Disclaimer: check the 1st chapter.
Chapter 4
Word about Bulma and Yamcha's breakup spread as quickly as Vegeta regained strength. Neither Vegeta nor Bulma spoke of Vegeta's strange behavior recently, Vegeta because he did not want to admit his growing feelings for Bulma, and Bulma because she felt like she was ½ and inch from the edge. Yamcha's most recent of betrayals still stung, and only Vegeta's few kind acts kept her from swearing of men entirely. Unfortunately, his strange behavior also baffled her, so she just decided to play it cool for a little while.
Vegeta has started taking long runs around Capsule Corp to regain his stamina. One night, when he was almost fully healed, and after a particularly long run, he stopped in the garden to catch his breath. He didn't want the Briefs' family to see him so winded and sweaty from a mere run. As he rested on the grass, he gazed up at the sky, at the thousands of stars visible to his Saiyan eyes. Vegeta began to pick out the stars he thought he might have visited, or ones he would like to visit, or bright ones that just happened to catch his eye. Unexpected memories filled his mind: his childhood on Vegeta-sei, training to be a warrior, working for and then against that tyrant Freiza, and all his various battles.
His memories finally brought him back to earth, the first place he had ever really known defeat, humiliation, and…a home. As much as he tried to deny it, that green-haired noisy Woman made him feel accepted. Scowling at his sentimental thoughts, Vegeta buried his memories firmly in the back of his mind. The picture of Bulma refused to be banished as easily. He lost himself in his mental image of her, her bright turquoise hair and even brighter eyes. Eyes that almost always held a spark of fire that he wanted to ignite, loved to see flare up. Or the eyes that had looked at him the other day, so lost and confused, hurt and alone. Eyes he could recognize…because he had seen them himself, staring back at him from his mirror. His spine gave an involuntary shudder. If he looked into those eyes for too long, he might lose himself. "But what would you find?" whispered a little voice in the back of his head. He was so lost in his thoughts that he failed to notice when Bulma stepped from the house into the garden.
She had gotten worried when Vegeta hadn't returned by nightfall, and was going out to look for him. She was very surprised to see him just sitting in the garden, but relieved he was home. Over the past few days, many emotions had run through her, Vegeta being the cause of most of them. He had been avoiding her, or at least not trying to see her. Now she thought would be a good time to confront him.
"Hello Vegeta," she started with. His only response was a grunt, but at least he didn't get up and run away, so Bulma took that as progress. She sat on the ground next to him, but soon lay flat on her back so she could see the stars without hurting her neck. Before long, Vegeta also lay down. They sat in companionable silence, until even their breathing rates matched. Finally, Bulma broke the silence.
"They're so beautiful," she said, referring to the stars. "When I was a little girl, I never dreamed that they were actually far distant suns. I thought," she pausing, lightly blushing at admitting a childhood fancy to Vegeta, "I thought they were the signs of love for couples around the world. That every time two people fell in love, a star would light, just for them, to shine over them for the rest of eternity. And I could wait to have my own love, my own star. Kinda silly, huh?" she asked, glancing sideways at Vegeta.
Vegeta felt the raging fire that always burned in him cool a little, calmed by the cool night air and the sight of Bulma wrapped in starlight. He did not answer immediately, allowing himself the rare pleasure of drinking in her serene beauty. He finally managed to tear his eyes off of her, and look back at the stars. Stars that shone nowhere near as brightly as her brilliant eyes…
"I suppose everyone must have some strange ideas about the stars when they're young," he answered finally, not sure if he was ready to open up yet.
"Well, what was yours?" she asked, plain and simple.
Surprising himself, Vegeta spoke. "When I was young, I thought the stars were lights to show my future victories." Unconsciously, his voice filled with pride. "That every light in the night skies symbolized a battle I would win, a people I would conquer, a planet I would destroy. And for years…I was correct. Until now…" he trailed off, his voice growing softer.
"And now what?" inquired Bulma, intrigued by this open, sharing Vegeta.
"Now…all I see are the empty places between the stars, mocking where my own planet used to be," he said, his voice filled with self-loathing and despair.
Bulma forgot for a second that she was dealing with the Prince of the Saiyans and laid a sympathizing hand on his arm. She felt his muscle tense under her hand, but her did not pull away. Anguished obsidian eyes, as dark as the spaces between the stars, met concerned cerulean eyes. They stared at each other, surprised to see echoing expressions of loneliness on the others face. When you are alone, you never think anyone else could feel the same. And then you meet some one as isolated and forlorn as yourself, and suddenly it's not so bad. The solitude becomes easier to bear when shared.
Vegeta wrenched his gaze away from Bulma's very enticing eyes. But it was too late, she had already seen the sheen of tears in his eyes. The cold, haughty mask of his face slipped, and she saw the real man underneath. The pride was not an act, but he used it as a shield against the heart-rending agony he felt, forever banished from the planet he was born to rule. His very soul seemed to cry out to her with a great need, while at the same time shrinking away from any type of closeness. Bulma's heart ached for him as she pulled him close for comfort. The only sound for a few minutes was Vegeta, trying to regain his composure. Finally he got control of the shuddering sobs, although his eyes remained haunted. He pulled himself out of her arms, but lay close to her so that their arms touched still.
"I…thank you," he muttered awkwardly since he was not used to thanking people. Bulma just nodded accepting everything she knew he meant but couldn't put into words. Vegeta decided it was time to change the topic. "How are you…Bulma?" he asked, and it was hard to decide which sounded more clumsy, his apology, his question, or his use of her name. Secretly, he thought her name was lovely, and so had decided to not use it, in case of unwittingly revealing his feelings.
"Ummm…I'm okay. A little sad, but nothing Yamcha and I haven't gone through before. What about you, how close are you to restarting your training?" Inside, Bulma found the situation amusing. Imagine, laying here, having a normal conversation with Vegeta! She hid her amusement: she didn't want Vegeta think she was laughing at him.
"I think I'll be ready to start training in a few days," Vegeta said, trying to sound natural and failing miserably since his normal tone was somewhere between a growl and a yell.
"It's amazing how quickly you've healed, Vegeta. You really were a wreck when we got to you. By the way, I'm…I'm sorry I distracted you and got you hurt." Now it was Bulma's turn to sound stilted, although her apology was sincere.
"Well, Saiyans do have the ability to heal quickly," Vegeta answered, not wanting to dwell on her apology. "Just one of our many superior skills."
Bulma chucked quietly over the cocky look on his face. She had to hand it to him: he had confidence to spare. "Well, what are some of the others?" she asked, curious about this alien living in her home.
"I don't really know; we are just superior. Better senses, quicker healing, greater natural strength…the list goes on. All of these abilities are useful in conquering other planets, so we've honed them as much as our battle skills and tactics."
She was fascinated by his talk of other planets. "So, how many worlds do you suppose you've been on?"
Vegeta snorted, his usual smirk on his face. "I doubt even your large brain could handle a number that big," he teased gently, loving the spark in her eyes. "But truthfully, I lost count some time ago."
Bulma decided to ignore his teasing and just go for what interested her. "Will you tell me about some of them? What they were like ands all?"
He couldn't help but smile at the child-like eagerness in her voice. The smile looked odd, as if he had never practiced it much. Still, it made his face seem softer somehow. Younger, more human…very attractive. Bulma blinked at where her thoughts had gone, and yanked them back to the stars.
"Okay. See that star over there? Second to the right? Well, that one's called Trindle…" and the two of them spent a very enjoyable night talking in the garden.