Chapter 5

"You'll pass? You won't use the Room again?" Piccolo and Kakarrot's conversation piqued Vegeta's interest and he quietly stepped closer...

"That's what I said." Kakarrot's voice still hadn't lost that eerie calm it had acquired since he got out of the Room. Perhaps making the Super Saiyan form your natural state had more side-effects than Vegeta had seen from his two-month sampling.

"Why?" Piccolo asked. "You still have another day before you've used all your time."

"It's pretty rough in there, even if you're not doing anything," Kakarrot said. "I'll do better resting my body."

"Really?" Vegeta asked, curious. "You don't think the Room would help?"

Kakarrot shook his head. "Nah. Maybe if I had more time to rest first, but right now I'd just be torturing myself. I'd probably get weaker." Kakarrot turned to Piccolo and the others. "I've got nothing against you guys using the Room, though. You've probably still got room to improve." He then addressed Vegeta. "What about you, Vegeta?"

"Hm?" Vegeta looked up. "What about me?"

"What are you gonna do? I don't think it's the best idea for you to use the room, either."

"Maybe not," he shrugged. Kakarrot had a point. Perhaps Vegeta had been too hasty to reserve the Room first. A whole year back in that place... there was only so much he could do at this point, especially training on his own. Yeah, Kakarrot was right. Neither of them needed to use the room again.

"Wow, I think you're almost as strong as me!" Kakarrot said. "Why didn't you make the Super Saiyan your natural state?"

"... Haven't you sensed it?" Vegeta asked. "You can't keep it up forever... It may seem a good idea at first, but the Super Saiyan state is too taxing for us to handle long-term... you could end up shortening your lifespan by years, at the very least." He purposefully left out how he found out. He refused to revisit those two months, so far in the past now... when he had lost control.

"No way," Kakarrot gasped. "Years? Man, you've already been there, huh, Vegeta." He scratched his head and then said brightly, "Oh well! We'll see for ourselves how bad it is. Hey, wanna come fishing with me and Gohan?"

Vegeta gaped at him. "You must be joking." He jumped off the edge of the palace. He'd had enough. He was going back to Capsule Corp. Did Kakarrot really think that just because Vegeta gave him a piece of advice, they were friends? The year in the Room had made Vegeta forget Kakarrot's staggering naïvety. Being the strongest let you get away with so much...

Because he was stronger than Vegeta. Not by as huge a margin as on Namek, but he was stronger. It wasn't good enough. And Vegeta knew that he couldn't challenge Kakarrot to a rematch just yet. This wasn't the right time. Vegeta had to come up with a way to close the gap between their powers. But he was so tired...

He touched down outside Capsule Corp. and barely managed to stumble up to his room before he dropped off to sleep, not waking for nine days.

OoO

Vegeta regained consciousness just in time to wolf down some food and change clothes before it was time to go.

At the Cell Game, he stood off to the side in silence, watching and listening. He wouldn't be able to win against Cell one-on-one. Although he was far from happy about it, he decided to just see how it played out.

He was stunned when Kakarrot sent Gohan to fight, but but not as much as when Gohan actually held his own.

He defeated the spawn Cell sent after him easily enough.

And it all fell apart when Kakarrot died.

He couldn't move. He couldn't think. He could hardly force the air through his lungs.

This was unprecedented. Vegeta hadn't even considered that Kakarrot might die before they got their fight. He was Kakarrot! It was his destiny to die by Vegeta's hand, and... he went and killed himself. Why couldn't he have just let Cell destroy the planet? Vegeta would rather have oblivion that this. How was he supposed to kill everyone and return to space without first having proven himself superior to Kakarrot once and for all? In saving Vegeta's life, Kakarrot killed him. He killed him but left him in his physical body. How was Vegeta supposed to live like this?

Sensing something, Vegeta looked up. He gave a rueful laugh, realizing the answer. He wasn't going to live after all. He was going to die very, very soon.

Because Cell was still alive. That damn Kakarrot couldn't even see past his own nobility long enough to make sure he was actually doing the job.

Vegeta noticed Trunks's body on the ground with a dark hole in the chest. Looks like Cell already got started. At least it saved Vegeta the trouble of doing it himself.

Cell finally finished bragging about how it survived and now it and Gohan were sizing each other up. As Gohan jumped at Cell, Vegeta marveled again at how much power the kid had. If there was anyone who could take on Cell, it was him. Not even Vegeta could begrudge him that. Gohan's power made even Kakarrot look like a common brawler in comparison...

... But was he rival material? Could surpassing Gohan mark the end of Earth instead of Kakarrot? Vegeta felt just a little bit lighter.

But Vegeta's faint smile faded as Cell started charging the biggest blast he had ever seen in his life. What was he thinking? Now wasn't the time for such thoughts. He needed to focus on surviving this battle first. But there was no place for him now. All Vegeta could do was... hope... that Gohan won. He was reduced to that.

Gohan started making a Kamehameha, but Vegeta could already tell that Cell's was superior. Gohan would have to break through the shield of chi in front of Cell before he even had the chance to damage it.

The two blasts collided and Vegeta shielded his eyes from the brilliant light. How could anything possibly breach that wall of energy? It was more solid than a ten foot thick wall of adamantine.

But Cell's blast was only protecting his front. His sides and back were left completely exposed. Of course, it didn't have to worry about the lesser beings in the aft, there was nothing they could throw at it that would even scratch its skin. And that was before its Saiyan power-up. The only threat was Gohan. None of the rest of them had hurt Cell in this form.

Except once. The time Vegeta had been so sure he'd had Cell beat, the time Vegeta hit it with his Final Flash and blown away a quarter of its body. But it had regenerated...

Vegeta suddenly remembered a line from Cell's speech...

"... A small cluster of cells in my head. It makes up my 'core'. If that cluster isn't destroyed, my body can go on regenerating even if only microscopic pieces remain."

Aim for the head.

Slowly, carefully, Vegeta drifted towards Cell and Gohan. Part of it was because he didn't want to be noticed, but mostly he didn't want to break the spell of his insight. But before he could get any farther, Kuririn grabbed his arm.

"Vegeta, stop!" he yelled over the howling wind. "Do you want to get yourself killed?!"

"Out of my way." Vegeta punched him in the gut, and in an instant Kuririn was doubled over, gasping for breath. Vegeta didn't know how close he had come to killing the smaller fighter. And even if he did, he wouldn't have cared. No more distractions. He needed to hurry... Gohan was already losing ground.

Vegeta brought his hands together and started gathering all his chi. He had destroyed Cell's body before, but would it work now that it had gotten so much stronger?

Vegeta was at full power. The fight with the miniature Cell had been a warm up... he had more than enough time to catch his breath... and, as Vegeta felt the great artesian pool of energy stir inside him, he realized that his nine days of unconsciousness hadn't been mere sleep. His body hadn't been hurt, but his year in the harsh Room had slowly been draining away his energy. In sleep, Vegeta got all of it back. And Saiyans weren't only limited to gaining more physical power from wounds. Vegeta may not be stronger, but his stores of energy held more.

And energy was just what chi blasts needed.

"GYAAAAHH!"

Just before Gohan gave out, Vegeta's blast overtook Cell. The attack was big, bigger than the monster, but Vegeta made sure that the very heart of the blast caught it square in the side of its head.

Cell's eyes bugged as it turned to Vegeta, but it was too late. Its head turned to ash in the heat of a blast powerful enough to detonate the sun. And in the next second, Gohan's own Kamehameha swallowed Cell, vapourizing the rest of its body. The ground trembled and cracked under the force of the explosion- and then peace. All that hung in the air was silence and the burnt smell of boiled ichor.

Gohan looked at Vegeta in wonder and offered a small smile of gratitude. Vegeta looked away and shook his head. From that moment on, Son Gohan was Vegeta's new target and he couldn't accept his thanks.

OoO

And then Vegeta was slowly cracking. He barely slept. He couldn't remember the last time he had been outside. All he knew anymore was the cold gravity room. His saving grace had been the reminder that he had been the one that took Cell down, but that had been a year ago.

He could never completely empty his mind anymore. To do so, you need to have made peace with your thoughts. Vegeta was too busy avoiding them to know what they were. All he knew was that they came whenever he overheard Bulma talking about Goten or Gohan, or when anyone looked at him.

They made his chest hurt.

Vegeta trained more viciously than he ever had. That was the only time he could get any sort of peace- when he couldn't get enough air into his lungs, when his muscles strained with the effort of obeying him, when his head and heart pounded in tandem, when he was sure the only thing keeping him still standing was his willpower.

That was when Vegeta lived.

But then one day Vegeta looked up and saw the distorted faces on the walls. He had to leave. On the front step of Capsule Corp., he picked a direction and took off. He drifted for three days and three nights, flying even through sleep. And he opened the doors to his mind.

Vegeta found himself greeted by an ancient Saiyan verse, one that he had not thought of in years...

There is no strength in numbers

Only strength in strength

Power is an entity

That goes to any length

Who fights to end the war?

We fight to laugh and win

For those who battle and endure

Need not take heed of sin

Power is a blessing

Power is a curse

For those that wield it do not ride

But drive the final hearse

He had forgotten what it meant to have power. Power wasn't just physical strength. Physical strength was a critical part of Vegeta's life... perhaps too much so. It had long since dominated his perspective, blinding him to the fact that it was merely a means to an end. True power? True power was control.

And then Vegeta knew what thoughts had been nagging him. All those times he acquiesced to Mrs. Briefs' petty demands... how he constantly had to refrain from committing an act of violence for fear of Gohan finding out... how he had stayed on Earth for years longer than he had planned... who had control over who, now?

He was just fortifying the Earthling's power over him!

Vegeta couldn't stay on Earth. It would be months still before he was strong enough to exact his revenge. He was getting older- he was already in his early thirties. While Vegeta's body was nowhere near the throes of decline, his mind was slowing down... ignoring important details... getting lazy... and all prematurely.

How much of that was because of the slow life on Earth? Vegeta had wanted to beat Kakarrot first so badly... but the need to escape the Earthlings' cage had officially eclipsed his pride. He didn't even have Kakarrot anymore. He had Son Gohan. Son Gohan, who's heart and soul belonged to erudition instead of battle. Son Gohan, a traitor worse than his father.

Well, he would cool his heels no longer.

He was free.

Vegeta cast a smug look at the mountains looming in front of him before turning on his heel and blasting off West. Kakarrot's death made it simpler to walk away, and Vegeta felt not the faintest trace of regret or frustration on the flight back. He was free. And best of all, he had freed himself.

Going full tilt as a Super Saiyan, it took Vegeta only five minutes to reach the City of the West. The only question was, what would he occupy himself with while Briefs built his spaceship out of here?

Vegeta touched down on the neatly mown grass of Capsule Corp. The lawn glowed an unnatural fluorescent green in the setting sun. Lots of Earthling products and materials were stretched, dyed and injected to look more appealing than they actually were. Vegeta couldn't blame the fantasy- growing up not knowing anything other than Earth must be wretched.

Vegeta swiped his key card in the lock and the doors slid open. "You there," he barked at a passing drone. "Send word to Briefs. I want him down here in no less than five minutes. And don't make me wait." With a beep of acknowledgment, the robot took off, leaving Vegeta to pace the lobby. He looked out the window, wondering what West City would look like on fire. The buildings were mostly made of concrete, but all the petrol floating around in the hovercars would ignite nicely. Flying pyres. The smoke would blot out the sun and cast an orange haze over everything. And the people. It had been so long, much too long, since he had seen mass panic. He remembered the unique harmony of thousands of screams mixing, how some of the more dim-witted ones didn't try to run away, just stood with mouths gaping.

Vegeta wanted to see it now. How long to wait before he returned to Earth? He should learn at least five new techniques before he could even consider coming back. Let them think he was gone for good first... it would be more fun that way. He could almost see the shock on Gohan's face, so similar to Kakarrot's... then would come the pain. The sweetest part.

Vegeta was too busy with his iniquitous fantasies to notice the unfamiliar chi before it burst into the lobby. He looked up at the sound of the door opening, just as the blonde woman hopped up on the front desk.

"You're back," she said, looking pleased. She was wearing a black, knee-length dress and had narrow eyes that were vaguely feline.

"Is Briefs coming?" Vegeta mistook her for a personal assistant of some sort.

"Huh? I got nothing to do with that old coot," she said. "Do you remember me?"

Vegeta studied her. "Hmmm... you do look familiar... we've met before."

"The name's Lunch," she said. "I only saw you once. Back then... you looked like you were in a hurry, so I'm not surprised you forgot." She paused. "I need a word. You got a second?"

Vegeta considered. Briefs wasn't here yet... He was in a good mood, why not? It was so unheard of for him to get callers that Vegeta couldn't resist indulging his curiosity. "If you make it worth my while."

Lunch hopped off the desk and glanced around. She didn't want to be interrupted. Everything had to be perfect. She couldn't screw this up, not after Tenshinhan...

"I know your secret," she said.

Vegeta's eyebrows rose. "I don't know what you're talking about..."

"I know it. What you've been hiding."

"What I've been hiding...?" Vegeta was trying to decipher her tone of voice. So far, he didn't have anything.

"When I met you, I knew you were different. I asked around and I found out where you came from... but even before that I saw it in your eyes. You were sharp, untouched..." Lunch slowly gave Vegeta a once-over. "Still are. You're not like the rest of them, are you? You're just pretending to be. Underneath... you have the darkness."

Vegeta frowned.

"Don't bother denying it," Lunch said. "The expression on your face says it all." She took his hand. "Don't worry... I'm the same."

Vegeta crossed his arms and laughed. "You are, are you? So what? Why should I care?"

Lunch's eyes narrowed. Screw this. "You should care because if you don't do what I say, I'll tell Son Gohan the truth and he'll destroy you. I know he's stronger than you."

Vegeta stared at Lunch in disbelief. Who was this girl? What did she want? "And what would you have me do?"

Lunch smiled slyly. "Be my boyfriend. I've always wanted someone like you... someone with no morals. Someone untamed by society. Someone..." Out of nowhere, two pistols appeared in Lunch's hands. "... Who kills." She couldn't resist. Lunch leaned closer to him, until they were almost touching, letting her words sink in. She felt a current alive in the space between them. Chemistry. He must feel it too.

Vegeta played his eyes up and down her in amusement, free from the tension that two loaded guns normally brought. What an intriguing girl. Intriguing... but near-sighted. "You mentioned knowing where I came from... then you know that I'm not human... and I'm proud of it. Humans repulse me. So what makes you think I'd date one? Besides, I'm leaving Earth soon anyways. Good luck trying to get Gohan to hunt me down in deep space. Nice try."

Grrrr. This wasn't going the way Lunch had planned. How was he resisting her? "And how are you leaving?"

"Briefs is building me a spaceship." Or would be. Details.

Lunch snorted. "Then I'll just tell him! You'll be stuck here."

"True... I can't survive in space long enough to make it to the nearest habitable planet..." Vegeta turned away thoughtfully, leading her on. It was insulting how she thought he would consider being not only with an Earthling, but with one of such obvious low intelligence. "However... don't you see the flaw in your plan?"

"Huh? Flaw?"

"I mean, besides the fact that you've given me an ultimatum to date you... which is just pathetic... but with regards to your so-called 'threat'." Vegeta turned back, eyes shining with amusement. "I can tell you're just an ordinary human. You try to sound tough, but you couldn't survive 10 G's. Now I, on the other hand," Vegeta leaned in close until they were almost touching. "... I could kill you before you shift your weight to leave. Might be a little hard to get the word out in time, hmmm?"

"But can't you see that we're the same?" Lunch burst out. "We can help each other! I hate all those holier-than-thou preachers, too. You don't have to be alone anymore."

"'Have to'? I chose to," Vegeta snapped. He could feel her trying to pander to him and it irritated him. "If I wanted a wife, I would have married Bulma." Not exactly true, but it seemed like it would get the point across to this thickheaded she-human more easily. "I was in a good mood before... but now, I think I'll kill you regardless of what you were planning to do." Vegeta would figure out the repercussions later. Now, this girl had woken up his thirst for blood. It had been too long... up until now, Vegeta had restrained himself, fearing Son Gohan. But he was free now. And he was hungry.

Lunch's heart kicked up when she saw the look in Vegeta's eyes. She knew a bluff when she saw one, and he was serious. "They'll find out if you kill me!" she blurted. "I'm friends with Gohan and the others."

Vegeta shook his head and laughed. "Huh. And here I thought there'd be no chance of that... considering I haven't heard one mention of you during the five years I've lived here..." Vegeta placed a hand between them, smiling. "But I guess I'll risk it anyway."

For the first time, tears ran down the blonde Lunch's face. She couldn't move. This was supposed to be the moment that changed her life. She was supposed to have finally dragged herself out of the crummy, boring relationships that had plagued her for years. And she was going to die. I'm sorry, sis, she thought as Vegeta's hand started to glow. Sorry I dragged you down with me. There was no reply. The only time black-haired Lunch existed was after a sneeze.

The girl who had looked at him with such reverence became a pile of carpet-sweepings before Vegeta's eyes. Without thinking about it, he knew... somehow, he knew... that Lunch was the only person who would ever have loved him for who he was.

He was glad he got rid of her. He didn't need the lines to be blurred any more. And he didn't need the Earthlings. It was as if the planet itself had saw what he planned to do, and let out one last gasp of effort to try and stop him. To make him love it.

When in reality, the Earth had simply sealed its fate.

And Vegeta felt a wonderful new surge of energy, like he had woken up from a long sleep. He gazed at the drifting ashes for a moment and felt bizarrely grateful to Lunch. Her blood on his hands had baptized the start of Vegeta's reign.

When he looked up, Bulma was standing in the doorway. Her eyes told him that she knew.

Or maybe it was the reflection of her tears.

"V...Vegeta?" she said, voice small. She looked like a child that had been left in the rain. Her distressed chi was so potent that Vegeta was surprised no one came running. Looks like he was going to have to deal with this himself.

Should he do away with Bulma, too? She mattered more than Lunch... Her death would complicate matters... even if he blew off suspicion, he probably wouldn't get that spaceship... grief did strange things to people. That was okay... Vegeta had a better idea.

Slowly, giving her plenty of time to see and understand, Vegeta walked up to her and took her shoulders, careful to not be rough. "Bulma." He could feel the tiny tremors of her fear like static underneath his hands. "Bulma, I want to give you my full disclosure. I do. But I need to know that you trust me."

Bulma, already surprised at his touch, couldn't look away from his Stygian eyes. When was the last time he had looked at her like that, really looked? Feelings stirred inside of her... little drops of her younger self, when she had wanted him. His normally guarded face was clean and open and honest and Bulma could only see warmth in his eyes. For her.

Taking a shaky breath in, Bulma nodded. "I do."

"Good. Then... what you saw, that was no trick. It wasn't a mistake. I killed Lunch," Vegeta said, voice grave. Bulma let out a small gasp that he ignored. "I had to. She was confused. She mistook me for someone I'm not. She thought I was still evil. When I tried to speak to her, she threatened me. She kept babbling about all the crimes we were going to commit together." Vegeta glanced at the pile of ashes. "She said that she was already getting close to you. She said she was going to rob you soon."

Bulma's eyes widened. "Lunch? No... no, she never caused any real harm... she said we were friends..."

"She must have been waiting... biding her time... 'gaining trust', she said. She obviously thought I sympathized."

"And you don't?" Bulma couldn't help herself. She felt sick, and she didn't even know why. She had never been close with Lunch. But none of them suspected... they all knew she was a little rough around the edges, but she was really that bad? It made Bulma queasy. She needed to know that Vegeta wasn't the same. He had changed long ago... right?

"Of course not." Vegeta pulled Bulma against his chest. He could still feel her trembling. "That part of me is long gone." He rested his head on hers and waited for her to be still.

He was so warm. Bulma shut her eyes against the tears. Gently, they swayed back and forth, Bulma's arms folded tightly. She had never seen him like this before. With each rock, Bulma relaxed just a little bit until eventually she was leaning all her weight on him. He did care, it just took a lot to show.

After a long time, Bulma pulled away. "... You did the right thing, Vegeta," she smiled shakily at him. "I always knew you were good." A long time ago, she would have locked this moment in her memory and would go back to review it many times. She would have felt encouraged. But now she knew that their time had come and gone. All that was left was easy companionship. She walked out through the still-open door, glancing behind at him before she left. He gave her an encouraging smile.

Immediately after, Briefs finally arrived at the scene. "Whoa-ho-HO! Was Bulma coming from here? Having some fun, Vegeta? Just make sure it's safe." He winked.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. He was much too used to Bulma's eccentric parents to be embarrassed. "Out of my way." He pushed past the Doctor.

"Hey!" Briefs called after him. "Didn't you want to talk to me about something?"

"Never mind that." He didn't need to leave anymore.

"What about all this stuff on the carpet? Is that ash? What's it from?"

"... I came from a forest fire."

Back in his room, Vegeta lay on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He had changed his mind. He was staying on Earth. He had found a new form of power that was just as good.

Bulma Briefs kept her secret and Lunch's brutal murder at the hands of Vegeta was never realized.

~Lily F. Sang