Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters

Frieza was defeated. The tyrant was no more.

The news reached all corners of the universe. Every race celebrated the frost demon's demise save the Arcosians themselves. Kanassa, Namek, and Vegeta were safe. Still, the air surrounding the Saiyan planet was stale and heavy. The race was in mourning. Bardock disappeared as soon as the group returned leaving Raditz to handle his baby brother. The older Saiyan heard his mother had passed and shrugged it off having never known the woman. The baby, Kakarot, was scheduled to be sent off-world. His father refused the child to be sent away and the king honored the third-class's demands. The young warrior, though, had no idea what to do with a baby. All he could do was return to his childhood home.

Thanks to the cameras, the royals and Nappa saw what happened to Celen and his assistant. No one could hear what was said between the two, but Nappa knew. When he saw Cooler, not to mention the fact that the rest of the feed died, he grew angry. Cooler took his son away, most likely to eliminate the threat. Without the bond, he would never know what happened.

There was hope in the former general's heart that Tights and his grandchild would live out their lives on her planet. However, when he felt a mental pain, he knew Cooler eliminated her, too. What was even more painful was that Jaco arrived one day and said the Galactic Patrol never heard from the woman again. Lost, Nappa focused on the prince. The old Saiyan refused to reclaim his position as general. All he wanted was to make sure that Vegeta would be okay.

Kalina kept constant vigil over her son as he healed. The doctors stated that he was in critical condition when they landed. He almost didn't make, nearly crashed multiple times, and the mother felt a horrible pain in her heart. Once Vegeta was stable, the medical team assured the prince would survive. Her son was going to recover.

Eventually, Vegeta was able to breathe on his own, and so it was decided he would finish recovering in his own room. Kalina sat by his side every day and night. Her mate joined only occasionally. He had become insanely busy, though the reasons were worth it. The Saiyans allied themselves with the Galactic Patrol.

It didn't take much convincing. Nappa suggested it in honor of Celen and his assistant. Jaco helped speed the process along. The three planets that served to take Frieza down began to make treaties and agreements with other planets in the name of the alliance, born from the Galactic Patrol. All the planets kept their own governments and cultures even when they entered into the alliance.

Of course, this agreement wasn't a secret, and the Arcosians caught wind. King Cold demanded an audience with King Vegeta. The Saiyan refused. Instead, Vegeta demanded to meet on neutral ground. He was not alone. The Namek elder and Kanassan king accompanied him. They made it known to Cold how many allies they had, how they outnumbered the PTO in its entirety.

King Cold was irritated and wanted revenge for his son; however, he was warned by his eldest son to leave the alliance be. It wasn't worth it to attempt to destroy them all. The Arcosians, however strong, would use up valuable resources in attempts to take over those planets. Some planets that entered the alliance belonged to Colds, but their troops were eliminated, and the oppressed peoples were freed by the Saiyans and their allies. Frieza's mistake had been to let the Saiyans go unchecked and how he toyed with them thinking he'd have complete control. Cooler expressed that Frieza died because of his own foolishness. He demanded his father not do the same. King Cold reluctantly agreed, though—unbeknownst to Cooler—he was only biding his time. Besides, the alliance promised war if he attacked any of their allies. With the loss of Frieza and his section of the army, they would not be able to handle a full intergalactic war.

The eyes of the prince twitched slightly; the boy cringed in his sleep, oblivious to his surroundings, and then blinked and peeked up at the ceiling. His eyes widened when he didn't see the dark metal, rounded ceiling of Frieza's ship, but the flat, metal alloy the Saiyans used to craft their buildings. He sat up quickly and instantly regretted it as he felt pain in all of the spots where Frieza last hit him, including a sharp pain in his tail.

Vegeta observed the room as if he was in a dream. He couldn't be back in his room. The last he knew, he was on Frieza's ship and his life drained from his body. Vaguely, though, he recalled a yellow glow engulf him, a warm energy, but he shook it off as a dream. Ever alert, Vegeta was ready for anything…

Except his tail being stroked.

Nausea took over and fear crept into Vegeta's heart. He knew it was too good to be true. He was still with Frieza. His room was nothing but a dream. "Good morning," he heard a familiar, female voice coo. His eyes instantly shifted sideward and he nearly launched himself in the air at the sight of his mother. The woman noticed his fear and released his tail which immediately secured itself around his waist. "Mother?" he questioned, he voice weak from disuse. "There's no way. This is a dream. I haven't seen you since…"

"Since months before you were sent away," the woman finished sadly. "Vegeta, I am so sorry you went through what you did. I didn't—"

Vegeta looked away from her and blocked out the sound of her voice before a growl rumbled in his chest. "What?" he hissed. "You didn't think he'd hurt me, force me to purge? What?" Kalina was so shocked by the outburst. Vegeta looked so vulnerable hunched over in his bed, so she moved to embrace him and rock him. Before she could touch him, Vegeta flinched. "Leave," he demanded, his voice devoid of all emotion. "I do not wish to see you."

"Vegeta…" Kalina breathed out as her heart broke. "Please, son, just listen to me for a moment. Once I'm finished, you can think whatever you want. But let me explain—"

"I don't want to hear any of your lies," Vegeta replied curtly. He would not look at the woman which meant he couldn't see how hurt she was by his response. "I'll report to you and Father later. For now, I'm exhausted. I only wish to see Nappa or Raditz. No one else."

"But, Vegeta, the doctors need to—"

Vegeta flashed her a heated look full of hate. "No one else, especially not a damned doctor."

Kalina looked horrified but regained her composure and nodded once before she left the room with a surprisingly even step. It was once she allowed her son's door to close that she fell to the ground. She sat there in a heap and sobbed into her hands. She knew that the bond between her and Vegeta had broken, and she assumed it was because he believed she was involved in sending him away. It didn't matter, though. Vegeta didn't want to see her, and she had to give him his space. Maybe, by doing that, she could show her son that she was not a threat to him.

Vegeta's defensive behavior did not change within the first few weeks. In fact, Nappa and Raditz were the only ones who could talk to him, except when it came to training. Weeks after Vegeta returned, the king made it known to everyone, including his son, that the old laws were over. Aggressive behavior towards their fellow Saiyan was illegal unless it was an agreed upon spar or training. With foreigners coming through the planet on a daily basis, the laws against mating an alien were also revoked and half-breed children were treated just as well as any fully Saiyan child.

Unfortunately, where Vegeta was angry and distrusting towards his mother, it was even worse with his father. The king went to the prince just as soon as he heard from his mate that the child was awake. They two royals met eyes, but Vegeta's held fear. As his father approached him, the prince looked as if he were about to flee to the other side of the room. The king froze and just stared at his son in silence for a very long time. Eventually the prince scoffed and looked away, probably deemed that the man was not a threat, at least not at the moment.

"What do you want?" Vegeta questioned, his voice dark. "I told her that I would report to you both later. I do not wish to see either of you."

"I am glad you are all right," the king replied, side-stepping his son's biting remark. "When I found you on the ship, I didn't know if you would make it."

Vegeta perked up at that. "You found me? You actually came for me?"

"Of course I did," the king responded before he took a few more steps to the bed. "Vegeta, I never wanted you to be put in that situation, but I am so proud of you for surviving. Welcome home."

The prince's eyes narrowed at him before the child chuckled, his voice laced with derision. "You are a fool. You knew exactly what you were doing. Frieza told me that you traded me to him to protect your own ass. Stop pretending you give a damn about me."

His mate had not been kidding when she warned King Vegeta about Vegeta's attitude. Still, it stunned him, and he could not hide that. Vegeta took advantage of his father's stupor, stood up, and instantly went for his armor. The prince did his best not to wince from pain, appeared completely fine. It was his defense mechanism on Frieza's ship to never let anyone see him in pain and weak.

"S-son?" King Vegeta gasped out. "What are you doing?"

Vegeta turned to face the man, stood tall and proud, but was also quite tense. "What does it look like? I have a training schedule to keep."

As Vegeta started to walk out of the room, a large hand fell upon his shoulder and his stomach leapt inside of him. Vegeta mentally willed himself not to react. The boy looked straight ahead and heard his father say, "Vegeta, you need to rest. You went through a horrible ordeal. Please take some time to rest. Training will be there when you heal."

"I don't need to be coddled."

Vegeta shook his father's hand off of him before he took off for the training facilities. He needed to get away from the man. Where he felt relief over being rescued, he couldn't trust the man that traded him in the first place. He didn't know if his parents would strike. He didn't know how the other Saiyans would act around him, either. To be honest, he could only trust Nappa and Raditz. Everyone else was the enemy. He wouldn't connect with anyone else, ever.

"Apparently I was wrong about that," Vegeta said with a chuckle. He was lying down outside in the garden and used his hands as a pillow. His son and little brother did the same. The three of them were looking at the stars which were so clear that night.

Trunks tilted his head to observe his smirking father. He smiled at how relaxed the man felt. His tail lazily beat against his leg. It seemed like his father's words rang true. This would be easier for him to talk about with them, especially because he made it beyond that part of his life. He had more difficulty talking about his life in the PTO and Frieza, and Trunks could hardly blame him for that.

Even though he was now telling the boys about his behavior after gaining his freedom back, it was as he said—a distant memory. It made Trunks realize that where his father was over that lifestyle, he still wasn't truly over what Frieza did to him. Trunks was lucky that his future self was willing to help create a world where he wouldn't have to suffer the same horrid lifestyle only to return to the hell of his own timeline. They all made sacrifices so that he and Tarble wouldn't suffer. It filled Trunks with pride, and so the prince made a promise to honor all of the people that suffered and not become complacent in the peaceful world where he was raised.

"I'm glad you and Mom and Dad made up," Tarble murmured. "Mom talks about it sometimes, how horrible she felt not being bonded to you." Vegeta sat up and gazed upon his little brother. "She tells me never to think she'd do anything to hurt us. She doesn't want our connection to break too."

Vegeta was going to need to reassure his mother that it wouldn't happen again. Over the years, he became more open with his parents vocally. Where the bond reformed with his mother, he knew she feared just what Tarble said. His father…the bond was taking a longer time to reform. Vegeta could sometimes feel a twinge, a presence, but it would always be fleeting. His father had been right that the bond wouldn't ever be the same. That was why it was important for vocal communication.

"It was difficult…but knowing she never knew what Father agreed to helped," Vegeta stated. "She slipped that information to Bulma knowing that Bulma was loyal to me and would tell me. At first, I couldn't believe it."

Tarble frowned. "She told me she considered leaving Dad after that," he whispered. "I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone, and I feel funny doing so, but I thought you should know. You were the one affected by it all."

Vegeta nodded. "We won't say anything," he assured his brother. "What's done is done. She didn't leave him, and they found their way back to each other. In all fairness, I already knew about it. She told me once before as well."

Tarble smiled. "I guess that means she trusts us, huh?"

Vegeta agreed, and then Trunks interjected. "So, how did you feel once you saw all the changes?"

The prince spent most of his time training, even as the years passed. Three years flew by, and Vegeta still held contempt and distrust for everyone except Nappa and Raditz. He started to see Raditz less and less, for the older Saiyan had to take care of and train Kakarot. Bardock eventually returned, took up a role in the communications department, and designed the central computer. With the purging system disbanded, Bardock no longer wanted to train with the soldiers. He was beyond their strength. He and the king, though, would train in secret. Only few knew of their transformations, but not those closest to them. To be honest, both Saiyans had an unspoken agreement never to let their children know the truth about the Super Saiyan transformation. To feel that loss and pain…it wasn't worth it.

Raditz grew angrier toward his father for the man's lack of interaction with the baby. Kakarot was already walking and talking, though he seemed much different than any other Saiyan. The older brother figured his disposition was a result of a head injury from when he wasn't paying attention and Kakarot walked off a table. After that, Kakarot was more complacent and peaceful, and part of Raditz was able to recover because of his little brother. It didn't mean that Raditz wasn't still haunted. His solution was to hit the bars and drown himself in women. Vegeta knew of his former comrade's antics, scolded him once, but kept quiet afterwards. What did Vegeta care? How Raditz chose to focus his energy had nothing to do with him.

One day, Vegeta was called into his father's throne room. He had to harden himself before he opened the doors. Part of him still believed everything around him to be a dream, that he had finally gone crazy, and Frieza would be sitting directly in front of him. It was surprising to the nine-year-old that both of his parents sat side by side. That was a change. Before his mother hardly ever appeared in public.

"Son," the king greeted.

Vegeta just looked dazed; his eyes shifted between his gruff father and his calm mother. His eyes settled on her and she smiled warmly at him. Fear crept into Vegeta's heart again, especially when the queen opened her arms for a hug. Vegeta could remember few times where he was with his mother, but he always honored her with a hug because she was his caregiver. He had to force himself from his spot to embrace the woman and to be embraced. His arms stayed at his side, but he let the woman hold him. When she released him, he put distance between them.

The prince then bowed. Where he was in audience with his parents, he couldn't break his formal habit. He dared to say that he was more afraid of them than Frieza. He knew Frieza well, but he could never understand what his parents were thinking. "Yes, sir?"

"Vegeta," Kalina sighed, "you don't have to be formal. You are our son, not our soldier."

Vegeta's expression softened, but he still stood stiffly and spoke to them as if he were reporting to them. Both royals exchanged wary glances, and then the king explained why he called for his son. "You will be training with a new recruit," he informed him. The prince's frown did not go unnoticed. "Kakarot, Raditz's brother."

The young Saiyan seemed surprised, but then his expression became shrouded in darkness. "That is not a good idea," Vegeta stated evenly. "You should reconsider. I doubt Raditz would want his weakling brother to be hurt."

"That's not entirely accurate," the queen said softly, earning her son's attention. "Kakarot has become very strong in only three years of training with his brother."

Vegeta flinched. Raditz had been doing his best to raise a child that wasn't his while still trying to live his life the best he could post-Frieza. "Raditz agreed to the notion," the king conveyed, and he noticed his son's hesitance. "He is certain that Kakarot will provide you with a challenge. His power level increased greatly, and surprisingly his power rivals yours."

The prince's eyes narrowed, but he thought about the three-year-old. He had only seen him once when Raditz showed up one day for a meeting, probably the meeting where he agreed to allow his brother to be a punching bag. Despite Vegeta's aggressive training, he did not wish to hurt the innocent child. It wasn't the boy's fault that Vegeta would lose himself in either his memories during combat training. "Raditz really approved this?" he questioned. To be honest, after his last training bout with Raditz, Vegeta couldn't believe he'd be okay with the arrangement. His mouth settled into a straight, firm line. "I need to hear it from Raditz himself."

With that, Vegeta left the room. His parents gaped at his retreating form.

Vegeta left the grounds. He knew he wasn't supposed to without at least informing someone of where he was going, but he needed to escape. The palace was as suffocating as Frieza's ship, and Vegeta couldn't handle being surrounded by people he couldn't trust. He needed to be alone. He needed to think.

After being gone so long, Vegeta felt like a stranger on his own planet and among his people. The prince set out, tried to find a place to go and cool off. He flew fast in one direction and passed over all the buildings until he barely saw even a home. He landed somewhere in the outskirts on a mountain peak that overlooked the terrain. It was night and the stars were shining brightly in the purple and black sky. His demeanor shifted; his tail unraveled from his waist and fell to his side. Since being back, it was the first moment of freedom Vegeta had—away from the palace and away from people. He decided then that the outskirts would be his place to get away. Of course, there were times where going to this peaceful place caused him to think too much about his past and would leave him feeling sour. When that would happen, he'd walk around the city which was becoming quite urban thanks to their alien allies.

"So you didn't want to train with Uncle Kakarot?"

Vegeta chuckled at the title. Though Trunks had never met the Saiyan, the families spoke at least once a week. Even far away, the children of each family managed to bond just through talking. Sometimes, he'd find Trunks, Tarble, and Raditz's and Peppan's daughter, Cella, named in honor of Nappa's son, up late chatting with Kakarot's boy Gohan.

"I didn't know what would happen," he admitted. "I told you what happened when I trained with Raditz. At least Raditz understood what was going on with me, and he knew how to apprehend me if I lost sight of the fact that I wasn't battling an enemy. Kakarot—he was an innocent child. Yes, he had been trained by Raditz, but I didn't think he could truly keep up with me, and if I flew off the handle he wouldn't have been able to handle it…or so I though."

Trunks seemed interested and looked over to his uncle who looked perplexed. "What?" the prince asked him.

"I… Why did you think you would do that?" Tarble questioned. "I know transitioning had to be hard, but you seem to handle yourself well."

Vegeta sighed. "Brother, the way I am now is nothing like how I was back then," he explained. "There were still times, even after I met Bulma, that I'd be transported back to that time. When I took her out around here, another Saiyan simply flirted with her and tried to get her to leave with him, and I saw red. I acted like I did back in the day. Had he not left us be, I most likely would have killed him. He ran off, and Bulma brought me back to reality.

"When I first returned from Frieza, and even those few years later, I was even worse. There would be times where the walls around me looked like the ship and I would get worked up. A soldier attempted to help me one time, and I reacted as if I were being attacked. I didn't even know what had happened until I came to and had the guy pinned to the ground with a ball of ki formed. I could have killed many people just because I lost myself during that time. I didn't want to do that to Raditz's brother. I respected him far too much for that."

"It's not your fault," Trunks stated, "and obviously you and Uncle Kakarot are great friends. It couldn't have gone that badly."

"You're right," Vegeta agreed, "because my fears were misplaced. It was only in the beginning where I'd lose myself around him. Kakarot was one of the few people that knew exactly how to handle me."

Vegeta received the scolding of his life when he returned to the palace in the middle of the night, more so from his father than his mother. He was so shocked when the woman ran up to him and embraced him. At first, Vegeta thought the queen was going to charge up and attack him, and he tensed a bit while he mentally debated whether to react or not. His body froze when she hugged him—her way of showing him how relieved she was that he was safe. She asked him where he went, though he didn't respond. Instead, he managed to softly muster, "I'm going to my quarters," before he cautiously walked passed his concerned mother and irate father.

The prince felt like a prisoner in his own home. That was no secret from anyone. He would lash out, have momentary lapses in memory, sometimes threaten soldiers or citizens he found intimidating. Sometimes, the crowd was just too much for him. It was the reason that the king did not want his son going into the city alone. He didn't want the child to get caught up in the past and memories of purging. There were many Saiyans who suffered from that condition, but a lot of them were older than the prince and found ways to manage it. The king didn't know what to do to for his son. He couldn't get the boy alone for even a second. Any time he tried, Vegeta would give curt answers or disappear for hours. He was certain his son was training himself to death for Kalina normally went to check on her son and found him passed out on the floor of his room. Their kitchen staff informed them that the prince had been skipping all of his meals. They needed to do something or Vegeta would die from the self-abuse.

Something had to be done, and so the king started to impose more restrictions on his son's actions. He requested the child ease up on the training, demanded he join him and his mother for mandatory meals. Vegeta had been angered by the order; it caused him to lash out by abandoning the palace for days. Nappa found him by chance visiting the outskirts for unknown reasons. The prince was lying on the ground, sprawled out, looking up at the sky. "Hey, kid," he greeted with a somewhat gentle tone. "What are you doing out here?"

Vegeta scoffed. "Contemplating what the hell I'm doing back here. I don't belong at the palace."

The older Saiyan took a seat next to the child and looked up at the sky. "I get it, Vegeta, believe me I do. With time, things will get better. We've been on edge for so long, it's hard to believe we won't be attacked at a moment's notice."

"Hm," Vegeta returned, closing his eyes. "I needed to get away. I can't handle it."

Nappa's attention shifted to the boy's, his eyes filled with concern. "Like I said…time. Until then, if you need to get away, you can always come here. My son lived out here for a while." Vegeta sat up and looked at former general. "I was going to clean out the place. If you want, you can hide out there when you need to get away."

"Why?" Vegeta asked, his voice raw with emotion. "We are no longer on Frieza's ship. Why do you still insist on helping me? The battle is over."

"Maybe," Nappa murmured with a fond smile. "To be honest, you grew on me, kid. I get why you're still struggling. I am myself, and I'm decades older than you. All we can do is try to live our lives the best we can and avoid situations that put us back in that dark place. Saying that, I hear Kakarot is to be your new training partner." When Vegeta glared at him, the older Saiyan corrected his statement. "Raditz told me. I ran into him the other day. He and his father have been training the boy."

Vegeta gave a curt nod. "It's not like I have a choice in the matter, anyway." Nappa frowned at this. "My father is restricting all of my activities. I can't stand it."

"He will eventually back off," Nappa assured the prince. "They just got you back, and both of your parents are concerned about your wellbeing."

Anger surged up in Vegeta. "They're the ones who sent me away!"

Nappa didn't react. He knew if he tried to defend the queen who had never approved of sending her son away, Vegeta would shut down, and Nappa couldn't have that. "Sometimes parents make mistakes," Nappa sighed. "I know I did with my own son." Vegeta's expression softened as Nappa became pensive. "I hurt him by not accepting what he had become and his trust in me faltered. I can never make it right."

Vegeta didn't know what to say, and there was a momentary silence. "Celen was a good man," he eventually stated. "I heard what he did. Even if you can't make it right, you can at least be proud of him. He'll know."

A smile appeared on Nappa's face. "Yeah. You're right. So, what are you going to do now?"

The prince scoffed and crossed his arms. "Go back to that hellhole I call home," he remarked.

"Just remember you have a place out here if you need to get away." Vegeta nodded before he took his leave.

He returned to the palace through his bedroom window, just in time too, as one of the soldiers knocked on his metal door. Vegeta went to answer it and was surprised to see his uncle standing there. "Your father would like for you to meet him at the training facility," Zorn stated.

"Fine," Vegeta replied. He pushed past the general and made his way across the palace. He wasn't surprised to see his father there, but he was surprised to see a young Saiyan that looked like Raditz's father, Bardock. The little boy saw Vegeta first and wore a big grin on his face. Vegeta sneered. He already hated this kid.

"Vegeta, this is your new training partner," the king introduced.

The younger Saiyan walked up to the prince, and the grin never left his face as he excitedly said, "Hi, I'm Kakarot. It's nice to meet you."

The irritation momentarily left Vegeta as bewilderment took over. Was this kid for real? The prince's eyes looked down to his outstretched hand. He awkwardly took it and shook his training partner's hand.

"I will leave you boys to it," King Vegeta declared stoically while he mentally beamed on the inside. Already, he had faith his son and Bardock's would get along. Where the king himself wasn't a fan of Bardock, he had to admit he was strong, as were both his sons. It was only fitting that if Bardock had become King Vegeta's secret training partner and rival that their sons would have that same bond.

"So, Geta," Kakarot called out as they walked into a private room. Vegeta glared at the oblivious child. "Wanna just jump into a spar?"

The older Saiyan growled. "First off, never call me that again." The prince was fuming as the other Saiyan murmured an 'okie dokie'. "And second, you should probably warm up. I'd hate to injure you right off the bat."

Kakarot smirked, and Vegeta could feel his confidence exude in waves. "Oh, I'm not worried. I know you're good, really good, but I'm good too. And trust me, I know what I'm talking about. Raditz was afraid to fight me too for a while. Dad mostly trained me, but he only went hard on me when I asked about my mother." He frowned at that. "I think he's trying to discourage me from asking what happened to her."

Vegeta eyed the boy strangely and paused in his stride. He just met Kakarot, yet the kid was confiding all of this stuff in him despite the fact that they were strangers. It seemed like the boy was already starting to form a bond with him. He was so confident in his skills and had actually attempted to reassure Vegeta of his unspoken concern. Kakarot sensed Vegeta stop and turned back to look at him. "What?"

"Nothing," Vegeta murmured, his voice even. "I just don't understand you."

Kakarot's expression brightened. "Don't worry. Raditz doesn't either. It's okay. Now, come on; let's fight, Geta!"

"Don't call me that!"

Vegeta sat alone after he sent Trunks and Tarble off to bed. He hadn't realized just how much he missed Kakarot until he started talking about him. It had been so long since he saw his friend in person—six, almost seven, years since they fought Cold side by side. This distance between them was infuriating. Vegeta shook his head. Something needed to give. He couldn't stand the fact that his rival was not there.

"Son, what are you doing up?"

Vegeta turned to see his father standing in the doorway. They must have come back from their trip early. "Nothing," Vegeta remarked before he stood up.

The king prevented him from leaving, an admonishing glare on his face. "Not nothing. What is it?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Vegeta elaborated. "I'm going to bed."

The king watched his son walk away but flinched when Vegeta paused in the doorway. "Start answering Tarble's questions," he demanded. "It'll break your trust if you don't. He already knows the majority of our past. I've been telling him with Trunks everything that happened. He's wanted answers for a long time."

"Understood," the king remarked and then sighed. "Thank you."

"Hm." Vegeta left his father alone in the communications room, not knowing what his father was about to do.

The king sat down in front of the monitor and called up Kakarot. It took a while for the Saiyan to answer. He yawned as he did so. "King Vegeta," he greeted in the middle of his yawn. "Why are you calling? It's the middle of the night."

"Contact Earth's dog leader tomorrow and inform him that I would like to renegotiate the alliance."

Kakarot was instantly awake at that; his mouth dropped open in surprise.

Unfortunately, though, for the king, Earth's people were still bitter about being abandoned and the leader refused to negotiate. He decided to keep his attempt from Vegeta, not wanting to upset his son and daughter-in-law more.