The Softening of Stone

 

He fell forward onto his knees, barely conscious. Blood ran down his arms and stained his tattered gloves before sinking into the dust. His breath came in rough gasps as his lungs labored to keep him living. His arms could no longer hold him up and he collapsed face forward into the dirt. Tears formed in his eyes and rolled down his face as he shuddered. He had won, but too late.

“Papa?” a voice said somewhere in the mist. His eyes opened slowly, hurting with the light that swirled throughout the thick fog. “Papa!” the voice called again, and Vegeta moaned a response. He tried to lift his head but couldn’t. Footsteps approached him rapidly, crunching over the bits of rubble. He felt hands gingerly roll him over and he was looking into an expanse of white. He nearly lost consciousness again, but the hands gripped his face and directed his gaze. He found himself looking into a grim pair of blue eyes. “Papa! Thank Kami you’re alive!” the high voice said.

“Trunks,” Vegeta moaned. “Are you okay?” He had to fight to keep his eyes from rolling back in his head. He heard the boy sniffle in pain and he realized that the boy’s face was covered in blood.

“Hai, Papa,” Trunks murmured and laid his head on his father’s chest.

“Who’s left?” Vegeta murmured, coughing. It hurt to breathe.

“Me, Goten, Gohan, and Videl.” Trunks sniffled again against Vegeta’s chest.

Vegeta emitted a low groan. Everyone was gone. Wiped out by those damned androids. “Where’s Gohan?”

“He’s a little ways away. Goten’s with him, but he’s still unconscious.”

“Good. Give me a moment to rest, Trunks, I’m so tired...” Vegeta said, his eyes finally rolling back in his head.

“No! Papa! Don’t die!” Trunks shrieked, and cradled his father’s head in his lap.

Vegeta opened his eyes again to the sound of crying. He felt a little better; enough to stand up, at least. He heard the crying off to his left. Stumbling through the mist and rubble, he walked toward the noise. Trunks was perched atop a large chunk of concrete, sobbing so hard that he didn’t hear Vegeta approach. Vegeta laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder, causing the boy to jump and twist around. “Papa!” the boy screeched, and threw his arms around Vegeta’s neck.

“Trunks,” Vegeta whispered, hands hovering uncertainly over the boys back. Screw pride. This was his son, safe and alive. He clasped Trunks to him and closed his eyes, fighting back tears. “Let’s go back and find the others.” He straightened up slowly, feeling several of his broken ribs grinding in protest. He felt Trunks grab his hand, and he almost batted it away. Then he remembered the horror of the months previous and how he was the only thing the boy had left. He squeezed his son’s hand and they walked off into the rubble together.

 

 

“Gohan, wake up,” Vegeta shouted at the boy, slapping his cheek gently. Goten and Trunks held on to each other in fear. “Gohan!” Vegeta shouted again, and slapped the boy a little harder. Gohan groaned and stirred. “Wake up,” Vegeta commanded in a voice that brooked no protests. Gohan’s eyes fluttered open. Vegeta sighed in relief.

 

 

“What happened?” Gohan moaned, lifting a hand to shield his eyes.

 

 

“The battle’s over,” Vegeta said, trying to keep his voice from seeming too cold.

 

 

“Otousan!” Gohan cried, sitting up. He was about to rise when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. Looking up, startled, he saw Vegeta’s coal-black eyes focused on him.

 

 

“Kakaroto is dead,” Vegeta said quietly.

 

 

“Otousan,” Gohan shuddered, hearing Goten wail behind him. His head snapped around to look at his younger brother, who was sobbing into Trunks’ chest. Trunks looked at Gohan, eyes heavy with sadness. “Who all died?” Gohan asked quietly.

 

 

Vegeta sighed and looked away to hide his pain from the boy. “Your father, Piccolo, Kami, Dende, Kuririn, your mother, and...Trunks’ mother.” He glanced at Gohan and saw the boy’s eyes fill with tears. “But, on the other hand, the androids died with them,” Vegeta said with a cold smile. “And trust me, all your parents would be more than overjoyed that you lived.” Gohan began to shudder harder with tears and drew his legs up to his chest. Vegeta stood and watched as Gohan quaked with sobs.

 

 

“Otousan! Okaasan!” Gohan shrieked to the heavens and a corresponding wail rose from Goten’s throat. Vegeta closed his eyes, trying not to succumb to the pain. He scowled at the boys’ display of emotion, then softened. They were half human, after all, and had lost everything they cared about except each other.

 

 

“Enough,” Vegeta said abruptly, and all the boys stared at him, eyes wide and pained. “Videl’s still out there somewhere. We should find her.”

 

 

Gohan’s eyes brightened a little. “Videl? She survived?”

 

 

“Surprisingly, yes,” Vegeta murmured. The human female had shown more than her fair share of courage, but had still been forced into hiding at the end of the battle.

 

 

“Then let’s go!” Gohan cried, jumping to his feet. He was only in his teens, but that was old enough to start being interested in girls. Vegeta frowned. No matter how wonderful they were, females were nothing but trouble. Especially his Bulma...He forced the lump in his throat back down.

 

 

“Let’s go, Papa!” Trunks shouted, running over and wrapping himself around Vegeta’s legs. Once again Vegeta had to restrain himself from shoving the boy away, but he knew how much Trunks needed physical attention right now. The boy had to be able to touch his father to make sure he was real, and besides, Bulma had always held him despite Vegeta’s protests. Goten trotted over to Gohan and grabbed his brother’s forearm. The two looked on at Trunks hugging Vegeta, eyes hollow and jealous. Vegeta watched the emotions ripple across the boys’ faces, and he sighed, trying to come to a decision. He finally decided it couldn’t hurt; they’d lost their father once again, this time probably for good, and their mother as well. They were alone, and their parents had always let them hug each other. Grudgingly, Vegeta held out a hand and beckoned the two boys over. They ran to him and threw their arms around him, nearly knocking him over. Vegeta sighed and awkwardly patted their backs, feeling extremely uncomfortable. The wind whipped around the four of them as they stood, holding each other for strength, among the ruins.

 

“I found her!” Goten shouted and began to move the concrete aside. A slender hand soon appeared, cracked and crusted with blood. “I think she’s still alive, but just barely!” the little boy hollered again, resuming his digging. The other boys rushed over and redoubled their efforts, Vegeta standing to the side, arms crossed against his chest. He was looking off into the distance. He could detect some slight kis miles from their location. The human race hadn’t been wiped out, after all.

 

 

“Videl!” Gohan cried softly as he pulled her broken body from the wreckage. Vegeta frowned. She had taken the worst of it. Her ki was flickering in and out rapidly, and he realized that if they didn’t do something soon she would die.

 

 

“Can all of you fly?” he asked. The three boys nodded. “Then do it,” he said, taking Videl and cradling her like a baby. “We’re going home.”

 

 

“But, Vegeta-san,” Gohan said softly.

 

 

“You two are coming with Trunks and me back to Capsule Corp. You will live with us there,” he commanded. The boys’ faces were so pitiful...and he felt himself soften a little. “If you want,” he added.

 

 

“Goten, you get to come live with us!” Trunks cried in glee. Goten looked at his friend and broke out in a grin. Gohan also smiled to see his brother’s mood lift, but soon he was glancing at Videl in concern.

 

 

“Let’s go,” Vegeta ordered, and they took off.

 

Gohan pressed his face against the rejuvenation tank’s glass, staring at the girl inside. “Will she be okay, Vegeta-san?” Gohan asked quietly. Vegeta nodded and continued to enter information into the computer. Gohan sighed and turned to the older man, letting his fingers trail down the glass as he broke contact. “What happened out there?” he queried, coming over to the older man. Vegeta sighed and sat wearily in the computer chair.

 

 

“After all your father’s human allies were killed he attacked one of the androids. Then the other came out from behind a building, holding your mother. Your father stopped dead in his tracks, helpless as they killed her. It was the only time I ever saw your father lose control; he powered up and rushed them, but his heart condition had weakened him and he was killed immediately from his efforts, but not before he threw Bulma a senzu.”

 

 

“Oh,” Gohan whispered and looked at the floor, tears starting to roll down his cheeks.

 

 

“I’m sorry, Gohan,” Vegeta whispered. The words came much easier now. It was if something inside of him had broken, and he figured it was his pride. He didn’t feel like he had anything to be proud of anymore.

 

 

“What happened to Bulma?” the boy asked.

 

 

Vegeta sighed, doing his best not to let tears flow in front of the boy. Why was he so damn tender? “She caught the senzu your father threw her. For some reason the stupid woman had followed me out onto the battlefield, thinking that her device would be a help to us. When I went down she broke cover and tried to revive me. She shoved the senzu down my throat and I sprang back. I was almost recovered when one of those fucking androids shot her in the chest,” Vegeta said, pausing as he remembered the look of shock on her face. “She died in my arms. I got so angry I guess I just went cold. Next thing I knew I was putting my fists through those metal monsters. End of story. She’s gone, they’re all gone, and there’s nothing we can do about it.” Vegeta turned his head away from the boy. Soon he felt a hand come to rest on his arm.

 

 

“Thank you,” Gohan whispered, looking gravely into Vegeta’s eyes. “Thank you for saving us.”

 

 

Vegeta spat in anger and shook off the hand. “I wasn’t fast enough.” He rose from the chair and walked over to the tank, looking at the status screen. “She’ll heal fine,” Vegeta said. “Go to your room and try to rest.”

 

 

“Hai, Vegeta-san,” Gohan said, and left the room, head bowed.

 

 

When the boy was gone Vegeta wandered over to the chair. Collapsing into it, he wondered how many nights Bulma had spent in that same chair, working until her vision blurred. The thought of her brought tears to his eyes, and this time he let them flow freely as he sat there, among her things.

 

 

A while later he wandered out of the lab and into the silent corridors of Capsule Corp. He knew the building so well by now he didn’t even need any light to navigate his way to the living quarters. He passed the door of Gohan’s room. He pushed open the door and entered the room, staring down at the boy. Gohan’s forehead was wrinkled in pain, and he twitched slightly in the throes of some dream. His ki was strong, though. Vegeta nodded to himself as he confirmed that the boy would survive. He pulled the sheets back over Gohan and left the room.

Next door was Trunks’ room. Vegeta peered in and saw the two boys tangled together, snoring almost in unison. The boys were young. They’d get over it. Vegeta closed the door behind him and continued his walk down the hall.

 

 

His room was quite a few doors down, but not so far that he couldn’t hear it if one of the boys shouted in the night. He tapped the door and it swung open with ease. He refused to look at the room, but instead headed straight for the bathroom and jumped in the shower. He shuddered as the hot water flowed over his skin, washing the dirt out of his wounds and relaxing bruised muscles. Dirt began to gather in the bottom of the tub and he stepped on a few sharp rocks that had fallen out of his hair. He closed his eyes and stuck his face under the stream of fluid, gasping as the water ran down his body. He placed his hands on the wall in front of him and braced himself as the tears came again. A little noise escaped him as his shoulders shook in grief. He had lost her. Had he ever told her he loved her? Had he even known until now what he had felt for her? He shook his head to clear it and shut off the water, breathing deeply and drying himself with a burst of ki. As usual, he didn’t bother to cover himself as he trudged into the bedroom. Her half of the room was covered in clothes and papers. His half was meticulous. He smiled to himself. A cluttered room for a cluttered mind. They were both perfectionists, but in different ways. His heart sank as he looked down at the enormous bed. Never again would she join him there. He walked over to his side and collapsed onto the mattress, arms outspread. At least he wouldn’t have to deal with her sprawling all over the place and stealing the covers. A pain shot through his chest and he realized that he would rather have no room and no covers for the rest of his life than not have her. He sighed. Now was not the time to think about it. Now was the time to put things back together. He slid under the covers and folded his arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Whatever had possessed him to take in Kakaroto’s brats? Gohan was what, sixteen? That was plenty old enough to take care of himself. So why? He sighed. Something in him had burned away and died with Bulma. He wouldn’t lie to himself any longer. It was the honor of the thing; Kakarot would have done the same for Trunks if he had been the one who had lived instead of Vegeta. That was that. He rolled over on his side and shut his eyes. He should try to get some sleep. God knew he would need the strength in the days to come.

 

 

The footsteps in the hall woke him immediately. He had always been an extremely light sleeper, and he listened as the footsteps hesitated outside his door. Finally the door swung open a little and a head appeared cautiously. “I’m up. Come in,” Vegeta murmured without sitting up. He rolled onto his back and put his hands behind his head. The boy entered the room, and to Vegeta’s surprise he saw it was Gohan.

 

 

“I’m sorry, Vegeta-san. I had a bad dream,” the boy whispered. “I know it’s strange, but would you mind if I sat with you for a while?”

 

 

“No,” Vegeta said. “Do what you like.”

 

 

Gohan crawled onto the bed next to Vegeta and brought his knees up to his chest. “Did you really hate Father?” Gohan asked quietly, voice heavy.

 

 

Vegeta sighed as he pondered the question. “I don’t know. Part of me did, but the other part...”

 

 

“I know he liked you.”

 

 

“It doesn’t matter now.”

 

 

Gohan sighed and stared at the sheets, eyes hollow. “I can’t believe he left us again,” Gohan choked. “And I keep thinking I hear the androids coming in through the window. I’m scared.”

 

 

It was Vegeta’s turn to sigh. “There’s nothing that can get you, now. Besides, I’m here.”

 

 

Gohan broke out in sobs and collapsed. His crying shook the entire bed and Vegeta did his best not to get annoyed. The boy moved suddenly, flinging himself onto Vegeta’s chest, his tears soaking the older man’s skin. Vegeta’s eyes widened in shock at the trembling figure clinging to him, then carefully put a hand on the boy’s back. He was no good at this comforting nonsense. “I loved him so much,” Gohan stuttered. “I loved him...” Vegeta continued to pat the boy’s back. It was going to be a long haul with this one. Vegeta frowned; Kakaroto had raised this one too soft. Despite his opinions, however, he kept on patting Gohan for some time until he heard the boy’s crying cease and his breathing ease into that of sleep. He tried to take his hand away, but Gohan immediately began to stir, and so he replaced his hand gently. They stayed that way until morning.

 

 

Gohan blinked in the bright sun that flooded the room. Raising his head wearily, he realized he was alone. Where was he? Memories of the night before came crashing down on him and the blood rose to his cheeks. He had come to VEGETA, of all people, for comfort. The man had tried to kill his father several times and had even gone after him at least twice. And yet, when he needed someone to be there, the arrogant prince had filled that need. What had happened to all of them? Was this how loss changed people? He frowned. Maybe this was what his father and Bulma had seen in Vegeta. He stretched, feeling a little better after his sleep. He rose and tugged on his t-shirt. One more stretch and he headed downstairs.

He entered the smoke-filled kitchen in shock. There were dishes everywhere and he heard Trunks and Goten laughing uncontrollably. “Kuso!”

 

Vegeta’s voice spat. “How in the hell did the woman do this every day?”

 

 

Gohan allowed himself a chuckle and went to open the kitchen door so the smoke would travel outside. As the room cleared, he saw the Prince of the Saiyajin madly waving a towel over a frying pan. Vegeta snarled and knocked the frying pan into the sink. He stormed over to a cupboard and pulled out five boxes of cereal, slamming them down in the middle of the table. The boxes were soon followed by several cartons of milk, bowls, and spoons. “You’re all stuck with pre-prepared foods for a while,” Vegeta hissed. Gohan marveled at the milk. Only someone as rich as Bulma could have afforded something like that in the past few months. He sat down to eat, encouraged by the giggles of the little boys. “After breakfast I expect all of you idiots to bathe. Bulma would faint if she saw all you dirtclods in her kitchen,” the Prince yelled and stormed out of the room.

 

 

“Papa’s in a good mood today!” Trunks cried in glee.

 

 

“Hooray for cereal!” Goten shouted and began to pour a mountain of corn flakes into his bowl. Gohan couldn’t help but smile at the two as he helped himself.

 

Vegeta pressed a button on the control panel and the tank began to drain. When he heard the last of the fluid gurgle down the drain he opened the hatch and reached down to the soaking-wet girl inside. Pulling her out gently, he laid her on some towels he had at the ready. “You’re lucky, girl,” he growled as he supported her. Videl coughed violently. “Where am I?” she muttered, squinting. Her eyes flew wide open when she saw Vegeta next to her. She had never been so close to the forbidding man in her entire life.

 

 

“You’ve just spent the last fifteen hours in the rejuvenation tank at Capsule Corp. I imagine you feel better.”

 

 

“Yes, thank you,” she said, looking around. “What happened?”

 

 

“I’m not going to sugar-coat it for you. Your parents are dead, Gohan’s parents are dead, and Bulma is dead, on top of Piccolo and all Kakaroto’s human allies.”

 

 

Videl shuddered and Vegeta handed her a towel. “Gohan?” she asked suddenly, eyes wide.

 

 

“In the kitchen feeding with Goten and Trunks,” Vegeta snapped. He saw the girl flinch in pain. He sighed; he forgotten how fragile humans were. “Come with me,” he said, and began to walk out of the room. Videl picked up the towels and clasped them to her as she hurried after him.

He swung open a door and gestured for her to enter. She walked into a huge bedroom. Her heart constricted as she saw pictures of Bulma and Trunks. It was Vegeta’s room. He pointed to a closet. “Root around in there for something suitable to wear,” he commanded.

 

 

“But, those are Bulma’s things,” she whispered.

 

 

“Bulma’s dead. I don’t think she cares if you wear her clothes,” Vegeta snapped. “And I don’t want you running around naked.”

 

 

“Vegeta-san...”

 

 

“Just do it! I don’t have this sort of time to waste!”

 

 

Videl swallowed hard and nodded. She hadn’t missed the flash of agony in Vegeta’s eyes. “Thank you,” she murmured.

 

 

“The bathroom’s in there. Come downstairs when you’re finished and I’ll have Trunks show you your room,” he directed and left.

 

 

Videl wandered around the gigantic room. Bulma’s clothes littered the floor. She picked her way through them as she made her way to the dresser. Pictures were strewn about the top of it, and she straightened them idly. So many memories. Tears sprang to her eyes. Sighing, she went over to the closet and opened it. A startled noise escaped her mouth as she gazed upon the sheer volume of clothes. She rooted through them until she found something that looked as if it might fit, then headed for the shower.

 

 

She came downstairs half an hour later to find Gohan trying to teach Goten and Trunks how to do the dishes. The younger boys were splashing each other. Gohan laughed. “At this rate you two won’t even need to take showers!” he chuckled. Videl couldn’t help but laugh herself. The noise caused Gohan to turn around. “Videl!” he cried out. “I’m glad you’re okay!” A faint blush spread across his cheeks.

 

 

“I’m fine, thank you. Did you leave anything for me to eat?” she replied. Goten squealed a response and immediately set a bowl in front of her, overfilling it with cereal.

 

 

“Baka!” Trunks cried. “She doesn’t eat as much as we do, remember?”

 

 

Goten’s mouth fell open in apology. He leaned forward, took a few fistfuls of cereal, and stuffed his face until the cereal was level with the rim of the bow. “Uhh...thank you, Goten,” Videl mumbled. She heard Trunks groan. Goten set some milk in front of her. Videl eyed the carton in surprise. “Milk?” she asked.

 

 

“Yeah! Bulma-san is rich!” Goten cried out with a laugh. Videl noticed Trunks’ eyes darken. Goten noticed as well. “I’m sorry, Trunks,” he said quietly.

 

 

Vegeta appeared suddenly in the doorway. “Gohan, come here,” he said sternly, and left. Gohan and Videl exchanged a look. Gohan put the dishtowel on the counter and followed the man outside.

 

 

“Gohan, I’m going out to take stock of things. I want you to stay here and make sure all of you stay inside and together. There’s no use taking chances. If anything happens go to the sub-basement. Trunks knows the code,” Vegeta said quietly.

 

 

Gohan blinked in the sunlight. “Understood, Vegeta-san,” he replied. “Do you think there’s danger?”

 

 

“I didn’t say that!” Vegeta snapped and saw Gohan recoil. “I’m just saying that we should be careful until we’re certain,” he said more gently.

 

 

Gohan swallowed and nodded. “Yes, Vegeta-san.”

 

 

“Good,” Vegeta grumbled, then looked at the boy. “Well, then, I’m off. Make sure Trunks gets his bath,” he directed, then took to the skies.

 

Gohan watched him go for a while, then headed inside to give the boys a bath.

 

 

 

Vegeta swung low over the battlefield. He could see little robot bits all over the ground as he landed. Crouching, he picked up one of the pieces and smashed it into oblivion between his figures. The circuitry crumbled to dust and floated away on the breeze. Snorting, he stood and systematically vaporized every single piece of the androids that he could find. He wanted to make sure that they were dead. And they were, smashed to pieces. He smiled to himself. He had avenged everyone. Those bastards had gotten back what they dished out. Now to find HER.

He went to the spot where he had awoken the morning before. Walking around, he could still see the indentation he made when he passed out. She had to be around here somewhere. He walked a few feet away and began to carefully move the slabs of concrete and piles of rubble. He found nothing and moved to a new spot, repeating the process. This time he was rewarded for his efforts; a pale hand protruded from the debris. He felt the blood leave his face as he slowly cleared away the rock. When he had gotten enough out of the way he gently lifted her body out of the ground and took it into his lap. Strands of her fine blue hair blew into her face. Tears sprang to his eyes as he gently tucked the strands behind her ears. Holding her thin hand to his chest, he felt his body begin to shake. “What will I do without you?” he whispered into the breeze. He glanced down at her, wincing at the hole blown through her chest. Luckily her face was serene and her eyes closed. He would hate to have to seen pain reflected in those eyes for all eternity. He shuddered and pulled her hand from his chest, studying it. He carefully reached down and pulled a ring off of her finger, a simple band of gold. It was the only present he ever gave her, and even then only after she pestered him about it for a good five months. He examined the ring for a moment, a lump rising in his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut and was about to drop the ring into his boot for safekeeping when an idea struck him. He extended a finger and created a sharp ki blade around it. Grasping a lock of her silky hair, he cut it off near the scalp. He twisted the strands together and wound them around the ring. Satisfied, he dropped the entire item down his boot. Then he stood, lifting her gently, and took off into the air.

 

 

He had all their bodies by mid-afternoon. He lined them up side by side and examined them. Some were barely recognizable. He frowned in disgust. He never though he’d be burying his one-time enemies’ bodies. He squinted at the crest of the hill and blasted holes in the ground with some ki balls, one hole for each warrior. He paused for a second, then enlarged the hole he had planned to put Kakaroto in. ChiChi would go in that grave with him, Vegeta thought it was only proper. People like ChiChi were the reason Saiyans didn’t keep close family bonds; Kakaroto probably would have lived if not for her. That was why emotions like love were weaknesses-they gave the enemy a way to hurt you far worse than any physical wound. Vegeta shook his head and began to bury the warriors.

 

 

He saved Bulma for last. Removing his gloves, he selected a spot underneath a gigantic tree and kneeled on the ground. His fingernails sank into the soil, and he began to dig with his bare hands. The dirt was hard, but he didn’t care how long it took him. He was going to do it the traditional way that a Saiyan buried his mate. He dug until well after nightfall, and as the stars looked on he gathered her into his arms for the last time. He gazed into her peaceful face and drew a soiled finger over her cold lips. Leaning down, he kissed her deeply, tears rolling down his face. “I love you,” he whispered, and laid her down into the ground. “I hope you know that.”

 

 

He stumbled in through the kitchen door around midnight, exhausted. Gohan, Videl, and the two boys were huddled around the kitchen table, shivering. “Is everything all right?” Videl asked quietly. Vegeta only grunted a reply, not looking at any of them on his way to the hall.

 

 

“Papa, we’re out of food,” he heard Trunks say. “We couldn’t have dinner.”

 

 

“We’ll deal with that tomorrow,” Vegeta grumbled and passed through the room. They heard him climb the stairs, his steps slow and heavy. A door slammed far away, and they heard the kitchen pipes shudder a little as a faucet was turned on somewhere. Gohan frowned. Vegeta was so different now, so defeated. He was cold and indifferent before, and he was indifferent now, so what had changed? Videl shot him a worried look.

 

 

“Something’s wrong with Papa,” Trunks murmured. He slid down from his chair and went upstairs.

 

 

Gohan sighed. “I guess we can all go to bed now. Everything must be okay,” he said, sliding his chair out from the table. He watched as Goten and Videl exited the room. He was about to follow them when his mind began to wander. What was wrong with Vegeta? He knew that the man was far more affected by the deaths of Kakaroto and Bulma than he would let anyone know, but something else was bothering him as well. Gohan frowned as it dawned upon him. Vegeta, the high and mighty prince, was now suddenly the simple father and guardian of four, and had no idea how to run a household. Gohan felt his will harden. He would make sure Vegeta got the help he needed. His father would have wanted it that way. He sighed again and followed his little brother upstairs, turning out the light behind him.

 

 

Vegeta gave a start as he exited the bathroom. Trunks was standing there in his pajamas, waiting for him. “What do you want?” Vegeta snapped. Trunks’ lower lip quivered. Vegeta kneeled in front of his son and mumbled and apology. “What do you want, Trunks?” he asked much more gently.

 

 

“Can I sleep with you, Papa?” Trunks asked quietly. “I keep having bad dreams.”

 

 

Vegeta sighed. Now he had to guard the child’s sleep as well. He studied his son carefully, wondering if the boy would ever be a warrior. “Very well,” he said, and stood. Trunks beamed up at him and followed him to the bed. Vegeta climbed in, then picked up Trunks and settled in next to him. Trunks abandoned his teddy bear and threw his arms around Vegeta’s neck. Vegeta scowled, uncomfortable, but then Trunks pecked him on the cheek and promptly drifted off to sleep. Vegeta’s frown relaxed a little as he pondered the subject of his son. A warm feeling had spread through his limbs when the boy had kissed him. Vegeta was still wondering why when sleep claimed him.

 

 

He woke up immediately as he felt a tap on his bare shoulder. He rolled over groggily, carefully releasing Trunks, and met Goten’s eyes. “Vegeta-san,” the little boy whispered. “Videl was wondering if she could sleep with Gohan and me. She’s having bad dreams,” he confided. Vegeta groaned and put a hand over his face.

 

 

“That’s fine Goten, but under one condition: you have to sleep in between them and make sure they don’t touch each other in a funny way. Don’t leave them alone for a second.”

 

 

“Hai, Vegeta-san. Thank you!” Goten whispered and trotted off.

 

 

Kids, Vegeta thought to himself, and went back to sleep.

 

 

 

When he rose the next morning Videl was already up. She turned around and glanced at him as he entered the kitchen. “Good morning, Vegeta-san,” she said. He nodded at her in response. “I was just trying to make a list of groceries that we will need,” she explained to him as she rooted through the cupboards. He grunted and rubbed his chin.

 

 

A thought occurred to him. “Videl, you cook?” he said. She looked at him and nodded. “Teach me,” he said quietly, blood rushing to his cheeks.

 

 

“Teach you to cook?” she said, shocked.

 

 

“You heard what I said,” he growled.

 

 

“Hai, Vegeta-san,” she murmured. “But first we need something to cook with.”

 

 

Vegeta left the room and returned a moment later with a fistful of cash. “I don’t know how useful this stuff is now, but it won’t hurt to have it with you. If they won’t accept it, tell them we’ll barter. Get what you need, whatever it takes,” he said, handing her the money. “And take Gohan and the boys with you. I’m positive it’s safe, but I don’t want any of you going anywhere without the others.”

 

 

“I understand,” she said.

 

 

“I will be gone again all day today. Don’t wait up,” he said, and started to leave. He paused as his hand rested on the doorknob. “And I don’t want you and Gohan to sleep together without Goten or Trunks there. If I find out you have been, there will be serious consequences.”

Videl nodded and blushed. She really hadn’t even considered it.

 

 

“One more thing,” he continued thoughtfully. “After you get supplies go and see how many humans you can find alive. I would think that Capsule Corporation could aid the survivors.” He glared at her as if another thought had occurred to him as well, but then he shrugged and walked through the door. Videl stuffed the cash into her pocket and continued to go through the cupboards.

 

 

 

He knelt before the graves he had dug the previous day. Looking around, he counted the graves and compared the number with the quantity of white rocks he had found. He ran a gloved palm over the edge of one of the rocks. They were as large as his abdomen and a pleasing solid white color. They would make good markers. He laid the stone slabs out and created a ki blade, settling down to work.

Gohan and the others had an uneventful day. There were a couple hundred humans left from the city, and they had left and spread out into the surrounding countryside. Supplies were scarce, but they would survive. Videl had somehow managed to scrounge up all the food they would need, and for four Saiyajin that was quite a bit of food. They headed back to the house and began to put things in order.

A week passed, and things were beginning to settle back into a semblance of normalcy. Videl and Gohan, at Vegeta’s direction, made sure everyone was clean and fed while the two younger boys kept the house and grounds tidy. They were also helping the humans build homes and gather resources as well. It was almost like a scavenger hunt. Every day, however, Vegeta would leave early in the morning and return home late at night, and still manage to see to comforting whoever needed it at the time. One day Trunks frowned as he watched his father leave. He turned to the others, a puzzled expression on his face. “I wonder where Otousan goes every day,” he mumbled. Goten leapt out of his chair.

 

 

“We should follow him!” the little boy cried.

 

 

Gohan and Videl paled. “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Goten,” Gohan warned.

 

 

Videl swallowed. “I agree. Vegeta-san is a very private person. We should leave him alone, after all he’s done for us.”

 

 

“Well, he’s my father and I want to see where he goes!” Trunks growled, and dashed out the door. Goten followed gleefully before Gohan could grab him.

 

 

“Shimatta!” Gohan cried, looking helplessly at Videl.

 

 

“You remember what Vegeta-san said,” she said with a smile. “We gotta stick together no matter what!” Gohan grinned back and they ran out the door.

 

 

They found Vegeta kneeling on the top of a hill underneath a magnificent tree. Trunks landed quietly behind him, followed by the others. “I was wondering how long it would take you to show up,” Vegeta mumbled.

 

 

“Papa, what are these?” Trunks asked, gesturing at the white stones.

 

 

“Your mother taught you to read. Take a look for yourself,” Vegeta said coldly, and continued to stare at the white stone in front of him.

 

 

Trunks went over cautiously to each grave, studying the stones. “They’re graves,” Trunks whispered to Goten, who gasped. “They’re the graves of your dad and his friends.”

 

 

“Otousan!” Goten choked, and kneeled down on his parents’ grave.

 

 

Gohan came up behind him, eyes full of tears. Videl put an arm around his waist.

 

 

“Papa, I can’t read this one,” Trunks said, pointing at the stone that Vegeta sat in front of.

 

 

“That’s because it’s in Saiyajin,” Vegeta murmured.

 

 

“What does it say?”

 

 

Vegeta cleared his throat. When he spoke his voice was low and thick. “It says ‘Bulma Briefs, mother and beloved queen of Vejitasei’.” He sat perfectly still for a moment longer, then rose. “Now you can visit them whenever you like,” Vegeta said softly. “Let’s go home.”

 

 

 

A few months passed, and everyone was at last becoming comfortable with their newfound way of life. One morning Vegeta startled them all by joining them for breakfast. “I think it’s safe enough for us to do things alone now,” the prince announced, placing his palms on the table for emphasis. “Videl, you’ll be in charge of meals because you’re the best cook. Trunks and Goten, you’ll help her out if she asks, but your main concern will be helping the human settlers in any way you can. And Gohan, I need to speak with you privately. I will be doing a lot of scavenging and working closely with Gohan, my son, and Goten. However, I demand that whenever one of you has a spare moment you seek me out. We will continue to hone our skills in battle. That is the Saiyan way,” he said, leaving no room for argument. He walked over to the door. “Gohan,” he said, and went into the living room. Gohan rose slowly and followed.

 

 

Vegeta was leaning against the arm of the sofa, arms crossed on his chest in the customary fashion. Gohan stood and waited patiently. “I have a special favor to ask of you,” Vegeta said slowly. Gohan looked at him expectantly. Vegeta sighed. “Trunks is too young to assume all the responsibilities of running Capsule Corp., and I have other things I need to attend to. But Capsule Corp. can benefit the people greatly, especially at this time, so much so that I would call it necessary. And I won’t let everything that Bulma worked so hard for just fade away. So I need you to act as Capsule Corp.’s president until Trunks comes of age.” He looked Gohan straight in the eye as he finished. Gohan’s mouth fell open in surprise.

 

 

“But, Vegeta-san...” he began.

 

 

“No excuses!” Vegeta snapped. “Yes or no?”

 

 

“Hai, but...”

 

 

“I don’t care about the ‘buts’. You’re educated and mature, and you WILL do a fine job,” Vegeta said sternly, scowling. Gohan swallowed and nodded, dazed. “Good. You start tomorrow. Today we train,” Vegeta said, and walked back briskly into the kitchen.

 

 

Gohan walked carefully into the gravity room. Vegeta had been waiting for him, hands behind his back. Gohan had been wearing Vegeta’s clothing for the time being, for the young boy was as tall as the Saiyan warrior, although he wasn’t as broad. Gohan whistled as he looked around the room and a smile crept across Vegeta’s lips. Gohan looked at the smile uneasily, unsure as to what it meant. When the Saiyajin Prince smiled like that all hell could break loose. Gohan approached him slowly. Vegeta tossed a bundle at him, still smiling, and Gohan nearly dodged it, but decided at the last minute to catch it and snagged it out of the air. He held his breath and unwrapped the bundle, gasping. He pulled out one of his old orange gis.

 

 

“Vegeta-san!” he cried. “Where did you get this?”

 

 

Vegeta snorted. Baka. “Out of your closet at home, of course. Where else would I get it?” He smiled to himself. Gohan was obviously pleased. He walked to the center of the room. “There’s boxes more of your and Goten’s things in the changing room. We’ll carry them into the house once we’re finished. Go change,” Vegeta ordered, and Gohan nodded in thanks and scampered to do as he was told.

 

 

Gohan emerged a couple of minutes later, fingering the orange fabric. He looked up at Vegeta and beamed. Vegeta smiled coldly back, pained by how similar Gohan’s smile was to Kakaroto’s. Well, at least the boy looked like a warrior at last, and he had to have more brains than his father. Vegeta lowered into a crouch. “I’m not going to pull my punches, so you’d better not either. Now let’s see what your father taught you,” he hissed, and waited.

 

 

Gohan sailed through the air, only to be met by Vegeta’s elbow. He shook his head to clear it quickly and felt Vegeta’s foot connect with his stomach. “You’re not fast enough, dammit! Concentrate!” Vegeta shouted, and sent a fist flying towards Gohan’s face. Gohan’s eyes widened in surprise, and without thinking about it he caught Vegeta’s fist. Vegeta smiled cruelly. He yanked his fist back, surprising the boy, and twisted in the air, sending Gohan sailing over him. He planted a kick on Gohan’s ribs and the boy crashed to the floor. He frowned. The boy could be so strong, but he lacked the Saiyan love of fighting. Gohan groaned as he pushed himself back up. “You may not want to fight, but if someone fights you you won’t have a choice. You may want to grow up a scholar, but if you don’t keep up your training the Saiyan portion of you will never be at rest. Now face me seriously. You can’t tell me that a part of you doesn’t hate me for all those times I threatened you, your father, and friends. Use that hate to make you stronger,” Vegeta hissed, and took a deceptively relaxed stance. Gohan swallowed hard and seemed to disappear. Vegeta frowned, only sensing Gohan behind him. He started to turn and saw Gohan barreling toward him, eyes savage. Vegeta swore and brought his forearms up just in time to block the punch. Gohan almost broke through his defenses. He used the momentum of the punch to twist in midair over the boy’s head. Gohan watched him and started to move. Vegeta didn’t let him get away and drove both his feet right between the boy’s shoulder blades. Gohan grunted and spun around as he fell. He reversed directions quickly and sped up to Vegeta, phasing out the second before he got there. Vegeta felt a punch connect with his jaw, sending him backwards. A knee hit his back, then another punch in his stomach. Vegeta sensed something off to his side, so he kicked violently and licked his lips as he connected. Gohan slammed into the wall and sank to the floor. Vegeta smiled and lowered himself to the ground slowly. He walked towards Gohan with a low chuckle. “You didn’t even come close to hurting me,” he said menacingly. Suddenly Gohan’s eyes snapped open and he smiled himself. Vegeta stared as a gigantic ki beam hit him at point-blank range. He groaned as the thing pushed him into the opposite wall of the room and exploded. Vegeta gasped and fell to his knees, coughing blood. Then he started to laugh. Gohan winced as he stood up. Vegeta had done quite a number on him.

 

 

“Why are you laughing, Vegeta-san?” Gohan asked, holding his ribs.

 

 

Vegeta stood up slowly, his shirt in tatters and the flesh beneath burned. “That’s more like it,” he said. “I expect to see the same thing out of you tomorrow evening after we clean up the lab. You’re dismissed,” Vegeta said, still chuckling. Gohan looked at him in concern. “I’m fine, baka. Now go change. I’ll go get Trunks and Goten to help you carry the boxes of your things in.”

 

 

He decided to join the children for dinner that night. He rarely ate and never with them, and he figured to dine with all of them would be a good way to evaluate their adjustment. He walked into the kitchen after his shower, pulling a new tank top over his head, and sat down. Videl looked at him in mild surprise. “Hope you made enough for me,” he said.

 

 

“I always do, even if you never show up,” she said in reply. His eyes narrowed at her comment. Was she bothered by his absence? Were they all? He stood up and helped her set the table, glancing at her every so often. He’d thought at first that she’d made the easiest transition into their new life, but seeing the shadows in her eyes he’d have to rethink that. She moved like a ghost through the room, and he noticed how thin she’d become. She warranted watching, he decided. He sat down again just as Trunks and Goten burst through the room. Trunks leaped into the chair next to him, but Goten surprised him by scrambling up into his lap.

 

 

“Vegeta-san!” Goten said cheerfully, and wrapped his arms around Vegeta’s neck. Vegeta’s cheeks colored, and his arms twitched with uncertainty. He sighed; this boy got the least attention from him, and being the youngest he probably needed the most. He wrapped his arms around Goten’s little body and gave him a long squeeze. Goten giggled in delight and nuzzled against Vegeta’s neck.

 

 

“Hey, Papa!” Trunks protested jealously, and climbed out of his own chair and onto Vegeta’s lap. Vegeta opened up his arm so the other boy could join in, and bear-hugged them both. He could feel the strain leaving their little shoulders as he held them, and even his tension gradually left. He heard Gohan enter the room and stand by Videl. He didn’t look at them, giving them a second of privacy.

 

 

Gohan looked at Videl’s face. Her brows were knitted in soft pain and her blue eyes were shadowed as she looked at the two boys cling to Vegeta. “Videl-chan,” Gohan whispered, and laid a hand on her shoulder. She glanced at him, then slowly walked out from under his grip and over to the embracing group. She went over to Vegeta’s side and kneeled, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her face against the arm that was wrapped around Trunks. Vegeta looked at her in surprise, then saw she had her eyes squeezed shut and was shuddering quietly. Suddenly he felt a second set of arms wrap around his waist and he looked down, meeting Gohan’s black eyes. Gohan squeezed him as well. “Thank you, Vegeta-san, for giving us another family,” he whispered. Vegeta unwrapped his arms from around the boys and set a hand on the shoulder of each of the teenagers at his waist. He sighed, shaking his head. Things had certainly changed.

 

 

They ate dinner quickly, everyone wolfing down their meals except for Vegeta and Videl. The three boys chattered incessantly and Vegeta watched them, satisfied. Trunks and Goten were so young that they bounced back in no time, and although Gohan’s eyes were still shadowed, he knew the boy was out of danger. He snuck a glance at Videl. She picked at her food, face sad. He frowned. That wasn’t good. He wouldn’t let Bulma down by permitting Videl to be sad. He knew she’d lost her only parent, but he didn’t really know how to deal with human girls. Bulma didn’t count; she broke the mold, and besides, she was definitely all woman. He looked up and saw the boys were finished with their meals. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he realized it had gotten quite late. He cleared his throat. “Go to bed,” he ordered the boys. “I want you all up at six and practicing together by seven. You two will go against Gohan simultaneously, and I don’t want you to make it easy on him.”

 

 

“Hai, Vegeta-san!” Goten shouted. He climbed down from his chair, put his dishes in the sink, and ran to Vegeta for one final hug before bed.Vegeta hugged the little boy back uneasily, then released him. Trunks was waiting for the next hug.

 

“Don’t wait up for me,” he whispered in the boy’s ear. Although Trunks seemed to be adjusting well, possibly better than he was, to Bulma’s death, the boy still had terrible dreams and had to sleep with him every night. Trunks nodded and scampered away. Gohan walked past him slowly. Vegeta offered his hand. Gohan took it cautiously. “Good work today, Gohan,” he said, and felt warm as the boy grinned. “Now rest up. I won’t be as easy on you tomorrow.” Gohan nodded and left the room. Excellent. Now only he and Videl were left. She sighed and began to gather up the dishes. Vegeta did the same, earning him a strange look. “What?” he snapped. “Aren’t I allowed to help in my own house?” She put the plates back down on the table, hands shaking. A strangled cry broke loose from her throat and tears began to roll down her cheeks. He put his own plates down on the table and watched her cry.

 

 

She finally looked up at him. “He might’ve been a jerk sometimes, but I miss him so much,” she wailed, and ran over to him. He grunted as she collided with him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing like she was trying to break his ribs. He disentangled his arms and hugged her back, letting her sob into his chest. He raised a hand and began to stroke her hair, remembering that such an action had always helped calm Bulma. She had told him once that it was an action that all fathers did for their daughters, and even though Videl wasn’t his daughter, she was his responsibility, and he supposed that was close enough. He stood still until she had cried herself out, pulling away from him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

 

 

“Don’t be. Do what you need to do,” he replied. He cleared his throat and swallowed his pride, then remembered bitterly that he had lost all his pride the second that Bulma died. “You know,” he said, “This wouldn’t work if you weren’t here. You do a great job, and we really need and appreciate you.” He chuckled. “After all, if it were just me we’d probably just be eating raw meat night after night.” She smiled at that and ran a hand under her eye. “But I’m wondering if you’re happy in your role. You know that you’re allowed to train as well, and I know that once Gohan takes over Capsule Corp. he’ll need your help.”

 

 

“I think training with you would help me very much,” she whispered, looking down at the table. He nodded and took the plates from her.

 

 

“Very well, then. Get to bed. You’ll help the boys against Gohan tomorrow.”

 

 

She looked at him in surprise. “Go,” he urged, and she smiled, dashing off to bed. “Females,” he muttered, and began to do the dishes.

 

 

He went upstairs a little while later. The dishes went faster when he used his ki to dry them. He’d have to teach Videl that trick. He was exhausted as he pushed the door to his room open. Trunks was curled up in the middle of the bed, shivering from having knocked all the covers off. Vegeta closed the windows and undressed. He slid into the bed, the motion making Trunks stir. “Mama,” he cried softly, little face awash with pain. “Don’t leave...” he trailed off. Vegeta felt tears spring to his eyes as he curled around his son. Stupid woman. She should have known better than to follow him out onto the battlefield. It was her own damn fault she died. His eyes widened as something occurred to him. Why had she run out to him anyway? She knew her son was somewhere, didn’t she care if she lived? He shuddered as he wondered–had she followed him because she loved him? Had she loved him the whole time? The tears that had risen moments before suddenly began to fall, dampening Trunks’ fine hair. The boy moved and twisted around in his arms. “Papa? Are you okay?” he whispered, shocked to see his father crying.

 

 

“Yes, Trunks. I’m fine. Go back to sleep.”

 

 

The little boy reached out a small hand, wiping some of Vegeta’s tears away. “You don’t look fine,” Trunks replied.

 

 

Vegeta sighed. “I just miss your mom.” He winced. Was he such a weakling that he was admitting emotion to a six-year-old?

 

 

Trunks nodded solemnly. “Me too, Papa. But I’m sure glad I have you,” he said, and rolled over, easing back into sleep.

 

 

“I’m glad I have you too,” Vegeta whispered into the nighttime, and held his son closer.

 

 

A few weeks later he watched them as they trained. Goten and Trunks were sparring, and Videl and Gohan were engaged in an all-out battle. Vegeta nodded as Videl sent several ki balls crashing into Gohan’s chest. The human female was surprisingly strong, and was showing great potential. In fact, all the boys had improved as well. He heard a yell and watched as Videl launched herself into the air and dealt Gohan a vicious blow. The boy scowled and kicked her in the ribs, sending her flying. She crawled out of the crater she had created and shouted again as she sped towards Gohan, who was staring at her in surprise. Vegeta felt something flying at him and raised a hand, snatching it out of the air. He lifted his arm and looked at what he had caught, mildly surprised that it was Goten that he was holding, palming the boy’s head. Goten smiled up at him foolishly. “He’s getting the better of you, Goten,” Vegeta reprimanded, and hurled the boy back at Trunks. He was tiring of watching them. “Enough!” Vegeta shouted, and all the children froze in mid-action. Vegeta folded his arms across his chest. “You’re all doing very well. However, you still need to train harder. But I think that you’re all strong enough that I can afford to leave you for a while. There are some things that I need to check up on, and it may take me a week, maybe two. Until then, carry on as if I was here. If anything happens, I’ll know about it and be back immediately.” He looked at the children one more time and turned, preparing to go.

 

 

He was already a few feet into the air when he heard a shout. “Wait! Vegeta-san!” Videl yelled. “You didn’t bring any food!”

 

 

He turned and smiled at her mockingly. “My planet was destroyed when I was eight years old. I lived for many years as a mercenary and I was raised as a prince. I think I can take care of myself by now,” he said coldly, and continued off into the air.

 

 

“That doesn't’t mean we won’t still worry about you. You’re all we’ve got left,” Gohan said, putting an arm around Videl’s shoulders.

 

 

 

Things had proceeded as normal during Vegeta’s week and a half absence, but everyone was glad to see him as he landed in the backyard. Trunks burst through the back door and wrapped himself around his father’s legs, nearly tripping him. Vegeta reached down and grabbed Trunks by the back of his shirt, hoisting him into the air and squinting at him. “Hmm...this can’t be the worthless little boy I left, can it?” Vegeta mumbled. “Yes, I remember my son being much smaller and weaker.” He set Trunks on the ground and gave him a pat on the rear.

 

 

“I got lots stronger, Papa!” Trunks cried. Goten came running out of the house and hugged Vegeta’s legs as well.

 

 

“Me too, me too!” Goten shouted, causing Vegeta to wince at the volume. Someone would have to teach the boy to speak in a normal tone of voice instead of screaming all the time. He looked up as Gohan and Videl came out of the house as well.

 

 

“How was your trip?” Videl asked.

 

 

“Did you find out anything?” Gohan said, scratching his head.

 

 

Vegeta sighed. “There’s only about a sixth of Earth’s original population left. Those damn androids destroyed just about everything.” The children’s eyes filled with pain. He shook his head. “The ones that are left are doing fine. But they’re going to need Capsule technology if they’re to make it through the winter.” Vegeta gestured at the leaves on the trees, some of which were beginning to fall. “So continue your training for today and we’ll come up with a new plan of action tomorrow.” He pushed past the children into the house. They followed him, and a few minutes later they heard the shower running upstairs. Goten and Trunks went outside to practice, leaving Gohan and Videl alone in the kitchen. They sat down a the table across from one another, looking at each other for long moments.

 

 

“Do you trust him?” Videl said.

 

 

Gohan studied her for a minute. “Yeah,” he said with a laugh. “I do.”

 

 

She frowned. “You know what,” she said, smiling, “I do too. And it seems really strange.”

 

 

Gohan smiled back. “But he’s almost totally different.”

 

 

“I know. Who would’ve ever thought...” she trailed off. Gohan was looking at her, eyes intense. She felt the color rising in her cheeks. He reached across the table and took her hand. She watched in wonder as he slowly raised it to his lips.

“That’s enough of that,” they heard a gruff voice say from the doorway. Gohan turned beet red and let go of Videl’s hand like it was a poisonous snake. They looked over and saw Vegeta leaning against the doorjamb, wearing only his tight navy pants and a towel around his neck. He bare feet padded across the tile as he went to the sink and got a glass of water. Videl’s eyes followed his muscular frame. She figured Vegeta was a very good-looking man, despite the hair, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Gohan would be that muscular if he kept training with Vegeta. She blushed at the thought and lowered her eyes to the table. Vegeta turned to them, sipping the water and crossing his free arm over his stomach. He sighed as he leaned against the counter. “Believe me, I know all about raging hormones, and it’ll do you no good to get an early start,” he said roughly. “Now go out to the gravity room and spar. I have things I need to do around here, and you two still need to get stronger.”

 

 

He watched them go. “Stay children as long as you can,” he whispered, but he knew from the shadows in their eyes that it was already too late.

 

 

He pulled a t-shirt over his head and walked into the lab. Sneezing in the dust, he looked at the cluttered room in dismay. It was only the first room in a maze of labs the building contained, and it was Bulma’s personal space. She had gone here whenever something was bothering her (usually it was him) and tinkered away for hours. Videl had offered to clean the labs some time before, but he just couldn’t bear the thought of anyone touching Bulma’s things, especially her cherished gadgets. He sat down in the computer chair and looked at the dark, dusty screen. He wiped of the screen with a hand, but then recalled Bulma had kept a bucket of clean rags under her desk. He pulled one out and continued to dust off the computer. He then reached out and flicked the machine on, smiling to himself as it hummed to life, wondering just how many hours she had spent in front of this same screen. A box flashed on the screen, asking for a username. He frowned. He could log in as himself, Bulma had taught him how to do that, but he wanted access to her files. He wondered what her username would have been. Cracking his knuckles, he typed in her name. The box flashed “create new user?” and his scowl deepened. So she hadn’t used her own name. He tried various other things, but none of them worked. He swore under his breath. How in the hell was he supposed to get into her computer when he couldn’t even get past the “username” screen? He wasn’t even to the “password” screen yet! He spat in disgust and concentrated, remembering how she was. Something tugged at the edges of his mind, and he decided to try it, just for grins. He typed in “Queen Bitch”. It was what he used to call her, sometimes, when they’d just finished fighting and were about to jump into bed. The screen flashed a thank you and the password came up. He frowned again. What in the hell would she use for a password? He knew she would use something she could remember easily; she had so many passwords she had to be able to keep them straight. He tried several potential passwords, but each time the system booted him out. After an hour of trying to get into the computer he typed the phrase she used whenever she was frustrated at anything mechanical or any person other than Vegeta. “Give me a break,” he muttered as he typed it in. The computer flashed another thank you and began to hum again. He sighed in relief and sank back into the chair while her files loaded. When the humming stopped he looked up and was startled. The screen’s background was a picture of himself with baby Trunks on his back. He smiled sadly and focused on the icons. There were quite a few; her computer desktop was just as messy as her real desktop. “Lessee,” he mumbled, reading off the icons. “Modem line, new experiments, records, test runs, applications, modeling engine, hmm...” he trailed off. There were just too many icons. He randomly clicked on one, opening up the application files. His eyes roved down the list of files when one suddenly caught his interest. There was a word processing file entitled “Diary”. He smiled mischievously and opened the document. Glancing down at the lower left hand corner of the screen he realized the thing was a few hundred pages long. Kami only knew how long she’s been typing the damn thing. He scrolled down to a date two years previous to the present one, and began to read.

 

 

“Had another fight today,” she had written. “He got pissy about some little thing and stormed out of the room like a child. Had to follow him to make sure he didn’t break anything. I went outside and found that he had my aircar raised over his head. I think I screamed as he smashed it on the pavement. He was yelling something about if I didn’t go with him I wasn't going to go at all. I got upset and locked myself in the lab, which is why I’m here writing all of this. I don’t know how I ended up with such a barbarous, violent man. I honestly think he doesn’t care about me or Trunks. I wonder what the real reason behind his staying here is.”

 

 

Vegeta leaned back and frowned. That was not something he wanted to be reminded of. When he thought about it, though, he couldn’t remembered if he’d cared back then. He couldn’t explain why he had stayed. Except that she kept him fed in the kitchen and in bed. But was that the only reason? He scowled. He didn’t feel like reading this. Maybe someday, but not now. He didn’t want to have to feel her pain at the moment. Her death was still too fresh in his mind. He scrolled down to the last few entries. They were dated two days before she died.

 

 

“Vegeta and Goku went out to fight the androids. I hope to god they win and come back to me alive. I don’t want to lose my husband and best friend like this! I fear that Trunks has followed his father; I can’t find him anywhere. I guess that I’m left with no choice. I have to find them, no matter what. I can’t bear the thought of living in a world where Trunks doesn’t survive. Or even Vegeta, for that matter. I hate to admit it, but I think that it would tear me apart if he died. Sure, we fight all the time, but when he’s not here I miss him desperately. Could it be that, after all these years, I’ve actually fallen in love with the bastard? I think so. Which is unfortunate–I doubt he ever thinks of me once he crawls out of bed. Oh well. Love is love, regardless. I just wish I’d had a chance to tell him before he went foolishly into battle.”

 

 

Vegeta fought back tears as he scrolled down to the final entry. “Here goes nothing,” it read. “I’m off to the battlefield with my nanotech disrupter. If it works correctly, and it should, it will disrupt the healing circuits in the androids, as well as fry the relay circuits to their little brains, paralyzing them. Then it will be no problem to defeat the monsters. I called ChiChi to tell her to look after Trunks if anything happens to me, but she wasn’t home. I hope that she’s all right. In any event, I’m off.”

 

 

Vegeta scowled. There was more further down the page. “If all fails, and I’m the only one left to survive, at least I have a chance with 638X2JIDTD.” 638X2JIDTD? What in the hell was that? He closed down the diary and started the “find file” feature, entering the strange code. A file was brought up a few seconds later and Vegeta’s mouth opened in surprise. “638X2J Inter-Dimensional Transport Device,” he read, mouth dry. What had she been planning to do with it? He quickly skimmed the notes and realized that the device was nearly complete when she died. It was apparently located in one of the lab’s sub-basements. He looked at the diagrams. He figured he could probably finish it if he needed to; even though he was no technological genius, he knew more than most people about such things. He had, after all, dealt with the technology of the Saiyans and Freeza’s empire his entire life. A body didn’t use machines every day and not know a few tricks. A smile stretched across his face, eyes narrowing. If he could finish it, how would he use it? He scowled and leaned back in the chair. Endless possibilities stretched before him. He could find Bulma in another dimension, even maybe Kakaroto, as well as bring supplies back to his world. His scowl deepened as he realized that he probably existed in those alternate dimensions as well. He drummed his fingers lightly on the edge of the desk, the forefinger of the opposite hand pressed into his temple as his thumb supported his jaw. He ran the forefinger down his eyebrow absently as he thought. It would be worth any risk to have her back, he decided. He looked at the plans for the device once again before printing them out. Making sure he remembered her username and password, he shut off the computer. Fingering the plan printouts, he wandered down into the subbasements.

 

 

He arrived at the steel door marked 638. Having no patience for codes, he raised a hand and melted the door with a steady beam of energy. Stepping over the cooling metal, he peered into the darkness of the room. He flicked on the lights, annoyed at their high-pitched hum. Surveying the room, he realized that it was larger and far more bare than most of her experimental labs. A computer console was in one corner of the room, and the only other furniture was a steel table in the center of the lab. He noticed the console was covered with a dust-sheet, so she apparently hadn’t been expecting to use the room for some time. He walked over to the table and peered down at it. It was covered with what looked, to him, like useless junk. He studied the papers in his hands once again. Knowing that Bulma’s favorite inventions tended to be circular or spherical in shape, he looked at the table again. The thing to the left must be it. It looked like the dragon radar, but was more like a half-sphere in shape. It still had the stopwatch-like button on the top and a little green screen, but there were other buttons on the face as well. He picked it up carefully, catching the back as it fell off. Turning it over, he examined the wiring inside and gave a low whistle of appreciation. He could do it, he thought, but it might take a while. He had to think this over. Setting the invention back down on the table, he turned out the lights and exited the room.

 

 

 

“So, Gohan, what do you think the people will need most this winter?” Vegeta asked, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest and his eyes shut tight.

 

 

The boy frowned behind the desk. “Well, game is plentiful around here, so they should have ample food, so I guess they’ll need heat and energy,” he said, looking at Vegeta expectantly.

 

 

Vegeta nodded, opening his eyes. “How do we get energy to them?”

 

 

Gohan looked away from Vegeta’s smoldering gaze. Although the man had become considerably kinder, darkness still hovered over him like a thin film. “We should have the manufacturing facility downtown running again in a few days. We create generators there at the factory and encapsulate them. Then we will distribute them.”

 

 

“What will the generators run on in the first place?”

 

 

Gohan frowned again. “Well, Bulma-san created several types, all with propane back-ups. There is a wind-driven generator, a water-driven one, and one that relies upon the repulsion of magnets to get the wheels spinning. I suppose we can spread them out so that each town gets the one best suited for the climate.”

 

 

Vegeta looked at the boy from under heavy brows. “That will do,” he said. “I’m glad you learned how to think. It must’ve been in school because you certainly didn’t inherit it from your father.” His stomach knotted as Gohan paled at his remark. Cursing himself, he forced himself to smile and laugh, passing it off as a joke. Gohan laughed as well, color rushing back into his face. Vegeta sighed in relief. “You’ll have to review the plans and designate which new settlement gets what. That’s what all the papers in front of you are for. While you’re doing that, I’ll be with Videl in the gravity room. Get me if you need me,” he said, and stalked out of the room.

 

 

Gohan sighed and stared at the mountain of paperwork in front of him. He wondered how Bulma had done it all and still had time for family and tinkering. Then again, she had probably had a staff to help her out. Gohan had no such luck. Grasping a pen firmly, he settled down to a good few hours of work.

 

 

Videl rushed at Vegeta, who swatted her out of the way as if she was a fly. “Dammit, girl, you can’t overpower me with a frontal attack. I’m at least twice your weight and forty times your strength!” Vegeta shouted. She moved around to the side and tried to nail him in the ribs. He shook his head and kicked her before she connected. “No, no, no!” he said. “Doing things like that are going to get you killed. Use your goddamn head!”

 

 

She hovered a few feet away from him, frowning. “So what can I do? You’re too strong!” she complained, lips in a pout.

 

 

“Get that stupid look off of your face, for starters. If anyone sees you looking like that they’ll kill you just on the principle.”

 

 

She yelled at him and attacked, angry, but just ended up crashing to the ground. “Crap!” she cried, and pounded her fist against the floor.

 

 

Vegeta sighed. Stupid humans. “Listen,” he growled. “You may be weaker, but you’re also considerably smaller. You should be able to outmaneuver me. My punches are going to carry a lot more momentum – use that against me. I won’t be able to change directions as quickly as you can. Fight smart, girl, not harder. Remember, there isn’t such a thing as a fair battle.”

 

 

Videl nodded, rushing at him again. “Didn’t you learn anything?” he hissed at her, waiting for her punch. He watched as she sped towards him, winding up her arm for the blow. She threw the punch and he began to bat her aside, but as he swung she grabbed onto his arm and rode it, letting him swing her behind him. When she decided she was in position her leg shot out, hitting him at the base of his skull. He jerked forward and turned on her, ignoring the sharp pain in his head. But she wasn’t there. She had crawled between his legs and grabbed his shoulders from behind, driving her knees into his kidneys. He grimaced and spun around as she began to fly away. Grabbing her ankle, he whirled her around like a discus and sent her sailing into the wall. She slid down the wall and came to rest on the floor. “Better,” he said with a nod. She smiled up at him, dazed, and gingerly touched the lump that was starting to raise on the back of her head.

 

 

“I want to get stronger,” she said with desire burning in her voice.

 

 

He smiled. She was good, for a human. “Then this is the place to do it. Just keep raising the gravity gradually so you can adapt, and work out in it until it seems as easy and natural as normal gravity. That’s why this room was built, after all,” he said. She stood slowly. “That’s enough for today,” he said without looking at her and headed for the shower.

 

 

He went to check on Gohan while Videl cooked dinner. The boy was still hunched over a stack of papers, scribbling away. “Damn, boy, what the hell have you been doing?” Vegeta said gruffly.

 

 

Gohan looked up, startled. “I’ve been filling out the paperwork,” he said.

 

 

Vegeta sighed. “You just worked straight through? Every single one?” Gohan nodded. “Dammit, you didn’t have to do that. Prioritize. The northern settlements need attention before the southern ones do because they will be hit by winter sooner. You could’ve done all the northern settlements in a few hours easily, and saved the rest for another time.”

 

 

Gohan looked like he was going to throw up. “How do you know all this?” he said, voice ringed with the beginnings of anger.

 

 

Vegeta smiled. The boy was finally starting to show spirit again. “I told you, I was raised to be a king. Do you think it was all just fun and games?”

 

 

Gohan looked down at the desk. “No...”

 

 

“Good. Now get up. It’s time for dinner,” Vegeta said, and left the room.

 

 

They all sat down to eat. “Papa, guess what we found today!” Trunks cried as he climbed into his chair. Vegeta looked at him expectantly. Trunks reached under the table and pulled out a broad sword. Videl gasped. “Isn’t it great?” he said, unsheathing it. Gohan and Videl looked at Vegeta in alarm.

 

 

“Not at the table,” Vegeta said angrily. “If you want to play with it, you can do it outside after dinner. If you cut off you leg it’s your own damn fault.”

 

 

Goten squealed. “Trunks got in trouble!” he sang.

 

 

“You’re just jealous ‘cause I found it first!” Trunks yelled.

 

 

“Am not!” Goten said angrily.

 

 

“Are too!” Trunks screamed.

 

 

“Am not!”

 

 

The two boys flinched as the plates jumped, a consequence of Vegeta pounding the table with a fist. “Stop it right now,” Vegeta said, voice dangerously quiet. The boys paled and immediately settled down. “That’s better,” he muttered, and commenced stuffing himself. Gohan and Videl looked at one another. Vegeta seemed to be gradually returning to his old self, at least in part.

 

 

After dinner Gohan and Videl cleared the table and Vegeta went to go down to the labs. Goten ran after the older Saiyan, wrapping himself around his leg. “I’m sorry, Vegeta-san,” the little boy said sadly. “Please don’t be mad!”

 

 

Vegeta’s features softened. “I’m not mad, Goten,” he said, and picked up the boy. “I just want you to have some manners. You’re not supposed to shout at the table.”

 

 

“Okay,” Goten said, rubbing his runny nose. Vegeta sighed and wiped the boy’s nose with the back of his glove. Goten laughed and threw his arms around Vegeta’s neck.

 

 

“Papa, me too!” Trunks cried from the ground, arms outstretched. Vegeta picked up his son, both boys now resting on his shoulders.

 

 

“Bedtime for you two,” Vegeta said, and bounced. They boys giggled madly as they tried not to fall off, fists digging into Vegeta’s tower of hair. Gohan and Videl smiled as the three walked off down the hallway, the boy’s cries of glee fading with distance.

 

 

Gohan and Videl sank their hands into the soapy water at the same time, accidentally touching. They both blushed, and tried to ignore one another as they wiped the plates and glasses clean. Gohan dried as Videl put the plates away, both reaching for the last item simultaneously. His hand covered hers, and they blushed again, but this time he didn’t draw back. In fact, he grasped her hand more firmly and pulled her towards him. She let herself be pulled, lowering her eyelids as his arms slid around her waist. She closed her eyes and felt his soft lips press against hers, then sprung away as someone cleared their throat.

 

 

“Ahem,” Vegeta said from the doorway, looking at the floor. He studied the two teenagers thoughtfully. “I think you can start sleeping in your own room, Videl. If you have any bad dreams, come to me and we’ll talk. You’re both nearly adults, after all, and I don’t think your parents would approve, had they lived. Now go to bed.”

 

 

He watched them carefully as they trudged up the stairs and to their separate rooms. He followed Gohan down the hall, waiting in the doorway until the boy noticed him. “You like her, eh?” Vegeta said quietly. Gohan’s face reddened and he nodded. “I assume your father talked to you about...things...”

 

 

“No, but Okaasan did,” Gohan said, looking at the floor.

 

 

“Than I don’t need to tell you that you’re still awfully young. It can be easy to fall into someone’s arms when times are hard, but it can just make things more difficult in the long run,” Vegeta said. He had gotten involved with Bulma for just that reason, and then there came Trunks. Gohan nodded again. “Just thought I’d tell you,” Vegeta said with a shrug, and began to leave. He turned at the last moment. “Gohan,” he said quietly, “I trust you. I know you have enough honor to do the right thing.” With that he left, shutting the door behind him. He never thought he’d be lecturing Kakaroto’s son on how to deal with females! Chuckling, he began to make his way down to the lab.

 

 

He rubbed his eyes as the tiny wires started to blur together. He stared at the diagram, trying to figure out what the next step was. The thing was nearly finished, and he’d hate to screw up when he was so close. He sighed and fitted the last wire into place. Snapping the back on, he held the little device in the palm of his hand. The green button would send him to the other dimension, and the red button would bring him back. The device was supposed to automatically lock on to his original dimension, but just in case there was a manual back-up memory chip. He studied the screen. He would leave tomorrow for whatever random dimension he could. Hopefully it would be a place where the dragonballs still existed. Then he’d do whatever it took to bring the balls back and wish Bulma and her friends to life. He checked the wiring one more time and laid the device down on the table.

 

 

 

“Gohan,” Vegeta said before the boy entered the kitchen. “Goten told me today was your seventeenth birthday.” He held out his closed fist. “Open your hand,” he ordered, and Gohan slowly did what he asked. A strand of beads and two torn wristbands fell into his palm. Vegeta looked at him solemnly. “These are your parents’. I knew you’d want something to remember them by, but didn’t want to give it to you until you were ready.”

 

 

“Vegeta-san,” Gohan choked, eyes filling with tears. Vegeta looked at him, face unreadable. “Thank you, Vegeta-san!” Gohan cried, throwing his arms around Vegeta. The older man tensed in Gohan’s grip, silently praying that the boy let him go soon. Such affection was embarrassing. Gohan squeezed him one more time and released him. Vegeta let out the breath he had been holding.

 

 

“What you need to do today is get out those northern settlement forms and make sure the generators are being manufactured. Then I’m turning the household over to you. I’m leaving today on a journey of indefinite length.”

 

 

Gohan looked at him in surprise. “Where are you going?”

 

 

Vegeta shot him a look that put a stop to any sort of questioning. “It doesn’t matter. What is important is that you make sure everyone is taken care of. I won’t be able to be in touch or able to bail you out of any problems. You’ll have to handle anything that comes up on your own. And in case I don’t come back...” Vegeta paused and handed Gohan a set of keys. “These are the master keys to every single room in Capsule Corp. If I’m not back in four months it means something has happened and I’m probably never coming home. If that does happen, tell Trunks that I love him and take care of him like he was your own brother. Understand?” Vegeta said coldly.

 

 

Gohan nodded. “I’ll do my best,” he said.

 

 

“You had better. I advise you to make sure everyone trains as hard as they can, just in case.”

 

 

“Yes, Vegeta-san.”

 

 

Vegeta looked at the boy for a moment, wondering if Gohan could handle it. Kakaroto had put a lot of faith in the boy, and so he supposed he could as well. Everything would be fine. He turned and headed for the sub-basement.

 

 

Vegeta picked up the dragon radar and slipped it inside of his breastplate. He stretched to accustom himself to the armor once again. It had been a long time. Gripping the transport device in his hand, he slid the memory chip into its slot, pushed the green button, and held his breath as the room dissolved around him.

 

 

 

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Bulma busily tapped information into the console as soon as she received it. It had been a busy few days since her spies had infiltrated the palace. Or rather, been sold to the palace. She frowned, damning all Saiyans once again. She’d get them all off of her planet if it was the last thing she did.

 

 

A quiet humming noise broke her concentration. She looked around, but she was alone in the room, except for Piccolo, who was still unconscious and hooked up to various machines. The humming noise got louder. It was coming from right in front of her, just on the other side of the console! Her eyes widened as a hazy light appeared, pulsating at first, then forming into an almost man-like shape...

Suddenly a strange man dressed in Saiyan armor stood in front of her, scowling and blinking rapidly. She let out a bloodcurdling scream and backed up, trying to escape while keeping her eyes on the stranger.

 

 

The man’s black eyes focused on her. “Bulma?” he asked quietly. He began to move around the edge of the console toward her.

 

 

She groped around on the counter behind her, finally grabbing the blaster she had put there earlier. She pointed it at the man and placed her finger on the trigger. “Stay back, Saiyan scum, or I’ll shoot!”

 

 

The man snorted, taking an object from his hand and clipping it to the waist of his armor. “Go ahead, woman, shoot me,” he said quietly as he continued to walk toward her. She screamed and opened fire, gasping as her beams bounced off of an invisible surface. He reached out and took the blaster gently from her hand, crushing it into dust with his fist. His other hand reached behind her and wrapped around her waist, pulling her to him. She shook in his arms, wanting to squeeze her eyes shut but trapped in his smoldering black gaze. He raised his hand and she flinched, expecting a blow, but instead he reached up and brushed aside some stray hairs. “Bulma,” he whispered. “Don’t you have a Vegeta in this world?”

 

 

She trembled more violently in his arms. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, you Saiyan bastard!” she hissed. Then it struck her: she hadn’t seen a tail.

 

 

“You are a Saiyan, aren’t you?”

 

 

He chuckled, a rumbling sound, and traced the line of her jaw with a forefinger. “I am the Saiyan prince. The most powerful Saiyan of them all.”

 

 

“Then you’re the fucker responsible for Nappa and Radditz?”

 

 

“Eh?” he said, scowl deepening. His hands moved up to her shoulders. “Who did you say?”

 

 

She tore away from his grasp. “Nappa and Radditz. Where the hell have you been?”

 

 

He reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it uncomfortably tight. “Where’s Kakaroto?” he said, voice menacing.

 

 

“I don’t know who you’re talking about!” she cried, fear rising in her throat.

 

 

“I think you might have called him Goku,” the man said.

 

 

“Goku? How did you know him?” she hissed.

 

 

“What do you mean, ‘did’?” the man growled, pulling her slowly but firmly closer to him.

 

 

“Nappa killed him as soon as they got here!”

 

 

“They?”

 

 

“Nappa and Radditz!”

 

 

“There wasn’t a third Saiyan?”

 

 

“No! Only the two of them. They landed, killed Goku, Kuririn, Yamcha, and the others, and then took over the planet!”

 

 

The man released her abruptly, teeth bared. “You’d better sit down and tell me your life story,” he snarled.

 

 

“Only if you tell me who the hell you are and where you came from first,” she snapped.

 

 

To her surprise, he smiled. “Very well. I am Prince Vegeta of the Saiyajin. I traveled to Earth some years ago with my subject Nappa to recover the dragonballs and take revenge on Radditz’s killer, the man you know as Goku. Unfortunately I had to dispose of Nappa once he was beaten in a battle with Goku. Then I fought Goku myself, but he nearly defeated me as well. I went to Nameksei to recover the dragonballs there, having killed the Namek on Earth. There I encountered Goku and was killed by the evil alien Freeza. I was wished back to life and transported to Earth, where I met my dimension’s version of you and had a family. Nearly a year ago everything I cared about was destroyed, including my Bulma and Goku. I was left with Bulma’s and my child, Trunks, as well as Goku’s two sons and a girlfriend of theirs. I found the plans for an inter-dimensional transport device and decided to travel to another dimension, hopefully one where the dragonballs still existed. So here I am. Hand over the dragonballs.”

 

 

Bulma looked at him in disbelief. “You mean Radditz and Nappa were killed?”

 

 

“In my dimension, yes.”

 

 

Her mouth dropped open, then shut as she pursed her lips in anger. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” she shouted.

 

 

He smiled again and reached into his armor, pulling something out and handing it to her. “Take a look,” he muttered.

 

 

She opened her hand. It was a gold chain, with two golden rings and a locket on it. She examined the rings. One had her name engraved on it and

 

the other had the word “Vegeta”. She frowned and carefully opened the locket. A few strands of blue hair fell out, and the locket had a picture of herself, the man that stood before her, and a lavender-haired baby in it. She looked from the picture to the man in front of her. There was no mistaking it. He had to be telling the truth. “Fine,” she said, and handed the objects back to him.

 

 

“Your turn. Mind telling me what I’ve stumbled into?” Vegeta said.

 

 

She cleared her throat nervously. “About ten years ago, two aliens landed on our planet, calling themselves Nappa and Radditz. They said they were looking for Kakaroto to join them on a mission to destroy a planet somewhere. Goku, of course, refused, and so they kidnapped Gohan. Goku still wouldn’t comply, so they killed him and Gohan, then took out everyone except for Piccolo. They enslaved me and ChiChi, but I managed to escape. I’ve been leading the resistance movement ever since, but the Saiyajin are so much stronger that it’s been nearly impossible, especially now that they’ve managed to find reinforcements. How do I know that you’re not one of them, especially if you’re a Saiyan prince?”

 

 

“Trust me, if I existed in this world you’d know. I was stronger than Nappa and Radditz by far back then. If I was on their side I’d be ruling this planet,” the man that called himself Vegeta said. He came towards her once again and she cowered, causing his scowl to deepen. “You’re so much like her,” he whispered, reaching out to touch her once again.

 

 

She tried to relax but just couldn’t. “How did she die?”

 

 

His features tightened and for a moment she was afraid he was going to strike her. “She died trying to save my life,” he murmured, and left it at that. He retrieved his hand and balled it into a fist. “And those two bastards, betraying me like that...Say, woman, do you need any help with your rebellion?” he said, face twisting into a malevolent smile.

 

 

She looked at him suspiciously. “What?”

 

 

“I have no qualms about killing those that are weaker than I,” he said with a mirthless laugh. “In fact, I should go blow their whole home up right now.” He began to walk towards the door.

 

 

“No!” she cried, desperately reaching out a hand.

 

 

He stopped and turned to her, eyes dangerous. “Why not?”

 

 

“ChiChi’s in the palace with them! She might get hurt.”

 

 

“Why in the hell is she in the palace?”

 

 

“Didn’t you listen to anything I’ve said?” she cried. “She’s their slave, just like I was,” she murmured, eyes growing hard. She felt arms drawing her near and she looked up, surprised to see him. He had moved so quickly she hadn’t been able to detect his movements.

 

 

“Fine, Bulma, I won’t do anything until you tell me to,” he murmured into her hair. She let herself cry into his chest for a moment, then tore herself away.

 

 

“Right now our priority is getting Piccolo well again. He was damaged very badly in his last fight against Radditz,” she said, gesturing to the gurney behind her.

 

 

Vegeta’s mouth turned down slightly at the edges. “Why don’t you throw him in a rejuvenation tank?”

 

 

“A what?”

 

 

Vegeta sighed. “I see we have some work to do,” he said quietly.

 

 

They passed the next two days constructing the tank. Luckily this dimension’s Bulma was just as much of a genius as the other, or they never would have finished. Soon Piccolo was floating gently in the nutrient fluid. “How do you know such things?” Bulma asked as she pressed her hands to the glass.

 

 

“Picked it up along the way,” he muttered. “Now that he’s healing, what’s the plan?”

 

 

“We have to wait. I’m still waiting to hear from some of my satellite units.”

 

 

“Fine. I’ll do some exploring,” he said, and turned to leave.

 

 

“Wait,” she called out after him. “They’ll spot you right away and ruin our whole plan. Wear this instead,” she said, holding out a coarse black garment. He shrugged and took it from her, undressing before her eyes. She stared at him in shock, then quickly averted her gaze.

 

 

“What’s the matter?” he said, smiling. “Don’t like what you see?”

 

 

“No...” she said, eyes traveling back to his body. She couldn’t recall ever seeing so many muscles before. She was sort of disappointed when he slid the black shirt on over his head. The color suited him. She realized he would probably be picked out anyway. His posture was anything but slave-like. “Just don’t go mucking up my plans, ok?” she asked.

 

 

He smiled mischievously. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, and walked out of the room.

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

“Gohan-chan, what is that?” Videl asked, tugging on his sleeve.

 

 

Gohan shaded his eyes and looked towards the horizon. “I don’t know,” he said, frowning. He set down the hoe he had been using in the garden and squinted into the distance. “It almost looks like a person flying, but we’re the only ones left who can do that.” He switched his senses to detect ki and scanned the sky. There was no mistaking it now, the thing flying towards them definitely was humanoid, but completely lacked a ki signature. Gohan’s eyes widened in horror and he grabbed Videl roughly by the wrist. “Get the boys and go to where Otousan is buried NOW,” he said quietly. “I’ll join you later.”

 

 

“What? Gohan, what’s...” she began.

 

 

“Jinzouningen,” he whispered. “Leave now.”

 

 

Videl gasped. There couldn’t be more, could there? The look on Gohan’s face made her blood run cold. Without further hesitation she ran inside and grabbed the two boys. They struggled and protested, but she held onto them tightly and took off into the sky.

 

 

Gohan watched them go. He slowly rose into the air, hoping to draw the android away from Capsule Corp. If the building was destroyed the hopes of repairing the world would go with it. He gritted his teeth and rushed to meet the android head-on.

 

 

 

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Vegeta looked around him, giving a low whistle at what he saw. The place was almost an exact reproduction of the capital city of Vejitasei. The tall buildings seemed to reach for the sky, but the people below kept their eyes on the ground and their heads down. He had had to crawl through the sewers to exit Bulma’s stronghold, but he didn’t really mind. Radditz and Nappa would never have looked down there for her. He figured they couldn’t even locate her without the scouters, and they probably couldn’t with so many humans around. Even if they did try and find her, they never would have looked in the sewers. Nappa was an elite, and Radditz probably thought he was, and neither would have been caught dead near the sewers. The city was meticulously clean, for example. Even now he could see several people, dressed in black as he was, keeping the streets clean. He couldn’t help but be a little proud of his fellow Saiyans. They had done a tidy job of taking over this weakling planet. The Earthlings probably surrendered after a few hundred of their cities were destroyed. Freeza probably hadn’t bothered to try and take Earth for himself; after all, it was a sound plan to have Radditz and Nappa out of his way. Earth would hold no value for one such as Freeza. As Vegeta looked around he recognized a few alien races that were normally in Freeza’s employ; it seemed the evil Freeza had even sent reinforcements to aid the two Saiyans. Vegeta smiled to himself. Freeza had known that he would be the troublesome Saiyan all along, the only one among them that wasn’t content having one measly planet to rule. He had wanted them all, at one point in time. Did he still? He saw some sentries look at him suspiciously, and he lowered his head. If he wanted the dragonballs he had to stick to Bulma’s plan.

 

 

He had located the palace and was heading near it. He may as well be familiar with the area if he was going to destroy the traitors later. He scanned the area with his senses. There were two powers, one considerably larger than the other. Those had to be Radditz and Nappa. There were also a lot of little powers, but he just assigned those to Freeza’s thugs. But there was a large power, dwarfing the others...could it be Freeza? He shuddered at the possibility. He was far stronger than he had been on Namek, but Goku had been stronger still and had a difficult time defeating the evil alien. Sweat broke out on his brow. The dragonballs were still active in this dimension–what would happen if Freeza got his hands on them? Freeza’s power, although high, was still not enough for an immortal. So Freeza hadn’t made a wish yet. Speaking of wishes, why hadn’t Bulma wished Goku and the others back? It was far too late to do so now, but there was no reason not to many years ago. The time element reminded him that he only had a few more months before that year was up for his Bulma and the others. He had seen enough. Careful to avoid detection, he slipped back down into the sewers and hurried back to the base.

 

 

 

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“What in the hell do you want?” Gohan shouted.

 

 

The pretty young woman looked at him with a cold smile on her face. “My mission is to destroy all Saiyans left. My two younger brothers have obviously failed.”

 

 

Gohan stared angrily into her icy blue eyes. “Well, here I am. What are you waiting for?”

 

 

“My data shows two other living half-Saiyans on the planet at this time. They are also part of my mission.” She turned in the direction he knew Videl had taken the boys. She began to fly away, but Gohan stepped in front of her.

 

 

“You’ll have to go through me,” he growled, arms spread wide.

 

 

She laughed softly, a emotionless, grating noise. “My pleasure,” she replied, and closed in on him.

 

 

 

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“We may not have time for your plan,” a deep voice said behind her.

 

 

She turned around, startled, and saw the new Saiyan standing in the doorway. She tore herself away from the screen that monitored Piccolo’s vital signs and sighed.

 

 

“What now?”

 

 

He folded his arms across his chest. “Freeza’s here.”

 

 

“Freeza?”

 

 

“A power-hungry maniac after immortality and universal domination. He must be here for the dragonballs,” he said, walking over to her.

 

 

She stumbled to the nearest chair and sat down wearily. “Bastards,” she whispered, putting a hand to her forehead.

 

 

“Why didn’t you use the dragonballs to resurrect Kakaroto all those years ago?” he demanded.

 

 

She scowled and looked at him. “Because Radditz and Nappa got to them first. How else do you think the entire human race was enslaved?”

 

 

Vegeta looked a little surprised. “They didn’t just fight to take it over?”

 

 

“No, of course not. Would you get your hands dirty if you didn’t have to?” she snapped. She saw anger flash in his dark eyes, and she reminded herself that this was a Saiyan she was dealing with.

 

 

“Where are the dragonballs now?” he asked, voice a little too quiet. Leave it to Radditz and Nappa to make such a stupid wish when all the powers of the universe had been within their reach.

 

 

She smiled evilly. “Radditz and Nappa have five of them. I have one and Piccolo has the other.”

 

 

Vegeta looked over at the unconscious Namekian in the tank. “Where’s his?”

 

 

Bulma pointed at her stomach. “He absorbed it into his abdomen. They’d have to kill him to get it, and if he dies, so do the dragonballs.”

 

 

Vegeta smiled back at her. “That’s my Bulma,” he said. “Excellent. I will defeat these monsters for you on one condition: you hand all the dragonballs, as well as Piccolo and Kami, over to me.”

 

 

“What?” she cried, gripping the arms of her chair angrily. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” The chair creaked in protest and she stiffened with rage. “How do I know I can trust you not to wish to be ruler of the earth or immortal or something?”

 

 

“If I wanted to rule your pitiful little planet I would have done so long ago,” he hissed. He was starting to get angry. “Consent to my wishes or I just might have to destroy you anyway!”

 

 

She bared her teeth at him. “I don’t have much choice, do I?” she hissed.

 

 

He shook his head, the mocking smile not leaving his face. “No. I am the most powerful Saiyan in the universe. You would have no hope against me.”

 

 

She slumped back in her chair. “Fine, then. Do whatever the hell you want. Just make sure that all my people are out of there before you start blasting or doing whatever the hell you do.”

 

 

“Very well,” he said, and stormed out of the room.

 

 

 

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“Oniisan!” Goten cried. “He’s in trouble!”

 

 

Videl put a hand on his shoulder, holding him back. “No, Goten, he told us to stay here.”

 

 

“Goten’s right!” Trunks shouted. “We have to go help! Papa would want us to help!”

 

 

Videl sighed. “I already said you can’t!”

 

 

Goten looked at her viciously. “Gohan may like you, but you’re not my mom!” he screamed, taking off in a blaze of yellow aura. Trunks stuck his tongue out at her and left as well.

 

 

She watched them for a few seconds before following them. She had to make sure they were okay, after all.

 

 

They arrived to find Gohan locked in deadly combat with a slender blonde woman. He had already taken a few serious hits and was bleeding from a head wound. Goten screamed as the woman sank a fist in Gohan’s stomach, blood squirting in a fine stream from his mouth. He used the momentum of her punch to roll over, pounding the underside of her jaw with his heels. Her head snapped backwards and Gohan uttered a short, barking laugh. The blonde’s head jerked upright, a mirthless smile on her face. Gohan’s eyes widened in surprise and the woman kicked him in the side of the face. He tried to roll away with the impact, but she bent down and grabbed his ankle, pulling him in so his own weight forced his crotch to connect with her fist. He yowled in agony, stunned as he doubled over and began his descent to the earth. She followed his fall and got underneath him, kicking him in the spine with her heels. He traveled upward, and she was suddenly above him, fists clenched together and raised over her head. She brought her fists down square in his face and let him tumble to the ground. Dust rose as he formed a crater.

 

 

“Gohan!” Videl screamed, face a mask of rage. She rushed in at the woman, who waited for her in a relaxed stance. She had seen that stance before; Vegeta had used that one of the last times she practiced with him. She veered away at the last second and sent a beam of ki at the woman, disappearing behind her own beam and circling around. The woman raised her hands to block the beam and Videl struck from behind. “Trunks! Goten!” Videl yelled, grabbing the woman’s ankles and beginning to spin her around. She let the woman loose, Trunks and Goten closing in on the sailing figure. They nailed her from different directions, puncturing her skins. The boys heard bone crunch as they connected and were confused.

“I thought this was supposed to be an android!” Trunks shouted.

 

 

“But her arm broke!” Goten continued.

 

 

Videl shook her head, indicating that she didn’t know what was going on. She held out her hands and the two boys rushed over to her, each grabbing a hand. They plummeted towards the woman’s form lying on the earth. Powering up, they let loose a single feral scream and buried all their feet into her midsection. The woman screamed and coughed up blood, but grabbed Videl’s ankles and bit savagely into her calf. Videl roared in pain and fury and buried her knee in the woman’s face. Trunks and Goten grabbed the woman’s arms and flew towards each other. They heard more bones snap. Satisfied, the three floated up a few feet in the air to examine their handiwork. They stared in horror as the woman got up slowly. “Fools,” the woman spat. “Don’t you know that you are no match for me? I promise, we will meet again!” she cried, raising her broken arms. With a yell there was a flash of light. Videl closed her eyes and covered those of the boys. When they could see again, the android was gone.

 

 

“Where did she go?” Goten asked, tugging on Videl’s shirt.

 

 

Videl shrugged, running a hand through her hair. “I have no idea. But she’ll be back and we don’t dare return to Capsule Corp. We’ve gotta get Gohan and find a place to hide,” she said, and the three of them flew to where they had last seen Gohan fall.

 

 

 

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Vegeta watched the spaceship take off. Good. That meant that Freeza was going on a little trip, giving Vegeta the perfect opportunity to exact his revenge on his mutinous fellow Saiyans. Standing as tall as he could, he strode towards the gate of the castle. He had remembered to don his Saiyan armor, and smiled as the guards looked at him in confusion. “Who goes there?” one of the guards asked nervously.

 

 

“Prince Vegeta of Vejiitasei.”

 

 

“There is no prince!” the other guard cried, and opened fire with his blaster. Vegeta dodged the beam easily and grabbed the guard’s throat, slowly squeezing until the neck broke. Vegeta licked his lips as the man’s life faded, glancing expectantly at the other guard.

 

 

“Are you next?” the prince said as he smiled maliciously. The guard yelled and rushed him. Vegeta punched him as hard as he could, his fist exiting out the backside of the guard’s tense body. The guard gasped, spitting blood, and went limp. Vegeta shook the body off distastefully. “I guess so,” he said with a laugh. Aiming at the iron gates he let loose a gigantic beam of energy, not only blowing away the gates but the entire roadway up to the castle doors. Laughing maniacally, he followed his own destruction up to the palace.

 

 

He opened the metal doors with a single well-placed kick, sending the metal slabs inward and hearing them land on bodies. He laughed again, having forgotten how much fun it was to slaughter people senselessly. He grabbed one of the soldiers and brought him close, sending him a burning stare. “Where’s Radditz?” he hissed to the soldier.

 

 

“In his bed chamber!” the guard stuttered, pointing up the stairs.

 

 

“Which is where?”

 

 

“Third door on the right!” the guard choked. Vegeta nodded in thanks and crushed his skull with his hand, proceeding to fly up the stairs.

He reached the ornate door and looked at the fancy metalwork with disgust. Leave it to Radditz to overdo it. He summoned a bit of ki and waited until his fist was glowing to punch in the door, sending splinters of wood everywhere. When the smoke cleared he entered the room with a long, low laugh.

 

 

Radditz was climbing off the bed and wrapping a sheet around his waist, eyes wide open in shock. A shivering, sobbing woman lay in the center of the bed, curled up into a ball. Vegeta walked through the smoke and fixed his smoldering black stare on Radditz. He said nothing, but surveyed the room carefully. There were several women in the room, mostly chained and some unconscious. He looked more closely at the woman on the bed. Scared black eyes glanced at him. He realized with a start that the woman was ChiChi. Long white scars ran down her back and her pale skin was covered with bruises. Vegeta felt an indignant rage rise within him. “Is this what they taught you in the Academy?” he hissed at Radditz. “To rape and beat women?”

 

 

Radditz’s mouth moved uselessly in shock. “You...you’re...” he spluttered.

 

 

“I’m what, Radditz? Supposed to be dead?” Vegeta cackled, throwing back his head and putting his hands on his hips. “Do you honestly think that third-class scum like you could do away with me?”

 

 

“You’ll die now, you arrogant bastard!” Radditz shouted, face contorted with fear and rage. “We’ve gotten much stronger since we saw you last!”

 

 

Vegeta laughed again, watching Radditz put on his trousers and noting the tail enviously. Radditz turned to face him and lowered into a fighting crouch. Vegeta smiled cruelly as he realized that Radditz had forgotten to wrap his tail around his waist. Radditz moved in for the attack, Vegeta dodging him easily and punching him in the temple. “You’re too slow, scum!” Vegeta snickered. Radditz turned on him in fury. Vegeta darted in, sinking a thumb into Radditz’s eye. The bigger man screamed in pain, blood running down his cheek. “Ooo,” Vegeta mocked. “Did I ruin your dark good looks?” Radditz roared and charged again. “You just don’t get smarter, do you?” He moved behind him and grabbed his tail, twisting it mercilessly. Radditz fell to his knees with a howl. “Look at this, ladies,” Vegeta shouted to the woman around the room. “Now’s when you get your revenge!” His eyes burned with evil delight as he began to strip the tail of its hair. Radditz screamed in agony, his nails dragging across the stone floor, leaving a bloody trail. Vegeta took the tail between his two hands and alternately stretched it and tied it in knots, feeling the bones crush in his grip. The women stared at him in shock. “This is for abusing these women,” Vegeta hissed in Radditz’s ear, giving the tail another cruel twist. Radditz was in so much pain he could do nothing but croak. “And this is for me!” Vegeta cried, and pulled on the tail with all his might. The appendage came off in Vegeta’s hand and tears ran down Radditz’s face. Vegeta kicked the bigger Saiyan over onto his back. “Say goodbye, traitorous dog,” he spat, aiming his finger at Radditz’s chest.

 

 

“No, Vegeta-sama! No!” Radditz screamed.

 

 

Vegeta smiled and licked his lips. “Bang,” he said coldly. A thin beam of light shot from his index finger and pierced Radditz, who gave a jerk and lay still. Vegeta kicked the body, feeling Radditz’s ki wink out of existence. “You weren’t even worthy of the name Saiyan,” he muttered. He tore his attention away from the fallen man and looked around the room. Going over to the bed, he gathered ChiChi into his arms. She screamed and tried to escape, but he held her in his lap. “Shh...” he murmured. “It’s okay now. No one’s ever going to hurt you again.” She shuddered in his embrace and started to cry into his chest. He rocked her for a little while, letting her work out her pain and frustration. When she quieted down he removed his bloody gloves from her naked body and helped her stand up. “Find some clothes and get out of here as quickly as you can,” he said, going around the room and releasing the women. “Run!” he shouted, herding them out the door. He watched as they fled down the stairs and into the main hallway, picking off any soldiers that tried to hinder their passage. After he saw them run out the main entrance he closed his eyes and focused. Radditz had been pitifully easy to take out, but he had enjoyed himself nonetheless. He felt the other large power emanating from where the throne room should be. He jumped down back to the main floor and strode purposefully to the throne room, silently killing soldiers as he passed.

 

 

When he reached the door of the throne room he politely knocked, waiting for an answer. “Enter,” he heard a deep voice command. Smiling, Vegeta slowly opened the door and walked silently into the room. The large man’s back was to him as Vegeta walked down the red carpet, stopping a few feet short of the steps up to the throne. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited a moment before speaking. “Hello, Nappa,” he said quietly, watching approvingly as the big man stiffened. Nappa turned slowly to face him, his eyes wide with shock. “Long time no see.”

 

 

“Prince Vegeta!” Nappa hissed through clenched teeth.

 

 

“You look surprised to see me,” Vegeta said, a false expression of disappointment on his face.

 

 

“But...but you’re dead!”

 

 

“Now why would you think something foolish like that?” Vegeta asked coolly.

 

 

“I saw your pod explode with my own eyes!”

 

 

“And how did that happen, Nappa? I think you have some explaining to do. And I want the truth,” Vegeta said, voice low and eyes narrowing dangerously.

 

 

“When we came to get Kakaroto to help us with the takeover of that planet, Radditz decided that if you were out of the way we could take over the universe ourselves. So he sabotaged your pod to explode as we traveled to earth. It was all him, I swear!” Nappa said, sweat running down the side of his face.

 

 

“That’s good, then, considering I already killed Radditz,” Vegeta said, pretending to examine his nails. He noticed Nappa tremble as he spotted the blood all over Vegeta’s gloves.

 

 

“No, Vegeta!” Nappa screamed.

 

 

“Now what in the hell are you so afraid of?” Vegeta snapped. “Have you become soft in your years here on Earth? This is a very unbecoming way for a Saiyan elite warrior like yourself to behave!”

 

 

“Honestly, Vegeta, I had nothing to do with it!” Nappa cried.

 

 

“Good, then. You’ll get to die quickly,” Vegeta cackled.

 

 

“No!” Nappa howled, getting ready to defend himself.

 

 

“There will be no defense!” Vegeta hissed, eyes narrowing as he burst immediately into Super-Saiyan mode.

Nappa howled and scrambled backward. Vegeta bounded towards him, closing the distance in seconds. His hands glowed with ki and he shoved them in Nappa’s face. With a screech he powered up and let the ki explode. Nappa’s body dropped, lifeless and headless, to the ground. Vegeta smacked his hands together as if he was brushing off dirt and dropped down from Super-Saiyan. He sat on the throne and waited for Freeza to return, as he surely would once he felt the massive extinguishing of kis.

 

 

 

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“Gohan! Gohan, wake up!” Videl hissed urgently. Gohan’s eyelids fluttered open.

 

 

“What?” he muttered, wanting to go back to sleep.

 

 

“The Jinzouningen! Are you okay?” she said, shaking his shoulder.

 

 

He tried to sit up and failed. He was hurt badly. “No,” he groaned.

 

 

Videl’s lips pressed into a white line. “Damn.”

 

 

“Why?”

 

 

“She’s coming back. We have no idea where Vegeta is and I don’t know if Trunks, Goten, and I can take her alone.”

 

 

“I’ll fight if she shows up,” he said, and tried to rise again.

 

 

“You can’t even sit up!” she cried, supporting his shoulders.

 

 

“Let me go!” he snapped, shrugging her off. “You don’t know what I can and can’t do!”

 

 

She looked at him, blue eyes damaged by his remarks.

 

 

He sighed. “Where are the boys?”

 

 

“Outside keeping watch,” she said, lowering her gaze to the ground. He propped himself up on one elbow, grimacing with the pain.

 

 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

 

 

“Whatever,” she murmured, looking away from him. He reached up and put a hand on her cheek, drawing her down to him. He kissed her deeply.

 

 

“I mean it,” he said quietly, kissing her again. She made a little noise of assent and put her arms around his neck. They were interrupted as Goten and Trunks tumbled into the little cave, breathless.

 

 

“She found us!” Goten wheezed.

 

 

“And she brought a friend!” Trunks added, putting his hands on his knees.

 

 

“Shit,” Gohan spat, and stood up slowly. “I just want you guys to know that I care about all of you,” he said, and began to stumble towards the entrance.

 

 

 

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Vegeta smiled as Freeza’s eyes widened at the sight of him sitting on the throne.

 

 

“Vegeta!” Freeza hissed.

 

 

“So, Freeza, did you put them up to sabotaging my pod?” Vegeta asked, voice thick with ice.

 

 

Freeza shook, livid with rage. “How did you survive?”

 

 

“You knew that I was a threat, didn’t you? You understood that I was the only Saiyan that was capable of someday overpowering you. So you destroyed my home planet to ensure I had no back up and took me into your employ. Then, when you realized that my ambition was still growing, you had me disposed of! That will not be tolerated,” Vegeta said with a haughty wave of dismissal.

 

 

“Saiyan slime!” Freeza hissed.

 

 

Vegeta sighed and stood up slowly. “What a joke.”

 

 

“So you’re entertained, are you?” Freeza said, voice full of daggers.

 

 

Vegeta snorted. “Immensely.” He began to growl, voice escalating as he gathered power. Freeza’s eyes widened as Vegeta’s aura seemed to explode and his hair ignited. Vegeta looked down at Freeza from under golden brows, green eyes boring holes into the alien. Freeza howled in rage and elevated himself to his next power level. “I can do better,” Vegeta chuckled, concentrating again. His aura escalated once again,and his hair became platinum. He laughed in delight.

 

 

Freeza began to sweat, and powered up again himself, testing his limits.

 

 

“Goodbye, Freeza,” Vegeta said quietly, and rushed in.

 

 

 

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Gohan screamed as the knee connected with his face. He managed to break his fall but stood there in midair, exhausted. He had hardly healed from the last fight, and now there were two of them. The woman had brought back a man that looked just like her, only with black hair. They called themselves Seventeen and Eighteen. Gohan shook his head and concentrated. He could go Super Saiyan, but he still had trouble with making the transition. Trunks and Goten had already done so, and were giving Seventeen a run for his money. He saw Videl swoop in and deal Eighteen a devastating blow to the shoulder, but the blonde just turned and grabbed Videl, twisting her arm behind her back and pushing. Videl screamed as Gohan heard the bones starting to pop. She looked at him, dark blue eyes full of pain, and howled again. The memory of her lips pressed against his flared up in his chest, and the thought of her in pain filled him with rage. He balled his hands into fists and screamed so loud he thought his throat would burst. He felt the power course through his veins and turned Super Saiyan. Eighteen hit Videl on the back of the neck and the girl slid to the ground, unconscious. Gohan screamed in rage and sped towards her, readying a ball of ki at his side.

 

 

 

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Vegeta grunted as Freeza planted a foot in his face. He grabbed onto the foot with a yell and launched the alien into the air, smiling in satisfaction as the lizard-doll thing sailed through the roof. Freeza shook his head and darted back down, throwing a punch at Vegeta’s head. He dodged the punch and dealt Freeza a vicious uppercut, sending him reeling. Freeza crashed to the floor, spitting blood and panting. Both warriors focused their attention on the door as one of the soldiers came in, dragging a struggling woman. Vegeta ground his teeth as he saw the woman’s blue hair. What in the hell was the foolish woman doing here? “Oooh!!” Freeza squealed in delight. “Isn’t that Radditz’s favorite toy?” He got up from the floor slowly, swaggering over to the struggling Bulma. He put his white fingers on her face, pinching her cheeks. She scowled and spat at him, the saliva making its way down his cheek. Freeza sputtered in rage and backhanded her, sending her to her knees. Vegeta felt his heart leap in fury.

 

 

“Toy?” Vegeta shouted.

 

 

Freeza laughed lightly. “Why, yes. This slave was his favorite. We heard her screaming long into the night on many, many occasions. Isn’t that right?” he cooed at Bulma, patting her head like an animal. “Why don’t you show the lovely princeling here your scars?”

 

 

“Fuck you,” she whispered, gritting her teeth. Freeza hit her again and turned her around. Ripping off the back of her shirt he revealed long red scars, some of which hadn’t healed correctly. Vegeta felt his stomach clench as nausea broke over him.

 

 

“We found her sneaking around the gate,” the guard said, face impassive.

 

 

“She’s a slave, after all,” Freeza said. “Why don’t you take her now?” he said to the guard, glancing pointedly at Vegeta.

 

 

“Right here?” the guard asked, surprised.

 

 

“Sure. Why not?” Freeza said, tearing off the rest of Bulma’s shirt. She gasped in fright and pain. Her eyes met Vegeta’s for a moment. They were filled with fear, hate, and pain. He saw her jaw clench and set in order to bear what was ahead. Vegeta noticed everything fading into a single red blur. He raised a finger and ran the guard through before he could lay a hand on Bulma.

 

 

“Don’t touch a single hair on her head,” Vegeta hissed.

 

 

“Like this?” Freeza said, gripping her by the hair and throwing her against the wall. She grunted on the impact and slid down to the ground, nose and lip bleeding.

 

 

Vegeta screamed like an animal and Freeza took a step back in surprise. Vegeta’s power level soared through the roof. “NO ONE TOUCHES BULMA!” he screeched. His ki blazed even brighter, his eyebrows disappearing and his hair gaining height. He sped toward the stunned Freeza. His hand glowed as he stuck it into Freeza’s stomach. The fist didn’t exit through Freeza’s back, but instead remained inside his abdominal cavity. Vegeta’s eyes widened in pleasure and a malicious grin spread across his face. Laughing, he powered up his fist and watched Freeza’s eyes bulge. Freeza screamed in anguish and vaporized in a ball of blue light. Vegeta immediately powered down and disposed of his bloody gloves. Tearing off his shirt, he wrapped it around Bulma and gathered her up into his arms. “You shouldn’t have come,” he growled as he began to float towards the ceiling.

 

 

“No kidding,” she muttered, leaning her head against his chest.

 

 

 

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Gohan crashed into the cliffside, spitting out gravel. A fist sailed toward him and he moved his head a fraction of an inch to the right. The fist buried itself in the rock beside him and he lashed out with his legs, sending his assailant flying. He shot out of the cliff and hovered in the air, instantly surveying the scene. Goten and Trunks had formed into Gotenks in a last-ditch attempt to gain the upper hand. It was only serving to occupy Seventeen, for they weren’t doing any real damage. Videl was still on the ground, unconscious, and Gohan was starting to lose energy to his wounds. He ground his teeth and launched himself after Eighteen, pounding his feet into the base of her skull repeatedly. She plummeted to the ground, creating a crater as she hit. He followed her down into the crater, blasting her with ki balls the entire way. She batted several of them out of the way. “Ka....” he shouted, gathering his last bits of energy.

 

 

 

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Bulma handed him the bag of dragonballs. “Thank you,” he said. “I’ll be back shortly.”

 

 

 

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“Me...”

 

 

 

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“I know. I trust you now,” she said, leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek. He blushed and looked around uneasily.

 

 

 

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“Ha...”

 

 

 

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“Hold on,” he directed Kami and Piccolo, and pressed the red button on the IDTD. The world around him blurred and vanished.

 

 

 

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“Me...”

 

 

 

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Vegeta blinked in the bright light, blinded temporarily. Hearing a noise, he looked down just in time to see Gotenks crash into the ground.

 

 

“Haaaaa!” Gohan screamed, letting loose the gigantic beam. Eighteen’s mouth opened in surprise as the light enveloped her. Gohan dropped to the ground, unconscious.

 

 

Vegeta realized in horror that all the children had been knocked unconscious, each of them severely wounded.

 

 

Eighteen emerged, laughing, from the dust. She was badly injured, but seemed oddly happy. “Seventeen!” she shouted. “Come to me!”

 

Seventeen turned away from his butchering of Goten and Trunks and rushed over to Eighteen. They held out their hands to one another, grasping each other tightly, and Vegeta gasped as they merged. There was a flash of light, forcing Vegeta to cover his eyes momentarily.

 

 

“Take these and hide,” Vegeta urged as he shoved the dragonballs at Piccolo and Kami. The two Namekians took them without question and headed off in a different direction. He stared at where he had last seen the enemy as the dust cleared. Where the two had stood before there was only one; a thin, androgynous brunette. The thing raised its gaze to Vegeta and he gasped as he found himself looking into blood-red eyes. The thing rushed up at him so quickly he almost didn’t see it. He frantically searched for ki, but there was none. He rolled out of the way as a beam of energy shot past him. The doll-like thing with the red eyes scowled, marring its delicate features. It slowly reached down to its thigh and gripped it. With a look of intense concentration, it pulled a long metal rod out of its leg. With a flick of its wrist the rod flashed in the light, quickly becoming a long blade. The thing looked up at Vegeta and smiled. It sailed effortlessly after him as he desperately avoided the swinging blade, gasping as it sliced through his armor. He felt blood running down his abdomen and jumped up to Super Saiyan. He dashed behind the thing and sank his knee into its back. It faltered for a second, then the head slowly swiveled around to face him while the body remained facing forward. Vegeta shuddered in disgust and barely managed to dodge the slashing weapon. He grimaced as he found himself forced up to Super Saiyajin 2. He flipped through the air, kicking the thing in the side of the head as he sailed over it. Again the thing faltered, but he did no real damage. It shot him a look of boredom and disengaged, heading for the unconscious Gohan. Vegeta gritted his teeth and sped towards the boy as the thing raised its blade into the air. He put on an extra burst of speed and arrived just as the blade was descending onto the boy’s neck. He screamed as the blade nearly sliced through his forearm completely, but the edge stuck in his bone and he used that fact to wrench the weapon out of the thing’s hands. He tore it out of his arm, wincing as he felt chips of bone go with it. Blood flowed freely down his left arm. “Damn you,” he hissed. The thing looked at him with annoyance for a moment, then headed towards the two little boys. Vegeta followed desperately, the pain in his arm slowing him down. He roared in impotent rage as the thing picked up an unconscious Trunks by the hair. Grinning, the thing sunk its teeth into the little boy’s neck. Trunks’ eyes flew open, blue pools of pain, and he started to scream. The sound pierced Vegeta to his very core, and he choked in agony to hear it. He gathered his last bit of energy as fury bubbled up inside of him. He burst into SSJ 3 with a grunt and focused his turquoise eyes on the monster that was chewing on his son. “Demon Fist!” he screamed, and faded into nothingness as a gigantic blue figure wrapped its scaled hands around the thing. Trunks crumpled to the ground in a heap as the scaled hands crushed the thing, fangs coming down and puncturing it again and again. The thing emitted a terrible screech of distress before separating into the two androids, which dropped to the ground, lifeless, their systems overloaded. The blue demon’s image wavered, turning into smoke and whirling before solidifying on the ground. Vegeta’s figure slowly emerged as the tendrils of smoke disappeared. He rose to one knee, panting and bleeding. “Kami!” he screamed, throat raw, and huddled on the ground until the two green figures came into sight. The old Namekian knelt next to Vegeta and handed him the sack of dragonballs. Vegeta gasped in pain as he dumped the balls out onto the ground. “Arise, Shen Long!” Vegeta howled, nearly passing out as the sky turned black. The wind rose and thunder rolled across the heavens.

 

 

“What is your wish?” the dragon boomed.

 

 

Vegeta gasped to catch his breath. He was losing blood rapidly and wasn’t sure how long he would remain conscious. “Bring all the Z senshi killed in the final battle with the first set of androids back to life!” he said. Lighting filled the sky.

 

 

“Your wish has been granted,” the dragon roared, and disappeared in a flash of light.

 

 

Vegeta smiled weakly. “Hold on,” he said to the two Namekians, and pressed the green button on the IDTD.

 

 

 

 

 

Bulma gasped as she clawed her way out of the dirt. Holding a hand to her chest, she breathed deeply until the panic subsided. She planted a hand on either side of her and pulled herself out of the ground. Kneeling, she realized with shock that she had just pulled herself out of a hole marked with a carved white stone. It looked suspiciously like a grave. Something moved at the fringes of her vision and she turned her head. Her mouth fell open as she saw a hand shoot out of the ground a few feet away and grasp feebly at the air. Soon the hand was followed by an arm and another hand. She heard a groan and nearly fell over as a head of black hair appeared. A familiar pair of black eyes looked at her across the grass. “Ohayo!” Goku said with a broad smile. He looked down beside him, puzzled. Bulma watched as he stuck his hand back into the ground, his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he concentrated. Suddenly ChiChi emerged, coughing and clinging to Goku. Bulma started as hands appeared all around. Slowly it dawned on her what must have happened.

 

 

“Vegeta!” she cried, and ran down the hillside.

 

 

“I don’t sense him anywhere,” she heard a voice beside her mumble. She turned her head and saw Goku flying beside her. She reached her hands out to him and he grabbed her, taking them both into the air.

 

 

“There,” he said after a while. “Something happened.” He gently lowered them to the ground, and Bulma could see a burned-out crater in the ground. Gohan and Videl lay off to the side. Goten was in the opposite direction, and Trunks lay at the edge of the crater. Bulma let loose a strangled cry as she rushed over to her son. He was bleeding profusely from the neck, but not enough to die from.

 

 

“Oh my god,” she murmured. She tried to wake Trunks, but he was utterly unconscious. Clutching him to her chest she looked at Goku desperately. Goku smiled and pointed to the sky. She looked up and smiled as well when she saw Dende approach with Piccolo, ChiChi, and Kuririn. They all huddled together for a brief embrace, except for Piccolo, and went over to Gohan, who was the most gravely injured.

 

 

Dende placed a hand on Gohan’s brow and shuddered. “It’s almost like he burned himself out,” he said in a whisper. ChiChi clutched at Goku as Dende laid his hands upon the boy’s chest. The boy groaned as he was encased in a gentle yellow glow. Goku covered ChiChi’s slender hands with his large ones, his brows knitted in concern. ChiChi buried her face in her husband’s gi and he idly stroked her raven hair to comfort her. Goku breathed in sharply as his eldest son’s eyelids fluttered and he scowled.

 

 

“Unh...what?” Gohan muttered and sat up, holding his head.

 

 

“Gohan!” ChiChi cried, falling to her knees and wrapping her arms around her son. Goku knelt as well, burying his face in Gohan’s hair.

 

 

“Thank Kami,” he whispered.

 

 

“Goten,” Gohan choked, trying to crawl out of his parents’ embrace.

 

 

“Shh. Dende’s taking care of everyone,” Goku said quietly.

 

 

“Everyone’s okay?” Gohan said, looking around wildly.

 

 

“Hai.”

 

 

“Vegeta-san?”

 

 

Goku looked at ChiChi. “There’s no sign of him anywhere, Gohan.”

 

 

Everyone was startled as Gohan burst out into tears. “Vegeta-san!” he cried, gulping air. Goku put an awkward hand on his son’s back and looked at everyone, puzzled. Bulma had gone pale, still clutching her son. ChiChi stood slowly and went over to Goten. Goku gave Gohan one last pat and followed his wife. Piccolo came over and spoke with Gohan while Goten sprang back to health.

 

 

“Otousan!” Goten shrieked, throwing his arms around his father. “Okaasan!” The little boy’s happiness soon faded. “Where’s Vegeta-san?” Goku sighed and repeated the answer he gave to Gohan. Goten frowned and pushed his parents aside, galloping towards his older brother.

 

“Oniisan, where’s Vegeta-san?” he asked, tugging on Gohan’s pant leg. Gohan looked down, features tense with worry.

 

 

“I don’t know,” he said, kneeling so as to be on a level with the boy. “But I know he’ll come back. He always has. He saved us again, you know, and Okaasan and Otousan as well.”

 

 

“I know!” Goten said cheerfully. “Do you think he’ll still play with us?”

 

 

Gohan chuckled. “I don’t know that either, but you can always ask.”

 

 

By that time a wide-eyed Trunks was clinging to his mother, sobbing. “I think Papa’s dead!” he wailed. “I saw it!”

 

 

“What, dear?” Bulma asked, alarmed. Everyone turned and listened.

 

“The two androids combined into one, and it came over and bit my neck,” Trunks began. “It hurt real bad, and I screamed. Papa yelled and got all strange-looking, and he yelled something about a demon, and Papa disappeared, and then there was a demon, all big and blue, and it picked up the monster and the monster dropped me,” Trunks gasped, running out of breath. “Then the demon crushed the monster and chewed it up and it died. I thought I saw Papa, and Shen Long, but then there was a strange flash of light, and then you guys were here.”

 

 

Bulma looked at the others with worry. Goku was frowning. “What did your papa look like when he changed, Trunks?” he asked gently.

 

 

Trunks’ eyes widened. “He got even more hair than when he goes Super Saiyajin and his eyebrows went away. Then he yelled and the demon-thing came.”

 

 

Goku whistled. “He went SSJ 3.” Bulma gasped. “It’s possible he burned himself out with all that power,” Goku said sadly.

 

 

“Nuh uh!” Goten chirped. “He turned the same thing when he defeated the first two androids, after Bulma died!”

 

 

Bulma laughed nervously. “Sitting around here isn’t going to find him. Let’s head back to Capsule Corp. and find out exactly what happened while we were...gone,” she said, and stood. The others nodded, those who could fly carrying those who couldn’t, and began to go home.

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

“He’s not going to make it, Piccolo! Get him in here fast!” Bulma shouted, waving the green warrior into her lab. She opened the rejuvenation tank and helped Piccolo situate the unconscious warrior inside. “You should have seen it!” she cried. “He took care of them like they were nothing!”

 

 

“Oh, I saw his power,” Piccolo said, frowning. “I will go attend to ChiChi.” With that he turned and left the room.

 

 

Bulma pressed her forehead to the glass. “Vegeta,” she murmured. “You’ll live. You have to,” she said, fingering the locket he had shown her once.

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

ChiChi nearly spit her tea out onto the kitchen table. “He WHAT?”

 

 

“He hugged me when I had bad dreams,” Goten said, puzzled as to why that would seem so strange.

 

 

“Vegeta? Hugged?” ChiChi muttered.

 

 

“He hugged me too, Okaasan,” Gohan said. “He was there whenever we needed him, and sometimes even when we didn’t.”

 

 

“I never thought I’d owe Vegeta my life as well as the lives of my family!” Goku chuckled. Everyone began to mumble in wonder, confused as to why the arrogant prince had helped their children.

 

 

Bulma sat through it all, holding Trunks tightly, face pale and drawn. She started crying when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. “Can I talk to you?” Gohan whispered in her ear. She nodded, setting Trunks down, and followed Gohan into the hall.

 

 

“What is it?” she asked.

 

 

“He told me to tell you, well, Trunks actually, that if he never came back he still wanted you to know that he loved you.” He winced as tears began to roll down Bulma’s face.

 

 

“He said that?” she murmured.

 

 

Gohan nodded. “And meant it. You should have seen him those first few weeks. He’s good at hiding emotion, but you only had to look in his eyes to see how much he missed you. He put us first from there on out. It’s hard to think that after all that, after he finally let us in, that he’s...”

She trembled and began to collapse, but Gohan caught her before she fell. She leaned against his chest and cried silently. “He brought you back just for us,” Gohan said. “And let me tell you, he’s a pretty demanding taskmaster. He even kept Capsule Corp. running for you.” Bulma nodded and continued to cry.

 

 

The night wore on and a moment of silence was held for Vegeta. Gohan carried ChiChi home, followed by Goten and Videl, whose father had been killed in an earlier battle and therefore was not resurrected. Piccolo took off as well, and soon only Goku, Trunks, and Bulma were left. Goku stayed until Bulma and Trunks fell asleep at the table. He put Trunks to bed and then returned for Bulma. She was so deeply asleep she didn’t even stir and he lifted her tenderly and walked up the stairs, laying her down on the bed gently. He sat there for a little while, watching her sleep. He reached out and brushed some stray hairs out of her face. “Don’t worry, dear friend,” he whispered, and stood to leave the room.

He sat out on the back porch for a while, staring at the stars. Since the city was mostly destroyed he could see the stars much more clearly. He sighed and sucked in a lungful of the cool air. Winter was approaching, but now that they were all alive again the survivors would have plenty of help. “Come home, Vegeta,” Goku whispered into the night, pulling his knees up to his chest.

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Vegeta coughed as Bulma helped him out of the tank. “Where the hell am I?” he growled, blinking.

 

 

“You’re back in the lab. You were nearly dead when you returned with Piccolo and Kami,” she said. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and stood up straight. Suddenly she threw her arms around him and squeezed for all she was worth. “Thank heavens you’re all right,” she whispered.

 

 

He removed himself from her grip. “Your world is free. Make the best of it,” he said, reaching for his mended shirt. Flexing a muscle thoughtfully, he smiled. “It was quite enjoyable, getting to avenge myself.”

 

 

She found herself wanting to hold him again but grabbed his hand instead. “Do you have to leave?” she asked. “Can’t you stay?” Her eyes were full of pleading.

 

 

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. He could be the strongest in the universe here, and still get his Bulma. He almost smiled; he could get Trunks again easily enough as well. He was torn from his reverie as she drew a hand down his chest. No. She wasn’t the same here. She was too damaged, too needy. She needed to make herself strong, not have him do it for her. He removed her hand from his chest and sighed. “No. I have to see if my family’s all right.” He flinched inwardly as he realized that he was thinking about Gohan, Goten, and Videl as much as he was about Trunks and Bulma.

 

 

She sighed and bowed her head. “I understand,” she murmured. “Just promise me one thing,” she said quickly. He raised and eyebrow at her. “Love her for all she’s worth,” she said with a laugh. She put her arms around his neck again and pulled him to her. She kissed him deeply, making the blood run to his face. She released him and backed a few feet away. “Goodbye. And thank you, Vegeta,” she whispered, raising a hand in farewell.

 

 

He raised two fingers in answer and pressed the red button.

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Goku was so lost in the stars that he was startled when he heard the leaves beside the porch rustle. “Baka,” a voice said from the darkness. “Go to your own goddamn house.”

 

 

Goku leapt up. “Vegeta!” he cried happily. He waited for the other man to come completely out of the shadows. He went over and put a hand on

 

Vegeta’s shoulder. “Thank you,” he said, knowing that no more words were necessary. Vegeta nodded.

 

 

“Go home,” Vegeta repeated, and pushed past him into the house.

 

 

He climbed the stairs silently and opened the door to his room, leaning his head against the doorframe as he gazed at the figure curled up in the bed. He felt a familiar tightness welling up inside of him, and for once he let it flow without a single qualm. He watched her breathe for a little while longer, reveling in the fact that she was alive. He walked over to the bed and disrobed, tossing the IDTD onto his clothes, and fingered the chain that had the rings and the locket on it. Unfastening the chain, he slid one of the rings off and put the rest of it on the nightstand. He slid into bed, trying not to wake her, but she stirred and turned to him.

 

 

“Vegeta?” she said, voice thick from sleep.

 

 

“Hai,” he answered, kissing her behind the ear.

 

 

“Thank Kami,” she muttered, putting her arms around him.

 

 

He smiled and drew her nearer. He took her left hand and held it in front of him, examining it in the pale light from the window. Taking the ring, he slid it over her fourth finger and kissed it gently. She nestled against him. “Did I ever tell you I love you?” she asked quietly.

 

 

“Did I ever tell you I love you?” he replied.

 

 

“In more ways than one,” she said with a laugh and kissed him.

 

 

Things were about to get interesting when they heard the door swing open. “Mama, I had a bad dream,” a little voice complained.

 

 

Vegeta sat up. “Why don’t you tell me about it?” he asked, and held out his hands.

 

 

“Papa!” Trunks cried, leaping into his father’s arms. Bulma wrapped her arms around the both of them and they laid down, gently drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

 

 

 

“Yo, Vegeta!” Goku cried out, waving as he walked into the yard with Gohan and Videl. Vegeta didn’t look up from where he sat on the porch, elbows on knees and fists under his chin. Trunks and Bulma were playing with a ball on the lawn.

 

 

“Konnichi wa!” Videl said, walking over to the scowling prince. He glanced at her as she sat down beside him. She followed his gaze out to his wife and son. “Mmm. Nice to have them back,” she murmured. “No more screaming Goten in your house.” She was gratified when she saw Vegeta smirk. So he was listening.

 

 

Gohan sat down on the other side of Vegeta. “And no more having to walk in on Videl and I,” he added quietly. He smiled when he heard Vegeta snort. They were getting through to him. He sighed and leaned a little closer. “Listen, Vegeta-san, we just wanted to thank you for everything you did. I can’t tell you how much it means.”

 

 

“Few people would have been strong enough to pull us through that,” Videl said softly. She held her breath and laid a hand on Vegeta’s arm tentatively. He sat up straight and looked at her piercingly. Staring at her for a minute, the corner of his mouth migrated upward, and the ice melted a little from his face.

 

 

“I am a prince,” he muttered so only the three of them could hear. His face hardened as he resumed watching Bulma and Trunks chase after the red ball, squealing and laughing. Gohan and Videl stood up, frowning simultaneously.

 

 

“Vegeta!” Goku whined. “Don’t you want to go and spar?”

 

 

Vegeta glared at the other Saiyan, his eyes full of poison. He stood up and walked over to Goku, fists clenched. Without warning he lashed out and hit Goku as hard as he could, sending him crashing to the ground. Goku sat up, rubbing his cheek gently, brows knitted. Bulma and Trunks stopped playing and stared over at Vegeta, shocked. “Go home to your family, you goddamned idiot! Goten’s growing up before your eyes and you missed nearly all of Gohan’s childhood, not to mention all the lonely nights ChiChi has spent without you! I’m closer with your children after one fucking year than you have been their entire lives!” He spat on the ground. “What in the hell is wrong with you?” he shouted, and turned away angrily, crossing his arms.

 

 

“Vegeta...” Goku said, amazed.

 

 

The Prince turned on him in a rage and smacked Goku across the face savagely. “Why don’t you understand it? Is your pea-brain so damaged that you don’t understand what you’ve done? I hate to admit it, Kakaroto, but your fighting is admirable and worthy of a Saiyan. But because you grew up human you don’t understand what it means to have a family–you’ve had people doting on you your entire life! Do you have no passion or are you really that stupid?”

 

 

Videl’s mouth opened in surprise. She hadn’t ever heard Vegeta say so much at one time. Gohan put his arm around her waist and she looked at him, startled to find that his features had hardened. An uneasiness rose in her as she realized that perhaps Vegeta was speaking what had been in Gohan’s heart all along.

 

 

Vegeta took a deep breath, gesturing at Gohan. “Do you see that young man over there? He idolizes you. Goten idolizes you. Hell, even my own son idolizes you. I’m your fucking prince, you third-class scum, and even I’m forced to admit that you’re stronger than me. So where in the hell do you get off, you son of a bitch, just using up their love like you do?” He spat at Goku again. “You don’t deserve them. Any of them.”

 

 

“I do love them,” Goku said in distress.

 

 

“Do they know that?” Vegeta snapped. “When all those children were left alone with me, all I saw in their eyes was longing. Longing for a father, for their protector, for their friend. I did my damnedest for them for their own sakes, not for yours. Now that you’re back, and they have their father and their ultimate defender, what do I see in their eyes? Longing. Still. For the same thing they longed for when you died. When are you going to grow up and face what you started when you slept with ChiChi seventeen years ago!”

 

 

“Vegeta,” Bulma said, walking over to him.

 

 

He nearly batted her away he was so insanely furious, but he thought better of it and pulled her close instead. He looked at Goku coldly. “Do you realize what you have? What you’ve been handed without having to earn it in the least? I was supposed to the privileged one, and what did I end up with? Nothing! I grew up knowing that I was a prince of a dead people. I had no one, nothing, except battle. That is how I define myself. I don’t pretend to understand family, I don’t pretend to understand emotions, but now I understand their value. I learned the hard way, right alongside your children. And I know that I’m not going to make the same mistake twice. It’s the Saiyajin way,” he said, and embraced Bulma roughly. She made a strangled noise of surprise, then hugged him back.

 

 

Goku was still sitting on the ground with a little blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, eyes wide and startled. He looked at Gohan pleadingly. Videl shuddered as Gohan’s eyes narrowed. “Otousan, I love you with all my heart, but he’s right,” he said calmly. He took Videl’s hand. “Let’s go home,” he said to her. “Vegeta-san, we’ll be back to visit, I promise.” With that he began to rise into the air. Videl waved solemnly, and soon the two were just specks in the wide blue sky.

 

 

Bulma released Vegeta gently and went to kneel by her childhood friend. “You might want to go home and talk to your family, Goku,” she said softly. “There’s no danger for the time being. You can afford to relax a little with the ones I know you love.” She stuck out a hand and he took it, letting her help him up. He stood there, dazed, as she tenderly brushed the dirt off of him. Straightening his gi, she patted him on the shoulder. “Go home, Goku,” she said, and pecked him on the cheek. He nodded, still stunned, and took off into the air. She heard a door slam and looked towards the house. Vegeta had stormed into the kitchen. “I think we should go inside,” she said to her son, and headed towards the back door.

 

 

 

“Okaasan!” Goten cried as he wrapped himself around ChiChi’s knees. “We’re leaving now to go camping!”

 

 

She reached down and stroked his stiff, unruly hair. “So late?” she murmured, focusing on the dishes in the soapy water in front of her.

 

 

“Hai! Gohan and Videl want me to watch the stars with them tonight!” the little boy chirped. “We’ll be back tomorrow or the day after.”

 

 

ChiChi looked down at him with a smile. A movement caught her eye and she looked up to see Gohan and Videl standing in the door. Gohan was looking at her, a strange expression on his face. She realized that he had been bothered ever since he had come home from Bulma’s earlier. Videl was shooting him nervous glances. “What is it, Gohan?” ChiChi asked.

 

 

He shook his head. “Just wondering if you’d seen Otousan,” he murmured, looking at her from underneath his brow.

 

 

“No, I haven’t. Why?”

 

 

“No reason,” he muttered, turning away coldly. Videl placed a hand on his back and Goten pranced over to them.

 

 

“Let’s go!” the little boy pleaded, tugging on Gohan’s pant leg. Gohan smiled warmly at his younger brother.

 

 

“Okay. We’ll see you later, Okaasan,” Gohan said, teeth flashing in a grin. Videl smiled as well and gave a little wave as the three left the room.

 

 

“Have fun!” ChiChi cried after them. She smiled to herself as she resumed doing dishes. Then she realized that she hadn’t seen Goku since he left to visit Vegeta. She sighed; she never would have thought she would owe Vegeta so much. He had kept her children safe and brought her back from the dead just so they could be happy. She was sure Vegeta would have rather just left her and her husband to rot in the ground. Shrugging to herself, she sighed as she realized that Vegeta might just be different than she thought. She recalled how strangely Gohan and Videl had acted after returning from the older Saiyan’s home. Her eldest son had barely spoken to her or even looked at her. When she asked where his father was his face had twisted into an angry snarl, an expression that, disturbingly enough, reminded her of Vegeta. She finished the last dish and placed it beside the sink to dry. Placing a damp hand to her brow, she pushed gently to relieve some of the pressure building behind her eyes. She turned around and jumped. Goku was standing silently a few feet away from her. She hadn’t even heard him enter the room. “Goku!” she breathed, hand moving to her chest. “You frightened me!”

 

 

“Gomen,” he murmured, black eyes studying her. He didn’t move, just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself to speak. “ChiChi, do you love me?” he blurted.

 

 

Her eyes widened in shock. “What?” she asked quietly, hand traveling from her chest to her mouth.

 

 

“Do you love me?” he said urgently, still leaning against the table.

 

 

“Y-yes,” she said, clasping her hands and lowering her head.

 

 

“Why do you sound sad when you say that?” he asked, standing up straight and leaning toward her.

 

 

She gave a bitter laugh. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I guess I just never figured that you cared.”

 

 

Goku frowned. “That’s what Vegeta said,” he said, voice low.

 

 

“Vegeta?”

 

 

“He said that maybe you all loved me, and were sad because you didn’t know if I loved you back.”

 

 

Her dark eyes met his and filled with tears. “Do you?” she choked softly.

 

 

“Do I what?”

 

 

“Do you love me, Goku?” Her eyes searched his blank face desperately and hands clasping one another more tightly. He frowned and lowered his gaze, mouth pressing into a line.

 

 

“I do love you, ChiChi,” he said after a short silence. “You do everything for me.”

 

 

She wailed quietly. “Do you even know what love is?” she demanded gently. “Do you only care for me because I cook for you? Clean for you?”

 

 

He frowned again, confused by her reaction. “You gave me Gohan and Goten as well,” he said. “I love you for that, too.”

 

 

It was her turn to frown. “Do you even know how we got Gohan and Goten?” she challenged, hands balling into fists.

 

 

He shrugged. “I don’t really remember,” he admitted.

 

 

Her face twitched in pain. “You’ve never touched me like a husband should touch a wife,” she whispered. “I’ve always wanted you so much. It takes two people to make children, and I had to drug you twice to get those two boys. You’ve never even touched me except for those times,” she snapped, wounded.

 

 

“I don’t understand, ChiChi,” Goku said, becoming more confused. She shook her head, little tears beginning to find their way down her face. She walked over to him and put a slender hand on his thick neck.

 

 

“You’ve always been so handsome,” she murmured, moist eyes roving his face. “I thought you were perfect from the moment I laid eyes on you, and look at you now.” She pulled up his shirt from his waistband and slid her hands underneath it, running her fingertips over his hard stomach and up to his pecs. “Perfect,” she whispered, eyelids lowering. He looked down at her, no less confused. “Haven’t you seen, at any point in all the years we’ve been together, how much I want you?”

 

 

“But ChiChi, you have me!” he protested. She scowled and backed a few steps away from him.

 

 

“All you care about is fighting!” she shouted, fist coming down on the countertop. “Look at me, Goku! What’s wrong with me that you don’t find me attractive? Why don’t you ever look at me like a woman, and not just the wife who does your laundry and cooks you food?”

 

 

Goku gave a low whistle. “Vegeta was right,” he said.

 

 

“Right about what?”

 

 

“I don’t understand what you go through.”

 

 

Tears continued to roll down her face. “Please, Goku, you have the body of a man. Why do you have the mind and desires of a child?” She studied his handsome face, spirits sinking into the soles of her feet. “I love you, Goku, for everything you are, regardless. I just wish that you felt the same way. I wish you could show me you loved me.”

 

 

“How?” Goku pleaded, holding out his large hands.

 

 

“I wish you were more like Vegeta!” she shrieked, turning away from him. “He may have been a terrible man, but through it all he at least learned how to prove himself off the battlefield! Better him the prince than you!”

 

 

“What do you mean?” he said, walking over to her.

 

 

“Do you remember that night, shortly after Trunks was born, that we went over to Bulma’s for dinner?”

 

 

“Yes,” he replied, brow furrowing with the effort of remembering clearly.

 

 

“Do you remember how, when they didn’t return, we went to see if something was wrong?” She felt him nod behind her. “Recall what we saw?”

 

 

“Yes,” Goku admitted, blushing.

 

 

“I would die to have you look at me like that, to have you touch me, to have you love me like that.” She turned around to face him, staring right into his confounded eyes.

 

 

“ChiChi,” he whispered. She shuddered and began to sob violently, covering her face with her hands. “Don’t.”

 

 

She tore away from him. “Damn it, Goku! Look at me!” she cried, spreading her arms. “Grow up! I love your innocence, but every time I have tried to catch you in an embrace that was other than chaste you just giggled and squirmed away!”

 

 

“Did you say you drugged me? To get the boys?”

 

 

ChiChi frowned. “Yes. I knew you’d never touch me on your own, judging by the way you acted to simple hugs, and I wanted children. I wanted someone who would love me and care about me someday, and that didn’t seem like it would be you. It takes two people to make children, Goku.”

 

 

Goku frowned, perplexed. “ChiChi...” he murmured, unsure how to process this new information.

 

 

She sighed and dropped her hands to her sides. “It’s no use. You’ll always be a sweet boy in that magnificent man’s body.” She turned and began to clean once again. Before she could lay a hand on a dish, she glanced back at him, black eyes meeting black, and squeezed them shut momentarily in a manner almost like a flinch.

 

 

Goku was surprised at how small she seemed, shoulders slumped as she stood at the sink. He could almost taste her lonliness, floating as it was on the air and filling the house. Had she really felt this way all these years? He could hear tears hitting the dishwater. It seemed that this woman was the only person he had ever let down. He swallowed and walked over to her, placing his large hands on her shoulders and squeezing gently.

 

“Teach me,” he whispered into her ear.

 

 

She stiffened under his touch, turning slowly to face him. “What?” she asked, surprised, the trails of tears on her face red but drying.

 

 

“Teach me what you expect of a man,” he replied. “I promise I won’t squirm or giggle.”

 

 

“You promise?” Her eyebrow raised and she squinted at him distrustfully.

 

 

“I promise,” he murmured, closing his eyes and steeling himself.

 

 

“I really would just like you to pay more attention to me, and spend more time with me in general. But there is a special kind of attention I would like sometimes, when the circumstances allow...” She slid her hand into his and led him out of the room, dishes left unfinished.

 

 

He sat down on the side of the bed as she stood in front of him, feet planted and hands on her hips. “Take off your shirt,” she commanded. He looked at her quizically and she frowned. Shrugging, he did as she asked, pulling the soft orange fabric over his head. He saw her eyes flash in delight. She came over to him and sat in his lap, facing him. A hand rose to the side of his face and gently carressed the skin there, her lips blossoming into a succulent smile. She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. His body quivered as he tried to hold still, but he felt so silly. A little laugh escaped his lips anyway. ChiChi ignored it and kissed him again, closer to his mouth. He resisted the urge to squirm away once again, and was marginally more successful. Shutting her eyes, she leaned forward and brushed his lips with hers. He stayed absolutely still, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. She smiled and kissed him again, this time pressing her lips violently to his and leaving them there for long moments. He let out a violent breath and planted his palms on the bed behind him for support. He licked his lips, breathing ragged, and stared at her in shock. She half-smiled, the corner of her mouth sliding towards her eye. “Like that?” she whispered, and shifted position so she was even closer to him. She put her arms around his shoulders and leaned forward. Her mouth found his and she pushed her tongue past his teeth and into his mouth. He twitched, but then held perfectly motionless. His eyes slid shut and he made a noise deep in his throat. ChiChi used the power of her kiss to push him onto his back and continued to move her tongue. Suddenly, to her surprise, his arms shot around her waist and crushed her to him. “Goku!” she exclaimed softly, breaking contact with his face.

 

 

“More,” he whispered, sitting up. His dark eyes were burning holes in her and she caught herself shying away. Eyelids lowered over his eyes and he leaned into her, claiming her mouth in a savage kiss, consuming her. He twisted around without letting her go until he had her on her back. He released his kiss, leaving her breathless, and smiled down at her. “This is fun,” he said. “I just had to get past the squirming.” She nodded, dumbfounded. “I wanna keep playing. Take off your shirt,” he chuckled, and marveled at how soft her skin was beneath his hands.

 

 

“Whoo!” he breathed, wiping the sweat off of his brow with his free hand. “That was worth all the work!” ChiChi laughed weakly and clung to his chest, spent. She had never felt so athletic in her entire life. He laughed softly for a while, then stopped abruptly and turned to her. With the hand that wasn’t wrapped around her, he traced the line of her cheek before bending his neck and kissing her tenderly. “I do love you, ChiChi,” he murmured, eyes drinking in her face.

 

 

“And I love you, Goku,” she said, feeling the fringes of sleep descend upon her.

 

 

 

Bulma swore as the rice boiled over at the same time that she needed to be chopping vegetables, which happened to coincide with her needing to add more oil to the frying pan. She ground her teeth in frustration and tried to calm down. Disaster was approaching rapidly and she steeled herself for the ruination of dinner. She tried to chop faster but a hand stopped her. She looked up into a pair of burning black eyes and felt the knife being gently taken away from her. “Tend to the other things,” Vegeta said, and began to chop the vegetables silently. She quickly remedied the other impending disasters and stood away from him, hands on her hips. Frowning, she walked over to him, taking his ear in her fingers and moving it around so she could see inside it better. She took her hands and moved his head from side to side, examining his face.

 

 

“Okay, mister,” she growled. “What in the hell did you do with my Vegeta?”

 

 

“I hid him in my mouth,” Vegeta said with a smile, brushing the tip of his nose against hers.

 

 

“Um. I’d better go find him,” she murmured, and kissed him. He put down the knife and wrapped his arms around her waist.

 

 

“When’s dinner?” they heard Trunks whine.

 

 

“When Papa lets go of me,” Bulma said with a laugh.

 

 

“Trunks, you’re going to starve to death,” Vegeta said solemnly. Trunks’ eyes widened. “Go sit down at the table, boy,” Vegeta muttered impatiently. Trunks scurried over to the table and sat down, stomach growling.

 

 

Midway through dinner, Trunks paused and put down his plate. “Papa, where were you when Seventeen and Eighteen showed up?” Bulma raised an eyebrow and looked at Vegeta.

 

 

Vegeta scowled. “I was fetching the dragon balls,” he said sternly. “That’s all you need to know for now. Finish your food. A true Saiyan always finishes a meal.”

 

 

Trunks nodded and began to wolf down the remains of dinner.

 

Bulma slid into bed next to Vegeta, turning onto her side and contemplating him. “You’re so different. I hardly feel like I know you,” she said.

 

 

He shrugged. “Trauma does that to a person.”

 

 

“I’m afraid to ask just how different you are.”

 

 

“Doesn’t matter. How I am doesn’t change how ugly and stupid you are,” he said with a mocking smile, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. His smile faded and he grew quiet.

 

 

“What’s bothering you?” she asked.

 

 

“You and Trunks are slowing down my plans of universal domination.”

 

 

“No, seriously.”

 

 

“I am serious, mostly,” he said, looking at her askance. He sighed and lay silent for a while. “It’s quiet here now,” he murmured. “No more children fighting, crying, having nightmares...”

 

 

Bulma smiled. “You miss them?”

 

 

“Of course not,” he said with a snort. “Brats are more trouble than they’re worth.”

 

 

“Oh,” Bulma said. “I get it. That means that you probably don’t want to have another baby.”

 

 

He turned and looked at her after that remark. “Hmph. World could use another Saiyan,” he muttered. “I suppose we could give it a shot.”

 

 

Bulma smiled and turned out the light.

 

 

 

The End