It was a miracle. A true miracle. Those were the thoughts that circled around Cabba's mind as he changed his shoes at his locker, ready to leave. Everyone had gotten in - whether as regulars or otherwise. In his case, he'd be merely a reserve after his poor performance which left a growing bruise on his forehead. But that didn't matter - he would work hard and improve; climb his way up the ladder and make it to the top.

Cabba closed his locker and exited the school building, softly whistling a merry tune as he walked past the sign which read "Welcome to Sadala Prefectural High School". As he turned around the corner, he blinked at a peculiar sight. A few meters away, a girl from the same school as him was attempting to climb a telephone pole. As he got closer, he could see that her golden-brown skin was covered with grime and scuffle.

"Do you need help?" Cabba offered.

Alarmed, the girl whipped her head around, her eyes wide and filled to the brim with embarrassment. It was only until Cabba was standing right next to her did he realize that she was the girl from earlier - the one who had made such lovely music with the grand piano in the music room.

"Oh, it's you," Kale mumbled, dropping her gaze even further. "W-what do you want?" Her hands twisted in her skirt. "H-have you come to laugh at me too?"

"Huh? No, of course not. You just looked like you needed help."

Kale was looking at him skeptically. She sighed and turned to face the power pole, tracing her eyes along the wood before arriving near the pinnacle, where her shoes hung. "Everything's fine."

Cabba, who had followed her gaze, raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Doesn't seem like it to me." He pointed to her shoes. "Who did that?"

"No one!" Kale answered quickly, backing into the pole. "I was just clumsy. I don't know my own strength. When I tripped I accidentally threw my shoes there."

Yeah right, Cabba thought. I'd have to be a fool to buy that.

"Just go. They're my shoes, not yours. I-I can get them myself." She forced a smile. "And if I can't... Well, I can always buy new ones, r-right?"

"I'm not just going to sit by and watch you get hurt." He put down his bag. "Let me." His lean muscles rippled underneath his shirt as he hugged the pole and began to climb.

"H-hey, I said I can get them my-myself!"

Ignoring her protests, Cabba continued to ascend, ignoring the splinters that dug painfully into his palms. "Al-almost there..." With one last push, he was hanging from the very top of the pole. He untangled Kale's shoes from the wire and tossed them down to her. She tried to catch them but they simply bounced off her arms and landed on the concrete. "Sorry! That was a bad throw."

"I-It's fine... I'm just not good at catching..." Kale put on her shoes and slung her bag over her shoulders, preparing to leave. There was no point in sticking around anymore - she had to be home by sunset or her mother, who shifted in and out of reality every day in her bed, would fret and send a search party after her. One that they could not afford.

"Oh," Cabba muttered as he watched her run off, disappointed. Nimbly, he clambered downward, landing on his feet with a soft thump. He made sure to grab his back before walking home, a lone figure against pink and blue horizon.


Kale had just turned a corner when she ran into something hard. Squeaking in surprise, she fell backward, landing ungracefully on her rump. Her eyes widened in alarm when she was realized that she had run into a man. Or rather, another saiyan. She mustered up her remaining dignity and brushed the dirt off her uniform, avoiding his cold onyx gaze.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I-I should have watched where I was going." She made a move to go around him but he lashed out, grabbing her arm. "Eek! L-let go! P-p-please!" Kale tugged vainly. "Please l-let go of m-m-me!"

"What do you think you're doing?" the man said gruffly, coming out from the shadows. Everything about him was regal - his back straight and poised and streaks of his flame-shaped hair glistening red in the light. "I saw what happened." He bared his teeth, sending a shiver down Kale's spine. "Why did you run away?"

"I didn't run away!"

He gave her a flat, unimpressed stare.

"W-well..." She shook her head, determined not let him shake her resolve. "I know what I'm doing! Now let go!" She tore out of his grip, heaving slightly. He merely stared at her like a cat would do a mouse. "What?"

"You're free. So go. Unless you have business with me?"

"R-right..." Kale willed herself to go but found her feet cemented to the ground. "U-um... I've seen you around. You're a new teacher, right?" Why am I talking to this man?! Why?! I should run!

"Hn. I'm not a teacher."

"O-oh. Uhh..."

"My turn. What kind of coward runs like that?"

Kale shrunk. "N-none of your business." She tossed her bag over her shoulder. "Goodbye, sir."

Vegeta icily watched her disappear into the distance. What the hell is her problem? He frowned. Sooner or later she'll have to face her demons. We all do.


"Maaann, I'm bored!" Goku whined as he flopped down on the bed in the room he shared with Vegeta.

"Kami! Stop whining, you imbecile! You sound like a broken record," Vegeta growled, looking up from his book of volleyball tricks and techniques. When Goku pouted, he groaned and put the book down. "Alright, fine. What do you want to do?!"

"Video games!"

"Fine, but only for an hour. I have to open up shop soon."

One hour of video games later, Vegeta got up from his place on the carpet and stretched. "We're done here Kakarot." He collected a few documents from the bedside table. "I have a fresh bunch of idiots applying for work."

"Aww... Oh well, later, Vegeta."

"Tch. You're lucky you get to work from home, Bakarot."

Ah, the weekend. It was a beautiful thing to most people. To Vegeta, it was hell - it was when his establishment was busiest and he and his staff were forced to serve every annoying customer, the majority of them being girls of school age that only came for the cats.

Vegeta unlocked the door and went inside, observing the interior. Cats of all shapes and sizes came up to him and curled around his legs, purring. He scowled at them. "Get off."

"Gee, that's not nice," a joking voice came from behind. "No wonder everyone thinks you're scary, boss."

"Hrr, shut up, chrome dome. I know where you keep your life savings." He sneered. "And I will burn them."

Kuririn jumped and instantly saluted. "Gah! Yes sir!"

"Really?" a girl that just walked in sighed. "And you wonder why business is slow."

"Don't poke the bear, Videl-san!" Kuririn pleaded.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. I'm going out the back to change into my uniform." She narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare look, you pervs!"

"Fucking hell, I'm not a pedo," Vegeta snapped irritably. "I happen to have a mate who would put you to shame with her assets."

"Sh-shut up! I'm a B you know! Gohan appreciates them!"

"VIDEL!" Kuririn cried, clapping his hands over his ears and flushing red with embarrassment. "I don't need to know about your cup size or your sex life!" He started to chant, "I didn't hear that, I didn't hear that, I didn't hear that..."

Videl merely huffed and walked into the staffroom, slamming the door behind her. "Jerks!"

"Harpy," Vegeta grumbled under his breath. He turned his attention to Kuririn. "Hey. You. Clean the gum from underneath the tables and wipe them too."

"Again?"

"Yes, again. What are you waiting for, an invitation? Get to it!"

"Yessir!" Kuririn grabbed a rag, wet it, and began wiping all the tabletops while scraping old gum off. One stuck to his finger and he cringed in disgust. "Eyuck!"

Vegeta moved stiffly to the counter and started to work with the coffee machines, ignoring Videl's quiet complaining as she came out of the staff quarters fully dressed. Their mochas were always popular on Saturday mornings. It was only until Videl sidled up next to him was he forced to acknowledge her.

"How's Trunks-kun?" she asked by way of greeting. She took out a box of pearls and started to mix them with some coconut jelly, her eyes occasionally flickering to the new bubble tea machine.

"Fine," Vegeta said halfheartedly, the corners of his mouth twitching upward slightly as he thought of his eight year old son, born from a night of drunken birthday sex with Bulma. The purple-haired half-saiyan was now living with his mother in Capsule Corp., living the good life. And then there was Vegeta: stuck running a cat cafe that his father had left for him, forced to live in an apartment with and idiot like Kakarot due to Capsule Corp. being two cities away.

"That's good, I guess." She hummed. "I wonder what it's like to raise a child. There was one girl that got pregnant a year ago. I still talk with her occasionally and she says it's hell."

"Then she's an incompetent mother now, isn't she?"

"Hey! Okay, Angela was a bitch back in middle school but that doesn't mean you can badmouth her like that! I'm sure she's a fully capable mother."

"Oh, shut your whining. I've already had enough from Kakarot this morning."

"Hm? Gohan's dad? Oh yeah! I keep forgetting you guys live together. It's kinda strange if you ask me."

"Shut your trap, girl."

"Boss," Kuririn called from the corner of the store. "You have your first interviewee."

"They're late." Vegeta washed coffee powder off his hands and dried them on his pink apron (the one that was compulsory as far as uniform was concerned). "Videl, man the counter," he added when a brunette walked in with intent to purchase a coffee.

"You got it, boss."

Vegeta jolted when he realized who his interviewee was. He smirked. "Well, well."

Kale balked at the sight of him. "Oh my."


A/N: You probably would have noticed by now that ages are skewed.