Disclaimer: Dragon Ball Z is owned by the absolute genious Akira Toryama. I do not own these characters, or make any prophet what-so-ever off of this story. I write it out of respect for Akira, and his wonderful characters.

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From The Author: Hi. I got a review yestyerday that said that 187 wasn't very old for a Saiyan. I just kinda guessed, knowing that Saiyans lived very long, just not exactly how long. So I searched the web, got some information, and changed it to 212. I made him a little older than my source said the average Saiyan could live, because he's in great shape. Ok. Bye.

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Chapter Eleven; Nature's Way

Vegeta had stayed out of his house all day to collect his thoughts. He came home at about two in the morning, expecting to find Bulma asleep in bed. She wasn't there, so he traced her ki signal to her office. She was sitting at her computer in the dark.

"No!", she screamed, "I'll have to start all over again!"

"Bulma.", he said, coming up to her, "Stop."

"What? Oh, hi Vegeta, why are you still up?", she said sleepily.

"That's what I should be asking you. Go to bed, Bulma. Please."

"No. I have more work to do down here. Don't wait up for me. This is going to be an all-nighter.", she said.

"No. Stop. Take a break!" He realized that he was raising his voice. "Just relax once in a while! All this stress is going to kill you." His fists were clenched so hard it hurt, and he was shaking. He picked her up out of her chair, and carried her up the stairs.

"Vegeta, let me go! I have very important work to do!"

"Sh. You look horrible. You need some rest, and your going to get it. I'm not going to let you work yourself to death. Sell out. Give the business to Trunks or Bra. Do something quick, because I think it's time you retired." He couldn't stand the fact that she would only have nineteen more years of life, and heewas going to prevent her death by any means possible. He was going to make her life happy and stress free.

"Vegeta... Your crying."

"What?! No I'm not!", he said. He felt something trickle down his face. Oh, Kami, he was! "Just calm down!"

"Vegeta, what's wrong? Where were you all day? What happened?" He didn't respond. "It was something Baba told you, wasn't it?"

"Yes.", he said through clenched teeth.

"What is it?", she asked.

"None of your concern." He placed her on her side of the bed. "Now get some sleep."

"You can tell me. Please."

"He thought for a moment about what he could say to her without lying. He didn't want to tell her, because he feared that it would only bring her more stress. He got the perfect idea. "She told me how long I was going to live.", he said.

"Oh, Vegeta, you shouldn't worry. When she says something, it means the way the future would be if she hadn't said it. Maybe you can prevent your death somehow."

"Maybe.", he said.

"That's not it, is it?"

"Bulma, just go to sleep. I'll lay down with you. Just get some sleep, and please retire soon.", he said.

"She told you when I was going to die, didn't she.", Bulma asked.

"You read my mind again."

"Am I going to die soon? Please tell me!", she said, worried.

He knew that if he didn't tell her, she would just read his mind. "Nineteen years.", he said.

"Oh, that's a relief. I thought you meant I was going to die some day soon."

"I'll have to live over a hundred and thirty more years after your gone. Please Bulma, stop working, and give yourself a few more years of life that I'll be able to spend with you.", he pleaded.

She looked at him, then smiled. "Ok. I'll arrange retirement tomarrow."

"Thankyou."

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Twenty-three years later...

Vegeta sat next to Bulma on the couch. Lately he had cherished every moment with her with all his heart. She smiled at him, her face wrinkled, and her hair gray, and she was beautiful. He touched her hand ever so carefully, and she spoke. "I never get tired of just sitting here with you, Vegeta. Do you know that?"

"Same here." He smiled back. She was still in pretty good health, able to walk around on her own.

"You know.", she said, "It's because of your constant love, and attention that I'm alive right now."

"And, as always, I would be dead inside if it wasn't for you. Just another soulless minion of Frieza, not caring about anything enough to revolt."

She chuckled. "Here I am, an ugly old lady, and your still just as young and hansome as the day I met you."

"Bulma, you know I've begun to age as well, and besides, your beautiful. You'll always be beautiful."

"And you'll always be wonderful, and caring." She pulled on his arm, trying to get him to put it around her shoulders. He did so cautiously. "Your so powerful, yet so gentle." She turned to face him. "Vegeta, I know you don't like to talk about these things, but I am really getting on in years, and I want to make sure you'll no what to do when I...leave the dimention for good."

He truely couldn't stand the thought that it would be no more than another year or two before she would be gone, but wanted her to be happy up to her last day, so decided to listen. "What do you wish?"

"I don't want a huge moselium,or anything like that. I want a simple burial with those who are closest to me. I don't want my death to be such a big deal. Thankyou for listening, Vegeta. I will never forget you."

"What?! Bulma, no! I thought you would at least live a little longer!"

She couphed. "Don't go raveging the universe, alright, and don't kill yourself. It's just not right. You should live out your existance to it's natural length." She withdrew a small black box, and opened it. Inside were two golden rings. "Yours is made up of a powerful aloid. It's vertually indestructable.", she said.

"Why are you giving me this?", he asked.

"Because we never got wedding rings." She put hers on, "And because I want to remember you, and you to remember me."

Vegeta, who was crying uncontrollably now, took off the gloves that had always covered his hands, and put the ring on his right ring finger, feeling horrible pain at the fact that it would soon be on his left. "I could never forget you, Bulma." The lump in his throte grew, and his words were choked out. "I..could live a milloin years, and get a thousand cases of amnesia, and I wouldn't be able to forget a single second of the time we spent togather if I tried." Tears formed in her eyes also. "Don't cry, Bulma. You are a good person. The afterlife will be kind to you."

"I'm crying because of you, Vegeta. I don't fear death.", she said, quietly, "I just don't want to leave without you. Listen, Vegeta, I don't want you to stop feeling after I die. I want you to mourn my death, but don't be excessive about it. You should mourn for as long as you need, then try to move on."

"You don't seem to realize what your asking of me, Bulma." He turned to her, tears dripping off of his chin, and onto his legs. "I won't move on. It will be beyond my abilities to move on. I won't destroy anyone, and I won't give up my feelings. I will promise you that, but if I said that I'd be able to move on within this lifetime, I would be lying to you."

Her body convulsed slightly. "It hurts, Vegeta. My heart is stopping."

"It's not fair!", he yelled, "I'm just past, if not still in, my prime, and here you are dying of old age. It's just not fair! The universe is not fair!!!" He saw her convulse again. "I love you, Bulma! Don't leave me! Please!"He hugged her, and his tears fell upon her shoulders, as he felt the convulsions quicken, and then nearly stop.

His heart burned, and his tears poured, as he layed her on the couch. What she said next was less than a whisper. "You will meet me in otherworld." What came next was even quiter, infact she didn't even say it, because her body was already dead. "I love you, Vegeta.", he heard, as he felt a chill flow through him. As the room became warm once again, the world suddenly felt lonelier and emptier than he had ever thought possible.

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From The Author: How long DOES the average Saiyan live. Please answer, and please review. This isn't the last chapter. Sorry it's so sad. Bye.