Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater

Chapter Twenty-Four: Do You Love Me?

After he was done being pathetic—as he had referred to it to his mind—Vegeta had been standing still for the longest of times. At first sight it might appear to the untrained eye that he was practically idling but that was a dreadfully wrong presumption, because no vacuous staring in one point was as emotionally draining as his was.

Even though he had finally succeeded in releasing all those pent up feelings and frustrations that had suppressed him over all those years, he still felt as terrible and empty as ever, if not possibly even more so. He wasn't certain what exactly to think of himself anymore, what to think of his life, of his relationships with various people, about his future and his capabilities… And he most certainly had no idea what to make of the current situation he was finding himself in…

He had just chased out his girlfriend from the room after spilling all his sacred precious secrets to her. He had probably scared her off for good with all those things he had said, with all the things he had done in the past, with all that he had once been and would continue to be. He was keeping as far away from society as humanly possible; he had disappeared in the woodwork for three days straight now. And he was certain that he had made it perfectly clear to everyone who knew him that he didn't appreciate visitors, pursuers or any of the sorts, so he could forget being pulled out by force out of his dusty crappy old apartment. Not for mentioning was the fact he had perhaps driven away the only person who would stay and argue his reasons for longer than five minutes in whole and she had actually done her very best at trying to make him understand where he stood at this particular point in time. But even as she had put up her very best effort, it couldn't get through his thick skull; none of what she had said had penetrated the multi-layered shell that was his head. At least, not until now, when he had time to mull over all the things that had been said and done… all the things for the past two years that had happened to and with his life…

He had never done this before – sitting there and trying to figure things out, trying to make a difficult decision; namely – what exactly would happen next? He had never before been faced with a decision so heavy and burdening… And it helped none that it all depended on him and him alone.

What should he do? How should he act; around his girlfriend, around his friends, around his ex-friends? Should he continue acting like this, keeping away from anything that moves and thinks on its own accord or should he reacquaint himself with his friends that were probably worried for him by now… or maybe they weren't? Were they his real friends, after all those terrible things he always said and did…? Did they even care for him any longer or they had already written him off? Did he have the will-power to stand up again and to be faced with all the shit that had chased after him his entire life? What about the bubbling power in his veins? Did he have the inner strength to suppress urges that were greater than him? Was there a way to keep those emotions under complete control? Was there a way he could attain inner peace once again without having to humiliate himself in front of anyone anymore?

So many questions rained on his mind mercilessly, pounding on the surfaces of his consciousness like giant frozen droplets, creating small craters in his mind with every single hit of them. The answers to all those lay in him and he knew it… but he didn't like some answers and he didn't want to think about them at all. He had known the answers to those questions for a long time now but avoided them for as long as he could, he was postponing the agonizing realizations. But he could postpone no more. It was now or never. He knew why he couldn't find inner peace; he knew why those forces of his were raging like ocean waves splashing against the rocky coast. It was his entire fault… It had always been his fault… He had always known so many things but paid little to no heed to them at all… and his guilty conscience was now swooping on him tenfold for all the mistakes he had done…

Things like his mother's death and that he had killed his father were long mourned over and buried. He had long since come to terms that he would never appreciate ChiChi's presence as a permanent part of Goku's life, or would he ever like her. He was, too, quite used to being labeled bisexual, though those who spread such rumors had no idea that wasn't the case at all. He was dandy with being famous, drooled over the sight of or just plain Vegeta – it was what he was, after all, and he didn't want to change that – he was used to those things for goodness' sake! He was fine with what he had been transformed into from the nineteen years of life he had led. Sure, he was no saint, but nor was anyone he knew, and he knew many people.

The three issues that wouldn't let his mind rest were called Hailie, Rain and Bulma. He was utterly confused as what to think of those people and where they stood in his life. Also there was the fact that his mind wouldn't cease nagging at him because of the way he had completely alienated himself without listening to any of their reasons from his once two best friends in the entire world…

He could vividly remember, as if it had happened yesterday, how bitter Rain had been every time Vegeta had told him of his advances on their mutual auburn-haired friend. All those situations, grimaces, silences which were remembered and just stored away somewhere in the back of his mind, as if they were unimportant and easily neglected without remorse. And perhaps they had been easily neglected… until now. He could no longer claim himself right and everyone else not just because they had done him wrong… Yes, a great wrong it had been, indeed, but it hadn't been done on groundless reasons…

He could recall all those times when he had spoken to Rain about Hailie before he had asked her out and his best friend's reactions…

The two of them were eating noodles from the nearest Chinese restaurant just down the street, enjoying the music in the background as they stared out the spacious dining room window which covered most of the wall in front of them. It was a beautiful view – the darkness had swathed the busy city but that didn't seem to bother its inhabitants the least. All those colorful neon lights and lamps, the buzz of the busses and an occasional honk of an angry driver the symphony of the night-embraced capital. Yet the two boys' onyx eyes were sightless to the scenery, their young heads too troubled with problems a sixteen-year-old should know nothing about.

"How's Hailie?" the taller one suddenly spoke, his words slicing the silence like a solid knife cutting through an exceptionally defiant piece of cheese.

Although the tense atmosphere, the other youth seemed to lighten up a little at the prospect of the upcoming conversation.

"I'm quite certain she's improving a lot! As soon as she comes out of the hospital, I think of asking her out—"

"Did she mention anything about me?" The taller boy interrupted his friend's enthusiastic retort, not really in the mood to hear the end to that sentence. The flame haired boy's face twisted in anger for being interrupted—he hated that greatly—but decided to let it slip just this once as his expression fixed into a thoughtful frown now, replaying the entire scene at the hospital in his mind before answering.

"As a matter of fact, she did, and she said that she's angry with you. You should better come and visit her sometime. Maybe that could cheer her up a bit. She's falling behind with her studies and maybe with you paying her a visit she'll accelerate some more once again." He slurped the remains of his noodles, turning the box with its bottom upwards.

A heavy sigh tore from his friend's lungs as he set down his pair of sticks and noodles carton. His dark eyes turned wistful, distant for a moment before he retorted, "Yes… I supposed she'd be angry with me…" and with that he stood up and left his buddy baffled, standing alone in the spacious kitchen, wondering what exactly he had said wrong…

And that was by far not the first or the last time something like that had happened between the two of them…

"Rain, what the hell is wrong with you?" yelled a spiky-haired boy as he swung another boy around by his arm, forcing their two pairs of utterly matching onyx eyes to lock in a fierce mute battle. "You're upsetting her by not even acknowledging her existence! I thought we were all an inseparable team!" His voice had risen to alarming heights to anyone close to the pair, but his counterpart knew him better than anyone else and knew that there was nothing to be afraid about. Vegeta Ouji's short temper was famed all over the city by now for the boy had become quite famous along the streets but Rain's reputation of a skating bad boy didn't fall far behind either.

"Well, I'm really sorry I can be of no help to a child and his hopeless unrequited crush, but—"

"So now I'm a child, am I?" Vegeta interrupted him rudely, trying his best to ignore the rest of the sentence which he refused to admit had hit home with him. "I am a child by believing things will really get better? I am a child by just being close to her when you act childishly, not even coming to see her? Fine then, I shall be a child to you, father." Rain's eyes squinted until they were mere malicious slits. He hated it when his best friend referred to him that way… because he knew perfectly well how much Vegeta had resented his father, although the reference had nothing to do with that fact currently. "I'll just go on being childish and a real friend while you alienate yourself from us! Be that way, we don't care!" And with that he had stormed off, fuming, his ears deaf to any reasoning.

Even though faintly, he had caught Rain's last muttered words before managing to stalk away from him as far as possible before he said something that would really upset his best friend,

"You're a child for still believing in miracles, you fool…"

And again…

A very happy seventeen-year-old Vegeta stalked his best friend who had his back turned to the vulture, eyes fixed on the skaters he was teaching how to skate properly. He didn't notice much of improvement in those guys but that didn't matter right then. His mind was too occupied to be bothered by such insignificant things…

"Hey, Rain!" greeted Vegeta as he lined up with Rain who stood some good several inches taller than his compact frame.

"Hey…" the other muttered half-heartedly, his eyes dull and piercing. Although it was his best friend next to him, the other boy paid no heed to his fellow's obvious discontent with something. He was far too blinded with the happiness overwhelming him to take in any of his surroundings coherently.

"Guess what!" he continued with the same toothy smirk of a grin, his mood not faltering even an ounce.

"You won from the lottery to repay all your debts to me," he heard the impassive retort of his companion. The spiky-haired boy snickered.

"No."

"Then I don't want to play that game." Rain's eyes were as dull and hollow as ever.

"I asked Hailie out and she said yes!" Vegeta's voice's volume grew again, reaching heights his counterpart would rather not hear for such statements… It all just made the older and taller boy feel even more uneasy around the person he honored with the title 'best friend'… And, though he wasn't much experienced on such topics, he knew that best friends shouldn't feel that way towards each other… and especially not when one of them is ignorant to the other's torment. As he had already mentioned, he didn't have much first-hand experience in such matters as they were quite a new aspect to him, yet Rain was deadly sure someone you call your closest of friends should notice things like your discomfort with a particular topic or person, or will at least ask you about your feelings on it every once in a while if you keep a steadfast silence every time it is brought up… "I came to ask for your blessing." The other boy pulled the higher guy out of his thoughts with his ecstatic joking statement.

Even though he loved Vegeta—as a friend—more than he had loved and cherished anyone else; even though he appreciated their friendship more than anything he had ever had in his life, Rain couldn't digest that information properly. The girl he had had the most serious of crushes on for the past year and a half had accepted his best friend's proposal… He couldn't believe it. He had always stored some sort of a tiny hope that she requited his feelings, secretly as he did… He had always thought that their feelings were at least partly mutual… that she'd need time to consider such a proposal from anyone other than himself… Now those hopes were gone, reduced to ashes and scattered in all earthly directions from the ruthless wind… She preferred Vegeta to him… She liked Vegeta more than she liked him… He didn't mind that, he didn't mind his best friend's attraction to the girl. She was fantastic – how could he blame him?

Without a word, the male walked forward to the skaters. He stopped in mid-step to inform his friend quietly, "I'll go check up on those fools… They'll cripple themselves soon…" and continued towards his students, unable to look back at the grinning face of a boy who needed Hailie more than he did.

He couldn't bear to look at the person his feelings were betraying… every day and every night of the past year and a half…

He was a terrible person… He didn't deserve her, didn't deserve Vegeta… He didn't deserve even to live…

Again and again such things had happened between the two of them… Encounters that were to be paid attention to yet failed to receive a satisfactory amount of such. He had been such a selfish prick… He had deserved to be hurt…

Yet the bigger part of his consciousness—his oh-so-famous pride—out shouted his conscience, saying no on deserved to be lied to, toyed with, deceived by his closest ones and least of all him. He had done nothing to those two to deserve that kind of treatment… He had done them no wrong and yet they had obediently remained silent until they both could no longer suppress their urges. Why? Why had they both fooled him for all that time? Why didn't they tell him to his face, Rain that he didn't want Vegeta with Hailie and his girlfriend that she didn't want to be his girlfriend? He would've accepted that. Yes, he would've yelled, kicked and hit; he would have been incredibly pissed off at first, but he would have obliged anyway, he would've let them be and they all would've stayed friends. Yes, perhaps a bit bitter, but it would've faded with time… So why… why in Hell's name had they both lied to him for so long? Why were they so bent on breaking him apart? Perhaps they didn't know it… but though inhuman as he was, his psyche still had limitations to the amount of pain and disappointment in life he could endure! How hard was that to comprehend?

Ranging as he was, he could still imagine several reasons for them to keep his illusory world whole… They both respected him; they both loved him and wanted the best for him… They were two of his three best friends in the entire world! They couldn't possibly admit their betrayal to him by saying they preferred each other to him… He could imagine himself doing the very same thing… Yet he was certain that he wouldn't sleep with Rain's girlfriend before telling him how things actually stand. Either that or he would keep his affections for her to himself forever…

…Or at least if that girl had been Hailie, he thought bitterly.

Hailie just hadn't been the girl for him. She had neglected him, tried to make it clear to him that she didn't want him as badly as he had wanted her… and he had still insistently returned to her, crawled back to her like the pathetic kid he had been, getting kicked off time and time again… He hadn't realized what real attraction was before he had met Bulma. He hadn't realized what it was to feel yourself a better person with your counterpart before he had met Bulma… and he could well relate to Rain's feelings now… for he was sure Hailie and Rain were made for each other.

He could well imagine how hard it had been to keep their feelings to themselves all that time, pretending to be content with the lives they led, with the intrusion that he was to their personal space, although they most certainly didn't feel him that way. They were probably eaten by twice bigger remorse than he was… but he still couldn't forgive them… He couldn't understand! Why! Why in Hell did they keep on pretending for so long, WHY?

He buried his head in his bent knees and pulled them closer to him to protect himself from the sudden coldness of the room.

And that's when Bulma came in the picture.

His life had been as peaceful as it could've possibly been, just the stereotypical womanizer that he was, always amused with each morning by waking up next to a different girl every god forsaken day. And then she had to waltz in and ruin everything for him by making him feel… foolish all over again, if not even more so than he had before. When he had talked to her, he had met someone to match his intellect, someone to match him in argument, someone to keep a conversation interesting for longer than ten minutes in total. She was beautiful, rich, a role model to most girls her age—probably—and she had a temper unrivaled by most. She possessed a thick-headedness in various situations that could almost match up his; she was stubborn, stern with the decisions she had already taken, yet kind and non-demanding of him when it came to keeping his mask of impassiveness around her.

To describe her with one word, she was all he ever wanted…

…and yet he was hesitating! Why, you can't help asking? He wasn't certain of that himself…

He was afraid… No, Vegeta Ouji was never afraid, but he found himself petrified now… He had to take a fateful decision for himself which would change his world entirely…

If he surrendered and officially made it clear to her that his defenses were down in her vicinity, she could easily use that knowledge against him any time she wished. She could make use of it, try and manipulate him with it… He didn't want to have that… He was afraid of being weak… He was horrified by being weak in front of others, because that meant just all the more trouble for him, for weakness could only beget more weakness… He didn't want to be hurt ever again, for the only way he had left available for others to get to him now was by taking a special place in his stone cold heart and then sticking a spear through it… A really agonizing prospect it was, indeed.

He wanted to believe she wouldn't do that, that she wasn't that kind of a person, but he couldn't completely make the whole of him believe those tempting words, truthful as they were. The disappointments, the betrayals… all of them had left a mark burnt on his memory, reminding him painfully every time he attempted to trust another how it felt to be betrayed… He had taken it all three times – he wasn't certain he could take a fourth blow to his pride…

And on the other hand was pushing his girlfriend away completely, refusing her help, acting as though everything had been just a long nightmare of hers or something preposterous like that. He could pretend that all the things he had said he had not, he could pretend all the things he had done he hadn't… but that wasn't really a choice was it? It was about time he learnt how to face the consequences of his actions, how to face the difficulties in his life without having to run away from them and to do as if his problems were solved by just fleeing shamefully. He was a man now and he had to act like one!

Although with admitting his "everlasting and unrelenting love for her" he had to face not only the maturity of the situation but also the responsibility as well. The girl would require his full attention, probably, his full affection, compassion, ability to comfort her when needed and whatnot… All things that he had to change himself to become, things that required special effort on his behalf… It would only strain him even more. Mental strain made him want to lie down and wait to die, peaceful, unthinking… numb with pain… He couldn't change, not even for her. Changes were painful; it made him writhe in pain every time there was a change in his life. He had bitter previous experience with changes and he didn't want to continue enduring them…

Yet if he wasn't adaptable, he just wouldn't survive. It was the way this life worked…

So there he stood, pondering, musing over the dilemma simple enough to be able to be put down with words yet crucifying enough not to be thought lightly of: should he trust another and hazard another betrayal or should he just rot in his past mistakes, repeating them time and time again?

The answer, as ever, was already configured in his mind. But it didn't matter which of the options he picked because both were equally petrifying for both were based on one and the same thing… Namely, changes.

And Vegeta Ouji abhorred vicissitudes…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

It had been two days.

Two days and not even a word from her beloved Vegeta… Two days of utter ignoring on his part and two days in which she had put all her effort to try and comprehend all those things he had told her, to try and imagine what it was to be him. She had been listening to music, seated not-so-comfortably as she would have liked horizontally across an armchair, her back resting against one arm and knees over the second one. She had been staring out the window for the longest of times, completely motionless save for the rhythmical rises and falls of her chest, the wheels of her mind turning with rapid speeds.

Yet no matter how often she had tried to force herself to think of those things in particular, her mind just repelled off all her attempts, making her feel weak against her own barriers. She just couldn't figure what exactly was it that she had to understand… Those things… she had just wanted to know them to be able to relate Vegeta's actions to his past and that was all! The past of one human being was most definitely not the answer to the Universe and life in general… All those things were personal to him and she felt that the more she kept gnawing at them, the more she penetrated his personal space and becoming obsessive of him. And that was about the last thing she wanted to become of Vegeta – obsessive.

She could quite picture how much he loved having someone—be it his girlfriend or not—demand where he had been, what he had been doing or what he planned to do. God, she knew how much she hated to be obsessed over that way… It was utterly irritating! She would never turn into ChiChi, she had promised herself that long ago. Besides, Vegeta wasn't a person who needed to be watched over in that kind of way. He needed guidance in the emotional matters, in the social aspects…

She gave a very deep sigh, her lids heavy with sleep she had missed the night before because of the storm. Overnight it had reduced to a mere drizzle, but she could still see the droplets splashing against the massive windows of Capsule Corporation main quarters. Sighing again, she stood and walked over to her stereo—her taste in music long since heavily affected by her boyfriend's—switching the song off and immediately feeling the burdening waves of silence drown her in their deepness. Her pale hand lingered over the machine a little longer than hovered towards her body again as she decided to place herself a bit closer to the window.

Bulma Briefs was a smart girl—labelled a genius even among her schoolmates—but for once she had encountered a problem that she couldn't solve… She had no idea how to act towards her boyfriend now… now that he had finally confided in her the way she had wanted him to all along. She should've listened to that old saying, as it proved to be quite truthful – "be careful what you wish for; it might come true."

She had wanted to know what drove him to do the things he did, what had shaped him in the person he was… She would've never thought him to be a murderer, or that complicated of a person. Everything about him was so complex; it was like a net of actions and reactions… But what kept bugging her was his childhood…

Even though he had been terribly little at the time and probably couldn't even come close to the control he had showed her that night when he went in a rampage, it was a fact – he was a killer. He had killed his own flesh and blood. He needed help. But, yet again, she wasn't sure what kind of help it was or if he even wanted it. She couldn't call anyone professional—the way her sanity wanted her to, but she couldn't enforce her help on him either—as her heart willed her to. He was dangerous; he could probably kill her at any point – while she slept, while she ate, while she bathed, anytime!

But then again—she slapped herself mentally for all those thoughts—this was Vegeta she was thinking about for goodness' sake! Her boyfriend, her counterpart! The person that was the closest thing to a soul mate she would ever find. She shouldn't even be considering those things, as Vegeta was a person mentally stronger than anyone she would ever know. And she knew that he loved her, no matter he didn't admit such a thing aloud. And, because of all those things he had told her about in his past, she was certain he would never be able to hurt her, psychically as well as physically; he would never be able to cause her any sort of harm, especially not because of little self-control.

She could be sure that, in his arms, she would ne securer from the world than anywhere else on the planet… because she trusted him, because she trusted his self-restraint and his strength.

Her azure orbs observed impassively the trickles of the clouds' tears sliding down the glassy surface, racing each other mutely for which would reach the ground first and she thought she might just have fallen asleep before she had seen it. A figure in the rain stood right beyond the front yard's fence, staring idly at the front door ahead, motionless. She blinked again and again, as if that would help her any in cleaning the windows which were blurring her vision but no matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't rid herself of the vision of an erect onyx-colored halo of spiked hair around the subject's head. And, sure enough, once she had opened the front door, it proved her hunch had been correct – he boyfriend was standing there under the rain, staring at her front door indecisively and unmoving…

She wasn't exactly sure what he wanted her do to. Perhaps he was testing when would she have seen him, when would she join him after noticing him… Or maybe he hadn't intended to see her at all and she was intruding now… But whatever it was, she didn't care. What she saw perfectly clear was a person she deeply cared for getting drenched in times when immunity falls dramatically with no prospect of finding shelter from the rain which was growing heavier by the second now.

In her haste Bulma had completely forgotten about umbrellas, overcoats or jackets of any sorts, rushing outside practically naked and getting soaked with the blood-freezing water immediately, causing violent shivers to course up and down her spine, shaking her being to the core. But even though she was immensely cold, she wouldn't budge. She stood in front of his sightless eyes, staring up at him, trying to catch his attention subtly. When the plan proved not to work at all she decided to change the tactics.

"Vegeta, what the Hell are you doing out here?" she yelled shrilly over the racket that the falling droplets were creating around them. "Let's get you inside before we both catch a cold—"

"I don't catch colds," he informed her monotonously, coolly. She stared for a longer moment at him but shrugged it off almost instantly.

"Well I'm glad you don't but I do and it won't harm you in any way to just get in the house—"

"I don't want to get in the house." This time she withheld none of her bafflement and stared incredulously at him, making him add, "Before I know where I stand."

Bulma's arms crossed over her chest and her eye brow popped up inquiringly.

"And that is a matter to be discussed under the mind-numbingly cold rain?" Her question was quite logical and adequate but he didn't honor it with an answer. He just stared at her with that vacuous impassive gaze of his that scarred her soul every time she looked at him those past few days (well, the times she had actually met him, face-to-face).

"I want to make things perfectly simple and clear for you." He took a deep breath, as if preparing to submerge. "I don't plan on changing on your whim, I don't plan on being the same boyfriend the scar faced freak has been, I don't think I'll ever openly show any affection to you even when we're alone and completely in private and I most definitely hate to be controlled, pitied or toyed with. Once I commit myself to a cause, I commit myself to it fully. That should mean that once I am with you, I am with you until I can no longer make this relationship work. Things with me are quite more complicated than with your average boy my age, woman, I am certain you have figured as much over the months we had known each other." His eyes scanned hers for any visible reaction to his words. "I will probably never be able to forget all that has once been and it will most probably never let me at peace but as hard as I tried the past few days, I just couldn't picture my life without you…" His gaze didn't avert at this although she was ready to bet it would have.

What a coincidence – she had been thinking just the same thing over the past week as well! Life without Vegeta would be the dullest thing that could ever happen to you after being honored by carrying the title "Ouji's girlfriend" for months on end…

"I have confided in you, I had put my trust in you two days ago but don't let that mar your decision. All I ask you is to be honest with me; it's not a very hard thing to do in my opinion…" His onyx orbs suddenly grew hard, stern, determined… anxious…

Then he was quiet for a long gap of time, just studying her facial features, perhaps readying himself for her refusal to whatever he was there to offer; she wasn't certain what he had meant with all those things by now… She knew that he looked extremely cute with his hair drenched by the cold fluid poring from the sky, his clothes clinging hungrily to his body in the same way that she craved to entwine her arms around him to comfort him, to shield him from all thoughts but those of her, of them and their relationship which served as a refuge to both of them from the outer world. But now wasn't the time to think of such things; she had to be serious about this as Vegeta looked to be deadly serious about it.

At last, he had figured how to say it as short as he could, "Bulma…" he began hoarsely, his voice uncharacteristically calm and quiet. "Do you love me?"

His gaze was holding hers for any signs of non-verbal answers intently.

Her initial urge was to say "Of course, what did you think" or "Didn't I already say that the day before yesterday, silly" or something just in the same spirits. However, listening to your instincts around Vegeta, especially the pissed off Vegeta she was used to dealing with, was one of the biggest mistakes you could commit. She had no experience with this vulnerable Vegeta's reactions, but patronizing was most definitely the worst course of action she could take.

So instead she just took her time to think what he meant exactly with that kind of question. Certainly, he had listened to her two days ago when she had referred to him as someone whom she loved very much and worried a lot about.

He had actually packed so many things in four words it was almost mind-numbing and the temperature or humidity had nothing to do with it.

He wanted to know if she was ready to accept him as he had described himself to be: selfish, unchanging, arrogant, observant, understanding, thoughtful. He wanted to know if she still wanted to be with him after knowing that he was a killer—an idea that hadn't exactly hit home with her those two entire days—and claimed himself to be a monster… He wanted to know if she wanted a relationship with someone as deeply scarred for life, as damaged emotionally as he was. He wanted to know if she would be honest with him the way he had wanted his two former friends to have been with him and to be able to tell him at any point that she no longer felt comfortable with him if need came. He wanted to know if she could trust him, after knowing all those things he had said and done in the past, and if she would be still willing to go through all the difficulties of keeping his trust. He wanted to know if she was willing to give herself—utterly and entirely—the way he was willing to leave himself to her…

… He wanted to know whether she really loved him, whether she was still in love with him… after all the things said and done between them…

And to all those—countless and endlessly important to one's heart's peace and sanity questions—she had one easy and truthful, honest answer.

"Yes, Vegeta; I love you." Her voice was soft, soothing; her cerulean eyes locked with his just as sternly, unmoving… crystalline beautiful pair of sapphires…

She saw the flicker of a smile cross his features for a split second—such a marvelous curve of his lips—before he gathered her in his embrace. Caught off-guard by such an open display of affection that he had assured her she wouldn't meet in his face, she returned his odd hug reluctantly at first before she felt the comfortable warmth that she had always adored about him and she cuddled as closer to him as she could get. She smiled against his shoulder, enjoying the sensation of being in his arms with no sexual implements applied in the simple gesture for the only times when she felt allowed to embrace him were their heated nightly sessions—which she missed incredibly, by the way.

"Promise me you'll never leave me, Bulma…" he muttered quietly with his head buried in her damp lavender hair.

"It couldn't possibly even cross my mind, honey…" She felt her smile grow as his hold on her tightened slightly after her words. He didn't want to let go of her. He couldn't feel the coldness of the surroundings. All he could feel was her body next to his, her form in his arms, the way they perfectly fulfilled each other… the perfect whole that they created… He had missed that… He had missed it terribly.

And he would see to it that he would never have to miss it again.

Unaware of it, Vegeta had already begun to change, perhaps for once for the better in his entire existence…

Her face was already soaked to the bone, the pouring rain washing away the tears which spilled from the pair of cerulean eyes as her smile bloomed into a full-blown grin.

She had never been happier in her entire life…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Brief, short of an explanation perhaps, but the rest about Vegeta's psyche you'll have to figure out by yourselves. ;) Either way, please review to have next chapter out as soon as possible. Also, if you're interested, check out Live Journal of a scheme of the remaining chapters and the main ideas about their contents.

A small note to "kareen", the first reviewer to piss me off as entirely for the past year or so. I have already written my initial reaction in my Live Journal to her review, but I'd like to add a little something to the author's note of this chapter as well for all of you who'd like to flame that way too. Keep your opinions to yourself about the frequency of my updates as long as the gap between them doesn't exceed a month—if it does, I officially allow you to lynch me in most torturous of ways. Otherwise how often I update one of my stories is none of your concern. Either you like or don't that frequency – deal with it or leave it.

To get the point why I'm so pissed off, check the review… and tell me if it won't piss you off if you were an author too! Is it that hard to fathom that some of us don't have computers at their hostels and that they have lives going on outside FanFictionNet?

Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW:) Yours sincerely, DHA.