Disclaimer: I don't own YYH, DBZ, or the characters. Just my OCs

Well, last time, Kaiya invited Vegeta to a party that happened to be his own welcoming party. He didn't know how to react to the kindness and abruptly left, leaving Kaiya to feel a sense of rejection. And now we continue…

Later that week, Kaiya still wasn't feeling any better about how Vegeta left his party like that. She wasn't mad at him, but she was definitely mad at herself. She shouldn't have just dropped him in the middle of it with a bunch of strangers he didn't know. Kaiya just wanted him to feel included, welcomed, and wanted for once. But, despite all of her good intentions, she had somehow hurt her brother and the guilt was eating her alive.

"You need to get out of here," Hiei spoke up from behind her. He was standing in the doorway of her room.

Kaiya looked over to him while sitting at her desk with sad eyes. Hiei flinched a bit, hating seeing Kaiya in any type of distress, especially sadness. Because of his mother's and sister's ability, he hated when women cried, whether their tears would become jewels or not. Besides, she didn't need to waste her tears on her brother, especially if he had rejected her which Hiei seriously doubted. "Look," he sighed, "Vegeta isn't mad at you, nor did you hurt him." He was speaking from experience now. "It is not an easy transition from being a hated killer to being loved by a family member or friend. At first, it is hard to accept, especially when he had accepted it before and had it torn away by some freak who thrived on the pain of others. If anything, he feels guilty, and feels he doesn't deserve you."

Kaiya was shocked. Though she knew that was how Hiei had felt in his life, she never expected Vegeta to feel that way too. Thankfully she had Hiei here to set her straight. If she had gone another day without talking to Vegeta, he might have thought that she was rejecting him too. "I need to go," she said in a hurry. "I'm way late for training today. You can stay here, by the way. I'm ordering wings later."

Hiei smirked as his girlfriend sped out of her room and slammed the door to her house shut. He sat down on her bed, lying back. He had already decided to take her up on her offer, but for now, he was going to rest. Trees could only be so comfortable, so he let himself drown in the feeling of having access to an actual bed.

Bulma was getting worried about Vegeta. He had been short tempered ever since the day he had come back from spending time with his sister. He had even started locking himself in his room or the GR, avoiding contact with anyone, unless he was bored. When he was bored, he would go into the indoor garden and antagonize the Namekians. Bulma couldn't believe he was going out of his way to make them fear him again. He had made such progress since Kaiya showed up.

When she had seen his memories, she felt that Kaiya would be good for him. The girl would accept him, good and bad, and the heiress thought that he would learn to forgive himself too. But even though she realized that it would take time, she felt like he was distancing himself from the girl. Then something struck her. She hadn't seen Vegeta's memories, only Kaiya's, and he had been through so much since then. He too had seen Kaiya's memories, but he wouldn't know how to react to them. Bulma placed her head in her hands, shaking her head in sadness and frustration. Part of her was glad that she hadn't met Frieza in her life. It seemed like the Arcosian tyrant lived for the "thrill" of causing others pain. That was something an Earthling like Bulma would never understand.

A knock on the front door brought her out of her thoughts. No one in the house was expecting anyone, nor were the workers permitted to come to the house for anything, at least until the Namekians were to leave. Her family did not want anyone asking questions, nor did they want anyone to reveal the aliens to other scientists. A little unsure about whoever this random visitor was, Bulma reluctantly got up from her spot on the couch to answer the door.

She was glad she did. On the other side of the door stood Vegeta's little sister, nervously twirling her tail. "Um, hi," she said meekly, refusing to make eye contact with Bulma. The older woman could tell that the girl felt guilty about something. "V-Vegeta wasn't out in the GR," she stated. "I was hoping I could talk to him. We really…we really need to talk."

Bulma just smiled at her and step away from the door. "Come on in, Kaiya," she said warmly. "You're always welcome here."

"Um, thank you," Kaiya replied in a shyness that reminded Bulma about the day she had asked Vegeta to come and stay with her family. He had been so quiet and refused to make eye contact with her the entire way there. He had felt out of place for a long time until he set foot on the spaceship.

Kaiya was no different from her brother, looking around the place, feeling slightly misplaced. Bulma smiled as she led the girl to the kitchen. Kaiya's quirked eyebrow and confusion reminded her so much of Vegeta. "Take a seat," Bulma instructed the girl. "I was just about to dig into the cookies my mother made this morning. You should try them."

Kaiya visibly relaxed, even her tail giving her calm away. Bulma silently wondered if she would understand Vegeta more if he still had his tail. "Um, thanks, Miss Bulma."

Bulma bit back a laugh and said, "Hey now, don't you start with that. You're Vegeta's sister, and if he isn't formal with me, you definitely don't have to be."

"Oh," Kaiya responded. "Okay then…Bulma?"

"Much better," the heiress replied, putting a dozen cookies on her plate and placing it in front of Kaiya. Kaiya stared at the cookies with wide eyes. "What's wrong? Do you not like chocolate chip?"

"It's not that," Kaiya said as if in awe. "I have to eat all of those cookies?" Bulma's jaw nearly dropped. She had never heard a Saiyan even think about turning down food. "I mean…I don't want to impose or anything. This had to have made it so that you don't get many."

"Um, Kaiya, sweetie," Bulma said cautiously, "do you know how much Saiyans eat? My mother took into account that Vegeta lives here now, and so she made a couple hundred cookies in the last few days. This is just a start for you, isn't it?"

Kaiya's eyes widened more, if that were even possible, before looking back at the cookies. She had never eaten that many cookies in her life. Well, she had once when she was little, but her mother had scolded her for it. Kaiya always ate more than she should, in her opinion. Her family was predominantly Italian, so everyone ate a lot. She just assumed she was growing at the time, and would ignore her hunger. "I…didn't know," she admitted. "Does that mean I need to start eating more?"

"Yes."

Both Kaiya and Bulma jumped when they heard Vegeta's voice. They saw him standing in the kitchen doorway. Bulma looked slightly worried, but Kaiya managed to smile. "Hey, Vegeta," she greeted warmly.

Vegeta was taken aback. He thought for sure that Kaiya was mad at him, and that's why she had missed their last three training sessions. But now she was here, and Vegeta was once again confused by her actions. He regained his composure, clearing his throat, and continued to berate her about her eating habits. "A Saiyan requires a great deal of food to sustain their energy. If not, they do not fight as efficiently and they could drain their energy pools a lot faster than others."

"So that's why I get tired all the time!" Kaiya exclaimed while standing up. She noticed all eyes being on her and nervously sat back down. "I mean, it explains a lot, especially with my fighting. I get tired a lot quicker when I use my more potent attacks. I just assumed it was too hard for me to sustain flames. Had no idea it had to deal with my eating habits." Then her eyes widened in shock. "Oh wow, and all I had yesterday was a small salad for lunch and a burger for dinner."

Bulma was still taking in this new topic of discussion. She had never met a Saiyan who would turn down food. She couldn't even imagine how this girl was still moving around or managed to train with Vegeta. "Couldn't you tell when you were hungry?" she asked.

"I…" Kaiya started nervously. "Well, I eat snacks during the day when I can, but when I have classes, I rarely eat anything. Like I said, I skipped breakfast yesterday. I got up a little later than I intended."

Bulma nodded in understanding, remembering her college career. "Okay, well here's the thing, you need to eat way more than what you do eat in a day…like a hundred times more."

"But how can I cook all of that?" Kaiya asked in alarm. "I'm barely able to find time to cook now, let alone even having the money to get the few groceries I do get."

"Well, for one," Bulma said with a smile before Vegeta could say anything. She wanted him to know there were other options for Kaiya before he said whatever he was going to say. "You can come here for meals at times, and I'm sure my dad would be willing to give you a food allowance."

"What?" Kaiya almost shouted. "No, I couldn't ask you for that."

"You're not asking; I'm offering."

"But why?" Kaiya asked, her stress levels increasing. Vegeta could hear the anxiety in her voice, and he too was confused by it. "Why would you do this for me? You don't even know me." Vegeta relaxed, understanding just how the girl felt. He hadn't known how to react when Bulma invited him to reside in her home.

"Well, because you're a friend now," Bulma said, "and it's very hard to keep a Saiyan fed. We have it easier here because of the company, and Chi Chi, my best friend's wife, is technically royalty, so she's able to feed her husband and son. And it won't even make a dent in the money we have if you were to buy yourself extra food. As for the cooking, I've been working on cooking bots. My mother hates when I use them, so if you use them, it'll be fine."

"I…I don't know what to say," Kaiya said in a daze. "Th-thank you."

"Think nothing of it," Bulma said waving the girl off. "And you don't have to say anything. Anyways, let me go get the bots packed up in a capsule and have my father set up the credit card. I'll have it ready before you leave. I'll catch you guys later."

Bulma left both a stunned Kaiya and silent Vegeta in the kitchen. The younger Saiyan looked over to Vegeta and decided to break the silence. "Is she always like this…I mean with strangers?"

"Yes," Vegeta told her while remembering Bulma's hospitality towards him. "It's best to just agree to it or she'll never shut up."

"Oh, I see," Kaiya replied. Then she started to feel guilty again. "Um, Vegeta?"

Vegeta forced back a sigh. "What?" he grumbled out.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you," Kaiya said in sadness, "by staying away I mean. I thought you were mad at me and didn't want to see me, so I stayed away in case I would only hurt you more."

Vegeta felt the heart he had forgotten he had clench in his chest. His little sister had spent days away from him, for his sake? How could anyone disregard their own happiness and concerns for another person?

Picking up on the thought with her telepathy, Kaiya smiled. "Because silly, you are one of my concerns. You're my brother, and I love you, so that means I worry about how you feel too."

"Why?" Vegeta questioned, his voice heavy. "I've done nothing to earn that."

"What are you talking about?" Kaiya asked lightheartedly. "You're here for me. That's all that matters to me. Look, I'm not a stranger to feeling abandoned or lost, so when someone is there for me, it speaks more volumes than you could ever know. You were the one who suggested we train together, and went out of you way to spend time with me. When I showed up, you could have said that you didn't want me here. You could have told me that you didn't want me as your sister. I mean, it's been more than a decade since we met."

"Why would I say a thing like that?" Vegeta asked. He couldn't believe that she would think THAT lowly of him. Did she really see him to be that cruel?

"Well, my father…my human father, Jiro…he didn't want me," Kaiya said softly, her tail stiffening up again. "He made it perfectly clear that he didn't want me as a daughter, so I wouldn't have been shocked if you hadn't…"

She didn't need to finish her statement. Vegeta knew what she was going to say. Not only had her human father betrayed her, but their father betrayed her as well. He was the one who sent his sister away causing her to be captured and killed by Frieza's men. It was Kaiya's father's betrayal that placed her in this position.

"Listen, kid," Vegeta spoke up, "I am only going to say this once, so pay attention. Even if I were as cruel as your father, which I am not, I would never say to a child that they were unwanted, whether or not it was the truth. A real man would take responsibility and care for their child instead of gambling with their life for a false agreement of protection and freedom. Our father did the exact same thing with me, and that is how I ended up on the ship before Frieza destroyed our planet along with the majority of our race.

"And so, all I can say is I am most certainly not like yours or our father. Even if this whole thing was unexpected and I never saw myself wanting a sibling, you are here, and I want to know you and train you for times where I may not be here. I will not stay away forever if I go. I just cannot stay on one planet for long. If I ever do leave, it is not because of you, so do NOT lock yourself away because you feel guilty about upsetting me. I was not upset with you. Understand?"

Kaiya didn't respond; she only stared at Vegeta with a blank expression. He assumed the girl was letting everything sink in, but was completely flabbergasted when she asked, "Did you seriously just call me a kid?"

Vegeta looked completely offended. "Is that ALL you got out of that?" he growled slightly.

"No, I heard you, and we'll get to that, but you called me a kid!" Kaiya shrieked. "I am NOT a kid! Don't call me that!"

Vegeta smirked, his speech almost but forgotten, as he saw a side to Kaiya he hadn't seen before. She was completely angry, but it was because of a remark he made. "What are you going to do about it, kid?"

Kaiya energy spiked, but only because she was debating whether or not to ignore Vegeta's teasing or to punch him in the face. She was not one to fight unless she needed to, but part of her was crying out to start a fight in the middle of a stranger's kitchen.

"Go ahead," Vegeta instructed her. "Let it go. I can see you holding back, but there is fight in your eyes. Whether we are fighting to kill or just fighting for the heck of it, it is the Saiyan way. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Kaiya's angered expression softened, confusing Vegeta. "It's…It's not wrong to fight?" Kaiya asked him. Vegeta's confusion only grew. "B-But I was always taught…you never start a fight. You only fight back in self-defense. Teachers and parents tell their kids that ever since they're little. Lots of kids got into trouble for getting into fights. I stayed out of them, because I didn't want to disappoint my mother."

That had explained so much…Kakarot's desire to avoid fighting him in the beginning, giving him the chance to back out which he would have never done, everyone's blind acceptance of who he was and how he was raised when he felt he did not deserve, Kaiya's reserved nature. Fighting for the sake of fighting was frowned upon, not fighting with a reason. Maybe that's why Kakarot had forgiven him, why his son, Gohan, had forgiven him, and why the blue-haired heiress welcomed him into her home. They hadn't seen him as a killer in those moments, but someone like them. This realization frightened him more than anything else. He refused to be like the Earthlings.

But Kaiya was an Earthling, and she had a warped view of what was acceptable. "Fighting is the way of life for Saiyans," he told her. "We fight each other to train and get stronger to be prepared for our enemies. Sometimes we fight in order to bond, which is why I would have been fine if you acted on your impulse. Isn't there someone you fight in attempts to bond? With those Saiyan instincts, I can't see you without at least one person."

"Well, there is one person," Kaiya said nervously playing with her tail again.

"Who?"

"Hiei," Kaiya admitted ignoring the look of astonishment on her brother's face. "When we met, we got into it. We both hated each other, him hating me for being human and me hating him for his bad attitude. One day he pushed me too far and we started fighting. After a while, it just became something we did until we realized that we were both fighting to convey our feelings to one another. I'm not the most trusting person in the world, and he's the same way, so the fact that we fought like we did showed us how much we trusted the other person not to hurt us and we began to enjoy it."

Vegeta nodded. It irritated him a little that what Kaiya was describing was a bond or connection reserved only for close relatives and mates. Since Hiei was not the former, he was clearly who she was considering for a mate. But seeing as she knew nothing about her Saiyan genes and instincts, Vegeta would keep that quiet for now. He did need to have a discussion with Hiei about what he had taught his sister, as well as challenge him to see if he was a fit mate. With their father gone, not like his opinion would have mattered, and with Kaiya having no close male relatives that she trusted save for him, it was his obligation to make sure that, if she were to choose someone to remain with, she would be well taken care of.

"Is that the same thing?" Kaiya asked.

"Similar," Vegeta grumbled, not liking that he would probably have to interact with her friends again to get to know this Hiei person. "So," he said in attempts to change the subject, "what I said?"

Kaiya hadn't forgotten Vegeta's speech. It honestly meant a lot to her that he was warning her he might leave, but meant more that he would come back. She didn't want Vegeta to leave, especially after they were just reunited, but she also didn't want to leave her home to go with him into space. From what she remembered of Frieza, aliens, and space, it was all pretty traumatizing. "I understand, Geta," she told him. "And thank you…it means a lot to know that even if this wasn't planned that you still want me."

Tears started to form in Kaiya's eyes, and Vegeta sighed. He wasn't used to crying, but Kaiya seemed to cry a lot. From what he could tell, the girl was emotionally broken, but he had only minimal understanding of why that was. It definitely had to do with her father, but he had no details other than he traded her to Frieza and attempted to kill her. Why she cared so much about him, he couldn't understand, at least not now. He would find out sooner or later, but for now, he needed to get her to stop crying. Remembering their time on Frieza's ship, Vegeta stood from his seat and walked over to Kaiya, placing his arms around her shoulders. Kaiya took his silent invitation and buried herself in his chest, allowing him to hug her as she began to sob. Vegeta closed his eyes, trying to keep himself centered, but it was really angering him that his sister was so upset because of some man who no longer mattered.

Bulma came back into the kitchen, not noticing the two Saiyans having their emotional moment. "Okay, sorry, forgot to get the milk out," she said before finally noticing Vegeta comforting his sister. "Um, everything okay?"

Vegeta just looked at Bulma staring at her in a way that told her to leave them be, but Bulma, knowing how humans worked, refused to leave and continued what she was doing, taking out the milk. With a heightened sense of smell, Kaiya was able to detect the traces of milk and remembered the cookies. She could really use chocolate in that moment. "Is that milk whole milk?" Kaiya muttered against Vegeta's chest. Her brother's attention turned back to her.

"Yeah, but we have skim here, too," Bulma responded. "Why?"

"Just, whole milk makes me sick," Kaiya explained. "Mom says skim is better for me."

"Oh, okay then. I'll get you some and we can all sit down and have these cookies."

"I'd like that," Kaiya told her while slightly pulling away from Vegeta.

The older Saiyan felt slightly dejected when she pulled away, which he found ridiculous, but then she took his hand and he realized that she still needed to hold onto him. He joined her at the table and watched Bulma getting out the milk and bringing over a giant plate of cookies.

Vegeta watched how Kaiya and Bulma interacted. For some reason, Bulma was becoming very protective over his little sister. He didn't mind it, but he couldn't help but feel a strange sensation as he listened to the two talk about normal Earth stuff, including music and science. Where Bulma was good with machinery, Kaiya was brilliant when it came to studies of life and medicine. Bulma was even asking the girl her ideas on some of her medical equipment, and Kaiya seemed excited to discuss such things with someone.

"So, Kaiya," Bulma spoke up, "what would you say to coming over for a little get together this weekend?"

"Get together?" both Kaiya and Vegeta asked at the same time.

"Well, yeah," Bulma said as if it should be obvious. "Don't tell me you've forgotten, Vegeta. The Namekian Dragon Balls will be active again and we can wish back some of our friends."

"Dragon Balls?" Kaiya inquired. "What are those? And what do you mean by wishing friends back?"

"And I don't know where you got the 'our' either," Vegeta sneered.

"Well, the Dragon Balls are these magical objects the Namekians made," Bulma explained. "And we're wishing out friends back who passed away a little over a year ago. A few of them died in a fight with a strong competitor," she said, side-stepping the fact that Vegeta had partly been responsible. She saw his reaction, one of disbelief, from her eliminating that detail from the story, even though she knew Kaiya most likely knew. "Then another friend died in the fight against Frieza on Namek. My best friend, Goku, defeated Frieza, but he couldn't get off the planet in time before it blew."

"Frieza destroyed another planet?" Kaiya asked angrily. Her fists clenched in rage. "How could anyone be so heartless? Isn't it bad enough he destroyed Planet Vegeta?"

Bulma started to get a little nervous when the girl's energy shifted around her, but Vegeta just placed a hand on Kaiya's shoulder. She came to seconds later and muttered an apology for her outburst. She went back to snacking on her cookies and milk, sheepishly hiding behind the glass. She looked to Bulma for a continuation of her explanation. "Um, well, we had to wait for the Dragon Balls to reactivate so that we can wish our friends back, and then the Namekians can wish themselves to a new planet."

"Oh," Kaiya replied. "It sounds really cool. I'd like to come." There is was again. The complete acceptance Vegeta would never understand. How many times did this girl need to be told something that would turn her life upside-down? "Could Hiei come too?"

"Sure!" Bulma chimed happily, not missing the look on Vegeta's face. Vegeta didn't realize how much he was acting like the typical Earthling big brother, but she would never tell him that. He always prided himself in the fact that Earthlings and Saiyans were completely different, but really they had a lot of the same customs. She smiled knowingly at him to which he just glared at her.

"Great!" Kaiya said excitedly. Vegeta just muttered something neither woman could understand and drank some milk. "I can't wait to meet both of your friends."

After hearing Kaiya refer to the Z fighters as his friends, Vegeta nearly choked on his milk. His little episode caught both Kaiya's and Bulma's attention. "Geta, are you okay?" Kaiya asked in alarm. The Saiyan prince nodded, but Kaiya went behind him anyways and started patting his back a bit, making him feel slightly better. Bulma watched in awe as Vegeta completely relax as Kaiya patted on his back. This girl definitely had an effect on Vegeta, for the better. From the minute she had met Vegeta, he had never once looked relaxed or like he belonged. Now…she couldn't describe the warm feeling she felt at seeing him so…dare she say, human?

Vegeta looked to Kaiya, not sure how she managed to stop him from choking on his drink. Kaiya just smiled at him and said, "My grandparents always did that when I coughed or nearly choked on something. No idea what it's supposed to do, smacking someone's back, but it does help."

"You keep sharing these things with me, about your life and family…why?" Vegeta asked her with scrunched eyebrows.

"Well, you said you wanted to know me," Kaiya reminded him. "That means everything I've learned and experienced too. Including the concept of family. Besides, you are family. One day, you have to meet my mom. She would love you like her own, you know."

Bulma could see Vegeta getting flustered. He had no words at the moment, so Bulma decided to step in. "One step at a time," Bulma stated. "Have you even told your mother about what happened?"

"Oh my gosh!" Kaiya exclaimed. "No, I haven't, but she would want to know. She took me being part demon pretty well…hopefully this won't completely shock her. I mean, seriously, as of a week ago, neither of us believed in aliens, and now…well, my opinion on that changed drastically."

Bulma laughed at the girl's random and naïve nature. Other than the fact that she was suffering from something deeper than Bulma could understand, she had an uplifting and optimistic attitude that almost reminded her of Goku. The two of them could probably become good friends, other than the fact that her brother wanted to kill said Saiyan.

Kaiya finished up her last couple of cookies quickly, yet gracefully like Vegeta did. "I should probably get home," she said. "I kind of left Hiei there, and I should call my mother and tell her about all of this. But I'll be back tomorrow for training and then again on the weekend to meet your friends. And…I don't know how, but I will try my best to eat a lot more. It's hard to remember meals sometimes." She quickly gave Vegeta a hug before attempting to run off.

"Oh no, I see what you're doing," Bulma berated. "You were trying to leave without the credit card and the cooking bots." She walked over to Kaiya and placed both in her hands.

Kaiya sighed, her tail curling around her from being caught in doing something "wrong." She took the capsule and card from Bulma and gave the older woman a hug. "Thank you," she whispered before letting go and running off.

Vegeta was shocked that Kaiya acted so friendly with Bulma, and that Bulma actually seemed to care about his sister. The heiress walked over to the counter and got a few more cookies and refilled her glass of milk. "You know, your sister is very sweet," Bulma said, ignoring the fact that Vegeta didn't respond. "She kind of reminds me of you, except without the bad attitude."

Vegeta could tell that Bulma was teasing him, but he did not want to indulge in her need to taunt him for the day. Where it had been somewhat normal for them to argue, he felt the need to lay this argument to rest. How dare she compare him to Kaiya? He was a merciless murderer, and Kaiya was innocent and naïve. There was no way they were alike, not at all.

"She has some of the same mannerisms, and there's her shyness," Bulma continued, now seeing that Vegeta was finally reacting. He was getting flustered. "Actually, the day I asked you to stay here, her shyness reminds me of that."

Bulma was out of the room before Vegeta could say or do anything. She pictured his mouth hanging open after that as she heard him mutter what she assumed to be curses to her in his native language. Bulma was kind of glad she couldn't understand exactly what he was calling her, but she laughed the entire way to her room. Sometimes messing with the Saiyan prince was way too fun.

Kaiya returned home with a bunch of wings of different flavors. She had been very thankful to Bulma and her family for being willing to feed her. When Hiei had seen her carrying a ton of large boxes of wings, his mouth dropped open, no audible sound coming out.

"Um, yeah," she said with a smile. "I kind of need some help with the rest."

"Rest?" Hiei asked her in disbelief.

"I'll explain in a minute," she told him. "Just get the last couple of boxes out of the car while I get us some plates. There's a bag of sodas in the front, too."

Hiei's quirked brow returned to normal, though revealed his slight nervousness. Without asking any questions, he went out to collect the rest of the food and drinks from her car. He quickly brought the food to the kitchen and saw Kaiya piling a ton of wings on her plate.

"Oh good," she said taking a box from him, "the ranch dipping sauce is in there."

Hiei just stared at Kaiya like she was crazy. "Kaiya…I'm almost afraid to ask…what the hell are you doing?"

Kaiya paused in her movements and looked to Hiei. "Well, you know how I skip meals, eat small portions, and pretty much say I'm not hungry all the time?"

"Yeah?" Hiei grumbled. That was one thing he hated…Kaiya not taking care of herself.

"Apparently, I'm not allowed to do that," she told him. "I mean, I was never supposed to do that. I've been starving myself, not eating enough. Saiyans eat about, according to Bulma, 'a hundred times' what I eat. Vegeta wasn't happy about it either. So…Bulma offered me a credit card for a food allowance because I can't afford all of that food. I feel awkward for accepting it."

"Why?" Hiei asked her. "It's something you need, right? Why feel awkward about it?"

"She doesn't know me," Kaiya retorted.

"You didn't know me either, at least not well, and still decided to go behind my back to learn more about me," Hiei reminded her. "This woman obvious cares about you like you do others. Just accept it. It's much easier."

Kaiya laughed. "Vegeta said something similar. But yeah…I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow after class and before training. Still trying to figure out how to get it all done."

"I'll go with you," Hiei stated.

Kaiya again stopped her movements again to stare at her boyfriend. "You," she stated monotonously. "You want to come to my class with me, after what happened last time?"

Hiei narrowed his eyes at her. "It's not the same teacher is it?" Hiei muttered. "If it is, he will lose his hand next time he puts it on my head."

"Okay, okay, relax, jeez," Kaiya said holding her hands up in defense. "It's not the same guy. That class was over last semester."

"Thank God," Hiei grumbled taking his plate of wings. "Oh, and if both Vegeta and that woman told you to eat more, you are not finishing until you eat every last wing on that plate, plus five plates more."

"I know, Hiei," Kaiya replied with a smile. "I know. Oh, and 'that woman's' name is Bulma."

Hiei just looked at her, staring blankly at her. "Like I care," he said without any emotion.

Kaiya just rolled her eyes at him as they began to eat. Once Hiei was finished, he watched Kaiya. It was strange for her to have to change her eating habit so drastically later in life, and with the possibility of her forgetting to eat, Hiei took it upon himself to make sure she followed through with her brother's orders.

Vegeta was standing outside on the balcony to his room. He was staring up at the night sky, just thinking.

"What are you doing?"

Vegeta sighed, annoyed that his quiet time was now being interrupted by the woman. "Nothing that concerns you," Vegeta told her.

"Oh come on," Bulma said as she placed the laundry basket she had been carrying down on the bed. "The look on your face was just too intense NOT to be something. You can trust me, you know. I won't judge you."

"You should," Vegeta scoffed. He turned and looked back outside. "She should too."

Bulma finally realized what this was all about and smiled. "Vegeta, most family members are close. Family is supposed to protect each other and provide love and support, and she wants to do that for you. Just let her."

"Do you understand what you are saying?" Vegeta nearly growled. "Did I not attack and kill your friends and attempt to wipe out your entire race like that tyrant?"

"You didn't know any other way," Bulma whispered.

Vegeta just looked at her, searching her expression for any hint of a trick or malice. "You know nothing, woman. Now leave me be."

"Fine," Bulma replied with a sigh. "You should get some rest. Your sister is coming back tomorrow."

"I know," he said calmly before Bulma stood up and walked back inside.

Her ki hadn't left his room, and Vegeta was growing increasingly angry. Then he heard footsteps on the porch again and felt a piece of cloth being wrapped around him. He turned to cast Bulma a questioning glance as he pulled the blanket closer to him.

"Good night, Vegeta," she said before picking up her basket again and heading towards her room.

Vegeta sighed again before looking back at the universe. He would never understand the way Earthlings thought, but at least he seemed to have some type of mutual understanding with both Kaiya and Bulma, and no one else. And that's how Vegeta intended for it to stay.