Rock Your World
Epilogue - Rock Your World
(Present day. Almost three years later….)
I return to myself, sprawling against a tree in the grass with my hands stacked behind my head. The sun is setting, dying the sky Vegeta's favorite color. I smile, marveling at how far we've both come. Speak of the Devil, Vegeta appears, smiling to see me so relaxed.
"Kakarot, can I show you something?" I flinch involuntarily, remembering Tien's words from two years ago. Shrugging off my inhibitions, I stand and tilt my head to the side, questioning.
Vegeta smiles again, "Follow me," he hovers for a second before blasting away, throwing over his shoulder, "If you can keep up!"
I laugh and launch joyfully into the air, following his ki trail painted across the sky. He leads me to Capsule Corp, touching down an instant before I do.
Of course he enters through the window; Prince Vegeta's too good for the door, after all. Bulma is there, so is Trunks, Gohan, and Goten.
"What's the occasion?" I ask, tail flicking semi-nervously.
Vegeta grins, "It's our anniversary, Kakarot. Surely you hadn't forgotten?"
"Of course not," I say defensively. Shit, I forgot again.
Vegeta catches the look in my eye and laughs, "That's okay, I forgot too until the woman reminded me last week."
"I have a name, you know," Bulma says indignantly.
"I know, but to me you'll always be 'woman'," He turns to me, "Just as you'll always be Kakarot to me; even if you label says otherwise."
"Yeah," I nod slowly…"Wait what?" Label? What's he talking about?
"Woman," Vegeta intones, waving a hand in some kind of signal I don't recognize.
Bulma nods with a smile and presses a button on a small remote. There's a hissing sound and speakers swing out of the walls.
What is going on?
Bulma hands the remote to me, pointing at a triangular button.
"Press play," she says with a smirk that's nothing short of evil.
I do as she says, nervous as hell and sure I'm about to be made fun of. Immediately the room fills with sound, the sound of an electric guitar, my guitar. Oh, she didn't! I think with a grin.
It's my song, one I wrote a long time ago called "Rock Your World" when I was thinking about how music had brought Vegeta and I together. It's exactly the same as it was when I played it for the prince.
"How did you record it?" I ask in disbelief.
"I didn't," Bulma replies breezily, "You did,"
"I did?" I remember no such thing!
Gohan looks up with a smile, "You did,"
"But I –"
"When I first gave you Ongaku there was a small device attached to it that would record anything you play, Bulma put it there," Gohan explains, "When Vegeta was cleaning the guitar for you, he found the device and plugged it into the computer. Every single one of your songs was on it."
I stare. Then look at Vegeta.
"And I didn't know about this 'til now because….?"
"I wanted it to be a surprise," Vegeta smirks and hands me a thin plastic square. I look at it. It's a CD case. Vegeta made me a CD for our two year anniversary. And I forgot to do anything for him. I feel ashamed.
"Wow, I really don't know what to say," I murmur, giving Vegeta what I hope is a look that cries forgiveness.
Vegeta loops his arm around my shoulders and kisses me gently; the music playing in the background seems to be drowned out for a moment.
"That's enough of an anniversary gift for me," he smiles, "But if you insist it's not enough, I'll happily wait 'til tonight for a more… appropriate thank you," he gives me one of his world-famous leers.
"As you wish," I say automatically.
"Oh, you two," Bulma laughs, "You should come by more often, I forgot how hilarious you are when you're stuck in the same room."
"You mean all the time?" I grin.
Vegeta thwacks me with the back of his hand.
"It doesn't count as being stuck if you want to be in the same room," he says teasingly.
The sun is down; the half-moon above is bleaching the city below as Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, and Goten fly back towards home. Vegeta and I are less than a foot apart, talking quietly while the younger boys tackle Gohan and piggyback on his shoulders. Gohan's protests and indignant strugglings are ignored, as usual, because we all know he secretly likes the attention.
As the boys bustle through the door, calling dibs on TV rights and who gets the first scoop of ice cream, Vegeta whisks me to the side of the house and pins me against the wall, kissing the breath out of me. We stand that way for a few minutes, locked in the embrace and the taste of each other's lips. We probably would have stayed that way all night if Goten hadn't shouted from his room,
"When you guys are done making out, can you help us divvy up the ice cream? Trunks always cheats and Gohan does a lousy job,"
I'm about to ask him, irritated, why he couldn't do it, but Vegeta just laughs, steals a brief kiss, and opens the door for me.
"After you, my little artist," he grins.
"What a gentleman," I smile and bow exaggeratedly to him as I cross the threshold, "And who's calling who little?" I throw over my shoulder.
Vegeta just laughs again, closes the door behind himself, and follows me after our sons.
And, cheesy though it is to end on this note, I have to admit that life is damn good.
THE END
The story will continue in the sequel:" Love Has No Cure"...