Chapter 4

The Moonstone (Part 1)

While waiting for Tarble at the bus stop after school, Vegeta sat at the end of the bench made of steel underneath a metallic shed. He was deeply scowling at the open space right in front of him as he reminisced about how much he dislike that blue-haired vixen who introduced herself as Bulma Briefs. She was unbelievably persistent, either oblivious, crazy, or an idiot not to notice and recognize just how much her mere presence annoyed him to no end.

Vegeta pretended not to notice it as much as he could. Unlike most of the girls surrounding him who tried their best to get his attention one time and eventually gave up, she didn't. He knew that she had been observing him since the day she saw him in the market. While he was well aware of his own irresistible charm that easily attracts his prey towards him like a moth to a flame, he was easily annoyed and get uncomfortable whenever they do this every single time.

It feels like he always had a stalker behind his back. While he never trusted any human at all, perceiving them as something lower than himself, and as nothing but his prey, just as how butchers see a pig or a cow, he still cannot feel at ease about humans looking at his way constantly. What if that human suspects him or knew something about his darkest secrets? He cannot afford of any human learning what he truly is and expect them not to freak out about it or be quiet about it at all.

Bulma Briefs had been trying to talk to him every morning about whatever topic comes into her mind, which Vegeta finds no interest at all. She just wouldn't shut up just as he commanded her to do. She is indeed a persistent vermin, foolish, and oblivious about what kind of monster she was trying to befriend. Vegeta would simply shut her out by ignoring her as he continued to stare at the window. Bulma would thankfully shut her annoying mouth once the teacher enters the room. He had never been so grateful for the presence of a human trying to teach him things he already knew.

He hated how her ki energy was tempting him to unleash the beast within himself every time he sensed her presence nearby for the past month since she arrived. It made him feel the dry, aching sensation on his throat, the vibration and growling his stomach makes, the tension of his shaking muscles, and the way his mouth water whenever he perceived her vibrant ki energy. This would cause him to be in a terrible mood, especially the sooner the full moon night comes. There were times when he would plan how exactly he would rip her heart and her liver out of her fragile little body, and how he would swiftly eliminate all the witnesses who would see his true nature as their fearsome predator according to their stupid urban myths. He did his best to resist and control himself and his hunger for her ki energy, because he knew he would hate himself more if he loses control of himself. He sees a lack of control of one's primal Saiyajin instincts and desires as a weakness, and he never liked being weak. He was a very prideful Saiyajin, and he prided himself for his own strength. He will not allow an insignificant little vermin become the reason for his weakness.

Vegeta marvelled at how incredibly oblivious this Bulma Briefs was. He cannot believe how such a pathetic human was able to survive with senses so incredibly dull. He would think how lucky he was for not being born human, or half-human like his brother. He was glad he was born a pure-blooded Saiyajin royal prince, and the most powerful one among his kind. He hated imagining himself becoming that weak and dull.

Vegeta remembered when he kicked that soccer ball back to those stupid wannabe soccer players earlier that day. Bulma had tried to push him away to protect him. What sort of fool would do such a thing to him? He never asked for and needed her help at all! Plus, when she did that, her ki energy rose along her panic. It caused Vegeta to almost attack her right there. One rip at her heart and liver, and he could feed her delicious ki energy. The heart and the liver are the organs where ki energy are mostly concentrated in the human body, thus this is the reason why these are the preferred parts the Saiyajin would eat from them. Thankfully, he quickly snapped out of it. He will not allow himself to lose control in here!

He turned to stagger away from her and he jumped to kick the soccer ball with a spinning back kick. Much to his own surprise, he kicked it too hard it plummeted into the goal several meters across the field. Vegeta sneered to himself in annoyance, but did his best to maintain his composure. Feigning ignorance, he concentrated back on his flute and walked away, leaving the scene as if nothing happened. He inwardly cursed and berated himself for showing off more than what he was supposed to. His recklessness pissed him greatly, and his temper flared greater because of it.

Vegeta knew he had to hunt tonight, as the full moon will be rising in the sky. He wondered if he should hunt for that annoying blue-haired girl. Her vibrant and enigmatic ki energy always made his mouth water, his throat burn, and his stomach twist and churn in anticipation ever since he sensed it in the market over a month ago. Vegeta never felt a human's ki energy as rousing and as lively as hers, it's almost endless. Every day she would step a foot in their classroom, her energy only seemed to grow more vibrant. Perhaps, this is the reason for her lively personality which annoyed Vegeta so much. Vegeta could compare her presence to that of the Sun. Warm, bright, and full of energy. And he was her exact opposite, the Moon itself, who exists in the darkness, cold, and... in need of her energy... Like how the moon depends on the sun to have its own brilliance.

Vegeta thought that if he managed to eat that woman's energy, he will have the best meal he had his entire eighteen years of life.

Vegeta scowled deeply, he sensed her coming right towards him, that infernal transfer student named Bulma Briefs. And as she stopped a few feet next to him, staring at him just as how she would always do the past few days since she saw him in the market the day before her first day of school, Vegeta held his breath.

There's still a few more hours left before he could hunt. He must wait patiently for the right time. He doesn't want to create a bloody scene in this public place surrounded by his schoolmates. Plus, he needed the full moon's presence in the sky to help him feed on her energy slowly and painlessly, without the need to rip her apart immediately, spill her blood, cause commotion if she screamed, and risk humans witnessing his true identity as the feared Saiyajin of the night.

Vegeta gritted his teeth, just what the hell is he thinking? He tried to calm his excitement down and stop thinking of those things for now. He had to concentrate on controlling himself.

A group of girls arrived, giggling to themselves as they stared in his direction. The feeling of their ki brimming with their crush on him only made matters even worse for him. Vegeta tried to close his shaking hands into tight fists. He wanted to leave this place, but immediately had second thoughts against it because he thinks it would be a sign of weakness and cowardice on his part. So he stayed where he was and continued to resist as much as he could.

"There he is! Look!" one annoying girl squealed happily, pointing at him. "I heard he is the coolest boy in the sophomore batch. Vegeta Yonsei, an A++."

Vegeta scowled even more. What the hell is an A++? Do these nosy girls rank every boy they see accordingly to their type just like Marron does?

"Definitely!" the other girl agreed. "Good looks, nice, hot, and sexy bod. A genius in almost everything!" she swooned.

"Why don't we say hi to him? I hope he notice us."

Vegeta growled to himself. Since it has over been a month since he last fed as a Saiyajin, all the ki of the females surrounding him was making him famished already. When he sensed the vibrant ki of those girls swooning over him like that, it made him even more hungry. He thought of ripping all of their hearts and livers right there. But he tried to stop himself again. He cannot feed right until the full moon is out, unless he wanted to rip those girls apart and make a bloody scene in this public place.

However, that pulsing, vibrant, almost infinite feel of the ki energy Bulma Briefs possessed, was making the beast within him go wild.

Vegeta tried his best to retain his earlier composure, not wanting to show anyone what he's been going through.

The oblivious freshmen females approached him, waving a hand at him to say a sweet, drawling "Hi!" at him.

"Uhmm... You are from class 2-A, right? Vegeta Yonsei-senpai... We heard a lot of great things about you and we're wondering if we could invite you to join us out... Maybe tonight if it's okay with you..." the petite girl with long chestnut-colored hair asked in a forced timid tone, acting like a sweet and innocent girl.

He turned his dark, furious glare at them and the girls instantly froze in fear and terror. As expected, these girls would ask him out on a date. Don't they have anything better to do than annoying him? If they have time to go on dates, why won't they spend their time raising their grades instead of asking some random guy to go out with them?! Do they honestly think he would go out with stupid, oblivious girls such as themselves?!

While he would normally say yes so he could judge whether his dates should be his proper blood feast tonight, he decided to reject the offer in his usual rude way. This is to prevent himself from falling into temptation because Bulma was standing close to him, so he won't start ripping everyone's hearts and livers around his vicinity.

"Shut up. Get lost and never talk to me again. Now, get out of my sight!" he told them with a furious growl.

The terrified girls immediately backed away. Thankfully, a bus finally stopped in front of them and the girls, including Bulma, quickly scampered inside of it. The girls muttering to themselves if they said something offensive at him.

Vegeta sighed in relief once they were gone. He planned to feed on something else tonight. He somehow regret declining the offer earlier since those girls were so willing to date him, but he knew that what he did was for the better than risk his identity being revealed here and getting human blood on his hands so early.

"Niisan!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes, letting out a loud, impatient groan. Finally, this little twerp arrived.

"What took you so long, Tarble?!" he demanded his brother.

Tarble tilted his head in confusion, flinching at his older brother's angry and impatient tone, "I thought I texted you that I'm on cleaner's duty today? You haven't read my text message?"

Vegeta fumbled on his pocket to take out his blue flip phone, flipped it open, and found the text message his brother was talking about. He shook his head, sighing in an effort to calm himself down, "No, I didn't. My bad. Let's get you home and I had to prepare for the hunting tonight."

They walked together back to their apartment. Tarble, noticing his brother's mood, asked him, "Does she still bother you?"

Of all people, Vegeta always trusted his secrets to his younger brother. The brothers were close, and could even be called 'partners in crime' in cases they needed to cover up for each other's back from their parents' wrath. Vegeta had been open to him about how Bulma's ki energy always bothered him. At least, he knew that his brother will never judge him as being weak or losing his edge at all, no matter what. For Tarble, he will always be the best. That's just how much his younger brother look up to him. While Vegeta always prided himself for being a monster of the night, Tarble knew that feeding on humans is the way of the Saiyajin to live. He's basically the reason why Vegeta would choose the beautiful women who hides a darker side as his blood feast. Just so he could say that he did the society a favor by eliminating the evil and the useless. A twisted sense of justice that eliminates evil by doing the greater evil.

This is one reason why Vegeta refused to feed on Bulma, aside from the fact that he refused to be weak for losing control over his more primal urges. To him, she is a pure, innocent soul. Unless she witnessed him using his Saiyajin power as per the Saiyajin Tribe's rule during hunting, he cannot feed on her.

"Yeah," Vegeta said.

"You did a great job holding back again today, Vegeta-niisan," Tarble praised him. "You're stronger than you thought you were. You still were able to resist the temptation despite tonight being a full moon. It's impressive."

"It wasn't impressive enough for me," he replied. Tarble raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? Why? I think you were being too hard on yourself, Niisan."

Vegeta grunted in annoyance. If Tarble only knew how much he had almost lost control over his Saiyajin bloodlust today, he wouldn't be congratulating him. He would even be alarmed if he learned how Vegeta had exactly planned to rip the hearts and livers of those who stood around him earlier. That bus was the humans' life saver, honestly.

"You had no idea how hard it is for me to restrain myself. I'm not being too hard on myself. I hated the fact that at any given moment, I would have lost control of myself right there, and regret that I allowed my primal mind to take control because I am too weak to resist the temptation."

"And you won over that temptation. You were able to resist your primal urges, right? Niisan, please stop thinking of those what-ifs. I am sure that my strong big brother will get through this, just as how you did the entire month. If you were able to resist today, I am sure that you will be able do it the next day. And it is proof enough that you are stronger than what you think," Tarble pressed.

Vegeta gazed down at his brother as he contemplated his words for a moment. He realized that Tarble was right. At first, Vegeta thought the idea was a challenging game for him to test his mental strength. That's why despite how hard it was for him seating right behind that Bulma Briefs, he never thought of running away. He was the proud Saiyajin Prince who never runs away from any challenge. While he was elated inwardly for every day he managed to control himself, with Tarble congratulating him on a job well done, he knew that the test on his control will grow harder as the night of the full moon gets closer.

Today, when the full moon shall rise on its first day this month, he was on the edge. Yet he was still able to resist it.

Vegeta smirked, haughtily snorting out loud, "Right! Sometimes I impress even myself!" he declared.

Tarble chuckled, "Of course! My big brother is the strongest man I know! And I also know that you will continue to grow stronger everytime you manage to get through these challenges!"

"Right?" Vegeta grinned at him. He suddenly halted his steps and glared at his younger sibling. "Now enough of trying to kiss my ass, Tarble. I heard you had a Math Test today. How did you do?"

Tarble shrieked, staggering backwards before shrinking back at the scary look Vegeta was giving him. Sometimes, he feared his brother more than his mother.

They reached the apartment and Vegeta returned his now shaking and timid brother to Peach as he always did. When Peach asked what happened in her concern, a displeased and scowling Vegeta hurled the crumpled test paper at his brother's head. Tarble flinched, more because of his big brother's anger than the pain he felt when the ball of paper hit his head.

Peach picked up the crumpled paper and unfurled it to see that Tarble failed his Math Test. She turned her disappointed eyes at her son.

Tarble shrugged, lowering his eyes in shame, mumbling, "I'm sorry, mama, niisan. I'll study harder from now on."

Vegeta rolled his eyes at him. It's the same thing he always say over and over. "Whatever. I don't have time to deal with you today. Let's talk about this tomorrow morning."

Tarble nodded slightly, "Yes, Niisan."

Peach awkwardly thanked him again for taking Tarble safe, and gave him a paper bag filled with her home-made sandwiches. Vegeta took the bag of food reluctantly and coldly reminded her of the bowls of salt around the house in case that she has forgotten that it's a full moon tonight.

"I will be hunting on Gingertown and won't be in here tonight. Do not come out until seven in the morning no matter what," he told Peach.

"Gingertown? Why would you hunt on the other side of Mount Moon?" asked Peach.

"I just feel like it," Vegeta responded with a lukewarm tone. He gave Tarble a last glare, stabbing a threatening finger at his direction as if silently telling him that he will punish him when he comes back. Tarble simply shrugged back uneasily. To be honest, his big brother was a lot stricter than his parents ever were. Peach would scold him once in a while, but it never really intimidated him as much as Vegeta's anger. Not even their father was as scary to him as his brother. Perhaps, it was due to their father not being around them most of the time, or maybe because Vegeta was far stronger and more hot-tempered than any of them. Tarble wondered if Vegeta got that scary aura and short fuse from his mother, who Tarble never met. Mrs. Saya must be the complete opposite of Mama Peach, and he was glad to have a kinder and gentler mother.

Or maybe it was a pure Saiyajin thing since it's a full moon tonight? He heard that the moonstone and the moon itself could influence some of their behaviors, just as how the presence of the full moon would greatly enhance his senses. Tarble didn't have a moonstone within him due to his human side being the more dominant side so he really didn't have any idea about it.

He dreaded what punishment his brother would give him tomorrow for failing his Math Exam. He hoped it won't be another gruesome martial arts training in the mountains.

Vegeta slammed the door to his own unit and went straight to the kitchen to take his daily red juice, hoping that it would be enough to help satiate his hunger for a few more moments. For the few hours before the full moon rises, Vegeta decided to meditate and do some image training for an hour.

As the sun sets over the horizon, he left his home to travel to the next town, passing through the skirts of Mount Moon. It was already dark when he was finally within the mazes of trees, so he made use of his superhuman speed to reach Gingertown almost effortlessly.

Gingertown was the suburb of West City located north of Mount Moon. It is a smaller and less advanced town with a population of 250,000 as compared to West City's 1.5 million. Seeing that it has the lesser population among the two cities, Vegeta thought that it would be easier to hunt here tonight. Plus, he wished to be far away from Bulma's ki energy as possible if he truly wanted to save her for last.

He walked around the town for a few moments, as if to investigate the area while looking for his next prey. Once the full moon had appeared, Vegeta quickly jumped off an unpopulated place to step into the highest point of this city.

Vegeta closed his dark eyes and concentrated within himself. He could feel the full moon's hypnotic presence through the electrifying tingle that run up his spine as its rays allowed his Saiyajin tail to emerge from the base of his back, its brown fur bristling on end in his primal excitement. He could feel the pounding of his heart grow stronger and faster. An intense but familiar heat coming from his royal moonstone radiated and snaked its way out of his heart to fill every cell of his with immense power and energy, making him stronger with every second. His muscles started to tighten, vibrating in anticipation for the next hunt and blood feast.

He sensed the pulsing fire of all the ki energies around the city, as if a hunting radar had automatically turned itself on within his brain. His moonstone automatically unleashed numerous invisible waves around him to search for his desired prey on the night, preferably a vibrant, sweet energy from a beautiful human female with a dark secret of her own.

He snapped his eyes open, a pair of blood crimson irises had replaced his naturally onyx-colored ones. Crouching down like a feline about to lurch itself at this chosen prey, Vegeta jumped up into the sky and let his senses and the power of the full moon lead him to his target. Since the moon had opened all floodgates of energy within him, Vegeta's senses were immensely magnified. During hunting on a full moon night, a Saiyajin shut off any other thoughts and focus solely on his desire to indulge himself to his true nature's primal desires. Since this is the first full moon night of this month, it was already obvious how hungry Vegeta could be, considering that most of his energy was spent on restraining his wild side and preventing himself from going on a killing spree while in the presence of that Bulma Briefs. In no time, he can finally satisfy that burning, insufferable hunger that he'd been enduring for the entire month.

Suddenly, in his mid-jump, Vegeta felt a stronger pulsing of ki energy behind him, which completely overwhelmed that first target in his mind. Since he was on hunting mode, the feeling of that ki energy had brought him over the edge and he lost his control completely. He quickly turned around and changed his desired target, sprinting back towards Mount Moon with a single, bloodthirsty desire to satiate his bloodlust.

Vegeta halted in his footsteps with a gasp as if he just woke up from a dream when he recognized that he had been following Bulma's ki energy. He saw her becoming a target of a massive humanoid bear monster he recognized as a Kumajin. The sight of an intruder in his territory made him furious. How dare that damn thing hunt on his hunting ground? And not to mention, dare to eat the best meal he was saving for last?

The small Shiba Inu puppy Bulma had been embracing despite the Kumajin's hold on her, had the guts to bite the Kumajin's hand that threatened his owner. The Kumajin hurled the pup into a tree out of it anger of its blatant attack. Bulma screamed at the sight of her pet puppy defeated that easily.

As the Kumajin drew its disgusting mouth closer to Bulma as it was about to devour her, Vegeta decided to defend his prey. That human girl is his and only his. A selfish Saiyajin such as himself will never allow such a scum steal his long awaited meal.

"Someone help me!"

As Bulma screamed for someone to rescue her from the clutches of this ugly predator, Vegeta kicked off the ground and landed a mighty axe kick right into the Kumajin's cranium. It effectively sent the damn bastard barreling downwards into a deep crater it created upon its massive impact. The human girl was hurled away into the ground by the force until her momentum stopped. Vegeta landed lightly right in front of her.

"Vegeta Yonsei," he heard her whisper his name. He turned his head slightly over his left shoulder. He found her staring back at him in fascination.

Of course, the girl recognized him, and she clearly see him in his true form as the feared Saiyajin in her people's urban tales. Finally, Vegeta had a good reason to feast at her delicious energy tonight. He never allowed any witnesses to his true nature alive as per the Saiyajin tribe's sacred rule during a hunt. But before he do that, he must take care of that bastard first.

"Why you..! How dare you interrupt my feast, you stupid Saiyajin?!" the Kumajin snarled at him, as it pathetically tried its best to recover from Vegeta's unexpected attack and pick itself up from the crater it made upon its impact.

"Saiyajin?" Bulma gasped behind him.

Ignoring Bulma, Vegeta turned his head back to the monster he just sent almost six feet below the ground, literally.

"And how dare you hunt in the territory of the Saiyajin, Kumajin-yarou?" he replied back in a cold voice. "I know that you have sent that ugly Ottajin a month ago to investigate if you can easily enter our territory to hunt in our area. I guess that despite the warning that I gave you, you still pushed through this plan of yours."

Vegeta had suspected that there was someone else behind the appearance of that lowly Ottajin he dealt with over a month ago, though he initially thought that a greater power was behind the nerve of letting a copy-cat stalk and copy him so it could enter this area and report back to its master whether they could go on and hunt in his territory. He had taken advantage of the spy camera attached to the Ottajin to send his message of warning. Still, these bastards were incredibly persistent and they greatly disappointed him with how weak they actually were. He was hoping for a greater challenge.

"Oh come on, is visiting not allowed in your territory?" asked the Kumajin with a dirty grin.

"I don't remember welcoming any visitors. You are clearly trespassing here," Vegeta responded coldly.

"And so as she," the Kumajin pointed at the gawking girl behind Vegeta.

"She is a human who resides within the city surrounding my territory. This is her territory as well. She is mine."

"You selfish, lowly Saiyajin monkey! I got her first!" Kumajin roared.

Vegeta smirked back wickedly, chuckling, confident that he got this as a clear victory. "Are you sure about that? Look, she even knows my name. She's mine. I already had her right before you could get your dirty hand on her."

"Why don't you try and take her away from me, then?" challenged the Kumajin.

Vegeta tilted his chin, his eyes growing more psychotic. He was never one to deny challenges, but he knew that it was useless since he had already finished it even before it was given.

"Already did. And you won't get your hands on her again because you are going to die right here and right now," he warned.

The Kumajin laughed, "You? Kill me? Stop fooling around!"

The Kumajin roared as it finally made its first attack with a swift but very common straight punch. Vegeta didn't even need to make a single move as he took the punch head-on. The Kumajin's massive fist hit his forehead, but it failed to make him stagger back at all.

"What?!" the creature gasped in its utmost shock when it realized its failure.

Vegeta let out a dark, amused chuckle, mocking the monster's weak abilities, "What's the matter? Surprised that you cannot beat a lowly Saiyajin? Too bad that the one who caught you in the act is the most powerful of them all."

The Kumajin suddenly became fearful as it stepped back in trepidation. Yes, that's what Vegeta wanted to get from this bastard. The sight and smell of fear radiating off the weaker beings. It's making his Saiyajin blood boil with pride and arrogance of his strength.

"Wha... What? Impossible! You are..?!"

"That's right," Vegeta grinned, grabbing the beast's forearm with his left hand. "I am the Crown Prince of the Saiyajin Tribe, the mighty children and warriors of the Moon, Vegeta Yonsei. And yes, I am the most powerful among my kind!"

To show off, Vegeta allowed the full moon to release more of his Saiyajin power. He felt the moonlight burst with its brilliance right above him. It called to him, urged him to let the beast go, and unleash a destructive rampage that could destroy anything in his path. Vegeta allowed it as he braced himself, letting out a powerful battle cry as he begin his power up. The ground beneath his feet trembled as if in fear of his rising energy.

He could feel it awaking from the depths of his being, the demonic monkey beast sleeping within him, his true, monstrous nature. It aroused, manifesting through the excessive moonlight beaming at him.

"Oozaru," he heard Bulma gasped when she found the beast looming just right above him.

*Gwaaaaaaaaaoooooooooohhhh! *

The beast roared its mighty fury and the sound immediately caused Vegeta to lurch forward with a snap, a grunt came through his gritted teeth. He could feel his heart begin to pound loud and hard against his chest, the beating getting faster as he felt his wild side threaten to take over his mind. He felt as if the beast was pounding its massive hands against its chest to announce its freedom to the world before he perceived its demonic, evil energy enter his body through his every pore.

Vegeta's primal transformation began after that.

Crying out at both the pain and pleasure of his metamorphosis, he felt his vibrating muscles slowly bulk up and grow twice their normal size. His lips automatically pulled itself to the sides as his teeth grow into fangs. His fingers twitched, his knuckles cracking on its own as his nails lengthened and darkened. He felt his tail thrashed wildly behind him. His celestial aura grew thicker as it flared.

"Nnnghh! Grr... Raaaaaahhaauughh!"

He squinted his eyes as his vision burned a deeper crimson. The moon above him continued to call out the monster within him. He could feel his bloodlust spiraling out of control. His energy rose with it, boiling his blood and burning his skin.

He snapped his red eyes open, letting out a wild hiss and baring his fangs on his terrified enemy. With a deafening snap, he broke the Kumajin's massive arm like how he did with disposable chopsticks. The bear humanoid beast cried out in agony as it staggered backwards, holding into its remaining right arm that bleed profusely from the stump he just created. Vegeta watched at the blood with a crazed look upon his crimson eyes, licking his lips in anticipation of making this bastard suffer for trying to take his meal.

With a swift spinning back kick, Vegeta sent the Kumajin barelling backwards, with enough force to break through columns of trees for several feet. Vegeta kicked off the ground and with a single leap, easily caught up with the monster. He roared as he slammed it back into the soil with a mighty punch to its gut. Vegeta stepped towards it with an intent to finish it off once and for all, watching while it trembled at him in its utmost fear, pleading for him to stop.

"No, stop it! Don't come! Don't come!"

But Vegeta won't hear any of it. That Kumajin-yarou had stepped into his territory, tried to steal the food he was saving for last, and underestimated his prided strength. He was in no mood to show mercy, and he will certainly rip this bastard apart until there's nothing left of it!

"You shouldn't have come in here, Kumajin-yarou. For anyone who comes into my territory dies a brutal death by my hand, a punishment for trespassing my property."

Vegeta began ripping the Kumajin apart, earning him its wonderful, musical screams of agony, which only satiated his bloodlust and satisfied his sadistic craves. Vegeta didn't care if that human girl was watching him, he was planning to come after her when he's done disposing this trash to HFIL where it belonged.

Once the Kumajin had stopped responding to his cruelty, Vegeta called out to the power of the full moon, his energy collecting into the palm of his right hand. He hurled the ki sphere he created to destroy every single part of the Kumajin until nothing remained of it. The flash of light quickly dissipating into sparks and dust of moonlight.

Vegeta let out a breath as he calmed himself down, suppressing his wilder side completely and canceling his primal Saiyajin transformation. His body shrank back into his normally lean but muscular frame and petite height. It felt quite stinging, but nothing in comparison to when he was transforming earlier. He had gotten used to this human form than that of his primal form, which made it more easier for him because it costs very little ki energy to maintain. Being in his primal form made it incredibly exhausting. The amount of ki energy it needed to maintain that form and remain in control of his mind and actions took more from him. That's why if he was hungry before he came here, he was even more famished right now.

He needed to eat that human girl's vibrant energy now.

Vegeta turned to Bulma, finding her gawking at him with a look of shock at her unexpected discovery. Too bad, she won't be living another hour to tell the tale. Vegeta was always careful and was always bounded to the Saiyajin rule to eliminate all witnesses to his hunting and his true identity. She will not be spared no matter what.

He walked towards her, casually just like how someone would approach a friend. She simply froze in there, still on her butt on the ground. He reached out a hand to her as if he was offering it to help her stand up, while he used his hypnotism ability to attract and seduce his prey into coming to him.

Bulma stared at his hand, as if hesitating to take it.

"What are you staring at, woman? Aren't you supposed to be home at this hour?" Vegeta asked, giving her a glare.

Bulma blinked back at him, as if waking up from the trance he was trying to put her into. "Uh, yeah... Yeah... Thanks for saving me, Vegeta-kun," she chuckled awkwardly as she grabbed his hand. He effortlessly pulled her up.

He gave her a smile, a genuine one, as if he cared for this low life. It effectively made her blush, but she quickly snapped out of it and pulled her hand away from his.

"What the hell?" Vegeta thought to himself. Did this human just pulled away from him instead of latching herself into him just as how most women did after he had seductively pulled them into his trap?

Bulma turned her head at him, awkwardly laughing and pointing behind her, "Uhmm... I should go home now. Do you mind showing me the way back to the city? I think I'm lost."

Vegeta stared at her like she had just grown a second head, forcefully smiling back while he reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Sure, no problem."

He looked down at the Shiba Inu puppy Bulma was carrying in her arms. She seemed to noticed this.

"His name's Haruki, a present from my aunt. I just got him today after school," Bulma told him.

"I like him. He has great senses for a pup," Vegeta said with a lukewarm tone. He decided to try using his powers on the dog as he reached out a hand to rub at the whining puppy as gently as he could.

With the help of the full moon, his moonstone, and his ki energy, the puppy healed its injuries almost instantly. It quickly barked back at him as soon as it recovered, but his hypnosis made it sound like he was being grateful and thanking him for the help, almost like a praise.

His powers are effective on the puppy. But how come it doesn't affect its owner like he expected?

"Do you like animals too?" Bulma suddenly asked, causing him to look back to her.

"Maybe," Vegeta replied, quite reluctantly. In his mind, several questions popped out. What the hell is the meaning of this? What is this? What the hell is she? Is she even human? This is the first time this happened to him! Did he do something wrong? Is something wrong with him? Maybe he spent too much ki energy this past month that's why his hypnosis won't work? But the puppy... He was sure he still had enough ki energy to attract his prey to him. But why? What the hell was wrong in here?

"So you are a Saiyajin, huh? Is this the reason why you act like a loner at school? So you can hide your identity?"

Oh damn it! Hearing those words, Vegeta knew he had to kill this woman no matter what. She knew too much about him, and is closer to him in almost everyday of his 'human' life in the city. He must shut her up and make sure that she will never open that annoying mouth of hers to anyone she would encounter and tell them about his true identity as a Saiyajin.

Vegeta grabbed her forearm, causing her to stop on her track and turn to him. She gasped in fright as she looked up into his eyes. He could feel his ire growing at the realization that his powers won't work on this pesky human girl.

"Do you honestly think you can trust me to send you home like this after you have witnessed my powers?" Vegeta suddenly asked her, his voice cold and low with his suppressed rage.

Bulma's brows furrowed as she gazed back at him in confusion, "But you said that you will lead me back to the City! Wait- did you just trick me?!"

No, he certainly didn't. If there's anyone among them playing stupid tricks, it must be her. Just what the fuck is this woman?

"Okay. I won't tell anyone about what I've seen in here, okay? Does that make you feel better?" she assured him. "Just let me go back home and let's forget any of this happened tonight. Pretty please!"

But Vegeta won't have any of it. He will never allow her to escape with her discoveries. So he pulled her towards him and abruptly pushed her roughly into a nearby tree, trapping her in his arms like a caged prey he just caught.

"I eliminate all of those who witnessed my true identity in cold blood because I do not trust humans. Why should I trust you? What makes you different from them?" he growled at her.

"You can trust me, Vegeta-kun," Bulma told him. "I won't tell anyone, I promise."

No, he doesn't trust her at all. He will kill this stupid woman in here, devour that delicious, mouth-watering, vibrant ki of hers to make himself stronger, and silencing that annoying mouth of hers forever. There's no escape for her. She is his prey, and he will savor every bit of ki energy she possessed until she's nothing but a dried, crumpled, little raisin-like corpse.

"No, you're wrong, woman. I don't give chances to any of my prey, especially someone like you."

"But I-!"

Suddenly, Vegeta grabbed the sides of Bulma's beautiful face, instantly calling out to the full moon to open up the floodgates of his ki, pushing his moonstone to the tip of his tongue, and pressed his lips hard against hers. It did surprise her but he didn't care. As soon as he pushed his moonstone deep into her mouth, her body immediately glowed a soft blue as he forcefully opened her energy gates. He ravaged the walls of her hot mouth with his tongue, giving her a deep, hungry kiss as he felt her ki collect into his moonstone while he continually suck the energy into himself.

Vegeta felt her try to resist, pushing him off her with as much strength her weak human arms would give, but it meant nothing against his Saiyajin strength. She was helpless and pathetic, and asserting his strength and dominance like this only excited him further. He grabbed her wrists and roughly pushed them back against the tree trunk, pinning them on the sides of her head. His kiss deepened and he sucked more of her delicious ki energy, bittersweet in taste due to a mixture of her emotions of dread, fear, panic, sexual arousal, and pleasure.

She moaned and cried out in pleasure when he pulled away for a very short moment, to allow herself to breathe, before he tilted his head on the other side and kissed her once more. She moaned once again, and then swallowed hard.

Vegeta quickly pulled away from her when she did that, "Wha... What the?!"

Suddenly, Vegeta felt something in his chest jolt and he lurched forward with a pained grunt before collapsing backwards into the ground. A wave of pain completely bewildered him, catching him off guard, as he felt his body broke into uncontrollable seizures as an intense agony racked his entire being. What did just happen? What the hell is this?!

He did his best not to cry out, this pain meant nothing to him. But it felt like he was being ripped apart and being burned by the hottest flames that ever existed at the same time.

He heard Bulma cry out not far away from him, screaming as if she was being burned alive too. And then she went silent. He tried reaching out to her energy, wanting to devour more of it but the pain and seizures had pinned him down helplessly. He felt his ki energy waver inside of him, then making an involuntary connection towards the ki energy of that cursed human girl. He heard both of their hearts begin to beat with the same rhythm, as if they've become one and the same.

Then the pain slowly subsided and his seizures thankfully halted, but Vegeta couldn't help but feel angry and dreadful of what just transpired.

As soon as he recovered, Vegeta quickly rose from the ground, crouching like an animal ready to attack its prey, a terrifying, beastly growl rumbled through his bared teeth as he snarled at the sight of the unconscious human girl next to him.

"Why you! What have you done, you foolish human girl?!" he demanded her as if she was in any condition to answer him. "How dare you... How dare you swallow my royal moonstone, you stupid imbecile?! Do you have any idea what you have done?!"

The moonstone is the most important thing to a Saiyajin, especially to those with royal blood. It is a small, translucent, pearl-white marble like bead that radiates a pulsing light made with the celestial power of the moon, the natural source of a Saiyajin's true power. It served as the temporary replacement of the full moon when the moon is not full in the sky. The royal bead also grants a Saiyajin royal supreme authorative power to all his kind, the ability to manipulate moonlight and blutz waves, and use the presence of the moonlight to amplify his base power and transform into his Primal State, without becoming the Great Ape, Oozaru, in the absence of the full moon. It also gives him instantaneous regeneration and continuous boost of his Saiyajin power. It is also the source of his immortal life, energy, power, and is considered to be the very soul of a Saiyajin.

And now, this moonstone is within the body of this pathetic human girl.

"I will kill you! I am going to kill you for this! I will rip you apart and get my moonstone back!"

He instantly transformed into his primal form, clawing his hands in the air with the intent to rip the moonstone out of her fragile little body using his long, sharp, black fingernails.

Vegeta suddenly hesitated. He could clearly hear the beating of her human heart having the same rhythm as his own, feel the rush of her human blood, and see the pulsing of her energy being the same as his. They were exactly in sync. There was some type of connection that just happened between him and her. Their fates intertwined. Perhaps, this is because his moonstone was within her body. His immortal soul, his storage of energy, his life, everything that made him exist, was within her.

He realized he had no idea what to do. As much as he knew, this was the first time a Saiyajin lost his moonstone. He actually never thought it was possible for one to lose such an important thing. He wasn't so sure if it's only right for him to kill this woman and rip the moonstone out of her just like that. What if he did what he was planning to do and he suddenly disappeared into thin air? What if he dies with her? He should not act so recklessly and find a better way to take the moonstone back than taking both of their lives because of his anger, not like he cared for the stupid woman or anything.

He powered down, returning to his normal human-like form. He tried to use the power of the full moon above him to call out to the moonstone, hoping it would emerge out of Bulma's mouth. He felt it pulse within her, causing Bulma to groan but it wasn't enough to wake her up from her unconsciousness.

Vegeta blinked.

It's not coming out!

He tried again.

Nothing.

He concentrated more.

Still nothing.

It was only reacting to his presence and his call, but it's not coming out of her.

He roughly pulled her closer to her, gripping her cheeks to forcefully open her mouth. He peeked inside as if he would see the moonstone from there.

There was nothing.

He let go of her face and pressed his lips against hers, hoping that by sucking her energy, the moonstone would return to him. Despite the amount of ki he managed to devour from her, the moonstone didn't emerge out of her.

Vegeta pulled away from her, gazing down at her limp body in confusion. He looked at her from head to toe. Clearly, she looked the same. She didn't get reduced into a crumpled, little raisin like his previous preys whenever he suck their ki energy.

What the hell is this woman?!

Vegeta was 100% sure that she's human. Everything about her looked, smelled, and felt human.

He did everything he could, aside from murdering and ripping this woman apart. His moonstone won't come out of her. He even tried waking her up, but the idiot bitch was deeply unconscious for some reason. He wondered if she would ever wake up at all. What if she won't? What will happen to him now?

Vegeta sighed in defeat, looking up into the night sky and asking the full moon as if it would talk back to him, "Fuck! What the hell did I get myself into?!"

He considered taking her to his apartment, but he knew it would cause him greater trouble if her family realized she wasn't home. Plus, he needed to do some research too. He begrudgingly decided to take her home. He fumbled through her pockets to find her wallet and her school ID. There he found her address. He turned and whistled into the forest. Haruki, who had ran off somewhere when Vegeta tried to devour Bulma's energy earlier, returned to him. He took a tank top he was keeping in his pocket and wore it, making sure to conceal his tail underneath the cotton material after wrapping it securely around his waist to make it look like a belt. Then he carried Bulma into his back. He told the puppy to follow him as he carried the unconscious girl back to her home.

He rang the doorbell to Bulma's grandparents' home. When Bikini, Bulma's grandmother, opened the gate, she was surprised to see him there unexpectedly, carrying her granddaughter on his back.

"Vegeta-chan!" she recognized him. Vegeta remembered one of her daughters, Tanga, being a close friend to Peach.

"What are doing here - oh my goodness! Is that Bulma-chan? What happened to her?" she gasped.

Vegeta awkwardly grinned back at her and reluctantly greeted her back in a surprisingly respectful way, "Yes. We're classmates at school. I found her by the bus stop. Seems she has a fever."

It was a lie, though the energy of his moonstone would definitely make Bulma's temperature higher than a normal human's body temperature, so it's a perfect excuse for him to make.

Bikini touched her granddaughter's forehead and confirmed that she is indeed having a fever. She asked him if he could help bring Bulma to her room and he agreed. He let Haruki go to the backyard, then he entered the house and went straight to the room Bikini pointed him. Bikini called Tanga and Taitsu to tell them that Vegeta just brought Bulma home and that she was having a fever. Vegeta let them take care of her and immediately said goodbye as soon as they were there for her.

Tanga asked him why he needed to leave so soon, and offered him to eat dinner there. He declined coldly, saying that he had something important to do. He left after that, almost in a haste Tanga noticed, making her wonder what his problem was.

Vegeta returned to their apartment quickly. There, he felt his body shudder with chills. He frowned, why is it suddenly cold in here? Instead of coming home to his unit, he went straight to his brother's home. He punched in the codes to the electronic door lock and entered the house, slamming the door behind him. Peach and Tarble were having their dinner when he entered.

"Yon-ah, I thought you said that you are going to hunt in the next town?" Peach asked him as she watched Vegeta marched to Tarble's side.

"Something unexpectedly happened. Tarble, finish quick and come with me," he ordered his brother.

"Eh? But-," Tarble protested.

"Don't worry about it because you are with me! Just hurry up!" Vegeta snarled at his brother. Tarble shrugged and then quickly told what he was told. He turned to Peach, "I will return him to you by midnight. Worry not, he will be safe with me."

As soon as Tarble was done with his food, Vegeta quickly dragged him out of the house with a confused Peach hurling to him Tarble's coat, which Vegeta effortlessly caught in the air. Peach and Tarble wondered what was wrong with him.

"Niisan! I know you're still upset about the Math test but you don't really have to drag me out like this just to punish me for failing. Plus, you said that you will deal with me tomorrow," Tarble whined.

"This isn't about that, boy!" Vegeta snapped as he pulled his brother to his own unit, slamming the door behind him, making Tarble flinch.

Once they were in his living room, he finally let go of Tarble's arm.

"Then what's the matter?" Tarble asked, rubbing his stinging arm caused by his older brother's gripping strength.

Vegeta pushed Tarble into the sofa, forcing him to sit there. He gripped at his shoulders and glared at him eye to eye, an indication to Tarble that what he's about to tell him should be a secret between them. Tarble gulped nervously.

"I lost my moonstone," Vegeta told him blatantly.

"Wha-?!" Tarble almost shouted in surprise but his brother's warning glare cut him off. He let out a sharp breath through his nostrils and asked in a lower voice, "How?"

"She swallowed it."

"Who is she?"

"Bulma Briefs."

Tarble's eyes widened even more, "You went after her?"

Vegeta nodded.

"But I thought you said that you'll hunt on Gingertown?" Tarble asked.

"I did. I went to Gingertown to hunt," Vegeta said.

"Then how-?"

"Her vibrant ki energy led my hunting senses to her. She was on Mount Moon, about to be eaten by a Kumajin."

"Kumajin?"

"Flesh-eating bear-like humanoids. They were supposed to be found on Mount Porah in the Central Northern Country."

"What is it doing in here?"

"Remember the Ottajin last month? It sent the Ottajin first to investigate the area to see if they could hunt in this place. Anyways, I quickly disposed that Kumajin-yarou and went to devour the human girl's ki energy, but there was something odd about her."

"Odd?"

"Aside from her unusually vibrant and mouth-watering ki energy that almost made me go crazy, my hypnotic powers won't work on her. Despite trying several times to allure her to me, she managed to snap out of it quickly. I cannot allow her to run off after witnessing my powers, so I forcefully devoured her ki energy, but she swallowed my moonstone. Aside from that, unlike most of my preys which quickly turn into dried, inflated, crumpled corpses, she looked perfectly fine."

"You're right. She's definitely odd," Tarble commented.

"I tried everything to get the moonstone out of her, refusing to rip it out of her because I was unsure how it would affect me if I killed her right there. It won't come out."

"This is unfortunate. What are you going to do now?"

Vegeta shook his head grimly, letting go of Tarble's shoulders and sitting down next to him.

"Who knows? Honestly, I have no idea. This is the first time this happened to any Saiyajin," he admitted.

Tarble suddenly had an idea, but he knew that his brother won't like it, so he debated within himself whether he should say it or not. He was worried that something bad may happen to Vegeta if he don't say his thoughts, so he picked up his courage to tell him what's on his mind.

"I know that you have a terrible relationship with Cui, but do you think we should ask for his help? Maybe he knows how you could bring your moonstone back," Tarble suggested.

As Tarble expected, Vegeta sneered in disgust of the recommendation. He never had a good relationship with that foolish Nemajin bastard. The Nemajin was a group of blue-skinned catfish humanoid beings known for doing suspicious deals underground. His father often partnered with some members of this tribe to buy some rare or forbidden materials commonly not allowed or even seen in this world. From weapons, to potions, to talismans, to magical and mythical materials such as books of spells, wands, forbidden scrolls of unworldly and dangerous techniques, etc.

Vegeta remembered he was brought there by his parents once when he was a child, but he cannot exactly recall why he was there. He knew he was subjected to some sort of boring ritual which supposedly should help him awaken his powers as early as the age of five. Saiyajin normally awakens to their full potential at the age of thirteen, where they are considered to be matured enough to control themselves and their powers, but for some reason, his parents think he should be awakened at that young age.

Vegeta felt kind of special because of that, and quite excited too, not knowing the tragic reason why his parents wanted for him to awaken his powers so young. He didn't even realize what was wrong until that tragic night happened.

When nothing came up from hours of that damn ritual, Vegeta called the Nemajin a fraud, resulting in a heated feud between him and Cui. The two disliked each other so much, even until today. He hated that guy, he blamed Cui for making him believe on something he had wasted his time with, and for being the reason why he was unable to save his mother from those damn Arcosians.

He never trusted the guy. Cui was the reason why Vegeta never trusted anyone after that.

And now, he had to ask for that bastard's help to find a way to get his moonstone back? Will he even help him? Can Vegeta even trust the fool not to backstab him and tell his enemies about his weakness, which he wouldn't want for anyone to know? The Saiyajin tribe, especially Vegeta himself, had many foes lurking behind the shadows after all, and were waiting to seize for an opportunity to attack and kill him.

Vegeta was torn between his pride and his need to get his moonstone back.

"Fine then, come with me to Cui's stinky place," he told his brother, letting out an angry breath as if his decision was forced because he had no other choice.

Vegeta doubted Cui would talk to him at all, so Tarble will have to ask in his place. If Cui failed to give him the information he needed, or if he dared to run his stupid mouth telling others about him losing his precious royal moonstone, he will end that bastard's miserable existence once and for all.