Once Upon a Dream

King Vegeta was a pretty tall man, in fact most of the ancient Saiyans were of above average height. He welcomed them all into the throne room with a friendly smile and open arms, a stark contrast from his son's dark scowl immediately to his left. Most people seemed to ignore the younger Vegeta. He was just one dark cloud on their sunny outlook. But Vegeta himself refused to be quiet. He spoke his mind whenever he could.

But there was one more young person than they had expected. He was an almost identical copy of the scowling one to far left but he wore a smile similar to his father's.

"You wanted to see me?" The king asked from high upon his throne near the rear of the room. A red carpet, much like the ones in the main hall, ran along the floor to meet with the stone steps of the raised dais. There were stern faced honor guards along each side of the floor runner who watched Kat and her small crew warily as they made their way to kneel before the king. Vegeta was a little reluctant at first, but Goku forced him down into an almost humble position.

"I do not kneel before anyone Kakarott," He whispered harshly. "I am Prince Vegeta!"

"Not now you aren't," Goku whispered back stubbornly.

"Great King Vegeta," Kat began in her best sugar-coated voice, "we request the aid of your kingdom. You see, we have journeyed far and we hope for jobs and a place to rest our heads at night. O great king, can you help us at all?"

"Hmm." He rose and waved away any assistance from his guards with one pass of his bejeweled hand. Walking down to stand before her, he examined Kat carefully.

"You seem to be a fine woman. Of course I will help you and your friends. But first, may I ask your names and what skills you possess?"

"Skills?" Bulma whispered. "I have no idea what Vegeta can do? Does anyone know?"

"Shh," Kat shushed her. "Your majesty, my name is Katrinka and I'm basically a sell-sword." She laughed nervously. "I don't suppose you have any violence for me to handle do you?"

The king smiled and shook his head.

"I didn't think so..." She fell silent. "I can learn anything quickly though! Do you have something for me?"

"We'll have to see Katrinka."

Bulma spoke next. "Well I'm Bulma and I'm a scientist. Mechanical things are my specialty!"

The king grinned happily. "Good! I always love new technology! You can start later today. How about that?"

"I'd love to."

"Why can't you be a cook Kat-chan?" Bra suggested. "That curry of yours was fantastic!"

"A cook?" Vegeta appeared thoughtful. "That's not bad. We're always in need of a good cook. We Saiyans love to eat!"

Bulma smiled. "Of course."

"What can the rest of you do?" Kat asked them. "Bra, you can help me if you want to. I can open a restaurant!"

"Can I be a taste tester?" Goten asked eagerly. "Please?"

"And what is your name young lady? And young man?"

"They're Bra and Goten your majesty," Kat answered for them.

"I don't know you you're fooling," A bored voice said from not too far away. It was the prince. "You people obviously have no skills whatsoever except maybe the blue-haired woman." He rose. "Father, must I be here for this farce?"

"Vegeta sit right back down in that chair," He ordered. "You must be present. No questions asked."

"Fine Father," He smirked. "But remember, you said 'present' not 'silent'."

"Boy, he's as stuck-up as Vegeta was," Bulma rolled her eyes.

"No comment." Vegeta stood. "Listen, I'm not good at anything so just assign me something so that I can leave."

Goku also stood, with a very wistful expression on his face. "I've always wanted to be a Court Jester."

"You *what*?" Goten asked.

His father nodded. "I'm pretty funny. Hey, why did the Saiyan cross the road?"

The king smiled. "Why?"

"Because he saw a restaurant on the other side!"

Everyone else cringed at the really bad joke but Vegeta laughed loudly.

"You're hired!"

"He doesn't even know the meaning of the word 'funny'," Kat whispered.

"I still can't believe I'm descended from him," Vegeta added.

"How wonderful," Prince Vegeta said dryly. "A fool for a fool."

"Vegeta!" His father barked sharply. "You may now retire to your room."

He smiled. "Gladly." He gracefully walked towards a small door on the right side of the dais and disappeared.

"He is such a spoiled brat," Bra commented. "He must haven't had a lot of punishments in his lifetime."

"Sad to say, that's how a lot of royal children are Bra," Kat told her as she rose and stretched. "Spoiled rotten."

"Say sir," King Vegeta said to the other Vegeta, "Are you a high official in your land? Your have a regal bearing."

"I do?" Vegeta then nodded. "Yes, I was of the royal family. My name is Ve-" Bulma and Kat each stomped on a foot. "Ouch! Er, Veouch."

"Veouch? What a strange name!"

"Yes, but you can call me..." He thought quickly for a moment, "Morpheus."

"Morpheus?" Bulma asked with raised eyebrows.

Vegeta shrugged. "Have you ever seen the movie "The Matrix"?" She shook her head. "It's good. You should see it when we go back to Chikyuu."

"I have a job for you Morpheus," King Vegeta stepped closer and dropped his voice very low. "As you can see, my son is not the most well behaved boy on Vegeta-sei. Since you seem like an ideal member of a royal family, I would like for you to guide my son."

Vegeta eyes widened. "You *what*?"

"I know it's asking a lot but I'm prepared to pay a lot."

Kat smirked. "Well, it would take a snob to know a snob."

"Oh be quiet," Vegeta snapped. "I don't need this!"

"Who are you?" Bra asked curiously at the still silent other boy. He stood and walked over to her, kissing her hand gently.

"I am Prince Camell," He said in his soft voice. "The twin brother of Vegeta."

"Saiyans have twins?" Goku asked in whisper. He turned to question Vegeta as did everyone else in the group.

"Well don't look at me!" Vegeta rolled his eyes. "I don't know everything."

"That's obvious," Bulma muttered.

"Why aren't you named Vegeta too, Prince?" Bra questioned him.

"Because only the firstborn may be named after his father. My twin is older by several minutes."

"What if the Queen has a girl?"

He shrugged. "For some odd reason, that rarely happens. My own mother has been deceased for several years. She caught a bad illness."

She nodded. "I see. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Katrinka, Bulma, and the rest. If you follow me now, I will show you where you can stay. We have some lovely vacant houses by the riverfront." He tossed his red cape behind his shoulders and strode from the room, the younger prince following behind all of the rest cheerfully talking with Bra.

***

The house was indeed as lovely as King Vegeta said it would be. It rose two stories, with plaid curtains in each window and braided rugs on each floor. It was not made of the blue crystal like the rest of the city, in fact, the whole riverfront wasn't. It was created of traditional wood and stone and painted a rich burgundy. Bulma often wondered how in the world they had crafted buildings out of the crystal anyway. It was as smooth as a placid ocean. She made a mental note to ask the king later, if she had time.

The king had opted to walk through town because he said it would bring him closer to his people. He did so, without guards, because they were more for ceremony than anything else.

"In the days of King Vegeta the first, there were ungodly amounts of violence. No one could walk anywhere without a weapon lest they were killed three steps from their home. Fathers left their families to fend for themselves, mothers could not care for their children, dirty places such as bars and brothels sprung up everywhere. It was awful."

"Sounds like present day New York City," Trunks whispered to Goten.

He agreed. "Yeah."

The king continued his story. "But then the King would not have it any longer. He put the criminals to death, the prostitutes to honest work, and reunited the fathers with their families. After many generations of hard work, Vegeta-sei became the much like you see today. But outside of this city, the Capital, bad things still do happen. No one can pinpoint exactly who or where, but I have people trying. We will stop such things so that our entire planet can live in peace."

"That's a pretty speech," Vegeta said. "But it's not plausible."

"Oh? I would like to hear your thoughts on the subject."

"You can not nullify all of the 'bad' things. It just can't happen. People need some way to vent their frustrations at civilization. If you make your people hold it in after a while it will just all explode and you will have a more terrible problem on your hands like riots and mass murder."

"I hear your words, Morpheus, but it will not come to pass. I have faith in my people."

Vegeta shrugged. "At least I tried."

They sat in the fully furnished living room, sipping tea that Katrinka had brewed and discussing the things of the city. The king sat there the whole entire day with them, just relaxing and laughing at Goku's horrible jokes. He was really a man that cared a lot for his people.

Around ten o'clock, he had to leave. Stating that he had an early day tomorrow and Prince Vegeta had to be forced to study. Camell also went to leave, but not before he hugged Bra goodbye.

"I had a good time," He whispered to her. "Please come by tomorrow with your mother to see me. I would like it very much."

Bra blushed and nodded. "I will."

"What is with you two and the Royal Family?" Trunks asked her and Kat. "You don't see me going after some woman."

"That's simple," his sister retorted, "there isn't one that wants you."

"That's it!" Bulma threw up her hands. "I'm going to bed to get away from these arguments."

"Bulma, you and Vegeta do the same thing constantly." Goten told her.

"That's different! He starts them."

"Excuse me?" Vegeta frowned. "You say something about everything I do!"

"That's because you never do it right."

"Goten, you didn't have to make them start." Kat sighed as she grabbed Vegeta by the arm and pulled him outside.

"Vegeta?" She asked. "How about you and I take a look at the town?"

"Do I have to?" Vegeta looked positively miserable. "I don't want to be here in the first place! The less I see of it, the better."

"Well," Kat looked around innocently. "I was going to check out the local hang-outs. There's got to be someplace that the king and his guard have missed. Like you said before, everyone can't be angels."

"You mean like bars?" They began to walk up the street, pausing every once and a while to let someone go past.

"And clubs... Do you want to go clubbing?"

He blinked, slightly confused. "Huh?"

She sighed. "Vegeta, a club is a place that has music you can dance to and usually lots of alcohol. You've really never been to one?"

He shook his head. "Iie. I didn't need to."

"Well if we want to complete this mission, we can't leave any stone unturned."

"I hear you but I don't have to like it."

She smiled. "Alrighty then!" Grabbing his hand, she dragged him off into the thick crowd. "Let's go!"

Even as late at night as it was right then, the streets were just as crowded as in broad daylight. Music played and there were dancers and theatrical performances everywhere. It was like a moonlit carnival. Small children licked at ice cream cones while, at the same time, parents sadly parted with money for gifts at the many booths set up along the street. It was fascinating and fun all at the same time.

"Remember what I told you before, V-chan," Kat grinned at him, "You have to have fun some of the time."

"I know, I know. But this isn't a vacation, it's a business trip."

She wagged her finger a bit and shook her head. "No job is worth doing unless you can have fun at the same time."

"Your own saying?"

"Of course."

He sighed and gave her a mock exasperated expression. "Why did I even bother to ask?"

Her smile just grew wider as she hugged him around the neck. "You finally understand!"

"Someone call the police!" A voice shouted from the distance. Heads turned and it continued. "My tousan has been abducted and an android has taken his place!"

Vegeta groaned. "It's just the boy."

"The 'boy' has a name. And, if you haven't noticed, that 'boy' is now a man."

"A lot of people will disagree with that," Bra muttered. "Me, for one."

"You know how to enjoy yourself!" Bulma smiled. "That's good. You're in good hands with Kat-chan."

"What are we doing out here?" Goku asked. "I mean, I don't mind a good party but we have work to do."

Everyone blinked.

"Kakarott is the one you should check out. Someone replaced his missing brain cells."

"Ha, ha. I'm smiling on the inside, really." Goku rolled his eyes.

"It's like dropping into a time warp," Goten commented. "Everyone's different. It's too weird."

A breeze made the hairs stand up on Katrinka's neck as if an electric current had passed by too close. She spun around quickly but all she saw was Gavin standing there with a perfectly normal expression. The woman melted into a puddle almost immediately.

"Hi Gavin," She giggled and blushed slightly.

Vegeta blinked in awe. "I have never heard you make that sound before. Ever."

She stopped on his foot, hard, and he glared at her. "Be quiet Little Man."

"Would you like to tour the city with me?" He held out his arm and she attached herself like a limpet. Nothing would shake her loose, not that the saiyan wanted to try.

"You're acting like an onna, Kat-chan," Vegeta told her. She blinked, with a faint expression of anger.

"Vegeta! I *am* an onna! Are you just now realizing that?"

He shrugged. "Okay then, a *baka* onna."

She growled and stomped away, dragging Gavin with her.

"It was nice seeing you again!" He called back to the group. "See you later!" The crowd closed back around them and all was drowned out by the background murmur of voices.

"Stupid onna," Vegeta grumbled. "She doesn't even know that man. Does anyone else think he was looking a little suspicious?"

Bulma appeared thoughtful for a moment before she nodded. "I saw his look right before Kat-chan turned around. She did it so fast, it was like she was expecting him to kill her."

"His ki just isn't that normal," Goku said at length. "I mean, it wasn't level. It rose and fell constantly instead of staying the same."

"And how did you feel all of this?" Vegeta asked, as if he didn't believe the other.

Goku just looked away, more than a little disturbed. "I've always was more sensitive to ki, Vegeta. It doesn't come with the power, so don't even think that. It's something I was just born with."

Vegeta's face became a little red but he didn't say a word. For a moment, he just stood there trying to think. "Is she in danger?"

"Nani?"

"IS KATRINKA IN ANY DANGER?!"

Goku shook his head. "Iie, not that I can tell. But she can handle herself, right?"

Vegeta just looked off into the distance, the very same direction she had gone. "I hope so. For her sake anyway."

***

Katrinka returned to the house pretty late in the night, no worse for wear. Outwardly anyway. She was half in a daze and absently sniffing the pale pink flower in her hand periodically as if she kept forgetting what it smelled like. Vegeta was up and waiting for her that night, not at all happy at losing sleep. He just wanted to be done with the mission as soon as possible. There was nothing else that held him there. Bra and Kat were creating potential complications. Finding boyfriends could wait until they returned to Chikyuu couldn't it?

Kat stepped over to the wooden table and practically collapsed into a nearby chair. She sighed again for the umpteenth time and leaned over the table, head perched on her hands. The flower was gently placed behind her ear, for all to look at and admire.

"Where the hell have you been?" Vegeta asked in a low growl, his annoyance and worry barely kept in check. After all, Kat-chan was the only real friend he had. It wouldn't do for her to go and get killed.

"Oh V-chan," She sighed once more. "He is so wonderful!"

"I didn't ask you that." But he was ignored. She rose gracefully to her feet, her tail making dizzying endless figure eights, and spun around in a circle.

"We have another date tomorrow!"

He jumped to his feet in a fit of rage. "You can't date him, Katrinka. We're going back to our own plane eventually if you hadn't forgotten!"

She frowned, her blue eyes glowing as if a white-hot flame were lighting them from the inside. "I know that Vegeta. In fact, I'm dreading it. There was nothing left for me on my own plane so I had to go looking for it somewhere else. Isn't that awful?" She laughed then, the sound as cold as the Arctic Ocean. "But I'm happy Vegeta. Here, in this beautiful city, with a handsome man. So, he's not the same species as I? That doesn't matter at all to me."

"Kat, I-?" She hushed him, placing a finger against his lips.

"Not now, let me finish." Her tone softened into one of wistfulness. "I've always wondered what it would be like to have someone. You have Bulma, Goku has ChiChi. But I hadn't found one for me. Then, this wonderful man comes along and makes me feel incredibly happy. It's not a feeling I would trade for anything in the world."

Vegeta opened his mouth to say something but it slowly closed. He sighed, defeated, and hugged her briefly. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

Her smile was bright, chasing all of the lingering darkness away. "I won't V-chan. But thanks for caring."

He stepped back and looked into her eyes. "You taught me how. That and a whole lot of other things." He took a deep breath and nodded, sure of himself. "And I am grateful for it."

Kat smiled once more and hugged him hard. "Thanks. It means a lot." Then she bounced away, humming a love song under her breath. She took the stairs two at a time, on her way to get some rest for her new job. Vegeta stood and just watched her go, still amazed at her near limitless energy. Then turning out the lamp, he followed.