"Daddy…" Baetro mumbled softly. A tear crept down his cheek, but he didn't wipe it away this time. Every time he tried to be brave he ended up breaking down anyway, so he let his tears come now. It was easier than way.
Why did he have to go? It wasn't fair, dad never did anything wrong. He didn't deserve this… Why couldn't he come home? Why did he have to go away? Why did he have to die…?
Everything was falling apart now. Turilla was off with Ponnipo… Vegeta was too busy being king to spend any time with Baetro, so he never saw Trunks and Celomia anymore. Veg-F and Ebony didn't visit all that much, either. The only member of his family Baetro really saw anymore was his mother. His heartbroken mother… she tried to be so strong for him, but every time Frieza came round, she'd send Baetro off to his room. Then Baetro would leave the room but stay nearby and listen to her crying. And it made him cry. Frieza's words of comfort didn't help anymore than it helped mom.
The family was falling apart, and it was all because of that stupid war. That stupid battle… that stupid King Kold! He'd ruined everything! He'd… destroyed the entire family. Now that dad was gone, everything had just been getting worse and worse. Everybody was too busy to spend time with Baetro. He used to see Vegeta a lot before dad had died. But kings don't get that much time off, so he'd lost his brother, his nephew Trunks that still lived at home, and his best friend… Celomia. Vegeta always used to visit and every time he came Celomia would come too. And Baetro always loved to see them. He thought the word of Vegeta… and Celomia was so much fun to be with.
But now… it was all different. When there wasn't anybody visiting him, Baetro would always hang around with his father. Dad was busy a lot, but he still tried to make time for Baetro. And usually he did.
Baetro loved dad more than anything in the word. And now that he was gone…
Baetro hated Kold! Hated him! He'd taken dad, and that messed up everything else. Kold had taken Baetro's family away from him. It was so lonely now, just him and mom. Everybody else was either too busy to see him or just wasn't bothered enough. They were all gone. Everyone… Frieza had told Baetro to try to remember all the good stuff about his father. Baetro tried hard to do that… but he always remembered the row they'd had. It seemed so stupid now. Baetro wanted to fight in the war but dad wouldn't let him, that was all. He'd said he was too little. They rowed about it. Baetro shouted at him, so dad shouted back. Then Baetro said things he didn't mean… like "I hate you." He only said it because he figured dad would come back home later and start groveling. But dad never came home…
"Dad…" Baetro sobbed. "Daddy…" he sniffed. "I'm sorry, daddy…" he knew it was too late now to say the words he should've done before… but he said them anyway, hoping and praying that wherever dad was, he would hear them.
"I'm sorry," he cried. "I didn't mean it, dad. I never wanted that stupid row! I didn't mean any of it!" his tears poured out of his eyes onto his pillow. "I love you, daddy. I'm sorry… I want you to come home. I want you to come how right now…"
"Baetro?" a voice spoke outside his room.
"Go away!" Baetro sobbed.
"Baetro…" the door opened, and Kyuuri walked in. She looked sad when she saw him there. "Don't cry." She said. "Come on…" she made her way over and sat on the bed beside him.
"I said go away." Baetro mumbled.
"You don't have to say sorry." Kyuuri told him. "He knows you're sorry, remember what Vegeta said? He said that your father told him to apologise to you."
"So?" Baetro sniffed. "He doesn't know that I'M sorry! And he never will know!"
"He does know."
"You're just saying that! Have you spoken to him?!"
"…" Kyuuri lowered her eyes.
Baetro knew he was harsh just then, but didn't care.
"I want him to come home."
"… So do I." Kyuuri told him. "… But even royal saiyans don't always get what they want."
"But I love him, mommy!" Baetro protested. "And he thinks I hate him!"
"He doesn't." Kyuuri promised. "He knows you didn't mean anything you said, just like he didn't mean anything he said."
"Everything's broken…"
"No it's not." Kyuuri shook her head. "Nothing's broken, Baetro."
"Our family is! I never see anybody anymore. I never see my brother and Celomia just because Vegeta's too busy! And Turilla doesn't care about me anymore, now that she has Ponnipo." Baetro's tone was bitter.
"That's not true at all!" Kyuuri frowned. "Your sister loves you, Baetro."
"She didn't like dad… so why should she like me?"
"She DID like your father!"
"No she didn't! They always used to fight and they never made up afterwards!"
"That doesn't mean she doesn't care about him!"
"Does too!" Baetro argued.
"Baetro, stop it now!" Kyuuri snapped.
"…" Baetro was hurt by her tone. "… I'm sorry." He burst into tears. "I didn't mean it…"
A look of regret instantly swept across Kyuuri's face.
"I know." She said softly. "It's alright… come here." Baetro crawled over to her and she held him tight.
"Your father loves you… and we all love him – and he knows that. Okay?" Kyuuri brushed her fingers gently through Baetro's hair.
"Uh-huh…" Baetro nodded a little, and sniffed.
"Good boy." Kyuuri hugged him.
"Mommy…"
"Mm?"
"Why won't you cry in front of me?" Baetro asked.
"What?"
"You cry in front of Frieza, I can hear you." Baetro told her.
"… I don't know." Kyuuri answered. "I just… I don't know. I suppose I'm trying to be brave for you, you weren't supposed to hear me cry."
"… Veg-F told me that when his mom died Vegeta found a new one for him."
"Yes, I suppose you could say that." Kyuuri said. "He didn't go out looking for a new mate… he just found Bulma and fell in love with her."
"… You won't find someone else, will you? Veg-F says he doesn't remember his real mom much…" Baetro began. "I don't wanna forget daddy, I don't want a new one."
"You don't have to worry about that." Kyuuri promised. "I'll never love anybody but your father, okay? There won't be anybody else."
Baetro smiled a little.
"Good…"
Kyuuri kissed his forehead.
"Come on," she said. "Do you want to go and see Celomia?"
"But Vegeta's busy." Baetro replied, raising his head to look at her.
"Celomia isn't." Kyuuri answered. "And neither is Trunks. I'm sure Veg-F and Ebony wouldn't mind seeing you, either."
"… What about Turilla?" Baetro asked.
"We'll see her, too. Her and Ponnipo, if she wants. Hm?"
"… No." Baetro turned away.
"Why not?" Kyuuri looked at him.
"It's not the same without Vegeta…"
"Well… we'll see him too, then." Kyuuri replied. "We'll invite the entire family round, and the whole of Frieza's family, too. Bulma can bring her friends if she wants, and if Vegeta says he's busy I'll just tell him that if he doesn't come he's grounded." she said with a smirk. Baetro laughed, and it made Kyuuri smile.
"Should we do that?" Kyuuri asked.
"Uh-huh." Baetro nodded.
"Alright then." Kyuuri got up off the bed. "I'll call them all."
"Okay." Baetro smiled. Kyuuri kissed his cheek, and left the room.
"…" Baetro crawled over and lifted up his pillow. He picked up the photo he'd put underneath it and stared into his father's eyes.
"… I love you, daddy." He promised.
With that, he carefully replaced the photo of him and his father, and went after his mother.
The photo of King Vegeta lay still under the pillow. King Vegeta stood proudly in it, his arm around his youngest son's shoulders.
"I love you too, Baetro my son. I'm proud of you." The wind carried his voice to Baetro's bedroom, just as it had carried Baetro's voice to him.
