Dragon Ball Z 1. Potty Time

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DBZ or the respective characters.

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_A/N and Warning: Darn these short character allowances for summaries! This is rated T for mild profanity AND mild sexual situations._

_Please review! I'll profess my love to you if you do!_

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**Camping**

**Chapter 1: Potty Time**

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It was a midsummer night. The air was thick and hot. With no clouds in the sky, the full moon shown down upon the scattered tents filled with snoozing dwellers. All was quiet and still. Even the crickets and bull frogs had called it a night. All was quiet, except for one strangely misplaced looking camper among the tents, a rather large camper that could easily be mistaken for a small home had it not been for the gigantic wheels beneath the structure. Groaning and panting ensued in stride with the rhythmic squeaking and thudding, all of which erupted from within the bedroom separated from the remainder of the camper by a mere curtain.

On the bed, within that outrageously lively camper, lie Vegeta, crouched over, his naked ass in clear sight, and a pair of slender naked legs hanging over his well-defined broad shoulders. Matching slender arms snaked around his back, hands raking sharps nails down his sweat-covered skin as he thrust his lower body in quick and steady motions that matched the rhythm of the squeaking, thudding, groaning, moaning, and heavy breathing.

The slender arms and legs were attached to an equally slender and naked body, a body that belonged to none other than Vegeta's lover, mate, and wife; Bulma. The two moaned and screamed their passion as both neared their peak. Sweat poured from both their bodies, creating a sticky film between their flesh as they rubbed against each other in a fit of passion and lust.

Just as Vegeta reached that peak, he closed his eyes and heard the sound of soft whimpering. He smiled arrogantly, chuckling, but his eyes remained closed tightly in his reverie.

"Woman..." Huff. "...did you not reach your climax yet?" Pant. "Is that why you whimper beneath me?"

"No you idiot! That's not me!"

Vegeta opened his dark ebony eyes, gazing down at his mate curiously. She was, in fact, not the one whimpering, as he still heard the sound, but her lips were not moving, nor were they parted.

Bulma's brows furrowed as she snarled under her breath threateningly "GET OFF OF ME NOW VEGETA!"

Typically, Vegeta would have no problem dismounting after he reached his climax, but that was on his own accord. This was different. His woman was demanding he dismount as if she had her way and was finished with him.

"Woman! How dare you..." He was abruptly cut off by one of Bulma's unarguable glares, the one scary enough to whip even the most haughty and strong-willed men, such as Vegeta, into shape.

"Vegeta! Our daughter is in here! She's the one crying! Now GET OFF!"

Without removing himself from within his woman, Vegeta glanced over his shoulder to find his three-year-old daughter standing mere inches from the end of the bed in which he and his mate had just been mid-coitus. She rubbed her eye with a tiny fist, pushing away the tears that had built up there as she sniveled and whimpered, waiting for her parents to take notice and offer comfort.

"VEGETA! GET OFF NOW!"

Vegeta turned back to Bulma, giving her a look that said he was rather perturbed by the disruption. But he was not about to argue with the bloodcurdling human woman. So, Vegeta obligingly removed his slippery member from Bulma's equally saturated insides, grunting and mumbling obscenities as he did. He stood up at the side of the bed, staring blankly at his crying daughter.

"Vegeta! Put some damn clothes on in front of your daughter! For crying out loud!" Bulma hollered as she covered herself with the bed sheet.

Vegeta mumbled a few more undistinguishable complaints before snatching up his sparring shorts and slipping into them.

Bulma sat up quickly, looking concerned.

"What's the matter sweetie?"

Bra sniffled several times before finally speaking in a soft whimpering tone.

"I got to go pee-pee mommy!"

Vegeta was now standing with his arms crossed over his chest, his patience growing shorter by the minute. He was never good at handling these kinds of situations, which had been why he avoided his son Trunks almost all throughout the boy's younger years. Unfortunately, with the birth of his daughter, he found he was not so lucky as to slip away. And although he would never admit to it, he was very fond of his daughter. She was the spitting image of his mate, only much, **much** more innocent, but she had the same spitfire attitude, even at such a young age.

"Why can't Trunks take you?" Bulma questioned, she too was beginning to look annoyed.

Bra sniffled a few more times before replying, "He's with Goten."

Bulma was absolutely appalled and furious now.

"He's what?! He left you alone in that tent?!"

Bra nodded slowly, wiping more stray tears from her tiny soft cheeks.

Bulma released a long deep sigh before turning to her husband.

"Vegeta, go take your daughter to the bathroom!"

Vegeta's head nearly fell off as he spun to stare at his mate, appalled that she would have the never to request... no... demand that he take the sniveling child to aid her in expelling her human vile waste.

"Why can't she just use the waste-receptacle inside this contraption?"

Bulma rolled her eyes.

"I already told you when we got here, the damned camp-site manager gave us the wrong lot without the septic hook up."

Vegeta's face contorted in frustration.

"Why can't you take the child to release her waste-matter?!"

Bulma's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Just do it, Vegeta!"

"Daddy!" Bra whined as she danced around with her hands between her crossed legs, "I really got to go!"

"Fine!" Vegeta huffed, reluctantly turning to his daughter as she presented him one of her knee-weakening pouty-faces.

Vegeta drug his feet as he came to his daughter's side. Though he was rather short for a man of his age, he still towered over his tiny daughter. He stared down at her as she gazed back up, holding up a patiently waiting hand. Vegeta sighed once more before taking Bra's tiny hand into his large one. She smiled gleefully, obviously thrilled that her 'daddy' would be the one taking her.

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"Hurry up daddy! I have to go potty really bad!" Bra proclaimed as the two walked hand in hand down the poorly lit gravel road.

Vegeta grunted and quickened his pace, but quickening a crawling pace really didn't mean much.

When they arrived at the supposed waste-receptacle housing, Vegeta was absolutely horrified by the sight. There was a single wooden unit, with a strange metal tube protruding from the top in which hundreds of disgusting flies swarmed around the opening.

Vegeta's expression twisted in revulsion as he slowly opened the slimy filth-covered door handle, revealing a sight much worse than he could have ever imagined. Bra too stared inside with a look of terror on her face.

A single filthy, vile, disgusting, and utterly unsanitary waste-receptacle sat center in the small room, releasing a stench that nearly brought tears to Vegeta's eyes. Had his hair not already been standing straight up on end, it certainly would have now.

Bra plugged her nose with her fingers, making her voice nasally as she spoke.

"Daddy! It smells bad!"

Vegeta brought a hand to his mouth, near the brink of vomiting his day's nourishments. He let go of his daughters hand, giving her a gentle nudge on her back, trying to steer her into the filthy human-waste container.

"Hurry up and do what you must, child!"

Bra reluctantly scuttled into the tiny room, still holding her nose. She slowly approached the seat of the toilet and leaned over, gazing down into the seemingly endless pit. Fear entered her being and she quickly spun to face her father, her terror had her eyes welling with water once again.

"Daddy! It's scary! I don't want to go by myself!"

Vegeta's brows furrowed, but as he saw his daughter's eyes swell with tears, his features softened, at least as much as they possibly could after years of scowling.

"You'll be fine," he choked the words out as he felt his own stomach bile rise to his throat. The stench of the structure labeled 'outhouse' was maddening. He wished more than anything to just take the girl to a bush... or anywhere but there... and make her pop a squat. He knew better though. The child would not be so willing, and if his mate found out, she'd certainly have his head for it.

"But Daddy! I'll fall down the big scary hole!"

"No you won't!"

"Daddy! I really got to go!"

"Then go."

"Please Daddy! I'm scared!"

Now the tears were flowing full force, and it was clear the sobs were soon to follow.

Unable to bear the sight and sound of his baby girl in distress, Vegeta finally stepped inside the dreaded outhouse, fighting back the bodily urges to retch.

Just as he closed the door, leaving him and his daughter alone in the creepy, dark, and dank room, Vegeta discovered he was too late.

"Daddy?" Bra called out softly.

"What?" Vegeta asked impatiently as he struggled to remove his daughter's shorts with only the light of the moon shiny through a tiny plastic window.

"I don't have to go anymore."

Vegeta stopped fiddling with the buttons on Bra's shorts.

Silence.

Bra shifted uncomfortably.

"Daddy?"

Silence.

"I peed my pants."

"You what?" Vegeta asked calmly, trying to keep cool, despite how badly he wanted burst at the fact that he had just been forced into such a disgusting predicament for nothing. He prayed that he misheard, or misunderstood his daughter.

"I... I wet my pants, Daddy!"

Nope, he had not misunderstood. She said exactly what he did **not** want to hear.

"Bra?"

"Yes Daddy?" Bra's voice quivered as she spoke, clearly on the verge of bawling again, her father's deepening voice frightening her.

"Why did you do that?"

"I couldn't hold it any longer, Daddy!" Bra whined.

Yet another long and dramatic sigh passed through Vegeta's lips as he took his daughter's hand, leading her out of the filthy stink-hole.

The walk back to their camper was rather long and mostly silent. Vegeta wore his typical stern and annoyed expression, while Bra stared up at him shamefully.

Just before they reached the camper, Bra stopped, letting go of Vegeta's hand. He too stopped, looking down at her curiously.

"Daddy, I'm sorry," Bra whimpered, her blue eyes glistening in the moonlight as they filled with tears. "Are you mad at me?"

Vegeta smiled, actually smiled, though it was faint, it was definitely there. He bent down, bringing his face closer to his daughter's.

"I'm not mad. Your mother will take care of things, so don't cry."

Bra's face lightened slightly as she smiled up at her father.

Vegeta took her hand again, and guided her inside the camper.

Bulma sat up from her spot on the bed, setting down the schematic of one of her latest inventions she had been reviewing. She smiled, pleased to see the two had returned, and apparently successfully, or at least she thought so until she saw the saddened expression upon her daughter's face.

"What's wrong Bra?"

Vegeta spoke out for her.

"The child released her liquids into her garments."

Bulma closed her eyes, repeating calming phrases in her head like a mantra before she spoke.

"Why did you bring her all the way back here to tell me, rather than cleaning her up first?"

Vegeta looked appalled.

"I'm not bathing the child!"

Bulma massaged her temples, trying desperately to push away the headache that Vegeta always seemed to cause.

"Just take her to the stream behind our camper and start cleaning her up. I'll get some fresh clothes for her and be out in a minute."

Vegeta opened his mouth to protest, but ceased as he felt the heat of his mate's deadly gaze upon him. He grunted, and turned to once again to take his daughter outside.

Bulma shook her head in pity as she watched her alien husband leave, dragging his feet pathetically, pulling along their precious daughter by the hand.

"What was I thinking when I slept with him the first time?" she asked herself aloud as the door to the camper slammed shut. She couldn't deny though, the fact that their daughter loved Vegeta more than anything, even more than her most likely, and he clearly, although would never admit it to anyone but Bra, loved her just as dearly.

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Outside, Vegeta led Bra to a small stream, filled with crystal clear running water. He released her hand, crossing his arms over his chest, and stared down at the reflection of the moon in the water as he tried to determine his plan of action to cleanse his daughter.

"Daddy?" Bra whispered as she tugged at one of the legs of Vegeta's spandex shorts. He turned to her, gazing down in question.

"What?"

"What was that... that thing you had?"

Vegeta gave a puzzled look.

"What are you talking about, child?"

"When you and mommy were in bed. I saw a thing on you that me and mommy don't have. What was that?"

Vegeta was only more puzzled. He could not comprehend his child's feeble vocabulary.

"What thing?"

Bra looked rather flustered. "It came out of there!" she proclaimed as she pointed a finger at Vegeta.

Vegeta gazed down at the finger, finding that it was pointing clearly to his crotch. He realized what she spoke about. He had stood up without clothing on after his mating session with Bulma, leaving his nether regions completely exposed to his daughter's virgin eyes. Now, to a normal father, this moment would have been very disturbing and uncomfortable, but for Vegeta, it was merely a minor inconvenience, but only because it required him to provide a simple enough explanation for his feeble-minded child.

"That's a seed vessel."

Bra's face twisted and contorted as she struggled to make sense of her father's words.

"Seed... vess-l?"

"Yes, a seed vessel."

"What's that for?"

"Ceasing your mother's incessant nagging."

"Oh."

Despite her agreeing statement, Vegeta was certain Bra had no idea what he was talking about. With the conversation seemingly at its end, Vegeta scooped up his daughter just beneath her arms and knelt down beside the stream, dipping her into the water.

"Daddy!" Bra exclaimed, surprised at the abrupt rush of cold water. "It's cold!"

"Thank your mother for that. She insisted that we cleanse you."

Bra pouted as her father began to lift her out of the water, then dunk her lower half back in again, repeating the motion as if it were really that effective.

"VEGETA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

The sudden and unexpected outburst of his mate from behind him sent Vegeta toppling forward into the water. He was just barely capable of holding Bra up and out above his head so as not to submerge her. His face fell beneath the water, crashing against the rocks lining the bottom of the stream. He quickly forced himself to his knees, choking and sputtering in the process.

Bra giggled gleefully at the amusing sight. Water dripped from Vegeta's drenched hair as the pointed tips fell forward, dangling in front of his frowning face.

"Damn it woman! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

He spun around to meet the equally angry gaze of his wife as she stood at the side of the stream, hands on her hips, a pair of shorts at her feet in the grass.

"Are you really this dim-witted, Vegeta?" she howled. "Are you seriously incapable of washing our child? You're so useless!"

Vegeta now stood to his feet, facing his wife and setting Bra down in the water beside him, holding her hand in his as she stomped around excitedly, splashing in the water.

"What are you talking about, woman? You asked me to wash the child, so that's precisely what I am doing!"

Bra continued to giggle excitedly as she knelt down as far as her father's hand would allow, scooping her free hand into the cool water and splattering it onto Vegeta's legs.

"Just submerging her in the water with her dirty shorts on is **not **going to clean her!" Bulma snarled. "Take her shorts off and wash them separately!"

Vegeta ignored the tugging at his arm as his daughter tried desperately to free herself for more access to her newly discovered delight. Right now he was more interested in quieting his irritating wife.

"Would you be quiet?! Damn woman, stop with your damned incessant nagging for once!"

Bra suddenly stopped tugging at her father's hand and perked up. She turned to her mother with a condescending look on her face.

"Mommy, you better do what Daddy says, or he's going to use his seed vessel on you again!"

Bra turned to her father, gazing up at him with a bright and proud smile. He gazed down at her, a little taken aback, but thoroughly impressed. Bulma, however, was absolutely flabbergasted.

"What... did you just say?" Bulma spoke slowly, trying to rethink what she though she heard her three-year-old daughter say.

Bra put her hands on her hips and turned again to her mother.

"Daddy said he will use his seed vessel to stop your nag... nagging!"

Bulma's jaw dropped nearly to the grass at her feet.

"Vegeta! What the hell are you telling our daughter?!"

Vegeta pushed his dripping locks of ebony hair back from his face, giving his mate a haughty smirk.

"You heard the child!"

Bulma shook her head several times in shame. She was not hearing this, that's all she had to tell herself.

"Just shut up and give me her shorts. I'll clean them while you clean her!"

Vegeta chuckled, earning amused giggles form his daughter as she gazed up at him. He knelt down in the water and began fiddling with her shorts buttons.

"Damn these things," he murmured as he struggled to free the first of four buttons.

Bulma's impatience, along with her disgust in her husband's teachings, finally overflowed.

"Get out of the way!" she hollered as she stomped over to the water's edge, bending down to push Vegeta's hands away and easily release the buttons and thus the shorts, then removing her panties, leaving a bare-bottomed happy girl to splash at her father's side.

Bulma stomped off several feet further down the stream, kneeling down in the grass to scrub the soiled clothing in the stream.

Vegeta gazed down at his daughter, unsure what to do next. She giggled and stomped her feet, making more small splashes that had her easily amused. Vegeta knelt down once more, this time picking up Bra by her tiny waist. She giggled and squirmed in his hands as he forced her naked bottom under the water.

After Bulma finished scrubbing Bra's shorts and panties clean, she stood up and made her way to where Vegeta sat crouched down in the water. With his back to her, and only the faint light of the moon shining down, she could not quite make out what he was doing until she was at the water's edge behind him. She really should not have been surprised by the sight she found, but then again, it was always impossible for her to understand her husband's lack of common sense.

Vegeta held Bra by the waist and merely swished her back and forth through the water. Although this was very amusing to Bra, it was not so amusing to Bulma.

"VE-GE-TA!" Bulma growled with increasing boisterousness.

Vegeta glanced over his shoulder.

"What?" he growled.

"Just give her to me!"

Vegeta grunted in annoyance before standing and handing over Bra. Bulma snatched her from him, giving him a reprimanding look as she set Bra back into the water again. She reached behind her for a small towel she had brought out and began scrubbing her daughter's nether regions.

"Just go inside, Vegeta," Bulma mumbled.

Satisfied that he could finally get some rest, Vegeta turned to leave without a reply.

"Wait! Daddy!" Bra called out from her seat in the shallow water.

Vegeta turned to his daughter. She held her arms out above Bulma's shoulders, reaching towards Vegeta.

"I want a hug and kiss goodnight!"

Vegeta shifted uncomfortably and Bulma watched him over her shoulder. He absolutely detested showing signs of affection even in front of his mate, but he could never deny his daughter her any request. He slowly trudged back towards the stream, bending down and allowing his daughter to wrap her arms around his neck as he placed a hand gently on her small back.

"Goodnight, Daddy!" she called out as she gave Vegeta a wet kiss on his cheek. He gave her a quick sweet kiss on her forehead, mumbling "Goodnight," as if Bulma could not hear even though she sat crouched directly beside him.

A smile spread across Bulma's face as she watched Vegeta leave and turned to see her daughter's bright smiling face.


	2. Fishing

_A/N: Wow! I'm actually updating something, after what... like 6 months? Yeah, getting a new job, apartment, and getting married can sorta slow down someone's hobbies. Well, I hope somebody can enjoy this chapter, and I promise the next will not take so long. As always, please drop me a review with your thoughts, they are always appreciated!_

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**Camping**

**Chapter 2: Fishing**

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Vegeta awoke to the sound of cheerful birds chirping, the warm sun shining small beams of light onto his face through the small window at his side. He groaned as he tossed himself onto his stomach to bury his face in the crook of his mate's neck, and brought his hands to his ears.

"Woman! It's morning. I am hungry!" he grumbled against Bulma's neck.

No reply.

"WOMAN! I said I am hungry! Bring me sustenance!"

Still no reply.

He flipped over again and sat up, staring down at his, until that time, peacefully sleeping mate. He poked a finger into her side forcefully. He opened his mouth to make another, more boisterous, demand, but was cut off as Bulma's eyes suddenly shot open and she beat him to it.

"Make your own damned food!" she seethed through gritted teeth.

Vegeta looked utterly offended, as if he had never heard the line before in the fifteen years he had been with Bulma. He grumbled to himself as he slumped out of bed, dragging his feet as he made his way to the fridge at the opposite end of the camper. As he opened the fridge, he found himself overwhelmed by a stench almost comparable to that of the retched stink-hole he had smelled the night prior.

"WOMAN! WHY DOES THIS REAK OF DECAYING MATTER?!" he hollered, despite the mere distance of several feet between himself and Bulma.

Bulma flipped over, burying her face into her pillow as she screamed obscenities into it. Once relieved of expelling every four-letter word that came to mind, she lifted her head just enough off the pillow to allow her to holler back at her husband.

"I have no idea! Has the meat gone bad or something?"

"How do I know if meat is _bad_?" Vegeta called back as he began examining various food products on the shelves, each of which seemed to have a similar green fungus growing on them. "And what the hell is this green substance covering this... this garbage you call food?"

Bulma now sat up in bed, fully alert.

"Green? Oh no... please don't tell me the fridge is not working and the food spoiled."

She quickly made her way to Vegeta's side, pushing him aside to the point that he nearly toppled over, so that she could take a closer look.

"So you want to go for another round, hmm?" Vegeta growled in what was supposed to be a sultry tone as he pushed Bulma back.

Bulma's brows furrowed as she was ready to deck the man for being so ignorant.

"No, you oaf! Just stay out of my way! Why don't you go check on your son and daughter or something... just get out of my hair!"

Bulma removed a package of sliced turkey, only to find the 'green substance' her husband had spoken of was covering much of the top layer. Meanwhile, Vegeta stomped out of the camper, pouting and grumbling to himself about a 'lack of service' and something about 'damned woman'.

Upon closer examination, Bulma realized the light was off in the fridge.

"What the hell?"

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Outside, Vegeta struggled with the zipper sealing the door to his offspring's tent. Just as his frustration had gotten the best of him and he was about to rip the tent open, he found the zipper moving on its own accord. He released the zipper, watching sternly as the flap slowly fell towards the ground, revealing his rather tired looking teenage son, Trunks, crouching on the other side.

"Hey Dad," Trunks groaned, wiping the sleep away from his weary eyes with a loose fist. "What's up?"

"Your mother insisted I make sure you two babies haven't injured yourselves."

Trunks rolled his eyes, not too offended by his father's typical cut-down.

Vegeta peered past his son to find his daughter curled up in her tiny sleeping bag, still sleeping peacefully. A small glint of a smile spread across his stern features. Though it was rather faint and short-lived, it was easy enough for Trunks to pick up.

Trunks glanced back over his shoulder at his younger sister and smiled as well. She was cute now, but for some reason, he feared she would eventually pick up some of her parents' not-so-flattering attitudes.

Bulma suddenly burst through the door of the camper, startling both the men. Vegeta stood and turned to her curiously as Trunks stepped through the small opening of the tent to stand beside his father. She wore a rather frustrated looking expression, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Well boys, it looks like you two get to spend some father-son time fishing!" she exclaimed with not-so convincing enthusiasm. "It seems as though not only did we not get sewer hook-up as I ordered, they also failed to turn on the electric. I do have a backup generator, but the food has already spoiled. So why don't you two fashion yourselves a fishing rod, spear, or whatever you primates feel like using, or perhaps you can even ask Goku for some help. Oh, and bring your daughter with too. I'm sure she'd love to watch you two."

Without giving the boys, or more so, her husband, a second to protest, Bulma slipped back inside the camper, leaving the two men standing in the open, rather befuddled.

Vegeta grumbled a few private words to himself before turning to his son.

"Get your sibling and meet me by the lake," he growled before stomping off.

Trunks released a long sigh before reluctantly creeping inside the tent to awaken his sister.

* * *

As Vegeta came to the clearing just before the lake, he heard the familiar voice he had been praying to avoid; Goku. He groaned aloud, apparently too loud, as he stepped out to find Goku and Goten sitting at the lake's edge. The two looked up and over their shoulders at Vegeta, an overly enthusiastic smile spreading across Goku's disgustingly cheerful face.

"Hey Vegeta! Did you come to fish too?"

"No. I came to cleanse my soiled shorts," Vegeta replied with a completely straight face, or at least as straight as a scowl could be. He stood behind Goku, towering over him, relishing in the one of few moments he could do so. A small smirk crossed his features as he crossed his arms over his chest, a look of arrogance to him as usual.

Goku and Goten both grimaced at Vegeta's reply.

"Vegeta, I'm not one for cleanliness, but that's going a bit far," Goku pointed out, oblivious to Vegeta's attempt at a sarcastic joke.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed, his brows furrowing. He was ready to yell at the clown for not understanding his wit when Goten, apparently a few marbles greater than his father, spoke up.

"I think he's joking, dad."

"Oh..." Goku was still clueless. His face contorted as he struggled to make sense of the situation. "Vegeta?! Did you really just make a joke?" he questioned, completely baffled by Vegeta's uncharacteristic behavior.

Vegeta, already weary of the unwanted conversation taking place, decided not to grace Goku with a reply, and instead turned his attention to the water to observe the activity so-called _fishing_.

Realizing he had lost the attention of Vegeta, Goku too returned to his task.

"Dad! I think I got one!" Goten suddenly exclaimed as his large handmade wooden pole began to jerk right and left and back again. As with any being with even part saiyan blood, he effortlessly pulled back the pole, lifting out a fish the size of a toddler. The fish fell at his side, which also happened to be where Vegeta's feet were firmly planted, with a rather disgustingly squishy thud.

Vegeta glared down at the offending matter as Goten hurriedly removed it and set it further aside.

"Sorry Vegeta!" Goten blurted out. Even with his father at his side, he still feared having to face the wrath of the infamously irritable and violent Vegeta.

"Where's your pole, Vegeta?" Goku questioned, interrupting the possible eruption he was oblivious to.

"What the hell do I need a stick for?" Vegeta growled as he ground his foot into the grass, trying to remove the foul fish smell that he was sure was emanating from it.

"To catch the fish," Goku stated matter-of-factly.

Vegeta grumbled something incoherent to himself.

"I don't need a _pole_ to catch these creatures. I'm surprised that even you would stoop to such foolish _human_ methods."

"Well, ChiChi said we had to use them... something about campground regulations or something," Goku replied with a sheepish grin.

"Do you always do everything that harpy tells you?" Vegeta sneered.

"**You** do everything mom tells **you** to do," Trunks called out from behind as he stepped out into the clearing, holding three fishing rods in one hand and his sister's hand in the other. "That's why you're out here fishing right now," he pointed out.

Vegeta's head nearly spun around as he gave his, whom he considered to be ill-mannered, son a dirty look despite the truthfulness of the comment. However, the sight of his little blue-haired girl galloping towards him calmed his nerves just enough to keep him quiet.

"Hi Daddy! Hi Mr. Goku! Hi Goten!" Bra chimed as she freed her hand from her brother's grasp and skipped over to Goten's side to stare at the large fish he was in the midst of removing the hook from. "What's that?" she questioned wide eyed.

"That's a fish," Trunks answered for Goten and took a seat between him and his sister.

"That's what mommy wants us to eat?" Bra's little face contorted into a look of disgust as she stared at the large slimy creature.

"Well, not like that. We have to remove the scales and cook it first." Trunks turned to Goten, the two exchanging a look of amusement at Bra's naivety.

"Oh," Bra replied, still seemingly unconvinced.

Trunks handed the smallest of the three poles to his sister and patted the ground next to him. Bra obligingly took the makeshift fishing rod, but stared in disgust at the ground beside her brother.

"What's the matter Bra? Sit down with us."

Bra looked to her brother, than back to the earth again, a pout on her tiny face. "It's dirty," she whined.

Trunks rolled his eyes. "It's just a little muddy from the water. It will wash off."

Bra turned to look up at her father, her eyes pleading. "Daddy, can I sit in your lap?" she asked with the sweetest little voice, sounding strangely practiced.

Vegeta turned to look at the smiling face of his long-time 'enemy' and felt a sickening pain in his stomach. The last thing he needed was for Goku to witness his weakness, but there would be hell to pay if he dare denied his daughter's request. Not only would his little princess throw an amazing tantrum only a half-saiyan could throw, he'd also face the wrath of a human woman, his Queen, if she ever found out. With a long, inner sigh of defeat, Vegeta moved behind his daughter, and picked her up beneath her arms, setting her in his lap as he sat down beside his son.

"Here you go Dad," Trunks said with a smile as he handed his father one of the remaining poles.

Vegeta quickly snatched the pole, showing no sign of gratitude, and sat it at his other side. Trunks was however not expecting anything more, and simply turned his attention back to his friend beside him, who handed him a can of worms.

Bra giggled and squirmed in her father's lap, excited that she would be sharing the new adventure with him. She tilted her head back, showing off her little mouth full of pearly-whites. Vegeta glanced at the rest of the men from the corner of his eye, making certain they were not watching, before giving Bra a quick, and very well disguised, kiss on the head.

Bra almost beamed with giddiness as she watched her brother cast his lure into the sparkling lake, her eyes wide with enthusiasm. She kicked her pudgy short legs excitedly, and with her Saiyan strength, she nearly had her father cringing at the attack against his legs. She was about ready to swing her own fishing lure before Trunks interrupted her.

"Wait Bra, you need bait first!"

Bra turned to her brother, a questioning look to her features.

"Dad, can you help her please?" Trunks requested, tilting his head toward the can of worms at his side.

Vegeta scowled for a few seconds at the can full of squirmy, and probably smelly, creatures before finally reaching in and pulling out a small worm.

"EWWW!" Bra cried out, wiggly in her father's lap as he held the worm out before her. He couldn't have agreed with her more as he examined the 'bait' and his daughter's fishing pole, oblivious to how he was supposed to put the two together in some useful manner.

"Put the worm on the hook, like this," Goku called out, apparently taking notice of Vegeta's lack of fishing knowledge, and held out the end of his line to show Vegeta how he stabbed the worm onto the hook.

"I knew that!" Vegeta snarled as he snatched up Bra's hook and began prodding the worm. The worm wriggle and writhed with each poke, causing Bra to do the same as she watched, which only made the simple process even more difficult for Vegeta.

By the time Vegeta had finally succeeded in hooking the worm, Goku, Goten, and Trunks had each already caught several more fish. He grumbled to himself and handed his not-so-patient daughter the pole.

Not knowing any better, Bra immediately swung her pole back as she had seen her big brother do, sending the short line behind her father, and quickly whipped it forward again, the sharp hook easily catching one of her father's large ears.

Vegeta released a howl of pain so primal and deafening, the four innocent bystanders, or rather by-sitters, were left to stare in awe, and fear, as Vegeta's eyes filled to the brim with unshed tears, and his mouth with unspoken curses. Even Bra, who was not as quick to see what had happened, knew from the yell that something bad was sure to come of her father's unhappiness.

"Dad..." Trunks spoke up quietly, ignoring the tugging at his pole. "Dad, just sit still, and I'll pull it out. Bra, don't pull on your pole," he said as he carefully took his pole in one hand, and leaned over to use the other to quickly yank the rusty hook from his father's ear. He could have sworn he heard his father's teeth grinding back the curse words. He prayed to Kami his father could hold his temper, as Bra would certainly explode into tears if her father blew his top.

Amazingly enough, after a moment of closing his eyes, Vegeta reopened them, his usual irritable, but fairly calm features returning to his face.

"Sowwy Daddy," Bra whimpered, now turned slightly in his lap and staring up at him beady-eyed.

"It's OK Bra," Trunks said comfortingly, "Just be more careful."

Vegeta nodded slowly in reassurance, more so to convince himself than his daughter.

Bra's smile returned as she took the pole back from her brother again, and this time allowed him to help her cast.

Once certain he was out of the watchful eyes of his company, Vegeta lifted a hand to his ear, and then brought it back before him, examining the blood that now appeared on his fingers. It was going to be another one of _those_ days.

* * *

Vegeta eventually joined in the rest of the gang, casting his lure out into the lake as well, but by no means enjoying it. Bra was actually rather good, for being a toddler. Within half-an-hour she had already reeled in what the average human would have found to be several fairly large bass, adding to the pile of very large fish her brother had caught.

Vegeta, on the other hand, was not so skilled at fishing. His impatience led him to losing every fish that so much as came near his line, and it was obvious his patience was growing thin, or rather, even thinner than usual, which does not say much.

Goku leapt to his feet suddenly, startling Trunks, Goten, and Bra.

"Woohoo! Looks like I got a big one!" Goku exclaimed in his all-too-cheery tone, making both of Vegeta's ears feel as if they were bleeding.

With a few swift tugs of his large fishing rod, Goku effortlessly yanked out a fish the size of a large shark.

"WOW!" Bra hollered, nearly falling off her seat in Vegeta's lap as she leaned over to stare in awe at the fish now lying behind Goku. She turned back to her father, wide-eyed. "Why can't you catch one like that Daddy?"

That had done it. Vegeta had hit his breaking point. This was now no longer an attempt to catch a meal for his harpy and their family, it was now a competition between he and his enemy, to prove who be the bigger, better, strongest, best Saiyan. Vegeta carefully, but quickly, picked his daughter up and set her in the grass beside him before standing to his feet.

"I've had enough of this nonsense! I'm wasting no more time with this foolish method!" Vegeta announced boisterously, raising a hand from his side, and aiming his palm at the water before him.

"No! Dad! Don't-" Trunks hollered, but it was too late.

Vegeta released a blast almost comparable in size and magnitude to his final flash move, instantly creating a large crater in the lake just several feet before he and his company, sending water in every direction, including up. Water, and fish, rained upon the group of Saiyans and half-Saiyans, four of them sitting in awe, and the last one standing proud and victorious, a smirk spreading across his stern features.

Bra stood suddenly, staring up into the fish-raining sky and giggling with glee, at least until the last of the fish fell, landing upon her face with a loud smack before bouncing off and onto the ground beside her feet.

The group was again in silence, but now fear welled up, even Vegeta's proud demeanor quickly faded, as they awaited the inevitable wailing of the young girl.

Sure enough, Bra's eyes filled with tears, and despite Trunks attempt to take Bra's hand comfortingly, she burst into tears and loud sobs. She tore her hand away from her brother's, using her hands to rub her eyes and red face, weeping and whining indistinct words.

"Nice going Dad! Goku even told you weren't supposed to do that!" Trunks scolded while Goten and Goku stood by with helpless and sheepish smiles.

"Ahhh... well... I think we have plenty of fish for one meal. I think we'll head back. ChiChi's probably worried anyway..." Goku struggled for excuses to leave before he had to witness Vegeta breakdown into tears as well.

"Yeah, I'll catch up with you later tonight Trunks!" Goten called out, quick to follow his dad's actions.

Trunks shrugged his shoulders and waved goodbye to his friend. "Alright, see you guys later!"

Goku and Goten quickly scooped up their ridiculous catch of fish, along with several that had fallen due to Vegeta's tantrum, and scurried off through the trees behind them.

"Trunks, go take dinner back to your mother, and tell her to start cooking it!" Vegeta demanded under his breath, just loud enough for his son to hear over Bra's incessant sobbing.

Trunks nodded, knowing his father only wanted him to get out of there so as not to witness any sign of affection, because for whatever reason, Vegeta thought nobody knew he had a soft-spot for his daughter, or for anything. Normally, the sight would be somewhat offensive to a son, seeing his father be so loving to his daughter, and yet so uncaring to his son, but Trunks had had several moments with his father when he was young, and he knew his father cared for not just Bra, but for him and Bulma as well. He was even sure he had kind feelings towards Goku too. Thoughts aside, Trunks picked up what he could, and scurried through the trees and back to camp.

Once certain the coast was clear, Vegeta quickly scooped his daughter up into his arms, not cradling her like a normal father would, but with no less affection, he held her against his chest, allowing her to wrap her arms around his thick neck. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and she lifted her head back to look at him with red eyes. He didn't say anything, but he really didn't need to. Bra loved her father so much, just having his attention was enough to quiet her sobs. She sniffled, the tears subsiding, and glanced down at the fish scattered about, a small giggle escaping her pouted lips. She looked back up at her father, a large smile spreading across her face.

"Daddy, you caught a **lot** more fish than Mr. Goku and Goten!"

"Yes, yes I did," Vegeta replied, a small smile making it's way back to his face as well.

* * *


	3. Unprepraredness

_A/N: Finally an update! I wish I had more free time, but at least this chapter did not take as long as my last. This chapter is a bit shorter than the others and probably not all that entertaining. It's meant more to set up for the upcoming events._

_I love Vegeta, and if it were possible to marry a cartoon character, he would be the one... of many._

_Thanks to all who have read/reviewed/etc!_

* * *

**Camping**

**Chapter 3: Unpreparedness**

* * *

Just as the sun began to fall below the horizon, dark clouds could be seen rolling in not far in the distance, but Bulma paid no mind to them as she sat in a collapsible chair just outside the camper, poking and prodding at a small circuit board lying on a fold-out table before her. She had removed the board from the backup generator earlier in the day after discovering that it had somehow managed to stop working. After all the problems she had experienced on this supposedly fun event, she was dead set on never leaving home again, at least not without a full stock of capsules containing multiple generators and her mother's delicious cakes and sweets.

"Mom," Trunks called out as he came running around the side of the camper.

"What is it Trunks?" Bulma replied without removing her attention from the malfunctioning circuit board.

"I _really _think we should head up that hill to higher ground. There is a storm rolling in, and we're in a valley. Not to mention, the lake is already close to flooding over, despite dad's crater-sized addition. Goku and his family left for higher ground a few hours ago."

"I already told you Trunks, we'll be fine. _Goku_ and his family don't have a high tech camper like we do. They chose to 'rough it' even more than we did. Besides, if it starts to flood, you and your sister are welcome in the camper with me and your father."

Trunks rolled his eyes, something he would never let his mother witness him doing, but she was still so enthralled in the electronics, her was certain she hadn't noticed, even as he stood just on the other side of the table she was working at.

"Mom, I wouldn't quite call what you and father are doing 'roughing it', seeing as you have a fully air-conditioned home on wheels with every appliance, and then some, standard to a home, and a bed large enough to sleep our family and Goku's."

"What air-conditioning? What appliances? You mean the crap that's not working because our site doesn't have the electricity we asked for?" Bulma replied sarcastically.

Trunks could see his mother was starting to get irritated. He knew it really was hard for her to leave behind all her beloved electronics, so he decided to leave their conversation at that, and just silently pray that the heavens did not open up and rain hell upon he and his little sister as they tried to sleep in their tent that night.

* * *

Vegeta groaned loudly, over-exaggerating on how uncomfortable he was in bed. Bulma had been unsuccessful in repairing the circuit board for the generator, seeing as she hadn't brought along any spare parts, and thus no power meant no air-conditioning. Though the sun had been hidden by the clouds for most of the day, it was late summer and the humidity was ridiculous, making their sweaty skin stick to the blankets.

Vegeta violently kicked the remainder of the sheets off his body and onto the floor at the side of the bed, disregarding the fact that his mate may have preferred they remain on her body. "This is ridiculous woman! Can you not do anything about this blasted heat?"

"Sure thing your highness," Bulma started in a derisive tone, sitting up in bed and waving her head around mockingly, "How about I sit at the edge of the bed and fan you all night whilst feeding you grapes straight from the vines!"

Vegeta sat up, turning to his mate with a proud smirk on his face, which Bulma only caught glimpse of as not-so distant lightning lit the room momentarily. "I suppose that would do," he quipped.

Bulma rolled her eyes. She knew he was only pulling her leg, trying to make her fume with anger. He was such a sadistic prick.

Another bolt of lighting struck down, apparently less than a mile from the camper, because a terribly loud crash of thunder followed immediately after, startling Bulma out of her infuriation. She turned to the small window just above the head of the bed just as the clouds began to release a fury of rain in an instant downpour. "Great…" she murmured, knowing full well that her son had been right, and not only would it likely mean they would be flooded out, she knew her daughter would be bawling the entire night in fear of the storm. There really wasn't much she could have done anyway, seeing as the camper was not designed, what with it's massive size and weight, to climb steep hills or rough terrain, and she certainly was not about to take just a tent up the hill to sleep in. She released a long sigh and closed her eyes, trying hard to imagine herself at home in her quiet lab, working on one of her newest state-of-the-art hovercraft or submarine designs.

Despite the eruption outside, and Bulma's sudden loss of interest in him, Vegeta's eyes remained on his mate's physical outline in the darkness. He was in the mood for some play, and the mating ritual that was sure to follow. Bulma, however, did not feel the same.

"Vegeta!" Bulma hollered as her husband suddenly pounced on her, sending her toppling backwards on the bed. Vegeta hovered over her, his knees at the side of her hips, and his hands pressing her shoulders firmly against the bed, with an all too familiar glint in his eyes. "Get off of me!" she screeched as she 'accidentally' jabbed her knee into his nether regions in an attempt to escape.

Saiyan or not, a shot in that sensitive of an area was enough to get Vegeta to roll off and lie in the fetal position, groaning for several moments in pain.

"Sorry Vegeta, but if we start anything, you know our children will be running in here while we're in mid-swing, and I will not have our daughter being scarred for life as our son is," Bulma chided, rolling her eyes at how pathetic her 'big, bad Saiyan prince' could be at times.

Sorely defeated, Vegeta slumped back into his spot on the bed, his back to his mate like a spoiled child giving the silent treatment when not given what they wanted. He didn't give a damn how childish he looked, he **is** a prince, though of a mostly dead race, a prince nonetheless, and he was tired of his little brats stealing what he would claim to be the _little excitement_ he could find in his mate.

Bulma released a heavy sigh and returned to her place on the bed and closed her eyes, but she knew it would be foolish to think she would fall back asleep. Any minute now, her kids would be entering the camper, her son wearing that 'I told you so' look on his face. Sure enough, that was exactly what happened.

* * *

Bulma and Vegeta quickly arose, startled when the door to the camper opened and closed abruptly. Vegeta immediately sat up in bed, fully alert and with a hand pointed in the direction of the offending intruder in the darkness.

"Vegeta!" Bulma hollered, catching sight of his glowing hand as he formed a small sphere of ki.

Lightning flashed just outside, lighting up the inside of the camper long enough to reveal a rather damp Trunks with his younger sister cradled safely in his arms.

Vegeta dropped his hand, the ki quickly diminishing. "Damn it boy! Do you have a death wish?" he barked.

Ignoring his father's temperamental outburst, Trunks removed a hand from his sister's underside to flip on the small battery-powered light sitting on the small table beside him. He stepped further into the camper, stopping at the foot of the bed and turned his gaze to his mother, with the expected look. "The ground is completely flooded out there, and the water made it into the tent. Looks like we'll be sleeping in here tonight."

Bulma silently cursed herself for not bringing the hover craft rather than the terrain vehicle, despite how hard she was trying to avoid any attention being drawn to their already press-worthy family. "That's fine," she forced through another long sigh.

Trunks set his sister down to her feet, and she rubbed her eyes wearily, obviously just woken up. He gave her a gentle nudge towards the bed, and she obligingly crawled onto the bed and up to the pillow lying between her parents.

Vegeta scowled at his son with a look that would likely send any other young man to his knees in fear, but Trunks had grown 'used to' his father's poor social behaviors and merely trudged off to the booth at the other end of the camper, pushing a button on the wall which released a latch on the side on the bench, allowing him to fold it out, revealing a decently sized cushioned bed. After turning off the dim light, he flopped down on the bed, face first, and prayed to Kami he would fall asleep and wake up the next morning to a normal family.

Bulma and Vegeta laid back down, both equally exhausted. Bulma moved closer to her daughter, lying on her side to give Bra, who was apparently already asleep, a gentle kiss on the side of her forehead. Bulma, too, found herself quickly drifting off as well.

* * *

Morning came all too soon, but thankfully for both Vegeta and Bulma, Bra had actually slept quietly through the night, despite the relentless storm raging outside.

Bulma's lids slowly fluttered open, revealing a rather surprising picture. Her husband lay on his side, facing her and their daughter, his arm wrapped protectively over Bra, his hand resting on Bulma's waist. An amused smile spread across Bulma's face, but was short lived as Vegeta's eyes opened and his demeanor instantly changed.

"When are we going home?" Vegeta grumbled, quick to remove his hand from any contact with his wife or daughter.

Bulma sighed inwardly, and sat up, startled to find her son standing at the foot of the bed, staring at her with a look that just screamed the damned 'I told you so', which only meant one thing.

"Mom, there's water out there at least a foot deep, and I really doubt this camper is going to be able to make it out of the valley."

Bra stirred from her slumber, rubbing her eyes wearily as she snuggled closer to her father, burying her face in his stomach.

"We'll see about that," Bulma replied stubbornly. She was certain her inventions could get them out of anything, even if the camper was a **very** old design. Not caring that her appearance may be somewhat inappropriate for the public, she slipped into some slippers and strolled towards the door, adorned in only her tiny red camisole and matching panties. Her stride took a quick halt, however, when she opened the door to find just how right her son had been. The water was all the way up to the top step that descended from the camper. She lifted her head towards the sky, ready to curse Kami, only to find that heavens apparently had much more in store for her that day. Though the rain had stopped, there were gray clouds easily visible in the distance, slowly creeping towards her and the defenseless camper. With no hope in sight for getting out of this any other way, Bulma slowly turned to face her family, a feign smile plastered on her face. "Well, it looks like we're going hiking today!"

* * *


	4. Go Take a Hike!

* * *

**Camping**

**Chapter 4: Go Take a Hike!**

* * *

Gray clouds loomed above as Vegeta and his family began their trek through the murky water that filled the valley. Vegeta and Trunks both carried large backpacks over their shoulders, filled with all the necessities, and of course some less than necessary supplies, for a few days worth of camping. Bra and Bulma both wore their rubber boots with the intention of staying clean. Bra, however, was defeating the purpose of said boots as she splashed about, stomping her feet through the nearly foot high water.

"Bra, stop that!" Bulma chided, wiping a splotch of mud from the hem of her skirt. "You're going to get all of us filthy, and I severely doubt we'll be finding any showers at the top of that _mountain_." She emphasized the term mountain as she gazed up ahead, dreading the hike through the thickly forested and rather steep hillside.

"Mom, I don't think that's tall enough, or even the right shape, to be considered a mountain. It's more like a large hill," Trunks pointed out, wishing he had bit his tongue shortly after speaking those words.

"Thanks for the optimism Trunks, but I'm pretty sure it will take us all day to make it up there, hill or mountain," Bulma replied dryly, but her eyes were on her all too energetic daughter.

Trunks was grateful his sister was still stomping about, seeing as it seemed to distract his mother enough to prevent her from lashing out at his comment.

"Vegeta, carry your daughter!" Bulma demanded.

The four of them stopped.

Rather than being upset about her ability to splash around being taken from her, Bra beamed brightly as she ran up to her father and held her arms up expectantly.

Trying not to look at his daughter's eager face below him, Vegeta looked back at his mate with a scowl. "Why the hell can't we just fly to the top of that damned hill?"

"I already told you!" Bulma snarled, her voice raising with each word, "We've already caused enough trouble and attention here with you going ape-shit and blowing up protected natural territory! We don't need you going Super Saiyan and flying around like a lunatic, scaring the few campers left on this site!"

Vegeta's scowl shifted to a small smirk at the mention of scaring the humans, but he still thought it was ridiculous that his mate cared so much what the other humans thought of her and her family.

Still anxiously awaiting being picked up by her father, Bra giggled and blatantly hollered, "Monkey poopy!"

The statement was more than enough to catch everyone's attention. Vegeta, Trunks, and Bulma turned to her with an equally confused stare.

"What?" was all Bulma could conjure up as she tried to figure out why her child was randomly screaming about animal excrement.

"Daddy's gonna go ape-shit!" Bra exclaimed, earning raised brows from her father.

At the repeated statement, Trunks and Bulma both immediately caught on.

"Bra, don't say bad words like that," Trunks replied quietly.

"But mommy said it," Bra whined, her smile fading.

"Don't say everything mommy says," Bulma replied calmly, mentally slapping herself for using that term, "Sometimes mommy gets frustrated with your _eccentric_ father and uses words she shouldn't."

"Daddy says bad words too," Bra protested, stomping her foot in the dirty water begrudgingly.

"You should never repeat anything your father says. Most everything that comes out of his mouth is ridiculous anyway," Bulma replied.

Trunks rubbed his temples, wondering how he turned out the way he did with such bad parenting. He could only hope his sister would be smart enough to not listen to _either_ of their parents.

Vegeta took no offense to his mate's stab at his social and vocabulary skills, instead smiling at the idea that his daughter would use what she learned from him; actions and words.

With all her patience run dry, Bulma narrowed her eyes dangerously at her ape husband. "Vegeta, would you just pick your daughter up! I'd like to get up there and set up before lunch time!"

Bra's eager smile returned to her face and Vegeta finally bent down, scooping his daughter up effortlessly and slung her over his broad shoulders to allow her to sit atop of them, just above the large bag he carried. She squealed in delight, kicking her muddy boots about, sending the dirty water and clumps of mud flying in every direction, but mostly smearing across Vegeta's otherwise bright pink shirt.

"At least take her boots off! We don't have much clean clothes left for you and I'm not about to let you run around shirtless like some barbarian!" Bulma hollered before pressing her fingers to the bridge of her nose in an attempt to make the pain disappear.

Apparently the comment had really tickled Bra, as she immediately broke into a fit of giggles and began beating her fists against her chest while grunting like a primate.

With his head turned to leave his face just out of Bulma's sight, Vegeta smirked at his daughter's antics which he was certain would send his mate into a further fit of rage. Feeling rather 'generous' as he would put it, he decided to oblige his mate's demand and reached up to remove Bra's still kicking boots.

Still clearly amused by all the primate references she'd heard that day, Bra continued to kick and beat her chest, that is until she found herself starting to fall backwards off her father's shoulders. She let out a quick yelp, and before Vegeta could grasp her legs to prevent her from falling, she had already grasped her little fists full of his hair.

Trunks, the innocent bystander, nearly stopped breathing as he saw the sudden change in demeanor on his father's face as Bra pulled herself back upright using Vegeta's unruly hair as leverage. Vegeta's face twisted in an obvious combination of pure pain, infuriation, and a strong attempt at composure.

Though unable to see her husband's face at the moment, Bulma knew what was happening.

Even Bra sensed her father's sudden change and quickly released the locks of hair, dropping a few strands that had been accidentally removed. Her smile once again quickly faded, as she feared her father's anger.

To everyone's surprise, Vegeta remained calm and slowly removed the tiny boots from Bra's now still feet. After tying the laces of both boots together, he slung them over his left shoulder, just under his daughter's leg.

* * *

Several hours passed in uncomfortable silence as the Vegeta family made their way up the rather steep hillside. It was almost high noon, as the sun peered between small gaps in the dark clouds looming directly above, making for another excruciatingly hot and humid day. The combination of unbearable moist heat, strenuous physical labor (at least for Bulma), boredom, and the constant reminder of an impending rainstorm of doom overhead, the family was close to their boiling point, and as always, Vegeta was the first to voice it.

"This is ridiculous! I refuse to waste anymore time _walking_ up this damned earth!" Without giving anyone a second to respond, Vegeta yanked his mate against his chest, wrapping one arm firmly around her waste, the other hand grasping his daughter's left leg which still hung over his shoulder. "Hold on!" was his final warning before he shot into the air and took flight up through the thicket of trees surrounding them, leaving Trunks behind to ponder whether or not he should follow.

"Vegeta!" Bulma hollered, obviously not too pleased with her husband's decision to disobey her orders. "I told you not to use anymore of your damned Saiyan powers!"

Bra giggled, her eyes wide as she wrapped her arms around her father's thick neck and took in the wonderful views, one of which included her brother soaring up beside her.

"Quit your bickering woman! There aren't even any stupid humans left to see," Vegeta retorted.

Any other day Bulma would have risked her life and taken a swing at the only thing keeping her from falling to her death below, but she was much too fed up with all the walking and lack of luxury, not to mention (and she really would never admit it) Vegeta was right; there was nobody left on the campgrounds. Everyone else had taken off the day before the storm was predicted to hit, with the exception of the Goku family, but even they took their camp to higher ground. Bulma just prayed to Kami that Chichi wouldn't bring the subject up.

Bulma let out a long sigh, something she had been doing a lot of lately since she'd been spending so much _quality time_ with her family. Feeling defeated, she clung to her ape of a husband and joined her daughter in taking in the sights.

* * *

It didn't take long for them to reach the peak of the hill, even with Vegeta's restraint, not that a Super Saiyan _holding back_ was really that much different than going _all out_, at least not to a human.

Vegeta landed softly on the flat land just past the peak of hill, Trunks following immediately after. Bulma quickly pushed herself back away from her husband, taking her bubbly daughter down into her arms in the process. "Help me get her boots back on," she spoke, meaning for Vegeta to assist, but he was of course uninterested in her demands and Trunks instead responded, removing the boots from his father's shoulder and attempted to slip the boots onto his sister's kicking feet.

"Bra, seriously, you need to settle down!" Bulma chided as she struggled to hold her still.

Despite the wriggling, Trunks swiftly slipped Bra's little boots back on, and Bulma quickly set her down.

"Alright boys and girls, now it's time to find a good site and set up camp!" Bulma announced as cheerfully as she could manage. Not only did she have to fool her family that this would be a fun adventure, she really had to fool herself.

* * *

Apparently Bulma's luck was starting to turn for the better. She was able to find a small clearing surrounded by dense trees, which would provide sufficient shelter from the wind, and of course some privacy from whom she would assume would be their neighbors as soon as they caught wind of their arrival. Not to mention, the clearing allowed the returning sun to shine down and dry up the soaked earth. Although the skies were clearly, and this was technically a good thing, Bulma still couldn't help but wonder if this was some sick joke, seeing as the rain stops only once she's out of the flooding area. Either way, she was bound and determined to make this camping trip enjoyable for her family, and then **never** do it again!

"Mom, is it alright if I go find Goten?" Trunks questioned, feeling a bit guilty about leaving his mother to set up by herself, but wanting nothing more than to get free from the bickering that was soon to erupt between his parents. "We could go find some firewood," he added, hoping to sway her.

"That's fine. Your father and I can set up here by ourselves." Bulma mentally slapped herself for saying that. For some reason, she guessed her husband wouldn't be much help.

"Thanks!" Trunks slipped the large backpack off his shoulders, allowing it to hit the ground with a large thud, making it ever more apparent just how heavy it was, then disappeared into the forest.

Vegeta dropped his bag to the ground, even more carelessly than his son, and turned to his mate with a scowl. "Why does he insist on following around that low-class son of a clown?!" he snarled bitterly.

"Oh shut up and quit pretending you don't like Goku and his family," Bulma retorted as she bent down to open the bag Vegeta had been carrying.

Vegeta look absolutely mortified that his mate had accused him of such a thing. "I am not pretending! Kakarot is a disgrace to-"

"Yeah yeah! He's a disgrace to the Saiyan race, a race that includes a whopping two apes! Vegeta, I've heard the lines enough, and you, I, and everyone else whose been around you these last several years know that you and Goku are inseparable friends!" Bulma interrupted. "Now go set this tent up over there!" She forced a long bag at Vegeta and pointed to a random spot in the clearing.

Vegeta stood in silence for a moment, astonished at all the blasphemy spewing form his mate's mouth. How could she think such absurd things? He could never enjoy the company of a third-class clown! Could he?

Interrupting Vegeta's pondering, Bulma pointed again to the spot where she wanted him to set up the tent. "Get moving!"

Vegeta snapped from his dazed state and solemnly wandered over to the marked spot, his daughter skipping after him, nearly stepping on the back of his heels.

"Can I help Daddy?"

Vegeta merely nodded as he untied the opening to the bag and dumped it's contents onto the ground before him. He and his daughter stared down at what appeared to be a pile of some sort of cloth and long sticks.

"What the hell do I do with this pile of crap?" Vegeta muttered.

"Mommy!" Bra yelled.

"What is it honey?" Bulma called from over her shoulder as she struggled to find something deep within the second bag.

"Daddy wants to know what to do with this pile of crap?"

A proud smile graced Vegeta's otherwise hardened features.

Bulma closed her eyes tightly and counted to 3.

"Bra, what did I tell you about repeating what your father says?"

"Uhmm...." Bra pretended to innocently forget.

"Don't do it!" Bulma finished, knowing full well that her daughter was merely pretending. "Your father needs to build a tent out of those poles. There are instructions in the bag if he needs them."

Vegeta's smile quickly faded as he pulled out the supposed 'instructions' which appeared to be written in some form of ancient and foreign combination of pictures and words. After staring back and forth between what he assumed to be poles depicted on the 'instructions' and the infinite number of poles scattered in the grass, he gazed over his shoulder to his mate whom he discovered was in the process of setting off one of her capsules. He watched, his curiosity turning quickly to frustration as his mate simply set the capsule on the ground and stepped back, an instant perfect tent appearing momentarily after.

"Daddy, how come mommy got her tent set up already and you didn't?" Bra asked innocently.

"Woman! Why do you get the magical shelter device and I'm stuck with useless sticks and wads of cloth?" Vegeta bellowed, sounding just as childish as his three-year-old daughter.

"Because I only had one tent capsule, so quit your bellyaching and just build the damn tent. It's not that hard!"

"Does your tummy hurt Daddy?" Bra inquired, earning her father's attention.

"What?" Vegeta questioned, dumbfounded by the random question.

"Mommy said your belly aches," Bra replied matter-of-factly.

Bulma overheard her daughter's comment as she walked over to help her empty-headed husband, and smiled at her daughter's naievity.

In defense of what he was sure to be accused of, Vegeta griped to his mate as she stood between him and their daughter, "How am I supposed to follow this damn thing when all these sticks look the same?" He shook the instructions around for emphasis.

"You're daughter asked you a question. Don't ignore her."

Vegeta glanced down at his daughter, who was eagerly awaiting a response. "My stomach is fine," he stated plainly, then turned back to his mate, his patience wearing thin, and embarrassment over the tent-matter began to kick in. He couldn't help it if where he was raised he knew nothing of all the human contraptions. Even if Planet Vegeta had anything similar, he never would have touched them. He was a Prince! He was there strictly to carry royal blood and purge planets of unnecessary beings, not to play with nonsensical garbage such as this. But even being so, he knew he still looked foolish to the natives, and he especially hated that his mate constantly witnessed his inabilities.

Sensing the sudden change in Vegeta's demeanor and his apparent distress, Bulma motioned for him to crouch down with her, and spoke gently, "The instructions have letters beside each pole, so if you can't tell the difference just by length and orientation, you can find the matching letters on the actual poles." Bulma pointed to one of the poles on the instructions, then to the matching pole on the ground. "I'm going to go start unpacking things, but let me know if you need any help." Before standing back up, she leaned in and gave Vegeta a quick peck on the cheek, earning a small blush in it's place.

Bra smiled and clapped her hands enthusiastically, happy to see her parents showing each other affection. She bounded over to the opposite side of her father, planting a much sloppier kiss on his other cheek. "Can I help you daddy?"

"Hold this so I can see it," Vegeta replied as he handed the instructions to his daughter.

Bra obligingly grasped the piece of paper, proudly displaying it for Vegeta to see. "Mommy! I'm helping!" she called out proudly.

"That's nice dear," Bulma called back form inside the other tent.

* * *

Now with the understanding of matching the lettered poles, Vegeta found himself close to constructing the tent in no time, at least he thought he had it right. He took a few steps back, allowing the entire construction of poles and the instructions to be in view. He smirked arrogantly.

"Woman! I've completed the construction of so-called _poles_, now what do I do with the large cloth?"

"Drape it over the poles and fasten them as the other side of the instructions show!" Bulma answered back, still muddling around inside the other tent.

Picking up on her mother's reply, Bra quickly flipped the page over and held it out for her father.

Vegeta gazed from the poles to the cloth, then back to the poles again. Though uncertain how any of this was going to create shelter, he trudged over to the cloth and assembled it as the drawing illustrated.

Just as Vegeta had finished attaching the last corner of the tent covering, Bulma stepped out to inspect his job. Though she expected the tent to look half-assed, she certainly hadn't expected the sight before her.

There, lying before her haughty Saiyan husband, was an **exact** replica of the drawing on the instructions: a 2D build of the tent. Bulma was uncertain whether she was astounded by his lack of common sense, or his ability to take a 3D design and turn it into 2D. She stood speechless for several moments, just staring in awe at the completely flat tent.

"Vegeta," Bulma began to speak slowly while trying desperately to keep her cool.

"What? Astounded by the perfection?" Vegeta questioned haughtily.

Ignoring her husband's snide but idiotic remark, Bulma continued, "How do you suppose anyone would sleep in that?"

"How the hell should I know? You're the one who purchased the damn thing."

"You weren't supposed to build it exactly as you see it here," Bulma spoke firmly while pointing at the paper her daughter still held. "You were supposed to build it in three dimensions, you know, like something a person could stand in!"

Bra began to snort and giggle, and Vegeta's confident smile quickly transformed into his trademark scowl.

"Daddy! You're so silly!" Bra exclaimed.

Vegeta shot an accusing glare at his daughter. "You mean to tell me you knew it wasn't supposed to look like this and you didn't say anything?!" he hollered. Unable to contain his frustration, he quickly aimed a hand at his hard work, and without giving his mate a second to stop him, he released a concentrated blast of ki, blowing a hole not only in the tent, but several feet into the earth as well.

"Vegeta!" Bulma hollered while shielding her face from the shrapnel.

Bra giggled and danced excitedly, galloping over to the remaining fragments of what should have been a tent, and then stomping across it as if she were helping her father destroy it.

With the combination of relief from blasting his problem away and his daughter taking joy in the matter, Vegeta's frustration quickly subsided.

"Well, I guess we're all sleeping in one tent tonight," Bulma stated, hanging her head in defeat before walking away.

Whilst still jumping about, Bra hopped over to her father, grabbing his hands and pulling him to the debris. He stared down at her with a small smile. After glancing over his shoulder to reassure that his mate was clear from sight, he turned back to his daughter and joined her in their triumphant stomping.

* * *

_A/N: Well, I hope this was almost as enjoyable as the first chapter. I don't think I can quite top the first one, but this one made my husband laugh quite a bit, so that must mean something. I have at least one more chapter in mind, which will show some more Vegeta & 'Kakarot' bonding, but after that, I think the camping adventure may be at it's end._

_Thanks again for reading and reviewing! I love to laugh and smile, and I equally enjoy other people's smiles and laughter!_


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