Chapter 38. Pity

Vast vales of tall blue grass and big bodies of greenish water passed rapidly beneath them as Vegeta flew to the small Namekian village just visible in the far distance. He was accompanied by Piccolo, Turles and Kakarot who, to Vegeta's displeasure, had managed to show up in time. Still it was too good to feel the wind on his face after the weeks of confinement on the Marauder, large though the spaceship may be, to be bothered by Kakarot much. Seeing the idiot juggling two fat Namekian dragonballs in mid-flight only invoked a slight want to blast him to bits.

Even weirder than his own easiness regarding Kakarot was the way Piccolo cheered the idiot on as he was juggling the big orange orbs. The prospect of meeting his kinsmen caused the green warrior to be in a very uncharacteristic state of elation. He was actually smiling and it was kind of a disconcerting sight to behold him baring his sharp fangs.

Because of New Namek's three suns it was impossible to tell how much time had passed since they began their search for the dragonballs, the sky was as bright now as it had been upon their arrival. They found six dragonballs already and the last was somewhere in the village they were approaching. Vegeta felt jolts of nervousness now that his goal was coming into view. In another few minutes he would attempt to restore their home planet again and if he failed he would let his people down. In the end they could always find another planet to inhabit, but the idea of restoring Vegetasei had taken hold in their minds and failure would be devastating to all of them.

He wished Akane was there to give her blunt opinion on his feebleness. He could really use her to tell him off right now. She had been unable to accompany them. Being in the final days of her pregnancy had her sleeping nonstop. She only awoke for brief periods of time to eat and, if she felt up to it, a quicky before drifting off to sleep again. At times Vegeta caught himself being shamelessly glad for her uninterrupted slumber since it meant no more of the maniacal mood swings caused by her hormones. She had gone mental on him a bit too often. Not that he blamed her. Anyone would have gone insane with the persistent harassment from his daughter she had to put up with.

The four warriors reached the village faster than Vegeta liked and they landed amidst the ring of small white houses where they were welcomed by several Namekians. They had clearly been expecting them. Goku and Piccolo were greeted by enthusiastic whooping sounds and more green Namekians started to appear in the doors of the houses, feeling safe to come out now that the strangers had been received so merrily by their kinsmen. Vegeta recognised some of the Namekians from Earth, and seeing the animosity in their faces as their eyes fell on him he decided against demanding for the dragonball, thinking it better to let Piccolo do the talking.

Then one of the few Namekians Vegeta actually knew by name came out of the biggest of the white houses, his hands tugged away in the opposite sleeves of his long robes. Moori was followed by two young Namekians bearing the last of the dragonballs above their small bald heads. Vegeta didn't know if he was relieved to see that there wasn't going to be any trouble getting his hands on the last dragonball. The time to make his wishes was drawing suffocatingly near.

As if watching from above, Vegeta witnessed himself following Moori a little way from the village, dreading to have come to it at last. The seven dragonballs were put together and the old Namekian took a few steps back as the orbs started to glow blindingly. Kakarot was there too, Vegeta noticed vaguely, and also Piccolo and Turles.

The sky turned pitch black and a harsh wind came out of nowhere, rushing in on them from all directions and raging across the blue plains surrounding the village. With a roar that left Vegeta's ears ringing, the magnificent dragon Porunga appeared against the blackened sky. Turles next to him gasped in awe.

"Are you ready?" Piccolo asked.

Vegeta collected himself with difficulty and heaved a deep breath before taking his first shot: "I wish planet Vegetasei and its people to be restored to the way it was before Frieza destroyed it."

The wish was translated by Piccolo to the enormous beast looming over them and the silence that followed was deafening. Then, after what seemed like ages, Porunga's eyes flashed.

"Your wish has been granted." Piccolo said rather baffled.

Vegeta gaped at him. Then his heart leapt and he clenched a victorious fist as all his anxiety was lifted from him at once. Turles and Goku jumped in shared gaiety, falling into each others arms and whooping in the same fashion as the Namekians had done upon their arrival in the village.

"I can't believe it was that easy!" Turles shouted to no one in particular as he cut his brother loose.

Vegeta answered with an uncontrolled bark of laughter and he fell onto his back in the blue grass, laughing so hard he feared he might have finally gone mad. Porunga's magnificent voice cracked like thunder above them and it was only now that Vegeta noticed the dragon hadn't disappeared as it usually would have done.

"You have another wish." Piccolo told him.

Vegeta sprang to his feet and some of his previous worry resurfaced. "I made two already. I wanted my planet and my people back."

Piccolo had a lengthy exchange with Porunga in their gutteral language and the knot in the pit of Vegeta's stomach grew. He could make out nothing from the Namekian's expression, but he didn't like the way Piccolo's voice sounded. Something was wrong.

Finally Piccolo turned to face Vegeta with a smile that showed off his fangs again. "Porunga says he has brought back your planet and your people in one wish since it all entails the same occurence."

"Are you sure?" Vegeta asked, hating how insecure he sounded. Since when had he become a whiny prat? And why wasn't his little mate here to ram some sense into him?

"Yes. The planet and your people are back. So do you have another wish?"

Vegeta stopped himself from asking Piccolo if he was really-really sure, although he longed very much to do so. If only the idiot would have been able to instant transmit himself to places instead of people and sites he knew well, then he could go check if the wish had been granted properly. There was nobody on Vegetasei Kakarot knew and he had never been there so sadly that wasn't an option.

"Your wish." Piccolo pressed with a wary eye on the dragon that appeared to be growing impatient.

"Yes, I'm thinking!" Vegeta snapped.

"Wish for a pony!" the still whooping Goku hollered cheerfully.

"A po…" Vegeta stopped himself from repeating the ridiculous suggestion barking: "Shut up, Kakarot!" For a split second he imagined wishing the idiot to limbo, but Kakarot would simply instant transmit himself back out. Then it hit him, the perfect wish. "I wish Trunks to have the instant transmission technique Kakarot possesses."

"Good one." Piccolo agreed before he turned and translated the wish to Porunga.

"That's a great wish, Vegeta." Goku cheered. "Now Trunks can visit you any time he wants."

Vegeta was too busy feeling glad to hate Kakarot for a moment and without any bitterness at all he asked: "Will you teach him how to use it?"

"Sure thing."

Vegeta, still in awe about how easily he had managed to wish back his home planet, fell back down to the ground and sat there in a daze as Porunga vanished and the dragonballs turned to stone. He drew his gloved hands through his hair. "I can't believe it."

"I thought we would manage eventually, but I hadn't expected it to be this easy." Piccolo admitted.

Vegeta's eye fell on Moori who still stood a few steps back, the look on his wrinkled green face was playfully secretive.

"How?" Vegeta wanted to know.

The old Namekian drew a deep breath as if preparing himself for a long speech. Then he started talking in a grave voice: "When I made these dragonballs my heart was still filled with sympathy for you. Gohan told me about Frieza killing you. I heard what he had done to you, to your people and I felt pity for your kind. I think that it is my sympathy that has set you apart from evil. I do not believe your kind is evil, though evil things your kind has done. Is that not so for all races? No race can be only good or evil, there exists both in every kind, both in every being even. I hope your kind will make better use of their second chance."

Vegeta dragged a hand through his hair again unable to adopt an attitude as he caught himself moved by Moori's words. He had always refused to believe in either good or evil, he had just seen too many gruesome things, had done too many gruesome things himself, to want to confront these kinds of deep questions. Perhaps this was true, that there existed both in everyone. Except of course in Kakarot, the moronic childlike Saiyajin-idiot from Earth. He laughed feeling more like weeping. Indeed, his little mate wasn't the only one who had fallen victim to her hormones, he too was suffering from them greatly. Or so he held out to himself.

"Thank you." Vegeta finally spoke as if to prove that Moori was right and that he wasn't all that evil.

The smile that came to his face was mirrored by Turles. They were going home.