Bulma had been correct.  It WAS too quiet at Capsule Corp; if you discounted Sage’s constant temper tantrum that had begun when Goku had teleported himself and his sons back home.    Sage had done his damndest to get Goku to stay, it seemed.  When Goku held him and told him he’d see him later, Sage had latched on to his arm with all five limbs and refused to let go.  The intense look of determination on his little face would have been comical if anyone could have simply pried him off.

Vegeta had refused to help at first, but as the minutes passed, Gohan had given up due to fits of hysteria; Trunks and Goten were openly cheering Sage on, Vegeta had finally given in and prized his son from Goku’s arm... 

“Leave Kakkarott,” the prince had said quickly once he had the chibi off of the taller Saiyjin’s arm.  “He is going to throw a fit, and its better that you are gone.”

Goku had looked surprised, and slightly hurt, but had obeyed; the Sons flickered out of sight, and Capsule Corp was quiet.  Except for Sage’s screams of course.

It did no good to tell the child that he would be seeing the Sons again very soon, Sage always wanted what he wanted NOW….not in a few minutes, not in a few days….NOW.  Can’t imagine where he might have picked that up from, grumbled Bulma to herself as she readjusted her ear plugs and attempted to get some work done in her lab.  I hope Vegeta can calm him down soon.

Vegeta was growing tired of Sage’s tantrum as well; though he could understand his son’s anger much better than his mother could.  For one thing, he was getting a headache.  His hearing, much more sensitive than a human’s was really taking a beating as he tried to calm the hysterical chibi.  For another, he just couldn’t stand to see the boy so unhappy.

Finally in desperation, he set Sage down on his bed and said loudly, “Vegeta, if you don’t stop this tantrum at ONCE, you will NEVER see Kakkarott again!”

For the first time since the Sons had left, there was peace at Capsule Corp.  Vegeta knew it wouldn’t last however if he didn’t manage to convince Sage that it wasn’t the end of the world.

“Look,” he said to his son.  “I know you miss that baka Kakkarott, and his sons.  But screaming isn’t going to bring them back.”  He sat down on the bed beside Sage.  “Frankly, I don’t know what will bring them back, but in a few days, they will all be here for Goten’s birthday party.  And you know that Kakkarott will be over here all the time to spar with me.  You just have to be patient.  Not your forte, I know.”   He smirked at his miniature, who scowled, tail lashing in agitation.  Vegeta could sense another tantrum coming on.

“Sage, if you don’t throw a tantrum, I’ll take you flying, ne?  Right now.”

Sage appeared to think about it.  He looked at his father, then outside where it was warm and sunny, the sky a clear azure dotted with small puffy clouds.  He looked back at his father and held his arms up. 

Vegeta sighed in relief.  “Do you want the carry-pouch?” he asked, holding it up.  Sage scowled.  “Well then, we have to get you into something warmer.  Come on then.”

Vegeta carried his son down the hallway to the nursery and dressed him warmly in a gold trimmed royal blue jumpsuit made out of soft, weatherproof fleece.  The royal crest of Vegetasei was emblazoned in scarlet on the front, making him look like the little prince that he was.

“Are you ready then?” he asked the chibi.

Sage grinned happily at his father, then pointing to the balcony and the skies outside, he declared, “More!”

Vegeta laughed.  “’More’ indeed, little one,” he said as he strode over to the balcony and threw the doors open.  Holding his son securely in one arm, Sage’s tail wrapped tightly around his wrist, Vegeta took off into the sky, almost forgetting himself that he was unhappy that Kakkarott had left.

That evening, Bulma slipped quietly into the dining room for dinner, and stopped in her tracks.  Vegeta, Trunks and Sage were all sitting at the table, waiting for dinner with three identical scowls on three very nearly identical faces.  The moment was too good.  Unnoticed, she slipped back out, and grabbed her camera from the hall closet.  Opening the door back up, she snapped two quick pictures before any of them realized she was there.  She took one more before she felt she was really pushing her luck.  Vegeta was on his feet, reaching out for the camera a comically furious expression on his face, when her mother came into the dining room, carrying dinner.  Bulma exhaled in relief as she exited the room to hide the camera in a safe place.  She knew Vegeta wouldn’t come looking for the camera until AFTER he had eaten.

Going back into the dining room a few minutes later, she pretended not to see the glares from the three men in her life.  Instead, she smiled at them, and served herself some chicken and dumplings.  She noted, not for the first time, just how closely Vegeta’s two sons mirrored him.  While Trunks had her coloring for sure, his bone structure was undeniably Saiyjin.  And though he had inherited her deep, crystal blue eyes, the shape and expressions of those very eyes were his father’s.  Sage, of course…well there was no way to mistake Sage for anyone BUT the spawn of Vegeta.  Bulma sighed a little wistfully.  Physically Sage had inherited one thing from her; the vibrant blue that was shot through his black tail in liberal amounts.  Sometimes she thought she caught subtle highlights of blue in his black hair, but it was probably a trick of the light.

Vegeta seemed to be eating his normal amount, but was with a definite lack of enthusiasm.  Trunks ate one plateful, and then played with another, finally shoving it away and saying that it didn’t taste as good without Goten.  Sage sat quietly in his father’s lap.  That, thought Bulma was downright weird.

After dinner, Bulma expected Vegeta to go blow some things up in the gravity room, but the three boys silently filed into the living room, where they all appeared to watch a mindless television show.  Bulma was getting a little worried.  She expected Trunks to miss Goten, and it never took much to set off Sage, but Vegeta looked down right depressed that the Sons were gone.  She finally had enough of the three of them sitting there and scowling at nothing.

“Trunks,” she said sharply.  His head jerked up.  “It’s past your bedtime.  Don’t forget I’m taking you to play with Goten tomorrow.  You need to get ready for bed.  Quit moping around son, it’s not the end of the world.”  Trunks just stared at her; then moved to obey his mother.

“Vegeta, it’s past Sage’s bedtime too.  Would you like me to get him ready for bed?”

The prince looked at her for a minute, and then got up off the couch and headed upstairs, silent chibi in his arms without a word. 

“What is it with this family and those damned Sons?” wondered Bulma to herself.

A little while later, she went upstairs herself to check on her sons.  But when she came to Trunks’ room, it was empty.  She frowned, where was he?  Sage’s crib was also empty.  That at least was less than a mystery.  She stopped at Vegeta’s slightly ajar door, and peeked in.  A beam of moonlight and a sprinkle of starlight from the skylight above illuminated the three remaining members of the House of Vegeta.  A prince and his heirs, one sleeping soundly on his father’s chest, tail looped loosely around a royal wrist, before being clutched around a tiny fist whose thumb was firmly entrapped within a chibi mouth.  Silky lavender hair flopped across a dark muscled shoulder as a strong arm curled protectively around a small body nestled close to his father and brother.  A silvery purple tail lay flopped across both niichan and Otousan, as the three snored gently together in a strange harmony. 

Bulma smiled gently at the scene; tempted both to retrieve her camera and to join her family.  But she was loathe to disturb them in the slightest.  Adjustments, she thought to herself, are always difficult.  And she closed the door carefully, quietly, and decided to get some more work done in her lab.

To be continued….

Email Talon @ talonsage@attbi.com