Best Before

I don't DBGT, in anyway shape or form!

This idea came to me while chating on the net about how long saiyan live.

Vegeta has been training harder than ever. After he'd just accepted Goku as a friend rather than an adversary to over come, Goku had left with Shenron and taken the Dragonballs with him. Vegeta remembered the last thing Goku had said to him. "There yours to protect now." Without the Dragonballs, he needed to be as prepared as possible for the day that he was needed to protect his family and the world. To this end he had managed to get Trunks and Goten to train with him. Right now he was training with Trunks.

"You can do better than that!" Vegeta shouted at Trunks. Trunks gritted his teeth. Fine, he thought.

"BURNING ATTACK!" Trunks yelled and the blast hit Vegeta head on, forcing him back. Vegeta lowered his arms.

"Much better." Vegeta said. "But try this!"

"GALIC GUN." Trunks managed to dodge his fathers blast, and looked at him shocked.

"Dad!" He said. "Are you trying to kill me!"

"In battle you get no second chances, you know that!"

"Fine." Trunks said his face going hard, he then went super saiyan.

"I did say you could do that!" Vegeta said, annoyed. Trunks settled into fighting stance.

"Are we going to fight or trade energy blasts?" He asked. Vegeta growled, and went super saiyan himself, however it seemed to take him far longer to do so than normal. Trunks frowned, and dropped his arms slightly.

"Dad are you alright?" He asked. Vegeta growled and rushed Trunks hitting him in his undefended face.

"Never let your guard down!" He said, then he felt weird, he swayed slightly and his eyes defocused. There was a stabbing pain his chest and his left hand tingled.

"Dad!" Trunks exclaimed alarmed. Vegeta growled and collapsed. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was Trunks yelling for Bulma.


Vegeta opened his eyes, he was laying on a bed, there was an annoying beeping coming from somewhere nearby. He felt sore everywhere and weak. He growled he hated that feeling, he pushed him self into a sitting position, leaning against the wall, alarmed at how much that simple task seemed to have tried him. He could feel his heart beating faster, and the beeping got faster as well. That was when he noticed the electrodes placed on his chest, he ripped them off, causing the ECG machine to flat-line.

Bulma and Trunks ran into the room and stopped in relief when they saw he was ok. Vegeta looked at them then pushed him self off the bed, but as soon as he feet hit the ground he felt dizzy. Trunks caught him before he fell and helped him back into bed, all the time Vegeta stared daggers at him.

"What happened?" He asked eventually. Bulma bite her lip and looked away. Trunks was the one that answered.

"You had a mild heart attack." He said. Vegeta stared at him. "A heart attack is when..."

"I know what a heart attack is, I'm not Kakarot!" Vegeta snapped. "But how?"

"Well, dad, er. We did a scan when you were out and..." Trunks trailed off.

"Vegeta, how long do saiyans live?" Bulma suddenly asked. Vegeta blinked at the sudden change in topic.

"As far as I'm aware I'm the oldest ever saiyan." He said. "We tend to die young." Bulma and Trunks exchanged looked.

"Out with it?!" Vegeta said annoyed, and ignoring the small pain in his chest. "What is it!?"

"Remember, when you said once that saiyan retain there youth." Bulma said and Vegeta's eyes narrowed unsure where this was heading. "Well it seems that's only on the outside."

"What are you talking about!?"

"Dad, your scans, your organs are more like what we'd expect from someone who's a hundred and twenty not seventy one." Trunks looked away. Vegeta just stared at them, his expression unreadable.

"A hundred and twenty!" He whispered, it didn't seem right, it couldn't be right, but then he'd just had a heart attack. He growled, startling them. "That is ridiculous!" He declared. Bulma looked at him tears in her eyes.

"Vegeta." She said, unable hide her pain and fear. "Your dying, of old age!" She collapsed into him and cried. Vegeta stared at her, he couldn't take in what she'd just said. Old age? It didn't seem right, not for a saiyan, that's not a death for a great warrior.


Two weeks later, Vegeta was walking down the hall towards the Gravity Room. He'd done what Bulma asked of him, he hadn't been training. She said that was to much for his body to take now. The last two weeks had been hell for him, training was his life, there was no point to it, otherwise. They had followed his request to not tell anyone about his condition, the last thing Vegeta wanted was everyone giving him sympathy.

He growled to him self over that idea, and entered the Gravity Room. He set the gravity at two hundred and immediately felt his heart pump harder. He growled again, there was no way he was going to let this get the better of him. He was the strongest being in the universe, the Prince of all saiyans! This is not going to stand in his way. With that thought, he roared as he went super saiyan, it lasted a few seconds then he dropped out again, panting. He growled and pushed himself to do it again, and suddenly a great pain ripped though his chest and his left arm went numb. He gasped and grasped at his chest. He took a few hesitant steps towards the door, and pain intensified.

He fell to his knees, panting, he couldn't get enough air! He vision was blurring. NO! He thought, Not this way! He hit the floor and his vision faded, the pain ceased, everything ceased.

OMG! Writing that almost made me cry!

Please review.