CHAPTER SIX: Regret/Denial

- Part 1. "A Change of Heart." -

"Ma'am, there's a homeless looking man poking around the yard, shall I call security?" Bulma lifted her face away from the paperwork in front of her. Was he talking about...

Almost a week had passed since Vegeta's demands had been made, and still the Prince had not turned up to collect his ship. Bulma had fixed it within two days, as asked (forced), yet he had not arrived.

"Just a sec." She said, rising and walking to her study window. Sure enough, it was Vegeta strolling across the well manicured lawns. She'd recognise that hair-do anywhere. "No, it's fine. Just a... a customer." She said turning and walking out of the room. "I got it."

The Prince walked slowly across the lawn, unaware that he was being watched, eyes fixed on the row of ships to the rear of the property. His ship was set a short distance from the others, and he made a bee line for it.

Was it fixed? He had no way of telling until he went in and checked it out. He was on the verge of doing so when a voice spoke to him. "It's all fixed. You can take it and leave whenever you like."

He turned abruptly at the call. Bulma stood around 50 feet from him, hands clasped behind her back in a very business-like way. A thousand scathing remarks rose to Vegeta's lips, such as 'You sure took long enough' or 'It had better be all fixed'. What came out instead surprised both of them. "Thank you."

Bulma's expression faltered. Did he just say 'Thank You'? She certainly couldn't ever remember saying it before. To cover her moment of confusion, she simply acted as though he hadn't said it. "If that's all, then you'd best be off." She turned before he could say anything, but only managed to walk a few steps before his voice made her stop again.

"I miss you..." It wasn't just the words. It was the sad, almost longing tone that made Bulma halt. She let out a soft sigh, and dropped her head.

"I miss you too." She admitted quietly.

A few soft footsteps told Bulma he had walked a few, slow paces towards her. "R-really?" There was a pleading note in his voice, almost disbelief.

She turned around finally, rolling her eyes slightly as she did so. "Of course I do. But..." Her words stopped as she caught sight of him. Close to, she could see dark circles around his eyes, and his face had a strained and almost pinched look. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days. "Are you alright?" She asked, frowning slightly.

"Huh? Yes, of course I am." He mumbled, breaking her gaze. He wasn't going to tell her that he hadn't slept since the day he turned up and demanded she fix his ship. Nor that he hadn't eaten, or moved at all really.

After he'd left Capsule Corp, he'd returned to his lonely haunt in the wastes and stood, once more, on his favourite (most hated) mountain top. For days on end, he stood and stared off into the distance, completely oblivious to the pouring rain, howling winds and baking heat.

"You look like you haven't slept." She said, folding her arms and giving him a scrutinising look. "Haven't eaten much either, I guess?" Despite her anger with him, she suddenly pitied the man standing in front of her. It wasn't the ruthless warrior from a week ago. He seemed broken.

The Prince merely grunted a response that seemed to confirm that no, he hadn't eaten or slept in days. The sad response made her frown even more. She couldn't just leave him like this.

"Come in, then." She tried to mask her true nature by using an exasperated tone. "I was about to have lunch anyway, you may as well join me." Not waiting for a response, she turned and began to walk towards the building, waving for him to follow.

Vegeta stuffed his hands in his pockets and glared at the ground, eventually following her lead towards the building. He wasn't sure why he was accepting her help, but he knew he felt good about it.

Before long, Bulma had set lunch in front of him at the table in the kitchen and, ravenous, Vegeta had begun eating at a furious pace. The blunette hid a small smile behind her hand at his table manners; They hadn't changed a bit.

"Thank you." He said again, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and pushing the plate away from him. Twice now in one day. It had to be some sort of record.

Bulma gave him a small, brief smile and turned to do the dishes. She was surprised again when she heard his chair scrape as he stood. "Want a hand with that?"

She raised an eyebrow as she turned to look at him. "You want to do the dishes?" She asked skeptically.

"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to!" He replied haughtily, folding his arms. Why did she have to make it difficult? Moreover, why was he offering to help her? He was a Saiyan Prince, an Elite Warrior. Not some scullery boy.

"I think I can manage." She said, somewhat slyly. "What you can do is go have a shower. And change. Those clothes are terrible." She giggled at his expression, then turned back to the dishes. "I'm sure you remember where the shower is. I'll run some clothes up to you in a minute."

Shaking his head, eyes twitching slightly, he turned and headed up the stairs without saying a word. He was being reminded forcefully of the second time he'd come to Earth. He'd been oddly intrigued by Bulma, even with her frustrating comments. Such as calling him "Kinda cute" and "Homeboy".

He smiled to himself as he stepped into the shower, the steaming water invigorating him as he stood under the stream, head tilted upwards and eyes closed. "Just leaving your new clothes over here, k?" Bulma sang out to him, resting his clothes on top of the laundry basket in the corner of the room.

Several minutes later, as he turned off the water and began to step out of the shower, another memory came to the Prince. It made him smile just thinking about and years ago, stepping out of this same shower. Bulma had left him some clothes to wear. Including a shirt that had been...

"Pink?" There was more comical amusement in his shout than true anger this time. In the lounge room downstairs, Bulma did her best to stifle a giggle. His footsteps came down the stairs, and she put on the straightest face she could manage when she turned to look at him.

"Is this your idea of a joke?" He spoke angrily enough, but the corners of his mouth twitched in a smile. He shook the shirt in her directions, and began, "I'm a-"

"Warrior, not some variety of flower?" She finished for him, breaking out into a fit of giggles. Vegeta looked angry, but the grin ruined the effect. "Oh come on, put the damn shirt on. You'll catch a cold otherwise."

The Prince muttered darkly under his breath, beginning to button up the shirt. As he did so, the angry voice constantly questioned him. 'You've got what you needed, why are you still here?' It demanded furiously. He ignored it completely.

"Alright, I've put your stupid shirt on." He said, spreading his arms. "Happy now?" Bulma glanced over at him, pretending to swoon.

"Oh, my Prince!" She said sarcastically. "So handsome! How I do love that shade of pink on you! You look so masculine and tough!" She giggled again and got to her feet, Vegeta scowling heavily.

She walked past him, smiling brightly. "Lighten up, would ya?" She chuckled, patting his shoulder as she passed. Vegeta felt a swooping sensation in his stomach at her touch. Not an entirely unpleasant one, either.

"Where is Kakarot?" He asked after a few moments of silence. "Shouldn't he be back from his training by now?"

Bulma shook her head, taking a seat at the kitchen bench again. "No, he's gone to Other World for the day. Visiting King Kai or something." She looked over at him again, almost knowing what he was about to say next.

"Why?" He didn't have to say "Why Kakarot? Why him?" She understood perfectly. The blunette dropped her gaze to the table in front of her and let out a small sigh.

"You broke my heart, Vegeta." She said slowly, not looking up from her hands. "You abandoned me. That should be answer enough, I think."

The Prince felt ashamed of himself. For the first time since his departure. Even the cruel, ruthless voice that spoke to him whenever he regretted his actions dissuade him from feeling so wretched.

"I'm sorry... For leaving." He said quietly.

"Why? Why did you leave?" Bulma looked up at him. Her gaze was firm, but there was a deep sadness hidden underneath.

"I don't know..." It was a lame reply. He knew that. But he honestly didn't know why he left in the first place. Not any more.

Bulma rose again, walking over to Vegeta and laying a hand on his arm. "You shouldn't have gone." She said, looking up at him sadly.

The voice in his head seemed to scream at him. 'You idiot, you really think she's going to take you back? You think she's being sincere? Fool! She's toying with you! She's chosen Kakarot, that much is obvious to anyone with half a brain!' He couldn't help but see the voice's logic.

"I should go." he said abruptly, pulling his arm away from her touch and moving away towards the door. "Thank you for fixing my ship."

"Please, don't go..." Bulma reached out to him as he walked away, feeling hot tears spilling down her cheeks. "You don't have to go anywhere."

He didn't say a word, just kept on walking. Not looking back (if he did, he doubted he would have had the resolve to leave), and headed towards his ship on the far side of the lawn.

Bulma pressed a hand to her mouth and sank to the ground with her back to the wall. The tears flowed freely as she watched Vegeta first return his ship to capsule form, then shoot off into the skies without a backwards glance.

A miniature war was being waged in the Prince's mind, and when he had passed over the city limits, he could take no more of it. "SHUT UP!" he shouted, grasping the sides of his head. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" He turned on the jets, crashing through a mountain range, plunging through a thick forest. When he shot back into the skies, tears of mingled fury and misery streamed out behind him, glittering in the skies like falling diamonds.

At the edge of the world, in a cold and lonely region called Yanzabit Heights, a Dragonball gleamed from a tuft of grass. There was something... Wrong with it, however. Bright orange cracks ran along it's entire surface.

The wind howled suddenly, and a shadow figure in the darkness landed next to it. A long, thin fingered hand reached down and plucked it from the icy tundra. The pale grey hand lifted it, and a pair of pinkish eyes examined it carefully.

With little prior knowledge of the Dragonballs, this being could have no idea that something was amiss. He simply tittered lightly, tossing the ball up and catching it again. "With your help..." He said quietly to the Dragonball. "... I truly shall become, the perfect being."

- Part 2. "A New Arrival." -
((NOTE: The Character "Cale" is an original character, created by Christian Gillespie.))

The Ship glowed red hot as it entered the atmosphere, shaking violently with the force of entry. The man inside had his eyes squeezed shut; landing was never a pleasant thing. This time was no different.

There was nobody around for miles to witness the impact. The ground shook, dust and rocks kicked up, and the vessel lay at the bottom of a deep crater. After a few moments, the door swung open, the ramp was lowered, and a tall, lean Saiyan walked out.

He rose into the air, eyes darting around him as he took in the surrounds. "Planet Earth, huh?" He muttered as he came to a halt, high above the crater, the strong breeze ruffling his spiky jet black hair. "Nice." The lush, green surrounds were not the only thing that caught the Saiyan's attention, though. "Hell of a lot'a strong people here."

Indeed, there were many high powerlevels on Earth. He also noticed that around 3 or 4 of them were even higher than his own. One in particular, he noticed, was the highest he'd ever felt. 'That's a Saiyan.' He thought to himself. Strapping his longsword, Edge, to his back, he prepared to leave.

Pressing two fingers to his forehead, he honed in on that gigantic power, and disappeared. Would it be Goku, the one he had been searching for? If the tales were true, only Goku would have such a high energy.

He shifted back into reality and stared at a figure around 20 feet away, back turned to him. The Saiyan's first (and rather foolish) thought was that the man before him was King Vegeta. But no, this man was at least a head too short to be the King. Stockier as well, and King Vegeta's power had never been so radical.

"I felt your energy as soon as I arrived... Who are you?" He asked, taking a slight step forwards towards the man.

Prince Vegeta turned and looked at him sidelong, sparing a quick glance at his armor and tail. "I am Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans." He said impressively.

The younger man's eyes snapped wide open. How could this be possible. "M-my Prince!" he stammered. "But I thought you died when the planet was destroyed?" Nevertheless, he dropped to a knee and pressed a fist to his chest.

The Prince was both pleased and puzzled by this greeting. Here was a full-blooded Saiyan, only 18 or 19 by the look of him, who not only knew who he was, but also claimed to know of Vegeta's destruction. "Who are you?" He asked quizzically, lifting an eyebrow. "And how do you know about Planet Vegeta?"

"My name is Cale." Said the Saiyan, rising. "This may seem strange, but I was born around the same time as you. My brother and I spent the best part of the last 40 or 50 years in stasis, that is why I appear to be so young.

"Interesting..." Vegeta said, nodding slowly. "And where have you been for the last 15 years? What brings you to Earth?"

"I have been living on the planet Yardrat, Prince." he explained. "My brother and I were told tales there of a Saiyan called Goku who lived with them for some time." The Prince's eye twitched slightly at the mention of 'Goku'. "And the reason I came to Earth is that my Brother set out a few years ago to track down the remaining Saiyans left in the Galaxy. He said that he would venture to planet Earth to find Goku. But I haven't heard from him in quite some time."

"Give up on finding the Saiyans, kid." said Vegeta shortly. "We're all that's left. You, me, and your brother, if he's still alive. Kakarot has lost all his pride, he's no longer a Saiyan."

Something didn't quite add up for Cale. "So... You would suggest I not even try to find the remainder of my race?" He ignored the Prince's comment about his brother's well being. Rek was alive, he could tell that much.

"That's precisely what I'm saying." Vegeta said with a nod. "I just told you, we're all that's left." What didn't the boy understand?

Cale shot him a slightly curious glance. "You've... You've looked, then?"

"No."

This was too much for Cale. He shook his head and closed his eyes, disbelief etched all over his face. "You introduce yourself as the Prince of Saiyans, yet you've not once tried to find your kin?" He simply couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You dare to question me?" Vegeta asked, eyes narrowing, voice dropping to a low, deadly almost-whisper.

"How can you call yourself a proud Saiyan if you have no desire to unite your race? Never even bothered to see if any of us were still alive?" Cale asked mutinously, lip twitching in an angry snarl. "The only pride you have is for yourself, and quite frankly, you're nothing to be pr-"

Vegeta had lifted Cale by the front of his armour and slammed his fist into the boy's stomach. "Save your morality tale for someone who actually gives a damn." He said softly, watching contentedly as Cale gasped for breath. "I suggest you leave. Now." With that, he threw the younger Saiyan to the ground, a cloud of dust kicking up around him.

But Cale wasn't going to take this lying down. Clutching his stomach, he stood. "You're pathetic." he said, his voice slightly wheezy. "A miserable excuse for a Saiyan."

"Spare me your sob story!" Vegeta snapped angrily, clenching a fist. "Now, either put up or shut up!" His blue aura exploded into life around him, and he glared at the younger man, daring him to try his luck.

"With the greatest pleasure, your Majesty." Cale snarled, shooting forward, drawing back a fist lined with silver Ki. He shouted as he swung it around towards Vegeta's arrogant face, but passed through nothing, as though the Prince were a ghost.

A sharp heel hit Cale in the back of the neck and sent him sprawling again, but the agile young warrior sprang from the ground and he leaped up. He spun in the air, seeking the elder Saiyan, but was sent back towards the ground by a short and heavy ki wave from above.

Cale hit the ground on all fours and rolled, hopping back to his feet. Swivelling on the spot, he thrust his arm towards Vegeta, but the Prince had gotten the drop on him again. A hand fasted vice-like around Cale's wrist and dragged him face first into a savagely swung fist. The young Saiyan's head rocked back, blood spurting from his nose, and Vegeta flung him into the skies.

Once again from above, Cale was peppered with multiple ki-waves, which exploded against him. Pain shot through his body and he slammed heavily into the ground once again. The Prince landed a few feet away, back turned. "I -am- going to kill you, you know that, don't you?" he asked calmly, staring at the horizon.

Cale pushed himself onto one knee, pressing two shaking fingers to his forehead. "Kill me? I doubt it." He said angrily. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got better things to do than listen to your arrogant mouth. Until next time, Prince."

Vegeta spun around furiously, but Cale was already gone. "You cowardly worm..." He muttered, seething with anger. "I'll kill you, mark my words."