A/N: Okay, so for those of you who were reading this story before I uploaded this chapter, I decided to change Big Trunks' name to Mirai (Japanese for future), because it's so much easier for me. Just letting you know!
EDIT 9/28/10: Fixed the dialog spacing so it's easier to read.
o-o-o-o-o
Vegeta's eyes opened slowly and he turned on his side, glancing at the clock. The digital face read 8:24 am. He sat up and groaned, rubbing his sleep-heavy eyes and taking notice that Bulma wasn't at his side. It was then that he picked up on the smells coming from downstairs. Fresh coffee and possibly waffles met his nose. His stomach growled and he reluctantly got up and stretched, pushing the loose hairs on his forehead back into his black flame of hair. He grabbed a pair of boxers from his drawer and his bathrobe from the back of the door, and walked sluggishly down the cold stairs to the kitchen.
He leaned lazily against the entrance to the kitchen and watched his blue haired wife scurrying around the room, pouring coffee here, flipping waffles there. She was always a bit hyper the morning after sex. He smiled lightly. She turned and saw him standing in the doorway with his arms over his chest.
"Morning honey!" She chirped. She kissed him lightly on the cheek before going back to the stove, putting the waffles on a plate. He looked at the table and saw that it was piled high with an assortment of different breakfast food. If there was one thing Bulma knew best, it was that Vegeta's Saiyan appetite was a beast.
He sat down at the table and she sat down opposite him, still grinning. "Goku called this morning. He says the car's still at his house."
Vegeta sniffed. "I wasn't going to drive it, and I sure as hell wasn't going to let you drive."
Bulma giggled. "Yea, not a good idea."
Their short exchange ended and Vegeta started eating, while Bulma just enjoyed her coffee. He had to admit that her eating habits bothered him sometimes, but maybe that was just because he ate so much. The meal was quickly devoured and soon nothing was left but a few scraps and a few drops of juice in the pitcher. Silently, he helped clean everything up and even did a few dishes.
Bulma watched the Saiyan Prince curiously. He continued to surprise her. First last night, now this. Something was up.
"Vegeta?" She spoke softly.
He acknowledged her with a slight raise of his eyebrow, still scrubbing away at the pot in his hands. "Uhm, is something… is something wrong?" He paused momentarily and looked at her.
"No. Why?" He said slowly, a nervous feeling settling in his stomach. Bulma pushed a stray hair out of her face and shrugged.
"Well, uhm. You're just. You never do dishes. And last night…" She trailed off. She looked into her coffee.
'Dammit… I should have known I couldn't get anything past her…' Vegeta scolded himself. His heart thumped dangerously against his chest. He'd have to lie to her. Again.
"Nothing's wrong. I'm not allowed to do dishes?" He asked sarcastically. Bulma shook her head quickly.
"No, you are. It'd be nice if you did it more often, Trunks and Mirai too. I was just, you know, wondering…" She answered. He raised an eyebrow again and went back to the dishes, silently cursing himself for being a fool.
Seeing that she wasn't going to get any more out of the man, Bulma said something about going to get the car and the boys, and exited the kitchen, going upstairs to change. Vegeta put the dishes away and headed to his room as well. Bulma was pulling on her jacket when he entered. She smiled at him warmly before grabbing him into an enormous hug, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
Normally he would have tried to pull away, but he felt guilty enough as it is, so he gently hugged her small frame back.
"Vegeta?"
He grunted in response. She pulled back and looked into his eyes, almost as if she were searching for something. "I know I don't say it very often, but I want you to know that I love you." She said softly.
Vegeta felt his heart swell, but all he wanted to do was crawl under a rock. What scum he was. He squashed the guilty feelings and let the rare words pass his lips.
"I love you too."
She hugged him tight again and kissed him before heading back down the stairs. He heard the door shut, and heard the jet bike rev up before speeding off in the direction of Goku's home.
He sighed heavily and ventured back downstairs to find something to do until she returned.
o-o-o-o-o
Piccolo pinched the bridge of his nose, listening to Dende apologize over and over.
"I'm sorry! I-I-I was distracted and didn't see where I was going…"
"Dende, enough. I said it was alright. I'll fix it, okay?" Piccolo sighed. He gathered the pieces of the vase up in his cape and sent the flustered young Namekian to the garden, hoping Mr. Popo could calm him down. He put the broken glass in a plastic bag and put it in his room, remembering to keep that hidden from Mr. Popo. He'd have a fit. It had belonged to Kami.
Sighing heavily, he walked out to the edge of the Lookout and stared down at the scenery surrounding him and the tower. He still couldn't clear his mind of the previous night, or the Saiyan Prince. He closed his eyes and began to meditate. He wouldn't let this torture him. He just hoped Vegeta wasn't angry or anything, even though he highly doubted he would be. He sat in silence, unaware of the events happening in the world below him.
o-o-o-o-o
Vegeta sat lazily in his living room, subconsciously flipping through the channels on the plasma screen TV. He didn't care much for TV, but seeing as there wasn't anything else interesting, and he had already went down to the company levels and scared the workers, he settled for lounging in front of the absurd machine. 'God, humans and their technology.'
Hardly 5 seconds passed after he said this before a searing pain rippled through his chest, tearing a cry of pain from the prince. He gasped and clutched his chest, greatly confused.
"What the hell?—"
Another wave of pain ripped through him and he fell off the couch, screaming and gasping. He sat up, shivering from the immensity of the pain, eyes wide. He fell heavily back to the floor, screaming again. He curled in on himself. He had never felt anything like this pain… His vision began to blur from the small tears that made their way down his face. He felt like he was being crushed.
o-o-o-o-o
Piccolo snapped out of his mediation, standing quickly and hurrying inside, yelling to Dende.
"DENDE, something's happened! I'll be back!"
Not giving the boy a chance to answer, he blasted down the tower at a break-neck speed, following his instincts. He sought out Goku's ki and headed in that direction.
o-o-o-o-o
Vegeta began to rock himself gently as the pain dulled to a throb in his chest. Eventually he was able to prop himself up against the couch, breathing heavily and still shaking. His head felt foggy and he felt a deep sense of loss. He searched his mind. Something was missing…
o-o-o-o-o
Piccolo saw the smoke before he found Goku. "GOKU! WHAT—"
He stopped short when he saw ChiChi sobbing on his shoulder. He saw the tears running down Goku's face. He slowly followed their line of vision and his stomach dropped into the ground.
That car…
o-o-o-o-o
Vegeta was eventually able to stand, after a few attempts ending in his collapsing on the couch, panting and fighting unconsciousness. Something in the back of his mind told him to find Piccolo, which was a bizarre thought but he just went with it. He was in no state to argue with his instincts. He slowly flew out of the house and followed the trail of ki leading to the green warrior.
o-o-o-o-o
Piccolo stared, unable to move, at the crushed car underneath the semi truck. The ambulance and the fire truck sirens were deafening. He winced at the sound, but he was focused mostly on the sounds of agony around him. ChiChi's sobs filled the air, but above that he could hear Gohan and Goten as well, and an occasional sniffle from Goku. That was so like him; being the strong one when everyone else needed the support.
Something clicked in Piccolo's mind and he searched frantically for the two boys that should have been present. His attention was directed to the ambulance, where he could see Trunks bawling his eyes out and Mirai refusing any treatment, silently holding his little brother, and crying along with him. Both of the boys were scratched up but otherwise unharmed.
Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, he saw the gurney with the black bag on it headed for the other ambulance. He swallowed the lump in his throat. Suddenly he spun around.
"Oh no… Vegeta…"
Goku heard him speak and a panicked look crossed his face.
Before either of them could react, Vegeta touched down a few feet from the scene.
He stopped short, his eyes growing to the size of dinner plates. Piccolo saw Vegeta's knees lock and he fell heavily, his knees hitting the pavement with a hollow thump.
Piccolo was the only one who heard the strained word leave Vegeta's mouth.
"No…"
o-o-o-o-o
A/N: I actually got really depressed writing this chapter. :( I feel like a jerk, but hey it needed to happen for this story to work properly. Ugh, mayn… Oh, and just so you know, I am aware that Piccolo's dad was the Demon King, and that he doesn't have any other family, but in this story, Kami's his uncle, alright? Bare with me, okay? R&R please!