Disclaimer *I don't own anything, you know it and I know it*

Umm I just realised, it's a bit …strange…that Vegeta is so old and Rei is so young so in this story Vegeta is about 25 and rei is about 18-19.

"Hi, I'm Tsukino Usagi, you can call me Usagi, what are you doing just standing there?" Usagi asked the man curiously giggling. She couldn't help it, he looked so funny just standing there and Usagi had a sneaking suspicion her best friend Rei had been involved in the whole affair. With things like this it was almost certain.

"The priestess put a spell on me," Vegeta growled at the girl who frowned pondering his statement, not making any move to try and help him.

"Rei-chan? A spell? Oh, it's not a spell it's a charm. She never does that to people anymore, you must have really annoyed her," Usagi said shaking her head at the poor unfortunate man who dared anger her friend and Vegeta started gritting his teeth.

"I called her an onna," Vegeta admitted gruffly and Usagi nodded in understanding.

"Ahh…there you have it, Rei hates being called that," Usagi explained to Vegeta who was beginning to get annoyed with her constant babbling about the awful girl who had done such a thing to him.

"Are you going to help me or not?" Vegeta demanded and Usagi laughed brightly.

"Oh right, you look like you've been standing there for a long time, kind of like the tin man in the Wizard of Oz right? I love that movie, its my favourite," Usagi said as she reached over to Vegeta's forehead and peeled off the charm, "there you go."

Vegeta felt his body begin to respond to him again and with a grunt he turned from Usagi and began stalking in the opposite direction from her. God, he had to get out of here or he would go insane. How he wished he still had his saiyan powers, then he would show that smug little priestess a thing or two. As he turned his head slightly he realised that Usagi was still standing there looking expectantly at him and she cleared her throat.

"What?" he challenged her and Usagi gave him a look that resembled a mother looking very disappointed in her child.

"You know you should say thank you when someone does something for you," Usagi reminded him, teasing him playfully. But Vegeta growled at her rudely having had quite enough of young girls who spoke nothing but gibberish.

"I have no need to thank you for anything," Vegeta snapped at Usagi who didn't seem to take any real offence instead she laughed at his rude manners.

"No wonder Rei put that charm on you, you're nastier than she is," Usagi commented lightly and Vegeta couldn't stop the blush that rushed to his cheeks. How dare she compare him to that insulting priestess, he was prince, the Prince of all Saiyans, he deserved respect.

"Odango atama!" an angry voice yelled to Usagi who froze and her eyes widened.

"Oh oh…I am in big trouble, see you later," Usagi said with a wave at Vegeta who dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

"Baka child," he said staring after her but he couldn't help but feel her infectious attitude of complete happiness flow through him. As he watched the priestess approach the Usagi he couldn't help but appreciate the fine shape of Rei's body, her beautiful face and her shining eyes that flashed with anger. Even from where he stood Vegeta could see her mouth move and the words she spoke.

"You're late," he saw Rei say scathingly to Usagi who cringed under Rei's gaze.

"I'm sorry, I was just talking to that man, who is he?" Usagi asked Rei and Rei flicked her eyes in his direction and seeing he was staring at her she merely stared back.

"He's a nobody," she said blankly and that was when Minako popped her head out of the room where Rei had lead the others earlier and with a cheeky grin she announced,

"He's the new cute caretaker."

"Minako!" Rei scolded her blushing deep red and realising what she had just said Minako clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Oops, I mean caretaker," she amended and Rei rolled her eyes at her as Minako slunk back into the room.

"Shouldn't you invite him in and show him to his room?" Usagi was asking looking back at Vegeta who folded his arms across his chest.

"Shouldn't you mind your own business?" Rei countered smartly and Usagi immediately looked sad, like Rei had just slapped her across the face.

"I was just trying to help," she mumbled upset and Rei looked remorseful as she looked at the ground.

"Yeah well you cause more problems than you solve, just get inside we have things to discuss," Rei said pulling Usagi into the room and Vegeta didn't move from where he stood. Why on Earth did he feel such an attraction to the raven-haired priestess, why did he feel so compelled to look into her fiery violet eyes? What was this feeling he felt inside? Love? No, it couldn't be, he could never love, Freiza had destroyed all that would have been inside Vegeta.

Shaking his head to clear away those thoughts of Rei that were beginning to fog his memory and he turned to the temple steps and screwed his face in disgust to see a man stumbling up the stairs. It was obvious he was drunk, possibly even high, by the look in his red watery eyes, the drooping of his mouth and the smell of his breath when he stumbled to Vegeta and leered at his face. The drunk had black hair and pale blue eyes; he was slim and wore a rumpled work suit.

"Who are you?" the drunk demanded and Vegeta took a step away from the drunk, not wanting to have anything to do with him but he felt a sudden protectiveness of the temple and wanted to get rid of the drunk as soon as possible.

"I'm Vegeta…the new caretaker," Vegeta said with a slight smirk and the drunk looked him over suspiciously.

"Oh are you now?" the drunk slurred licking his lips nervously twice.

"Who are you?" Vegeta asked and the drunk pulled himself to his full height and gave a salute to Vegeta.

"I'm Rei's father," he stated and Vegeta stared. This was the priestess' father? This poor excuse for a man? Vegeta could help the flow of pity that flowed through him and he felt like he wanted to protect Rei from this man.

"What do you want here?" Vegeta asked trying to intimidate Rei's father and it worked as Rei's father looked like he wanted to shrink into his skin while Vegeta folded his arms across his chest coolly and kept his sharp eyes of Rei's father.

"I just want…to see my daughter," Rei's father said softly, his words still being slurred. There was the sound of a door opening and while Rei's father looked Vegeta kept his eyes on the man.

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you never to come back you disgusting drunkard," Rei's voice was heard, scathing and insulting as she spoke to her father and the drunk began to feel his pride and pointed his finger warningly at Rei forgetting Vegeta's existence.

"You'll respect me onna, I am your father," he commanded and Rei let out a dry laugh while Vegeta suddenly felt an understanding. No wonder she despised being called onna, her father called her onna…not daughter or any another pet name…just onna. Vegeta felt guilty and wondered why all these emotions were flowing through him.

"Respect you? Ha! I'll respect you when you're dead," Rei said mockingly and her father advanced on her.

"You close that dirty mouth of yours," her father told her reaching out towards her but she took a step away from him and he stumbled forward.

"Don't you dare threaten her," Vegeta finally spoke having heard enough from the drunk's mouth and Rei turned to stare at him open mouthed obviously wondering why he was helping her. Vegeta noticed that her friends were all peering out of the door at the scene unfolding before them.

"Oh and who are you? Her knight in shining armour," the drunk asked sarcastically and Vegeta raised an eyebrow at him unperturbed.

"Not quite, but close," he said with menace in his voice but the drunk didn't hear it.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" he said to Vegeta staggering to him and poking him in the chest and Vegeta flicked his hand away.

"Because I take care of things towards the temple and Rei is an important part of the temple and therefore under my care," Vegeta explained and the drunk peered closely at Vegeta before turning to Rei and gesturing towards his car.

"Come on Rei, let's go," he said and Rei wrinkled her nose in distaste and shook her head.

"I'm not going any where with you, not ever," Rei swore and her father turned to her his eyes darkly dangerous.

"I'm warning you," he said softly in a voice that was tinged with danger but Rei wouldn't give in.

"No, I would rather die than have you touch me ever again," Rei said to him and her father let out a low growl.

"Come here," he roared finally loosing control grabbing Rei by the arm. After that everything happened so fast. Rei struggled and her father slapped her across the face so that a drop of blood rolled out of the right side of her mouth and the next thing Rei and her father knew he was on the ground writhing in pain.

"I told you not to hurt her," Vegeta said softly his hand still where it had punched Rei's father in the stomach. He reached over with his free arm and bundled Rei, who surprisingly did not protest, behind him, trying not to look at the blood on her mouth. He needed to concentrate on her father who suddenly pulled a knife on them both. Vegeta ducked the first swipe of the knife but it still cut him across his arm. Moving quickly, ignoring the stinging on his arm he reached over and disarmed Rei's father easily then swung him over his shoulder so that he hit the ground with his back. Vegeta then walked over to the knife and stomped on it with his foot. When he lifted his foot the blade of the knife was broken into hundreds of tiny pieces. Rei's father looked at the blade then up at Vegeta then scrambled to his feet and started scurrying down the steps.

"Get out of here," Vegeta yelled after him kicking the broken pieces of the knife at him.

"And don't come back," Rei added her yell and Vegeta turned to her worriedly to look at her face. Suddenly he was feeling a flow of emotions. Worry, relief, anger, happiness all at the same time. It was an unbelievable feeling. Was this what Pluto wanted him to feel?

"Rei are you all right?" Vegeta asked, feeling a little funny at saying words in a voice that implied he actually cared, which when he thought clearly about it, he really did care.

"Never mind about me, you're bleeding," Rei said dismissively looking at his arm worriedly, saddened that he had gotten hurt because of her. Vegeta looked down at his arm then shrugged, not minding that blood was running down his arm.

"It has been known to happen when you've been cut by a knife," he said not worried but Rei shook her head.

"Come on we have to dress the wound before it gets infected," she said to him and her friends all hurried out to her.

"Rei we are going to go, looks like you're a bit busy," Minako said with a wink at Vegeta that Vegeta and Rei both pretended to ignore.

"Okay come around tomorrow afternoon," Rei said giving them a wave.

"We'll see you then," Ami and Makoto said in chorus before laughing and wandering down the street with Minako jabbering aimlessly to them. Usagi stayed behind smiling at Vegeta and Rei.

"Bye Vegeta, I'm glad you're here to stay," Usagi said sweetly and Vegeta stared after her as she ran down the steps wondering how any child could be that happy.

Rei led him to her room and went to the bathroom returning with the first aid kit. They sat in silence as Rei began dressing the wound, before Rei couldn't contain her speech any longer.

"I'm sorry about my father," she blurted out and Vegeta shook his head.

"You don't have to be sorry for him, he is old enough to take responsibility of his own actions," Vegeta assured her and Rei looked up at him directly in his eyes, anger shining in them, anger and hurt.

"I hate him so much, he beat my mother to death when I was a young girl and when she was gone he turned on me," Rei said honestly and Vegeta couldn't resist the urge to pull her into his arms to keep her safe and so he did so. At first both felt uncomfortable but after a few minutes Rei relaxed and her small form fit with Vegeta's large frame perfectly.

"It's all right he can't hurt you anymore, now that I'm here," Vegeta said to Rei softly his lips somewhere near her ear.

"Does it hurt?" Rei asked curiously pulling out of the hug and looking pointedly at his newly bandaged arm.

"Yes," he said his voice choked. That feeling was rushing back to him. The feeling of complete and utter happiness.

"Does this make it feel better?" Rei asked gesturing to the bandage and her fingers lightly touched Vegeta's skin and Vegeta couldn't help but shiver at her touch.

"Yes, Miko, it feels good," Vegeta said reaching over to capture her chin between his fingers and he pulled her face towards him and after a moments hesitation they kissed. It was a slow kiss; one that seemed like it lasted for eternity. One of the special kisses that both parties knew they would never forget for as long as they lived. Rei opened her violet eyes as they parted and couldn't help but blush. There was a handsome young man on her bed and he just kissed her. And no matter how first impressions were, they never lasted, Rei could sense inside this man was something special, something she was sure he hadn't even realised yet. She felt a connection between the both of them, she felt like she already knew all about Vegeta after knowing him for only a few hours and, although he couldn't explain it or admit it, Vegeta felt the same way.

"Why do you call me Miko?" Rei asked and Vegeta reached over to pull her into his arms protectively and Rei welcomed the embrace though deep inside she knew that it couldn't last forever like she hoped it would.

"You remind me of a fiery little doll," Vegeta murmured feeling his attraction for Rei grow and Rei frowned at him.

"I'm far from being a doll," she replied argumentatively and Vegeta chuckled.

"No miko, you are a precious doll, my precious doll," Vegeta assured her and Rei stared at him in wonder. She knew that in the end they could never be together, but she wanted so much to be loved, even if it were for a little while. Rei's indecision faded away to a smile as she leaned over and kissed Vegeta who responded to the kiss enthusiastically pulling her down onto the bed.