Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ nor its characters…
Setting: while training for the androids and before
they officially hook up
Author's Note: this story did not go in the direction I had
originally planned but that's how it goes…I don't know how it compares to my
other short stories…feedback good or bad is appreciated…good criticism and ways
to make the story better is also appreciated…enjoy
The sky was clear blue, almost a
reflection of her eyes. A cool, gentle
breeze blew over her tired body. She
had been working for 6 hours straight since early morning and so had decided to
take an extra long lunch break. A
half-eaten sandwich laid at her side along with an opened can of soda. She should have been ravenous but her
appetite was nearly non-existent.
Unlike a certain Saiyan Prince who could consume a whole grocery store
and still be hungry.
But she wasn't going to worry
herself about him today. He would just
have to do without or learn how to cook.
A lazy smile caressed her face as
the rays of the burning sun beat down on her skin tanning her while at the same
time lulling her to sleep. Easily she
could have fallen asleep out there on the lawn but she still had tons of work
to do and so she tried to occupy her mind by staring at the clouds.
White, fluffy clouds graced the
afternoon sky in a myriad of shapes ranging from simple animal forms to complex
scenes of action, at least to her active imagination. She envisioned that cloud to the right as resembling the hunter
Orion with a club ready to strike that funny shaped rabbit. Or was it a donkey?
Suddenly a dark shadow covered
her view of the sky giving her eyes a bit of relief from the bright rays of the
sun.
"Woman," the deep voice
rumbled. "What are you doing out here?"
"Taking a break so don't even ask
me for anything cause I won't do it. I
know you can take care of yourself. You
always talking and acting like you don't need anybody so whatever it is go do it
yourself O' Mighty Prince. Or are you
so weak and pathetic that you need a woman to help you?"
"Close your mouth, woman, before
you let the bugs in." Her eyes narrowed
and you could almost imagine a cloud of smoke billowing out her ears. She opened her mouth to speak or rather yell
but he quickly remedied that by bending down on one knee and hushing her with a
finger over her mouth. "And keep it
closed. I do not require anything from
you O' Queen of the Bit—"
She raised her own hand and
covered his mouth. She supposed it was
her fault this time for the argument so she was going to put a stop to it. With a gesture she indicated the spot next
to hers. It would be up to him whether
he would join her or not. He merely
stared at her confused. She patted the
ground again and he silently sat down.
She shook her head and motioned for him to lie down like her. Easily she could have spoken her request but
she knew if she did she would say something to start a fight and right now she
only wanted peace and quiet.
To her amazement he did as she
indicated without a fuss. Usually by now
he would have walked away to train or eat.
Maybe he needed a break too. He
had been working especially hard this week.
They laid there, as the puffy
clouds passed overhead, not a word exchanged between them. The silence was finally broken after two
whole minutes of quiet.
"Hey, Vegeta, that cloud looks
like you," she remarked with a giggle.
It even had his frown.
He looked up at where she was
pointing then looked over at her. "Are
you blind? That looks nothing like
me. It looks more like Kakarot with
those spikes of hair shooting out at all angles."
She shook her head but on closer
inspection she realized it did look more like Goku than Vegeta. But before she could agree with him he spoke
again.
"And that looks like that
disgusting pig thing. What's his name
again?"
"You mean Oolong?" she
suggested. He nodded. It did look like him or maybe a cross
between Oolong and Puar.
They fell silent again.
"Cat on its hind legs," Bulma
suddenly spoke up.
"No, a spaceship about to be
destroyed by that meteor."
"A meteor? It looks more like a hot dog," she
responded.
He gave her a weird look.
"Well, maybe not a hot dog. How about a—"
"Woman," he interrupted. "What are those things we are looking at
called?"
"Huh? What? You mean the clouds?"
"Clouds? Those white puffy things that seem to take
on shapes of objects? Is that their
name?" he asked.
She slowly nodded. "Haven't you seen a cloud before?"
"Yes. Not on Vegetasei but other planets. There is just no word equivalent to clouds in my language."
"Oh. How strange. So your
planet didn't have any clouds?"
He frowned. "No.
We had them I think. Something
similar anyways. They were just black
not white and they were more streaky than puffy."
"Wow. That's fascinating." And
she truly was. He could see the honesty
in her expression.
"Vegeta?" she asked after a
moment of silence.
"Hm?"
"Not that I mind but…what are you
doing out here? Shouldn't you be
training or something? It's not like
you to…to I guess take a break," she finished unsure what his reaction would
be. She didn't want this moment to end
in a fight. Unknowingly she held her
breath while waiting for his answer.
He sighed, an unusual expression
for him.
Immediately she felt
concern. "Is something wrong? What is it?"
"Hold you tongue for a second
woman so I can answer," he said abruptly.
She was about to retort back but
bit down on her lip to keep quiet. She
noticed his tone held none of its usual ferocity.
"If you must know," he began with
weariness in his voice that worried her.
"I have reached a plateau in my power level and yet I am not a Super
Saiyan. No amount of training will help
me now."
"So you're just giving up?! You can't do that! You're a friggin' Prince for Kami's sake! You can't let some third-class warrior be
stronger than you."
He looked over at her bemused by
her outrage. "You wish me to be
stronger than Kakarot, the greatest hero of Earth? The man you and everyone else in the world adore and praise?"
"Yes!" she burst out without
thinking. Then paused. "Oh, wait.
No that's not it. I just meant
you shouldn't give up on your dreams."
"And what do you care about my
dreams?"
His voice was gruff and his face
held its usual expression, but she thought she could see a hint of confusion
behind those piercing onyx eyes. Or was
that her own confusion being reflected off his eyes? Did she care? It was a
simple question but had no simple answer, at least for her. What should she say?
Vegeta waited for an answer
whether it be serious or rhetorical.
Most likely the latter. He knew
she hated him although sometimes she seemed to tolerate his presence as he did
likewise. Why did he do that? As a matter-of-fact why was he even
here? He could have gone anywhere. But his legs carried him to this spot where
she was. Why was he drawn to her like a
moth to a flame? A deep blue flame that
shimmered under the golden sun. It
almost hurt to tear his eyes away from her to concentrate on something else,
anything else. He had to. He had to keep himself from opening up to
her. But the woman was like a
drug. One taste and he knew it would
not be enough. *Stop thinking like that.* A familiar pain stirred in his pants.
She saw him look away and
wondered if that was a rhetorical question.
Was he really expecting an answer?
Regardless of his expectation she felt a need to give him one.
"I care, Vegeta. As your friend, I care."
"Friend?" he whispered.
Her eyes widened as she realized
what she said. She was surprised
somewhat. Deep down she had regarded
him as a friend but this was the first time she admitted to herself and him out
loud. Her lips curled into a soft
smile.
"Yes, friends," she said more
affirmatively. "For now." That last part could barely be heard. She wasn't even sure she had said it out
loud. She looked back up at the
sky. It was a beautiful day. She was so wrapped up in feeling the warmth
of the sun she hadn't notice that Vegeta had left his spot. With an unexpected feeling of disappointment
she looked over at where he had laid.
At least he had kept her company for a short while, and good company he
was.
She reached over with her left
hand and began to fiddle with the blades of grass next to her. They were friends, she finally acknowledged
to the world, and that was enough for her…for now.
The End
