To See the Old Neighborhood

Part 8

Turles and Nappa were enjoying corousing about the densly populated Saiyan village. But they weren't having as much fun as they would have liked. For some reason, they didn't seem to be having too much fun. Wasn't this what they wanted? A second chance to see their old home? To see..........TO SEE THE OLD FRIENDS!!!

"Let's make a few house calls," Turles said, grinning.

Nappa thought for a second, then asked heistantly, "To who?"

Turles opened his mouth to answer, but found he didn't know. This was his own frieking planet, and he knew less people here than he did on Earth! What had he been doing all this time!? Had he totally waisted his precious time on his homeplanet? Devoted all his time to make a name for himself despite the fact that he was a third class warrior that he didn't have any signifigant Saiyan aquantances?

Damn, this sucked.

"I know a couple of non-Saiyans........," Nappa said, trying to think of anyone he had really known with exception to Radditz and Vegita.

"OH, that's right. That annoying Noone guy brought back important aliens, too," Turles exclaimed. He might not have known very many Saiyans, but he could think of a couple who weren't Saiyan that might be on that spaceship that Noone said was in the planet's orbit.

"Well, lets go see them, at least. Then we'll go find Kakarot and Prince Vegita," Turles said, heading towards a shuttle bay that allowed quick transports from ships in orbit to the planet.

"Um....Turles?" Nappa stopped short. Turles turned to tell him to move his tail so they could hurry on, but stopped when Nappa asked, "How exactly DO we find Kakarot and Vegita?"

"We....uh.....oh," Turles tried to put his brain to work.

"Hey, nevemind, I know!" Nappa said, smiling, "At the palace! That's where Vegita was heading, so we can at least know where to find him!"

Turles looked at Nappa strangely, then nodded his head, "Good thinking. Almost too good."

"Too good?" Nappa asked as they lifted off into the air to head to the docking bay.

"Yeah, you must have been hanging around me too long," Turles said with his usual lop-sided grin.

"Yeah right, Turles, yeah right," Nappa shook his head and they flew off.

****

"Bardock? Yeah, he's off that way. Fighting, or something."

"Thanks," Radditz said to the Saiyan that had directed them with a thumb to one of the many fighting rings in the village. He and Kakarot found themselves jogging rather than walking toward the ring. They were so close! So close to seeing Him.

"What does he look like?" Kakarot asked, pushing his jog into a lazy run, his anticipation nipping at his heels.

"You ever look in a mirror?" Radditz asked, running a tad ahead of Kakarot to lead the way, but he too was quickening his pattering feet.

They both felt fresh and alive in this atmosphere. Goku even thought it might be something in the air. Something that one couldn't quit put their finger on, but lingered in the back of the mind. And it was good.

"So he looks like me, then?" Goku asked, everyonce in a while casting glances at the other Saiyans that whizzed by him as he sped by. They were REAL! They were THERE! This was all so incredibly fantastic, and Goku knew that just ahead of him, his destination, would by far remain in his mind for a long, long time.

"You look like him, you mean. Just as Goten looks like you," Radditz called over his shoulder, "The family resemblance must run strong in the family."

"I just can't wait to accually see him."

"Heh, neither can I, Kakarot, neither can I."

****

The King had invited them to eat. Or rather, he made it seem they had no other choice. The King's word was law. No one was about to complain, however. Though Gohan and the youths under his care had already eaten, they were quit sure they would be able to pack away a few more pounds.

The dinning hall, like the rest of the palace, was huge as a castle hall should, but was simplistic in design and was spared any extra frills. The place would better be suited with the word practical than anything else. Once again, this suited the King more than any decor could. Gohan guessed that frills just weren't a Saiyan need.

They were directed to their seats by attendants that didn't answer questions from anyone but Lotus, Tripnup, either Vegitas, or the King. They just didn't seem to be able to hear other's voices.

Gohan sat off to one side of the long table with Goten to the right of him and Pan to the left. On Goten's right sat the younger Prince Vegita, who scowled just like his adult version, but had a mischievious glint that must have worn off of the senior. Unfortunatly, that evil little glint stayed on Goten all through dinner.

On the other side of the table, Trunks sat alone save for Bra, who was snuffling on his arm and being the usual pest that younger siblings can be. At one head of the table sat the King. On either side of him stood Lotus and Tripnup, both of which watched the others carefully incase the King should be threatened. Gohan smiled quietly to himself as he thought that if he really wanted to kill anyone, he could't be stopped.

Aross the table at the other head sat Vegita, who seemed to be enjoying his position. Occationally gave smug little grins to Gohan, who would just roll his eyes and look back at the food, which mainly consisted of various meats. The conversation at the table was contributed to by pretty much only the King, Vegita, the little Prince Vegita, a few words from Trunks and a polite comment from Lotus. Tripnup kept his ruby eyes facing forward, though he squinted. Even the pleasant light was a bit harsh on his eyes, as they had no pigment to protect them and their nerves were exposed.

Gohan would have given his kidney to be able to join the conversation. Occationally he would open his mouth to do so, but would shut it again as he recieved a warning look from any of the Vegitas, be it the little Prince, Vegita, or the King. He had been forced to keep his silence since the fact that he was a third-class warior's son was mentioned. What that mattered truely puzzled Gohan. He was aware of the cast system on this planet, true enough, but wasn't this taking it a bit far? To not even be able to speak when you were INVITED to eat?

Gohan wasn't in a very good mood.

Goten wasn't in a good mood either, and it wasn't because he couldn't talk! During the whole first three coarses of dinner, little Prince Vegita kept stealing parts of his meal! A leg of some unknown creature here, a forkfull of some unknown substance there, but it was adding up. Goten, whose hunger rivaled his fathers, was very possesive when it came to HIS food!

By the time little Vegita snuck a fork out a sixth time, Goten could stand to loose food no more!

"HE'S TAKIN' MY FOOD!" Goten shouted, jumping on his chair and pointing at Vegita, who just rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

"Oh, kami, here comes a migrane," Gohan said to himself more than anyone else, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he had been doing more and more often lately.

"Sit down, brat," Vegita ordered, giving Goten a look that could kill a man, "You're lucky to be able to sit at this table at all."

"But....," Goten started to protest.

"Sit." Vegita left no room for argument. Goten, reluctantly, sat again.

Soon enough, that fork snaked toward his plate again, but this time Goten was ready to take matters into his own hands. A swipe with a fork from lil' Vegita was no match for Goten's speed as he swiped his plate just out of reach for a second. When the fork was withdrawn, the plate returned to resting on the table.

"Didja see-" lil' Vegita looked to his father for a second, but the King just gave a half smile and acted like he hadn't noticed.

"Rrrrr......HEY!" the little Prince yelled as Goten snagged a tidbit off of HIS plate!

"HE ATE OFF OF MY ROYAL PLATE!"

"Did not!" Goten protested, stuffing the evidense into his huge cheeks. Food out of sight out of mind........not true.

"I DEMAND HE BE PUNISHED!" the Prince wailed, screaming and stomping on the table where he had hopped up.

"OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!" Gohan tossed half of the meal on his plate onto Goten's, and the other half onto the Prince's, "Now will you both, PLEASE, sit down and be quiet!? I'v got a head-ache and hearing you two bawling your brains out is NOT HELPING!!"

Both Goten and the Prince sat down and shut up. Gohan was given another plate of food, which he glared at as he picked at it with his fork.

The King snorted in amusment, and when he looked at Vegita, he just got a shrug. Goten and the Prince made faces at eachother whenever no one was looking.

****

"Do you see him?"

"For the last time, Kakarot, NO."

The Saiyan brothers were leaned over the railing of the ring, watching as the contestants rallied out to fight. There were Saiyans of all sizes, short, fat, lanky, tall, but none that resembled Goku. The suspense was rather on the hard side.

Then, Goku looked up and gasped. Radditz quickly followed his gaze, and soon, both were frozen in position as a man walked into the ring.

To be continued.........