Undying Love and Devotion

By: Priscilla Violet Regina

Disclaimer: If I owned them, they'd be chained to my bed wearing nothing but a loin cloth. Are they? Nope! So what does that mean? I don't own them! ~.ó

Warnings: Sappy love stuff, but some humor too...it's not that great, my first DBZ fic, but hey...

Oh, yeah. This takes place in the three years before the androids arrive, when Vegeta trains and stuff. As we know, Trunks is born a little bit before the androids get there, right after this story takes place! Just smile and nod and life will be good.

~*~

"Flying Nimbus!" Goku shouted, standing in front of his house with Chi-Chi and Gohan, his wife and son. A brief moment later, a yellow-orange cloud came rocketing from the heavens and stopped about three feet from the ground.

"Are you sure this is safe, Goku?" Chi-Chi asked tentatively, looking over the abundance of moisture gathered before her. It certainly didn't look safe. What if the cloud decided to mimic a desert?

"Aw, come on Mom! Would you rather have us fly you there?" her son asked, black eyes twinkling in delight. She heard a soft chuckle escape her husband's lips at the mention of the alternate plan of transportation.

"Yeah, remember last time?"

"No, I would not prefer that Gohan. I'd rather have your father drive me there in the car. But, seeing as how we are already late, I guess I'll settle for this. Let's go," she ordered, plopping firmly down in the cotton ball textured cloud.

Unfortunately for her, she was seated on the Nimbus when she gave her last command, and so it mistook her statement for the signal to go. The cloud sped off towards Master Roshi's house with Chi-Chi clinging on for dear life, screaming bloody murder as her laughing family became a speck in the distance.

"GOKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

~*~

"Where are they? How could they be so late! This is my wedding for crying out loud! Aargh!"

"Now, Bulma dear, calm down. You know Goku and Chi-Chi and that adorable little Gohan of theirs are on their way, and they have a good reason for their lateness. Have a muffin!"

"Mom, I don't want a muffin right now, alright?" Bulma asked, readjusting her veil for the fiftieth time. Suddenly there was a loud banging on the door, followed by an irritated shouting.

"Woman, are you ready yet? I want to get this over with! you had better sped it up before I blast this door down and bring you out myself!" Vegeta yelled, anger heard easily in his voice.

"Oh, pipe down Vegeta, will you! I'm almost done! Go wait for Goku to get here, he is your best man!" the bride exclaimed, annoyed but excited that Vegeta was in a hurry to get married. She remembered back to the day he had asked her in the first place...

She watched him, lying in that spare bed with an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth, and she couldn't help but think how handsome he really was. She smiled to herself. He was so arrogant! If this had been only a few years earlier, she would be pulling the plug for his air and running away screaming. 'Funny how time changes things...' she thought. Sitting at the desk next to his bed, she propped herself up with an open palm and stared down at him, breathing heavily as he slept.

~*~

"Kakarott, no, I'll beat you! I am the only true Super Saiyan-jin! What? You?" Vegeta stopped dead in his tracks. Before him stood that young boy and Goku, his archenemy. Who was this boy? He was too young to be a Super Saiyan-jin as well, yet right before his eyes he watched as Kakarott and the boy did it. He watched them do the one thing he had failed to do. What was the tiny thread holding him back? Why could he not achieve such greatness? He was of Royal blood, whereas Kakarott most certainly was not, and neither was this boy. This child didn't even look like a Saiyan-jin! How could he be one. It was impossible. His thoughts drifted to his father, King Vegeta himself, and what he had told him once when he was younger.

"Never forget who you are. One day, when you're older, if you train hard enough and adopt the right frame of mind, you'll be able to achieve the greatest level our race can achieve. You could become a Super Saiyan-jin!"

~*~

The warrior awoke with a start, sweating and shaking all over. Yanking off the oxygen mask, he remembered his dream and spoke his thoughts.

"Father, I haven't forgotten what you told me. I will be a Super Saiyan-jin!" Glancing to his right, he noticed that blue haired beauty sitting at the desk close by, asleep. 'Why is she here?' he thought, raising an eyebrow. 'Does she...care about me?' Vegeta wondered, looking her over. 'She certainly is gorgeous...'

"No! I'm a warrior! I need to train!" he shouted, trying to get his mind off of the girl.

With that, the Saiyan-jin hopped out of bed, pulled on a pair of nearby pants, and made his way out to the Capsule Corporation Spaceship on the front lawn.

~*~

"Vegeta!"

The said man was floating in the air, spinning upside down when the shout came from the Tele-screen. He stopped and made an effort to right himself, but the intense gravity pulled him to the tiled floor with a thud.

"What is it now, Woman?!"

"You're hurt! We all know you have to act macho, but just because you are doesn't mean you can neglect your body when it needs to heal! Why don't you come back inside and let me take care of you? Then you can train more..." Bulma suggested. Silence. Was he actually considering it?

"Well? Don't you have anything to say?!"

"In fact, I do."

Fear crossed her face for a brief second, and then she realized who she was yelling at. This was Vegeta, the mean alien who had tried to destroy the planet, had killed her beloved Yamcha, and Piccolo, Tienshinhan, and Chao-tzu, and who threatened to kill Kuririn and herself on Namek for a Dragonball. What if he tried again because she made him mad?

"You do?" she asked in a timid tone of voice.

"Yes...leave me ALONE!" After a saddened face from Bulma, the Tele-screen clicked off and filled the room with silence, save the humming of the gravitator. Vegeta thought over what had just happened. Had he been too harsh. Yes, she was an annoyance, but he felt his nagging that seemed to tell him he was a little too mean. His decision was made. He would go talk to her.

~*~

Bulma threw herself down on her bed, sobbing into one of her pillows. 'How could he be so cruel?' throbbed in her head, repeating over and over again.

"I love you!" she shouted at the picture she had of him on her nightstand. Thank God he never actually came into her room; it would be too embarrassing. There were pictures of him everywhere. Candid photos, sleeping pictures, snapshots of them hanging out at the beach...Prints everywhere.

There was a soft knock on her door. Grabbing a tissue box, she glanced in the mirror quickly. She looked bad, eyes puffy and tear stains on her cheeks, but it was probably only her mother anyway, with some new baked good for her to try. Sometimes she thought her mother was trying to fatten her up with all of the candied sins she brought home.

"Mom, I don't want any cupcakes or pies or anything else to make me gain weight. I'm fat enough already..." Bulma exclaimed as she threw open her door.

"You're not fat." a raspy voice responded.

Cheeks growing hot, she looked up at the owner of her favorite voice in the world to hear.

"Vegeta? Come to gloat?" she asked, turning away from him and taking seat on the edge of her bed, pretending to be interested in a book lying close by.

He shook his head. "No."

"Well, what is it then? Need your laundry done? Or perhaps you've broken all of Daddy's inventions AGAIN and you need me to fix them? Or is it that you're hungry? Please, spill the beans, I'm only your Servant Woman, remember?" She hated the tone of voice she was using, but she couldn't hold back. He had caught her in an extremely pissed off state, and she was going to vent her anger, whether he liked it or not.

'Why is she making this so difficult for me?' Vegeta wondered, unsure of it he should enter her room or not. It was her personal area; he had never been in there before. That was when he noticed the reason why he had never been in there before. There were pictures f him all over. When they went to the store, at Master Roshi's house... 'She does care for me...' he figured out.

"Well, are you going to tell me what you need, or stand there staring?" came her irritated voice. 'What is he doing?' she pondered.

"I came to tell you that..." he began in a small voice.

"What? I can't hear you, speak up." Bulma stated, leaning forward on her bed.

He looked up, eyes full of emotion (although whether he was angry or happy, Bulma couldn't tell), and frowned. His eyes reduced to slits and he strode forward regally, pulled her up by the shoulders, and claimed her lips for his own.

Braking off for a breath, he whispered, "I came to tell you I love you." and grasped her lips with his, darting his tongue around her mouth, savoring her flavor.

She had dreamed of this moment, of the day this would come, and yet none of her dreams tasted this sweet. He was a much better kisser than she imagined, if somewhat rough. But she liked the ruggedness of the way he handled her; it seemed more real than the way Yamcha was.

Suddenly, the ecstasy stopped, leaving her breathless. Blinking, she watched as he turned away from her, facing the door. He was breathing heavily as well, and from her, facing the door. He was breathing heavily as well, and from they way he kept shifting his weight, Bulma knew he was in a state of indecisiveness. 'About what?' she wondered.

'God that felt good...' Vegeta shouted in his head, heart skipping around in his chest. 'But, should I go on? Does she want me to?'

He felt the light weight of a soft hand on his bare shoulder, and it caused his skin to tingle.

"Vegeta?"

Without turning, he answered her. "Yes, Bulma?"

She smiled. He had called her by name.

"Is there something wrong?"

Reaching up, grasped her delicate hand in his rough excuse for one, and kissed each finger lightly. Vegeta whirled around, placing her hand on his naked chest, over where his hear was. "As long as that's normal," he stated, indicating his thumping breast. "then I'm perfect fine."

Her worried face softened into a small smile. She looked hi over; boy, did he have a lot of battle scars. Taking her hand back, she extended a single finger and traced the long one running across his chest, down to his pants. He winced slightly; that was one of the more recent scars. She looked up, biting her bottom lip, and bent down to kiss the spot where the line started. Her tenderness made him wonder why he hadn't done this earlier. 'Who needs a rejuvenating tank when I could have Bulma?'

Now, her lips had made it up to his collarbone, and were gaining distance quickly. Every inch of his skin tingled in anticipation of their arrival. He knew it wouldn't take long. Following his jaw line, Bulma got to an earlobe and began her nibbling. His arms snaked around her waist, pressing her to him. Their maddened hearts beat at one in a frenzy, thumping like war drums. As Vegeta kissed her neck, Bulma reached behind him to shut her door. 'Mom and Dad don't need to see this...' she thought, letting a soft moan escape her lips...

~*~

Vegeta whispered, "Marry me." in Bulma's ear, as if commanding her.

She turned to face him, a smirk across her cheeks, and grabbed his face with her hands. Bringing him close, she brushed her lips over his, tasting the saltiness of his tears, asking, "Is that an order?" and meaning it as a joke.

Seriously, he responded with, "Yes." and kissed her sharply in return.

"Okay, I was just joking. Of course."

~*~

Walking in the door, she thought over what she had just been told. Exceedingly happy, she glanced down at the engagement ring on her left finger, wondering, 'How will he handle this?'

Passing her father's laboratory, she heard him muttering, "These are the fifteenth ones this week! How many is he going to break? I don't know how much more of this I can handle..."

Grinning to herself, Bulma bounced out of the front door and made her way across the lawn towards the large Capsule Corp spaceship sitting there as if having spacecraft on your lawn was normal. Hearing yells of rage and feeling shockwaves of power, she decided to take a peek in first to make sure he wasn't too busy.

Grabbing a chair, she leaned it against the side of the ship and looked through the window. The light inside was red, and every once in a while she'd see a flash of light and a glimpse of her fiancée as he passed by. Soon there was a large Ki blast and the room was illuminated with a light blue as the energy circulated throughout the air. Then all was calm, and she could finally see him. He was laying on the floor, pants torn and even more scars covering his body, and then he looked to the window she was standing at. After seeing her, he rolled his head back and passed.

"Vegeta!" she yelled, hitting the switch to open the door. The gravity went back to normal, and she raced inside, kneeling by him and lifting up his head onto her lap. Stroking his hair, she waited for him to wake up.

Eventually he opened his eyes again, only to find himself staring into the face of his beloved Bulma.

"What are you doing here, woman?"

Even though there was a certain amount of hostility in his voice, Bulma could hear his concern flooding through as well, and with good reason. He had just been training in 450 times Earth's natural gravity, and if she had walked into that, she would be a pancake right now.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay, Vegeta..."

"I have been training in 450 times normal gravity for quite some time, woman, you needn't worry about me! I'm a warrior. Pain means nothing to me!" he announced, but again Bulma could have another reason to doubt his sincerity. When he said his last sentence, he winced quite visibly, indicating that pain meant a bit more than nothing.

"Well, I have something else to tell you...remember that one night?"

Of course he remembered that one night; it had been the greatest night of his life. But he couldn't express that so openly...he didn't know how to, actually. "I think so..." he replied, trying to stand but being pushed down again.

"Um, I went to a doctor today because I've been feeling...strange..."

"Strange? Strange how? Strange good? Strange bad? How?" he interrupted, furrowing his thick black eyebrows in deep concern. Suddenly realizing what he had just said, he added, "Oh, really?" in a nonchalant voice.

Bulma smiled inwardly at him. Vegeta was so cute when he tried to act all macho! "Well, let me finish. I've been feeling strange, like not myself, and the doctor told me that it's because we are going to have a bundle of joy delivered soon!" she exclaimed, but her excitement mellowed out when she witnessed his confused face.

'Bundle of joy? What the hell? What is she...has she gone mad?' he thought insanely, never having heard that phrase before. "Huh?"

"You know, bundle of joy! You don't know. Alrighty, let me put it in simpler terms. BA-BY!"

'Oh, only a baby...' "WHAT?" he shouted, nearly knocking her over. "A BABY?"

'Well, I was hoping for little better reaction, but this will do. It's what to be suspected, I suppose. I mean, it's Vegeta,' she pointed out in her mind. 'Yes, dear, a baby. Meaning a child that we..."

"How did this happen?" he demanded angrily.

"How? What do you mean 'How?' It was you! All you...well, me too, but without you it wouldn't have happened!" she exclaimed, annoyed at his ignorance.

"You mean, just that one time produced..." he tried to regain his composure, then thought the better of it. 'Might as well let off the steam now,' he decided, then remembered another aspect of having a child. 'And I'll be a father!'

"Yes, just that one time. It only takes once for it to happen. And it is. We created a child, and we are going to take care of it. Understood?"

He sighed openly, rethinking the meaning of a child. "When will it come?" he asked, sounding more curious than angry now.

"The doctor said that I'm about 2 months pregnant now, so in approximately 7 months."

"That means it's okay for me to train more, right?"

"Well, yeah, but when it gets closer to the time, I might need you with me here. Say, when there's about 2-3 months left in the pregnancy." she informed him, holding his head unconsciously.

"Alrighty, then I'm going out onto space for four and a half months, to extend my training."

"What?"

"Well, you said I won't be needed for about that much time, so I'm going into space. Is there a problem with that?" he inquired, raising his eyebrows expectantly. Receiving no answer, he added, "No reason why I shouldn't go? Alright, then I'm leaving first thing in the morning. Bye."

"Wait!" she exclaimed, rears rolling down her face. "I need you! I need you here, that's my reason why you can't go!"

He stopped dead in his tracks, hanging his head. She could always get him like this. One note of her tear choked sob was enough to make him rethink anything she wanted him to. He felt remorse, but decided against it. 'No, I need this training. I have to go if I want to become a Super Saiyan-jin. I must beat Kakarott!'

"Bulma..." he could hear her crying quietly now behind him. Suddenly, her mood changed, and she was yelling at him, common during a pregnancy.

"Now, you see here, mister! Don't think you are going to get out that easily! I'm not letting you leave, simple as that," she stated matter-of-factly, getting up and pacing over to him. She grabbed his arm and he whirled around, facing her. They were about 4 inches away when he closed the gap in a passionate lip lock. Then he turned, leaving her grasp, and stalked off towards the house.

She stood in the doorway of the spaceship, staring dumbly after him, and looked down at her stomach. There was something growing inside of there, something they created through their passion. She was going to be a mom. A mom! Joy running through her caused a shudder to shake her body, and she sat down on a the ramp, giddy as a school girl.

'He'll be back. I just know it...'

~*~

"Bulma, Bulma dear, look who's here!" a high pitched voice broke through the flashback.

"Hi, Bulma!"

Waking up from her trance, the bride stood up to greet her visitors. "Hi Goku, hi Gohan! Where's Chi-Chi?" she asked, noticing the missing mother.

"You mean she's not here?" Gohan inquired, eyes growing wide. He looked up at his father, who was fear stricken as well.

"We need to find her!" Goku exclaimed, running down the stairs with his son.

"Nice to see you guys..." Bulma stated, watching them fly by her window.

"We'll be back! Promise!" Gohan shouted as they disappeared into the distance.

"Boys..."

Suddenly, there was another pounding, similar to before.

"Woman!"

Sighing and rolling her eyes, she got up and threw aside the door, glaring at her husband-to-be. "What is it, Vegeta?"

Taking step back in surprise, he raised his arms in defense. "Are you sure you should be doing all of that shouting while you're..."

"Pregnant?"

"Well, I was going to say 'like that,' but pregnant works fine."

"You're the one who got me like this. And look," she grabbed his hand, placing it on her rounded stomach. "He knows it too. He's trying to kick you, but my dress is in the way..." she chuckled as Vegeta's face took on the look of surprise, something it didn't do often.

"Stop that!" he shouted out of the blue.

"Oh, you are so immature! What are you going to do after he's born and he cries? Lock him in a cabinet?" she asked sarcastically, smacking his hand sharply.

"Babies cry?"

"Yes."

"All the time?"

"Well, some do. If you're around, this one might too!"

His eyes narrowed at her remark, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't you even want to know why I came up here?"

"Sure why not."

"Kakarott's wife is here. And let me tell you this. If you act like her at all, I'm getting out, alright?"

"I heard that Vegeta!" and angered yell came from the top of the stairs. Chi-Chi came stalking down the hallway like a wet cat, eyebrows furrowing in a furious expression.

Kissing his fiancée on the cheek, Vegeta disappeared just as the angry woman followed through with a predetermined slap to his face. Chi-Chi got close to falling over by her previous momentum, but Bulma caught her before hitting the ground.

Outside, Vegeta appeared beside Piccolo, smoothing out his tuxedo. The Namek wasn't exactly dressed for the occasion...he was still dressed like that of his people, something he wore everyday. His white cape ruffled in the breeze, as did the ocean surrounding the island they were on.

Staring out at the water, the green man made one comment. "Gohan's coming."

The said boy's vapor trail stopped as he lowered to hover over Piccolo's head. Floating upside down in front of his mentor, he waved cheerfully. "Mr. Piccolo! I didn't know you were here!"

"Yeah, your dad talked me into it. Also, I thought it would be interesting to see a guy like Vegeta over here get hitched. And especially to Bulma..." a smirk spread across his features, something that didn't happen very often.

"What are you saying, Namek?" Vegeta challenged, voice raising. He stepped in front of Piccolo, who was about a foot taller than him, and stared up at him indignantly. "Are you implying that..."

"I'm not implying anything, chill your boots." the green one cut him off.

"Just stay out of my way, Namek!" he stalked off in search of something to quench his thirst, leaving Gohan and his first trainer.

"Gosh, he's in a bad mood!" the boy exclaimed, lowering down next to his friend.

"When is he not?"

Goku's son considered this. "You've got a point there. Hey, is my mom here yet?"

"Check upstairs. I think I heard her and Bulma talking about the wedding before Vegeta started being his loud spoken self again," Piccolo answered. "Your dad's coming back, might want to move a bit to the right." he suggested.

As predicted, Goku landed right where Gohan had been standing a few seconds earlier.

"Hi Piccolo! Gohan, did you find your mom yet?"

"No, he didn't find me! That stupid pet cloud of yours brought me here and rudely dropped me off! We need to talk about this Goku!" an angered Chi-Chi shouted from nearby.

"Now, Chi-Chi, it wasn't my fault! Nimbus heard 'Let's Go,' and took off! I couldn't stop it, honestly!" The Saiyan-jin protested, but to no avail.

"Now you listen here Goku! I am sick and tired of your...,"

Gohan sighed, watching his mother chew out his father. "I'm going to go find Kuririn, wanna come?"

"No, Gohan, I'm going to locate some solitude before this wedding starts. Good luck with your mother."

With that, Piccolo turned to leave, only to be hailed by Bulma's mother with a tray of mini pies.

"Oh, Mr. Piccolo! Come here you cutie-pie, I have some wonderful pies for you to try! Oh, my my! Listen to that! You're a cutie pie, and I want you to have some pies! How funny..."

Gohan sighed again. This was going to be a long day for all of them.

~*~

"Hee-hee! Those bridesmaids look awfully cute in those gowns, don't you think Turtle?"

"Well, if you say so, Master Roshi..."

"I think I'll just take a peek in their dressing room to make sure there's no one left in there still..." the old Martial Arts trainer started, tip toeing off to the window of the room the maids were dressing in.

Right as he got up to it, Kuririn appeared before him, spreading out his arms. "No, Muten Roshi, you need to leave these girls alone! We've already had two threaten to leave because you keep peeping in on them! And besides, Bulma's dad wants to talk to you about the cake."

"Wait, no, I...ugh, oh, fine..." Master Roshi stuttered while being drug off by the short, bald man.

Turtle sat by, watching the old man's antics stopped, and laughed whole heartedly. "It's about time he got put in his place." he stated calmly, and started at a run towards the Salad Bar, which, for a turtle, isn't very fast. But, still, he was running. Until Puar landed on his back and stopped him.

"No, that's for the wedding! Bad Turtle!" the flying cat screeched. "Let's go find Yamcha instead!" he suggested, floating in front of the reptile.

"You and your Yamcha..."

~*~

The pounding sounded again, followed by the familiar shout of a very short, black haired, extremely pissed off Saiyan-jin, followed by the angered yell of one very ticked off bride at her fiancée's impatience.

"Well, I'm going to start it without you if you don't speed it up. I'm going to count to ten, and if you are not out here by then I'll..."

"You'll what?" Chi-Chi asked menacingly, hefting a candlestick holder between her outstretched palms. Upon seeing the strongest woman on Earth (named because she can control Goku), Vegeta backed down and called softly to his fiancée through the door.

"Dear, sweetheart, the guests are getting a bit...bored. Please...please come out...soon," he pleaded, retreating slowly away from Goku's wife.

The door flew open, and out emerged Bulma. Her hair was done in a pile of curls on her head, with butterflies sticking periodically out. Her dress fit perfectly, and hid the fact that she was with child. Vegeta was amazed. You couldn't even see the evidence of their son one tiny bit. And his fiancée...she was gorgeous. He couldn't keep his roving eyes off of her. For some strange reason, his mind traveled back to when he first saw her, cowering before him with Kuririn, who was holding the one star Dragonball.

"And who is that gorgeous girl of yours?" he remembered asking nonchalantly, as if he really didn't mean it. But, even then, he knew he did. And he meant it every time he told her, or thought it, or whispered it almost silently to her sleeping form late at night. She really was beautiful.

"You are...pretty, Bulma..." he said quickly. Chi-Chi stared...was this the same Vegeta she knew? Couldn't be...he never complimented anyone but himself. But, then again, he was actually marrying Bulma...she had changed him quite a bit as well.

Vegeta walked forward and offered his arm, but his bride refused. "No way, mister. My father is supposed to walk me down the aisle, not you, silly. Why don't you go and stand at the altar with Goku, and wait patiently like you are supposed to?" she suggested, poking him playfully in his muscular chest. 'God, he looks good in that tuxedo.' was all that ran through Bulma's mind as he stomped off down the stairs, muttering something about not actually choosing Goku to be his best man. She smiled. It was kind of forced on him. They were sitting on her patio one morning, drinking coffee as usual, when the conversation arose...

"Vegeta, we need to discuss our wedding plans." she blurted out between bites of a muffin.

He practically choked on the bagel he was consuming. Spluttering crumbs, he took a quick drink of juice to wash it down and coughed out, "What?" while pounding his chest.

She stared at him. 'Isn't he full of surprises?' she thought sarcastically while fear spread quickly across his features. Not something shown often on the Saiyan-jin Prince's face, it was a rare sight. Almost as priceless when she told him she was pregnant!

"Well, we do. I am not having this baby if we aren't married first. And, we are engaged. Plus, we only have about three months left, seeing as how you just got back from space last week. We need to plan!"

"What is there to plan, woman? You just walk down the aisle, we give each other rings, a minister speaks, and we kiss. I think it's pretty well planned out. We just need to do it," he explained in a I-know-what-I-am-talking-about tone. But the truth was, he had no clue.

"Something you need to plan? I have something you need to plan. Such as, oh, I don't know...who is your best man going to be? Certainly not someone from your family, they're all dead...you don't really have many friends either..."

"What?! I have plenty of friends!" Vegeta retorted, standing up fiercely.

"Oh, really? Name one," his fiancée challenged, standing up as well and crossing her arms.

"Oh, just one? Well what about?...no, he's dead...or?...no, he's dead too...I know! Nappa was my friend!" he shouted, pounding table with his fist, creating a long crack down the middle.

"Was, Vegeta, was. And didn't you kill him because he lost to Goku? Doesn't sound like much of a friend to me..." she countered, sitting back down.

"Yeah, he was an imbecile anyway."

"I meant that you aren't much of a..."

"Who cares what I'm like? Certainly not me!" he looked around to make sure no one was about, and asked, "Hey, can you help me find a best man?" in a quite voice, not fitting for a Saiyan-jin of his position and power.

"GOKU!" Bulma shouted, knocking the table over with her abrupt elevation change.

"Where?"

"No, you moron, he's not here! He can be your best man!" she exclaimed, sounding excited about her discovery. Then she remembered why she hadn't thought of this idea sooner. This was Vegeta she was talking to...

She rolled her eyes and awaited his protest. Five...four...three...two...

"WHAT? Kakarott? No way in Hell is Kakarott being my best man! He's my archenemy! Meaning that I want to KILL him! How could you even...argh..." he growled, looking towards the sky, and started walking away.

"You're just afraid to ask him." she responded eloquently in a teasing voice while taking her seat once again and continuing her muffin, using her enlarged stomach as her tray, now that their third new patio table that week was broken.

Her fiancée stopped dead in his tracks. 'Afraid?' he thought, fists at his side shaking with strain as he flexed his many Saiyan-jin muscles. 'Afraid?'

"WOMAN! How dare you call me a coward, and about something as stupid as this! You and your taunts are the only thing that make me so frustrated it's uncontrollable! Argh!" he shouted, turning to face her. His eyes burned with an intensity that would frighten Frieza himself, and yet Bulma didn't look up from the newspaper she had started reading once. His easily tempted Saiyan-jin rage boiled over, and his once black eyes turned a radiant green blue. But that wasn't the only physical feature that changed. His once ebony hair turned a fiery golden color, got a bit fuller. Still, Bulma didn't even glance up. A few moments later, Vegeta stood in front of her, a yellow flame surrounding him and accenting his blonde hair, and she quietly folded the newspaper and pursed her lips. Closing her eyes, she smiled, got up from her seat, and walked over to him. Opening her optical orbs fully, she stared up at him, still standing about a foot away from his energy flame. She reached up a delicate hand to his cheek, and the Ki circulating around him disappeared as she did so. Bringing her other hand up, she pulled his face down to hers and placed her lips entirely on his. At first he seemed not to respond, then the dam broke. His lips and tongue wove a web of festive dances upon hers and in her mouth, and she absorbed every drop of his sweet taste. 'There's that kiss I love...he's the best kisser I've ever known!' she thought, bringing a hand to run through his still Super Saiyan-jin hair, which was silky soft and radiating energy whenever she touched it.

She broke off for a breath and hugged him close, whispering, "Goku will be your best man." in her lover's ear.

"No." he firmly replied.

"Yes." she pressed, pinching his side.

"Okay, fine, but he has to wear a suit too. And his annoying wife cannot, I repeat, cannot come whatsoever!" he demanded, dragging his fingers along the small of her back, causing a tingle to run down her spine.

'That's what you think...'

~*~

Goku, formerly known as Kakarott, stood at the altar, fidgeting in his stiff suit. 'Why did Chi-Chi have to starch this so much?' he wondered, looking up at the cotton candy clouds drifting overhead. He glanced over to the house just in time to see a fuming Vegeta come stalking out onto the front lawn, looking like a cat ready to pounce. He watched as the priest timidly started towards the deadly Saiyan-jin, and quickly stopped him.

"No, Father, I wouldn't approach him right now if I were you. He's...a bit angry. Let me talk to him."

"Alright, Goku, I trust you. I've known you since you were a child and trust your perception. you be careful though..."

"Don't worry about me. I can handle him." Goku continued in the path the minister had been taking, and stood in the front of Vegeta, looking down at the short man.

"Kakarott, get out of my way." Vegeta growled dangerously. "Unless you want to get hurt."

"Chill, Vegeta. I just was curious as to what is wrong. You seem a little more pissed off than usual, that's all. What's up?" The Super Saiyan-jin asked innocently. The groom rolled his eyes. 'Kakarott is so soft hearted. How is it that he can be called a Saiyan-jin? He doesn't even fight like one!' "The sky, you imbecile, now let me pass!" he stepped aside, but when he was about to take a pace forward, Goku appeared, in front of him once again. They played that game for a few seconds when Vegeta decided, 'Why walk when you can fly?' and levitated himself quite easily. But Goku knew what he was doing and beat the Saiyan-jin Prince to it, floating in midair with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Not until you tell me what's up. I don't want you, in a mood worse than normal, to go stand in front of my family and friends, along with the love of your life's family and fume silent. Wanna know why? Because you don't fume silently; you blow stuff up. You should go to counseling for anger control, you know that?" he suggested as he punched him how he thought was lightly. Vegeta winced slightly at the stinging pain of the hit, but quickly regained his composure, looking away.

"Why should I tell you? You don't care."

"No, Vegeta, you don't care. Come on, from one Saiyan-jin to another. Wait--from one Super Saiyan-jin to another. I know you achieved it. There's a new light in your eyes, and your power is higher at a resting state than it was before you left. You're stronger than me now--if we were to fight, you'd win, without question. But, I want to know. You don't have to keep your tough guy act up around me. Even people like us have softer sides. I know you do...you're marrying Bulma, and you created a son together. What's bothering you? Come on, it's not like I'm going to tell anyone..." Goku pressed, placing his hands on his hips and leaning forward towards the Elite.

Vegeta snorted and stuck his nose up a bit more before considering, 'I know Kakarott wouldn't tell anyone. So why am I holding back?' His pride, at the moment forgotten, suddenly returned, bubbling up to the surface. 'I would defeat him! So what am I waiting for?'

Glancing at Goku's ever friendly face, he realized his answer. "My bride."

"What? Bulma? She's the problem? What'd she do now?"

"It's not her fault, you moron! She didn't do anything...she's done everything for me since...as long as I can remember. And how do I treat her? How do I repay her wonderfulness?" he spat out through gritted teeth, seeming as if he were about to punch himself.

"By loving me." a female voice answered from below. There was a tug on the Prince's pant leg, causing him to look down at his bride. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he lowered to the ground, embracing her slightly heavier form. She kissed his cheek and smiled into his eyes, whispering, "Come on. Let's get married." Nodding, he wrapped his arm around her waist and disappeared for a brief second, reappearing at the altar in front of everyone. Goku floated stationary for a moment, puzzling over what he just witnessed, raising one eyebrow, and then the other, until his rare though process was interrupted by the angered yell of his own wife.

"Goku! Get over here now! We are waiting!" Chi-Chi yelled. An instant later her husband was standing next to Vegeta, grinning broadly and shaking his head at some random thought. He took his place by the altar opposite Bulma's bridesmaids and stated quietly, "We're ready." to the priest. The Holy man nodded, and began.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the unity of Bulma Briefs and Vegeta...uh...Vegeta...in holy matrimony. If there is anyone who sees a reason why these two not be brought together, speak now, or forever hold your peace..."

Vegeta turned to look at the audience, and said rather loudly, "If anyone speaks I'll make sure they'll hold their peace...forever in another dimension!" Bulma elbowed him in the side at his comment, and they turned back to the minister to continue, when there was a young voice that broke through the silence, much like Goku's when he was younger.

"Aw, Mom, my tie is fine!" Everyone's attention turned to the squirming boy in the first row, whose mother was seeming to strangle him with his own necktie.

"Now you listen here, Gohan, quit making a scene! We are at a wedding! You want to look your best if you are going to be the ring bearer..."

Vegeta covered his eyes with both hands while sighing heavily in annoyance. Turning ever so slightly to Goku, he whispered, "Kakarott! Get your son away from her before I really lose my temper..."

Acting quickly, Goku used the Instant Transmission move and appeared next to his son for a fleeting moment, then grabbed him, used the move gain, appeared beside Piccolo on top of the house, let go of Gohan, and appeared back next to Vegeta as if nothing had happened. Only one person saw all that happened, and he smiled at his one true friend's quick thinking. "Thanks, Kakarott..." he whispered, then turned back to the priest, motioning with his hands for the man to continue. "Well, go on, what are you waiting for?"

~*~

"What's up, kid?" asked the Namek without looking at his little friend.

"Well, Mom was messing with my tie and..."

"Not with that. I know about that. Remember, these ears to more than just frame my head..." he smiled grimly at the small joke he had just made, bearing his fangs briefly. Gohan laughed. "Haha, Piccolo, good one..."*

Noticing action below, the young half Saiyan-jin pointed and asked, "What's happening? What's going on now?"

The green one tilted his head slightly and listened. "They are doing the vows...come over here and I'll let you listen."

The boy approached his older companion and watched as his mentor placed a long nailed hand on his shoulder and shot some of his Namek energy into him. Suddenly, Gohan could hear everything below, even the gum chewing of Master Roshi. He focused his attention and listened intently as the bride and groom recited their vows of love and togetherness to each other.

~*~

"Vegeta, I promise I will always love you, no matter what you destroy, who you kill, or what town you blow up...within reason. This baby will be brought up in a loving household, because I promise that my love for you will grow strong with each passing day...as long as you don't blow up the house. So help me God, Vegeta, if you blow up the house I'll..."

The priest decided that now was a good time to interrupt. "Uh, Bulma, we aren't making threats here..."

"Did you hear me make a threat? No, I don't make threats. I make promises!" she grinned at Vegeta, who shifted uneasily at the statement, knowing the truth behind it. "I'm done!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Your turn!"

The declaration caught the Saiyan-jin off guard, and his hands rapidly searched his pockets for his note cards, on which everything was written on. Then he remembered. 'Oh no! I left at the Tuxedo rental place!'

"Uh, yes, my turn. Are you sure you're done, dear? You can keep going if you want, don't feel rushed..."

Goku frowned a moment, then realized the situation and tried to stifle his giggles at the Prince's predicament. Bulma glared at him and he stopped, but a grin remained plastered to his face as he whispered, "Forgot your cards, Vegeta?" while covering his mouth. "Try 'I love you, Bulma, always and forever...' " he suggested. Vegeta's hands stopped their probing of the bottoms of his pockets and the Super Saiyan-jin turned to his best man, eyes practically on fire.

"Kakarotto, remind me--who's pledging their undying love and devotion to her, you or me?"

"You're pledging undying love and devotion to me?" Bulma asked as her cheeks turned a shade of red darker than blood. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she stared at Vegeta, who turned to face her. "Oh, Vegeta. I didn't think you'd ever actually go through with it! That's...that's music to my ears!"

"Why wouldn't I go through with it? Are you calling me a coward, woman?"

A slow smile spread across the bride's face as she turned to the priest and asked, "Permission to kiss the groom?"

The man sighed. "Why not, we've had everything else happen. Go ahead, but that's not the official seal, alright?"

"No, I know." Bulma took Vegeta's face in her hands and brought it to hers, kissing him passionately. He responded and kissed back, embracing her softly.

Gohan grimaced, turning away to face Piccolo. "Eww...why do they have to do that now? Just when it was getting good!"

Piccolo shrugged. "I don't know, kid, I never could figure out much about human...or rather, humanoid relationships."

"Oh yeah, that's right; I forgot that Nameks are only one gender..." Gohan flashed back to his time on Namek, right after Bulma met Dende and was trying to explain that with humans there are two "types." He smiled at the thought, then came up with something else. "So, Piccolo, are you ever going to have a child?" Gohan asked, floating up to the green one's height. "You would make a great father, Piccolo..."

Watching a green man blush is an entertaining sight, as Gohan soon found out as the Namek looked away and answered, trying to sound as nonchalant as he could, "Yeah, whatever..."

Figuring he shouldn't push the issue, Son Gohan turned back to watch the wedding, which was moving along again.

The priest thought for a moment, trying to remember where they were in the sermon. Goku, being as helpful as ever, whispered, "Vows."

The priest smiled. "Ah, yes, vows. Uh, Vegeta, are you...done?"

Bulma looked at her soon-to-be husband, hoping for a few more spouting of love and devotion, but expecting not even a fraction of that. She knew him better than that, she knew he wouldn't show his soft side again...at least not until they were alone.

The Saiyan-jin Prince, unsure of himself, nodded slowly, watching his bride carefully. 'I hope that onna doesn't make me say more...' He glanced over at Goku, who was leaned over and staring at him hard, seeming to be thinking. 'Impossible!' Vegeta laughed to himself. Happening to glance behind him, he caught sight of what Kakarott was gazing at. A big wedding cake had just been rolled out by the caterers...He knew the Saiyan-jin would stuff himself as soon as the ceremony was over. 'Let him!' Vegeta thought, then realized the bad side to Goku's future stomach ache. That was his and Bulma's wedding cake! He could see the stiff black hair of the tiny character on the top of the tower of confection from there! "No way is Kakarott getting my cake..." the short tempered man growled, narrowing his eyes.

Goku's eyebrows rose considerably. "How did he know?"

*Twenty minutes later*

"And now, unless something else comes up, you may kiss the bride."

Gohan covered his eyes. "Are they done yet, Piccolo?" he asked quietly after a moment or so.

"Yes, they're done. Everyone's heading to the reception." his mentor replied, turning to leave.

Gohan uncovered his eyes and noticed this. "Where re you going, Piccolo-san? Aren't you staying for the party?"

The Namek smiled and faced his friend. So young and innocent... "No, Gohan, parties are not my thing. Thanks anyway." With that, he took a step off the roof and left, Ki circulating around him as he flew off.

Goku's son sighed. "Might as well go get some cake before Dad eats it all!"

-Owari

*Authoresses note: At the point that this asterisk corresponds, you probably didn't laugh, unless you are as hardcore a fan of DBZ as I am. Watch the episode in the Trunks Saga when Trunks *sniffles* leaves, and you'll get it. Piccolo makes a comment as to why he knows everything that happened in the future.

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