So yes, I've decided to expand this slightly. There will be one more part after this one, but you won't know between who until I get there! You will see parts of "Of the Moon" directly quoted in this, so if you're feeling a sense of déjà vu, that's why.


Krillin and Bulma sat on the couch together watching television and drinking beer when Vegeta walked in, sweaty and tired from his training. It was only a few weeks after returning from Namek, and everyone was still a little tense around the Saiyan. He took one look at the two on the couch, snorted, and walked up the stairs and into the bathroom, intent on taking a shower.

"He always so moody?" Krillin asked mildly, taking another sip of his drink.

"You have no idea," Bulma said lightly. "You should see him in the mornings."

"I CAN HEAR YOU!" came an annoyed shout from the bathroom.

"Sorry, oh royal prince!"Bulma shouted back sarcastically before she and Krillin burst into immature laughter. "Alright, I'm going to go start making dinner. Mom and Dad won't be back from their meeting until later. Stir fry okay?"

"You know me. I'll eat anything."

"Yeah yeah, you and him both. Do me a favor, will ya? I have a wicked migraine. There's some pills for it up on my nightstand. Can you bring them down?"

"Yeah, sure. You good to take them after that beer?"

"Oh yeah, it's fine. One beer isn't going to do anything."

"Alright," Krillin said, heading for the stairs. "Oh, can you add some of those green chilies to the stir fry? I love those things."

Bulma laughed. "You and Vegeta both. He makes me put those in just about everything."

Krillin went up the stairs and went into Bulma's room, looking for the migraine medicine. He grabbed the bottle and almost ran smack into Vegeta.

"Whoa! Sorry dude! " Krillin exclaimed, jumping back to avoid collision. Vegeta just made a noise in the back of his throat in annoyance and pushed past him. "Well excuse me-Dude, what happened to your back?" Krillin exclaimed in shock as he caught sight of the many scars that littered the Saiyan's bare back.

Vegeta's shoulder's tensed before he turned to face Krillin. "I grew up under Frieza's rule, remember?" he snapped coldly.

"Well, yeah, but... do they hurt still?"

"They're scars, nitwit. Why would they hurt?"

"Well, if they're deep enough, sometimes they still will hurt from time to time. Like I have this one scar from a gash I got when Goku and I were messing around as kids, and-"

"I really don't care," Vegeta said, turning and going to his room, nearly slamming the door and leaving Krillin standing open mouthed.

"Huh. Well how do you like that?" he mused.


Krillin sat on the couch in Capsule Corp, watching the television. Vegeta stalked down the stairs, freshly bathed and tired after an intense training session in preparation for Broly's arrival. He looked at Krillin, and then around the room.

"Where's the woman?"

"Huh? Bulma? She ran out to get us pizza for dinner. I gotta tell ya, training with Piccolo and Gohan is killer. How's your training coming along?" Krillin asked.

Vegeta grit his teeth. "Fine," he ground out.

Krillin said nothing, noting the tenseness in the Saiyan. "You want a beer or something?" Vegeta stared at him for a second before nodding his head once. Krillin reached over to the side table and handed him a can. "Still cold. I was saving it for Bulma when she came back, but she can have one out of the fridge."

Vegeta took the can and stood awkwardly for a few moments while Krillin turned his attention back to the television. Finally, he opted to sit on the other end of the couch. He looked at the television, and his back stiffened automatically as he took in the images.

"Is that... is that baseball?" he asked quietly.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. You know of it?" Krillin asked, surprised.

"Played it when I was kid," he responded distractedly.

"Interesting. I always thought this was just a human sport."

"Intergalactic, actually."

"Oh, that's neat. The team in blue is Yamcha's old team. Course they suck now that he's, well, gone."

"Quit?" Vegeta asked without thinking, the conversation oddly flowing easily from him.

Krillin pursed his lips, and was silent a moment. "Killed." His eyes slid sideways to the Saiyan warily. "That Saibaman that self-destructed... that was Yamcha."

Vegeta said nothing in response to this.

Eager to keep the ball rolling and break through the awkward silence, Krillin pressed on. "Where did you play?"

"Frieza's ship as a trainee. We played as kids."

"Which position?"

"First baseman. I was quick."

"Did you like that or batting better?" Krillin asked, liking the conversation flowing.

"Batting. I had a good eye."

The door opened to reveal Bulma carrying six boxes of pizza, cutting off the conversation.

"Little help would be appreciated... oh. You're down here too. Well here, five of these are for you. The kind with all the meats on it. Krillin, I got us pepperoni and peppers, hope that's okay."

Krillin got up and took three of the boxes from her. "Sounds good to me. Vegeta, you really going to eat all this?"

Vegeta pulled his eyes from the television, where he had been staring blankly. "Obviously," he said flatly, taking his boxes and retreating to his room.

Krillin watched the Saiyan's retreating back. He was still wary of the Saiyan, but it was a start.


The four warriors were in the desert, Piccolo sitting on the ground with Gohan attached firmly to his waist. Krillin and Vegeta stood off to the side a little, giving them some space.

"Hey, cue ball, you have any of those bean-things?" Vegeta asked, taking a limping step forward.

"Not yet. I'll go get some from Korin."

"Lead the way," Vegeta said, taking to the air.

"Oh, you're coming too? Okay. Sure. Follow me. I'll bring you two some back, okay?" Krillin said to Piccolo and Gohan. Krillin then took to the air as well, leading the way. Vegeta fell in step with him.

"So... how does it feel to be a Super Saiyan?" Krillin asked, trying to start conversation.

"At last I have achieved my birthright. I always knew I would," Vegeta said proudly. Then his mood darkened. "That brat transformed first. A half breed."

"Eh, I'd watch what you say about him, especially in front of Piccolo."

"Why? I'm stronger than that Namekian could ever hope to be," he said haughtily.

"Just... trust me. You don't want to be on his bad side."

"Pretty sure I'm already there."

"No, you're on his neutral-bad side. There's a difference."

"What does it matter?"

"Piccolo is in touch with the gods. If something happens... well, he may not be so inclined to have them save you if he doesn't like you."

"Whatever. I will continue to train, and I will become the strongest being on this planet. And then it won't matter anyways."

"Well, whatever you say," Krillin assented. "We're almost there. Hopefully Korin has enough beans."


A few days passed and Krillin returned to Capsule Corp. Bulma was out on a business trip with her parents, and Krillin was in charge of the compound. Namely to keep it standing if Vegeta somehow managed to break something.

"I don't need a babysitter," Vegeta snapped as Krillin walked in with his bags and settled on the couch.

"Correction, house sitter. You don't need my permission to do anything. Just don't blow anything up," Krillin said jokingly. He flicked on the television. "Aw, yes! I love this movie! Wanna watch?"

Vegeta stared at him for a long moment before giving in and settling on the opposite end of the couch. The two were silent for a few moments, both not really watching what was on the screen.

"So... you and Bulma, huh?" Krillin dared to ask.

Vegeta's cheeks flushed. "It's nothing."

Krillin laughed. "You sure about that? Looked like a lot more than nothing to me..."

"Drop it."

"Look, I'm only saying this because Bulma is my friend. Please, please don't hurt her." Vegeta's mouth opened to retort. "No, I don't mean physically. It's just... she already lost Yamcha and basically all our friends. Please don't break her heart."

Vegeta said nothing to this and Krillin dropped the topic.


It was odd, really, how it all started.

Krillin walked up the pathway to Capsule Corp. when Vegeta exited the gravity room.

"Oh perfect. Hey baldy, come in here for a second. I need you to hold something," Vegeta said, waving him over.

"Sure Vegeta. What do you need?"

Vegeta pointed to a piece of machinery. "Hold this up. I swear to god, if you drop it on my head, I will kill you."

"Yeah, sure," Krillin replied, lifting the heavy piece while Vegeta scooted under it, holding a screwdriver. "Um... shouldn't Dr. Briefs or Bulma be doing this?"

"I'm not an idiot. And besides, I can fix a few basic things, oh ye of little faith. She's in a bitchy mood today. I'm not dealing with her when she finds out I overheated this. There, fixed," he said, scooting back out. "You can put it down." He clicked a button and the machine whirred to life. "I'm a genius. You can go now."

"Oh, okay. I, uh... well..."

"God, spit it out already, would you?" Vegeta snapped.

"Do you need a sparring partner?" Krillin asked timidly.

Vegeta stared at him blankly. "What about the boy and Namekian?"

"Oh, they let me train with them, but... I don't know, it feels like I'm intruding on something every time I'm there. And I train pretty poorly on my own. I always used to train with the guys-"

"Fine."

"What?"

"Are you deaf? I said fine. But if you get in my way or slow me down, you're out, got it?"

Krillin smiled. "Really? I mean, yeah, okay! I should probably go see Bulma now. She's the reason I came."

"She's in a really pissy mood. I thought pregnant women were supposed to be happy," Vegeta said offhandedly.

"Whoa, wait, what? Pregnant?"

"Did I stutter?"

"Just a little shocked here. Was it... on purpose?"

"What, the sex? What do you think?"

"No... having a kid."

"Of course not, you idiot! I don't want some snot-nosed little brat running around!"

"Well didn't you use a condom?"

"Already got my ear screamed off for that. I still don't know that is."

"So that's not an intergalactic thing, I take it?" Krillin asked, a laugh in his voice. "Okay, I'll go talk to Bulma. Try to calm her down a little."

"Whatever. When you're done, come back here. I need you to run block sets."

"Please don't kick me in the face."

"No promises."


"I am so sick of the crying. I swear to god, he's teething every other week," Vegeta said, annoyed.

Krillin laughed as he climbed into the Jacuzzi, handing Vegeta a beer. The two had just finished a rather intense sparring session and were intent on relaxing. Krillin had been spending the night in the guest room for the past week, helping Bulma with Trunks while her parents were away on vacation.

"Yeah, he was certainly screaming last night, that's for sure." They were silent for a few moments, the only sound the bubbling water. "Think you'll ever want another one?"

"Another kid? Hell no," Vegeta scoffed.

"I do, one day. Never had much luck with women though."

"Might be because you're a shrimp."

"Gee, thanks," Krillin snorted. "I guess I'll just see where time takes me."

"You can take the brat. I really don't mind."

Krillin laughed then. "He'd be over here all the time then anyways! I practically live here!"

"That reminds me. Get your clothes out of my dresser."

"You aren't even using that drawer!"


"V-Vegeta... our baby..." Bulma whimpered.

"Run, woman! Run!" Vegeta hissed, urging her to go. Bulma turned and fled. Distracted by the movement, Gohan turned in her direction and prepared to fire. At that moment, Vegeta charged him and knocked him off balance with a kick to the neck. Krillin came into the fray as well, and soon Gohan was fighting both of them. Tears streamed down his face as he cried, unable to stop his body from landing the hits and firing the blasts.

"Run, oh please, run!" he cried. "I don't want you to die! Please, make me stop! I'll do anything to make you stop! I can't do this, please!" Gohan begged of Amat, who watched with no compassion. Gohan made contact with Krillin's cheek, sending the monk spiraling away. Vegeta picked up his slack, punching Gohan in the stomach.

Gohan then, unbidden, crashed his elbow into Vegeta's head, knocking him out.

"VEGETA!" Krillin shouted, rebounding and making for Gohan.

"Krillin, don't! Please, don't!" Gohan cried. His hand came up, alit with ki. "Don't!" And with that, he let the blast fly, and it found its home in Krillin's chest. "KRILLIN! NO!"


There was tremendous pain in Vegeta's head as he opened his eyes. He groaned as he sat up, momentarily forgetting everything that had happened. He gasped then, everything rushing back. Whipping his head around, he saw the goddess, Bulma, and Piccolo surrounding the fallen boy, but where was...?

Krillin.

Vegeta's eyes fell on the fallen monk and he pushed himself to his feet and ran to him. He kneeled beside Krillin and pulled his head onto his knees. Krillin smiled weakly up at him. "Hey, I never thought this would have happened, what with how we met and all, but, I'm really glad we became friends. You're a good guy."

"Will a senzu bean not fix this?" Vegeta called to Tsuki in exasperation.

"No. Gohan is the offspring of a god. There is no healing a wound created by a god."

"So they're just going to die?" Bulma cried. "There's nothing you can do? What about the dragon balls on Namek?"

"They were destroyed when Namek was destroyed and Guru died before he could make more. There are no dragon balls."

Distantly, he heard the Namekian let out a roar and he felt one growing in his own chest, yet he pushed it down. Suddenly, the boy was beside him, miraculously healed, it seemed. Vegeta felt anger build in his chest at the injustice of it. The boy... the boy had killed him. The boy should've died. Krillin should still be allowed to live...

"Hey there, kid," Krillin said weakly, though he smiled. "Glad to see you're okay."

"I don't want to be okay. I want you to be okay!" Gohan sobbed. Behind him, Piccolo and Bulma approached, Bulma kneeling beside him.

"Hey Bulma. I'll...I'll tell the fellas and Chi-Chi hello for you."

"Oh, Krillin..." Bulma cried. "I love you."

"I love you guys too. See... you...around."

And he was gone. Gradually, his body faded away and once it was completely gone, Vegeta stood.

"Come, Bulma."

"But, Vegeta, we can't just leave Gohan like this..."

"Yes, we can," he asserted. He distractedly heard Gohan pleading forgiveness and he stared at him with hollow eyes before picking up Bulma and flying for Capsule Corp. The flight was quiet besides Bulma's sniffling.

Upon return, he set Bulma down and she went into the compound to check on Trunks, her hand ghosting Vegeta's cheek, understanding he needed to be alone. Vegeta watched her go in the door, waited for it to shut, and then stalked into the gravity room. He stood in silence for several moments before his eyes landed on a discarded pile of clothes consisting of his and Krillin's shirts from the day before. He let out an animalistic shout, firing off an array of blasts at the pile as he ascended to a Super Saiyan in his hurt. It was short lived as the exhausted Saiyan fell to his knees and descended to base form.

And it was there he stayed the remainder of the day, staring forlornly at the pile of ash.