A/N: OH MY GOODNESS I'M SO SORRY. My family visiting threw things off big time. Blahhhh. That said, I do not expect forgiveness. Hopefully you remember what the heck this story was about. Thank you to all the readers and huge thanks to the all the reviewers! Special thanks to those who left me heart-warming and encouraging reviews on the last chap: Dulcet Shoujo (I am seriously so grateful for all your reviews. I absolutely love reading them. And I'm glad you liked the fluffy chapter!), Sameguestalways (Hah, I had never seen that video before, but it's right up my alley xD), Guest and Guest (thank you so much!), ThoseWhoLiveWithoutLove (I'm glad you like it so far! And thank you so much for adding it to your favorites, I'm seriously honored, thank you!), jazzymay377 (oh my goodness, what a compliment! Thank you. I was going for that steady build-up ;D )

This chapter was hard to write, and it's quite a doozy.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own DBZ or any of the characters.

CHAPTER IX

He was leaning in to kiss her when the ki struck him like lightning, making his whole body jerk. Instantly he knew there was only one person it could be.

"Kakarot."

A switch flipped in his brain. Without even sparing the girl another thought or glance, Vegeta released her and made for the door, his head spinning from the sudden rush of reality. This was really happening. Kakarot was really here. That low-class trash, that disgrace of a...

But when he stepped outside, he was shocked to see that it wasn't Kakarot. It was his brat and that Earthling, Krillin, standing at the entrance of the cave. They had returned. Which meant...

The password.

His eyes grew wide as excitement rode hard and fast through his body. Finally. Fucking finally! He had started to lose hope. Had thought they might have died. But now it looked like everything was going to work out after all. Soon, he would finally make his wish. He would finally kill Frieza. Would finally be free.

Vegeta took a deep breath to contain himself. As exciting as it was, he hadn't made it to the finish line just yet. He needed to stay level-headed, keep his composure.

The Earthlings ventured into the cave warily - clearly unsure about what to expect from this encounter. Vegeta himself felt a little unsure. He hung back in the dark as they approached, thinking, his eyes locked on Kakarot's son.

How was the brat's power level so damn high? Last he'd seen the boy was right after he'd killed Zarbon. That had been just a few days earlier, and he hadn't been nearly as powerful then. Unless he was hiding his true power from me? It seemed the only logical explanation. But how? How could he possibly have gained that much power since their battle on Earth? Hell, a boy like him shouldn't have had such power at all! He wasn't even a full-blooded Saiyan for crying out loud. And yet here he was, boasting a power level the Saiyan Prince himself had spent years of training to attain? It didn't make any sense. It shouldn't have been possible.

Vegeta could feel the resentment bubbling up, memories of his battle on Earth - his defeat, his humiliation. But with a shake of his head, he pushed it all back down, bringing himself back to the issue at hand.

Whatever the reason for the boy's power, the development was unsettling. Sure, alone the kid was no threat to him. But he, Baldy, and Kakarot together? That combination of power could prove problematic. Not that he didn't think he could defeat them. It would just be an inconvenience - a detraction from the foe that mattered. As much as he hated to admit it, the woman was probably right. He could destroy the Earthlings eventually - and he would - but, for now, perhaps it made more sense to put his grudge aside. Save his energy for Frieza.

That said, he would get that password from them, no matter the cost.

The Earthlings drew closer, speaking to each other in hushed, uneasy voices. Vegeta stayed back a moment longer, finalizing his plan. Finally, he nodded, readied himself, and emerged from the shadows to greet them.

They halted instantly when they saw him, their bodies tensing and flinching back. Vegeta smiled as the familiar feeling coursed through him. He had almost forgotten what it was like to be feared. The girl was truly an anomaly. Her lack of fear had been strange - even frustrating - at first, and though he still didn't understand it, he had gotten used to it. But seeing the Earthlings in front of him like this, so obviously terrified - he remembered now why he loved it. The power rush was intoxicating.

"Well, it's about time you two showed - I was getting tired of waiting." He took a few steps closer then stopped, leaving a few yards in between them. Unable to resist, his grin widened. "Though I suppose it wasn't all bad," he added. "I did have your lovely woman friend to keep me company."

The kid's reaction was immediate. He snarled almost ferally, his little hands balling into fists. For a split second Vegeta had the passing thought that - if not for the ridiculous garb and haircut - he might have seemed slightly Saiyan. "Where is she, Vegeta!" he shouted, his boyish shrill ringing through the cave. "What have you done with her! Did you hurt her! You'll pay if you've hurt her!"

The Saiyan crossed his arms and quirked a brow. "I'll 'pay,' huh?" He snickered. "Ooo, I'm shaking in my boots. Get real, kid. Your power level may be high, but you're still nowhere near my level." He eyed the boy quizzically. "How is it your strength has increased so much, anyway, hm?"

"Answer the question! Where is Bulma!"

Incensed, the boy made to move forward, but Krillin held him back. "Hold on, Gohan," he said, his voice calm and low. "I can sense her more clearly now. Her ki seems steady. I think she's okay."

Vegeta nodded. "She is." He glanced to the fuming Gohan and chuckled. "Relax, kid, I haven't hurt your friend."

"Then where is she!"

As if on cue, a small sound caught their attention, and Vegeta glanced over his shoulder. It was Bulma, meandering around rocks as she made her way to join them. She had changed her clothing, he saw - dressed now in an outfit similar to the one she'd worn when he first captured her. As she stepped into the light, their eyes caught, causing the moment they had just shared inside to flicker in his mind. Vegeta frowned and quickly whipped his head away, snuffing it out.

Part of him wanted to think about it - of course. But he wouldn't. He would not think about it, he would not think about her. It didn't matter. She didn't matter. He had important things to focus on now.

The girl looked to her friends and grinned. "Krillin! Gohan!"

The Earthlings sighed in relief. "Bulma!" Krillin beamed. "You are okay!"

Bulma stopped in her tracks, and her smile fell. "'Okay?'" she said. "'OKAY?!"

Taken aback by her tone, the fighters flinched back again. Vegeta couldn't help but smirk. This Earth woman had no fighting power whatsoever, yet somehow her friends were scared of her all the same. It was intriguing - and oddly alluring. The Saiyan suddenly remembered her plan to pummel the Earthlings once they returned, and found himself struck with the strange desire to see her follow through. He scolded himself when he realized where his mind had strayed.

Tch, ridiculous! What was he doing, thinking such a frivolous thought right now? And hadn't he just told himself he would not think about her? She was a thing of the past now. The only thing that mattered was Frieza. And he would not let some idiotic Earth girl distract him from that.

Bulma's voice was shrill. "'Okay'... I can't believe you'd say that to me! Do you have even the faintest idea what I've been through? Huh?! ...No? Well, let me tell you." Vegeta's jaw immediately clenched and he suppressed a groan. He exhaled slowly through his nose, bracing himself for the impending rant. "Let's see," she began, using her fingers to list off her hardships, "where to start? While you two were off gallivanting around: a giant crab almost killed me, I got kidnapped twice - "

"Twice?" Krillin blinked.

She glared, annoyed she'd been interrupted. "Yeah, twice! Three times if you count the pterodactyl that tried to make a meal out of me! All because YOU guys left me by myself when I told you not to. What were you two thinking, leaving a defenseless lady like me all alone, huh? This is all on you, you know! And what the hell took you so long to get back!? A little urgency would have been nice. I -"

"Enough!" The curtness of his voice made her jump, and she promptly stopped talking. Vegeta knew her well enough by now to know she'd go on all day if he let her. And he didn't have all day. He had a wish to make.

The girl made to walk forward again, clearly confused when the Saiyan raised his arm to keep her from advancing any further. He paid her no attention, though, instead locking his eyes on the Earthlings. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we?" he said, his tone serious now. "You should consider yourselves lucky. I was going to make my wish and just kill you all, but your woman friend here has managed to persuade me otherwise. So, here is the deal - and I suggest you take it. I will agree to call a truce with you. But" - his eyes flashed - "you will let me make my wish in return."

The fighters looked appalled.

Krillin gave a shake of his head, fists clenching at his sides. "No way!" he ground out. "We... we're not going to let you do that."

To their surprise, Bulma was the one to respond - and ardently. "Krillin, did you not just catch what he said? Vegeta is willing to call a truce. Why wouldn't you take that deal?"

The human gaped at her. "But... but we can't just let him make his wish. You know we can't. He's going to wish for immortality. He'll... He'll be unstoppable."

Vegeta smiled at the thought.

"Not only that." Krillin shut his eyes, looking pained. "It would mean our entire journey would have been for nothing! We won't be able to wish our friends back. We won't be able wish Yamcha back, Bulma."

His smile fell into a scowl.

Yamcha. The girl's boyfriend. He'd almost forgotten about him. Clearly, she had forgotten about him, too, if she was willing to...

Their encounter in the kitchen threatened to breach his mind again, and Vegeta quickly squashed the thought. Focus, focus, focus!

"You don't think I realize that?" the girl snapped. But the weight of her friend's words seemed to hit her, and when she spoke again, her voice quivered. "Of course I know that." Vegeta watched her eyes grow watery, his stomach turning slightly with an emotion he didn't recognize. Bulma exhaled shakily. "They're... they're gone, you guys." A heavy and mournful silence followed, and she lowered her gaze. When her eyes snapped back up, they were hard once more. "But we're still alive. And I for one would like to take whatever chance I can get to keep it that way! Even if it means letting Vegeta have his wish so that he can beat Frieza."

"We don't need Vegeta to beat Frieza," Krillin argued. "We have Goku! He'll -"

"Don't be a fool," Vegeta cut in. His patience, thin to begin with, was waning rapidly. "You've sensed Frieza's power. You know Kakarot is no match for him. None of us are, as it stands. Our only hope of defeating him is if we make me immortal."

Krillin fixed him with a scathing glare. "And then what, huh?" he snapped. "Then you turn on all of us afterwards, is that it? We've all seen how you reward your 'allies,' Vegeta."

That fucking incident with Nappa would haunt him forever, wouldn't it? Vegeta grunted, "Idiots. Are you not hearing me? I'm trying to make a deal with you - a pretty damn good one, if you ask me. You let me become immortal, and in exchange I promise not to harm any of you." At least until I visit Earth again. "We will fight Frieza together. Or you can just stay out of my way - I don't care which. But if I don't make my wish, then we're all done for. Frieza will kill us all."

"No." He'd almost forgotten about the kid. Gohan had been awfully silent until then, stewing as he listened, his teary eyes cast downwards. "We can't," he said. "You... You destroyed that village. You killed them all, Vegeta. The elders, the children. I buried their bodies." His tiny body began to shake with bridled fury. "You're evil, just like Frieza. I can't let you do it. I won't..."

"Gohan," Bulma tried, her voice gentle. "Look, kiddo, he - "

"NO!" The boy's answer rang around them with finality. His eyes snapped back up, fiery, hateful, unwavering. "I won't let him!"

His patience had officially run out. Vegeta set his chin, his black eyes grave. "Have it your way then. Back to my original plan..." Bulma's head snapped to him. "...Let me make my wish, or the woman dies."

The fighters blanched, their cries of alarm filling the cave.

"What! No!"

"Don't you dare, Vegeta!"

The words had left his mouth easily enough - almost reflexively. Largely because he was tired of talking in circles, but also because - well - it was just the way he operated. The Saiyan Prince had always used menace to get his way. It was doubtful he would need to follow through with the threat, anyhow. It was clear the Earthlings cared far too much about their friend to let her die.

Though, even if he did need to follow through... so what?

Vegeta recalled her earlier remark with disdain. How dare she call him soft - she had no right. Soft was being a slave to one's emotions. Soft was what weaklings were. He was anything but soft. He was hard and callous - a cold, ruthless warrior. And a warrior never let things as petty as emotions dictate his decisions.

His concern for her before had been authentic. He'd had no intention of hurting her. But it was a different context now. One didn't become an efficient killing machine without being clinical like that. It was all about compartmentalization; walling things off in his mind, not allowing said things to ever interfere with one another. He didn't want to hurt the girl. But he needed that wish. And he would do whatever he needed to do to get it.

He knew all this.

So why did he suddenly feel sick?

Bulma's gaze on him only made it worse. "Vegeta… " Her voice sent a chill through him. It was hauntingly soft, soft as before. Only it was different now - so full of hurt and confusion. Vegeta chewed his lip, that ill feeling swarming through him. Don't look. But the pull of her gaze was too strong, and he did. His stomach tightened even more. Her face was a weave of betrayal, disappointment, sadness, fear. All the things he would have expected to see. Things that shouldn't have bothered him at all - but did. He could feel the knot in his stomach growing the longer he looked. Finally, it became too much and he ripped his gaze away.

He didn't know what this feeling was. Was it guilt? But that couldn't be; Vegeta didn't feel guilt. Even so... illogical as it was, he sensed some strange trust had grown between him and the girl during their time together, and that he was breaking that trust now.

But so the hell what! It was her fault for trusting him in the first place! If she felt betrayed that was her fault, not his. The memory of Bulma falling against his chest flashed through his mind. 'You wouldn't really kill me, would you?' she'd asked. He frowned at the memory. Why the hell wouldn't he kill her? He had a physical attraction to her - a strong one. Obviously. But that's as far as it went. It wasn't like this weak little creature meant anything. He didn't actually ca...

A hand connected with the back of his head, startling him from his thoughts. In front of him, horror bloomed in slow motion on the Earthlings' faces.

Krillin gulped, "Uh, B-Bulma… ?"

"You... you JERK!" the girl bellowed. "What the hell! How dare you! After we - "

"Quiet," he muttered, teeth clenched, quick to cut her off before she could finish.

But his attempt to silence her only made her angrier. He heard her make that noise she made when she was frustrated - that kind of groan and wail combined - and her ki spiked. She went to whack him again. Vegeta snarled and spun around this time, catching her wrist before she could. She fought against his grip, determined to land the blow. Realizing it was futile, she went to strike him with her other hand, but he caught that one, too.

Time seemed to stop as he held her there, looking into her face. The girl was positively livid. Her tear-filled eyes burned like embers in the dim light of the cave, her gaze searing him, making his skin feel hot. He watched her chest heave with swift, labored breaths, her pale skin flushed and glowing. She was gorgeous. Her lips had a tendency to pucker when she was mad, and Vegeta noticed they were puckered now... As if under a spell, his eyes strayed to them - so plump and perfect. He could feel his blood rushing, his temperature rising. The thoughts of earlier were pressing on his mind again, too powerful to stop this time. Like a dam bursting, and they flooded in - inexorable and lucid. The taste and heat of her skin as he'd held her to him. The little exhale she made as he'd kissed her neck. The feeling of her hair, silky soft, between his fingers - the look of want in her eyes as he'd leaned in to kiss her. As if that wasn't enough, those thoughts went on to spark others - thoughts that weren't even sexual. Inane thoughts. He thought back to when he'd carried her to her room - her lithe body cradled in his arms, face so peaceful. He saw flashes of her naïve little smile, her angry little pout. His cheek burned from the memory of her little kiss, feather-light. He even thought of her laugh. He'd only heard it once or twice, but he could hear it now, crystal clear in his mind. It was a nice sound. A sound he wouldn't mind hearing again - a sound he kind of wanted to hear again. And finally, he remembered her eyes, so tender and trusting, as she'd placed her hand over his.

'You wouldn't really kill me, would you, Vegeta?'

Vegeta surfaced from the thoughts, his gaze straying back to her eyes. The realization hit him then, gut-twisting and unprecedented. He wasn't sure he could do it. If the Earthlings refused to give him the password, he wasn't sure he could follow through with his threat to hurt her. Gods, hurting her was the very last thing he could envision right now. All he wanted was to pull her to him again, finish what they had started inside, the Earthlings and everything else be damned.

His mouth went dry.

Fuck.

What was happening? This was bad. Vegeta could feel the walls in his head crumbling - emotions spilling over where they shouldn't. His mind began to backpedal. Bulma was still staring at him with that alluring energy, looking like she would blow a gasket any second. The Saiyan pulled her just a little closer, his voice quiet so the others couldn't hear. "Listen to me. I -"

"Don't touch her!"

Startled by the brat's sudden command, Vegeta turned his head and acquiesced, letting go of Bulma's wrists.

"Wait a minute, Vegeta." It was Krillin now, looking troubled and confused. "Am I missing something here? You have all the dragon balls, so what does Bulma have to do with any of this? ... I mean, not that I'm complaining, but couldn't you have made your wish already? What do you need from us?"

The Saiyan's scowl deepened. He turned back around fully, his gaze menacing. "Hmph. Don't play coy with me," he warned. "You know perfectly well why I haven't made my wish and what I need. I need the password. Give it to me. Give it to me and I will agree not to harm any of you." His heart was pounding now, the stress building, his resolve wavering. C'mon, he thought, stop making this so difficult. Don't make me...

"Password?"

The reply threw him.

He grunted harshly, resisting the sudden urge to rip his hair out. "Yes, the password. The one to activate the dragon balls. I'm in no mood for games anymore, little man. For the last time, give it here."

But the fighter only stared at him, his furrowed brows twitching in confusion. "We don't have a password."

Vegeta went rigid.

...What?

Certainly, that had been a joke. A really unfunny joke.

He took a step forward, eyes narrowing. "What do you mean you don't have it?"

"Wait..." Bulma was stepping around him, sounding more nervous now than angry. "You went all the way to Guru's. He didn't give it to you while you were there?"

"He didn't."

"What?!" The Saiyan's composure crumbled instantly. He could swear he heard Bulma breathe 'Oh no' but he was too shocked to really notice. "I don't believe you!" he boomed. He took another step towards them, and instinctively they took a step back. "What the hell would you have been doing this whole time if not finding out how to make the damn balls work!"

The Earthlings hesitated. Vegeta's head spun. If... If this was true, it would ruin everything. This couldn't be happening. It didn't make any sense. The girl had told him they were getting the password! What's... What's going on here?

Then it clicked.

His eyes snapped to Gohan. "You! Boy!" he barked. "Where did all that power of yours magically come from, huh? Tell me!" Gohan stared at him defiantly, his silence only confirming Vegeta's thoughts. The Saiyan's teeth ground so hard he thought they might crack. So it was true then; the boy hadn't been this powerful a couple days ago. Somehow, he had attained all his power since then. The Nameks must have had some ability he was unaware of - some trick to awaken one's power. "Is that what you've been up to this entire time then? You've been off visiting some Namek, getting a little power boost?" He shot Bulma an incredulous glare. "Did you know this?!"

She looked slightly dazed, her wide eyes looking elsewhere. Fists clenched, still not understanding, he whipped his head back to the Earthlings. "Well, there's some kind of password needed!" he cried. "The dragon balls won't work - I've already tried!" He paused. "Unless... unless you two are lying to me and you do know it. Unless..." His eyes went wide, his stomach dropping as his mind went one step further. He turned fully on Bulma now. She looked scared - like a dog that knew it had done something wrong. Vegeta grabbed her by her vest, ignoring the Earthlings' protests, and yanked her to him to stare her in the face. "Unless YOU'VE been lying to me, and have known what the password was all along!"

The familiar feeling of betrayal was returning, twisting his insides, making the ill feeling intensify tenfold. It couldn't be. But... but it might make sense. Bulma had known the password but kept her mouth shut, biding her time (wasting his) until her friends' return, hoping the boy's increase in power would be enough to save her. How could he not have seen? How had he been such a fool? After all the times he'd saved her, after he'd helped her, after he'd actually felt guilty!

The Earthlings were hurling shouts and threats at him, the brat yelling something like 'I'm warning you!', but Vegeta paid no notice. It was just him and Bulma right now. He looked her dead in the eye, his words hushed. "Have you known it this whole time?"

Though fearful, Bulma met his gaze courageously, her small hands closing over his. "W-What? No, Vegeta." He saw truth in her eyes, and a slight relief washed through him. But then: "Look, I can explain... "

His anger flared. "You can 'explain?'" he hissed, and lowered his voice to a menacing whisper. "Explain what?"

He heard the sound catch in her throat as she tried to answer, and tugged her closer.

"Let her go, Vegeta!" Krillin shouted. "We're not lying to you! We didn't even know there was a password!"

The words made him bristle. Vegeta snapped his head to the human, eyes wide. "What?!" But... He turned back to Bulma. "They didn't know?"

She stammered. "That's what I'm trying to explain - "

"You said they were getting the password."

"I-I figured they were..." Her lips quivered. "Look, this is just a big misunderstanding, okay? W-When you first kidnapped me, and I told you they were getting the password, I..."

As she spoke, Vegeta unthinkingly went to grab her arm. It was a poor move. Suddenly Kakarot's son was yelling, "I SAID DON'T TOUCH HER!" and a foot was slamming into the side of his head. He saw stars. The world blurred as he went flying. There was a boom as his body plowed through something solid, and a crash as he smashed into something else. "My capsule house!" a voice cried. After a second, when the world had stopped moving, Vegeta opened his eyes. Sure enough, he was back in the kitchen, wedged in a very broken refrigerator, its contents all over him.

He sat up with a grunt. The air was thick with dust, and his ears rang. Gingerly he brought a finger to his throbbing temple, and pulled it away to find blood on his glove.

"Are you insane?!" a muffled voice yelled somewhere. "You... you just attacked Vegeta!"

Yes, his dazed mind agreed, that was exactly what had just happened, wasn't it? That little twerp actually had the balls to attack him. He hadn't even been about to harm the blasted girl!

The girl.

The gut-clenching feeling rushed through him once more. What had she been about to tell him just now? What the hell was going on? Had she lied to him in the very beginning, when she'd said they were getting the password? Maybe they were all lying, and they did know the password? Maybe she wasn't lying, but they were? He was so confused. Goddammit at this point he hoped they were lying, because if not, and they didn't have the password, then he was fucked. Everything was royally, royally fucked. They must have it. They must.

He would get to the bottom of this.

Pissed and still slightly stunned, Vegeta brushed bits of food off him and climbed to his feet.

But the kid was not done.

"MASENKO - "

He heard a whir, followed by another shriek, and looked up to see a bright yellow ki beam heading straight for him. With a curse, he sank down, throwing his arms into a cross-block with nanoseconds to spare. The blast hit him head on. His teeth chattered from the jolt of impact. In spite of his block, he could feel the energy zing through his arms, ripple down his spine.

It was abundantly clear that this was no ordinary attack. The power was too immense. Too continuous - the wave rushing at him in what seemed like a never-ending stream. There was no denying it: The kid is trying to kill me.

Vegeta's ki flared as he summoned more strength. He pushed back against the wave, but still it wasn't enough; the energy was too strong. He pushed harder, his ki flaring higher. Still not enough. He felt his body sliding back, inch-by-inch, the kitchen tile grating under his heels.

Suddenly, the resentment from before came roiling and roaring to the surface. Bulma's voice echoed in his ear: "Goku obliterated you. Beat you to a pulp." Images from Earth blinked like snapshots through his head. Flash. Kakarot's fist, punching him in the face. Flash. That fat lard of a human, cutting off his tail, the symbol of his heritage. Flash. His body, bloodied and broken, lying in the dirt... He had lost. How could it be? He, Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans, had lost to a third-class clown. And now his son - his half-breed son - thought he could challenge him? Thought he could actually beat him? How dare he? How dare he.

The fury boiled over, and Vegeta exploded with a furious cry. The cave rumbled as a ki wave - twice the size of Gohan's and double the strength - fired from his body like a cannon. It swallowed the boy's beam with ease, whirring its way outside. But the boy must have gotten out of the way just in time, because Vegeta could sense his ki, still in the cave.

The rumbling died down, and the zizz of his ki wave grew distant. For a second, Vegeta remained where he was. His chest heaved. Not from exhaustion - but from rage. Pure and visceral rage. Up ahead, he could make out Gohan's outline through the cloud of dust. Eyes locked on target, his body revved, and a feral growl clawed its way up his throat.

If the boy wanted a fight, he'd get a fight. But this time, it would be his last.

A/N: And then Vegeta killed everyone.

The end.

Nah, just joking. That would be horrible xD

In all seriousness, though, I'm quite nervous about this chapter. Hopefully it turned out ok :\ There were several times during the series that I wanted to slap Vegeta silly - either because he was making a stupid and selfish decision, or acting rashly, or just being a dick. And I kind of had him do all three in this chapter.

Also, if you're a little confused, like Vegeta, then hopefully the next chap will clear things up (will be in Bulma's POV). Anywho, that's it for now I guess. Sorry again for the wait. As a heads up (I also mentioned this on my profile page), now that it's summer, things will be busier for me. I have lots of trips planned, a wedding in August, family visiting, a baby that now crawls everywhere, so yeah..

Love you all. Thanks for reading. Hope to hear from you!