Vegeta folded in on himself, drawing his legs to his chest and resting his forehead on his knees. What had just happened repeated itself over and over in his mind; he could think of nothing else. He knew that, before he could plan and carry out his next course of action, he had to sit still and fully process what had taken place. His heart raced; he did not want to worsen the situation by behaving rashly. Over the past few weeks, he had disgraced himself enough. Something about this planet and its people upset his composure, tampered with his psychology.
He remembered what Yamcha had asked him over dinner: "Planning on going somewhere?" Once Dr. Briefs had repaired the ship, Vegeta realized, he could leave Earth, and nothing could make him return. He could pirate resources if he needed them. With Frieza's empire in shambles, he could even take up a respected place in the universe if he wished; none but Kakarot would have the might to oppose him, and Kakarot currently busied himself with Earth and its affairs. While Kakarot worried over the androids, Vegeta could find at least one faction of Frieza's armada that would turn and pledge loyalty to him. Then, if Kakarot survived the androids' coming, the Prince would not have to face him alone should he come after him.
Vegeta snarled to himself and dug his nails into his shins. He would not leave Earth—how could he even have entertained such a cowardly scheme? Surely, he had lost his mind if he had started considering letting the androids or a hired army dispose of Kakarot. Kakarot's death held meaning only insofar as Vegeta brought it about himself; by no means could the Prince of All Saiyans settle a matter of honor dishonorably. Ashamed, the Prince released a long sigh. No longer could he have any doubt that Earth had impinged upon his sanity.
In spite of everything, though, remaining on Earth did not seem so terrible. It surprised Vegeta immensely that it did not. He could still feel the warmth of the hot chocolate he had drunk settled in his stomach. The beverage had tasted so rich and sweet, and it had followed a large, savory supper. After his shower, he had dressed himself in clean, soft Earthling garments. Tonight, when he finally felt weary enough, he would crawl into cushioned bed with weighty blankets, and he could sleep as long as he wanted. He had not lived like this since his earliest years, since his childhood life on Planet Vegeta. It was all so idyllic that Vegeta could barely stand it. Perhaps it was the unreality of it all precisely that threatened his soundness of mind.
Earth may as well be some dreamworld—an impossibly idealistic place of bucolic fantasy. He could do nothing but view it as if through a screen, as an outsider; he did not belong there. Earth made his heart ache like a bright light sears eyes long grown accustomed to darkness. Vegeta's view of the universe could not include such planets as this one. He had always supposed the universe was a cold, bleak reality, but Earth and its warmth challenged that supposition. This place introduced an anomaly, an inconsistency that he could not force into logical submission. He hated it along with every other element of chaos.
Vegeta was giddy, and that disturbed him. He could feel himself smiling, but his consciousness thereof produced some strange sensation of cognitive dissonance. He did not like that dissonance, nor did he like the duality—the conflict, complexity, and unpredictability—it implied. He did not like that he was smiling like a fool. Why, then, was he doing it? As long as he felt disconnected from himself like this, he knew he could not keep a firm hold on his self-sovereignty, his perfect universe. Fervently and desperately, he wished that he could simply quell his giddiness and feel nothing. Instead, he could feel nothing but how warm his jacket kept him and how soft the woman's lip had been when it had met his.
That woman especially drove him crazy. That fact now lay beyond all reasonable doubt. How this had happened he couldn't guess. Mysteriously, over the course of the past months, she had taken up residence in his thoughts, and as time went on, she came to occupy more rather than less space. She had planned it all along, of course. She had dealt with him tactically; she had even said so. If she had meant to invade his person, then she had succeeded—a terrible feat indeed. Vegeta could not decide whether to admire or despise her for it.
All that remained for him to answer was why the woman had devised the plans she had carried out. What had she hoped to gain? And why had she fled at the last moment? Vegeta decided he would find out. He knew full well that he would have no success in falling asleep that night until he had made sense of everything. With new resolve, he stood, shut his eyes, and searched for her energy. If he was not mistaken, she was currently in her laboratory, and he made his way toward it.
Silently, he entered the building, and he followed the traces of her energy to her personal workroom. With the door slightly ajar, she sat at her desk in darkness, the light of her laptop's screen illuminating her face. She did not spot him until he rested one hand on the cluttered surface of her desk, and when she finally did acknowledge his presence, she started. A few papers fluttered to the floor.
"Vegeta," she said, swallowing. "Hi. My sleep schedule is off, so I decided to at least do something productive until I got tired. I guess you're having the same problem."
Vegeta disregarded her attempt at smalltalk. "What are you trying to do? Why did you run? Explain."
The woman merely stared. The Saiyan could tell that she was contemplating her answer.
He smirked at her, slightly amused by her loss for words. "Are you afraid?" He rounded the desk and stopped just a few inches from her chair. "Answer me."
She crossed her arms and frowned petulantly. "I have every reason to be afraid, you know. You're not exactly the most level-headed guy. But, no, I'm not afraid."
"Don't lie to me. Why did you run?"
Spinning her chair to face him, she met his gaze directly. "I left because I knew you didn't know what you were doing, that's why. I figured I'd give you a chance to figure out what you wanted before you did something you regretted."
"You thought I was going to hurt you." Vegeta realized that he might have hurt her indeed. He would never know whether he would have regretted it or not.
"Fine. I admit that the thought crossed my mind. That doesn't make the reason I gave you any less true, though. And I'm not lying when I said I wasn't afraid. You know what? I probably should be, but I'm not. I know you're going to try and get me to tell you what I thought I was doing. But to tell you the truth, I don't really know." She paused and scanned his expression for a possible response. "I don't know what I'm trying to do. I'm a bit irrational, and you're going to have to accept that. A rational person would stay away from you."
He couldn't argue with that.
"I don't know how much you know about stuff like this, Vegeta, but I can tell you that most of the time it isn't rational. It usually isn't something you choose or expect. Life is funny and ironic that way. You have to expect the unexpected. It's easier to deal with when you realize you can't control or explain everything."
"What the hell are you rambling on about, woman?"
"I'm saying that I like getting to know you and that I care about you. Most people would say that feeling that way is against my better judgment, but I don't care."
Vegeta narrowed his eyes, skeptical and confused.
"For fuck's sake, I might as well be talking to a wall!" She buried her face in her palm.
"I know you want something from me. I know you have some sort of strange fascination with me. What I want to know is why."
"You just really don't get it, do you?" Something between a sigh and a snarl rose up from behind the hand that covered her face. "I don't want anything from you. It's just you. There's nothing more to it, and it doesn't have to make complete sense. I suppose that, if you're really looking for some sort of explanation, I could say that I like having you around because you make my life less boring. I don't even know."
Vegeta growled, then struck the desk with his fist. More papers jumped into the air, then fluttered to the floor.
"Hey! Look here!" Bulma snapped, standing up. "Don't you go around breaking my stuff just because I'm not saying what you want! I have no idea what it is you think I should say. I bet you don't even know!" She jabbed his chest with her finger.
Before she could draw it back to her side, Vegeta grabbed her hand. "Just tell me what the fuck it is that you want!"
"I want you to kiss me again, and then I want to go and get a good night's rest for once!"
By the hand that he held, he pulled her to his side. With his other hand, he turned her face towards him. He kissed her, forcefully at first, but more gently as his body responded to Bulma's touch. Her free arm found its way around his waist.
Their lips parted. "I want you to be happy." She paused to kiss the corner of his mouth. "I want you to stay." She kissed his cheek. "What do you want?"
"I want you to leave me alone," he answered, pressing her lips to his once more.
"Well, that's a mixed message if I've ever gotten one," Bulma remarked, faintly smiling. She stepped away from the Saiyan, then reached down to close her laptop. "Goodnight, Vegeta. It's one in the morning, and I have to work tomorrow. I've taken too many days off as it is."
Author's Note: Two things! First, a good friend of mine, LadyLuckRogue, recently published the prologue to a story called "Frozen Truths." It handles Vegeta's past under Frieza, and after talking to LadyLuckRogue and brainstorming about it with her, I can promise you that it will prove a gripping, epic tale! If you like "The Mistaken Wish," you may like "Frozen Truths," and you should check it out! Here's the second thing: after I, your author, finish "The Mistaken Wish," I hope to add a bonus chapter in which I answer frequently asked questions pertaining to my story. I thought it would be a cool way to interact with my readers and give them a way to enjoy the story in new ways even after I finish it. If you have a question, don't hesitate to ask in a review or in a personal message. I'll give you a couple examples of some questions to get you guys thinking: "How do you choose chapter titles?" "Why did you write 'The Mistaken Wish' from Vegeta's perspective?" or even "Could you explain the symbolism behind (insert thing that catches your attention here)?"