A/N:

I don't mean to be a cruel author, really! I had wisdom teeth surgery last week and my recovery time was unexpectedly long. I hope you don't mind this late update, but I thought me writing the last chapter of my baby would have been not good while on pain medication.

That being said, yes, I believe this is the last chapter. Yes, I am currently very sad and don't know what to do. Yes, there will be an epilogue (I have it all planned out). As for all of you asking about a sequel, I am not sure it would be too interesting. I could summarize how the Cell Saga and Majin Buu Saga could go...but I think it might be boring.

That being said (again), I want to thank all of my reviewers and readers for being absolutely amazing this past year. My goodness. I never imagined the DBZ fandom would be so welcoming and positive, and I am so incredibly grateful for all of your feedback and for sticking it out with me these past several months. I am thrilled to have written for you, and I hope you enjoyed my writing as much as I enjoyed telling my story. I love DBZ so much, and it has been a wonderful experience writing for all of you. I am astounded and honored by the sheer magnitude and quality of the reviews you have given me. Thank you all so much! AH!

Special thanks to Chapter 21's reviewers:

Death101-Fox Version (Well, Goku can still go SSJ after Krillin gets resurrected! So I think Vegeta should be alright.), daughterofrisingsun, Drakulina, betty69blue, grumpirah, Nicky757, johncorn, Laania, PerfectLover, 6teenana1, ScoobyDoobyDee, Promethea999, Black Diamond07, LunarJade, Niko08, Marie Fortune (Well thank you :D), tallshorty, Many Voices In My Head (Oh, I want to see Trunks included too. Don't you worry about that), (unsigned review), Eure, dyingdreamsv2, taity (Sorry to tell you, but Vegeta lost his tail in Chapter 13), The Crystal Rose (Goku's secretly a genius in my mind, ha), KayuraK (1. You'll see soon! 2. Well...technically he was born on Earth...3. Epilogue is a necessity!), BlueHairedSaiyan, Wishiwasbulmasobad (If you get a ff account, I'll gladly help you through PM!), yourheartspeaksthetruth (thanks so much. your review makes me smile every time I read it!), MK08 (aw, I love Gohan.), Cara2012 (I just think the tails would be hard for them to assimilate. I hope you won't be too sad D: In my mind, I'm picturing Videl thinking Gohan has some 'weird accessory' to make him look cool...), Renae724, joys, Dbz is just too interesting (thanks!), omgOver9000 (hehe, there's always a plan!), Trixie-chan (thanks!), Haw Resf (thanks for both of your motivating reviews!), Naughty Cat (Glad you liked 'wicked' Goku), Sasse1892 (Hope you were waiting too long! And the epilogue will cover a little after), xamss (thanks so much!), Vegetafreak96, SelfInfatuated (it's okay! special thanks for reviewing now :D), and Rawrness (Hopefully you're not dead!).

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Oh warning. I hope Vegeta isn't OOC to some of you. I think after all the events that happened in this AU (including Make A Wish), that his emotional responses are appropriate. We shall see.

I wouldn't end this story any other way.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or Dragon Ball GT. AU plot is mine.

Second Homecoming

"Don't think about it too much."

He looked at his father in slight annoyance. Saying not to think about it just made him think about it more, of course. How could he not?

The little prince turned from the doorway, glancing at the armor by his bedside. His dark eyes turned over every corner of the room. He needed to memorize every inch of space, every detail-every contour of his dark wooden furniture, every thread in the dark tapestries that hung on his wall and on his floor. A flag of the familiar red icon of Vegeta -sei hung above his small bed. It was echoed on his armor's chest plate.

"Are you ready, Vegeta?"

He slipped the white armor over his small frame and attached his red cape. He loved this suit, more than his young mind probably understood. That one garment held everything within its hard bindings. "Yes."

Vegeta-sei was thousands of miles away within hours. Outside the space station, it was nothing more than a distant red star, bloodied with memories and events he thought would happen but would never live.

Nappa was with him, but Nappa was nothing. A body guard, maybe. A reminder of a Saiyan adulthood Vegeta would never experience...

He was battered by Frieza's henchman, haunted by ghosts. He hated everything about his life-if he could even call it that. After ten years of being nothing but a slave, he felt his mind cave to defeat. He was becoming subservient. Until she came.

She reminded him of who he was: a prince. Not some common soldier or pet monkey. Vegeta was supposed to regain his throne and avenge his people. And now was his moment.

He never felt anything like this before. Pure power. That was what was flowing through his veins. Power, fury, rage, and revenge. Especially revenge. He wanted to squeeze Frieza's neck clear off, have him asphyxiate so slowly, that he would continue to feel the suffocating vice of the Saiyan prince's hands through death.

His whole body felt like exploding. This is it. He couldn't help but smile. Vegeta let loose a wide grin at the alien he was currently choking. "How does it feel, Frieza?"

He pushed the demon away from his hand and let the white body collapse on the ground, struggling for air. Vegeta hovered lightly, now green eyes never tearing away from the enemy on the ground. His voice was heartless, "Tell me how it feels to die by someone you thought was weaker than you- by a stupid monkey."

Frieza wiped the blood forming by his mouth. He looked to his sides where the two Super Saiyans flanked him. "You are nothing! I will crush both of you!"

"Please, Frieza. You have no pride left to defend." Vegeta clenched his fists, practically breaking through the hard layer of his white gloves. "Don't even bother sounding courageous, not when you're so obviously shaking with fear. This is why you destroyed my whole race in the first place, isn't it?" Vegeta gestured to Goku and then to himself, self-important smirk still growing. "Super Saiyans. Hmph, seems to be a little more than a fairy tale."

The overwhelming fear spreading through the tyrant's body was a little bit more than satisfying to Vegeta. Watching him squirm on the ground, fear ablaze in his eyes, it was what he had always wanted-what he had been trying to reach for over two decades.

Whoever said revenge wasn't sweet obviously hadn't succeeded in it.

Everything Frieza did seemed slower, muddied and ungraceful. Vegeta watched as the alien attempted to shoot a barrage of finger beams towards each of the Saiyans. The red lights fell lazily to Vegeta's side. He hadn't bothered moving. The once devastating ki blasts felt like pin pricks on his cheeks. Vegeta crossed his arms and glanced to Goku on the other side of Frieza. The other Saiyan seemed equally unaffected. Goku held out a hand, "Go for it."

He didn't have to say it twice.

Vegeta launched his own flurry of yellow blasts, and Frieza reacted in panic. The monster dashed around in desperate movements, barely dodging the energy balls Vegeta had unleashed. "Pathetic, really."

Frieza was panting, hands on his knees. "YOU WILL PAY!"

"He's a lot of talk, isn't he Vegeta?" Goku crossed his arms and smiled. "All talk, really. We should have taken you out earlier."

"Stop it! Stop it! You two don't know anything! Just a bunch of idiot monkeys!" Veins appeared on Frieza's neck and forehead. "I will show you true power! This Super Saiyan is nothing more than a cheap trick!"

Goku edged up at the words and quickly walked to Vegeta's side. Frieza was concentrating hard, and the younger Saiyan could feel his power grow. "End this now, Vegeta."

"I want him to have no options." Vegeta watched in eager.

"What? We don't have time for that! This planet will..."

"SO WHAT?" Vegeta turned to the other Saiyan, yellow aura igniting even more. "He will be dead before this hour ends and so will I. This planet will explode, yes, but what do I care? Tell me what is left after this!"

Goku hesitated, shocked at what the Saiyan prince was saying to him. "What do you mean?"

"Figure it the fuck out, Kakarot."

"You can't...I mean, I can't..."

"You are free to leave whenever you want." Vegeta raised his hands. "By all means, leave right now. Go tell your son everything is okay. Go back to your stupid planet and your mate. I will die here."

There would be nothing left for him in this universe. Perhaps he could destroy whatever remnants of the Cold Empire remained, but the ghosts would haunt him before then. He would forever feel her hair between his fingers, her breath against his skin. "You think that this is good enough?" He felt ridiculous for asking this question, especially to Goku who had never experienced death before. But he had to know. He needed to find out.

"Good enough for what?"

"To be with her." His dark eyes glanced to Goku's confused face, and Vegeta grimaced. "Never mind. Forget this idiocy. This transformation is making my mind foolish."

"You mean for heaven, Vegeta?" Goku smiled. It looked twisted, not quite as lighthearted as it would have been if the younger Saiyan's hair were still black. "I do know a guy named Kami. Maybe he could put in a good word for you."

"Hmph. Here I was hoping as a blonde you'd be smarter."

Goku's smile grew and he seemed to want to say something more, but his green eyes widened as Frieza finished powering up. "What is this?"

"He's unleashing all of his latent power." Vegeta smirked. This was exactly what he wanted. "Aren't you, Frieza?"

The overlord's musculature had tripled in size, and his power level had also seemed to vastly increase. It was nothing, however, that Vegeta felt he should have been concerned with. "This." The icy voice sounded cocky, controlled. Frieza didn't yet realize how screwed he actually was. "This is me at 100% full power!"

"Charming." Vegeta blurred away from Goku and rammed his fist into Frieza's stomach, causing the alien to scoff up air.

Frieza fuddled back, holding his gut, and licking off the blood staining his purple lips. He snarled at the Saiyan in front of him and then managed to land a well-aimed kick at Vegeta's skull.

Fight or die.

It had been his mantra, changed only slightly. Train or die. Be quiet or die. Live or die. And he had always lived, never died. This would be no exception.

Vegeta gritted back the pain and punched Frieza in the face. His power up was certainly an increase in strength, yes, but it was nothing compared to the legendary power Vegeta had at his fingertips. He trailed closer to Frieza and punched the demon in the cheek. Frieza flew back feet, smashing hard into an already crumbling Namekian plateau. Namek quaked in recognition.

Time was running swiftly.

Red lava started jutting out from the cracks produced from earthquakes minutes before. Valleys and canyons formed in seconds, dark sky painting the land in a sickly, apocalyptic gleam. Vegeta had barely noticed. He only watched his enemy squirm.

"You're afraid , aren't you? I don't blame you." Vegeta let his yellow aura envelop him. "It's normal to be afraid right before you die. Let me make it quick then."

"Wait!"

Vegeta sneered and turned to the other Saiyan who was currently running up to both of them. Lightning cracked through the sky as Goku stood in front of Frieza, face stern. "I want him to tell me something."

"What could he possibly tell you that is of any significance, Kakarot?" They didn't have too much time left-10 maybe 20 minutes.

"About my father." Goku looked at Frieza's red eyes. The alien had stood up from the ground and sneered at the Saiyan in front of him.

"You look like him. He was weak and attempted to rebel against me. I killed him. So glad I could mutilate your brother too. You seem to be the last of your family. Well, and that pathetic child that was here," Frieza spat.

If Frieza had a visible nose, it would have broken from Goku's knuckles. The alien flinched, but held his ground as Goku shook with anger. "You don't deserve any mercy. I am a Saiyan born on Earth, but for my family, I will defeat you!"

"No you will not." Vegeta grabbed Goku roughly and dragged him away. "You. Get off this rock. I will kill him. He is mine."

"Vegeta..."

"Fuck Kakarot! You will not steal this from me! Leave!"

"I need to tell you something fir-"

Both Saiyans squirmed to the ground from the whip of Frieza's tail. Distracted, neither saw the impact coming, and they had to quickly scramble up to their feet. But not in time. Frieza had already launched a purple beam of energy straight towards the both of them, wide enough to catch Goku and Vegeta in its searing light.

It collided with both of their bodies, and Vegeta tasted blood in his mouth. That blast would have normally killed him, but as a Super Saiyan, he only felt slightly winded. Goku seemed no worse than he was. "Leave, now. He's desperate. This should be easy."

"But about Bulma."

He was getting frustrated with this constant chatter. What about Bulma? There was no more Bulma. Vegeta didn't need to think about it again. He didn't want to think about it again. "Just shut up and go, Kakarot. If you're feeling guilty about...just, be a true Saiyan and move on!"

"I'm not guilty."

Vegtea actually turned his head at that, the statement making the prince incredibly pissed. Not long after Vegeta looked away from Frieza had the white and purple alien sent another punch against Vegeta's gut and then grabbed the Saiyan prince from behind.

"Stupid monkeys never learn."

Vegeta smirked at the familiar statement. He paid no attention to the arms currently attempting to crush his back, even though he felt the slight tinges of pain. Concentrating his energy, Vegeta let go an energy blast from his body. The bruised, bloodied Frieza immediately flung back from the blast. Vegeta gestured to Frieza's fallen, panting body. "See, Kakarot? This is what I desire. His death. Do not worry about other things."

"You need to come back to Earth."

"I have no reason to go back. She's dead. There is nothing that can change that."

"But the dra..." Goku blinked and powered down, something immediately taking over all of his thoughts. He nodded his head, black bangs covering a large portion of his face. "Do you have a ship?"

"Yes. It should be about 50 miles east of here. You better hurry. Tell Gohan that he was..." Vegeta searched his mind for the right word. "...bearable."

"Hehe. Remind me to warn you before introducing you to my wife. She'll probably kill you for training him."

"You're assuming I'm heading back to Earth after all of this."

Goku only smiled and gave Vegeta a slight salute with his fingers. "See you soon."

"Goodbye, Kakarot."

Goku soon disappeared from the battleground without either Frieza or Vegeta following behind. Frieza, however, questioned the move. "Where is he going? Afraid of this planet's blast or from the suppressing vacuum of space?"

"Neither. I sent him away. No reason to embarrass you with the two of us ripping you to shreds. I'll be more than enough."

In an instant, both fighters were swinging punches and kicks midair. The land crackled under them, and soon rivers and lakes of lava replaced whatever water was on the planet. Everything was dying around them, but Vegeta never felt more alive. He dodged another punch and uppercutted Frieza in the jaw. The Saiyan prince then grabbed the tyrant's tail and catapulted Frieza to the ground. His white and purple body dented through layers and layers of black rock.

"I won't allow this planet the pleasure of finishing you." Vegeta wiped the few drips of blood from a cut cheek. He was barely wounded, not even close to being exhausted. And if this would be the way he were to die, then so be it. He would go out ablaze. "But I want you to fully understand. You are being defeated by a Saiyan. Now, now."

Vegeta grinned, incisors showing. "No need to cringe. All those years, all those days that I refuted your standing and explained who I am..." He let his power glow around him, everything around him illuminating gold. "There's no real reason to be too ashamed. I am Prince Vegeta! Prince of All Saiyans! And you. You are nothing to me anymore!"

He held out both his hands, completely outstretched to his sides, and then cupped them together in front of his face. As he screamed, a bright yellow beam escaped from his gloves and enveloped Frieza in warm, deathly light. There was an agonizing scream from below and then nothing. No body. No, cold red eyes.

Frieza was dead.

Exhausted, Vegeta panted and felt his hair go back to black. His back fell hard on the broken Namekian ground, but he didn't bother moving. All he could do was smile. He had done it. It was over. He had avenged his people, avenged his own life, and now...

Namek quaked from underneath him, but Vegeta didn't bother to move. He hadn't ever done an attack like that before, and it exhausted his whole body, as did the transformation. He had been a Super Saiyan. He had killed Frieza. It was like a dream-only without the exact ending he was hoping for.

Maybe I'll see you there.

Though he had doubted that. How many families had he destroyed? He had killed too many people, destroyed too many worlds to ever be granted such a gift as seeing Bulma in the afterlife.

So he attempted to picture her now, in case he wasn't given the opportunity in death. Fires started blazing from the pits around him, a precursor for things to come certainly. But Vegeta closed his eyes away from the red flames to see blue, nothing but blue.

And in the heat of the darkness, he could feel his body lift and pinch together, as if the vacuum of space, not the explosion, would have the honor of taking the Saiyan prince's life.

He fell flat on his butt, the ground soft and sandy, the air thin and light, coloring his cheeks an immediate shade of light pink. What...what just-

This must have been it. Though he couldn't have imagined Hell to be an island. Perhaps that would be punishment enough. An eternity of his own isolation, in the middle of...

"Vegeta!"

Dazed, he turned around, not fully comprehending the voice he had just heard.

"Vegeta! Vegeta!"

There it was again. It was soft, feminine, and oh so very familiar. He recognized it instantly and dared himself to turn around to see her. "Bulma."

It was like he was seeing her again for the very first time. Her hair was loose and slightly wavy at the ends, and she wore her name on a simple pink t-shirt. She stood there for a second, mouth slightly open, and then bolted straight towards him, throwing herself into the Saiyan's arms. Vegeta squirmed from the contact. His ribs hurt from the battle beforehand, but he immediately pushed back the pain and gripped her harder. This had to be a dream. He nuzzled his nose against her neck. "Bulma..."

"You jerk!" Her voice sounded weak, and he could feel wet drips of tears fall on his neck. "Never do that to me again, you hear me? I thought you were..."

"I thought you were dead." He let go of her reluctantly and brushed a finger across her cheek. "Are we both..."

"Psh, no. Goku's smarter than he looks, huh?" She hugged him again and he reciprocated. "Hey! Not so tight! That sort of..."

He let his arms loosen, "Kakarot's a moron. Where is the idiot? To think that he could have even potentially..."

"Hey, Goku's my best friend, and as a new citizen of Earth, you're not allowed to hurt him. Got it mister?" Bulma poked him in the chest and then shrugged. "And it was sort of ingenious. He wanted to get you angry. And to think, you'd be so upset about little, old me..."

"Woman..." Vegeta growled."

Bulma smiled and grabbed his hand. "You did it, didn't you? I waited as long as I could. We only had an hour, you know, before the planet exploded."

Vegeta nodded, "Yes, Bulma. He's gone, and I was a Super Saiyan."

"Well, good. I always knew you could do it, didn't I? Maybe you can show me sometime." She winked and then dragged Vegeta to the other side of the pink house, where the other fighters stood patiently waiting. He recognized most of them, though the pig, cat thing, a young woman, and the old man were unknown to him.

Soon, a little boy came running to him and hugged his leg. "Uncle Vegeta!" Gohan screamed and gripped him tighter. "You're alright!"

Another Saiyan walked up to the prince and held out a hand. "Good to see you're okay, Vegeta."

"Raditz." Vegeta took the third class's hand and shook it, after peeling Gohan off him and giving the little boy a glare. "Seems you're in one piece too."

"Not completely." Raditz motioned to his lack of tail. "I actually was dead for a while, but the dragon balls wished me back."

Of course. But that certainly complicated why Vegeta was suddenly here. He looked to his side to see Bulma smile towards him. That was a question he could save for later. "Brat, you lost your tail as well?"

"Mr. Piccolo removed it so I would...um...blend in with the other humans better." Gohan looked around, "Gosh, I wonder where Mr. Piccolo went already. He never hangs out anywhere too long."

"That's fine with me, Gohan." A black haired woman was grabbing the half-Saiyan's hand at the moment. Vegeta smirked. This must have been Kakarot's mate that he warned me about. The lady was pretty, but she did have a rather shrewd appearance. "I suppose I can forgive you for stealing my child because you helped my husband."

"Hmph. Your forgiveness means nothing."

Chichi shrugged, "And neither does your acceptance of it. You're not some other long lost brother of my husband, are you?"

Vegeta shook his head. He sort of liked this woman.

"Well, good. The last thing I need is another one of you in my house. Bulma, you take this one." Chichi turned back to the house. "I already have two once evil aliens hanging around. By the time Goku comes home, I'll go bankrupt from the food I'll need to cook! Thank Kami, Piccolo only takes water."

"No problem, Chichi!" Bulma called out to the retreating younger woman.

The other fighters gave Vegeta congratulatory pats and smiles, much to his chagrin, and also returned back inside the pink island house. Apparently the true party would be happening in there.

But both Bulma and Vegeta made no move to go inside. It was nighttime here, and Vegeta hadn't seen a peaceful dark sky in a while. It was relaxing to him, familiar. It reminded him of space, and although those times hadn't been his best, they were what he was used to.

Bulma grabbed his hand again, and he didn't resist. She dragged him back to the other side of the house and sat him on the ground. She sat down in front of him and wrapped his arms around her.

Never had she looked more beautiful to him than she did now. The moon shaded her arms and hair in pearl-white light. She was soft in his arms and warm, even though his ki was miles beyond her own. "Where is Kakarot?"

She turned around a bit at the random question and then shrugged, "I tried wishing him back too, but he refused. Apparently he had crashed landed somewhere else, and he wanted to train with whoever he was with."

Idiot.

"And Raditz?"

"I used the Namekian dragon balls for that. Apparently, after transferring the power to Moori, we still had more wishes. It was like they completely reset. Lucky, isn't it?"

Luck was something he would never take for granted again. Vegeta coughed, voice sounding scratchy. "And me?"

Bulma hesitated and moved to sit beside him. She removed his torn glove and took his calloused, warm hand within her own. Vegeta turned forward at her silence, watching the sea. Vegeta-sei had a sea, though he didn't remember it too well. Vegeta-sei had clouds too and sand and houses, just like Earth.

"I...I wished for you once before."

He looked back to Bulma at the woman's words, seeing her face flush in the darkness. "Excuse me?"

"...When I was sixteen, first I wanted strawberries. They're really good. You should try them while you're here. I mean, you're staying right?"

Vegeta looked back to the ocean and nodded. He would stay here, and not only because he had nowhere else to go, but because he wanted to.

Bulma smiled, "Well...when I had the opportunity to make my first wish for the dragon balls, I made a certain wish. It was a stupid wish, really. I mean, I don't know what I was thinking. Teenagers can be really..."

"Woman." Vegeta was gruff. "Get on with it."

"Right, of course. I wished for...my perfect man."

He would have choked had he been eating anything, "Excuse me?"

"And Shenron...he sent me to you."

"Are you calling me your perfect man?" He found the wish absolutely laughable. She really had been moronic. But he wouldn't hold it against her now for a part of him wanted her to say yes.

Bulma nodded slowly. "Maybe. For me, you're perfect. I think that's...that's what 'I love you' means, Vegeta. That given the choice, if I could wish for anyone to be with, I'd wish to be with you." She hesitated and stared at him, blue eyes wide. "Do you understand?"

He didn't answer, but after a while just kissed her softly on the lips.

She was furiously red now, ignoring the fact that he hadn't truly answered her question. "I wished you here to be with me. I should have done it again after I was wished back the first time but...I was young and stupid. I don't think I could ever apologize enough for it."

"It's okay, Bulma."

Because for once, it was okay. Vegeta had never felt more 'okay' in his life. Here, on some foreign planet, with bloody wounds and sand just about everywhere on his body, he was finally free. Bulma rested her head on his shoulder pad, not minding the blood at all. "You can come live with me back at Capsule Corp. since you are kind of cute..."

She was truly vulgar sometimes. "Hmph."

Bulma kissed him again "I'll take that as a yes." She curled against him, both of their bodies feeding off each other's warmth, idly watching the water roll back and forth on the cool sand.

After a moment, Vegeta stood up and grabbed Bulma by the waist to drag her to her feet. He looked up to the sky, the moon, and then down to her eyes, moving her blue hair back behind her ear. "Bulma..."

She smiled at her name, loving how it sounded on his lips, "Yeah?"

"I think I understand."

A/N:

This is the official ending to the longest series of stories I have ever written period. I thank all of you for reading and sharing your thoughts with me. This story would not exist without any and all of you. I will get started on an epilogue! And as for a sequel...well, I'm not really sure about that. They seem pretty happy as is :)

Tell me what you think! Until Next time!