1 Explanations
Kani: In case you don't know, the last chapter was in Vegeta no ouji-sama's (yeah, I know...no one calls him that anymore, but whatever) POV.
embyr81788: Thanks! How'd I get my fics in italics? W'll...I saved the chapters in HTML format before uploading. So...
dbz babi gal 4476: I take it you liked this fic then, ne?
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It had been three days since Bulma's death, and the funeral was to be the next day. Trunks was still stunned by most of what had happened; he didn't talk much. The light haired boy spent most of his time alone; either locked in his room or outside—too shocked to cry much. He mostly practiced his aim with ki blasts or lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. There wasn't much else to do and Trunks didn't feel like going to school. His father didn't seem to care, anyway.
The dark ouji-sama was also silent. Vegeta's injuries from his fight with the mysterious "Totoma Henshin" had mostly healed and—since Mr. and Mrs. Briefs decided to let him and Trunks stay at the mansion—he spent lonely hours training in the gravity room. And plotting revenge. And reminding himself that he would have to tell Kakarotto/Goku about what had been happening sooner or later.
Neither one of them was looking forward to the confrontation they knew was coming...
****
"Kakarotto? What are you doing here?"
"And good afternoon to you too, Vegeta." The younger Saiyajin couldn't resist a grin. His smile abruptly vanished after a moment. "You haven't come over to spar for the last few days, so..."
"Hn." Vegeta nodded. "I was meaning to go over later today."
Then Goten opened his mouth. "Trunks-kun hasn't been in school for two days, either!" the boy exclaimed. "C-can I go see him...Vegeta-sama?"
The ouji-sama felt like slapping himself. Of course. School. It had completely slipped his mind... "The brat's in his room," he snapped, gesturing over his shoulder.
After Goten had gone, Goku glanced back at the shorter Saiyajin. "How did it happen?"
"Nani?" The spiky haired male arched an eyebrow.
Coal-black eyes darkened more, if that was possible. "Bulma, Vegeta," he said, his voice tense. "How...did this happen?"
Vegeta glared up at Goku. It wasn't an angry glare, although it was meant to be. It was a careful stare, one full of the fear and apprehension of a cornered animal. "How the hell'd you know?"
"She's my oldest friend, Vegeta. We do...or did have what you might call a 'bond'. Just in a different sense than yours." Goku's face held a rare serious expression. "What happened?"
Sugoi. Just great...! The former ouji's ever-present scowl deepened. He didn't want to tell the Saiyajin about all that had been happening because he wanted to handle it alone, but then again, pride had been the reason Bulma had died in the first place... "Come with me, Kakarotto."
****
"Trunks-kun? Are you awake?"
Sniffling, the violet haired boy raised his head from his pillow. Blue eyes widened at who he saw. "G-Goten-kun! Does...Father know you're here?"
"Hai." Goten nodded as he sat on the bed. "Tousan's here, too." The demi-Saiyajin carefully examined his friend's tear-streaked face. There were dark circles under the older boy's eyes. "Were you...crying, Trunks-kun?"
"I'm okay..." The half-Saiyajin nearly choked on his own lie. "I-I mean..." Trunks made an effort to hide his tears, but only managed to break down completely. Alarmed—after all, Trunks was usually more stoical—Goten threw his arms around his best friend.
"Trunks..." The Son boy swallowed back his own tears. "You don't need...to pretend nothing's wrong. We...we all know."
"Wh-why?" Trunks whispered brokenly. "Why did Kaasan have to be the one to die? Father hasn't talked to me at all...I...I still don't understand what happened!" He sank into Goten's comforting grasp, his tears wetting the younger one's shirt. "If I hadn't been in school, I could've helped Father fight...and then I would've known what this was all about..."
In bits and pieces, the whole story came out from a very disturbed Trunks. And he's the one usually comforting me... "I'm...I'm sorry, Trunks-kun," the black haired hybrid said softly. "Sorry I didn't get here sooner."
"Iie." Trunks pulled away from his best friend's embrace. "I-it's okay. I'll be okay, Goten-kun." The light haired boy turned a pleading glance towards Goten. "Don't tell...Father about this...please? He hates it when I cry." He says it's a weakness...
"Sure." The younger boy nodded. The two were silent for a moment. "Trunks-kun?"
"Y-yeah?"
"Tousan said that Bulma-san...doesn't want to come back to life even if we try it with the dragonballs. I-is that...true?"
Trunks clenched his teeth. "That's what...Father said." Apparently, he had cried all of his tears, but Goten hadn't. The Son boy sobbed inadvertently.
"I'm going to miss...Bulma-san, Trunks-kun..."
"Goten-kun...!" It was Trunks' turn to hug his best friend.
The two hybrids stayed together for the longest time, Goten crying; yet both comforted each other.
****
The open hill country that Vegeta and Goku had claimed as their sparring grounds was several hours away from Capsule Corp. If the place hadn't been marred with craters, rocky hills, cliffs, and fallen trees, it might have been called beautiful. Before the two Saiyajins had taken possession of the open area, the grass had been a thick, dark green; the kind that tickled underfoot, but now it grew in thin patches. The trees had been high and thick, their trunks nearly impenetrable.
Impenetrable, that is, until Vegeta had flattened them with a single blast of ki.
The countryside had also been empty and peaceful, but was now often filled with shouts and explosions. After all, the last person to live there had died long ago.
Voices, even if kept low, still managed to echo through the hills.
"On Vegeta-sei, there was a minority-elite class of Saiyajins called Henshins. They possessed blinding speed, the power to manipulate the chi of others, to mimic any attack used against them, to suppress their own chi even at their highest levels, and to blend in with their surroundings."
"What does that have to do...with what happened to Bulma?" Goku questioned as he and Vegeta touched down, standing opposite one another.
The spiky haired Saiyajin growled under his breath. "The yaro who killed her...he was a Henshin. That's why...I couldn't beat him."
Goku clenched his fists as Vegeta turned away and slowly walked to the edge of the cliff they had landed on. He followed the older one carefully.
"You know this..." Goku scowled. "How?"
A flaming ball of chi was forming on the ouji-sama's tightly-clenched fist. He grit his teeth as Goku repeated his question.
"He was my brother!" Vegeta spat as he whirled around, the chi around his hand swiftly brightening. "How could I not?"
"What?!" the black haired Saiyajin yelped, taking a step back with his eyes on the chi. "But weren't we the only two Saiyajins...?!"
The ouji menacingly advanced on the taller one, his anger steadily increasing. "Do you ever lack questions, Kakarotto?" he hissed. "I thought the bastard was dead! He was on Vegeta-sei when it was destroyed!" The former prince met Goku's perturbed gaze. "In earth years, he would be your age."
"Man..." Goku shook his head, still warily watching the ball of chi. "I think...I understand most of this now. But...why didn't you tell us this...before?"
Something within the short ouji-sama visibly snapped.
"Damn you, Kakarotto!" he screamed, raising his hands and releasing his chi. Goku was almost too stunned too avoid the blast, but managed to spring into the air, letting the attack fly harmlessly below him.
"Do you think I would have wanted to talk about what he put me through?" Vegeta growled, wafting into the sky until he was eye-level with his former arch-rival. "He was younger than me, and yet so much stronger! If my planet hadn't been destroyed before my brother came of age, my father would have made him the ou-sama of our people—in my place!"
"..." Goku was unsure of what to say. "Oh." He averted his eyes from the older Saiyajin's wrath-black glower. "I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?" Vegeta snorted, clenching his fists. "Pity is something I desire less than another beating at the hands of Freeza," He narrowed his eyes and—without warning—vanished with great speed. It was obvious that what the dark prince had just said wasn't something he wanted to talk about, so Goku decided to play along and spar. He concentrated, and, feeling the shorter one's ki signature shooting behind him, whirled around, catching Vegeta in the chest with a kick that would have killed a normal human. So you want to play, do you, Kakarotto? With a grunt, the Saiyajin fell back.
Enough... Forcing down his chi, the ouji let out a shout as he flashed into a Super Saiyajin. Goku did the same.
"You sure you're up to this, Vegeta?" he asked almost teasingly, bringing his fists up defensively. "I mean-"
"Be quiet. Just come at me," the elder SSJ hissed, his voice biting.
A tight smile crossed Goku's face. "All right!" He leaped forward, lashing out with a second kick. Deftly blocking it, Vegeta returned with a chi blast.
"Ha!" The tall Super Saiyajin brought his hands together, deflecting with an attack of his own. "That all you got?"
"Hn." The prince smirked, knowing that Goku was attempting to arouse his mostly-dormant anger. "What do you think, Kakarotto?" He shot forward, continuing his barrage. Goku's jaw tightened as he prepared his next attack.
A flurry of kicks, punches, blocks, and powerful bursts of ki summarized the next seemingly-countless moves. With each blow, Vegeta's frustration increased. He couldn't break through the younger Saiyajin's defensive barrier, as usual, and it was driving it crazy.
As the two SSJs fought, they talked. Or yelled at one another, rather. It would have seemed strange to anyone who might have seen them fight and hold a conversation at the same time, but Vegeta and Goku were used to it. They often ended up unintentionally pouring their minds out to one another as they sparred.
"I thought you were stronger than this, Kakarotto!"
"Heh...never underestimate me, Vegeta..."
"Hn...a lesson I learned long ago. Too bad that you have yet to learn the same!"
That was how they had become such close friends, by talking together so much. Although they—at least Vegeta—never would have admitted it.
One last blow threw the two opponents apart. Goku took the opportunity to gather his ki. "Tired yet, Vegeta?"
"Iie!" the ouji-sama exclaimed. "Show me what else you have."
All right, then... "Ka-"
I expected this much. Twin balls of energy formed around Vegeta's gloved hands, growing bigger each second. It's not like I didn't train for this...
"Me-"
For a brief moment, the dark prince faltered. Would it be so wrong to let the baka kill me now?
"Ha-"
I could waste my ki...and let him kill me...
"Me-"
The whole world seemed to hold its breath as Goku began to release the Wave.
"Ha!"
Or not. The ouji also attacked. "Hai!"
Opposing forces of chi clashed, resulting in an explosion that could have been seen from the moon. Vegeta cursed under his breath as he felt his energy depleting. I can't...keep this up... Sweat trickled down his face as his chi blast became noticeably smaller. Then, so suddenly he almost didn't believe it, the flow of energy from his hands stopped. Wh-what? The prince had no time to move as the Kamehameha Wave streaked towards him, plowing into his chest. Damn!
Vegeta dropped out of Super Saiyajin and fell from the sky, a pained cry ripping itself free of his throat before his limp body seemed to splinter on contact with the rocky hill terrain.
Oh boy... Goku flashed back to his normal Saiyajin state as he shot towards where the older Saiyajin had fallen. "Vegeta! Are you all right?" he yelled although his torso, which ached from a series of vicious blows, protested loudly.
The dark prince forced open his eyes. "Leave...me alone, Kakarotto," he mumbled.
"Leave you alone? Why would I do that? You could die!"
"And yet I don't seem to care!" Vegeta started up, but fell back with a moan as his chest convulsed. "Get away from me."
The taller male was taken aback by the statement. As unintelligent as he sometimes seemed to be, Goku knew when Vegeta wanted to talk, and when to leave the Saiyajin prince alone. For some reason, this was one of the times when he felt compelled to stay.
"C'mon, Vegeta," he urged. "I can take..."
"Forget it! I'm all right." With a remarkable amount of willpower, the shorter one somehow managed to stand. His shoulders shivered. "Go."
"But-"
Goku arched an eyebrow in surprise as the Saiyajin wafted into the air. "I'm going back to Capsule Corp."
"What are you going to tell Trunks when he sees you hurt?"
"Hn. The brat won't ask. I'm going to do some more training."
"Where?"
"Why should you care?" Vegeta bristled.
The stronger Saiyajin scowled. "Because he's your son! Does he know what happened? Does he know exactly what Totoma did...or who a Henshin is?" The prince was unresponsive. Goku moved forward slightly. "Shouldn't he at least know what's going on? I know he'll want to help."
That's what I'm afraid of, the black haired Saiyajin thought dryly.
There was a pause. "Bulma was bonded to him, too, you know."
Vegeta spun suddenly, grabbing the front of Goku's gi tightly and pulling the younger one close. He grit his teeth against something burning at his eyes. The last thing he wanted was for the "third-class baka" to do would be to see him cry at the mention of his former mate's name. "I don't want his help," he growled. "He's not strong enough...to deal with Totoma...especially if I wasn't." The spiky haired Saiyajin's grip loosened slightly and he looked away, seeming strangely timid for some reason... "I don't want him to get hurt...too."
No wonder... Goku sighed. "I...understand."
Vegeta released him forcefully. "Good."
"Mind if I...train with you?"
The dark prince couldn't resist a smirk. "A third-class baka like you? Please." He rose higher into the sky. "Try to keep up."
Goku grinned. "Hn."
Together they flew with blinding speed back to Capsule Corp.
