- Faye Valentine, Cowboy Bebop

Vegeta stared down at his plate. A little smiley face made with a strip of bacon, butter for a nose, two eggs for eyes on top of three layers of pancakes. He snorted. He could eat this in two seconds flat; was Kakarott's mate purposely trying to starve him?

"Kakarott. Tell your mate not to be so skimpy when it comes to feeding your guests. Then again maybe she's doing me a favor by not giving me so much of this crap-tasting meal."

Chichi's face tightened in anger and her hands were in a strangling motion as if she wanted to suffocate the bastard for insulting her cooking. Instead, she took the warning look from Goku to back away and return with more food (and possibly poison Vegeta's food), purposefully ignoring the amused chuckle from Vegeta as she did so.

Videl looked at him with a mixture of respect, fear, and annoyance across the table, patiently awaiting for Chichi to return so they could get back to their conversation. She honestly wished Bulma was all right; living with Vegeta could wear on anyone's nerves, even enough to leave.

Bra continued to play with Pan, tagging her and running around the Son Cottage, to evade her Saiyajin friend. Trunks had sat down beside with his father, hoping in vain that his father might give some clue as to why his mother disappeared. Goten and Gohan continued to spar, taking no notice of Trunks' absence.

Trunks looked at his father in the corner of his eye, sipping his orange juice. What could have happened to drive his mother away from CC? What venom had they spat at each other this time? Trunks mentally sighed. Goku was probably right. Trunks shifted his gaze to Goku, who was behind Vegeta, only five yards, 'meditating,' when in actuality was staring at Vegeta through closed eyes.

Maybe he was right. Maybe his mother would arrive any minute now, then his father and her would argue and everything would turn out fine. With that, Trunks got up, confident his mother would return soon, and joined the sparring up above.

Vegeta wasted no time gobbling his mile-high plate of breakfast, completely aware of Goku's and his son's eyes on him. He snorted mentally. He didn't care about them. All he wanted was for his stomach to be content (finally).

An hour past, and Bulma hadn't come back yet. Vegeta ate more slowly, as he thought. Where could she have gone this long? Shouldn't she be already here, yelling and screaming at him for being an "inconsiderate bastard"? Vegeta forked a piece off the eggs.

On one hand, the knot in his stomach was still there. Vegeta still dismissed it as hunger. On another hand, he couldn't believe he was worried about the woman. Why should he care? Why is he feeling these feelings now?

Vegeta thought angrily, but kept his face impassive on the outside, as he stared at his now-empty plate. Chichi, commanded from a look from Goku, filled it back up, and Vegeta ate, like a robot almost. He couldn't care less about everyone's stares on him as he quietly and slowly (which was unusual for the Saiyajin no Ouji).

Goku, on the other hand, couldn't shake off the feeling something very wrong happened with Bulma and it had to do with Vegeta and last night.

'I know yesterday was their anniversary, but something must have really upset Bulma to just leave like Vegeta said.' Goku narrowed his eyes at the Saiyajin before him. 'Vegeta must've said something; but then again, Bulma's been able to take his insults before. Somehow, I get the feeling this wasn't the usual, daily argument between the two.' Goku thought solemnly.

Vegeta angrily stared at his food again.

I wish you were here, Onna. Vegeta whispered mentally, as if afraid to hear himself. I won't admit this, not even to you, but I wish you were here, yelling at me. Then I wouldn't be feeling these baka feelings for you. Onna.. Vegeta looked up to sneak a quick look at the sun. Come back.

"What do you think it is?" A boy around seven asked as he grabbed a piece of narrow drift wood from the waves, eyeing the distorted shore-washed thing half-buried in the sand. It's small body rose and fell with each shallow breath, a faint red could be seen through the seaweed that covered it like a blanket.

"I dunnos. Maybes a seas monsters?" A five year old boy with fuzzed-up almond hair, one front tooth missing as he spoke, suggested. He crouched in front of the seaweed covered figure.

"Ukyo, do you actually believe Great-grandma's tall tales?" Another boy, around ten or eleven with the same boyish cut-onyx hair as the boy of age seven, snorted at his younger cousin. He stood, arms folded protectively in front of his chest, as he stared worriedly at his small cousin in the dangerous proximity of the thing.

"Hai.." Came Ukyo's small reply, as he quirked his head to the side, observing the 'sea monster'. The boy with the piece of driftwood stared at the figure, clothes covered with so much bay residue, it was impossible to tell the actual gender and species of the creature. Carrying the driftwood cautiously in front of him, just in case the sea monster came to life and decided to attack, he moved near his older brother and young cousin.

"..." The bigger boy scowled at his naive cousin. Ukyo ignored his older cousin and continued with his observation with his sea monster.

"Lay off Ukyo for a while, Sukenobu." The boy with driftwood defended his little cousin. Ukyo looked up at the sea monster, listening carefully, hopeful that his cousin would stick up for him for once.

"It's not his fault he's stupid." The boy grinned. Ukyo turned away from the sea monster to scowl at his older relatives. Sukenobu gave boyish laugh.

"Hai, Hayato. The baby can't think like us." He stated proudly, as if he were already a grown adult. Hayato joined in with Sukenobu's laughter, openly mocking the youngest of their kin.

"You guys are means." Ukyo whined, then reached out to poke at the sea monster.

"Hold up, Ukyo!" Hayato yelled. Ukyo paused, and retracted his index finger to brush away his fuzzy brown hair that always seemed to get in his eyes. Hayato moved closer towards Ukyo, and held him back with his small, chubby arm. "Better let me do this." He put up a brave front and poked the seaweed clad being. As soon as he did, it groaned and moved.

All three boys yelped and moved a good five feet, frightened out of their wits.

"I tolds you guys its a seas monsters."

"Shut up, Ukyo." Came both boys united murmured whispers, unable to tear their eyes away from the sea monster.

Sukenobu felt beads of sweat form on his forehead and the clinging of his raven hair cling to his skin. Never in all his life.. He had thought all of his Great-grandmother's tales of the sea and its' creatures was all crap, but now, he was face to face with a real live sea monster.

Had he not been so near to peeing his pants, he would have jumped at this situation.

Hayato kept his chubby arm still on his young cousin, for fear of both their safety, though the thought of sacrificing his youngest cousin to save his and Sukenobu's lives did cross his mind once, before he dismissed it. His mother would get mad at him if he did.

"Unnn..." The figure groaned and a sea-muddied arm, not showing the true cream skin under it, twitched.

The three stood, mystified with the thing. Unable to do anything but breath.

"Hayato! Sukenobu! Ukyo!" The energetic yelling from behind them knocked them all out of their daze. They turned simultaneously and ran to their female relative.

"Shishomi!" They all yelled, relieved. Sukenobu, Hayato and Ukyo were happy to see their young aunt come back, but where was help? A yell alerted the boys of another presence.

They looked behind her and saw a fairly muscled man of an early twenties, a determined and curious face donned his features as he came jogging at a fine pace,

"Kenji!" Hayato yelled happily, and felt like clinging himself to his uncle, trying to forget what had happened, but went against it. He was to be a man, and in order to be a man, he had to act like one. Sukenobu also had the same urges and control, yet with Ukyo it was another story. Flinging himself, hugging Kenji's legs tightly, Ukyo tugged tightly on Kenji's worn khaki pants that had seen better days.

"Daddys!"

Kenji smiled lightly down at his young son, and as he ruffled the young boy's hair, his attention turned to the two other boys and one girl.

"You won't believe what we found, Kenji!" Hayato excitedly said, as he jumped up and down with his brother.

"It moved!"

"Its a seas monsters!"

"And it moved!"

"-and it groaned and all this other stuff-"

"Yeah and it was covered in all this slimy seaweed-then it went, 'Glllaaaaahhh!'" Hayato imitated a monster clashed with a zombie.

"And it moved!"

"Its scarys, daddy!"

"It moved?! It made a noise?!" Came Shishomi's curious yelp, then she had a scowl upon her youthful features. "I knew I should have stayed behind and made Hayato get help!" She stomped the ground with her small bare foot.

"And it moved!" (believe it or not, Sukenobu was the one who kept saying this)

Kenji lowered his hands down in a motion to calm down and looked at the seaweed covered figure. Ukyo moved away from his father's leg allowing Kenji to move. Taking three long strides, his bare feet reached the being in two shakes of his father's fist. He kneeled on one knee, brown eyes flickered over it's body.

"Unnh.." Kenji gasped and fell back, shocked at it's groaning. The children were ten feet back, watching a safe distance; Shishomi went closer to her nephews, also shocked. The creature fell silent; Kenji moved closer and brushed some sticky seaweed away from it's head, and gasped.

It was clearly female, or had feminine qualities, that even Kenji could notice. Looking closer he saw creamy skin, and some damp lavender hair that clung to the female's head. As he hesitantly touched it, the female's eyes opened and met his.

Kenji was amazed at the ocean color of them; it seemed he wanted her as his, if it weren't for the fact that he was married with Ukyo's mother, Makoto. Not to mention in love. This female may have beauty, but even the sirens of the sea have razor-edged nails, ready to drag foolish sailors to their sea-doom. Kenji nodded to himself to be cautious. There was no telling if this were a mainland freak or not washed up (literally).

He came out of his thought as soon as he heard the hoarse voice of the female quietly speak to him.

"...Oh Kami ... where am I?" The female slowly moved her head to the direction of the waves, "who..?" The last part came as a whisper, and before Kenji knew it, the female came to be unconscious. Kenji took the liberty of removing the rest of the heavy seaweed off the female and ignored the slightly revealing red outfit the sea-sent vixen was wearing.

His son had been one of the two to come close (the other was Shishomi. Hayato and Senukobu had decided to watch from a distance), and widened his eyes.

"It's a lady.." Shishomi whispered, trailing her small hand across the female's arm, which to her felt like rough silk. Kenji nodded solemnly and picked the woman up in his warm arms, and walked away, signaling non-manually for the rest to follow.

"I knew it was a woman all this time. I just thought that she- er.... needed space. Yeah! That's it!" Senukobu defended himself, crossing his arms over his chest and walked alongside his kin.

"Yeah! Me too!" Hayato agreed. Shishomi and Ukyo rolled their eyes.

"Suuuuuure..." Shishomi giggled, flicking her neck-length hair into a small ponytail again.

"We did!" Hayato grumbled. Senukobu nodded, though both knew that Shishomi would hold this over their heads for a long time.

"Ats leasts its wasn'ts a seas monsters... thoughs I wishs its was." Ukyo said sullenly, taking one last look over his shoulder, at the impending twilight over the crashing waves of the ocean, the sun disappearing among the low-flight clouds.

"I know, Ukyo, I know." Shishomi patted his back. "But I have a feeling the Lady will bring a whole lot of adventure than any old monster could."

"Really?" Ukyo looked up in wonder at his young aunt. Shishomi grinned and nodded. Senukobu scowled and muttered under his breath, the sunset's fading orange light shining off his hair.

"Why not? Nothing ever happens on this stupid island anyway.. Might be nice to have a change once in a while."

As everyone gathered around, they stole glances at Vegeta, who was staring at the sunset near the mountains, not saying a word, just standing there, seemingly mesmerized with the air fixations in the sky, if it weren't for the deep scowl on his face. A strange mixture between black, orange and a red-pink painted the sky against the cream colored clouds.

Bulma would have liked this, Vegeta growled mentally. She would have dragged me out and made me hold her while she watched the sunset. Then we would-.. Vegeta looked down, afraid to think any more of his mate, lest he go insane from worry and want.

Goku walked up and put his hand on Vegeta's shoulder. He stiffened. "Maybe she's back at Capsule Corp., waiting for you, Vegeta."

Vegeta laughed; it sounded hollow and strangely bitter. "Whatever you say, Kakarott. I'll go, but she won't be there." Vegeta didn't know why he said that, but it seemed to be true.

Trunks' held the sleeping Bra in his arms, as he looked at his father worriedly. Videl had taken Pan home, Gohan had wanted to stay behind. Goten, Chichi, and him were a couple of feet behind the lavender-haired teenager, giving questioning looks to Vegeta and him.

Goku shook his head. "Don't think like that, Vegeta. If she's not there, she probably over at some friend's house, or somewhere else. Go home and rest, and tomorrow you'll see she'll be right there. What do you say?"

A heavy grunt came as an answer. Vegeta didn't give a warning as he abruptly took the sky, and headed home. Trunks took after him after he said farewell to his best friend and second family.

Trunks, through his slightly blurred vision, could see Vegeta going at a slow pace (for him that is) and scanned the area below, but for what?

His mother?

Vegeta felt the pain in his stomach move somewhere else: his heart. He looked down. He just knew, somewhere deep inside him, in his instincts, that his mate wasn't at CC. He knew she wasn't going to come back.

He also knew that he would sooner give his life up than to loose her, and would strip mountains of their rocks, trees of their leaves, and caves of their darkness just to find her.

And that thought scared him. It scared him out of his wits. To know he cared more than the he thought possible; that she was just more than his mate, queen, and mother of his heirs.

But what was she exactly to him? What was this feeling he had in his stomach? Why did his chest tighten everytime he remembered how she laughed and the way she said those words so softly after their lovemaking, "Ashiteru" to him?

Why wasn't she with him right now?

But what if that fool Kakarott was right? Maybe she was back at that baka corporation of hers, waiting for me, ready to accept me back into her arms? Though he wouldn't admit it, outloud that is, he did feel an ounce of regret for harming his mate that night. How longed to scoop her up in his arms and make desperate love to her. Vegeta gave a quirk of a smirk at that thought, and flew faster.

Since when has that third class been wrong about these kinds of things?

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