Homeward Bound

Chapter 8: Where Did the Master Go?

True to her word ChiChi did have a delectable feast waiting for them upon arrival. All of Gohan's absolute favorite dishes had been prepared and she had even made him a special desert. After a quiet meal that even Goku and Vegeta had stayed for, she brought out the strawberry cheesecake and two kinds of ice cream. Gohan thought that everything was completely unnecessary but Colby had a good time, and he accepted it if only for that reason. It was late when his father and Vegeta decided to leave and Gohan was very close to begging them to take them along. One look at his mother's face made him change his mind. It was as if she fully expected him to ask and was resigning herself to the inevitability of it. Gohan surprised her buy simply hugging the two men goodbye and stepping away from the door.

"When can I see you again, tousan?" he asked with a slightly trembling voice. 'I will not cry, I will not cry.'

"I have a few loose ends to tie up but we'll all get together next week for a trip to the amusement park. Would you like that?" He spoke to both boys, already treating Colby as one of his own. After making a few arrangements the door was shut and silence loomed over them all.

Gohan could tell that his mother was anxious to put the final touches on a paper that was going to be due very soon. Her eyes kept sliding to the open doorway to the dining room where her lap top lay on the end of the table.

He smiled. "Kaasan, Colby and I will be in my room okay?" She nodded with a slight exhale of breath, happy that she would get back to work.

"What was that all about?" Colby asked with a confused expression.

"Do you remember when I said that my kaasan was trying to become a professor?" Gohan asked as he shut the door to his room. The two of them took seats on his bed with its plaid comforter. "There's this final paper you have to write that has something to do with what you're majoring in before you can get your doctorate. and kaasan's been working on it for weeks now. Monday is when she has to hand it in so she'll be perfecting it for a while until then."

"Oh." Colby was suddenly a loss for what to say and blurted the first thing that came to mind. "How's your ear?"

Gohan blinked. "Huh?"

"The new hole you have, how is it?"

He touched his left ear gently and winced. "Sore. I think it's infected. That man wasn't exactly a professional." Gohan was glad that his hair was long enough to hide his newly pierced ear, it would be terrible if ChiChi had a heart-attack so soon after his rescue.

"I was lucky I already had my hole," he said as he examined his red ear closely. "Where do you keep the alcohol? That should get rid of the pain."

After taking care of Gohan's infection the two boys talked pretty late into the night about everything under the sun. School, families, hobbies -- life itself. Around eleven ChiChi stuck her head inside of her son's room (without knocking first, of course) and informed them that it was time for all little boys to be in bed asleep. They grumbled a little as all children do, but eventually brushed their teeth and climbed into Gohan's double bed. ChiChi gave them both a good-night kiss and pulled the door shut, intending on going back to work until the wee hours of the morning.

"Gohan?" Colby whispered into the darkness. "When I leave tomorrow will you write to me?"

He patted his hand and smiled. "Of course I will. Something's odd about our friendship, Colby. It's beyond even best friends but I don't have anything to describe it." He felt the other boy let out the breath he had been holding ever since the word "odd" had come from his mouth. "I didn't mean for you to get upset. I like the way it feels."

For a moment he thought that Colby was going to start sobbing again but after a few moments of shaking he got himself under control. In a voice that was only slightly thick with tears he said, "Ai shiteru, Gohan."

"Ai shiteru, Colby. Sleep well."

For a short while after Colby dropped off, Gohan thought of the emotions that he was feeling now that his father was gone... again. He was angry at his mother for not allowing his father to share custody but his nearly overwhelming anguish that left his body feeling cold. It was similar to what he felt that half-remembered day two years ago when his parents' divorce became final.

"Tousan, why are you leaving?" he had asked, face clouded with confusion. "Did I do something bad?"

Goku kneeled before the boy and just held him for a moment. "Iie, Gohan. You could never do anything that would make me leave. Your kaasan and I just don't get along anymore. I don't want you to grow up with us fighting all of the time."

Innocent dark eyes looked at him with partial understanding. "You don't like kaasan anymore. She makes you yell."

"Well, hai but that doesn't mean that I dislike her now. We just don't get along anymore."

"If you go," he said with a stubborn fold of his arms, "I go too. I love you, tousan."

He sighed unhappily and wished that he could take his son with him but by working the night shift he would never be home just in case something happened. There was nothing he could do.

"You can come visit me on the weekends and then we'll have fun together." He hugged him one final time and looked up to see ChiChi standing in the doorway that bridged the living room and the dining room. Goku saw her narrow her eyes and knew that nothing good would come from that movement. "I love you Gohan, never forget that."

Through both the bad times and the good one thing was his motivation, his comfort, and his salvation.

His father's unconditional love.

***

Tenshinhan's torture chambers were filled with the prisoners he was paid by various people to capture. Some knew full well his motive for holding them while others were clueless, but all knew that their chances of getting out alive were slim to nil. The air of defeat hung over the beaten ones, the scarred ones, the bloody ones; but an air of hope still hung over the untouched ones. It wouldn't be there for much longer; Ten was too good at his job.

Someone was mumbling over and over again about how nothing was his fault and nearly each word was punctuated by a scream. Vegeta's nerves couldn't take much more of the sights and sounds of Tenshinhan's dungeon and flinched very slightly as a scream sounded as he passed his cell. Goku, who hadn't looked the least bit disturbed, paled very slightly and put an arm around the short Saiya-jin's shoulders.

"We'll leave and never have to come back to see or hear this," he whispered. "I promise you that." Vegeta nodded and squeezed his hand.

Ten led them straight to one of the larger holding cells in the back and revealed his storage room. Against one wall were the blades, against yet another were the whips, against the back wall sat the chemicals and drugs on worn wooden shelves. The torturer picked up a basket from a nearby table and began taking various corked bottles from the shelves and placing them inside. None were labeled but both Vegeta and Goku would bet their lives that each one would get the job done right.

"Delusions are easy to cause by creating a temporarily imbalance of the chemicals in his mind. His worst fears would become reality and by adding another drug he would be as helpless as a newborn babe. Just tell me how long you want everything to last and I'll fix you up."

A glance passed between the two men and Goku spoke. "Two hours."

Tenshinhan took small quantities of two powers and mixed them together in a vial before adding water. The third was liquefied before being added to the first mixture and after placing the stopper into the vial and shaking it to make sure everything was properly mixed, he asked another question.

"Why not just let me handle everything and allow the death of Cyrus? He's benefiting no one by staying in this world."

"Gohan asked me not to," Goku said, "and he has an uncanny way of judging a person's character and worth."

He handed him the vial and replaced the powders back onto the shelves. "I see." He waved away Goku's checkbook and said, "No payment necessary. I have repaid your earlier kindness."

Ten saw them to his front door and let them out with a few final words.

"I hope you don't come to regret your decision."

Vegeta correctly read the look in Goku's eyes and spoke for him. "So do we."

***

He was gone, just gone. There was nothing left behind except furniture and the entire place was devoid of inhabitants. Goku slammed his fist into the nearest brick wall in anger and Vegeta stood there in surprise as a hole appeared. He didn't think any ningen could be as strong as a Saiya-jin.

"Where the hell did he go?" Goku asked no one as he paced the floor endlessly. "He must have known that we would find out about Colby and come back."

"Maybe," Vegeta said. He turned to an almost empty bookcase and picked up one of the books that had been thrown to the floor. "The Legend of the Dragonballs."

Goku's head jerked up and he stared at the book title in absolute shock. "He had books about the dragonballs. This is definitely worse than I thought."

"Nani? Dooshite?" He flipped through the pages. "What are dragonballs?"

"Dragonballs are seven magical objects that once brought together can grant you any one wish in the world." He pulled out his cell phone and address book. "It might take him forever without the proper equipment, but then again, neither of us have any idea what he has. I have a friend in Western Capital that created a device to locate them as a science project. She'll help us."

Vegeta wondered how come he had never heard of any genius scientist that created things like radar to locate dragonballs as Goku dialed a number. He also distantly wondered what she would be like. All thoughts of the unknown woman fled his mind when Goku said one name.

"Konnichi-wa, can I speak to Bulma?"

Bulma, a woman he had met a while ago when he was just starting out in the P. I. business. At the end of a long day of absolutely no customers he had gone to a bar a few short blocks away. Drink after drink he had downed, depressed that he wasn't making it too well on his own. Then she had taken a seat next to him at the bar and his life took an unexpected turn.

"Bad day?" she'd asked after counting the numerous glasses that sat in front of him. He had merely stared at her for a few moments before grunting. Bulma had laughed and said that she herself wasn't unfamiliar with the crappy days. They had a few drinks together and that's the point when the rest of the night became hazy.

Vegeta knew that he had sex with her in a motel room, but the entire thing was fairly boring. He had never been with anyone before her and she taught him a few things he never knew existed. After everything was over she had just gathered up her things and left with no words at all. He had wondered for a long time what he had done wrong to make her behave that way and eventually came to the conclusion that she was just a bitch.

He had completely put her out of his mind until now. Goku was finalizing some arrangements with her and he definitely had no desire to see Bulma Briefs in her own house. He quickly thought up an excuse as to why he couldn't go along and silently prayed that it worked.

"I have to check up on things back at my apartment, Goku, but I will see you tomorrow after you get the radar thing." He wrote down his address and phone number on a slip of paper and handed it to him. "I, um, hope to see you soon." His cheeks warmed and he cursed himself for acting like a teenager.

Goku thought his blush was cute but knew better to comment on it. "Will nine work for you?"

Vegeta smiled. "It's perfect."

They chatted the entire drive back to Tokyo, getting to know each other even better. Vegeta came to know a side of Goku that he rarely let people see and Goku came to know that Vegeta was sweet person deep down inside. The short Saiya-jin was reluctant to leave Goku once the other man had pulled to a stop in front of his apartment building but he also knew that he couldn't see Bulma and not do anything stupid. He hesitated with his hand on the door handle, debating whether or not he should kiss him good night. Goku was the one who closed the gap between them and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"We have to go on a date sometime, after this is all over." His hand caressed his cheek almost absently. "I like you Vegeta, more than I've ever liked anyone before. Including ChiChi."

He didn't know what to say. Of course he was touched but Vegeta had no experience with replies to romantic words. So, the only thing that came from his mouth was "Arigatou."

Standing at the curb watching Goku drive off was a very hard thing for him to do. He felt a bond with him so strong that it seemed that it should be visible for all to see. That thought made his blood run slightly cold as he thought of something Saiya-jin in his former country tended to fear. The bonding of two Saiya-jin was mental and emotional as well as physical. They eventually grew to love each other so deeply that being without their mate for even a short time caused depression. Thoughts and emotions are shared without saying a word and the death of a mate causes death for the surviving partner. Vegeta was downright terrified of the Bonding because the thought of not having complete control over everything about himself made him afraid. Goku understood that, but he didn't understand the Bond.

Vegeta's apartment was usually his safe haven from the chaos that was the outside world but now he didn't want to be left alone with his thoughts. Was it so horrible to be bonded to Son Goku? The other man was kind and intelligent, definitely not a bad choice of person to spend the rest of his life with. He had heard of some Saiya-jin that were bonded to disgusting, pathetic people. He was one of the lucky ones.

The phone was ringing as he turned the key in the lock and he knew without looking at the caller-id that it was Goku. His face broke out into a smile and he answered cheerfully, all traces of his earlier mood forgotten.

"I miss you," Goku said in a voice that warmed Vegeta's entire body. "You can't know how much."

"Oh I do know. I feel it." He sighed. "The entire thing's sort of complicated, it's a Saiya-jin thing." That made him blink. How was he bonded to a ningen? He had never heard of the Bond happening between a Saiya-jin and someone of another race. "Goku, are you absolutely sure that you're completely ningen?"

"Iie, not really. My ojiichan said that he found me in the forest when I was a small child. He didn't know where I came from or what my name really is. So he called me Goku, or monkey, because I had a tail."

"Oh my God," he whispered. "It *is* the Bond!"

"The what?"

"You're Saiya-jin, Goku, and the Bond is the bane of our existence."

He didn't even dispute the fact that he was now Saiya-jin. "Why? What's so bad about it, Vegeta?"

"Imagine having something you loved so much that you never wanted to be parted with it. Then you lose it and can never find it again. How would you feel?"

"It depends on if I can replace it or not."

"You can't. Nothing can ever replace your beloved object."

He grew quiet for a moment, so quiet that Vegeta could only hear his soft breathing. "We're bonded."

"Hai," he exhaled in defeat. "We are."

"You don't sound too happy about it."

Vegeta was developing a pounding headache and a upset stomach from worrying about his... What could he call Goku now? Friend or boyfriend didn't cover what he meant to him. Goku was his life-mate, partner for all eternity. "I worry about you now because I know that if you should die I would be right behind you. That scares me, Goku."

"Think of it this way, koi. All of the goods things about the Bond seem to outweigh the bad. I love sharing this with you and I know that you feel the same way. If I should die... Well, let's cross that bridge when we come to it. Ai shiteru, Vegeta-chan."

"Ai shiteru, Goku."