AN: Yet another long absence, but I hope I can make up for it by posting a short story in conjunction to this one!

Major thanks to the inimitable Geebers/G-Ball/Gutterball for remembering the security password on this damn story…at least one of us has a memory!

Dragon's Sword: Yeah, I know, I collect doujinshi. Um, thanks, I suppose?

Ozuma's Girl: You tell him, O G! It might help if you go back a bit and read…I know this story isn't really worth the second go-round, but heck…shrugs what can I say?

Griever Weapon: I fell off the face of the Earth for a while, but I'm back now! You might have to take Kakarot with you to therapy after all…and I'm glad that you think about my stuff. Makes me fuzzy inside. Mmm, warm fuzzies.

Viper Vegeta: Hmmm, I think I might have missed something there…grins

Midnight-flame-princess: I'm back and is cursing! Things might work out…or they might not. Hard to tell, innit? Thanks for putting me in your top ten!

geez, only five reviews…quite a drop in popularity there…

Onwards!

The inability to cope

"You ready, Vegeta?"

Vegeta nodded. They were gathered on the lawn outside the yellow complex of Capsule Corp, and the balls glowed as they hummed with energy. Bulma turned to the dragonballs.

"By your name I summon you forth, SHENRON!"

There was the usual darkening of the sky, the burst of light and dragon shooting into the sky. It finished its appearance, and looked down at them, its body curling around Capsule Corp and West City.

"You have summoned the Eternal Dragon. I can grant you two wishes. I will hear your first wish!"

Bulma gave Vegeta a smile as she made her first wish. "Dragon, I would like you to heal prince Vegeta back to his normal state."

The dragon's eyes glowed.

"It is easy enough."

A few moments and Vegeta felt his bones healing, and the cuts closing up. He powered up into super Saiyan, and broke the casts. He flexed his muscles, and grinned.

"Much better," he said.

Piccolo watched him, and smiled. It must have been hell for the prince to be encased in plaster. Vegeta pulled off his neck brace, threw it in the air, and vaporised it with a blast.

"Be gone!" he laughed. That neck brace had been almost as maddening as the plaster.

"You have one wish remaining. What is it?"

"Dragon, could you restore Prince Vegeta's body to its intended state, the way it should be? His body was badly damaged in his youth, and it stunted his growth. Could you reverse the damage and give him his true form."

The dragon thought for a moment, as the tip of its tail wound around a skyscraper.

"It should not be too hard. The process will be painful, but it can be done."

"Then, dragon, restore Prince Vegeta to his true form!"

The dragon's eyes glowed, and Vegeta was lifted about six metres into the air, but not by his own mechanisms. He was surrounded by green energy, which flowed around him for a few moments, then sank into his body. Vegeta's skin rippled, and he shook as the energy swirled around his bones. He bit back the scream as his spine was stretched and his bones lengthened, his nerves repaired and his muscles unknotted and strengthened. It felt like he was being stung by thousands of wasps, and he couldn't hold back the scream any more. He threw his head back and yelled, his entire body shrieking with pain as all the injuries of fifty years of abuse and battles were drawn out of his body, the damage repaired and scars erased. The pain left him gradually, and the dragon put him down gently on the ground.

"My work here is done. Fare thee well!"

They all shielded their eyes, as the dragon shot up into the sky, dragging his tail behind him, and then he vanished, the seven spheres exploding in different directions. When the sky had cleared, they all went over to Vegeta, who was sitting on the floor, rubbing his eyes. Bulma and Trunks kneeled next to him.

"Dad. Are you okay?"

A furry something brushed against his hand.

"Okay? I'm perfect!"

Vegeta stood up, and Bulma smiled.

"It worked then. You look even more gorgeous, Vegeta."

Vegeta had indeed changed. He was far taller, about Goku's height, with his bangs that brushed his eyelids and his tail too.

"Wow, dad!"

"Yes, wow is right. I'm going to test out my new body; I'll see you all later. And, Blue…"

"Yes?"

Vegeta smiled, as he started rising. "Thank you."

She winked, and he blasted upwards, laughing as he did so.

Vegeta streaked across the sky, almost tearing the blue arch over the earth. He couldn't stop laughing.

"It's so easy! It's never been this easy!"

He turned super Saiyan effortlessly, as easy as blinking an eye. He swooped amongst the clouds, and noticed that his energy trail was a different colour too. It wasn't its usual dirty white, but bright blue. He wondered if he would now be able to turn super Saiyan three. From what he could gather, it seemed to be a state attained by training, rather than emotion, like the first two levels.

"I wonder what Kakarot would say if he saw me with bangs?" Then Vegeta halted in mid air. "No, I won't think of that bastard any more! It's over. I will get over him, and I will become super Saiyan three, just to spite him. With this new body, I can do anything I want! Today is a new day, and the beginning of a life without Kakarot. I don't need him. He doesn't need me."

Vegeta started flying back, but at a slower pace.

"But…why aren't I happy? He broke my heart, he stripped me of everything, so I hate him, right? I'm better off without him, aren't I?"

Vegeta brushed his bangs out of his eyes.

"Let go. I have to just let go."

But its going to be the hardest thing I've ever done.

Three months came and went, and neither of the last two pure blooded Saiyans were any better off. Vegeta had spent the entire time training, but kept coming up against the same wall every time. He had flickers of the transformation, but they would come and go faster than he could grasp them. Of course, he could just ask Kakarot, but his pride wouldn't let him. I'll do it without that bastard's help, he told himself every single day. But when he had got all his stuff back from Kakarot and seen all the photos, he'd just sat in his room for hours and stared at the pictures, the only remnants of a friendship past. He'd packed the photos away, and told himself never to look at them again. But some days, his resolve deserted him, and he took a peek, memories washing over him like the cool spray of a shower after a training session. He couldn't lie to himself any more. Yeah, it was nice being at Capsule Corp, but he wasn't all that happy. As much as he enjoyed testing his new body and the incredible strength that had accompanied it, it got boring.

He found himself back in the same, mind-numbing routine again, a routine from which he had managed to escape for four months. The best months of his life. But now, it was just wake, eat, train, sleep.

Wake-eat-train-sleep. Wake-eat-train-sleep. Wake-eat-train-sleep.

When was it going to end? He wanted out. But could he go back to the little capsule house in the forest? Would he be welcomed back? Kakarot hadn't even called or visited, nothing. He obviously didn't care whether Vegeta was miserable or not. And if that was the case, then Vegeta told himself to stop pining after the other Saiyan and to concentrate on getting to super Saiyan three.

But why is it so hard? Why can't I just get over him?

A little voice spoke in the back of his head, and he'd tried to ignore it for months.

You still love him, Vegeta. Swallow your foolish pride and go to him. He might have died and you wouldn't have noticed, you're so arrogant in your martyrdom.

Vegeta stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. He looked in the mirror over the sink, his hands on the edge of the basin.

"But what if he hurts me again? Or what if he's moved on with his life, and forgotten about me? I'm not going to let myself get hurt again."

You are a coward, Vegeta. The thing you hate most.

Goku stubbed out his cigarette, and finished the last swig of his beer as he got off the couch. He stepped over the pile of pizza boxes on the floor, kicked an empty bottle of vodka out of his way and went to his bedroom. He opened a drawer, and took out a white bottle. He popped open the lid, and shook four little blue tablets out onto his hand, and stared at them for a while.

He felt saddened, as he knocked them back.

Is this what I've been reduced to? An alcoholic chain smoker with a sleeping pill addiction? The great Goku. If only they could see me now.

The cigarettes helped him relax, the booze helped him escape and the sleeping pills gave him sleep without dreams. God knows he'd tried to cope without crutches. For the first week, he'd tried to fight away his depression, but it didn't work. Fighting reminded him of Vegeta. So, he'd just called off training with Uub, and started moping around the house. At first, it was just the occasional drink to help him sleep at night. He'd kept dreaming about the fights they'd had, their last argument, about seeing Vegeta in hospital for the first time.

Then, he thought that maybe he would just try smoking before bed. He heard that it helped people de-stress; maybe it could work for him. Once he had gotten past the initial bad taste, he was hooked. Now he smoked a pack a day, drank three six-packs of beer each day (at the least) and took sleeping pills at night. He couldn't fall asleep without Vegeta around the house; he had to knock himself out. He'd stopped training and instead ate a continuous stream of junk food. He didn't want to cook, he couldn't care less that the house was unsuitable for any living creature, and he couldn't give a flying fuck whether he lived or died.

Vegeta doesn't care. I don't blame him. I'm a bastard, a coward. I deserve this hell that I've created for myself.

Goku climbed under his covers and stared at the ceiling. The pills were taking longer to kick in; he'd have to increase the dosage again. But, same as every night, the tears preceded his sleep.

"I just want to be happy again."