Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of the characters used within this fic.

A/N: Hi, this is Shigasu! Thanks for coming to read this story. It was in eight different parts, but I thought to integrate the story together and make it a very, very long one shot. This is an A/U and it's about Bulma and Vegeta, after the Buu-saga. This is my take on how they reconciled their differences through the stages of a ritual known as Py'ar. It is a completely original fic, all the ideas are from my crazy head. It's hard to find original fics, so this is completely different to any other you may have read (so don't be fooled if you think it is going to be cliche!).

Anyway, sit back, relax and get ready to enjoy!

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Reconcile
By: Shigasu

 

A year had passed in which Majin Buu was destroyed. The first time the dragon had been summoned, was to undo the damage that had been caused. Herself, Android 18 and Chi Chi had to wait another year for their husband's to be revived, having revived Chi Chi and Bulma's sons the previous year. It had been an entire year since Bulma had seen Vegeta, and today was the day he would finally return.

Bulma squinted as she looked up in awe at the large green dragon. She gazed down at her son lovingly, but with a hint of apprehension in her eyes. She got her son back, but would the dragon allow her husband to come back? In the back of her mind, she didn't think so. If she was honest with herself, she had never forgiven him for causing the uproar he did at the Boudaki in the tournament. The fact that he had killed a countless number of people, without regard, showed Bulma just how much she didn't know the man she loved.

Tears sprang to her eyes. How could she have been so blind to not have noticed his inner turmoil on the day of the tournament. Even in the weeks before when it was announced that Goku would be turning up, she could see the hint of change within Vegeta, but never questioned him. Her heart thundered as she peered into the red glowing eyes of the dragon. It was true that he had sacrificed himself to save the Earth, but at what cost? He had hurt her deeply when he chose to have power over her and their son. And the evil glint in his eyes when he blew up part of the stadium, still haunted her to this day.

Choking back a sob, she looked down again at her brave little son. She realized he was no longer a little boy and that fighting against Buu had made him grow up faster than she would have liked. She smiled back as the unsure smile graced his lips. Lovingly, she ruffled his unkempt lavender hair.

"You ok, Trunks?"

Trunks nodded back softly. "Do you think dad will come back?"

Bulma's heart broke as she watched her young son. "Sure sweetie, of course he will."

"Do you think if he comes back this time, he'll leave us again?"

She shuddered, but kept her smiling face. Kneeling down next to him with her back facing the dragon, she embraced him in a tight hug, not replying to his question because she truly did not know the answer. A single tear only rolled down her face. She loved Vegeta with all her heart, but if she looked deep within herself then she would see that the fear she once felt for him had returned with a vengeance. Now she thought twice about their confrontation, opting away from her arguing if he ever pissed her off and replacing it with a cool facade.

She was jostled from her thoughts as Trunks pulled out of her embrace, a cry emitted from his throat. She stood up in surprise and turned around wildly to see why he was running. Her heart froze as she caught sight of the black silhouetted sauntering over to the crowd that was a few feet away. The flame-haired figure stepped into the light, arms folded and an implanted scowl on his face.

"DAD!" Trunks cried, as he ran up to his father. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around his father's leg and hugged it. It was the only way he could show affection. Smiling, he looked up into his father's eyes which were surprisingly warm. It shocked him even more when his father placed a heavy hand on his head.

Vegeta smirked as he looked down into his son's hopeful eyes. "Brat. Training I see?"

"Yeah!" Trunks cried enthusiastically. "It's been so cool, Mom's even letting me use your gravity machine!" He jumped up and down, waving his hands around his head. "Come on, she's waiting over there." He pointed in the direction of his mother and grabbed his father's hand, leading him to Bulma and ignoring the rest of the Z Senshi that was gathered there. They all seemed to be too busy in their own reunions to be worried about his mother and father's. Trunks knew that his father had hurt his mother deeply when he had succumbed to Babadi's evil magic. For the past year he had heard muffled cries coming from her room, but he knew that everything would be ok when his dad was back. Or so he thought.

At the mention of Bulma, Vegeta looked up and stared in her direction as he walked towards her. He felt his heart ache at the sight of the ethereal beauty, his mate. It had been one year since he had laid his eyes upon her pretty face, but that year had felt like an eternity. And to think, he had been willing to give up his family for a power that was never his in the first place. He was disgusted with himself to even think that he had stooped so low as to allow himself to be under the control of a wizard. All he felt as he stared into her crystal blue eyes, was ashamed. He wasn't even proud of the fact that he had sacrificed himself for the safety of her and Trunks, it was nothing in comparison to the utter betrayal he had bestowed upon her when he accepted Babadi's power.

He could see the betrayal laying deep in her eyes, but chose to turn a blind eye towards it.

Trunks stood between his parents and looked up at them expectantly.

Bulma blinked as she looked into her son's expectant eyes and she knew what she had to do. Forcing herself to look into her husband's eyes, she found herself being pulled into their onyx depths unwillingly. She braced herself as she searched for the evil glint in his eyes that had been there when he had killed the people at the stadium. Upon finding nothing, she exhaled in relief and did what was expected of her by her son. Reaching out awkwardly, she hugged him.

It was safe to say that Vegeta was shocked by her reaction. He had honestly thought she would be overjoyed to see him and did not expect the reserved reaction she had given. Frowning, he slung one arm around her waist and hugged her back, knowing that no one but their son was watching. He inhaled the sweet scent of her hair, closing his eyes as he pulled her closer, whispering into her ear. "Onna," His breath caressed her ear and felt his heart swell as he was embraced.

What happened next, made his heart stop. He felt her stiffen in his embrace and pull away rather quickly.

Vegeta was left suddenly feeling as empty as he had been when he had allowed Babadi to infiltrate his mind. He looked questioningly into her eyes. Why did he feel so alone all of a sudden? He knew that she was angry with him, but the anger never showed. All he could see was hurt and pain, two things that he could not bare to see on her delicate face.

"Let's go home." Her whispered words fluttered to his stone heart and caused it to crack. He looked coldly into her eyes, letting his former self and attitude take over. Rejection was not one of his favorite things.

He simply nodded and stepped back from her over powering presence.

Sighing, Bulma grabbed Trunks's hand and began to make her way to the capsule car that was parked a few yards away.

It was going to be a long hard road to reconciliation.

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Tick, tock.

Tick, tock.

The sound of the ticking clock in the bedroom was driving Vegeta insane. It was his first night in the mortal world since being revived and he could not sleep. Bulma had not said so much as three sentences to him in the whole day, and he was beginning to grow aggravated. He knew it was to be expected, but he didn't think the distance between them would have been so great. The first few hours alone in her company had been incredibly awkward. He was angry with himself for causing the great rift between them. How was he ever going to fix this mess? Would a simple kiss and seduction work this time? He didn't think so.

Tick, tock.

Tick, tock.

Vegeta growled into the darkness as he rolled over and stared at the bare back of his mate. He smirked. Ever since the first time they had mated, Vegeta had demanded that she not wear any clothing to bed. It was always more appealing to him to spend time with his mate without the boundaries of clothing. Since then, she had not worn anything to bed and it was good to see that she was upholding that tradition. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he caught the strange patterned breathing. It was then that he realized, she was very much awake. His Saiya-jin eyesight could detect the slight quivering of her body. Was she crying?

Tick, tock.

Tick, tock.

Snarling in frustration, he sat up and formed a minuscule ki ball on his index finger. He knew that she was awake and figured that it wouldn't matter if he destroyed the annoying clock. In fact he would be doing them both a favour. Without thinking, he shot the ki ball at the antique clock that was on the wall, blowing it to pieces. Satisfied, he was about to settle down when he noticed Bulma sitting up and staring at him with a tear streaked face and emotionless, drained eyes. Those very eyes which he had fallen in love with, seemed to grow dull by each passing moment.

"Onna?" He licked his parched lips as he bravely initiated the first word he had spoke to her that day.

Bulma put her hand out in front of her and shook her head. "I'll clean it up tomorrow." Not saying anything more, she carefully slid out of the large king size bed.

He frowned, wondering where she was going. His pride wouldn't let him ask.

She slipped on her robe and pulled her pillow from its confines of the bed. "I-I'm going to go sleep in Trunk's room, just to check that he's ok.." She stammered out the words stupidly, knowing very well that the excuse was completely untrue.

He reeled from her statement. She was leaving their room? As he stared dumbly at her retreating back, he closed his eyes in defeat. The look she had in her eyes couldn't be placed until that moment.

She was afraid of him.

The look in her eyes was that of fear, that was why Vegeta could not define its meaning. He hadn't seen her look at him that way since they were on Namek-sei and he had threatened to kill her. It pained him to even recognize his mistakes. She had thought he'd changed, she trusted him and he had undoubtedly broke that trust the moment he got the big fat 'M' stamped on his forehead.

It was all too depressing to think about.

Swallowing his pride, he called out to her. "Wait," he looked at her back as she stopped walking, almost near the door.

Bulma blinked away the tears that threatened to spill once more. Inhaling a large amount of air, she turned around and clutched the pillow to her stomach. She stood awkwardly out of place and opted to look at the floor, rather than his handsome Adonis face which was bathed in the milky moonlight. "What?" Her voice flat and devoid of emotion.

He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't stand her distant stance any longer, it was driving him insane. He hated to admit it, but he missed her caring yet annoying tone of voice. He missed the way she looked at him so lovingly. He knew he didn't deserve it after the entire Buu ordeal, but Kami be damned, he needed her! He needed her supportive character, her loving embrace, those penetrating blue eyes in which he knew he couldn't hide a thing from. He needed to feel himself inside of her, to touch her silky skin... But there was something more important that he needed;

He needed her love.

Tearing the heavy covers off his sweat covered form, he stalked up to her and gripped at her upper arm. The pain he felt as she stiffened, was nothing like he had felt before. He felt sick to the stomach. "I demand to know what is wrong."

Bulma backed away, "N-nothing Vegeta," stuttering once more.

"Then why are you bumbling like an ignorant fool!" He all but barked at her. Her indifference was causing him more pain than she could ever comprehend, causing him to speak harshly to her. His stomach churned in agitation as he watched her wince and step away further from his hold.

"It's late, why don't we talk about this tomorrow?"

He closed his eyes impatiently. Letting go of her arm, he snapped the light switch on. The lamp brightened up the room, causing the couple to look at each other in the brightness. "No. We speak now." He folded his arms expectantly, waiting for her to speak.

She sighed in defeat. Tossing the pillow back to its location on the bed, she sat gently on the edge of the bed and stared at the black silk covered duvet for a moment. It was now or never to set the record straight. Bulma prayed that they would somehow reconcile their differences.

But was their relationship beyond repair?

Only this conversation could determine that.

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"Why?" Her voice broke from the pain she was feeling. She felt so utterly betrayed, by the person she had loved the most. Not even Yamcha had hurt her this much when he told her he wanted to end their relationship. But in the end Bulma knew it had to be done, and they came out of it remaining as the best of friends.

Yet this man that stood stoically in front of her, had done more damage to her than her first love. Why? It was a simple enough question for anyone to ask, but for Bulma it was heart breaking. She was afraid of the answer she would receive. That was why she had been avoiding Vegeta all day. She couldn't bear to be in his presence, it just pained her too much.

The question filtered through Vegeta's brain. At first he had not registered the meaning of the question and so spoke out impatiently. "Why, what?" He instantly regretted his words as the pained expression on his mate's face increased tenfold. An instant tugging at his heart, caused him to take a step back.

It was then that he realized they no longer shared the special bond that had been created between then. For the first time Vegeta felt panic rise in his emotions. Why couldn't he feel her presence? How in Dende's name had they drifted apart so much, and in only one year?! It was absurd to say the least. To what extent had he damaged their relationship? He was afraid to find out.

"Why did you do it Vegeta?" The question was barely whispered out and it felt as though the wind itself had spoken the unanswerable question.

Vegeta understood what she meant. She meant, why had he accepted Babadi's power. Why had he let himself become the subject of a slave. It was even beyond him why he had chosen to let Babadi take over his mind, and that was unnerving. He had to answer her question some day, it may as well be now.

"Onna I-" But he didn't get to finish. Only because Bulma didn't let him finish. She continued to barrage him with a onslaught of questions.

"What didn't you have Vegeta? Why in Kami's name did you let that manic wizard take over your mind? Why did you let him give you power and strength that did not belong to you? Why Vegeta, why?!"

"ENOUGH!" He roared, his mind becoming frazzled with all of her questions. He frowned as he heard her whimper, fear evident in her composure. He stared at her, a penetrative gaze fixed on his hard features. He was tired. Tired of everything. But he knew he could not deny her the answers to the questions she had imposed so justly. How could he apologize? He had only ever apologized once in his life and vowed never to do it again. But this was different, wasn't it?

Walking closer to the bed, he saw the raw fear that burned in her features. It caused another painful tug to his heart. His own mate, his strong and willful mate, was afraid of him? Even he could believe it. The loud mouthed woman had finally learned to fear him. But he wasn't happy about this like he would have been a few years ago. Her fear now only constituted the broken heart that she nursed from his betrayal.

Bulma scooted slightly further away, not knowing if he was going to hurt her. His angry outburst had only caused more fear to burn within her being. That fear overpowered any anger she felt towards him, or any love and respect she had once held for the Saiya-jin no Ouji.

Vegeta couldn't believe she was even remotely afraid of him. He was hurt by this tremendously, but knew that it was through no fault of her own. It was entirely his fault. And for the first time he lowered his pride, and accepted the blame. Crouching beside the bed, he lifted her chin with one finger and forced her to look at him, as he had done many times before. But things had been different then. They had been in love and understood each other. Now if felt like they were two strangers that were stuck together, like two sides to a coin.

"Do you fear me?"

She looked at him in surprise. "How can I not..?" She trailed off when she saw his lips droop down in disappointment.

"I thought you knew me better than that Onna." He began to gently stroke the base of her chin. Running his rough thumb against the smooth contours of her skin. She looked absolutely breath taking at that moment. He held back a smirk as he felt her shiver, her skin beginning to heat up. So all was not lost, yet.

"I thought so too," bitterness creeping out of the statement. Bulma pulled her head back, away from his gentle strokes. She was not about to be seduced as she had been so many times before. This time he had gone too far for her to accept him through the art of seduction.

He dropped his hand with a ragged sigh. He would not win her affections this way. He would have to take matters into his own hands. Without any warning, he stood up straight and scooped her up into his arms, earning a gasp from his mate. "What are you doing?" She cried out in alarm.

"Showing you that I am no longer who you think I am." Not saying anything more, he walked to the double glass doors that led to the balcony. On his way out, he switched off the light and continued his way out of the bedroom to the balcony.

"Vegeta, put me down." Bulma demanded sternly. Her anger towards him had once again returned, slowly seeping into her mind and replacing any fear she was feeling. It was funny that no matter how scared she had become of the dark prince, her anger somehow always managed to rule over that fear.

"No."

"Vegeta," she warned. "Put. Me. Down."

As he stepped onto the balcony a light breeze assaulted the two, lashing at Bulma's untied hair and his wild upright mane. "Are you listening to me? Put me down you jackass of a monkey! I swear if I was stronger, I would so knock your teeth out! Now, PUT ME THE FUCK DOWN!" She screeched unsuccessfully into his ear, pounding her tiny fist against his chest as hard as she could. Why was he being so stubborn!? She screamed in frustration.

He winced from the pain caused to his sensitive ears but secretly smirked at the anger she was showing to him. Now this was the Bulma he knew... And loved. Allowing her to continue hitting him (he deserved it), he blasted off into the air and flew at a fast rate to the destination that had always soothed him whenever he had felt he couldn't reach his goal of Super Saiya-jin.

Crying out, Bulma gripped tightly onto his neck from the fear of being dropped. She didn't have a thing against heights, especially in her famous air cars but there was something about flying without anything around to protect you, that scared her the most. "When we land, I'm going to kill you!" She hissed into his strange Saiya-jin shaped ear, which only twitched in response.

Vegeta felt his heart swell at her words. This was the second open threat she had thrown at him. This was working better than he thought. He just needed to get her more angry at him. "If you don't stop screeching, Onna, I might drop you."

With that, Bulma fell silent.

Ok, maybe he shouldn't have said that. Maybe deep down she had still not forgotten the fear and distrust. Afraid of saying something even more damaging, he remained silent himself.

In an instant reaction, Bulma found herself curling into his warm body closer. The need to sleep was weighing down on her greatly. Her heavy eyelids began to drop unwillingly. The soothing rush of wind that was flying past, causing a heavenly brush against her skin and making her yawn loudly and close her eyes. She knew she couldn't do anything at that moment except enjoy the ride.

Vegeta looked down at the sleeping woman cradled in his arms. A small smirk played on his lips as he rose above the clouds and flew at full speed. The strong rays of moonlight danced on her porcelain skin, causing her to look like a fragile china doll. He didn't know why or how, but he had fallen deeply for this tiny human, and he knew he would never do anything to jeopardize their bond again. He had learnt his lesson. Power and strength be damned! He would much rather touch her smooth skin than to lose her again to his hunger for strength. His breath caught in his throat as he felt her stir.

They still had a long way to go until they reached the destination, and so Vegeta concentrated on his thoughts about his sleeping mate as he flew.

*****

Minuscule drops of water splashed onto her cheeks and nose, causing her to awake from her deep slumber. Blinking herself awake, she found herself still in the arms of her husband. "Where are we?" She asked with a thick sleep coated voice, rubbing her right eye.

Vegeta slowed down his speed as he flew and looked down at his mate as she woke up from the raindrops. "We're almost there."

She sighed in frustration. She still didn't know where they were going and he was acting so strange that it was beginning to annoy her. Yawning, she unconsciously nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck, unknown to her of the slight shake Vegeta incurred as she pressed closer. "How long have I been asleep..?" She murmured.

"Two hours."

"We've been flying that long?"

"Hn," He smirked as looked below and saw a great expanse of ocean, glimmering in the moonlight. Lowering himself over the sandy dunes, he landed swiftly. He gently placed her on the ground and backed away from her, letting her absorb the view.

Bulma gaped at the scenery presented before her. She looked around in wonder at the lush green palm trees dotted around on the beach. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked down at the grains of white sand that were sprinkled around her feet. A small smile flitted across her face as she wiggled her toes deeper into the sand. How long had it been since she was in the beach? It seemed like a lifetime.

Looking up, she glazed over the twinkling sea of stars that were clustered together so magnificently in all their splendor. Her eyes finally landed upon the great expanse of ocean. It was simply breath taking. She had never seen any thing so beautiful as the ocean waves rippling under the soft balmy tropical breeze. She blinked slowly as she realized why she had been brought here. Had the circumstances been different, she would have shown her gratitude. But at this moment, she could not.

She whirled around, anger taking control of her reasoning. "What was your purpose of bringing me here? You think that by showing me this hidden oasis, it will change things between us? That I'll forgive you? If you think that Vegeta, then you truly don't know me at all."

He had listened to her silently up until now. Striding over to her, he glared down at her face only inches away. "I know more about you, than you know of yourself Onna. So don't tell me that I don't know you." He stared fearlessly into her shining blue eyes. How could this woman dictate so many of his feelings? How had he even chosen her as his mate? And yet with her temperamental characteristics, he couldn't blame himself for helplessly falling for the mystical creature.

Why couldn't he just tell he that he loved her? Why the fuck was his pride overriding his happiness? He just wanted to hold her upon his return to Earth, not have to deal with the events that had occurred in the past. The past should have been buried deep in their hearts, along with the rest of the horrid skeletons. But he knew he had hurt her deeply, he could see it in her tired yet bright blue eyes. The eyes had tormented him so much when he was in HFIL, because he didn't know if he would ever see them in their splendor again, he had pined for those eyes. In that instant, he found himself drowning in her deep blue pools as she looked at him with her melancholy gaze.

The anger drained from her face. Once again, her features were graced with the sad look she had donned for the past year. "Are you sure you know me that well Vegeta? Because I think that if you did, you would understand how I'm feeling right now."

"Perhaps it you who chooses not understand me, Onna. For if you did, you would know why I chose to let Babadi give me his power. You would know of my humiliation at the hands of Kakarott, my pride having been dwindled to nothing by a third class lowlife! I had to get revenge to save my withering pride. As a Saiya-jin warrior, that was the only thing I had left, until Kakarott stole it from me." Vegeta spat, he still couldn't let go of the pain he had been caused by the only other full blooded Saiya-jin living in the universe. But he had finally learned to make peace with it.

She snorted, oh this was rich! But instead of speaking in anger, all she could muster up was sadness. "Pride... Hm, pride... That's all you ever talk about." She whispered. "There's more to life than pride Vegeta. There's so much more. And because of your damned pride, you killed all those innocent people? You chose power over your family, over my love for you and for what? To get a final chance at defeating Goku? The man was already dead Vegeta and took away part of his special day on Earth, because you wanted to fight him? To beat him?" She shook her head despondently.

"You lost my respect when you killed those people at the stadium and forced Goku to fight with you. What didn't you have Vegeta, that you chose to lose it all for a moment of glory to defeat your rival. I can still see the coldness you held in your eyes that day." Tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn't bear to look him anymore.

"You hurt me that day Vegeta, more than you did when you left me to train in space. More than the times you ignored my love for you because someday, like a fool, I thought you would love me more than your precious power. I thought you would love me more..." She sunk to the ground and began to sob into her hands. Her entire body wrenched from the heart rendering cries that shook from her tiny body..

Through her sobs, she began to whisper. "When I saw you at the stadium, attacking all those people... You showed me side of you that I hated from the depths of my heart and soul. I never knew I could hate and yet love the same man you had become. And then to listen to Chi Chi say such horrible things about you, broke my heart. But I couldn't say anything in your defense, because I knew she was right." Wiping away the tears, she sat on her knees and looked at the soothing ocean waves. "You betrayed your son, he looks up to you so much. He still does..." She started quietly. "You betrayed me, Vegeta. And I don't know if I can... If I can forget that. I could see so much evil in you that day, so much that it's haunting me to this day..." And with that, she couldn't have said anything more.

Throughout the entire time, Vegeta had stood perfectly still. He had absorbed every word she had cast upon him and stored them away into his acute memory box. Never had he felt so ashamed, but he didn't want to admit it. She was right and he was wrong and he knew it. By Dende's name, he sure as hell knew it.

Bulma picked up the courage to look at him. "All I want to know is one thing; Tell me if the so-called 'Dark Prince' is still within you?"

He stared at her with hidden shock. How could he answer that? He didn't even know himself.

She continued over the silence, "Because if he is, then he is not the man that I fell in love with. And has no place left in my heart or home." She looked up at him in earnest as the the breeze blew tendrils of blue hair across her cheek. "Answer it truthfully Vegeta because if you don't, I will know if you are lying... And then we will have nothing" Her lips trembled as she whispered the words.

A lump in Vegeta's throat stopped him from speaking out rightly. Swallowing, his throat felt rough and brittle. How could he convince her that he was no longer that way?

All he could say was the truth, but he didn't know if the truth would be enough.

*****

"Onna." He paused, rethinking his approach. Forcing back the restraint and contempt, he pulled her up from her kneeled position and made her look at him. "Bulma-" But he couldn't finish, for Bulma had backed away from his grasp in wonder and shock. He frowned, not knowing what he had done wrong, again.

"Wh-what did you call me?" She looked at him intently, expecting an answer.

Looking sideways he shrugged, still frowning. "Bulma, I-"

She interrupted him again, "You called me by my name..." Her eyes glazed over and she was faintly aware of the roaring ocean waves rolling onto the shore in the distance.

Vegeta raised his eyebrow, wondering what had gotten into her. Tilting his head, he looked at her complacently. She was acting so strange.

Bulma couldn't stand the way he was looking at her and so she turned away and looked at the never ending ocean instead. "You've never called me by my name... Not once." She didn't bring herself to look at him, she couldn't. Was this his way of showing her that he had changed? Perhaps it was, or maybe he was trying to earn some brownie points. Either way, she didn't know and didn't trust him or her judgment.

He was growing tired of her interruptions. Taking her arm, he forced her to look at him and he spoke again, hoping she would no interrupt. It was difficult enough for him to talk and open up, without having her put her two cents in. "You are mistaken-"

"How?" She frowned, her arm beginning to throb as he gripped it slightly tighter. She looked down at the sand and tried to pull her arm away unsuccessfully. "Please let go. You're hurting me." In an instant she felt his grip loosen greatly, but he did not let go of her. The truth was, he thought that if he let go of her, then she would fade away and disappear forever and never come back to him.

"It was in my first battle with Majin Buu. Right before I was about to..." He trailed off at the remembrance. It pained him greatly to think about it at all. In that moment of self sacrifice, he had stripped his pride bare and committed an act a warrior was not supposed to. He had sacrificed his own life to win the battle, to save the others.

To save Bulma and Trunks.

It was unheard of for a warrior to do such a thing, on Vegeta-sei it would have been seen as an act of cowardice. Saiya-jin warriors fought till the end of their last breath, they would never forfeit a battle and sacrifice their own lives to save others. It was just not the way it was supposed to be done.

Yet Vegeta had stood there before the pink blob and had given up the warrior code, thus sacrificing himself for his loved ones. It was his way of saying 'I'm sorry'. But Bulma would never understand that, how could she? She hadn't been there, she hadn't seen the great power Majin Buu possessed. She didn't understand the code he upheld, and probably never would. Vegeta had no choice but to give up his honorable Warrior Code and self-destruct. He had broken the code, and vowed never to do it again.

It was too bad that it didn't work... Majin Buu had still regenerated himself and so his sacrifice had been in vain. He couldn't help wonder if he had another reason for sacrificing himself. Had not Goku sacrificed himself during the Cell Games, teleporting himself and Cell away from Earth? Maybe it was his way of paying back a debt to the one he called Kakarott.

Vegeta had felt that it was his turn to become everyone's savior. Not Goku. But in many ways, he had also self-destructed for Goku. The bumbling fool had already saved Vegeta's life and so Vegeta felt that he was indebted. Granted that he didn't want to be indebted to a low life third-class baka Saiya-jin. Snapping out of his reverie, he looked down into Bulma's glistening eyes.

He growled and released her from his grasp. "I spoke your name many times, you were just not there to hear me."

She nodded in understanding. She saw a strange, raw emotion burning in his eyes as he looked down at her. She sometimes wondered what went on in the Saiya-jin no Ouji's mind. What was it like to be in there? Blinking back the tears, she looked at him sternly. "So, tell me Vegeta, is there still something inside of you that wishes to be the 'Dark Prince' once again? I want the truth."

He looked up at the diamond cut stars scattered across the sky. Deep in thought, he rubbed the base of his chin. As he blinked slowly, he knew what he would have to do. He would have to break the Warrior Code once again, one final time. But this time, he didn't mind that he had to break it, if it meant obtaining Bulma's love in the process then so be it. Holding his head high, he looked fearlessly into her cerulean eyes.

"Have you ever heard of the Warrior Code, Onna?" He heard himself ask. What he was about to do, would show her just how much his life on Earth meant to him.

Bulma frowned, "What does that have to do with the question I asked you?"

"You will find out soon enough. Now answer my question first."

She sighed and shrugged, "No I haven't heard of this Warrior Code, but let me guess, has it got something to do with pride?" Her voice way dripping with sarcasm.

Vegeta snorted. "Some of it, yes. Most of it, no. Saiya-jin custom had deemed it worthy to build a Warrior Code. Without it, many of our Saiya-jin warriors would have destroyed themselves faster than they engorged their food."

Interest began to glow on Bulma's emotionless face. She looked at him suspiciously. "What is this code?"

"It was kept private between the Saiya-jin warriors. Only those who are true Saiya-jin warriors, know of the code. Each warrior must pass a test of strength, endurance and honor. When I accepted Babadi's power, it was for my own purpose and in that I broke the code. However, behind that purpose I had another reason. You were the reason. I wanted to show you that I could be better than Kakarott. You praised him so highly that I felt it should have been me who was praised, not that ignoramus."

"He had already torn my pride to pieces and then he received admiration from my own mate. I was angry, I wanted to show you that I could be just as powerful as he. I thought that if I did this, you would feel the same way about me that you did him." He looked away in disgust. How could he have been so stupid?

Why the fuck was he even telling her his most private thoughts..?! He hated himself for his behaviour.

Bulma's lips parted and she blinked several times, trying to comprehend what he was saying. "Vegeta... You know that none of that means a thing to me! How could you even think that I would favour Goku over you?"

"How could I not," he said bitterly. "Saint Kakarott did everything right, what have I ever done right in my life. Tell me that, Onna. My name was known through out the universe, planets trembled at the mention of my name. I was a murderer, a cold-blooded killer and now I am nothing. So tell me, how could you not have favoured him over me?"

She shook her head, "Are you listening to yourself? You sound like a jealous little child Vegeta."

He nodded in agreement, "I am merely telling you what I felt when I accepted Babadi's power. You wanted to know my reasons and so I gave them. I no longer feel that way."

Nodding, she frowned in confusion. "Weren't you talking about the Warrior Code?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes, "Stop being impatient, I shall get to that."

Bulma glared at him.

Vegeta simply smirked and continued, "The time I fought Majin Buu, was the second time I had broken the code of conduct. My reason for it; You and Trunks. After that, I vowed never to break the code again, for breaking the code four times is a loss of honor. Now, at this very moment, I shall break the Warrior Code for the third and final time."

Bulma listened to him silently up until then, "What do you mean?"

He moved cryptically closer to her, making her edge away. Bulma's brow furrowed as she stepped back and he gripped her shoulders. "Break the code again? What are you talking about Vegeta..?"

A strange glint in his eyes caused her to clamp her mouth shut. All she knew was that he was beginning to scare her. Before she could think, she found herself being towed towards a billowing palm tree. As they stood under the tree he looked up at the thick leaves momentarily. "I brought you here for a reason. Not to win your affections with the scenery."

The statement caused her to stand submissively in shock. Earlier, she had accused him of bringing her here purely for his own benefit but now to learn that he had brought her here for a reason, caused her to think twice about the stoic man that stood before her. Why did he have to be so complicated?! Not saying anything, she let him go about his business.

Vegeta hovered into air and tore off four leaves from the palm tree. On Vegeta-sei they would have used the leaf from a similar tree called a Stu-stu. But since they weren't on Vegeta-sei, this would have to do. He was well aware that Bulma was watching him intently, but ignoring her presence for the moment he continued to make the setting for the Py'ar.

The Py'ar was a ritual that was done by non-warriors to bond intimately with their mate. It was a form of marriage in Saiya-jin society. Saiya-jins in Vegeta's time had never performed this ritual because it was claimed to make the warriors 'too weak' and so the ritual had been abolished.

Because he and Bulma had never performed the Py'ar, he did not consider Bulma his Tashi, or wife in the earthling custom. It would now go against the code for him to conduct the ritual, as warriors in a high status were forbidden to be joined to a female by Py'ar. Especially if they were from a royal blood line. It made them too vulnerable.

Although the King and Queen of Vegeta-sei had 'mated' and were somewhat telepathically linked, they had never been joined by Py'ar and so both partners had been allowed to have multiple sexual partners without repercussions. Tonight, he would show Bulma his feelings about her through the Py'ar, he knew that if they were joined by this sacred ritual, then Bulma would be allowed to enter his mind and life, and he would enter her life and mind. They would indefinitely become joined together body, mind and soul.

Once he collected the four thick palm leaves, he lowered himself to the ground to face Bulma's questioning face. "You will find out what I am doing in due time."

She looked at him blankly.

He held out his hand. "Do you trust me Onna?"

Reluctantly, she answered. "Do I have a choice?"

"No," he smirked to let her know he was joking.

Instead of her usual smile, she sighed and shrugged. "Lead the way." She placed her small framed hand into his larger one.

Silently, he took her to the middle of the deserted beach. He thought that this part had been untouched by the human hand and so Vegeta had felt content when he found the place. It reminded him of Vegeta-sei somewhat and now he was sharing his safe haven to the only woman who had captured his heart.

Bending down at times, he picked up a few large twigs that were strew across the sand. As he neared the geographical point for the Py'ar to take place and slid a glance back at his mate. Even though she was his mate, she was not his Tashi. But this evening would change that and then, he would never have to worry about losing her.

Standing at the points where North and South were aligned, he began to set up the twigs in the sacred symbol of Vegeta-sei, two V's inter linking with one another at the sharp points. Once the base was completed, he laid down all the other debris and started a roaring fire. He had known what to do because he had been taught it in one of his many history lessons of Vegeta-sei. All the while as he was building the fire, he had been muttering a sacred chant under his breath.

"Kinto no sh'adi milai gi torro soguko Tashis nisha'tar gr'in."

Bulma sat down on the sand, growing weary from standing up. She looked at Vegeta as he handled the fire and sniffed as she distinctly heard him mutter something in an alien language. It was all too confusing for her to keep up with his swift movements which he executed so precisely.

It was amazing to her how unbelievably intense with concentration he looked. She also knew that no matter how much she had been hurt by him, she would always be affected by his handsome presence and glorious face. Even now, she felt chills up her spine as she watched him perform such a menial task.

She wondered how everything about him could ooze perfection. And yet there was a flaw in his personality trait that even an insect could spot it. His damn pride. She watched with interest as he sprinkled a few grains of sand into the fire, whilst chanting an unknown language.

Vegeta chose one of the four big leaves and began to strategically shred it into four pieces by the veins of the leaf. Grimacing, he licked at the leaves. All he knew was that she had better appreciate what he was doing for her. Slowly, he began to power up to half his strength.

He let part of his blue aura engulf and surround the leaves. With a raised eyebrow, he watched the leaves dance in the glowing blue light. He pointed his finger at the fire, causing the leaves to be tossed in with the blue aura. He repeated the spoken phrase once more before turning around, and walking towards Bulma to collect her for the next part of the ritual.

Bulma watched with anticipation as he motioned for the glowing blue shredded leaves to be tossed into the fire. She gasped in amazement as she saw the fire burn a bright ruby red and rise up higher than she had ever seen any fire go. She stared fixedly at Vegeta who was now walking towards her with a strange and impassive look on his face.

What was this she had just witnessed? And what on Earth was Vegeta planning to do with her? Panic aroused within her.

 

Her breathing quickened for a moment as he approached her. "What is going on?" She asked hoarsely as he held out his hand for her to take.

"A ritual, called Py'ar. Take my hand Onna and all will be revealed." Bulma reluctantly took his hand and pulled herself up from the seated position. She was hesitant to let him pull her near to the fire, but didn't voice her objection. Vegeta had never once spoke about things form his past, especially if it was about his race. This was completely new and she wanted to see where this strange ritual was going to lead to.

Vegeta stood in front of the fire, staring out at the ocean that was beyond it. He watched the flames rise high above and it seemed as if they licked the small clouds that were dotted above in the sky. He saw Bulma's apprehension but ignored it. It was time that she learnt how to trust him. Even though he betrayed her, in his eyes he had merely committed an act that was justified. He quickly pulled her in front of him and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her so close that the back of her body was completely compressed against his front.

Bulma gasped as she was roughly pressed into Vegeta's front. She breathed heavily as she felt his entire front press into her back. She opened her mouth to speak, but instantly felt his clamp down on her mouth. Panic aroused within her as he nuzzled his nose against her ear and whispered huskily into it. "Don't speak Onna, it will be over as soon as you know it." Bulma nodded but cried out in alarm as he flared his ki around them. So this is why he had pulled her so close.

She couldn't believe that she was actually standing within a warrior's ki. It was like being in the midst of a raging tornado. Exactly like standing in the eye of the storm. She was not burnt by the blazing blue aura that surrounded them and she surprisingly felt calm and at ease as she stood in Vegeta's strong embrace.

He had never once held her like this, not once. She felt herself being pushed forward by him and soon they were standing right at the edge of the fire. She tried to turn her head to look at his face, but found that she couldn't. Sighing in exasperation, they stood silently for a few more minutes, observing the uproar of the ruby red fire. She squinted her eyes as she tried to look at the brightly burning fire.

"Close your eyes." He whispered once again into her ear. She frowned but did as she was told. Something told her that this was very important and that if she didn't do what he said, he would become rather upset. She felt herself being pushed even more forward, but how could that be possible? Did it mean that they were walking straight into the fire? No that was impossible, she argued with herself but kept her eyes close. She waited patiently for more instructions.

"Open them," his voice once again assaulted her ear, his hot breath tickling her unintentionally. Bulma slowly opened her eyes and gasped. "Dear Dende..." She was looking out at the ocean, from ~inside~ of the fire. She wanted to scream but found that she couldn't. It was all too beautiful for her to scream and she wasn't getting burnt so she simply stared at the roaring waves from inside of the ruby fire. She looked about her and saw the flames crackle around their bodies but not once touch them. "Wow..." She shivered even though she was burning hot. A small smile tugged at her lips, this was the most exciting thing she had ever done, and with Vegeta no less!

She considered that he was trying very hard to convince her that he had changed, but she wasn't ready to fully forgive him yet. Instead, she enjoyed the moment and leaned back limply in his arms. She didn't know what the purpose was for them to stand within the flames, but it was simply breath taking.

Vegeta looked down at his soon to be Tashi. He smirked as he saw a peaceful look cross over her features. She hadn't looked that way in a long time it seemed. He loved the way she felt in his firm grip, he loved the way the ruby coloured flames danced in her two large and clear cerulean eyes.

He promised he would never do anything to jeopardize her love away from him again. He loved everything about her and through this ritual he would show her how much he loved her, even if he didn't voice the words. He would try to, but didn't think he could. Vegeta grimaced, what he was about to do next would not make her happy, but it was for a good cause and the pain would only last temporarily... He hoped.

Vegeta pressed his nose deeper against the back of her ear, breathing heavily as he tightened his grip around her waist to almost painful proportions. Running his nose down the side of her neck he came to rest his mark against the shoulder blade. He softly began to kiss it, making her tilt her head to the left so that he would have a better access to the crook of her neck.

Bulma closed her eyes and gripped his two hands that were placed firmly against her stomach. Her stomach churned as she felt him kiss her shoulder blade. Choking down a moan, her skin began to feel prickly with the heat and desire. What was he doing? Did he really think she would let him take advantage of her like this! But try as she might, she could get the words of protest to be uttered from her mouth. She was afraid of moaning in pleasure if she did that, and so clamped her mouth shut and bit on her tongue, hoping that he would stop of his own accord.

No such thing happened. Instead, Vegeta continued to softly suckle her neck, making it moist and supple. He paused briefly, resting his lips against the side of her throat. A smirk became present as he felt her quiver under his kisses, she was not as impassive as she seemed. "I'm sorry Onna. This will hurt me more than it will you." He mumbled against her neck.

Bulma frowned and opened her eyes. "Huh wh-?" Before she could even get the words out, she felt his mouth clamp down roughly on her throat. Rough canine teeth sank down easily into her smooth and unblemished skin.

Bulma's eyes began to water and she dug her polished nails harshly into his hands that were one her stomach. A scream rose up in her throat and without hesitating, she screamed with all her soul as the pain seared through her right side. She screamed again as she could feel him dig his teeth even further into her neck.

Just what was he doing? Was he going to kill her by bleeding her dry? She closed her eyes and cried from the immense pain. It would have been better if he had just shot her with a ki blast instead of having her endure this pain. It was a pain like no other she had felt before, she felt so betrayed and for the second time her already beaten and torn heart, broke again.

Her eyelids began to droop heavily and she fell into an unconscious state. She found herself spiraling crazily into another place and time. Only black flew past her as she traveled through the long never ending tunnel of pain and torture.

Finally she found herself being pulled out of the tunnel. She gasped and took in deep breaths as though she had almost been choked to death.

~*****~

Bulma found herself falling to her knees, on to what seemed like yellow and brazen sand.

She gasped and took in deep breaths as though she had almost been choked to death.

The intense blackness and the tunnel around her faded away. As she stood up from her knees, Bulma found herself squinting once again but she was no longer held in Vegeta's arms in the middle of the ruby fire, she was squinting because of the harsh red rays of sun the burned into her eyes.

No, she was somewhere completely alien. It seemed as though she had been transported to another dimension, another time and place. Raising one hand to her neck, she felt around for a bite mark, but soon found that there was not so much as a bump there. A harsh wind blew her hair back roughly. Her eyes rounded. Since when had her hair grown, she lifted up her hands and touched her head. Running her fingers through it, it combed all the way to the base of her back.

"What the-" She stopped speaking as she looked down at the strange garments she wore. What happened to her comfortable baby blue robe?! Nothing seemed to be making sense to her. She gently fingered the hem of the sheer cut blue fabric. It was practically see-through!

The strange cloth was wound around her like a towel would have been, it was gracefully long and covered her feet. Although there were no sleeves as she lifted up her arms, part of a darker silk blue fabric lifted up with the motion of her arms, and became like wings. She found the tip of the fabric was wound around her middle finger on each hand. It was odd, but she felt like a queen in the dress. Her eyes caught a strange band that was wrapped around the right side of her upper arm.

The thick bracelet type band was made from a strange metal that looked like copper and had an unusual insignia on it. She stared intently at the sign, thinking she had seen it before. She examined it closely, it came to her. It was the same sing that Vegeta had built with the twigs before he built the fire!

Two V's were inter linking with one another at the tip and was placed in a large round circle. In the middle point where the V's were linked together, she saw a large blue sapphire implanted there, it looked so beautiful that she was shocked by it. But that didn't explain where she was.

She looked around in confusion. Where on Earth was she?! If she got back to her own time, Vegeta was going to be in a lot of trouble! She felt like killing her husband as she walked aimlessly through a vast expanse of desert in nothing but a sheer and almost see-through beautiful blue dress! There was nothing but sand around her, for what seemed like a great distance. Squeezing her eyes so that they almost shut, she looked up again and gasped at the light purple, cloudless sky. Just where the fuck was she?

High above in this purple coloured sky, she could see a strange bird like creature flying large circles around her head. Her eyes widened slightly as she thought that it reminded her of an eagle, but much larger in size. In fact it was ten times larger than any eagle she had seen. She noticed the wide and lustrous wings it possessed, ideal for flying great distances. As she looked closer, she could define the large and extremely sharp talons it donned.

Bulma stopped walking and looked around, she started to panic. There was nothing! Nothing but sand everywhere around her. No matter where she went, she would be stuck in this endless desert forever! She continued walking in the blistering heat, not knowing where she was walking to.

The eagle she had previously seen, swooped down towards her. Screaming, she fell to her knees and tried to duck. That stupid bird creature was trying to eat her! Putting her hands over her ears, she kept her eyes closed and shook with fear. When nothing happened for a few moments, she courageously opened her eyes.

She looked around again and saw the huge eagle-like bird, furrowing it's feathers and sitting comfortably next to her. Bulma slowly got to her feet as the bird stopped its primping and stared at her with two beady onyx eyes. She was about to scream as the bird got to it's feet and waddled its was closer to her.

Frozen to the spot, she shook with an intense fear, begging and pleading with Dende for the large bird to leave her alone. What happened next surprised her. The bird stopped walking bowed its head, as if in respect.

She looked at it suspiciously but gave a small smile as it sqwuaked cutely. With a shaky hand, she reached out and placed her hand on top of its large beak. Slowly, she rubbed it lovingly. The bird simply nuzzled its beak into her hand. Bulma's smile grew as she stepped closer and petted the overgrown eagle.

"Hey there sweetie. What's a cute bird like you doing out here?" She cooed, earning another loud but manly sqwuak from it. As Bulma stroked the feathers gently, she frowned as she noticed something strange dangling from its neck. Reaching out she pulled the small cylindrical copper container from the confines of the bird's neck.

Stepping back, she examined it carefully and saw that the cylinder could be opened from the center. Pulling the two halves apart, she found a thick piece of pale yellow paper that was rolled into a scroll. It looked like papyrus, something that Egyptians used for paper. Extracting the scroll from the cylinder, she rolled it own and saw beautiful calligraphic writing straing up at her.

She read the words on the scroll aloud to herself;

"Onna. You are in a past world. Py'ar means 'understanding'. The Py'ar ritual goes through different phases of understanding. I have written this so that you will not panic, you seem to have a knack for that," She raised her eyebrow but continued. "You will stay in my past world until you find a way to move forward into the next phase of understanding. This ritual was designed in my culture so that the bonded mates would relate with one another. I am doing this so you will know why I fell back into my old ways. Do not be afraid, you will come to no harm. And remember, you will not move on until you have an understanding for me at each phase. Once you have a complete understanding of me, we will be joined forever. If you do not and you exceed the time needed to be taken, we were not meant for each other and were never meant to be mated. This will not be the case, hopefully. Fly with Talon, he is to be trusted and will take you to your first stage."

It was safe to say that the note was from Vegeta. She frowned, so this was his doing! She just hoped that she would be able to pass the three phases. She wondered to herself, that if she was going through this ritual, would he have to through three phases of understanding in her life? She didn't know but guessed that he would obviously have to understand her as well if they were to be mated. She sighed and placed rolled the letter up. She carefully mounted the large bird that was kneeling before her.

Patting it's side, she shook her head in wonder. This was all too weird for her. But being with the Z Senshi nearly all her like had made her immune to such things. "Ok Talon, let's go."

The bird spread its wings and took to the air. Bulma laughed breathlessly as she looked down below from high in the air. She didn't know where the bird was taking her, she just hoped that she would get there soon.

*****

Vegeta sank his teeth deeper into the side of Bulma's neck. As soon as he felt her fall limp in his arms, he found himself being sucked in through a vat of vibrant colours. Fuscia, cerulean, jade and others passed his vision as he found himself swirling helplessly in the mind boggling colours. He tried to grasp onto reality, but found himself slipping further and further away from Bulma.

^*****^

He landed with an almighty thump in the middle of plush green grass. Grunting, he pulled himself up from his crouching position. He saw that he was surrounded by a mass of large trees and thick green foliage. It was then he reckoned that he was on Earth, many years ago. He was in Bulma's world, her past. He couldn't help but think that even in the past, Earth was just a worthless mud ball.

He hoped Bulma was ok, wherever she was. He tried to telepathically send her a message, hoping that she received it. He knew she would be in his world, in his past as well and he tried to comfort her as he sensed a wave of panic course through him. Her panic.

He slowly rose over the thick trees, seeing if could fly away from here. But there was nothing except a never ending forest before him. He couldn't get out any way he turned as he flew over the trees. Growling, he descended back into the thick and shrouded forest.

As he began to stroll aimlessly through the forest, he couldn't help but notice that he was clothed in earthling wear. Shaking his head, he frowned and concentrated on the task at hand. Their would be something he had to do, he just didn't know what it would be. He tried not to get annoyed by the current situation he was in

The sound of giggling could be heard from the right of him.

Whirling around he narrowed his eyes as he followed the sound of giggling. As he got closer to his destination, he could distinctly hear the sound of rumbling water. It sounded as though there was a river in the distance. He pulled aside the thick branches that separated him from the other side where laughing could now be heard. Stepping into the clearing, he looked around curiously. Why had this place been so significant in Bulma's past? Shrugging, he walked towards the roaring river that was coincidentally running through the mountainous forest.

The tinkering laugh had stopped abruptly.

Looking around him, he shrugged and sat by the edge of the flowing river. Closing his eyes, he waited patiently for something to happen. He had followed the signs to the best extent he could, he would the course of destiny take its own form from now.

He closed his eyes and listened to his surroundings.

Vegeta snapped his eyes open as he heard the strange laughter once again. This time his eyes landed on a small child across the river, running after an oddly coloured butterfly. His eyes widened as he saw the child graced with bright blue hair and large cerulean eyes. What he was witnessing, was Bulma at a young and tender age, as a child, her blue hair cut down to her shoulders and placed in a messy pony tail. He couldn't help but think that she was beautiful, even as a child.

He had seen many pictures of her from this age, and it suddenly came to him that once, a picture had been taken in the exact same spot and time, with her chasing the butterfly. It was strange that he should be here at that exact moment. He narrowed his eyes as he saw a younger version of Buma's father standing a few feet away from his daughter, hiding his face behind a large camera.

"Bulma, honey, stay still!" Dr. Briefs cried out from behind his trusted camera.

Chibi Bulma tried to catch the strange butterfly, ignoring her father's plea. "But daddy! Look at the pwetty butterfwy!" She giggled again, jumping up and trying to ensnare it in the small net.

Vegeta continued to watch in an amused fashion. Slowly standing on his feet, he raised himself off of the ground and flew to the other side of the river where chibi Bulma and her father were. He quietly landed in front of her and kneeled before her.

Chibi Bulma pouted at the strange man. What was he doing here? She didn't like anyone interrupting her and her father's private play time. "Who are you?" She asked rudely and somewhat babyishly.

"My name is Vegeta." He tried not to be mean to the little girl, understanding that she needed affection.

Dr. Briefs raced over to her daughter and the strange man that had appeared from nowhere. "Hey you!! Stay away from my daughter."

Vegeta looked up and saw Bulma's father running towards them, a worried and angry expression on his face. He had been about the affects of being in a Py'ar ritual and so he knew he could manipulate the situation. Standing up and narrowing his eyes at Bulma's father, he forced the younger version of her father to freeze.

Bulma's younger self looked at him in wonder. "Hey Mr, how'd ya do that?"

Vegeta smirked at the little child. Crouching back down again, he caught the strange butterfly in his hands and presented his clasped hands to her. "Do you trust me little one?"

Chibi Bulma thought for a moment. She shook her head. "Daddy told me not to twust stwangers."

He snorted, it figured the old man would have told her that. Rolling his eyes, he stared at her intently. "Well, you can trust me."

"How?"

Vegeta smirked, "Because one day, I will come into your life again and we will be together."

Chibi Bulma pouted and frowned. "Pwomise?"

He nodded.

Her frown broke into a large toothy grin, "Ok!" She jumped closer and pecked his cheek. "I like you and I twust you, so can I have the butterfwy in your hand pwease?"

Vegeta raised his eyebrow and thought for a moment. "Only if you promise to be a good girl and not scream and be angry at your future husband?"

She looked at him blankly. "What's a husband?"

Vegeta's eye twitched briefly. "Like your mother and father. When you grow up, you will have someone and be like them."

She wasn't sure she understood, but because she was indeed a genius child, she began to understand what he meant. She nodded eagerly. "Ok, I pwomise not to shout. Now give me back my butterfwy before I step on your foot!" She narrowed her eyes in anger.

Vegeta couldn't help but chuckle at the little girl. She represented Bulma in every way. He felt the love in his chest grow. He finally understood this little girl perfectly, her loving nature and exquisite mind. Slowly opening his hands, he let the butterfly out. It flew around in circles for a moment, before landing right on the bridge of chibi Bulma's nose. She giggled and tried to blow it off.

As it flew away, she brought the net down and caught it. Triumphantly jumping up and down and smiled at the stranger. "What's your name?"

"Vegeta."

Chibi Bulma ran up to him in his crouched position and gave him a big hug. "Thanks Mr. Vegeta." As she kissed him once again on the cheek, Vegeta found himself pulled away from her into another vat of colours. He smirked as he caught chibi Bulma waving a chubby hand as he was pulled away. He was already onto the next phase of the Py'ar. It would be easy to understand Bulma in her world.

He just hoped that she was having enough success in his own past world as he was with hers.

~*****~

The harsh wind blew directly into her eyes as she sat on the majestic bird's back. They flew high in the air, above dunes and dunes of sand. It seemed like they had been flying for a lifetime, but it had merely been half an hour. Bulma looked down at the never ending desert. Looking out over the horizon, she gasped and began laughing in relief.

Far away in the distance, she could see a cloud of buildings that were clustered together like a swarm of bees. At the edge of the clustered city, she saw a huge colleseum-like stadium. Talon, the bird, swooped down closer to the large stadium. She figured that this was where she was meant to be dropped off.

The large eagle landed silently and gracefully a few meters away from the stadium. Jumping off the bird, she smiled and patted it lovingly. Without waiting, Talon flapped his wings and flew away leaving her as quickly as he came to her.

Bulma watched him fly away, saddened. It was then she noticed that she was being surrounded by a large crowd of people. The stood silently, staring at her as if she were an outsider and an alien... She probably was, Bulma thought to herself.

"Move aside," A rough voice called out from no where. She looked up, seeing an extremely large man push through the crowd. Taking a step back in surprise, she watched the burly man approach her, an apologetic expression on his face.

She took in his appearance carefully, seeing the rough armor that he donned. Her mouth stood agape as she saw a furry brown tail curled around his large yet muscled waist. Was she on Vegeta's old planet? Her mind tried to register this thought. Calming herself down, she reasoned with herself that this was not real but then why did everything feel so real? Shrugging lightly to herself, she looked up at the large man with the spiky dark bush of black hair.

What surprised her even more, was when he bowed. "Princess Shia, visiting dignitaries are not permitted to leave Vegeta no Ou's side. It is dangerous for you to be wandering around by yourself and I have strict orders from your father and Vegeta no Ou to look after you."

Bulma wanted to laugh in his face. Who the heck was this Shia person? But instead of arguing, she decided to play along. "Forgive me, I seemed to have forgotten. What are we doing here?" Bulma motioned towards the large colleseum-like stadium.

The Saiya-jin warrior looked somewhat perplexed. "You have come here to witness Vegeta no Ouji's annual tournament match. This year he shall face a highly experience warrior from your race."

Bulma nodded, completely intrigued. "Is that so..." She didn't know that Vegeta had taken part in such tournaments. He had never told her of these things. All she had known was that his race had been made extinct by Frieza when he was a little boy, so how he be taking part in such a tournament. "How old is Vegeta no Ouji again?"

The Saiya-jin warrior was now extremely confused. "Is her excellency alright?"

Bulma nodded, waiting for him to answer the question.

The warrior spoke slowly, "He is of but eight years of age, in the Vegeta-sei calendar. But you already knew that.

Her face paled. He had been that young when he began to fight? But what did she expect, he was a Prince after all. She couldn't understand why he would fight at such a young age. It must have been one of the many reasons he was molded into the epitome of evil he was. She looked at the warrior. "Of course I knew," she snapped back. Sighing, she looped her arm through his. "You better take me to this Vegeta no Ou. I take it that I'm supposed to watch the tournament with him?"

He nodded and led the small lady into the large stadium. It was odd, but he could have sworn that the Princess had not been this beautiful when he had last seen her. The warrior led her through the swarm of crowds, up to the Royal box of the stadium. Most of the warriors were third-class and therefore had to stand in the mosh pit to watch the match. Second-class Saiya-jins sat on a level higher and First-class Saiya-jins including elites, sat above them. On the highest level was the Royal booth that had a bird's eye view of the entire ring.

They made their way up large stone steps, all the way to the Royal booth. Bulma huffed as she climbed each gigantic step, one after the other. She could help but think that this was going to be a long day. As they reached the booth, Bulma stepped in tentatively into the room and left the Saiya-jin warrior that had escorted her, outside.

"As, Shia! There you are. You're father has been looking around for you everywhere."

Bulma walked up to a man that looked like the elder version of Vegeta with a mustache and goatee. She paused before curtseying. "Forgive me Vegeta no Ou."

The older version of Vegeta merely chuckled, "Think nothing of it. He will be joining us shortly. in the mean time, I want to introduce you to the Saiya-jin no Ouji of Vegeta-sei, I'm sure he will be delighted to meet you."

Bulma heart jumped in her throat at the mention of Vegeta... Her Vegeta. "Where is he?"

Vegeta no Ou turned around and addressed someone in the shadows in an alien language.

Bulma stared intently at the shadows in the corner of the room. After what seemed like a small eternity, a young muscled boy with flame hair emerged from the shadows. He simply scowled at her. "Greetings," he said as he folded his arms in front of his chest. Bulma had to grin. Even at this age, he had mastered his trademark pose.

The King turned to her. "I shall be back in a moment. In the mean time, I expect you two to be on your best behaviour."

Bulma nodded and turned back to look at Vegeta's younger self.

"You are weak." He stated simply as his father left them in the room alone.

Bulma frowned, "How can you tell?"

He shrugged, "Your bone structure. I have no tolerance for weak people."

"You're a little young to be fighting aren't you?"

Chibi Vegeta snorted and turned away to look out of the window and down onto the stadium. "A Saiya-jin is never too young for battle." It sounded as though he were quoting someone.

Bulma walked up to him and stood beside him. She looked at his profile and saw a hint of sadness there. She felt her heart go out to the little boy. "But don't you just want have a little fun?"

Chibi Vegeta frowned. "I can't. It wastes too much time. I must be strong and become the Legendary as my father stated."

Bulma kneeled down beside him, although he was muscled he was still shorter than she. "That's not true. Everyone needs to let go once in a while," she reached out placed a hand on his shoulder. He was surprised by the form of contact. He had never encountered compassion from anyone before, nor had anyone touched him in such a way without it being juxtaposed with pain.

He shrugged her hand off. "I am a Prince. I do not need to let go. What I need to do is keep training and become the strongest warrior." He stared sternly out of the window.

Her heart began to ache for the little boy. His father had placed a heavy burden on him. He had been entrusted to become the strongest warrior from an earlier age and Bulma understood that he was merely doing it to please his father. She took heed that the father and son had a good relationship, but that it was based on pride and strength.. and fighting.

"Where is your mother?" She asked in curiosity.

He looked at her angrily for a moment. "She is dead, killed by an assassin" His eyes hardened as he stared at her.

That's when she fully began to understand the little boy. He needed a mother figure. What child didn't need a mother?! She felt a solitaire tear run down her cheek. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't get it before, but I get it now. I'm so sorry Vegeta," as she reached out to touch the little boy's cheek, grew to understand this form of Vegeta.

Stroking his cheek in a motherly fashion, she surprised him by quickly hugging him in a tight embrace. He struggled free and broke the hug easily. Chibi Vegeta's eyes widened as he saw her begin to fade away to nothing. Where was his new found friend going and why did everybody leave him in the end?

Bulma shook her head as she felt herself being pulled away. She could feel the little boy's inner turmoil and hear his thoughts. "I'm not leaving you, I'll always be with you Vegeta..." Smiling sadly she blew him a soft kiss and spoke out before she completely vanished.

As the vision of the little boy faded, she found herself once again spiraling down a black tunnel.

She didn't know where she would end up next, just hoped that the Py'ar ritual would soon be over. It was easy trying to understand chibi Vegeta, she just didn't know how hard it would be to understand the older version of Vegeta.

She prayed to Dende that the ritual would come to an end soon.

~*****~

Bulma gasped as her eyes flew open. A cry of pain was emitted from her as she felt thick fingers dig their nails into each side of her arms. It was then that she realized she was being held captive. Looking down, she saw that her clothes had not changed and that she was still in the beautiful blue dress. But she was being handled roughly by two alien soldiers.

One was short and fat, almost like an overgrown lizard. The other that was holding her captive, was tall and looked almost human-like save for the deep orange skin that was wrapped around him and the extreme white unkempt hair he donned. Her eyes widened as she recognized the pair. Weren't they the same two characters that were on Namek-sei, the ones who performed that ridiculous dance before fighting? She couldn't recall what force they had been apart of, just remembered that their leader had been a scary large purple man with horns and that he seemed to have his own silly little dance as well.

She hissed from the pain that they were inflicting upon her poor arms. They seemed to drag her along a dim and narrow hallway. It looked as though they were on a large spaceship. She had no clue as to why the next phase of the Py'ar brought her here. She struggled helplessly in their firm grasp.

"Listen sweetie, you better stop your fidgeting or I'll personally rip you apart and save Lord Frieza the trouble of having to kill you himself!" The short fat lizard growled.

Bulma gaped at him, she tried to pull her arm out of his grasp. "Look here you ugly fat lizard, I don't care what you'll do to me but if you call me sweetie one more time, I will personally shred your genitalia to tiny little pieces and scatter them across the universe. Got it?!" Her anger rose as the threat spilled form her lips.

The orange man chuckled. "I think she likes you Dodoria." He winked at his comrade.

Dodoria began to sulk, "Shut up Jeice. We're not all pretty boys like you!"

Bulma was about to scream in frustration. "Where the hell am I? Why in Dende's name have you brought here? And would you fucking loosen your grip on my arms, I'm not going to run away you know!"

The two soldiers reluctantly loosened their hard grip on her arms. Bulma walked along with them for a few moments in silence, trying to calculate an escape route. Why the heck had the Py'ar brought her here as a captive? Her eyes darted around, but she came up with nothing as they walked slowly along the long narrow passageway.

That's when she decided to make a break for it. Ripping her arms from their loose grasp, she kicked both of them in the shins and started to run in the opposite direction they were walking in. Breaking in to a sprint, she ran down the narrow passageway, desperately trying to find an escape route. When she looked behind her to see if her captors were following, she saw them standing and smiling at her pathetic attempt to escape. Just as she looked forward again, her tiny fragile body slammed into what seemed a brick wall.

"Oof!" Bulma staggered backwards, promptly falling on her backside. She looked up and saw two cold onyx eyes staring down at her. Her heart froze. She recognized that look anywhere. It was Vegeta. Her face broke into a smile, "Vegeta!"

She jumped up from her sprawled position on the floor and rushed towards him for an embrace, babbling like a mad woman. "Thank Dende you're here! What the heck is going on, why did you-?" She stopped mid-tirade as she saw the cruel look on his pace. Realization dawned on her as he roughly pushed her back. This wasn't the Vegeta she knew, it was his former self when he was much younger.

Vegeta raised his eyebrow mockingly and narrowed his cruel gaze upon her. "It's Prince Vegeta to you, slave." He hissed the last word out in disgust.

She looked at him pleadingly. Maybe she could get through to him. "Vegeta, it's me! It's Bulma-" Before she could say anything more, she watched in horror as he brought his hand down, making it contact with her cheek in a thundering slap.

She soon felt herself being hurled to the side and slam against the wall of the narrow passageway. Bulma whimpered at the pain that was caused to her fragile body. This wasn't supposed to be real! So why did it hurt so much...? Tears rolled down her porcelain cheeks and she looked up accusingly into his harsh eyes. What had she done to deserve this?!

Vegeta crouched down beside her and roughly held her chin in his hand. Yanking her face closer to his, he once again hissed at her. "I said you shall address me as Prince Vegeta. Say it."

Bulma shook with intense fear. The man she loved had been a monster, he didn't have an ounce of humanity within him! He raised his hand once again. Wincing, before he could make contact again she sputtered out the words. "Y-yes Prince Vegeta," disdain was held in her words.

Vegeta stood up and roughly pulled her to her feet. As he gripped her arm tightly he turned to Jeice and Dodoria, who were watching the scene with great amusement. "I'll take care of her," his menacing voice sent shivers down her spine, as he gripped her arm painfully. "You may leave her with me, I will deliver her to Frieza."

Jeice and Dodoria looked at each other, before nodding and quietly walking down the hallway, turning to the right at the end and walking down another passageway. Vegeta stayed silent for a few moments, making sure they were gone. Slowly but gradually he loosened his grip on the tiny female and looked down at her sternly. He had done considerable damage to her when he flung her against the hard wall of the passageway. "Can you walk?" He asked roughly.

Bulma glared at him furiously as she tried to support herself against the wall. "What do you think?!" She snapped back, earning a surprised look from him. Her breathing became uneven and the walls began to spin around her. Right before she was about to fall, she felt two strong arms encircle her waist and keep her steady. With the dizzy spell over, she felt herself being hoisted up into his arms and carried down the narrow hallway.

Just as Vegeta reached the end, he ducked into a small door that had a tiny room attached behind it. He placed the female in his arms gently on the bed. It was ridiculous. He could wipe out entire races with a single blast, he could even kill woman, children, you name it, en masse in large groups.

But when it came to killing helpless and innocent individuals alone with only a flick of his wrist, he found that he couldn't do it. It was because of this flaw that he had been ostracized by his fellow commanders and soldiers. It was because of this that Frieza had forced him to eliminate people on a one to one basis, daily. He hated it. he hated staring into their eyes right before he shot a ki beam through their heart. It made him sick.

But that was what no one in Frieza's legion could understand. When it came to battle, he was ruthless and cunning. His unforgiving nature in battle was known throughout the universe. It was only when he had to kill innocents without fighting them, that he could do it. Nightmares of their faces as he pierced their hearts with a ki beam haunted him on a regular basis.

He looked down coldly at the shivering woman that lay on his tiny cot. He couldn't have left her alone, to be killed at the hands of Frieza. He would rather kill her himself because he knew that if Frieza were to kill her, she would be tortured to death. If he killed her himself, she would not have to suffer. But he even resented that thought.

Bulma shook from the pain that engulfed her body. She looked at Vegeta's face, set in deep concentration. Sitting up from the hard cot, she cleared her throat and spoke with great uncertainty. She knew that her Vegeta would never try to harm her purposely and she knew that this was Vegeta a long time ago. "What are you going to do to me?" She frowned as his jaw twitched unceremoniously.

He forced himself to look into her never ending sea of blue eyes. He had never seen such beautiful blue eyes in his life. It was such a shame that she would not be around for much longer. He had been so startled when she accidentally ran into him and fell back, but what had caught his attention the most was her ghostly blue eyes that looked up at him in joy as she cried his name.

That was another question needed to be answered. How did she know him? Those crystal blue eyes had instantly pulled him towards her, as he tried to remain in his cold stance in front of Dodoria and Jeice. And so he did the only thing that was fitting, he acted like himself. He had wanted to cradle her close as he saw her crumpled on the floor in pain. Instead, he had roughly pulled her to her feet. It was all apart of being him.

Now, as she sat up on the rock hard table known as his bed, he felt himself falling deeper into her pool of blue eyes. Shaking his head, he forced himself to answer her question. "I'm not going to do anything to you. But you will be killed."

"Why?" She cried. "What have I done wrong?!"

Vegeta frowned as he looked at the strange woman in her odd yet beautiful clothing. "I do not know. They were orders from Lord Frieza."

Tears sprang to her eyes. "But I don't know what I've done wrong! Can't you save me?"

He glared at her coldly, "I can't do anything for you. It's either kill or be killed."

Bulma tried to unsuccessfully struggle to her feet. "How can you say that? And why have you brought me here if I'm to be killed by Frieza?"

"I merely brought you here to see if you had any last requests. You are not the only prisoner I have brought in here to ask that. Tell me your name."

Her jaw hung to the floor. Was she hearing correctly? He was trying to comfort her in her last moments?! But she had thought Vegeta had been a cold and ruthless killer... It was then that she began to understand. Her eyes widened. He was forced to do such horrific things by Frieza, not because he wanted to.

Even though the Saiya-jin blood within him cried out for battle, it was Frieza that had kept tempting the young Saiya-jin Prince to be the way he was. She had seen first hand when Vegeta was a child, that it was not all about remorseful killing. Saiya-jins based their fighting on pride, honor and strength. It was not about how many people they killed, it was about how many times they won in battle.

And Vegeta was no different, as he wanted to emerge a winner no matter what. Even in Frieza's custody, he had never let go of his pride and honor. So as he stared at her with hooded eyes, she could see and understand why he behaved this way. It was a safe option in Frieza's company. Fighting was apart of his heritage, and she realized that he had to keep it alive or else his entire being would have dwindled away to nothing. She knew what she had to do. She had to show him that he was not as bad, as he thought he was.

"What?" He snapped as he caught her staring at him.

She shook her head and smiled sadly, "Nothing... Nothing at all. My name is Bulma." Looking at the floor, she tilted her head. "I do have one request..."

The younger version of Vegeta looked up at her in surprise. "What is it then? I will only grant it if it is within my power mind you."

She flashed him a mischievous grin. "A hug?" She wanted to burst out laughing as she saw his cheeks redden slightly.

"I am a warrior!" He sputtered indignantly, "I do not give hugs!" This was absurd. He had never gotten such a strange request before.

Bulma pouted playfully, "Pretty please?"

Vegeta snorted in exasperation. "Only if you answer a simple question for me."

She nodded in agreement.

"How did you know who I was before I had even spoken to you?"

She paused, wondering if she should tell him. Sighing to herself, she thought she might as well. After all, if she was right, then Frieza was going to kill her in this dimension anyway. "I'm not from this world or dimension."

Vegeta's younger self frowned. "What do you mean?" This was very odd indeed. Just who was this strange and enticing blue-haired woman?

"I'm sort of from the future, in a strange way. Let's just say I don't belong here." She offered a small smile.

"You say you knew me in the future..?"

Bulma nodded.

He continued, "How are we acquainted?" It would be very interesting to find out.

Bulma wondered whether or not she should tell him. "First give me my hug and then I will tell you."

Vegeta growled, he didn't like her ordering him around but it felt somewhat comforting to him. Stepping awkwardly closer to her, he quickly embraced her and pulled away just as fast, disgust written on his face. Bulma had to giggle. "See, now that wasn't bad was it?"

"It was horrendous." He retorted, "Now tell me what I want to know."

She sighed, "I believe that in the future, you called me your mate." She was surprised as his face paled.

His hands began to shake. Just who was this woman and why was she here? "You mean.. My Tashi?"

Bulma shook her head, "No. I believe you just said mates." She watched him slump down in relief. Her perfectly arched eyebrow rose in conviction. "Do you believe me."

Several moments passed before he answered. "It is strange but from the look on your face I can see that you are not lying."

Bulma smiled, getting through to him was easier than she thought.

"But don't expect me to be soft on you because you think you are my future mate."

Or maybe not.

She bit her lip, "Trust me, you are anything but soft in my future world."

Intrigue burned on his face. "Tell me, do I defeat Frieza and become the Legendary?"

Bulma felt her heart break, how could she tell him that he had not been the one to avenge his people? Instead she twisted her words and answered only the second part of the question, hoping that he wouldn't notice. "Yes. You become the Legendary." She looked on as he closed his eyes in relief. At least she had given this young man, some piece of mind.

"I knew I would do it." Vegeta said quietly to himself, closing his eyes.

Loud thumping came from the other side of the steel door. "OPEN UP!" The muffled voice of Jeice could be heard. A quieter voice reprimanded him, "Now, now Jeice. I'm sure Vegeta has a good reason to be harboring the little fugitive." A high pitched voice hissed from behind the door.

His eyes flew open and landed upon her panic stricken face. "Frieza," He said, whilst standing up with lightning speed, he crossed the threshold of space that separated them and stared down into her eyes, a strange emotion burning in them. As Bulma felt herself falling into his onyx eyes, she nodded in understanding. It was the only way he could save himself. Her death was inevitable, but his was not and she knew that he had to do this to save his own life.

"Do it," she whispered as she tried to hold back the tears. He had never looked so handsome in his life.

Growling, he pulled her close reluctantly began to tear the fragile pieces over her dress. He purposely raked his sharp canine teeth over her bare shoulder, causing her smooth skin to rip apart. The blood oozed from the wound that had been inflicted upon her. Bulma tried not to cry as the searing pain shot up her arm.

She looked up at Vegeta and could see that he was going through so many different emotions, all of them unreadable on his face. She grimaced as she purposely lowered part of the sleeveless blue dress, exposing the top part of her chest. Vegeta tore at his armor, he couldn't believe she was actually letting him do this to her. Closing his eyes, he slapped her cheek as lightly as he could whilst causing it to bruise.

In the next instant, Bulma had laid down on the floor, sprawling herself out carelessly to look as though she were about to be raped. Through the entire ordeal, only a single tear streaked down her face as Vegeta lay on top of her, on the top half of his armor removed. He roughly held her arms above her head and put on a mask of hate on his face which he had mastered since being in Frieza's custody.

The door was suddenly blast open. Bulma began to whimper, as if in pain, when in truth she was perfectly fine except for the blood that was seeping from her cut shoulder.

"Vegeta!" She recognized the voice to belong to Frieza.

Vegeta was immediately on his feet, bowing before his master. "Lord Frieza."

Jeice looked at the floor and saw the blue haired female staring up at him with fear in her eyes. "What do you think you're doing? You knew she was Frieza's prisoner!"

Zarbon, a handsome green alien that stood in the corner of the room, narrowed his eyes at the exposed female shivering on the floor, who was now sitting up and clutching the tattered blue fabric of her dress to her chest.. "Just what have you been doing Vegeta?"

"Yes, do explain." Frieza demanded from his hovercraft.

Vegeta stood up from his kneeling position and smirked at Jeice cruelly. "Just having a little fun with the prisoner, Jeice."

Zarbon smirked at Vegeta, although he was not convinced, he couldn't prove it. "Well you've had you're fun monkey boy. Hand her over."

Vegeta snarled and was about to launch himself at the green alien, when Frieza intervened. "Come now boys, I cannot have you fighting over a little whore you know."

Both Zarbon and Vegeta powered down, but remained glaring at each other. Frieza's voice rang out once again. "Since you enjoyed her company so much Vegeta, I think that the death should be done by your hand. After all, it is fitting don't you think?"

Vegeta looked blankly at the tiny lizard that possessed more power than he could ever grasp. "Would it be better if you killed her Lord Frieza?" How could he kill her after learning that she was his mate in the future?! He felt as though his soul had been shredded to piece.

Frieza narrowed his eyes at his little pet. "Don't tell me you are attached to the little minx Vegeta...?" His voice reminded Vegeta of the time he had first been beaten at the hands of Frieza.

Vegeta glared coldly at his master. "Fine." Turning around he faced Bulma who was now standing shakily on weak legs. She looked at him, knowing that she would be alright. He clenched his fist as he stared into her endless blue eyes. He couldn't bring himself to do it. It was then he could here her voice in his head.

~It's alright Vegeta... I understand. Do what you have to do.~

As the three men behind him urged him to kill her, he stared questioningly into her eyes. Why was she telling him to kill her? He couldn't do it. He heard her voice in his head again.

~I'll be fine Vegeta. Don't worry about me, I'll see you in the future.~

Snarling, Vegeta formed a tiny ki ball on his index finger. The three men behind him faded away and all he could see was her beautiful vision before him, with a glowing light around her.

~I CAN'T!!~ He screamed back at her. He had always hated killing when it was only one helpless person. He could kill in groups, but never a single person alone. And how could he kill his future mate?

Her soothing voice echoed into the corners of her mind. ~Nothing can hurt me. I'll be fine Vegeta, just do it.~

He raised his arm stiffly, aiming straight for her heart. The pained expression on her face burned into her mind. He stared into her cool blue eyes, and knew that it was what she wanted. If he didn't kill her, he would be dead too and they would both suffer. He shot a long beam straight to her heart and felt his soul cry in pain as a single tear rolled down her eyes as the beam shot through her heart and she slumped to the floor.

Before her cold body hit the floor, he could hear her voice resounding in his mind. ~I understand Vegeta... I'll always love you.~

And so for the first time, the Saiya-jin no Ouji had encountered someone that had loved him dearly enough to sacrifice themselves for him. He showed no emotion or remorse on the outside as he turned back around and smirked cruelly at the three men. "Happy?"

Inside he was aching for the loss of the beautiful woman that had showed him what it felt like to be loved. With the cold mask in place, he stormed away. He vowed that he would never forget the love and sadness he had seen in her eyes and swore that he would train to become stronger than his tyrant of a master. But his heart closed up, turning to stone. He also vowed he would never feel love, it only made him weak.

~*****~

Bulma projected her thoughts of understanding one final time before the tiny ki beam pierced her heart, rupturing the vessels within her chest. She slumped to the floor, but instead of being dead like she thought she was, she found herself once again spiraling down the dark bleak tunnel. She clutched her heart as she remembered how the painful beam shot through her chest. It had felt so real, she had felt like she was going to die, but yet here she was once again spiraling down the black tunnel to the next phase of the Py'ar.

She had understood why Vegeta behaved the way he was in this time. She knew that although he tried not to become corrupt like Frieza and have his heart blackened with hate, it was hard for him to remember life with love. She knew that he had a reason to make himself stone hearted. Bulma felt and heard every single thought of his after he shot her and she knew why he chose that path.

She understood.

And so the next phase of the Py'ar had been completed, there was one more to go. She hoped she was able to get through it.

^*****^

Vegeta was once again looking at the wild colours that darted past his vision as he whirled through the strange tunnel. The colours were starting to give him a headache. He grunted as he was roughly thrown out of the tunnel and onto soft cushioned green grass. A box of some kind landed next to him.

Standing up, he observed the box and realized it was a pizza box. His stomach growled promptly as he took in the delicious smell of the succulent pizza. With his mouth watering, he bent down to pick up the box of pizza. But just as he was about to open the box he gaped at the clothes he was wearing at the moment.

They were no longer the normal earthling clothes he wore whilst he was with chibi Bulma. Instead, he was dressed in a pair of tight red trousers and snug fitting white muscle shirt. He looked up and noticed that his hair was no longer standing up right in its flame position. A baseball cap was on his head, forcing his hair to hand down. He growled, not believing that he looked like such a prissy. He ripped the cap off his head and flung it away. His hair instantly stood in its upright position.

The things he did for the Onna was ridiculous. She had better appreciate it, he thought to himself slightly in anger. Looking down at his chest, he saw three word emblazoned across the T-shirt. It read;

"Pete's Pizza Delivery."

He shook his head, not believing that he had been reduced to a pizza delivery boy! It was enough to swear him off of pizza for life. It was then that he noticed his surroundings. He was standing at the foot of the Capsule Corp. doorstep, in what seemed to be the evening. The stars twinkled and a full moon shone down, bathing the grass in its milky light. A frown flitted across his face. Why had he been brought here? What was he supposed to understand here?

As he examined the building, he saw many things that were different about it. It didn't look the same as it had in his time. Shrugging, he held the pizza box in his arm and ignoring the protesting growling of his stomach, he walked up the three steps and rang the doorbell of the dome-shaped mansion. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for what seemed like small eternity for anyone to open the door.

When the electronic door slid open, he was shocked to see Bulma standing there in a fluffy robe, her eyes watering and her nose red. She looked greatly disturbed and upset about something. He rolled his eyes, since when was she not upset by something? He mentally shrugged and reasoned that he was here to understand her, not berate her silly emotions. As he stared into her weary blue eyes, he looked at the age markings that showed him she was in her early twenties. It was then that he noted this event must have occurred right before he and Nappa were coming to Earth.

"Yes?" She asked sadly, blowing into a tissue.

He forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat and speak to her. "Uh, pizza delivery."

She sighed and looked at the box in his well-muscled arm. She couldn't believe how incredibly handsome and cute he looked. Her sad thoughts returned to Yamcha. She had found out that he was going to go away and leave her alone, to train with Kami. The recent argument was worse than any other they had. "Thanks, how much do I owe you?"

Vegeta thought to himself and made up some silly sum, "Two thousand zeni." He watched her eyes widen in surprise and then saw anger seep into the cool blue.

"WHAT?" She screeched. "How can it be that much, it's only a pizza?!"

Vegeta winced, about to back away when she suddenly pushed her face close to his and began yelling at him.

Bulma grabbed the front of his shirt, letting out all of her anger and frustration. It was bad enough that her boyfriend was leaving her to train with a green guardian, but to be over charged for a pizza?! What was the world coming to??! "Listen up buster. I don't know who you are or why you're over charging me for that pizza, but you better have a damn good reason for it!! You hear me?! And another thing-" She gasped as she found herself being flung over his shoulder, caveman style and carried back into her home. She kicked and screamed with all her might, but found that his iron grip wouldn't budge. He stepped into the living room and tossed her onto the sofa. She looked up at him, perplexed. How had he managed to find his way through the maze of her home? She looked at him closely as he stared at her and felt strangely connected.

"Do I know you?" She breathed in wonder. Her heart melted as he smirked at her.

"Yes you could say that," Vegeta was enjoying himself immensely at present. He hadn't man handled Bulma like that in years and it felt great! He reckoned that he would have to do that more often once they ritual was over. He placed the pizza on the glass coffee table and folded his arms. "Now tell me woman, why are you screeching at me so incessantly?"

Bulma gaped at him, anger flaring once again. She stood up and glared at him. "How dare you! Do you know who I am? I could have you fired from your job in an instant you ingrate. Get out of my house!"

"Go ahead Onna."

"My name is-" She was interrupted before she could say her name.

"Yes, yes. I know. You're name is Bulma Briefs. Trust me Onna, I know more of you than you know of yourself." Vegeta was getting tired with every passing moment.

Bulma huffed and folded her arms, "Oh? And how is that."

He smirked wickedly. Strolling up to her casually, he stood before her and pulled her close. "I know that you have a fiery temper, I know that you like to look at the stars, I know that you are a genius and..." He trailed off and gazed intently into her eyes.

Bulma's lips parted as she stood in close proximity with him, her pulse quickened as he pulled her close. Who was this strange man that had invaded her house and how would she get him out? Even though she tried to pull free, she found herself moving closer by the moment. "And?" She asked through dry lips.

Vegeta brought his lips to her ear and blew into it playfully. "And, I know that you have a small birthmark right... about... here." He trailed his hand down to the base of her spine and moved his index finger in small circles, pinpointing the exact location of her birthmark.

She gasped, jumping back as though she had just been burned. "How did you know that?" She asked fearfully. "Who are you!"

"Let's just say that I come in peace," he smirked at his little joke but frowned when he saw her face pale in fear. "There is no need to fear me. We will soon be acquainted. What I want to know, is why you are sitting in the house blubbbering?" He knew he was being harsh, but he needed to show her that she was strong and above crying.

Bulma sunk down miserably into the sofa. "It's... It's... My boyfriend!" She wailed, burying her face in her hands.

Vegeta almost scowled in disgust. This was not his strong willed mate he knew, it was someone completely different. But then he reasoned with himself that he was in her past, before he came into her life and that of course she would be different. Rolling his eyes, he sat down next to her. "What did scar-face do now?"

She sniffled and looked at him curiously. "You know him? Is that why you're here, because he sent you to check on me?"

"No. But I do know him."

She shrugged to herself, maybe that is where she recognized him from. She had felt strangely attached to this man and yet she didn't know anything about him. She sighed and looked at the cream carpet. "He's leaving me... I don't want him to go."

Vegeta frowned and refrained from making a mean comment. "Why?"

"He said he needs to train with Kami and become strong so he can fight." She spoke with bitterness.

"Fight. Whom?"

She looked at him and spoke hesitantly, maybe he would believe her. "In one year, two Saiya-jins will be coming to Earth to destroy it. He's been chosen to fight, but I don't want him to!" She looked at the handsome unknown man closely, to see what his reaction would be. Surprisingly to her, he didn't seem phased.

"You do not need to worry," he spoke slowly. He could see the love she held for her previous 'mate' and understood why she cherished him so much. Even to this day, she was still attached to him slightly, Vegeta mused to himself. Was that why he was brought here? To understand her need to be loved and her attachment for the scarred human. He still didn't seem to understand why she needed him around, but he was determined to find a common ground. After all, he had to get to the next phase.

"Tell me Onna, why are you so attached to him? Do you love him?" It pained him to ask that even though he knew she would love him in the future with all her heart.

Bulma bit her lip and shrugged. "You know, I never thought about it... I don't know if I love him to be honest... He just seems to be the only one who understands me. He's the only guy I've known who tolerates my wild mood swings," she smiled softly at the comment. "I'm attracted to him, he's kind and honest and he makes me feel good... But I don't know if I love him... I just guess that I'm scared of being lonely." The revelation shocked her but at the same time it made sense.

Vegeta smirked, he finally understood where she was coming from. It wasn't because she was in love with her former mate, it was because she was lonely. In many ways they were alike, both their loneliness had drawn them together in a heat of passion in the first place. He stood up from the comfy couch, thinking of one final thing to say to her. "Onna, for what it's worth. You are worth more than a million of him. Do not settle for second best."

She stood up next to him, facing him in confusion. "But then who will love me?" She didn't know why she was opening up to the strange pizza delivery guy so much. Something about him just instantly comforted her and attracted her to him.

Vegeta looked at her with an intense gaze. "If you trust me, then you will listen to me. Have your little boyfriend for now but in a few years time you will have to move on and choose a real man."

She frowned, "Yamcha is a real man."

Vegeta nodded, "For now. But when the time comes, you will know who it is you will love."

She let the cryptic message sink in. "Ok... Thank you, whoever you are." She reached out and hugged the stranger that had given her a new insight into her messed up life. She finally saw that it wasn't as messed up as it seemed

He smirked and let her hug him. He knew that she needed to be loved, understood why she stuck by her human mate for so long. He understood that she was lonely and that he had to learn to make himself more agreeable to her and comply with her demands for attention. She was a special woman after all. Vegeta finally felt at peace with the entire issue of his mate and her ex-lover.

He started to fade away from her as the understanding grew. He was onto the final stage of the Py'ar. So far it had been a breeze. He hoped the next phase would be easy too. The smirk widened as he watched her shocked face fade away into the distance. Once again he found himself swirling through a tunnel of colours that attacked his sensitive vision.

~*****~

Bulma was once again flying in the black tunnel to the next phase of the Py'ar. She hoped it was the last phase as she was growing weary and tired from all the work she had to do. Being shot in the chest with that ki blast had felt so real that Bulma almost suffocated on her sobs as she though about it.

The tunnel around her began to spin crazily, when it abruptly stopped. She opened her eyes and looked around at her location. A laugh caught in her throat as she recognized the landscape to be part of Earth. She was back home!! But wait, it was broad daylight. Hadn't Vegeta initiated the ritual at night and on the beach? She noted that the blue dress that had been torn previously, was replaced with her short figure hugging favourite red dress.

Her eyes widened. It was the exact same dress she had been wearing for the World Martial Arts Tournament!! Raising her hands up to her neck she felt the silk fabric of her brilliant yellow scarf. Moving her hands further up, they came to rest on her head. Her hair was no longer long! It was back to its original short length. Why was she here in these clothes at the current time?

She looked at the dry and rocky area around her. Many rocks were crumbling, as if they were thrown carelessly around or had been punched. Her feet crunched on the rocky soiled ground as she walked around in confusion.

The place she was in looked like it had been a battlefield...

She could distinctly hear voices speaking loudly, nearby to where she stood.

Sighing in relief, she ran up to the large boulder that separated her from the voices. She peeked out from behind the boulder and gasped in surprise.

Across from where she was safely hidden, stood Majin Buu in his first form and her husband standing face to face. Her voice caught in her throat as she took in his tattered and battered appearance. He was really hurt! She felt mild nausea wash over her as she caught sight of the blood that trickled from his mouth and eyes. Was this his condition before he died? Her eyes grew watery, and she uttered his name sadly to herself. "Vegeta..."

Frowning, she listened intently to the scene taking place between her husband and Majin Buu.

"That's right you big bloated balloon freak!" Vegeta cried in anger. "I'm going to destroy you and then I'm going to crush you to the wind!" He growled as he powered up.

Bulma watched him power up from the safety of the rock. Far above him she saw Piccolo flying away with her son and Goten. Panic grew within in her, they looked as though they were hurt as well. She knew they would be ok, Vegeta was her main focus at that moment. Tearing her gaze away from her son, her eyes travled over her husband's majestic form. She couldn't believe how incredibly handsome he looked as a Super Saiya-jin, even with all the blood caked on his face. Her mouth fell as she heard him threaten the pink creature and power up to enormous proportions.

Bulma's heart froze as she realized he was about to sacrifice himself. She had been brought here because of the Py'ar to witness his sacrifice, but she couldn't let him do it. Scrambling out of her hiding place, she waved her arms above her head and began to run to him.

"VEGETA!!! NO!!" She screamed at the top of her voice whilst running towards his haggard form.

Vegeta frowned as he heard his name being screamed. He looked to the side and his eyes widened at the sight of his mate running towards him, arms flailing in the air. "Onna...?" Anger rose within him. Just what the hell was she doing here?! Was she on her own damn suicide mission?! He growled and snarled at her. "Get out of here Bulma, NOW. Or you'll be killed!!" He called her by her name, showing her that he was every bit serious and meant business.

Bulma breathlessly ran up to him, tears streaming down her face. "Vegeta what are you doing?!"

"I'm dancing." He snarled sarcastically. "What the fuck does it look like I'm doing?" He knew he was being cruel, but he had to get her away before Majin Buu killed her too. He sent a cautious glance to the pink blob.

Majin Buu just seemed to remain happily hopping from one foot to the other whilst speaking in his squeaky voice. "Buu no like you! Buu turn you into yummy biscuit. No, no. Buu no turn you into biscuit. Buu like choc-o-late. Me make you choc-o-late." He was still hopping from foot to foot.

Vegeta growled and looked back at his foolish mate. Gritting his teeth he grasped her shoulders and shook her. "Get out of here! I can't lose you to this pink blob!"

"What about you?" She cried back, sobbing. It was then that her head turned to Majin Buu. She narrowed her eyes at the pink monster and desperately willed it to stop moving closer with all her heart. To her utter surprise, Majin Buu froze. Even the dust swirling around him froze in place. Why hadn't she known that she could freeze the situation before?! Crying out in relief, she looked back at her shocked lover.

"What happened to him?" He asked in awe as he looked at the frozen monster and then back at her. "What did you do?"

Bulma breathed a sigh of relief. She placed her hands on his shoulders and desperately peered up into his eyes. "I don't know how long I can keep him that way. Vegeta please, don't do this!!"

He looked down at his beautiful mate. At least he could have his last moments with her before he self-destructed himself to save the people he loved. Raising a hand, he placed it gently on her cheek. "We both know that I have to do this."

She sobbed and threw herself into his arms, hugging him close. "No I don't want to lose you again! Please don't do this." She pressed her face into his bloodied and scratched chest. The beautiful blue gi he had worn was now tattered and torn to no repair.

He looked down in confusion. "Again?"

She sniffled and looked up sadly. "You chose Babadi's power over me..." A new set of tears trickled down her cheeks. She pulled away from him and looked at the ground, shaking as she tried to suppress the sobs that choked her.

Vegeta knew he had hurt her. He didn't know he had hurt her this deeply. He swallowed his pride, as he knew it might have been the last time he saw her alive. Walking up to her turned away form, he wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his nose into the side of her neck. "Bulma... Forgive me."

She pulled away and looked up in surprise. This was the first time he had openly admitted his apology. "Vegeta...?"

"I took Babadi's power knowing exactly what I was getting myself into. I needed the power, I needed to be the way I was before even if it was for a brief moment." He continued seeing the confused expression on his face. He might as well tell her, after all he was going to die. "I needed to relive how I was before I met you and I needed to make as ultimate decision as to who and what I was."

"So, who are you Vegeta. Exactly what do you choose?" She whispered.

"You belong by my side and no one else's. I am who I have always been, but I choose you Onna. At the end of everything, at the end of all the power and madness, I chose you and our son."

She burst into a new set of tears as she heard the words. She finally understood her proud husband. She understood why he had accepted Babadi's power in the first place. It was for selfish reasons, yes, but only because he wanted to find out who he really was. He didn't let Babadi have complete control over his mind and in the end he had chosen his son and mate over the evil power.

She understood that he was sacrificing himself for their son, for her and for her love. She knew she had to let him do this for her, if only to ease his own conscience. It was his way of asking for forgiveness for the pain he had previously inflicted upon her. She knew that he loved her with all his soul and she knew that he would never do anything to purposely hurt her ever again. She understood and finally received all the answers to her questions.

She didn't need anything more because she finally at long last, understood him.

Crying and laughing at the same time, she flung herself into his arms and rewarded him with the biggest hug she could muster up. She smiled into his neck as his arms wound around her waist and hugged her back tightly. It would be their last moment together before he sacrificed himself for her and their son. She felt her feet being lifted off of the ground as she was crushed into his warm embrace.

Lacing her hands through his thick blonde hair, she looked lovingly into his teal eyes that no longer haunted her with the evil they beheld. She reveled in their beauty and striking austerity. Through salty tears she roughly pushed her lips against his, kissing him hungrily and not realizing that his blood trickled into her own mouth as she kissed him with a passion unknown to herself.

Vegeta responded, kissing her back with equal force and passion. Beyond the kissing couple, Majin Buu stood completely frozen to the spot and remained that way until Bulma deemed it fitting to unfreeze him.

She slid her smooth lips against his cracked ones, softening them up with her sweet kisses. Lovingly rubbing her nose against his, she felt herself being raised in his embrace further. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she continued to assault his lips with loving and tender kisses. She ran her across his taut, rippling chest, and felt a slight wetness envelope her fingers. She pulled her lips away and frowned as she examined her fingers. It was his blood.

She pouted, as his gaze pierced her soul, straight to her heart. "You're really hurt..." She buried her face into his masculine neck.

"Minor scratches," he smirked as brought her head up and pushed his face closer to hers, rubbing his nose lightly against her cheek. He needed to see her face, even if it was for one last time.

She pretended to whack him in the chest. "Minor scratches my ass!" She hugged him close and sighed sadly. "I understand why you have to do this..."

He snorted. "Good."

Bulma glared at him. "I'm serious Vegeta."

A small smile tugged at his lips, "I know."

Her head turned and she looked helplessly at the frozen image of Majin Buu. Snapping her head back, she pecked his lips deeply, stroking his cheek. "I love you Vegeta..." She whispered as she unwrapped her legs from his waist and hopped down.

His eyes bore into her own. He began pulling off one of the gloves on his hand. With his ungloved hand, he rubbed her cheek. "I know," although there was gruffness in his voice, she could hear affection in it as well.

Bulma closed her eyes and placed her own hand over his as he rubbed her cheek. Pressing her body against his, she sighed. It was as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She knew what she had to do. She opened her eyes in a determined fashion and stared at him with an unwavering gaze. "That's why I'm going to be with you when you destroy Majin Buu..."

His face went from at ease, to frowning in a nano second. "Are you insane? You'll be killed along with me!" He barked at her. What had gotten into her?

Bulma shook her head. "I know," she whispered. "Please Vegeta. Let me be with you."

"What about Trunks? You can't leave him here alone." He tried to coax her out of her crazy decision.

Bulma smiled briefly. "I'll be with him anyway." She sighed seeing the confused expression of his face. "It's kind of strange but I'm a sort of entity of myself. I'm physically here as an entity but my true physical form is far away from here."

"Then how am I able to touch you." He said, not buying her lame excuse.

"I don't know but, I'm not from this dimension. I'm from the future, but nothing I do at present will affect the future. If you trust me, you'll let me be with you when you destroy Majin Buu."

He frowned, "Is does explain how you were able to freeze that overgrown gob stopper."

She laughed at his joke but stopped as he sternly stared at her. "Are you sure nothing will happen to you in this world if you are by my side."

"I promise, nothing will happen to me in this world." She looked into his eyes sincerely.

His hard gaze softened briefly and Vegeta shook his head whilst mumbling. "I can't believe I'm letting you do this. You're more insane than I am."

She smiled and hugged him again, whispering into his strangely shaped Saiya-jin ear which she loved dearly. "That's why we're perfect for each other."

He chuckled wryly. "Very well. It's time you unfroze that tub of lard."

Kissing him one last time, she stepped out of his embrace and turned to look at Majin Buu. Concentrating her thoughts on him, she willed him to move. Suddenly, the pink monster came to life and began to jump around on each foot as he walked closer, continuing to threaten Vegeta, paying no attention to Bulma.

She nodded to herself in understanding. Majin Buu couldn't see her! She turned to Vegeta and relayed the information to him. "Vegeta, he can't see me!"

Vegeta looked down at her and nodded. He knew now that although this was not his real mate, she represented his real mate and was her specter. He searched for his true mate and found her far away at a safe distance from the battlefield. He opened his eyes and looked into the eyes of the woman he loved. Even though he knew she was not truly his mate in this physical world, he still loved her with all of his heart. "Ready, Onna?"

Bulma nodded in determination as she stood beside her husband. She glared at Majin Buu and grabbed Vegeta's left hand with her right. "I'm ready," this experience would teach her to understand him in his full state of mind. She loved him, she always would. Looking up, her breathing quickened, she smiled in uncertainty. "I love you Vegeta."

He simply smirked back and nodded. Forcing himself to tear his gaze from her gorgeous blue eyes, he stared straight ahead with his eyes fixed on the object of his hate. 'Trunks, Bulma,' he spoke to himself in his mind. 'I'm doing this for you.' He turned his head and looked at the sky. 'And yes, even you Kakarott.' With his last thoughts held close to him, he squeezed the hand of the woman he loved, tightly to let her know he would be ok. Not hesitating anymore, he pulled her close to his side and let out an almighty roar.

Tears rolled down her eyes as he squeezed her tiny hand. She looked at him through her tears and heard his very last thoughts. He was doing this for her and her son. He was even doing it for Goku! Her love for him burned in her chest. Yes. She understood why he did what he had done. She had forgiven him because she understood. Sobs wracked her body as he pulled her close by his side, still holding her hand, and heard him roar loudly as his power increased to an unimaginable proportion.

Bulma cried for the loss of her husband as she held his hand. The painful roar that was being screamed out attacked her ears, causing her temples to throb. Sucking in her breath, she screamed along with him as she felt the enormous ball of energy engulf the both of them, it's burning ki licking at their intertwined bodies. Bulma screamed with Vegeta and felt her grip on his hand loosen.

No longer was she burning by the flesh, in her husband's ki. She was once again spiraling down the dark tunnel as understanding infiltrated her mind. She wondered where she was being sent now by the Py'ar. Hopefully it would be back to her own world.

She knew why Vegeta had chosen to take Babadi's power and she had forgiven him with all her heart.

All because she loved him and understood him.

^*****^

Vegeta started to fade away from her as the understanding grew. He was onto the final stage of the Py'ar. So far it had been a breeze. He hoped the next phase would be easy too. The smirk widened as he watched her shocked face fade away into the distance. Once again he found himself swirling through a tunnel of colours that attacked his sensitive vision.

^*****^

The frazzling colours abruptly faded and Vegeta groaned at the pleasure that was filling him. In an instant, he found himself completely stripped of clothing and laying on top and inside of his beautiful mate. His beautiful naked mate. He stopped moving against her and felt slightly confused as he looked down into her eyes.

"Mmm, Vegeta... Why did you stop?" Bulma panted, almost whining. She looked up with confusion in her eyes as she gripped the muscles in his upper arms and felt her heavy breathing slow down.

Vegeta pulled away slightly. Was this apart of the Py'ar or had they completed the ritual? He could not be certain. His eyes narrowed at her, trying to find a flaw in her appearance. Sure enough, there was one staring at him in the face.

Bulma sighed from under him, annoyed that he lost his momentum and fast pace. No longer was she enflamed with desire. She caught the thoughtful look on his face. "Is everything alright?" She touched his cheek softly, grazing it with her fingers.

Vegeta's eyes widened as he pinpointed the change. Her hair was no longer in its short state, it was sprawled out in its long and lustrous state, over the pillow. She looked somewhat older, yet the beauty in her smooth, creamy features had not faded. In fact, if he did not look close, he could see no sign of change in her face whatsoever.

Was he in the future?!

He was extremely confused now. Why had the Py'ar sent him to this phase of time? This was one thing he could not understand. As he looked around the room, he could see minor and some drastic changes that had been made to it.

"Vegeta, honey, what is it?" She wriggled beneath him, whilst stroking his cheek to bring him to attention.

Vegeta snapped his attention back to his writhing mate that was demanding attention. It was strange that he had been sent to the future. He had never been taught by his elders in the Saiya-jin community that the Py'ar could be moved into the future. He secretly wondered how Bulma was faring with the phases that the Py'ar. "What time am I in Onna?"

Bulma frowned below him, why on Earth did he ask that in the middle of their love-making? She struggled to push him off. "Vegeta, what is going on?" She demanded, all the while trying to push him off.

Ignoring her, he lifted himself of her sweat slicked body almost reluctantly. He had to find out why he had been brought here. He slid out of the large bed and stood before her in all his glory. Modesty was not one of his best qualities and Bulma was used to it by now. "Is Majin Buu defeated?"

She stared at her husband as if he had gone completely off his rockers. She spoke slowly, complying with his strange behaviour. "Yes..."

"When?"

She rolled her eyes, growing impatient. Wrapping the silk bed sheet around her body, she walked to the large walk-in closet and tossed him a pair of pants from the inside. She could see that this was going to take a while. Vegeta caught the black silk PJ bottoms with one hand. As he slipped them on, he asked the same question again. "When was he defeated?"

Bulma stepped out of the walk-in closet, still clothed in the sheet she had ripped from the bed but holding a pale blue slip. As she looked into his eyes, she could see that he was serious in every aspect. Shaking her head at his odd behaviour, she tossed the sheet around her to the bed and slipped into the short nighty. Maybe Vegeta's immodesty was rubbing off on her. Sighing, she brought herself to answer his question. "Six years ago. Why?"

The information processed his mind as his eyes wandered appreciatively over her curves. Bringing himself out of the reverie he seemed to be stuck in, he folded his arms over his bare chest. "What has happened in the past six years?"

Ok. Now he was beginning to frighten her. She suddenly broke out into a grin. It was a joke, right? Yes, that is what it had to be. She walked slowly up to him, swaying her hips. Pouting seductively, she wrapped her arms around his broad neck and pulled him into a tight hug. She nuzzled her face into the side of his neck, playfully nipping his neck here and there. "Vegeta," she purred deeply, "Enough games. Can't we just go to bed before the children wake up? We hardly ever get to spend any time together lately."

He pulled back in mild surprise. "Children?"

She glared up at him angrily, "Yes you know, our children, Bra and Trunks!" She thumped his chest in frustration. "What has gotten into you? Honestly if I didn't know any better, I'd say you weren't my Vegeta."

If only she knew.

The shock he felt was unlike any other. They had another child together. So she really had forgiven him in the future! From the markings on her neck, he could tell that he had not performed the ritual with her in this time and yet they had another child together. He was curious to see what his new child looked like. It dawned on him as to why he was sent here. He had to find out why she had forgiven him, despite not performing the ritual.

He started out hesitantly, "Onna... When I was revived after the Buu ordeal, did you forgive me for what I had done?"

She frowned, what had brought on these sudden questions? She thought back, realizing that it was six years to this day that she had forgiven him. She smiled softly, "Of course I forgave you. If I didn't, we wouldn't be together right now."

Vegeta shook his head, "That's not what I mean. I meant, why did you forgive me, after all I had done?"

She contemplated this deep question. "Well... I didn't forgive you right away. It took months for me to forgive you and you know it. But I forgave you because I love you, obviously." She sat cross-legged on the bed sulkily. It looked like she wasn't getting any mind stopping sex tonight.

Vegeta knelt down beside the bed as she sat. He thought for a moment. "What were you feeling for me in the months you didn't forgive me?"

She took a deep breath. They had never discussed this before openly as they were doing so now. It seemed strange that he should bring it up out of the blue six years later. She shrugged, thinking back. Her almost photographic memory had trouble deducing the tumultuous time.

"Um... Well at first I think I felt resentment. I mean, you chose to have power over our family Vegeta. Do you know how much that hurt?" She could feel tears cloud her vision. Six years on and it still pained her to talk about it. But she continued, "In the first few months you were revived, I never contemplated on my feelings." She snorted, half laughing, "I guess it was bitterness and shock that you could be so selfish as to not consider my feelings..." She trailed off, staring at the carpet.

Vegeta looked at her profile as he kneeled beside her. He really had hurt her. And it seemed that in this dimension, they had not reconciled their relationship as quickly as he thought they would have. Reaching out, he brushed away the tear that rolled slowly down her cheek.

She smiled sadly at the floor, not looking at him, as he wiped away the crystal drop. "For months I felt so abandoned and then finally... When I saw the change that had taken place in you, as you tried to get close to me in your own subtle way, I knew that you were sorry. You never once apologised Vegeta, but I knew that you were sorry for what you had done and because I could see it in your eyes, I forgave you." She looked into his eyes, the sad smile on her face. "Why bring this up after so long? Aren't you happy?" She asked in a worried tone.

He smirked and pulled her off of the bed. As he sat down, he enveloped her in his long arms, cradling her tiny body close to his spectacular muscled one. Bulma giggled at the change in his demeanor. He was so full of surprises lately. Still, she looked up worriedly into his eyes and pressed the question to him once again. "You are happy, right?"

He nodded once and lowered his face to hers, catching her lips in her heated kiss. "As long as I am here," he mumbled against her lips, "Protecting you and our children, I am."

She tilted her head as his lips rubbed lovingly into hers. "What about love?"

He smirked against her pouted cherry coloured lips. "That too." In one swift motion he pinned her onto the floor and looked evilly into her eyes. "Now, where were we Onna?"

She couldn't help laughing. On this night, he had made her the happiest she had been in the past six years. It was as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She had finally told him how she felt all those years ago when she had mutely accepted his silent apology. For a few brief times, she wondered if he had truly been sorry. But now she knew that he was and she forgave him with all her heart. Now, laying beneath him, she looked up and laughed merrily. "You nut," she whispered as she grinned like a cheshire cat.

He chuckled bringing his lips down to hers once again. As they got caught up in the moment of passion and were about to shed the clothes they had just put on, a small tap on the door interrupted their escapade. Bulma groaned in defeat. "I knew that was going to happen!"

Vegeta frowned as he stood up and pulled hre to her feet. "Knew what would happen?"

She rolled her eyes, "You know what Vegeta! I swear you spoil that child so much." She muttered under her breath as she flung the door open and looked down at her chubby four year old daughter. She instantly felt a gush of love sweep over her as she looked down at the desolate child. She had probably had one of her nightmares again. Bending down, she scooped her beautiful daughter into her arms and walked back into the large room. Until that moment, Vegeta had been watching Bulma's back curiously, thinking who was on the other side of her small frame.

Bulma held her daughter up against her thigh and carried her into the room. She brushed the young girl's hair back. "What's the matter sweetie?"

Bra sniffed and whimpered as she buried her head in her mother's shoulder. "Mommy!! I saw the booger man!" She wailed.

Bulma couldn't help but smile. "Honey, it's bogey man. Not booger man." She flashed a look of amusement at Vegeta, who was still staring in shock at the child in her arms. "Are you ok Vegeta?" He looked as though he had seen a ghost.

Vegeta closed his open mouth, muttering to himself as he looked at the blue hair that fell down to the shoulders of the small child. He was in complete shock. A girl? They had two children. A boy. And a girl?!? How in the heck was he coping with another female in the household?!

Bra lifted her head at the mention of her father's name. She looked around for her trusted Dad and her face broke into a smile as she saw him sinking further back into the shadows. "Daddy!" She cried, jumping out of her mother's arms and running up to her father, looking up and expecting him to pick her up. When he didn't and simply stared down at her in awe, she hugged his leg and buried her face in his thigh.

Vegeta stared at the child that hugged his leg. He couldn't get over the fact that his next child was a girl. As he gazed down into her cerulean eyes that matched her mother's, he couldn't help but think that she represented Bulma in every aspect. The features, the hair. The only thing that remotely reminded him that she was his daughter, was the shape of her eyes. He felt a warm fuzzy feeling seep into his heart as he stared down at the young girl. It was instant love. How could he not love such a creation of perfection? She was a result of his and Bulma's love, so how could he not love her? Letting a small smile spread on his face, he patted her head softly.

Bulma laughed at the spectacle. He was acting like it was the first time he had seen their daughter!

Vegeta looked at his mate as she laughed at him. He scowled mockingly, but the small smile still tugged at his lips.

Bra looked up, a pout on her cute face. "Why won't you pick me up Daddy!" She tugged at his loosely fitting PJ bottoms.

He couldn't help but smirk. He bent down and gathered her up into his arms. As she snuggled close to him, his love for the child grew to great proportions. He couldn't wait for her to be born in his world. As he carried her to Bulma, he realized he had been sent here to be shown that it didn't matter if he had done the ritual or not, Bulma had forgiven him and loved him anyway. The ritual showed just how much he had hurt her, but in that hurt she had somehow managed to allow him back into her heart and love once again.

It was safe to say that he was a lucky man.

Wrapping one arm around his life-mate and holding his daughter up in the other, he smirked at them knowing exactly what to do and say. "Shall we go to bed ladies?"

Bra giggled and rested her head on his shoulder, nodding. Bulma laughed joyously. He was so cute when he joked! Playfully pinching his cheek, she pecked his lips deeply and lovingly. "Lead the way, mighty Saiya-jin King." She grinned as he chuckled.

Vegeta noticed how she used the term 'King' instead of Prince. It was to be expected. After all, he was beyond the title of Prince now and King seemed to suit him fine.

As the all clambered into the bed together, with Bra laying a down in between them, she yawned and looked at her parents sleepily. "Momma...?"

"Hm?" She stroked her baby daughter's forehead, coaxing her to sleep.

The little girl yawned again. "If Daddy's a King, are you a Queen?"

Bulma smiled across at her husband. "Yes, I guess you could say that."

Bra snuggled down in between her parents, laying slightly lower than them so her head didn't block their view of each other. "Does that mean I'm a Princess?" It was such a simple question, one that was asked in a small voice. Bulma raised her eyebrow and nodded for Vegeta to answer the question.

Vegeta smirked. The child knew what she was talking about. "Of course you're a Princess."

"Good... I love you Momma, love you Daddy... Sweet dreams and sugar coated beans..." Bra mumbled as her eyes began to droop down slowly. She was soon fast asleep.

"I love you too baby," Bulma whispered into her ear as she slept. She smiled over at Vegeta, who was looking at the child in awe once again.

Vegeta looked up and back at his mate. "Where is Trunks?" He asked quietly, afraid of waking the child.

Bulma snorted, "At a party. He'll be home later. He's growing more and more rebellious." Bulma draped her arm over the small body of her daughter, letting her arm rest on Vegeta's hip. Using her free hand she called him over with her index finger.

Vegeta smirked and slowly began to lean closer. "Remind me to train him extra hard tomorrow as punishment."

"Will do," she closed her eyes as his face neared hers. Shivers ran down her spine at the wonderful deep kiss he gave her. "Mmm..." She rubbed her nose lovingly into his. "I love you do you know that?" She whispered.

"Always." Was his reply as he kissed her deeper over his sleeping little girl. He had never felt so content in this life. So this was what it was like to be at peace, with no past ghosts haunting you. He surprisingly found himself purring against her lips, something which he never thought he could do.

If this was what the future had to offer, then he couldn't wait.

He had understood completely why the last phase of the Py'ar had been initiated here. It was so that he could learn the extent of Bulma's love. In this dimension, they had not done the ritual, but she had still forgiven him. It made him understand just how much he was indebted to the blue-haired woman, and how much he loved her.

As the loving family fell asleep together, Vegeta could feel himself flung back into the vat of colours. He was certain that his next destination would be at the beach, where he and his mate would have finally completed the ritual.

He had a greater understanding of the hurt and pain he had caused her and vowed to himself to never inflict that pain upon her again. He also knew that he wanted the little girl known as Bra in his life as soon as possible. She, Bulma and Trunks were three stars that shone brightly in his life.

He had the perfect family, and nothing was going to stop him from being with them.

Nothing.

*****

Bulma coughed and groaned as she sat up. She felt as though she'd been hit by a train. She found that she was no longer standing in the fire, but that she had been hurled about twenty feet from it. The fire was still roaring in as if in an animal anger. Bulma looked around, trying to find Vegeta. Her eyes traveled upwards, above the flames that almost touched the twinkling sky. She gasped.

Vegeta was above the tip of the fire with arms out stretched, as was his legs. Amazement shone on her face as she saw him hovering perfectly still, a dangerous bright blue aura surrounding him. He looked so serene, like the calm before a storm, a shining star if you will. She couldn't remember why she was here on the beach, or what had happened. Confusion reigned down, but stopped as she looked at her husband.

Bulma screamed as the ruby flames engulfed his body again.

"VEGETA!!" What was going on? Why was this happening? So many questions cascaded through her mind like an uncontrollable waterfall. She ran nearer to the fire, hoping she could do something to help, anything.

A cry of pain burned her throat as she was back by an imaginary shield. She watched helplessly as her husband was engulfed by the hacking flames. "VEGETA!" Bulma screamed again, hoping to awaken him.

She abruptly stopped screaming and watched in awe as his blue aura in the fire crackled around it. What astounded her more, was the fact that the crackling aura changed from a heart stopping blue, to an eye catching gold. She stood alone, silently watching her husband transform into his Super Saiya-jin state, probably unaware that he was doing so. "What is going on..." She whispered to herself, mesmerized as the bulging muscles in his body, increased to accommodate the massive power.

Bulma was taken aback by how god-like he looked. As if he were about to condemn anyone and anything that did wrong. She blinked again as he ascended to the second stage, once again increasing in size. She ran her tongue over her dry lips, looking at him in the sky with wonder.

What happened next, shocked her to the core of her soul.

His aura changed from the yellowy-gold to a darker shade of gold. Squinting at the brightness, she watched in amazement as his hair began to grow, slowly and gradually. Was this a good thing or a bad thing? She couldn't help but feel slightly ominous to the occurrence.

The wind around her picked up speed, causing Bulma to grit her teeth and kneel on the sand, letting one arm shield her sensitive eyes. Throughout all of this, she kept looking at Vegeta, unable to tear her gaze away.

A bright light exploded before her vision, causing her to wince in pain. The large explosion, forced her to fly back in the harsh wind like a weightless feather. Blackness engulfed her, but the last thing she saw was Vegeta in his complete transformed state, looking more frightening than ever before.

*****

Vegeta growled as the bright colours simultaneously stopped attacking his vision, and he was hurled to the ground, out of the fire. He frowned as he stood up, not really hurt by the harsh way he was thrown from the fire. It dawned on him that he wasn't in his normal state.

A rush of power surged through his veins, unlike any he had encountered before. He roared at the sky as the maddening power flew threw his veins. It was then he realized he had ascended to the next level of a Super Saiya-jin. He chuckled and looked at his hands, also realizing his hair had grown longer and downwards in sharp knife-like spikes. "Beat that Kakarott..." He said to himself. He didn't even have to worry about training hard to achieve the third level anymore. It must have been due to the Py'ar ritual.

The Py'ar.

Powering down and returning to his normal state, he searched for Bulma's ki. Sure enough he found it a few meters away from the fire that had calmed down considerably. Flying over to her fallen and still body, worry began to take over his senses. Why wasn't she moving? As he reached her side, he kneeled before her limp body, looking at the back.

Frowning, he reached out and pulled her around so that she faced him. He began to panic as he saw a thick line of blood trickle out from the side of her head. Amongst the panic, he started to shake her awake, hoping to Dende that she would wake up. If this is what the Py'ar ritual had done to her then he wanted to turn back time.

Fuck understanding, fuck the power.

Fuck the ritual.

What was the point if she wasn't there for him to understand? What was the point if she wasn't there to see his new found power? What was the point if she wasn't there for him to love her...

"Onna?" He spoke in a frantic manner as he shook her. "Wake up dammit." He spoke through gritted teeth as he shook her gently, but enough so that she would awake.

When nothing happened, he growled and lowered his ear to her lips to see if she was breathing. When he couldn't here anything, he snarled in anger and shook her again. "Wake the fuck up!!"

Relief flooded his entire being as her eyes fluttered open and she gasped, coughing herself to wake. "Vegeta...?" She asked meekly. Her head was pounding even more than before, and she couldn't remember where she was.

"Onna," he breathed with relief. He tore off a piece from his silk PJ's and dabbed at the blood on the side of her head. She was alive! She was going to be ok!

Bulma began to sob as memories from the Py'ar ritual flashed through her mind. She had forgotten previously, but now it all flooded back. She sat up and hugged her husband with relief, sobbing from the intense situation she had been in the ritual. She could still feel the ki of flames licking at her body. She shivered, pressing her face into his chest.

Vegeta ran his hand through her short silky hair, brushing away parts of her fringe. His heart ceased to hammer in his chest. He had been so close to losing her... "Did everything in the phases go accordingly?"

Bulma stood up and sniffled, walking away and looking at the white sand below her feet. She couldn't bring herself to speak.

Vegeta began to panic at each passing moment. He stood up, walking to her. What had she exactly seen? He sunk down to the sand, pulling her with him so she sat in his lap, once again on the sand. The ritual was still not completed. They still had to consummate their joining. But upon seeing her condition, he paused and sought to comfort her.

He had learned a lot about her through the Py'ar ritual and he was going to use the knowledge to the best advantage he could. He placed his lips against her ear and mumble into it. "Tell me Onna. What did you think of the ritual?" He had been so worried when he thought he'd lost her. Never again would he let himself feel that way or endanger her.

She drew a shaky breath, "I-" her voice faltered and she buried her face in his chest. The final memories she had were too painful for her to bring back. She felt his hands wrap around her waist tightly. It was so comforting to know that he was with her, "I understand." She whispered. With shaky hands, she wrapped them around his neck as she sat in his lap and brought him closer to her. She didn't want to be separated from him a moment longer.

Vegeta held back a smile. He knew what that meant. He was forgiven. He thanked Dende above and the Saiya-jin deity Vegar for allowing him to have a second chance with his mate... Now Tashi. He smirked. The title seemed to fit them perfectly. They were now Toshu* and Tashi for eternity. Not even death could separate them. As he looked at her state, he was slightly worried how her experience had gone.

Carefully looking over her shoulder as she hugged him, he checked the back base of her neck. Sure enough, he found Vegeta-sei's insignia imprinted on the back of her neck. It was permanent and would remain with her even through and after death. Their ritual was almost complete, but he didn't know if he could coax her into consummating their new bond, due to her current emotional state. For once he was thinking about her feelings before his.

Bulma looked up into his eyes, "What happened to you after? I saw you changing and then... Everything went black." She forced herself to ask the question even though she didn't want to speak. All she wanted to do was be held in his arms.

He began to feel slightly guilty. So it was his transformation that caused her to be hurt. "I've ascended." He spoke quietly, unsure of what her reaction will be. Will she trust him and believe that he hadn't known that he would transform? Or would she think that he had only performed the ritual because he wanted to ascend and become stronger than Goku?

Her eyes brightened for a moment, "Really?"

He held back a sigh, she wasn't angry at him. He nodded and offered her a smirk. She hugged him tightly as she sat in his lap, once again remaining silent and feeling a surge of tears push their way into her eyes. The end phase of the ritual had been so traumatizing for her. To see her husband's last moments on Earth had been so difficult. And to experience his death with him was even more painful. The tears flowed down her cheeks.

*****

Another hour passed in which Bulma had remained silent, tears falling freely down her face. In that hour she had simply stayed in Vegeta's arms as he let her cry to her hearts extent. It had been a very traumatizing experience for Bulma. As the tears on her cheeks began o fade, she found that she couldn't bring herself to cry anymore. She was too emotionally drained and so she sat silently sat in her husband's arms.

A pained expression flew across Vegeta's face. Bulma had been shaking and crying for the past hour and she had finally stopped, much to his relief. He couldn't bear to see her cry. if it was one thing he hated, it was crying. It pained him to see his mate so deeply disturbed by the Py'ar ritual.

But no one said it would be easy being his mate. After all, Vegeta had a very dark past that even he had blocked out some memories. He considered that he had been lucky to witness Bulma's past life and a part of her future, which he was very much a part of. Patience was not his virtue, but as he sat holding his Tashi he knew he could wait forever for her.

"Vegeta..." She finally mumbled, exhausted by the day's events. Bulma rubbed her cheek into his chest as his arms were wrapped tightly around her. She turned her head and saw the ruby fire slowly dying out, but not completely.

He grunted in response.

She sighed, closing her eyes. "I'm tired... Can't we go home?"

He wanted to smirk, but stopped himself. "We must finish the ritual before the fire dies out."

Bulma looked up in surprise, "You mean, it isn't finished yet?"

This time he did smirk. "Not by a long shot."

She shook her head miserably. "I don't know how long I can do this for... I'm so tired."

Vegeta simply stared at her. Tearing his gaze away, he looked back over the roaring ocean. He started to speak in a distant tone of voice. "As you wish, Onna. We will return home." He began to stand up, with her in his arms. He understood her if she did not want to complete the ritual. It was the downfall of the Py'ar ritual. Too much understanding meant that anger of any sort of anger towards their mate would be diminished.

A sigh escaped her lips as she saw the hurt buried deep in his face. This was the first time she had seen the hurt clear on his face. Of course, if it hadn't been for the ritual she would have never seen it at all. He was too good at hiding his emotions, but Bulma had become good at reading them and now she understood perfectly what he was feeling.

She tugged on his arm, making him look at her. "I meant lets do this first and then go home. I am not going to lose a chance at taking part in your Saiya-jin ritual. I can see how much you treasure your heritage." She spoke softly and the words pounded straight against his soul.

Vegeta tried not to look as though he were pleased. He shrugged indifferently, smirking and lowered her to the sandy ground.

Bulma looked at him in confusion. "What are you doing Vegeta? The sand is getting into my robe!"

He put a finger to her lips, not wanting her to say anything to him. He just wanted to bask in the endless blue beauty she emanated through every pore. Laying her down fully onto the sand, he lay on top and let an evil glint slide into his eyes.

Bulma's jaw dropped as she looked into his eyes. She knew exactly what had to be done to complete the ritual. A small smile warmed her face. "Tsk tsk, naughty Vegeta..." She scolded in a husky whisper, shaking her finger back and forth in front of his face. She was beginning to feel more like her old self with each passing moment. The traumatizing experience began to wear away.

He quirked his brow. This was indeed a change from her sullen behaviour before. Or maybe it was the effect of the Py'ar causing her to have the mood swings. Either way he didn't care. He was glad to see her have the mood swing, for once. "How am I naughty?" Amusement wound its way around the syllables.

Without replying, she placed her hand on the back of his neck and softly pushed her lips into his. She shivered involuntarily as his lips sent electric shock waves of pleasure down her spin. It had been nearly over a year since she had felt the touch of his lips against hers. It felt so good. So right. Her tongue slipped out and caressed his lower lip gently. Arching her back, Bulma stifled a moan as her body began to ache for his touch.

Vegeta pinned her down tightly beneath him, his hands running down the sides of her cotton robe. Slowly but purposely, he began to tease her, opening the robe fraction by fraction.

She was growing impatient by the minute. Why was he being like this? He had never once teased her like this before, it was confusing yet highly erotic.

As Vegeta's own tongue plunged into her throat, she wrapped her legs around his waist showing him that she was more than ready and that all that was separating them was their clothes.

He smirked down into her cloudy lust filled eyes, pulling his lips away and earning a groan of frustration from his Tashi. "Impatient Onna... What are you going to do about it?" He asked innocently as he stroked her sides, causing her to shiver and ache even more with his absence.

Bulma looked up fearlessly into his eyes. "Is that a challenge Vegeta?"

"Yes." He said in a low voice, and began to kiss his way down her exposed throat, teasing her once more.

She chuckled. "Then I accept." Her firm unwavering voice caused a chill to do down his spine. He almost gasped as he felt her rub his tail spot vigorously. Shock waves of pleasure infiltrated his sensed.

Growling in hidden lust, he pinned her hands above her head. "Big mistake." He laughed cruelly as her face paled. Without hesitation, he ripped the robe apart down the middle. It was going to be fun to hear her beg for him after so long.

*****

Bulma panted, collapsing against her husband's rock hard chest. She closed her eyes and listened to the rhythmic beating of his heart. She felt so fulfilled at that moment that she never acknowledged Vegeta's stare. Bulma sighed, stroking the cleft between his hardened pecks. Her harsh breathing slowed down, returning back to normal. Resting her chin up, she looked into his eyes and smiled.

Vegeta stared back into her eyes, his own onyx orbs warming greatly at the love her cerulean ones showed. He stroked her bare back as she lay on him. Could life get any better? He knew it probably could if a certain little girl would have been conceived that night. He sent a sly glance her way, deciding that he wouldn't tell her about the future.

In any case, the phases they had experienced were not meant to be shared with one another. It was supposed to be kept in the mind and heart, never to let it escape past the lips. A coy smile wound its way across his face. He could definitely go another round. After all, he hadn't been with her in slightly over a year. He had pined for her in that year, truly repenting for his sins just for a final touch, kiss, anything. But now he had her completely and he was never going to lose her again.

Bulma rubbed her way up his toned torso to meet his lips. Rubbing them gently into his, she shook from the cold air that was ever present, the ocean its main cause. Vegeta sensed her condition and arched his back, pulling out her robe that he was laying on. Grimacing as rough sand rubbed into his back, he draped the robe over her bare body, covering them both. She smiled heartily and rubbed her nose against his lovingly. "Vegeta..." She breathed, ready for another round.

He smirked and smoothly lowered his hands around her bare curves, earning a pleasurable moan from her. Bulma playfully bit his lobe, "Do you know how much I love..." She trailed off, leaving him hanging.

Vegeta of course was expecting himself to be the answer and grunted for her to continue.

"I... Love..."

"Spit it out Onna," he said in amusement, not irritation.

She licked the inner walls of his gorgeous Saiya-jin ear in an erotic manner. "Sex," she whispered.

He snorted in surprise. He hadn't been expecting that. Scowling, he pulled away from her slightly.

She had to laugh at his reaction. Wrapping her arms firmly around his neck, she planted a kiss on his lips.

They continued in such a manner for the rest of the evening, making love until the sun rose over the horizon of ocean.

*****

Her eyelids were assaulted with harsh rays of sunlight. Groaning, she flinched and fluttered her eyes open. A grin spread across her face as she looked up into the onyx eyes of the man she loved. "Morning," she said sleepily.

Vegeta smirked and lowered his lips to the crook of her neck. He started to massage his lips against the wound he had caused last night, earning a moan in return. He stopped abruptly when he could hear giggling from behind the faraway tree.

"Look Mommy, there's two people on the beach and they're buck naked!" A little eight year old boy jumped out of the tree and pointed at Bulma and Vegeta.

Bulma gaped in shame at the eight year old boy as she lay there frozen to the spot.

Vegeta reddened. It was a good thing that their bodies were covered by Bulma's robe.

The boy tore his gaze away from the couple and went in search of his mother behind the tree. "Mommy, where are you? THERE ARE NAKED PEOPLE ON THE BEACH DOIN' SUMTHIN NAUGHTY!"

Vegeta scrambled to his feet and roughly pulled on his silk PJ bottoms. Once he was off of her, Bulma jumped up and shook the sand off her body. She quickly slipped on her robe and jumped into Vegeta's outstretched arms.

They flew away together like a bullet in the sky.

*****

The little boy turned back and found the couple gone. His mother ran towards him breathlessly, waving her arms and questioning the little boy. "Shin!! Where are they?!" She hadn't been getting any action lately, she might as well see other people have their fun!

Shin looked at the dead fire and shrugged. "I dunno. They disappeared-OW!" He cried as his mother pulled his ear.

"You naughty boy! It's not good to make up stories!!" She pulled him away by the ear, scolding him all the time. Secretly disappointed that she hadn't seen any form of sex in action.

*****

Bulma laughed in Vegeta's arms until her sides ached. "Did you see his face?" She asked breathlessly in joy.

"Stupid brat," he muttered under his breath as they flew at a tremendous speed.

Bulma laughed again and snuggled closer, "I guess we deserve it. It was a public beach you know."

"How was I supposed to know?" He sulked.

She had to smile at his childish behaviour. A glint of mischievousness passed through her eyes. "We still have our room you know," she finally managed to goad a smirk out of him.

The euphoria she felt was slowly fading. Silently, she rested her head in the crook of his neck, drifting off to sleep.

*****

She woke again, finding herself still in Vegeta's arms. She stared at his face and frowned. He looked tired and worn out. She tapped the side of his cheek and let him know she was awake. Vegeta nodded, acknowledging that she was up.

Bulma was surprised by his reserved actions. "Are you ok?" She asked in a concerned tone.

He nodded. But if he was honest, he was contemplating and worrying about the future. What if the future didn't happen the way he had seen it in the Py'ar ritual? What if she hadn't forgiven him truly in her heart? He needed to know. That thought plagued him more than anything. Another tap brought him out of his reverie and he looked at Bulma questioningly.

Bulma kissed his cheek, sensing some sort of apprehension in him. "What ever it is, everything will be fine."

He smirked. She knew him like her favourite book. He looked ahead, seeing the Capsule Corp. building in the distance. He landed softly on the balcony of their room and gently lowered her to her feet. Before letting her go, he let his gaze penetrate her eyes. "Onna..." He stopped talking as her finger was pressed into his lips. His heart expanded as she smiled and shook her head.

"Vegeta, it's ok." She sweetly kissed his lips.

He roughly pulled her close to him and devoured her in a kiss, glad that their relationship had finally been reconciled. It had been a long hard road, but in the end, they had remained together and it would stay that way for the rest of their lives. She shivered at the intensity of his lips against hers and moaned as his hands roamed her curves. Pulling her lips away, she grinned in a catty manner and chuckled throatily. "I think I managed to get some sand stuck in the wrong places," she mumbled wickedly against his lips.

Vegeta chuckled back wryly, it was too funny for words. Lifting her in his arms once again, he carried her into their large room. Softly padding in to the room, he turned to the bed and walked near it. A growl escaped his throat as a sharp object entered his foot. Placing Bulma on the bed, he went to examine the crushed object on the floor.

Bulma sat up, "What is it?" She burst out laughing as Vegeta stood from his crouched position, a destroyed clock in his hand. He was scowling at it. It was the one he destroyed the previous night he had been revived.

In an irritated manner, he threw the clock into the bin. "Damn thing, even in its death it still bothers me. Probably related to that idiot Kakarott."

Bulma laughed as she heard his mutterings, but stopped as he glared at her. She placed an innocent look on her face and smirked in a sexy manner. "Serves you right for harming the poor thing." She stuck her tongue out at him slightly, an odd glint in her eyes.

Vegeta growled and pounced on her, pinning her to the bed. "You dare mock me Onna?"

She grinned, "Of course dear Prince."

"Wench, I will show you who is the Prince of Saiya-jins!"

Bulma smiled sweetly at him and brought his head down for a small kiss. "I love you Vegeta,"

He smirked. "Of course you do."

With her mouth agape, she whacked him but squealed as he growled and attacked her neck with sweet, loving and extremely arousing kisses.

It is always a good thing to be reconciled with the one you love. You get so much out of it. And for the rest of that day, Bulma definitely got a lot of out of it.

And I mean a lot.

*****

Bulma awoke to find her cheek snuggled up to her husband's chest. A feral grin spread across her face as she recounted the night's activities. They had indeed gotten very close in the past two months, since Vegeta had initiated the Py'ar ritual. That sacred ritual had changed Bulma's life forever.

There were no more squabbles between her and Vegeta, that had any repercussions. Of course they did argue, more than ever before, but it was playful argument that didn't affect their loving relationship. Bulma was glad that things had gotten back to normal. She also noticed how he spent more time with Trunks than ever before, of course it was in the Gravity room, but it still meant that the father and son bond between them was growing.

She groaned, not wanting to wake up. She also found that in the past two months, not once had Vegeta left the bed before she did. Normally he would have been up and gone, already training in his precious little chamber. But now it felt so good to wake up in his arms, to feel his solid chest beneath her warm cheek and to hear the strong and slow beating of his heart.

Bulma chuckled to herself. She sounded like a lovesick poet. Not that she could help it. Pouting, she rubbed her cheek into the corded muscles of his chest, fluttering her lashes so they scraped against the sensitive skin. As she earned a small growl from him, she looked up to see him awake and staring down at her with two cold orbs. She grinned, "Morning 'Geta."

He frowned. "Onna, how many times have I told you not to call me that ridiculous pet name? Yet you still insist upon it."

Bulma chuckled at the morning argument he was trying to stir up. They both still loved a good argument. "But I think it sounds cute, 'Geta."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "You know that I am far from cute On-" He was cut off as she began to trail lazy kisses up the side of his neck. A deep rumbling in his chest that sounded like a purr, came forth.

She slid her bare body over his, teasing his neck with her lips.

Unable to take anymore, Vegeta grabbed her sides and pulled her up even more so their lips met in a hungry and passionate kiss. He ground his hips against hers, causing Bulma to gasp as she was thrown off of him and pinned down beneath him. As he devoured her lips in an even more hungry kiss, Bulma moaned.

But it wasn't from pleasure.

She began to feel slightly nauseous, her stomach churning at a sickeningly fast pace. As his tongue brushed hers, Bulma began to feel dizzy and even more nauseous. She groaned, thumping at his chest.

Vegeta pulled his lips slightly away, taken aback by her refusal of him. He looked down questioningly into her eyes and saw a few crystal tears lace her lashes. What had gotten into her.

"Get off me," she whispered, almost like a threat.

Confused by her strange behaviour, he snarled and lifted himself off her, rolling to the other side of the large bed and glaring at her with hidden anger and hurt.

Bulma jumped up, putting her hand to her mouth. Racing to the chair that had a silk robe placed on it, she grabbed it and made a b-line towards the connecting bathroom. All the time, Vegeta had watched her in confusion and slight anger. What was causing her to act so cold towards him?

Bulma slammed the door behind her, ran into the bathroom and put up the toilet seat. As if on cue, she heaved into it unceremoniously.

His eyes widened as he heard his Tashi and mate, heave from behind the door. The anger soon faded and it was replaced by worry. Pushing the covers off his sweat slicked body, he cautiously walked to the bathroom door and tapped on it gently.

"Onna?" His voice was harsh but concern could be heard through it. His acute hearing could hear her still regurgitating. Without waiting for an answer, he stepped in and walked over to her naked form crouched over the toilet, clutching the unworn robe.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he crouched beside her.

Bulma shook her head and grimaced. "Probably the food I ate last night." Although, she knew exactly what was wrong. The only other time this had happened was when she had been pregnant with Trunks. This time, she could say with an acute conviction, that she was pregnant.

It had been blatantly obvious when she had missed her periods. She saw the blank look on her husband's face and knew that he didn't acknowledge that she was pregnant. How would he react? Firstly, she had to make sure she really was pregnant. Then she could worry about telling him later.

Vegeta scowled, "Yes. Your insane mother's cooking does seem to have that effect on almost everyone who eats her poisonous food." He was trying to lighten the mood with a rude comment, he didn't like to see her become sick. And here he was thinking that he had done something wrong!

Standing up from his position, he removed the robe from her hand and draped it around her shoulders. "I will be in the Gravity Room, training with Trunks. I suggest you see a doctor immediately and report to me your condition." The worry on his face betrayed the aloofness of his voice. Dropping a kiss to her forehead, he left the bathroom to use the one across the hall.

Bulma smiled sadly at her husband's retreating back. Did he really care about her or did he see it as a duty? She shook her head, thinking that the Py'ar had done wonders for their relationship and she shouldn't question his actions. She would have to get a home pregnancy test and see if her suspicions were right. She had a funny feeling that she was going to be right.

*****

It was night time and Bulma sat on the toilet seat of the bathroom, waiting for any indication of her state on the home pregnancy kit. She hummed to herself as she waited for a minute, for the colour to change. A knock on the door brought her out of her reverie. She waited for someone to speak from the behind the door.

Vegeta frowned as he stood at the door. He knocked softly. He hadn't seen Bulma for the entire day, if you discounted the brief meeting at lunch. He was beginning to grow wary of her behaviour. She seemed to be distant from the morning he had spoken to her in the bathroom. He couldn't help but feel suspicious of what was going on. It was as if she was purposely avoiding him. Tonight, he was determined to find out what was going on and so he tapped on the door even louder, not speaking.

Bulma bit her lip as the knocking on the door grew louder. She knew it was Vegeta. "I'll be out in a minute!" She called out with a shaky voice. With trembling fingers she looked at the code on the tester. The butterflies in her stomach grew with each passing moment. It felt the first time she had been when she found out she was pregnant. She was worried about what Vegeta's reaction would be then, and she was worried about how it would be now.

Drawing a deep breath, she looked down at the indicator and let a burst of air escape her lips.

She was pregnant.

Standing up from her seat, she chucked the kit into the bin and flushed the toilet. Slowly unlocking the door, she stepped out quietly into the darkness, pulling up the thin straps of her short silk nighty. "Vegeta?" She called out cautiously into the dark. When she couldn't find anyone in the large room, she shrugged and looked around for any sign of him.

She saw his silhouette being outlined by the moonlight as he stood on the balcony, the large french doors open wide. Silently walking behind him, she sidled up to him and stood quietly beside his unnerving presence, not daring to breath a word. Instead she waited for him to speak, sensing something was on his mind.

"You are hiding something from me." He spoke quietly, as he looked at the vast expanse of stars. Hidden anger seeped into his voice.

Bulma couldn't help but let a small smile slip across her bland features. "You're right," she whispered and looked at the sea of stars like him.

Vegeta tore his gaze away from the twinkling stars and glared at her angrily. "What is it?" He hissed. "You might as well tell me, or I will find out from someone else." The anger was blinding him from reason. Accusation after accusation pounded its way in his mind and he forced himself to remain calm. He didn't know why she was hiding things from him. He thought that she would trust him, but that obviously wasn't the case. He was startled as she began to chuckle.

"Vegeta," Bulma spoke softly, "It's not a big deal you know." She hugged him from behind, pressing her cheek into his back.

He felt his resolve of anger towards her, slipping. "Oh?" He dreaded the answer of her secret. Maybe he didn't want to know. What if she hadn't forgiven him? Or what if she had gone back to that baka scar-face human...? He shook his head, no that couldn't be it. "Get on with it Onna," he growled impatiently.

Bulma stood on tip toes and whispered huskily into his ear. "I'm pregnant."

Vegeta sideways glare at her, faltered. "WHAT?"

She giggled as the vein in his forehead popped up. The famous vein turned up when he was upset or anxious. She hoped it was the latter. "You heard me," she teased, "I'm pregnant."

He had to blink several times before he actually began to understand the full meaning of her words. An evil grin spread across his face. "Wench! You dare deceive me into thinking it was bad news!"

Bulma laughed as she was pulled out from behind him and swept into his arms. Nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck, she sighed happily. He was pleased, not upset or angry but pleased! "Sorry Vegeta, but I had to be sure."

As her stomach pressed tightly into his, Vegeta closed his eyes and reached out his senses. Sure enough there was a tiny ki coming from the folds of her womb, a female ki. He was going to have a little girl. A lazy smirk spread across his face as Bulma lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist.

He hadn't been able to sense the baby growing in her stomach previously due to her own ki engulfing it. He had to search deeply to find the second ki, but he found it. He remembered the last phase of the Py'ar in which a little blue-haired girl jumped lovingly into his arms and called him 'Daddy'. He couldn't wait for the small child to be born. It was going to be strange having a little girl in the house, but he knew he could adjust or he would die trying.

He carried his mate back into the room and laid her down, prowling over like a tiger on top. "That was a big mistake in not telling me sooner Onna. Instead you chose to avoid me for the entire day," he spoke as he prowled over her, letting his face hover above hers.

Bulma lay back and grinned, squeezing his waist between her legs and bringing him closer to her. "I'm sorry," she said innocently, chuckling as she heard him growl and purr into her neck. A gasp came from her parched lips as he nipped at the scarred bite mark he had left there two months ago.

She arched her back and moaned. His response to her pregnancy had been better than the first time. This time, he didn't run away whilst flinging a string of insults at her. The memory still brought a chuckle to her. But she should say with honesty that he had responded well this time, almost as if he had been expecting her to become pregnant.

As he pulled off her silky negligée and revealed her creamy curves, she smiled and wondered what the next seven months would be like. After all, she was already two months pregnant and this came from the knowledge that she had missed her period for two months. Running her hands down his bare and muscled back, she held back a moan as he kissed her in unmentionable places, pleasuring her beyond reason.

That night, she couldn't help but feel greatly sated with the love and attention she received. Of course the pleasure had a little bit to do with it.

*****

{9 Months later}

Bulma waddled painstakingly slowly towards the other side of the living room to retrieve the TV remote. She grumbled to herself all the way across the room. Her feet were aching, she was pale and she felt like a beached whale. How was she ever going to recover her figure from this large bubble state to the curvy form it was in before?!

It was the middle of the day and because she was into her third trimester of pregnancy, she wasn't allowed to do any form of work, or so her mother ordered. She hadn't been allowed to touch a single piece of paper or document for Capsule Corp. since she had entered her third trimester. This had happened when she was pregnant with Trunks. It was becoming rather tedious for Bulma. She hated to be idle and her husband still insisted on training, so he was locked up in the Gravity Room by and then he would join her at night.

But Vegeta and her mother had been driving her crazy with their demands that she not do too much work. She wanted to scream at them that she was not a little child anymore and that she had been pregnant before, but where had Vegeta been then? Of course she couldn't say this to his face, for she knew she would hurt him immensely if she did.

In the past few months since the ritual he had seemed to grow more sensitive to her abrasive comments, even though he kept his air of disdain and 'superior than thou' attitude. She sighed as she slumped back into the sofa. She could wait until her baby was born, at least she would have something to do, someone to look after.

Now that Trunks was growing up, he seemed to need less of her attention than he did before. He was currently at school, in which Bulma had to convince Vegeta to send him. Vegeta had naturally thought Trunks would stay home and train with him but Bulma would damned if he did not get an education first.

She chuckled as she flicked through the channels aimlessly. She sounded a bit like Chi Chi. She had asked the doctor not to tell her the sex of the baby, she wanted it to be a surprise. She secretly hoped it would be a girl. The family was becoming overrun with the male testosterone. She needed some oestrogen in the house.

And besides, she knew that if she had a little girl, she wouldn't need to be trained to fight and Bulma would have one less person to worry about if another evil showed up. She sighed as she placed a hand on her inflated stomach. She hadn't seen an inch of Vegeta since breakfast and his lack of participant to occupy her in the day was annoying. She wasn't due for another week, but she prayed to Dende to speed things up a little.

As if on cue, a pain in her abdomen caused Bulma to gasp and frown. She leaned forward in the sofa, clutching her round belly. She gasped again as the pain became worse than ever before. Falling to the floor on her knees, she knew she was entering the stage of labor. As a feeling of wetness trickled down her thighs, she stood up calmly. So far, the contraction were far apart and everything seemed to be normal. All she needed to do was inform Vegeta and her mother of her current situation.

Standing on shaky legs, she made her way to the kitchen and out of the sliding glass doors, onto the large backyard and towards the Gravity Room. So far, she had remained calm, pausing every so often on her way to Vegeta's location, the pain becoming more intense with each passing moment.

As she neared the chamber, she tapped softly on the white wash metallic door of the room. "Vegeta?" She tried to keep her voice sedated. From behind the door, she heard annoyed mutterings and growling.

The door slid open and Vegeta stood there scowling, arms folded. "What is it Onna? I have told you not to interrupt my training. Evil could strike again at any moment." This was in many ways true.

Bulma was slightly hurt by this, her pregnant state was causing her to be more emotional and highly sensitive to harsh comments that were directed towards her. She tried to keep the hurt out of her voice as she spoke. "I'm just letting you know that I'm in labor and if you need anything, ask my Mom, because I'll be in hospital." She turned to leave, coldness set in her eyes.

Before she could step away from him, his hand shot out and gripped her arm. He was still not familiar with some of the human terms. "What are you babbling about?"

Bulma rolled her eyes at him. "I'm having the-" But she didn't get to finish as another wave of pain coursed through her lower stomach. She cried out and leaned against her husband for support. "Baby," she managed to gasp out between deep breaths.

Tears sprang to her eyes but it was almost comical the way Vegeta's face changed from flushed to pale in a matter of moments. Gripping his arm tightly, she hissed into his ear. "Get me to the fucking hospital. NOW!" She watched as he winced, but to her relief, he picked her up and sped to the nearest hospital. He would let Bulma's parents know of her situation later.

As he flew to the hospital with his moaning wife in his arms, he felt a small pang of guilt attack him. He had been a little distant with her lately, but only because he needed to keep training, if any form of evil decided to show itself once more on Earth. There was no such thing as peace in the world of a warrior after all. His panic increased as his wife became unconscious in his arms. He shook her, making her wake up again.

"Wha?" She asked in a dazed state. She couldn't remember where she was. As another stab of pain rushed through her, all the memories flooded back. "Hurry," she murmured into his ear, earning a silent nod from her husband.

*****

They wheeled Bulma into the hospital waiting area, the nurse becoming extremely upset by the presence of the frightening man by the blue-haired woman's side. With a clip board in her hand, she walked up to him nervously. "Sir, I need you to fill out a few forms and then you can go and be with your wife."

Vegeta looked away from the nurse and saw Bulma being wheeled away towards the maternity ward. Looking back at the nurse he growled, unsure of what he had to fill in exactly. "Very well, but make it fast."

The nurse gulped and led the angry man to the counter. How could someone as beautiful and intelligent as Bulma Briefs be associated with such a mean guy like him? Casting a sideways glance at the man by her side, the nurse suppressed a giggle. He was good looking, so she couldn't blame the blue-haired scientist for falling for the mysterious and handsome man.

Vegeta growled at the nurse. She had better not get any ideas, or he had a right mind to blow her ass to the next dimension. All he wanted to do was get back to his mate's side.

*****

Vegeta regretted the previous thought he had a while ago about being near his wife.

"Vegeta!" Bulma cried weakly from the hospital bed, holding her husband's hand tightly. She had been in labor for over twenty hours and the baby still refused to exit her womb. Bulma buried her head in her husband's shoulder and choked on a sob as the intense pain washed over her abdomen again. "It hurts," she cried like a child.

"Look Onna, you've done this before and you can do it again. Do not give up!" He tried to hold his patience in check. He hadn't been present for Trunks' birth and so this experience was completely new to him. He watched with mild disgust and fascination as the doctor positioned his hands between his Tashi's legs.

He growled, but remained quiet knowing full well that Bulma would only scream at him. He had been waiting for this day for nine months. Impatiently awaiting the family's newest arrival. A girl! It would be a new and strange experience indeed.

Bulma huffed as another contraction washed over her. Growling, she pushed with all her might and cried out as the heavy burden from her stomach was lifted. She flopped back ungracefully, exhausted but extremely satisfied.

A piercing cry echoed in the room.

Vegeta's eye twitched. Would his daughter be doing that constantly? If so, then he would gladly leave Earth and go train in space until she stopped, as he had when Trunks was born. The doctor walked up to the mother and father of the demi Saiya-jin girl and placed her in her mother's arms. "Ms. Briefs, you have a beautiful and healthy baby girl!"

Bulma beamed with joy as she snuggled the child close to her bosom, cooing at the tiny child. She would have a little girl that she could pamper to her hearts desire. Secretly though, she knew that her daughter would never truly be hers. She would be a Daddy's girl in the entire sense. A soft smile graced her face as she stared into the sky blue eyes of her daughter.

Definitely a Daddy's girl.

Bulma looked up and saw the distant look on Vegeta's face. "Vegeta?"

He snapped out of his trance and looked down at the tiny girl in Bulma's arms. A small smile played on his lips.

"Do you want to hold her?"

He didn't know what to say. He had never held a child before. He hadn't even held Trunks when he had been a baby. Guilt began to surface in him. He nodded reluctantly and held out his arms awkwardly. Bulma gently placed the baby in his arms, showing him the proper way to hold her.

Vegeta looked down at the beautiful little girl in his arms. He held her rigidly at first but soon began to relax as she yawned and curled into his chest. He grinned up at Bulma, who was surprised but smiled back nonetheless. "What do you want name her?" He said 'you' because he wanted to see what name she would choose. He secretly hoped it would be Bra.

Bulma tilted her head and thought for a moment. "I'm not sure... Aria?"

Vegeta scowled.

Bulma laughed. "Relax Vegeta, I'm joking!"

The scowl softened but still remained. "Think again."

She bit her lip, "Mmm... How about Bra?" She asked uncertain of his reaction.

To her surprise he didn't comment and instead asked her, "Why?"

"Because it was my great-aunt's name... Do you like it?"

He didn't admit that he did, but just nodded. He looked back down at the little girl in his arms and held back a full blown smile. "I suppose it will do for a girl."

Bulma gaped at him. In Vegeta language that meant, 'it's perfect'. She pulled him towards her and hugged him around the waist. They stayed in the silent portrait for a few moments longer, looking like the perfect family.

*****

Vegeta stared at his sleeping Tashi and felt a smile tug at his lips. He softly bounced the child in his arms, in a painfully gentle manner. He looked over as Bulma stirred in her dreamless sleep. Reaching out, he brushed away a few strands that covered her cheek. She looked like an ethereal goddess, even though she was pale and sleep deprived. The moonlight softly hit her cheeks, causing them to glow spiritually.

The baby girl in his arms gurgled, causing Vegeta to tear his gaze away from his mate and look down at his beautiful daughter. He smirked. She looked every bit like her mother but as she scowled at him in the darkness of the hospital room, she began to look more like him. Lifting his index finger, he brought it to her tiny balled up fist, lifting up her own tiny index finger. He was amazed how giant like his own index finger look as her tiny one tried to curl around his own finger.

The baby in his arms yawned sleepily. Swaying Bra gently in his arms, a slow smile spread across his face as she smiled up at him in a sleepy manner. She seemed so fragile at that moment, like she could be crushed in an instant. He knew she would grow up to be beautiful, just like her mother. He began to worry at the prospects of boys pestering his baby girl came into his mind.

He frowned, he'd just have to blast all of them. It seemed logical. As she yawned and smiled again at him, his own smile expanded tenfold. Who would have thought that the Dark Prince would have become the father of small fragile glass doll? Even he couldn't believe it.

It almost made him want to run away and revert to his former self, but as he looked at his sleeping mate, he knew he could never do that. He had already hurt her too many times to do that and he vowed never to hurt her again. And a warrior never breaks his vows. There was the small thing of love as well.

He snorted into the darkness, thinking of what he had been reduced to, but what he had gained in the process. He was no longer the prince of a dead race. He was the king of a loving family and this little girl in his arms was a princess. Yes, it had been the birth of a Princess. Trunks's birth had also been the birth of a Prince. With Bulma as his Queen.

They truly were a royal family, in every sense of the phrase. So in a way, Vegeta had not lost anything, but had gained not one but three precious things in his life.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, he looked at his daughter as she slept peacefully and trustingly in his arms, it was time to return her to her own bed. He didn't want to leave his mate's or daughter's side, but knew that he had to in case he woke either of them. He was glad he and Bulma had sorted out their differences through the Py'ar ritual. It was the one thing in his heritage that he was proud of.

Standing up from his seat beside the bed, he bent down and softly kissed Bulma's cheek as he mumbled into her ear. "Ni goro shim dar'khe dono, sarto var Tashi. Vash t'har nek Min'rha. Dar'khe shi ni."

Holding the baby close to his chest, he walked out of the room knowing that he would never say those things to her if she was awake, be it in his own language or hers. But the moment to confess his feelings was too great for him to pass up.

What he didn't know was that a smile formed on Bulma's lips as he left the room. He didn't know that she knew his language because of the Py'ar, nor that she was wide awake. She opened her eyes in the darkness, slowly translating the meaning of his ancient language's words.

"Ni goro shim dar'khe dono, sarto var Tashi. Vash t'har nek Min'rha."

~To reconcile is to love, my dearest wife. Sleep well my Queen.~

She was elated that she understood what he was saying, but she couldn't sleep as the words touched her heart. She knew he would never say anything remotely like that to her again, but she was content in hearing it, even if it was only once.

A solitary tear trickled down her cheek and she whispered out into the darkness, "I love you Vegeta."

They were made for each other, they had reconciled and nothing would separate them again.

Nothing.

 

 

~Owari~

 


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