"Vegeta..."
"Father?" Vegeta looked around frantically. "Where are you?"
"Vegeta..."
"Father!" Vegeta followed the voice. He moved swiftly across the battlefield and the bodies that lay upon it, and stopped dead when he saw him.

King Vegeta lay there, bruised and beaten. Blood seemed to escape from all over him. There was so much of it Vegeta couldn't even see where the wounds were. His armor was smashed and torn, his hair sticky from the blood.
"No…." Vegeta collapsed at King Vegeta's side. "Father!" he placed his hands on the older saiyan's shoulders, and shook him lightly.
"Hmm..?" King Vegeta opened his eyes. A smile appeared on his face, though it clearly hurt him.
"I knew you'd come. I was waiting." He said.
"Who did this to you?!" Vegeta demanded. "Tell me!"
"King Kold." King Vegeta replied. "I never knew how strong he was… you would even struggle to defeat him, and I thought you and Tanya were the most powerful beings in existence."

"I'll get help." Vegeta told him. "I'll be back soon, I promise –"
"Vegeta, don't play that game." King Vegeta interrupted him. "I can't be helped now and you know it. If I could recover I would've done it by now."
"But -"
"Leave it, Vegeta. There's nothing else that can be done for me." King Vegeta looked at his son. He gave a small, comforting smile at the look on Vegeta's face.
"Don't look like that, Vegeta. This is a war. People get killed.
That's what it's all about."
"There was no reason for this war." Vegeta replied bitterly.
"True…. But it's started now." King Vegeta seemed to be having trouble breathing. "Could you do me a favor…?"
"Anything." Vegeta nodded.
"Sit me up against something, I can't support myself and I need to cough."
"……." Vegeta saw nothing he could sit his father up against, so he just shifted King Vegeta into his arm and held him up himself.

King Vegeta started to cough as best he could, spitting blood out as he did so. Vegeta's throat tightened, he looked away so he didn't have to watch. He could still feel his father, though. He was….. dying.
"Look at me." King Vegeta ordered.
"……" Vegeta turned his head to look. King Vegeta stared up at him.
"Vegeta…"
"I'm here." Vegeta forced himself to sound strong. "What is it?"
"Are we…" King Vegeta slowly removed one of his gloves. Vegeta watched him, waiting patiently for him to finish the sentence.
"….. Are we close?" King Vegeta asked.
"Huh?" Vegeta looked at him.
"You were my first child." King Vegeta reached up his hand to touch Vegeta's face. He scraped through Vegeta's hair a little, before he grew tired and his arm dropped on Vegeta's shoulder. Vegeta grabbed his father's hand and held it as he listened.
"I don't think I've ever told you…. But when you were born, it was the best day of my life…." King Vegeta said.
"… You didn't need to tell me." Vegeta replied. "Yes, we are close. You were always there for me. Took me camping too, remember? You and Frieza?"
"Heh heh…" King Vegeta laughed. "Yes, I remember. Not one of us ever came back from any of those trips unharmed."
Vegeta laughed.
"Yeah, I know. Good times, right?"
"Yeah, they were."

"You were good to Turilla, too." Vegeta said.
"But…. I don't know if she'd say that…" King Vegeta replied. "I have no favorites, but I doubt she know that. I suppose I've always nagged at her….. compared her to you all too often… I suppose she thinks I look down on her because she isn't married like you."
"She knows you don't look down on her." Vegeta told him.
"Then you don't know her very well… I know what she thinks." King Vegeta said. "I've never understood her, not like I understand you. She and I have never been that close… not like a father and daughter should be…"
"Father…"
"But I love her. I love all three of you… And she doesn't know that." King Vegeta continued. "And perhaps Baetro is starting to have doubts…"
"What do you mean?" Vegeta asked.
"Ah, we had an argument." King Vegeta answered. "He said he hated me."
"He didn't mean it."
"I know. He's just a kid. But…" King Vegeta looked at the ground. "I yelled at him more than I needed to… I think I scared him a little. He won't forgive me now."
"He'll come round. Like you said, he's just a kid. He's probably forgotten about it by now." Vegeta assured him.
"No, you weren't there. He'll hate me." King Vegeta stared up at his son. He gave a small, bittersweet smirk. "You seem to be the only one of my children I can stay friends with."
"You're friends with all of your children, okay? Turilla knows how you feel about her, and Baetro's probably looking for you right now to apologize."
"But… he won't find me…" King Vegeta said. "And I don't want him to see me like this. If anything it'll traumatize the boy."

Vegeta was silent. King Vegeta looked at him.
"Son…. Would you do anything for me?" he asked.
"Of course." Vegeta promised. "What is it you want?"
"Pass a couple of messages on… because I won't be able to pass them on myself."
Vegeta swallowed the lump that built up in his throat.
"Okay…"
"Tell everybody that I love them. You know what to say. And my friends… Frieza has always stood by me and I appreciate that. I can only begin to imagine what this war must be like for him, he's fighting his own family. It was either us or them, and he chose to stick with us. Tell him that I'm grateful."
"I promise." Vegeta nodded. "Anything else?"
"A million things…. But I can't go through it all now. I'll just give you the basics." King Vegeta replied.
"I want you to tell Turilla that I'm proud of her. She needs to know… I wish I'd told her myself… But she has to know. I don't want her thinking her own father hates her. She's beautiful, and I know she'll make her husband very happy some day…. And even if she never gets married, that's fine too. She's my daughter, after all. She'll always be my daughter, and nothing she can do or say will change that… so I want her to know she meant something to me. Promise me you'll let her know that."
"I… I promise…" Vegeta blinked back a few tears that were desperate to form. He'd never heard him father talk like this. King Vegeta had always made his feelings know through gestures. He'd never told him son he loved him, but he'd let Vegeta know it by being a good father. This was… different. He was saying it…. And Vegeta's heart ripped as he did. Hearing King Vegeta speak like this just made his death seem more real.

King Vegeta looked at Vegeta.
"And Baetro… apologize to him for me. I didn't mean what I said, I was just angry. Half the time, I don't even know what I'm saying. Please…. He makes me proud. Tell him."
"I will." Vegeta nodded.
"And your mother… you have a wife of your own, you know what to say to her. I love her…"
"Father…"
"I'm almost finished." King Vegeta said. Vegeta let him carry on.
"Ahh…." King Vegeta looked proudly up at him. "My son… my first child…" he let go of Vegeta's hand and reached up to put his hand behind Vegeta's neck.
"… I am so proud of you…" he told him.
"Father, please…" Vegeta closed his eyes and turned away.
"You are the strongest saiyan in existence… And the luckiest. A beautiful mate… and three wonderful children that will make you as proud as mine have made me. Promise me you will take care of them. Them, and your brother. I won't be around for him, so treat him as you'd treat your son, because a child like that needs a father."
"I will." Vegeta replied.

"Son… Look at me."
"… I…"
"Look at me." King Vegeta's tone was firmer. However, it soon softened. "Please…"
"…" Vegeta turned his head back round to look at his father.
"I want you to do one last favor. Promise me you'll do it." King Vegeta said.
"Well what is it?" Vegeta asked.
"Promise me first."
"Father –
"Promise me, Vegeta, please." King Vegeta begged.
"… Alright, I promise." Vegeta gave in. "So what is it?"
"Finish me."

"WHAT?!" Vegeta stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious?!"
"Vegeta, of course I am!" King Vegeta replied. "Look at me, Vegeta. I can't even support my own body weight anymore. If you leave me I'll only die soon anyway. A fragile and pitiful death. I don't want that. I want to die with honor!"
"Being killed by your own son, you think that's honorable?!" Vegeta protested.
"Do it. I'm asking you to." King Vegeta groaned. "It is the tradition for princes to win the crown by defeating or killing their fathers. This will be your chance to become king."
"If I had to choose I'd rather remain a prince – anyway, mother will still be queen."
"If she gives up the throne, you will become king." King Vegeta told him. "Wouldn't you rather kill me for the title than merely accept it for no price at all?"
"No." Vegeta answered. "I couldn't… live with myself. I never planned to kill you… when it was time for me to take the throne, I always planned on just defeating you in battle –"
"But I am going to die either way." King Vegeta interrupted. "I'd rather die sooner than later… And I'd rather be killed by you than be left to bleed to death like a dog."
"Father, please…" Vegeta begged. "Don't make me kill you."

King Vegeta stared up at him. He put his hand on Vegeta's shoulder.
"Do you care for me at all?" he whispered.
"What?" Vegeta looked at him in amazement. "Father, what a question! You know I -"
"If you really did care for me, you'd kill me now." King Vegeta said. "Are you really the son I thought you were?"
"I…"
"Vegeta… this will be the last thing you could ever do for me." King Vegeta told him. "I don't want to lie here and be eaten alive by worms! If it is by your hand, I would die a happy man."
"Please… You don't mean that." Vegeta looked away.
"You know I do." King Vegeta replied. "Vegeta… I beg of you…"
Vegeta turned his head back to look at his father.
"… Kill me." King Vegeta said.

Vegeta stared at him. How? How could he do it? But King Vegeta was so helpless… Vegeta knew it would break him to die bleeding to death. It would take away all of his pride. Was….. was it really best to kill him?
"Vegeta…" King Vegeta looked at him. "Do it. Do you care about me?"
"…… Yes." Vegeta replied solemnly.
"So do it."
"…… Okay." Vegeta still had no expression on his face. He gently placed his father back onto the ground, and stood up slowly.
"… Don't move."
"Vegeta, look at me. I'm not going anywhere in a hurry." King Vegeta answered.
"Right." Vegeta nodded. He stepped back a little, and built up a little ki. King Vegeta watched him.
"You will remember everything I told you, won't you, Vegeta?" he asked.
"Every word, I promise." Vegeta swore. King Vegeta smiled.
"Good boy. Thank you, son." He said. "Goodbye."
"… Goodbye, father."
"Do it." King Vegeta instructed.
"……" Vegeta turned his head away, his hand aimed and King Vegeta.
"Do it." King Vegeta repeated.
"…………" Vegeta jerked his head back to look at him. "I love you, father!" and he fired.

~~~~~

Vegeta choked for a few seconds as he realized what he had done, then fell to his knees. He rested his arm and head on his knee, his other knuckle digging into the ground.
"God, forgive me… it was for the best." He uttered.
"Vegeta!" a voice called to him in the distance. "Vegeta, where are you?"
"Turilla!" Vegeta gasped, looking up.

"VEGETA!" Turilla screamed. She stared across the battlefield, but couldn't see him anywhere. "Oniichan!"
"Turilla!" she heard Vegeta call back. A smile of relief swept across her face.
"Thank goodness… Vegeta, where are you?!" she ran towards him voice.
"Turilla…" Vegeta came running towards her, and stopped a few feet in front of her.
"Vegeta," Turilla smiled. "I didn't know what had happened to you." She said. Her expression soon changed when she saw the look on his face. "What? What's the matter?"
"… Turilla…" Vegeta fell again, but not before Turilla could stop him hitting the ground. She held him up and looked at him.
"Vegeta?" she asked. "What's happened? Tell me."
"…." Vegeta raised his head to look into her eyes. "There is something you should know."