"
Just like you had…."*
Goku to Vegeta while fighting Frieza
He wasn't sure how long the small figure had been standing there beside him, unnoticed. It wasn't until he felt the familiar touch of the small hand on his shoulder that he was brought back to reality. Slowly he shifted off of his hands and knees and sat on the ground with one leg bent and other straight out. He looked at the dirt and grime on his usually white boots and gloves, and he felt shame about his earlier behavior. And so, rather than acknowledge his son right away, the warrior continued to glance down at the ground.
'Had the boy seen everything?' Vegeta silently asked himself. 'Oh no, and what if he heard me too? This is my son and he should never see me in such a pathetic state as this. I can only image what the boy must think of me now.' And he felt ashamed.
He sat staring at the ground for a little while longer and in spite of himself, he glanced up and looked into the gentle pair of lavender eyes looking back at him. And what he saw there shocked him. There was no distain or hatred; rather, Vegeta saw the essence of himself reflected back in soft lavender shades of unconditional love and pride.
No one had ever looked at him in quite that way before and he was moved beyond words. It was with a sense of awe that Vegeta realized that in the heart and mind of his young son, he was second to none. And the warrior could barely hear his own heartbeat over the sound of the shattering of the anguish that had been tormenting him.
The boy still hadn't said a word and simply, and silently, sat down on the ground beside his father. Vegeta was amused as glanced at the boy who was sitting in exactly the same pose as he was. He decided to lower his head down on his arms that were crossed on his knee, and after a few moments he slyly glanced over at his young son who was in the exact same position. Trying not to sound obvious, Vegeta sighed and sure enough, Trunks soon sighed. Vegeta glanced upward toward the sky, put his hands behind his head and seeming very deep in thought, he decided to slowly lie down onto his back. And in no time at all, the lavender haired boy was in the exact same position.
"Hey Poppa, look! That one looks like a dragon. You see it?
"What are you talking about son?"
"The clouds, Poppa, the clouds". Trunks scooted over real close until their shoulders were touching and then he pointed upward. "Now do you see it"?
"No".
"Come on, Poppa. You find one".
"What! Find a dragon in the clouds"?
"Poppa!" Trunks scolded. " You've never watched clouds before? No way! Goten and me, we do it all the time. Here's what 'cha do…first you gotta let your mind go real stupid and empty kinda. Okay? And then you just stare at the clouds without blinking. That's the important part Poppa, okay? So make sure you don't blink".
"Okay, okay…. Like this, son?" teased Vegeta, displaying an exaggerated squint.
"I think you got it Poppa!" Trunks said proudly. "Now just let your mind go real stupid and just stare at them, okay? Remember not to blink".
So Vegeta lie there, staring upward simply trying to amuse his son, but much to his amazement, he started to see the distinct shape of a clown in a huge towering cloud. "Trunks! Look at that one, look. It's a clown. I don't believe it. That cloud looks just like a clown".
"Good job, Poppa!" The lavender haired child was beaming. And with that, the boy rolled over onto his side and gathering every ounce of courage he had, he reached out and lightly brushed some dirt off the cheek of his father.
"What do you think you are doing, Trunks"? he asked, a little startled by the invasiveness of his son's action. Vegeta had no idea that his tears from earlier in the day had washed several tiny river like streams through the dirt and grime on his face.
"Nothing, Poppa". The lavender haired boy's heart had leapt up into his throat.
"Poppa?"
Silence.
"Poppa?"
"What!"
"Poppa, do you love me?"
"Trunks, you are my son!"
"But Poppa, do you love me?"
"Yes son, I love you! Now be still and help me find some egg rolls up in those clouds of yours. I'm starving!" And with that, father and son laughed and spent the rest of the afternoon out in the warmth of the afternoon sun.
Later, when the two hungry, dirty, and tired Saiyans returned home to Capsule Corporation, the fragrance of Bulma's perfume lingered in the sultry summer air, but the woman was nowhere to be found. And the scent of her body's desire, which was never completely masked by any aroma in the house, now sickened Vegeta. He picked up the phone and asked ChiChi if Trunks could spend some time over with Goten.
"Oh wow! You mean it Poppa? Great. I'll go upstairs and get some clean clothes", Trunks said excitedly.
"No son, you just go now. I think your mom is asleep upstairs and you might wake her up. You can change at Goten's house. And remember to bathe. Stay there until I come to get you. Now go!" And with that, the young son of Vegeta hurried excitedly out of the front door of Capsule Corporation.
'I am a warrior', Vegeta whispered to himself. 'I can do this'.
And slowly, step by step, he made his way up the stairs to the familiar bedroom where his mate lay. With each step, the proud Prince was trying to sort out what he was feeling and much to his dismay, he just wasn't sure yet. The events of the day had already drained him of most of his emotion and energy and when he opened the bedroom door, rather than react with his usual impulsive rage, he stood there in silence. And he felt nothing. He was numb.
And there - on the very bed where he had made love with the woman of his dreams for the first time, there - on the very bed where his son was born, there - on the very bed where the woman had died two years earlier, and there - on the very bed where he had made love with her just the night before, his wife was allowing another man to enter her heart and body with ease. He wasn't sure what was shocking him more, the fact that his mate was with another man, or the fact that she was with him on that bed. Of all the possible rooms in the house, why there he asked himself.
Bulma was on her hands and knees and her lover had mounted her and was riding her with wild abandon. And it was obvious to Vegeta that the two lovers moved in harmony to a familiar dance, and that they were familiar and comfortable with each other bodies. Indeed, they had done this before.
It took several minutes before Bulma realized her husband was standing in the open doorway and was watching. All activity on the bed stopped suddenly as the two lovers realized they had just been discovered. Only a few seconds earlier, both Bulma and Yamcha had been in the throws of ecstasy but now both were frozen in position waiting for death to come.
And for what seemed to be an eternity the only sound they heard was silence as both stared into Vegeta's dirty, smudged face, which still streaked from the hot tears shed earlier in the day. Silently, he stared back at both of them. Then he turned and closed the door with precise determination. At that moment, the warrior knew exactly what he was going to do.
He stood out in the hallway for just a second, turned, and with one simple kick sent the door to the bedroom flying off of its hinges.
"You two had better get your sorry selves off of that bed right now unless you wish to die with it!" Bulma and Yamcha scrambled to get off the bed to a place of safety.
"Die, you stupid bed! Die, die, die!" And with that, the wounded warrior blasted it into oblivion. Mattress parts flew, bed frame parts flew, the nearby dresser slid through the hole blasted in the floor to the lower level and the room was filled with feathers from the newly deceased down comforter and pillows.
"Sorry for the interruption. You two can get back to doing whatever it was you were doing". And with that, he turned and walked back out of the doorway and Bulma knew that she had just harmed her husband every bit as much as Frieza had. Maybe even more so, because he had learned to trust her. And now, even she had betrayed him. She slumped onto the floor and wept bitterly.
Vegeta walked down the hallway to one of the spare bedrooms and took a change of clothes out of the closet. With precision, as though he were going into battle, he carefully chose a pair of black leather pants that would cling to him and fit him like a glove. He looked through the drawer with the socks and underwear and chose socks but decided against briefs. He really liked the way the leather pants felt and looked on him without underwear. Then he found just the right black belt and shoes, and finally decided on a tight red tank top. The time that took to coordinate his garments was somehow calming to him. Satisfied with his choices, he made his way further down the hall to the bathroom to shower. In typical fashion after a shower, he meticulously shaved, brushed his teeth, and even decided to splash himself with the expensive cologne Bulma had given to him for his birthday last year. It was the cologne he was wearing when he made love with her last night. And when he was dressed and satisfied with himself, he went back downstairs.
And just like he had expected, the two lovers were waiting for him when he entered the living room. Nervousness, fear, and humiliation surrounded the both of them and Vegeta was pleased in an arrogant sort of way.
"Vegeta, I don't know what to say", Bulma said quietly, with eyes turned downward. "This is the only time I've ever been unfaithful to you. I'm so sorry. I was just so hurt after our fight this morning and Yamcha stopped by. I didn't plan it Vegeta. Please don't hate me."
"
Goku
And Vegeta remembered those words spoken by Kakarrot on the Planet Namek. 'Stupid Saiyan', he thought to himself. 'What does he know about real pain anyway?!'
"Just shut up woman or I'll blast the both of you into oblivion". And this time, he was deadly serious when he said it.
"To tell you the truth, I am surprised you two are done already", he said through clinched teeth. "Sorry if I had anything to do with it"!
And with that, Vegeta started to move toward the door.
"Vegeta, where are you going? What are you going to do? Please don't go." Bulma was now pleading with her husband.
And the fact that Vegeta was appearing to be so calm about everything was starting to freak her out. She knew that her husband was upset and this lack of emotion was just not like him. She was really scared this time.
And once again, he watched those soft blue eyes well up with tears, which began overflow down her face in tiny rivulets. Without saying a word, he walked up to her and he gently put his hand up to her cheek and he felt the warmth of her tears on his fingers. And he watched the woman watch him as he put his finger in his mouth to taste the saltiness of her tears. Then he slowly bent down until his lips brushed her cheek. But he didn't hold her or touch her any further.
He held back his rage and suppressed his power level with all the strength he had had and then he glanced up at Yamcha. 'Good, he knows I'm toying with her', Vegeta thought to himself. And even though the smell and taste of Yamcha on his wife sickened him, Vegeta cupped her chin in his hand and softly kissed her. And when she began to relax and let her defenses down somewhat, he looked down into her soft blue eyes and smiled. And yet the onyx colored eyes that glared back at her were stone cold.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry", Bulma sobbed. "Thank you for not hating me!"
"Woman, dry your tears. There, there, don't cry." And he patted her on the head.
"And now, I've got a little surprise in store for you!" he said with sarcasm dripping off of him.
"A surprise?!" Bulma answered with a sense of panic beginning to rise up inside of her.
"Yes woman, a surprise. And you're just going to love it, too. Let me tell you what is what Vegeta is going to do to reward his wife for her loving behavior." And he walked up and put his arm around Bulma's shoulder and gave her a tight, side to side sort of hug as he started walking her over to the door.
"I am going to walk through that door right now and am going to go out and fuck the living shit out of the first thing that moves, male or female, I really don't care! Do you understand me, woman? I plan to have the time of my life with someone….other….than…. you! I plan to fuck it repeatedly until it simply cannot move and then I plan start….all….over…..again! How do you like that?! Well, woman? Do you like that? Answer me! How does that feel to you?!"
"I love you, Vegeta. I made a horrible mistake today, okay?. Regardless of what you think, it only happened once. I will never even speak to Yamcha again. Please Vegeta, don't go. Are you the only person in the entire universe who has never made a horrible mistake? Please Vegeta, don't….do….this."
He was simply too angry. He had to calm himself down, and he struggled to regain control. Never before had he felt this type of pain and he didn't like it. He was after the sweet taste of revenge. Yet, he knew she was crying and he knew she was right. He too had made many horrible mistakes in his life. And he knew that as long as he didn't turn around and look at her, he would be able to make it out of the door. But, if by chance his wife, his mate, who in spite of what just happened was still the woman of his dreams were to walk around in front of him right now, he didn't think he would be able to walk out of door.
"
And he lingered there for a moment, almost hoping she would instinctively know the power she held over him at that very moment in time, but she didn't. And with that, the warrior turned and walked out the front door.
And rather than going out immediately to "hunt" for someone to ravage, he chose to go to his quiet place instead. At least here, he didn't run the risk of meeting anyone until he was ready to. And he now faced somewhat of an enigma. In all of his life, the woman was the only living soul he had ever made love with. And as much as he thought he wanted revenge, and as much as he wanted to hurt and humiliate her the way she just hurt and humiliated him, no one else in his life had ever electrified him to that point where passion overtakes reason. The woman was, and always would be, the only object of his desire.
He remembered vividly the first time he smelled the scent her body's womanly desire way back on the Planet Namek, and it had electrified him. Saiyan men have a slightly different genetic makeup than human men and it was almost as though she marked him somehow. And he realized that in spite of himself, he belonged to this woman and it never occurred to him that she would have no desire to be his and his alone anymore. Perhaps he should just go and destroy the object of her passion.. 'Yes, maybe destroying Yamcha might be just the therapy I need.' Vegeta thought to himself.
"But first, maybe I should sample a piece of his tight little ass to see just what all the fuss is about!' he said to himself out loud. Vegeta then realized that he had never seriously thought about intimacy with a man before either. Not that he would be opposed to it, but no human man had ever appealed to his senses either. Vegeta realized that Kakarrot was the only male that could ever come close to having the strength required to electrify him in that manner, and Kakarrot was dead. And since he hated Kakarrot, that wasn't really an option either. But then again, the dead warrior was coming back to fight in the Marshall Arts Tournament in a little over a month and Vegeta realized that the excitement and release he felt from fighting Kakarrot so many years ago was no so far away the excitement and release he felt while making love with Bulma. 'Just stop it Vegeta', he thought to himself. 'Me and Kakarrot! That's pathetic'.
He simply could not believe how this day had turned out and he was too drained to do much about it. He determined to get a good night's sleep and deal with things tomorrow. At least the woman would be thinking he was out being unfaithful and for now, that in and of itself, was good enough for him.
'What a waste of a good pair of leather pants', he thought to himself as he rested against a tree.
And in the morning, he determined to go home and tell her the truth. Regardless of her behavior, she was still the woman of his dreams - her, and her alone.
"
Goku
* DragonBallZ, episode 71, The End of Vegeta. Funimation Productions