34

Changing History.

…it hit him all at once.

All the old grief and the pain that had been dulled a bit over time that suddenly was fresh and new.  Vegeta felt the rain cover his body and the chill and numbing cold that felt as if it was at the core of him.

He couldn't remember why he was here or where he was.  But he remembered the pain of loss…

"Gotcha!"

The voice startled him as he saw a boy in a yellow slicker and hat holding up a frog in triumph.  The boy laughed and tossed the green-blue thing, into a bucket nearby, "Two more to go," the boy announced and turned back to the pond.

He watched the boy for a minute.  The boy.  The scene…. He had to remember something but he couldn't remember… he couldn't remember at all.  But he knew that boy was Cyrus.  He knew that it was Cyrus from the tattered remains of a dragon umbrella.  The boy was not allowed to be out in the rain, but here was jumping after a frog and yelling with almost abandon glee.  He looked so … so … small.

Cyrus gave a yell of triumph as he caught frog number 2 and went back to the bucket with a large grin on his face.  He hummed to himself as he placed the frog into the bucket and quickly closed the lid before it could escape.  He then looked up and stopped humming.  "Hi Grandpapa," he said.  "Gee, if mom saw you, she would give you heck!"

He just stared at the boy.  Cyrus: So young and so small.

"You are all wet.  Are you okay Grandpapa?"  Cyrus said as he put a foot on the bucket, as it was wobbling like crazy now.  Those frogs didn't like being caught.

"I'm fine," he said in a husky whisper.  He was surprised at how his voice sounded.  It sounded, like, like, it did before… He didn't want to sound like that.  He had worked so hard to overcome his past…. Overcome… past… future….

He had done this before…. He had to stop… he had to change something…but but.. what?

"You sure?" Cyrus said.  "You still look really sad.  Oma went to a better place you know," Cyrus said.  "She went to heaven and she will be reunited with her parents there.  She missed them and she will be waiting for you.  So don't be so sad.  I'm going to miss her too.  She was the best person to play with, but then, you know that, right grandpapa?"

He just nodded his head.  She was gone.  She was dead.  The thought of her gone ripped through him as if she had just died…it wasn't that long ago.  How could it be so short of a time?  It felt like she has been gone forever.

"Do you want to catch frogs with me?  There for Legen's bed?" he said with a smile that he knew that he was going to refuse, even though he did look a bit disappointed that he had refused.  "Is there anything I can do, to help you feel better?"

It was such an innocent question that set off alarms in his head.  The boy was the reincarnate of the dragon.  Ubu was the reincarnate of Buu… yet, he still had all the strength inside him…he needed to be trained, but it was there still.  It had to be in the boy.  Had to be!  He just needed the right motivation to let it out.  But he wasn't supposed to do that.  He put a hand through his hair.  No.  It wasn't right.  It wasn't right to have these thoughts!  He had to overcome…

But the dragon's power… he couldn't disturb it.  He wasn't supposed to disturb it.  He had to stop himself.

The words popped out of his mouth before he realized he said them.  "Wishes," his voice cracked and hoarse.  It almost scared him and it defiantly scared the boy, who jumped and looked at him with big confused dark eyes.

"Let me have one more day," he said.  "Grant me that.  That is obtainable!"  He found himself walking towards the boy.   He blinked his eyes as he walked forward and he strained to stop himself from walking but he did.  He knew that he was crying and he didn't care that he was.  He missed her but he knew that was okay, but what he was doing was wrong.

She was gone.

Cyrus had the power of the dragon.

The power should not be disturbed.  It was resting and should be allowed to rest.  Hadn't he learned that somewhere?  He had to overcome all of this… he had to get past it.  Somehow.

Cyrus looked all confused.  "I don't know what you are talking about, grandpapa.  Maybe you should go in and take a nap or something.  You look tired," he said and took a step back.  "After a good nap on a rainy day, you will be able to think more clearly."

Cyrus hat fell off his head and his green hair glistened with newly fallen rain.  Much like the scales of a dragon.  He had to have the power in there somewhere!  He just had too.  He could see her again.  He could apologize to her again.  He could tell her that he was a fool for treating her like he did and he would tell her that he loved her and give her that ring… ring… yes.

He would… he had given her… a ring.

He stopped at looked at the young and innocent Cyrus looking up at him with frightened dark eyes.

He had given her a ring but didn't stay for the reaction… couldn't do it…

His mistakes….He shouldn't, couldn't repeat them…

……………………..

Cyrus had heard stories about how bad his grandpapa used to be, but he didn't believe them.  Why should he?  So he had a little bit of a foul temper.  It was not much different that moms.  Oma even used to say that he used to be someone that she was even scared of!  He could not imagine Oma being scared of anyone.  But seeing Vegeta looking at him like he was, he could understand how at one time, she could be scared of him.

He was terrifying to look at.  His eyes were ablaze with sorrow and a fury that he didn't understand.  His hair was soaked and draped down to his shoulders.  His clothes were soaked and you could see that his muscles were straining to stay under control.  His whole body was shivering.

He may not train, but he knew what it looked like when you were trying to stop from powering up!

"Grandpapa?" he said in a whisper.  He didn't understand what he was doing.

"You have to help me boy," his voice harsh, and so not like him.  " That kind of energy just does not disappear!"  He saw Vegeta's arm dart out and he didn't know how he dodged it, but he thought it better if he does not let Vegeta get a hold of him.  He heard Vegeta grunt and before he could look back, he felt himself being lifted off the ground.  He wasn't quick enough to miss the hand that grabbed the hood of his jacket and pulled him back.

"Quit hiding who you really are!  Show yourself!"  Vegeta said from behind him.  He had no idea what he was talking about!  What could he be hiding?  He quickly undid his jacket and struggled out of his coat.  Vegeta looked stunned for a moment, as he looked at the empty coat.  He took a couple of deep breaths and shook his head.  He dropped the coat from his hands and put them to his temple.  It looked like he was struggling with something.  He couldn't tell with the rain, but it sure looked like he was crying.

"Grandpapa?" Cyrus said as he shivered in the rain.  "I don't know what you want!" he

said.

"You do," he said in a hoarse voice.  "You just don't know it yet."

Cyrus looked around for some sort of help but didn't see any.  He slowly began to back away from Vegeta.  "Please don't run from me," he said.  Cyrus knew that he was defiantly no match for Vegeta, but he knew that he just had to wait until someone came home that was!  Legen was not going to be any help.  He was most likely on the computer gaming right now.  He wouldn't notice a thing!

Where did Benot go after they ate?  He didn't see him leave?  Did he go home?  He hoped so.

He started to run.  It was the only thing that he could think of.  He ran and managed to dodge Vegeta's hands once more but was once again caught tight in his grip and this time, there was no way that he was going to be able to get out of the sweater he was wearing.  Soon he was staring right in the face of fear himself.  "I know that you have the power," Vegeta said, his voice full of desperation.  He wished he could give him what he wanted.  He would have like to see Oma, for just one more day too.  But he had no idea as to why Vegeta thought that he could do such a thing!  His eyes softened and looked they were sparkling with tears.  The grip loosened on his arms.  "Just one more day."  His eyes were looking at him, as if he was searching for something.  The grip wasn't tight but he was scared.

"I don't know…" he started and then found himself thrown aside.

"You do!  You do!"  Vegeta said and shook his head and let him go.  Vegeta stood still in the rain for a bit, with his hand pressed to his forehead.  He found himself sitting in the mud staring up at a Vegeta he did not know.  He was starting to feel the familiar tightness in his chest and he reached for his inhaler, but it was not there.  He looked over to his yellow slicker and there it was, encrusted in mud.  It wouldn't do him any good like that.

Vegeta lowered his hand and looked up at the rain clouds and allowed the rain to wash over his face.

"I can't stop myself," Vegeta said in a much calmer voice than before.  It was actually even scarier than his other voice!  A hand went to his chest as if it were hurting Vegeta.

Cyrus could hear himself start to wheeze as he tried to get to his feet now.  It was more of a panicked scramble, but he couldn't get much ground.  The earth was so wet that he slipped.  He cried out as he saw Vegeta come towards him with his hands outstretched and he felt himself being lifted.  He closed his eyes and prepared for the worse.

…………………………………..

Benot felt the familiar rise in Vegeta's-- he was pretty sure that it was his-- Chi, he was shocked to see him in the yard.

He was more shocked to see Cyrus cringing as Vegeta was reaching for him and looking like he was angry!  Cyrus!  How?  Why? What?

He was stunned as he watched Vegeta grab Cyrus.

Why?

He didn't think, but just reacted.  He meant to lunge at Vegeta with all he had and was going to attempt to tackle him.  He knew that he was nowhere near his strength, but he couldn't let him hurt Cyrus!

But he found himself stopping short.

Vegeta was kneeling in the mud, holding onto the wet Cyrus and weeping like a baby.

Vegeta.

Crying.

It was a site that was just to shocking for him to comprehend in a moment.

Cyrus looked a little scared and uncomfortable.  He patted the back of Vegeta.

"I am sorry," Vegeta said and held Cyrus.

That was when he saw his mom jump into the picture.  He did not know where she came from.  There was the truck, with Flint and Flare's faces plastered to the windows with large curious eyes.  She walked from the truck towards them with a cautious but quick pace.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Vegta said and let go of Cyrus and let himself sit on his heels.  Cyrus fell back and chewed on his lip and looked at everyone with curious wide eyes.  His chest was heaving and it looked like he was on a verge of an asthma attack but he was to scared or freaked out to say anything.

He knew that he was.

It was mom that reacted.

"Vegeta?"  She said putting a hand on his shoulder.  "Are you alright?"

He nodded his head.  He wasn't crying anymore but he was looking right at Cyrus with sorrow filled eyes.  "I think…"  He slowly stood.  It almost looked as if his whole body was aching as he did so.  "I think that I shall go home now and take a nap.  The boy made a good suggestion."  His voice sounded strange and distant.  He slowly shuffled off and all they did was watch.

Flint came out of the truck.  "What the hell is up with him?"

Benot didn't get it.

Then Cyrus started to cry.

………………………………………

"I really want to go home," Trunks said wearily to Pan.  He was tired of this funeral stuff and all the stuffed shirts that were sending their condolences.  He was really tired of it.  Half of them didn't know his mother.  He was too drained to care how it would look if he just walked out.  He wanted to go home and curl up in bed and try to forget about the day.

"Daddy?"  He looked down at his shy little girl, Crystal, who was holding onto his hand with a vengeance all of a sudden.

"Yea?" he said and looked down at her.  She had been hiding behind him all evening and being silent.   She had cried during the funeral and that had stopped his own tears as he held her by the simple marker that was her grave.

She chewed her lip and flipped her hair out of her face.  She really needed a haircut.  "It will be okay, right?"

"Sure," he said.  He thought she was talking about her grandmother being gone but her next question confused him.

"They aren't going to fight are they?"  She said.

"Fight?  Whom are you talking about?"  He said.

"You know, Soyna and Vegeta.  They aren't going to fight, are they?"  She said with that same nervous smile.

"I don't think so," he said simply.  Why would they fight? They were closer than he was to his own father.  "Why would you think that they would fight?"

She shrugged.  "I think it is all better now," she said with a smile.  "I don't think I will have those weird dreams anymore." 

He blinked at this little girl and looked at Pan who was looking just as confused.  What was going on here?  His little shy girl was suddenly spouting riddles.

Pan sighed.  "It has been a long day.  Let's just go home and try to relax a little bit."

"Sounds good," Crystal said with a large smile.

He just shook his head.  He was too tired to worry about what his little girl was saying.  He was pretty sure that he was most likely hearing things and things will make sense in the morning.

……………………………..

Cyrus wouldn't stop crying.

It scared Benot a bit and he could see that mom was getting a bit angry as well.  Not at Cyrus but at Vegeta.  Great.  Just what they needed another family argument.

His words were finally starting to make sense though, even though they were not logical.  "I missed you so much mom," he said and hugged her fiercely.   He had not let go of her since they have been in the house.

"Miss me?  I haven't been gone that long?"  She said.  "It has only been a couple of hours."  She gave him a confused look.  "Are you sure your okay?"

The first thing they did when they brought him in was take him out of his muddy and wet clothes, mom threw him in the shower and then dressed him in a couple of layers of clothes and he didn't complain.  Benot was certain that he was sick if he wasn't complaining about how mom was dressing him.  He always complained about how mom dressed him and how she worried too much about him.

The whole time, he had bawled his head off.  He was a lot calmer now.

"I'm fine," he said and smiled through his tears,  "it is just… just."  He started to gulp air and more tears were threatening on falling.

"Did Vegeta hurt you?"  She said in a stern voice laced with anger.

Cyrus shook his head.  "No.  No.  See.  He didn't hurt me.  Look.  No cut!"  He said with a large smile and a laugh as he pointed to his cheek.  "No cool scar!"

Flint had entered the room with a sneer on his face.  "You are just to weird little brother.  You need to see a doctor."  Flare followed him in and just shook her head at him.

"Scar?"  Mom said and gave him a strange look.  "What are you talking about?"

Cyrus just laughed and then lunged at Flare and gave her a huge hug.  She balked and slapped him.  "You little freak.  Get off of me!"

It was almost funny, if you didn't see the look of joy at seeing her that appeared on Cyrus face.

"Sorry, sis," he said as he sat on the floor and continued to cry with a smile on his face.  "Sorry." 

Legen looked like he wanted to say something, but he already got one hell of a tongue lashing over allowing Cyrus out in the rain and had lost all computer privileges for a month.  He didn't want to risk loosing further time.  He did have a little worried look on his face.

He was worried.  His little brother turned into a little mad man.

"It WORKED!"  He yelled and continued to chuckle at his own private joke.

"I think, I will go get Raymond," he found himself saying and working towards the door.  His little brother was in major need of help.  He snapped.  Scary.

…………………………………..

Goten arrived home feeling all drained.  He had to cover for Trunks after he left the reception and help get Bra out of there without having a total breakdown.  She really was not handling the loss of her mother all that well.  He knew it was most likely have the emotions to deal with her pregnancy.

He didn't mind it.  Trunks looked as if he was about to collapse before he left and he didn't like seeing his friend like that.  He was thankful that he was able to leave and let Gohan and Videl handle the few remaining people and help organize the cleanup.

Of course, he was not expecting to see his home in turmoil.

"Dad!"  Cyrus said and ran towards him and suddenly he was attached to his neck and was crying.  "Dad.  Dad.  Dad, dad-dad-dad-dad!"  Cyrus said and was crying.  He fell back against the wall to keep himself from falling on his butt. 

"What is with you?"  He said and looked over to Soyna and other other kids.

"You're alive!" he said and hugged him tighter than he thought Cyrus could.  He was almost cutting off his breath.

"Okay," he said.  "When did I die?"  He asked.  Trying to be funny but no one else saw the humor and the answer Cyrus gave was a little disturbing.

"Oh!  A couple of months from now but you don't anymore," he said and detached himself from his neck.  Thankfully.  Boy, his grip certainly increased!  He sniffed loudly and looked happily up at him.  "It worked."

"What worked?"

He shook his head.  "Can't remember," Cyrus chuckled and cried at the same time.  He looked to Soyna for an answer as to what was going on here.  This was just so weird but from the look on her face, she was worried as well.

……………………………………..