years, suddenly calling you Kakarotto would feel a little odd," Yamcha said, as he leaned back into his chair. "Besides, is it really all that important?"

Radditz shook his head stubbornly.  "It is important.  Kakarotto is my brother.  Kakarotto is the one I came to find, not some stranger going by a different name.  I cannot call him anything else, because then he wouldn't be my brother."

Bulma blinked, surprised at Radditz' reaction.  The large Saiyajin always seemed impervious to barbs and insults; it surprised her that something so trivial should be so important to him.  But as she watched him, she thought she understood.  Radditz had had an expectation to find his younger brother, a Saiyajin living on a planet of humans.  He had found his brother, but Goku had lost his memory, and was going by a different name, and possibly even had traits Radditz found disconcerting in a Saiyajin.  He wanted Goku to be his brother, and to do that, it meant insisting on calling him the name he knew him by.

She nodded in turn.  "If Goku can accept being called by two names, I suppose the rest of us can get used to it as well.  But to us, he'll always be the little boy Goku I found, carrying a giant fish, who thought my car was a monster."  She smiled fondly at her Saiyajin friend, remembering their first encounter.

"Yeah, that he is!" Kuririn agreed with a chuckle, remembering the little boy who had been his rival for Kamesennin's favor as children.  "But he always could beat me in a race or a fight, no matter what his name might be!"

Gohan was listening intently to their conversation, not adding anything as he looked from one speaker to the next.  But at this point he could no longer contain himself.

"He has *three* names!" he announced triumphantly.  "He's my daddy, too!"

"Good point kiddo." Yamcha smiled at the little boy. "Very good point.  And he has a few other names, as well.  Bulma calls him 'Son-kun'.  Piccolo calls him 'Son'.  And I'm sure Chi-Chi calls him one or two things, particularly when she's angry at him."

The others laughed as Yamcha winked, and Goku blushed even as he smiled at them.

END PART 20