Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A DRAGONBALL HONEYMOON ❯ Snow Balls ( Chapter 6 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

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A DRAGONBALL HONEYMOON (c) 2004 Darke Angelus
Chapter Six ~ Snow Balls


Towering above the tundra of the Taimyr Peninsula, the steep slopes of the Byrranga Mountains offered their brooding view of the Arctic Ocean from their flat, uninhabited peaks. This area represented the largest block of unbroken tundra landscape in all of Eurasia; northern Siberia. It was located well within the stark barrenness that so characterized the Arctic Circle.

A lone ship appeared and made a low pass over the region casting a swift shadow on the heath, shrubs, and mosses that carpeted the brown, rocky tundra. A herd of startled caribou, over a hundred thousand strong, made a swift stampede away from where the intruder made its silent descent. A Capsule Corporation hoverjet extended its struts and landed in a field of brilliant yellow polar poppies. The side hatch opened and Bulma walked down the ramp, blinking gratefully up at the brilliant sun. She considered the view for a few minutes, hands on hips, and then turned back to the jet cabin and called out; "It's one hell of a blizzard out here, Vegeta. What's taking you so long? I swear that it takes you longer to get dressed then it does me!"

"I'm coming, woman. Don't rush me!" came the expected response.

There was a multitude of curses and finally Vegeta shuffled down the ramp after her. He was wearing a thick parka over a sweater and heavy snow pants that were tucked into fur-lined winter boots. He had the hood up and cinched tight around his face and only his eyes, covered in tinted goggles, peered out of the dark cave. Looking around at the landscape in bewilderment, he finally turned to Bulma who couldn't contain her amusement any longer. She burst out laughing, doubling over from the force of it.

"What the hell-?" He raised a gloved hand and pulled back the hood and lifted the goggles, blinking at the sight before him. Stretching out as far as the eye could see was an expansive herb meadow covered in lush vegetation and abundant flowers. In the distance an enormous herd of animals were peacefully grazing while overhead, birds were cruising sedately on air currents beneath a brilliant blue sky.

Bulma was still braying laughter and he turned on her, immediately furious. "You told me we were heading north! We're supposed to be in the Arctic Circle of this miserable planet!"

"We are," she managed to get out when the giggles finally began to taper off. It dawned on him that she was wearing a light windbreaker over a t-shirt and a loose pair of jeans and hiking boots. Standing beside her, the Saiyan looked like he should be leading a team of Sherpas on an expedition up Mount Everest. "But it's summer, remember? Even up here. Beautiful, isn't it?" She extended her arms and offered him one of her dazzling smiles.

Already starting to sweat beneath his heavy clothes, Vegeta threw his gloves to the ground in disgust and struggled out of his parka as he retreated back into the hoverjet. Shaking her head in dismay, she followed after him. "I'm sorry, okay? When I saw you pulling on the thermal underwear, I wanted to see how far you would go. I guess I should have told you." The giggles were threatening to return and she maintained a straight face with effort.

Undressing with angry shrugs, he growled, "Damn right you should have. I looked like an idiot."

"So? It was only me who saw you."

He fixed her with a level glare.

Slapping her hands to her sides in exasperation, she sighed. "I swear you have got to lighten up! It was good for a laugh. Get over yourself!"

Standing with his arms crossed and staring down at his boots, he appeared to have gone into one of his sulks until he mumbled out, "What should I wear then?"

"Spring clothes and some sturdy hikers. I deliberately landed several klicks away from the Dragonball so that we could stretch our legs and get some exercise." She was relieved that he had come around so quickly. The lapses when he would brood for hours, even days, appeared to be finally behind him. "And don't forget to put on some sunscreen."

"Why?"

"This is the land of White Nights. This time of year there's about 22 hours of sunshine a day." She tipped him a wink and went back outside.

Staring after her, the Saiyan finally gave in to a puzzled shake of the head and began to get undressed. "What a fucked-up world," he muttered under his breath.

About fifteen minutes later, he reluctantly walked down the ramp and rejoined her out on the steppes of the Taimyr Peninsula. "Much better," she commented, eyeing him with a raised eyebrow. She always appreciated how the Saiyan filled out his earth casuals and he looked particularly delicious in jeans. It was a sight that made her extremely randy. "You know, we have plenty of time to go back inside and fool around for a bit."

He immediately recognized that husky, suggestive tone to her voice. "I'm not getting undressed a third time. You had your shot this morning and you pushed me away."

"I had a headache!"

"Don't sugarcoat it. What you had was a hangover. I heard you barfing in the john in the middle of the night."

"And I'm feeling much better, thanks for asking," she huffed. The amorous moment was shot to hell for the time being.

"I didn't ask," he parried, casually scanning the horizon. "Which direction are we supposed to go?"

Bulma raised an erect middle finger and gestured southeast. Ignoring the apparent insult, the Saiyan began walking in the proffered direction and hesitated when he heard his irritated spouse loudly clear her throat. "What now?" he asked, glancing back.

She had encapsulated the hoverjet and was now holding the shoulder strap of a large backpack. "You have to carry this."

"What's in it?"

"Some gear, a spare change of clothes, and some snacks for us to nibble on if we get hungry." She put emphasis on the word "if", knowing full well that the Saiyan would be hungry within the hour.

"So?"

"Vegeta! It's too heavy for me to carry. There's my delicate bone structure to consider. You're the man. It's your job!"

"You packed it, you carry it," he said and took off across the tundra without looking back.

Bulma didn't budge. "He'll be back," she told herself, crossing her arms and rooting herself to the spot. Her self-assurance began to flag as the minutes ticked by and the Saiyan was showing no signs of slowing down. He was becoming smaller and smaller right before her eyes.

"He couldn't... he wouldn't dare-" she stammered in bewilderment before releasing a frustrated scream. "AGH! Who am I kidding? This is Vegeta! That pig-headed, arrogant, stubborn, son of a-" Sputtering a series of curses, she struggled with the backpack and headed off in hot pursuit.

Sensing her approach, Vegeta sped up his pace until the pair raced across the tundra like that; him easily outdistancing her and Bulma lagging behind, squalling like a banshee. It wasn't until he slowed down to ask her where the Dragonball was that she finally caught up, colliding into him. Her momentum, combined with the weight of the pack, drove them both to the ground. Breathing heavily, she wrapped her hands around his throat and mock-strangled him as she gusted into his face; "A gentleman- would gladly- take- the pack- from a lady!"

Unfazed, he arched an eyebrow at her. "Whoever said that you were a lady?" Without giving her a chance to respond, he grabbed her arms as he kicked up, flipping her completely overhead. She landed on her back and began thrashing like a turtle, trapped by the weight of the pack. Perhaps out of pity (or just plain boredom) Vegeta nudged her hip with his boot and rolled her onto her side. She got quickly to her feet, teeth bared in fury. The pair glared at one another for a long, tension-filled moment until they both yelled at the exact same time:

"What is it about you that drives me completely bugshit?!"

Vegeta blinked in surprise and Bulma felt her anger leave her, just like that. She had her answer and he had his. They were two sides of the same coin; apples and oranges, oil and water, yin and yang. So similar in temperament and disposition that they cancelled one another out to form one solid union of equally matched souls; each making up for what the other lacked. It was the sort of relationship that Bulma had always fantasized about when reading her romance novels. She was careful not to use the word "soul-mates" around him at this stage, but deep in her heart that was what she felt they had become. She was unaware that Vegeta often had similar suspicions, thinking of alien cultures where lifelong mates often boasted some sort of "bond". It was an unknown phenomenon among Saiyans who treated relationships as casual, and often rough, flings. The best way he could describe how he felt about Bulma was that they had a deep understanding bred through intimate familiarity; that was just how his mind worked. Whatever the rationale, the end result was the same: He was married to her and had no intention of leaving her side any time soon.

With their stalemate ended, he rolled his eyes to the sky and wordlessly extended his arm. She undid the latches to the pack and handed it to him, smiling when she watched him put it on without argument.

"Where's the Dragonball?" he asked, staring out at the colorful tundra. It was a flat expanse of land where he could make out the snow-white tops of distant mountains and what looked like a glacier stretching out like a white tongue between two huge basalt slopes. It was barren territory and yet it teemed with life in all shapes and forms, proving that earth creatures were amazingly resilient and adaptable.

Like Saiyans, he thought and then puzzled over why he'd come to that strange comparison.

Consulting her radar, she was amused to discover, "We actually ran past it."

"Are you serious?"

"It's almost two kilometers behind us!" She was laughing as they turned around and headed back. "You know, I never did get a chance to thank you."

"For what? Getting my clothes dirty?" he asked, fussily brushing the dirt off of his jacket.

"I'm talking about how perfectly you behaved at the Museum last night-"

"Uhm."

"-Just like the true prince you are. You impressed everyone, particularly me. I want to thank you for that. And I guess I should apologize as well. I kind of blew it by getting drunk and fighting with the Bitch Twins."

"Uhm," Vegeta said again. He was appalled to discover how close he was to blurting out his involvement in her little brawl. Almost of its own volition, his mouth started to open when she added;

"But it felt kind of good, too. We were overdue for a confrontation."

His mouth closed with a snap.

"Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I'm proud of you," she said, deliberately keeping her voice light. With his background of abuse and insults, he didn't accept praise easily and even now, he glanced at her in suspicion. Her adoring smile erased all doubt and he offered her a mute nod of acceptance.

"It wasn't that awful," he admitted after a long considering pause. "Decent food, decent booze. Not much for entertainment, though. I'm used to gatherings like that ending with some sort of ritual sacrifice or public execution-"

"Yuck."

"-Or orgy." His neutral expression broadened into a gloating smirk.

"Okay, change of subject!" Bulma announced, covering her ears.

He favored her with a dark look. "I did have a life before earth."

"Don't remind me."

"Sometimes you need a reality check about the person you're with," he said sharply. "I think you enjoy deliberately deluding yourself into believing I'm just like one of your warm, fuzzy friends. I'm not. I keep my mouth shut and listen to you go on and on about them until I think I'm going to vomit. I have every right to talk about my past, too."

He has a point, she thought grudgingly, absorbing what he was saying. It wasn't often that he willingly brought up salient points of his past and all too often it was because she shot him down just as he got started. "I know, Vegeta. It's just... everything in your life is so violent and cruel. It upsets me to hear it."

"It isn't all slaughter and depravity."

"No? Could have fooled me."

"Oh- screw this," he snarled under his breath and turned to leave.

Bulma snatched onto his arm and he pulled away from her so violently that there was a sharp rip of fabric where the seam of his windbreaker tore along the shoulder. Things were escalating quickly out of control and she said the two little words that were guaranteed to calm things down in a hurry; "I'm sorry."

Apologies from either of them were rarer than killer comets and the momentary frustration on the Saiyan's face was shelved as he considered her words. She was almost as strong-willed as he was and possessed her own particular streak of boastful pride. Admitting to a mistake on her part was a rarity and he was smart enough to recognize the offer when it came. "You should be," he mumbled out, inspecting the tear in his coat with disdain. "And you should be more careful with my clothes, too. This jacket was brand new."

Biting back a retort, she wisely stayed on track. "You were right; you had a life before earth. What we shared at the Hammorski was a unique situation and I shouldn't have let it prejudice my views about what kind of life you led. You're not human and sometimes I have to be reminded of that. I'm basing my opinions of your past actions on silly earth morals and that's just not fair on you. I really am sorry."

It was more than he could ever have asked for. One look into her deep blue eyes confirmed that she was sincere and he voluntarily let go of the rest of his anger. "Our pact of matrimony agrees with you," he remarked.

"And with you. Last year, you would have flown off in anger and just left me behind."

That serious look returned to his face. "Those days are over," he said in a low voice, almost a whisper, as if fearful that strange ears might overhear his revelation. He did a quick scan of the horizon before pulling her in closer to steal a quick kiss. When he started to pull away, she grabbed the lapels of his coat and deepened the kiss, relishing the taste of him. "You've changed so much, and definitely for the better," she gusted into his mouth. "I love you so much, Vegeta."

Such an admission usually caused him to groan or roll his eyes in embarrassment but, instead, a strange smile crossed his features. He was obviously flattered and at a rare loss for words and could only manage to get out, "Thanks."

She looked at him in surprise. "For what? For praising you or loving you?"

He appeared to seriously consider the question. "For both," he said and suddenly took her face in his strong hands and kissed her passionately. Bulma thought that she might swoon from the intensity of it. Such displays from the aloof Saiyan were strictly reserved behind closed doors and away from possible prying eyes. She had been worried that attention from the media would be the excuse he would need to shut her out entirely during the remainder of their honeymoon. As ever, she had been proven wrong. It dismayed her how little she knew about him, but she would be lying if that mystery wasn't something of a turn-on for her and gratefully gripped the hand that was squeezing her left breast.

Tracing a warm trail along her jawline with his tongue, he buried his face into her aqua-colored tresses and inhaled her intoxicating scent. Saiyan senses were only slightly more acute than humans but when he was powered up with ki those senses increased tenfold. When he was as amorous as he was right this instant, it seemed his sense of smell had increased by a thousand. He closed his eyes and let himself be directed by what his sensitive nose picked up; the faint traces of her shampoo, her vanilla body spray, and her own unique scent. The perspiration from her earlier efforts coated her skin; a blend of hormones that were as distinct as they were feminine. It was especially strong between the haven of her breasts and between her legs. He rubbed the crotch of her pants with his free hand and sniffed his fingers. The distinct odor of her womanhood went straight to his brain and created an explosion of reds, blues, and greens behind his eyelids. She was already damp and burning with need; it radiated off of her body in waves as fast as their own quickening heartbeats.

Whether it was a combination of the extreme latitude or the strange way that the sun seemed fixated in the same place, Vegeta never knew why his senses exploded into such a fevered pitch at that particular moment. All that he knew was that he felt an excruciating shot of savage lust for his bride. He wanted instantly to possess her, to take her all the way with no holds barred.

As he freed his straining erection with impatient fingers, she was already pulling her pants and underwear down and stepping out of one leg. No words were necessary between the two lovers; they both knew what the other wanted and were eager to participate.

Their coupling was accomplished swiftly and roughly. Lying amid the aromatic flowers of the tundra, Vegeta thrust into her with mad passion. Bulma held onto him, grunting each time he slammed his pelvis into her, the both of them panting raggedly. Hungering desire had consumed them both, making even their surroundings inconsequential in favor of this wild act. The world could have been hurtling into the sun and neither would have noticed. Mewling in pleasure as her climax began to overpower her, Bulma sank her teeth into the Saiyan's shoulder when she came, screaming out his name from between bloody teeth. Vegeta's eyes, narrowed to bare slits of extreme concentration, widened in shock. The sudden pain came as a complete surprise and he released a feral howl as he filled her with his thick cream, his entire body shuddering with the force of an unexpected climax.

Her eyes widened in surprise. She had heard him make some interesting sounds at the pinnacle of his pleasure, but this was a first. When the force of his release had ebbed, he managed to push away from her and lied on his back in the lush carpet of herbs. Far off in the distance, a solitary wolf howled a response to the sound of Vegeta's cry. He raised himself on one elbow and scowled in the direction of the sound. Bulma could see that the bite on his shoulder was bleeding.

She rummaged in the pockets of her jacket and pulled out a package of Kleenex's and pressed several against the wound. "I hurt you. I'm sorry but I-"

His face was still slightly dazed when he looked at her. "Hurt me? Are you kidding? That was great!"

She should have known. "It was an accident. Don't get used to it," she said as she cleaned herself up as best she could. "It was just in the heat of the moment, so don't think we can start nibbling on each other when we give in to a quickie."

"Damn, woman. I would never have expected this of you," he continued as he investigated the bite. There was a leering grin on his face. "Reminds me of my last lay before Earth. She damn near chewed me to ribbons."

Bulma immediately felt herself swamped with an inexplicable sense of jealousy. "And who was she? Some interplanetary bimbo, I'll bet."

He shook his head. "She was a soldier. Reptilian breed. I never did get her name." *

"Reptilian? Ick!"

"She wasn't much to look at but she did have a tail," he said, as if having a tail made all the difference in the world. "She was cold-blooded, too. It made for an... interesting time."

Bulma pulled up her pants, fastened them, and then snuggled in beside him. "More interesting then me?"

"Until you bit me, I would have said yes."

"You perv, you actually liked that!"

"Don't you forget what breed I am," he reminded her, sitting up. "Remember, you don't know much about Saiyans. We like things rough."

She offered him a slight smile. "I'll be the first one to admit I don't know much about your people. But I'm willing to learn if you'll teach me."

Eyeing her critically, he considered her words. To find someone who was actually interested in his lineage had always been a rarity in his life. Saiyans had been loathed throughout the galaxy and no one had been interested in learning specifics about his unique breed. He had never been the most communicative of people at the best of times. He still wasn't. Fortunately there were other ways of accommodating Bulma's request without having to resort to the liability of speaking out loud. "Will you let me share a memory with you?"

She backed away a little at the suggestion. The last time the Saiyan had shared a memory with her, he had refused to touch her for over six months. "I don't know, Vegeta...."

"Nobody gets hurt, nobody dies," he told her. "You'll probably get a good laugh out of it, knowing you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It'll explain why I hate snow so much. Add Radditz and Nappa into the mix and I think you'll learn quite a lot about us. Do you trust me?"

She looked into his eyes. They were at half-mast and remarkably calm; sex helped to take the edge off of his constant anxiety and made him as relaxed as he ever got. "With my life," she said in answer to his question. It was the truth.

"Fine, just let me tuck myself back in. I don't want to get lost in a memory with my dick hanging out." The act actually took some effort. Despite the intensity of the recent act, quickies were just foreplay to him and he was still half-hard.

Once he was reasonably comfortable, he positioned himself in front of her. "Just relax. It'll take me a few minutes to pull all of the memories together so take advantage of the moment."

"What do you mean by-" It happened so fast that Bulma had no time to react. One second she was staring into his face and the next she was staring out at an arctic wasteland. Whirling around, she saw that the Siberian tundra had disappeared and was replaced by towering, frozen mountains so tall that their peaks disappeared into sickly, yellow-tinged clouds. It was starting to snow and the wind was building, making the icy flakes come down at a sharp angle. Holding out her hand, Bulma saw that the flakes passed through her transparent flesh. She wasn't cold and couldn't feel the gusts of wind. Looking down, she saw that she was ankle-deep in grey snow that she couldn't feel.

"Oh wow," she said in an amazed voice. She was not a psychic but she possessed enough knowledge to know that her present form was an astral projection of her thoughts. It was nothing like the last time Vegeta had shown her one of his memories. She had been forced to see things through his terrified perspective and it had left her with a crippling case of psychic trauma. Here, she was a guest and he was allowing her some time to acclimatize to the strange, alien environment. She was so overwhelmed by the strange sensation that it took several moments before she realized that she wasn't alone.

Ten feet away, a small figure was standing knee-deep in the snow and shivering. At first Bulma didn't even recognize him; the uniform was different and she had never seen pictures of the Saiyan when he had been a boy but that flame-style to his hair was unmistakable.

She was looking at a younger version of Vegeta.

It was hard to determine how old he was; Vegeta had once tried to explain the perils of calculating his true age due to the effects of faster-than-light travel and pod stasis, but looking at the heavy bangs that hung over his forehead and the residue of baby fat in his cheeks, she figured that he couldn't be more than twelve years old.

Ohmigod! He's just adorable! she thought, resisting the urge to reach out and ruffle his auburn-colored mane. In her ephemeral form, her hand would have just gone through him anyway. He was noticeably shorter than he was now, with a lithe, rangy build that looked more for speed than strength. When he turned to look in her direction, she wasn't surprised to see that familiar scowl on his face. The line between his heavy eyebrows was hardly noticeable but it was already well on its way to becoming a mainstay to his features. At first glance, he looked just like any other pissed-off, rebellious adolescent. It was his eyes that were the most different. Not quite as narrowed as they were now; they weren't yet haunted from his abuses or touched with madness at this early stage in his life. They looked out from his unlined face with only youthful curiosity, boredom-

-And recognition.

"Enjoying the show?" he asked with unmistakable irritation in his deceptively deep voice.

Startled, Bulma squeaked out, "You can... see me?"

"You've been eyeballing me like I was a bloated tkhrle'n," he responded, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"Do you know who I am?"

He examined her face for a long, meditative pause and then his eyes skirted to the side, narrowing slightly. "...Bulma. You were permitted into this memory for some strange reason."

"That's right! We're on our honeymoon see? And Vegeta- you- wanted to show me a moment in his past-"

"Oh, for the length of Coolers cock- SHUT UP!" he yelled at her. "Why are you babbling all that crap at me for? I told you I was a memory, you silly bitch."

Bulma's reaction to the insult was instantaneous. She cleared the distance in a quick sprint and slapped his face. It was difficult to judge who was more surprised; her for being able to feel it, or Vegeta to be the recipient of it. Of the two, she recovered first and chastised him, "Watch your mouth! If you were my kid I'd put you over my knee and spank you."

Trying to backpedal away from her, the little Saiyan stumbled in the heavy snow and fell backwards. A red flush of indignant rage surfaced in his round cheeks as he tried to get to maintain some air of dignity while scrambling back to his feet. "You go ahead and try it," he challenged. The slap had surprised him but it hadn't hurt. He eyed her warily. "It sounds a little kinky. I just might like it."

"You're just a kid! What do you know about kinky?"

"Hey! I've been with lots of girls. Dozens! Some even as old as you!"

"Yeah right, dozens my- What did you just say to me?" she squawked. The irony that she was arguing with a memory fragment didn't dawn on her in the heat of the moment. She only knew that she wanted to knock this impudent little shit back on his ass. "I'm not old! I'm only thirty-four. You better show me some respect or I'll- I'll..."

"What? Bore me to tears?" he drawled, feigning a yawn. He considered his surroundings with half-interest and then looked back at her with a sly expression that immediately put her on guard. "Actually, you're not all that bad looking. Show me your tits."

I can't believe this is happening, Bulma thought with stunned amazement. I'm trapped in Vegeta's mind and being harassed by his horny mini-me. And damned if he wasn't fixated on breasts right out of the gate. What a prodigy.

"C'mon," his young voice adopted a petulant whine that was both annoying and endearing at the same time. "Just a peek."

"No!"

"If you let me touch them, I'll let you touch my tail," he offered. The fuzzy brown length around his waist uncoiled itself and waved at her in invitation.

"Not on a bet."

His face screwed up in aggravation, and for one instant he looked as if he was going to cry- or scream- but the emotion passed by quickly and reverted to its former solemn expression. "Your loss," he pouted.

Take advantage of the moment, Vegeta had told her. All of a sudden, she knew what he had meant. It would take him some time to collect his thoughts and while he did that, he was allowing her to interact with his past self before the specific memory played itself out. "For what it's worth," she remarked in a casual voice. "You do have a beautiful tail."

He snapped his head around at her and cocked it to one side as he considered the compliment. It was something a puzzled dog would do. She had never seen him do anything like that before and had to resist the urge to hug him. He would have just copped a feel anyway.

"...Really?"

"Really. It's very handsome."

Obviously delighted with the praise, he snapped it briskly from side to side, showing it off for her. "It lets me do amazing things but I always have to keep it wrapped around my waist to protect it. There's nothing more prized on the Interstellar black market than a Saiyan's tail. Especially now that there's so few of us," his young voice went hoarse with emotion and he looked guiltily away, protectively wrapping the furry appendage back around his slim waist. "I wouldn't be whole without it."

Bulma considered the sad sight before her and had to struggle with her grief. Vegeta openly mourned the loss of his tail but she had been oblivious that he had been stalked by space poachers looking for a trophy; much like certain earth creatures being hunted for a rare pelt. Frieza had done more than just obliterate his race; he had left the few survivors out in the open and at the mercy of past enemies who were itching for revenge. "I understand," was all that she could offer. Right now, talking with this vulnerable youth who still possessed a few traces of innocence that hadn't yet been beaten out of him, Bulma thought that she now understood everything about her stoic prince.

The young Saiyan breathed in a great lungful of air and then let it out in a huff. "What's done is done. No sense bitching about it," he said bravely and examined his surroundings with disdain.

"Why are you here, Vegeta?"

"P.A.T.," was all he offered.

"What? I don't-"

"Planetary Acclimation Trial. We're being tested on how quickly we adapt to different planetary conditions. The first one was a world that was one huge ocean. That was tough, I had to learn how to swim. Yuck. The last one was a couple of weeks ago on a desert planet. We broke the previous time trial on that one," he boasted. "One set by Zarbon himself. He was pissed."

It made sense. Saiyans were a desert breed and well suited to the harsh conditions. It also explained why this younger incarnation was much darker then his future counterpart; his face was deeply tanned, the hair lighter - all the result of recent exposure to an extremely powerful sun.

Bulma said, "And now you're on a blizzard world."

He nodded ruefully.

"How does this testing work?"

"It's simple. Even you might be able to understand it," he said in a cocky tone, relishing the quick flash of anger that crossed over her face. "We're dropped off on one part of the planet and have a fixed amount of time to cover the terrain and reach a communicator that was dropped off on the other."

"Well, that doesn't sound so bad-"

"We're not allowed to use our ki or become Oozaru," the boy added gravely.

"Oh."

"This is gonna be a tough one but we don't dare cheat. Frieza would find out and punish us for sure." In an almost conversational tone, he looked up at Bulma and added, "I'm going to kill him some day, you know."

Bulma felt her blood turn to ice and it wasn't from the elements. It was the way he spoke about murder in such a casual, easy way. Already at such a young age, his violent nature was prominent and things would only get worse as the years wore on.

I wish I could pull you out of here right now, she thought bleakly. Take you away from this nightmare life while there's still a spark of innocence left in you. Who knows how you would have turned out if you'd had the same chances that Gokou had? "I think that someday you might get that chance," she told him vaguely.

"Hn. Sooner the better. I hate that kruc'T," the boy grumbled. "Anyway, like I said; this P.A.T. will be harder than all of the others combined. I've never actually touched snow before. Flown over it a few times but this is different. This is really going to suck."

The slang caught her off guard and she had to betray a small smile. "You're one tough, resourceful little guy. I know that you'll do just fine."

He was staring at her in that odd, head-cocked manner again and appeared puzzled by what she had said. Bulma realized that he was trying to decipher her praise because it came so rarely, and felt her previous grief return with a vengeance.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Are you making fun of me?"

"Of course not. I'm just speaking from experience."

Not completely swayed, he appeared about to argue when he suddenly looked up to the sky. He closed his eyes, nodded once, and then looked back at her. "Our time's up. I have to return to the memory."

Bulma was disappointed but not as much as she would have thought. Seeing her usually stoic husband as this feisty, sad little boy was extremely depressing. "I understand."

He straightened his spine and politely extended his hand in an unmistakable gesture. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Bulma."

Gratified, she closed in, eager to accept that hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you, too- HEY!"

Moving with that unnatural speed of his, the youth ducked in under her raised arm and managed a successful grope of her breasts before running away from her, snickering.

"You little creep!" she screamed after him.

Laughing with glee at his own wit, Vegeta pelted up the nearest ridge. He even had the audacity to flash her a roguish wink before he winked out of sight.

"God, I hate to think what Trunks is going to be like at that age," Bulma muttered fretfully. She feared that she had just gotten a hint of things to come. Like father, like son? She was doomed. And so was any female within a six-block radius of Capsule Corp. "Maybe I should invest in a set of sturdy Saiyan-proof shackles-"

There was a loud explosion overhead and she cried out in shock. Looking up, she saw three space pods cut a flaming swath through the storm clouds. The Saiyans had arrived for their Planetary Acclimation Trial. Bulma wasn't surprised to find that her form had become insubstantial again. She was now just a spectator and had no choice but to watch as events, now over twenty years old, began to unfold right before her eyes.

>>>>>

The three space pods made landfall on the nearby valley. The impact created a pressure wave that blew away the ice and snow in a thick arc, and created a deep crater around each small vessel. Each lay smoldering in a puddle of rapidly cooling slush and silence settled over the area for several minutes before one finally opened its hatch.

Nappa emerged, slowly freeing his huge bulk from the close confines of the sphere and blinked at the whiteness that surrounded him on all sides. "This sucks," he growled, stepping out of the pod and promptly had his feet skirt out from underneath of him. He fell on his ass with enough force to make the ground crack. Releasing a roar of anger, he tried to find his footing on the wet ice. It was a losing battle and he ended up crawling away from the pod on his substantial belly only to be thwarted by the slippery sides of the crater. He would manage a couple of feet up and then slide back down, colliding with the pod. Smashing his fists into the ice, he screamed a litany of Saiyajin curses.

"Use your fingernails, you idiot!" called a voice from above.

Standing at the edge of the crater was Radditz, looking down at him in disgust. He had his hands buried under his armpits and was shivering in wet snow that was up to his waist. His thick ebony mane waved behind him in the building wind like a spiky cape. "Just claw yourself up."

"What the bar'g did you think I was doing?" Nappa snarled back. Still, he tried again and managed to get himself halfway up the icy slope before the other Saiyan latched onto his wrist and hauled him the rest of the way, grunting; "You really need to go on a diet, Nappa."

"I porked it on when I heard that this trial was coming up. I've been on ice worlds before. I figured I'd need all the fat I could get," the bald alien told him.

"Well, it worked. Paint you pink and you'd be Dodoria's twin," Radditz sneered.

Ignoring him, Nappa looked around. "Where's Vegeta?"

Cocking a thumb over his shoulder, the other warrior sighed. "Still in his pod. He won't come out."

Walking over to the third crater, the pair looked down and saw that the space pod was still closed. Cupping his massive hands around his mouth, Nappa yelled down; "Prince Vegeta! We're here! You have to come out!"

The response was muffled but unmistakable: "NO!"

"We're losing time! We have to get going!"

"!!NO!!"

Possessing almost infinite patience where his young ward was concerned, Nappa gave up and simply crossed his arms. "He'll come out soon enough."

Doubtful, the other warrior quipped, "Are you kidding? To him, that pod is bigger than his quarters. He'll stay in there all day!"

"Just wait and see, Radditz."

A few minutes later, the pod door swung open and young Vegeta poked his head out. As cautious as any wild creature in a new environment, he thoroughly looked around before venturing outside of the security of his pod. When his left foot settled down on the ice and slipped, he scuttled back into the ship.

"This is going to take forever. Let's just leave and he can follow our trail," Radditz suggested and was brought to his knees by Nappa's elbow connecting squarely with his diaphragm.

"We don't go anywhere without our prince," the Elite solder growled at him.

Eventually, Vegeta tried again. He poked the ice with a tentative finger and then crouched down and sniffed it, stealing one quick lick. His tongue immediately froze to the hard surface and he pulled it free with a yelp of surprise. Checking the tip to see if it was bleeding, he stared hatefully at the ice as if it had just bit him. He looked up and saw Nappa and Radditz at the edge of the crater and climbed to the top of the spacecraft.

"What's he doing?" Radditz asked in alarm. "If we use our powers Freiza will have our tails!"

"Relax. Vegeta knows the rules," Nappa said calmly.

Unwrapping his tail for balance, Vegeta crouched down and then uncoiled all of his muscles at once in a vertical leap that threw him clear of the crater with its slippery edges. He landed right between the two other Saiyans and promptly disappeared from sight in the deep snow.

Exchanging a glance that would have been almost comic under different circumstances, the two older Saiyans stared down at the hole their youngest member had created, waiting for the reaction.

Releasing a shocked shout, Vegeta promptly scampered up Nappa's huge bulk as if he were a tree and perched on his bodyguard's left shoulder, shivering. "This is ridiculous!" he sputtered, "How am I supposed to walk through shit taller than I am?" His tail, fluffed out to twice its normal size in agitation, lashed angrily from side to side.

"That's the point of these trials, my prince. To test the limits of our abilities without relying on our powers," Nappa kindly offered.

"Easy for you to say. You're eight v'hdys tall!"

Radditz was starting to fidget. "We have to get going! The trial started the instant our pods-" He was silenced by Vegeta's boot colliding with his nose. For the second time in less than five minutes, the soldier was driven to his knees.

"We'll get going when I say so," Vegeta snarled out with surprising venom. "Don't you forget your place, soldier."

"Yeds, my priss," Radditz said in a nasally whine.

Gathering his courage, Vegeta jumped down into the snow and pushed the sides away so that he could look around. He had to jump in place just to isolate Radditz. "Which way are we supposed to go?"

Using scouters was forbidden since it was viewed to give participants an advantage against the local terrain. Pulling out an electronic tracker from underneath of his chestplate, Radditz consulted the readout to isolate the communicator's bearings and then nodded to his left. "That way."

They set off across the frozen landscape without further argument. Nappa took the lead and Radditz followed after him, periodically consulting the tracker to correct their course. Bringing up the rear was Vegeta. The other two broke up the snow for him but it was still tough work matching their long strides and more than once, they had to pause and wait for him to catch up. Even Radditz took no amusement in the smaller Saiyan's struggles, perhaps grasping the severity of this inimitable trial. He and Nappa were numb from the waist down and already feeling frostbite settle in their fingers and ears. Sweating profusely from his efforts, Vegeta's bodysuit was freezing up on his damp skin, making his movements more labored. He muttered a constant stream of curses under his breath with every step, but he never wavered or stopped. Despite his small size, he was the toughest among them- ki or no ki- and at times like this he proved it.

"When I g-get back to the sh-ship, I'm g-going to have a long h-hot b-b-b-bath," Nappa said from between numb lips. "W-won't even add any c-cold water to the mix. I want it to be b-boiling."

"You think you're the only one with problems? I lost feeling in my cock over two hours ago!" Radditz moaned. He had his thick hair wrapped around his shoulders like a shawl.

"So? It's not like you ever get much of a chance to use it!" Nappa barked out and snorted laughter. Frozen snot coated his mustache and lower jaw and he looked even more hideous than normal.

"What did you mean by that, you kruc'T?" the younger soldier shot back.

"Knock it off! Both of you!" Vegeta shouted. He struggled through the heavy snow and finally caught up to them. He had parted his hair in the middle and pulled it down over his vulnerable ears and tied the ends together beneath his chin. One lone spike had escaped and it stuck straight up on his head and was frozen that way. There was snow piled high on both shoulder pads and his uniform was completely white. Even his eyebrows were covered in frost. "If you want to get into a pissing contest about who's suffering here then step to the back of the line. Otherwise, move your ass!"

Radditz backed off. "I'm sorry, Vegeta."

"I don't want to hear it. And I sure as hell don't want to be making apologies to Frieza for failing this trial. We haven't failed one yet and I'm not about to fail now. So MOVE!" he screamed the last word so loudly that it rebounded off of the nearby mountain.

Nappa was smiling with pride at the young Elite's spirit. "Vegeta's right. We're not making bad time. Let's step it up."

Reluctantly, the other soldier obeyed but he flashed Nappa a glare that clearly said; Later, old man.

They had barely managed a few steps before a low rumble halted them all in their tracks.

"I thought you said that you ate before we left the ship," Radditz said, slapping Nappa's broad back.

The huge bodyguard rubbed his ample stomach and cast a sour glare over his shoulder. "Hey! That wasn't me."

They both turned to Vegeta who immediately said, "Don't look at me."

There was another rumble, this time louder and growing in intensity. When they all looked up, they saw a sight that immediately chilled them to the bone (even more than they already were). An immense wall of snow was tumbling down the face of the mountain, obliterating everything in its path and heading straight for them.

"Avalanche!" Nappa shouted and immediately started to power up.

Vegeta barked, "No ki!"

"But, my prince-"

"No time to argue. Run for it!" Radditz screamed and pelted off across the heavy snow as fast as he could.

Nappa started to sprint away until he looked back for his prince. All that he saw of the little Saiyan was that frozen spike of hair sticking out of the snow. Vegeta was trying to force himself through the heavy drift to get away from the threat. It was an impossible task and Nappa saw his young charge actually turn and face the wall of snow in challenge an instant before it slammed into him.

"NO!" Nappa was engulfed by the avalanche and tossed around like a piece of flotsam trapped in an ocean current. His surroundings darkened as snow pressed in on him from all sides, encasing him in a dark, icy tomb.

When the snow slide settled down, Radditz cautiously emerged from a boulder where he had managed to be shielded from the worst of it. "Vegeta! Nappa! Where are you?" The huge mass had erased all landmarks and made everything one barren plateau. He could see no sign of his companions. To make things worse, it was starting to snow heavily.

If he thought that he could get away with it, he would have left them behind and headed to the communicator on his own. After all, he was the one who was in possession of the tracker. Unfortunately (for him) the rules of the trial were as specific as they were brief: Finish the trial as a team or don't bother finishing at all.

Forcing himself to calm down, he wandered the snow pile and was relieved to catch a glimpse of orange fabric. Vegeta often wore some garish color combinations with his uniform but Nappa had suggested he wear his orange armor with the light blue body suit so that he would stand out better in the harsh climate. For once in his life, Nappa's advice actually seemed to be of some benefit.

Seeing that the orange boot was twitching, the soldier started to furiously dig around it. "Vegeta!" He freed the second foot and with one terrific burst of strength, he hauled the Saiyan out of the snow by his ankles.

Hanging upside down, Vegeta coughed and sputtered and tried to catch his breath.

"Are you okay?"

"Stupid question. Put me down."

Resisting the temptation to drop him, Radditz lowered him gently to the ground. Recovering from his near-death with surprising speed, Vegeta shook off the trauma and got back on his feet and then wandered off a short distance and started digging. He looked back at the huge soldier and snapped, "Well? What are you standing around for? Get over here and help me dig out Nappa!"

Radditz was shocked. "You found him?" He thought that the old bodyguard was lost to them for sure. "Just like that?"

"I'm sensitive to his thoughts. He's barely conscious and running out of air. Hurry up!"

Working together, the pair managed to free the Elite warrior's torso and began pulling on his massive arms.

"Gah! Nappa, you fat bastard! When we get back to the ship you're going on a diet!" Vegeta groused as the pair finally managed to pull him free.

"I don't think he's breathing," Radditz fretted.

"You took a medical course once, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah, a couple of years ago but-"

"So? Give him mouth-to-mouth."

Recoiling from the mere suggestion, Radditz pointed at Nappa's face. "Look at him! He's covered in snot! I'm not putting my mouth to THAT!"

"Let me put it this way, Radditz," Vegeta said in a deceptively calm voice. "If Nappa dies during the P.A.T., we lose. So what's to stop me from telling Frieza that you died, too?"

"Y-you're bluffing!"

"Try me."

The pair locked eyes but the battle of wills was over even before it began. The only thing that Radditz had in his favor was his height. In terms of strength, power, and speed Vegeta held the advantage and he knew how to use those skills with devastating precision for one so young. There was an eight-year difference between them, but there were times when the little prince acted the more mature of the two, especially in times of crisis like this one. Radditz knew better than to challenge him here. If he turned his back to leave now, he would be dead before he managed one step.

Still, he made one last attempt, "If you kill me, you'll be the last Saiyan left alive."

Unfazed, Vegeta told him, "I can live with that, which is more than I'll be saying about you in about ten seconds."

"Aw bar'g," Radditz moaned and knelt down beside the prone bodyguard. He tried wiping Nappa's face with his armband but that only smeared the yellow crust around. With bile rising in his throat, he pinched the Saiyan's nose closed and took a deep breath in preparation to give the gift of life.

The instant before their lips connected, Nappa's eyes flew open. "Thank you for saving me! My hero!" he cried and pulled the shocked soldier in for a wet, noisy kiss.

Vegeta collapsed to the ground, laughing, while Radditz freed himself and staggered away. Nappa sat up, chuckling with clear amusement and watched the younger soldier suffer through a noisy bout of dry heaves. "Oh, shake it off! The ladies tell me I'm a great kisser."

"You slipped me the tongue! AGH!" Radditz sputtered and started gagging. He cast a hateful glare over at Vegeta. "You kruc'T! You knew that he was all right! You set me up!"

"...the look on your face..." Vegeta wheezed strengthlessly. When he looked over at Radditz he gripped his stomach and started braying laughter again.

"You Elites are crazy, you know that?!" Radditz screamed.

"And you Third class soldiers have no sense of humor," Nappa said, rising easily to his feet. He gave the younger Saiyan a slap on the back. It was meant as a friendly tap but the force of it caused Radditz to stumble forwards several steps. In the background, the sight of that made Vegeta laugh even harder. "It was just meant as a joke. Don't take things so seriously! I swear you young ones have gotta learn to relax."

Pouting, Radditz pulled out the tracker and waved it in front of his face. "We don't have time for games. Have you forgotten that we're on a trial? We've used up over half of our time and we haven't even covered half of the distance!"

"Then I guess we better get a move on," Nappa said calmly. "Vegeta?"

"I'm ready," the young prince said, still snickering when he joined them. "Radditz, take point and set the pace you think is best. I won't slow either of you down."

"You sure? Because I'm going to really move."

The laughter dried up on the small boy's face. He adopted an expression that would later become the face of the man he would grow into; stern, little emotion, and set in sheer determination. "I'm positive. Let's go."

Radditz wasn't joking and immediately set a brisk, unrelenting pace. It wasn't long before Nappa was panting from the effort as he tried to keep stride with the younger soldier. When he chanced a backward glance, he saw that Vegeta was keeping up just as he said he would. He had adapted his passage through the snow and was now jumping into each of Nappa's large footprints. The older Elite had no idea how long his charge could manage that frenzied pace but he wasn't going to ruin the boy's concentration and ask him.

"Just over that next rise," Radditz called back to them. "It's gonna be close."

"H-How cluh-close?" Nappa wheezed.

"I mean really close. Right down to the last minute!"

Trying to respond, Nappa started coughing and lost his footing, falling face down into the snow. Oblivious, Radditz continued his mad sprint until he looked back and saw his two companions had stopped. "This is no time for a break!" he shouted, his gruff voice had reached an almost hysterical pitch.

Completely exhausted, Nappa raised his head with effort and looked up at the disapproving stare of his charge. "I can't go any further, Vegeta," he moaned.

The young Saiyan's eyes narrowed. "You can and you will. I'll make you."

"Not a chance. I-I'm all done in. Can't move another-" He released an agonized bellow and jumped swiftly to his feet. Vegeta had jumped on his back and sank his teeth into his bodyguard's tail, biting down as hard as he could. As Elites, their tails were desensitized from being liabilities in battle, but that didn't mean that they were numb to all sensation. Far from it.

"Get moving, you lazy kruc'T! That's an order!" Vegeta snarled up at him, wiping Nappa's blood off of his lips before it froze there. "Give up on me again and I'll latch onto your balls next!"

"Yuh-yes, my prince," Nappa stammered, holding onto his wounded tail with trembling hands. Without another word, he turned and chased after Radditz who clearly saw the fear etched on the immense soldier's face. Drawing his own tail tighter around his waist, he verified their direction with the tracker and ran off again with the others in hot pursuit.

The communicator came within sight just as they scrambled over the steep ridge. Computer sensors had purposely set it on a rocky outcrop so that it wouldn't be buried in the snow. An antenna poked straight up and a tiny satellite disk revolved slowly. It was starting to count down.

"Bar'g! We're too late," Radditz cried in dismay. They were on their last minute and still had over forty meters to go. So close!

Nappa looked back and saw that Vegeta was tramping the snow around him and getting down into a tight crouch. "Vegeta?"

"Get ready to throw me, Nappa."

"But-"

"It's not cheating if you use your own strength. Get ready!" He took a deep breath and then charged at the huge soldier and leaped into the air. Radditz moved in beside Nappa and, working as a team, they both launched the small Saiyan like a projectile directly at the communicator.

"Ten seconds to P.A.T. completion," the computer called out of a frost-covered speaker. "-Nine"

Vegeta landed hard in an icy drift ten feet shy of the device.

"-Eight-"

"Oh no, you don't," he snarled, fighting his way through the heavy snow with the last of his strength.

"-Seven-"

"Because."

"-Six-"

"I am Vegeta."

"-Five-"

"Prince of the Saiyans!"

"-Four-"

"And I."

"-Three-"

"Never!"

"-Two-"

"!!FAIL!!"

"-O-" His snow-covered fist slammed down on the pressure plate of the timer. It released a chime and then pleasantly chirped out: "Planetary Acclimation Trial successfully completed. Congratulations. Results have been sent back to base. End of report."

Rolling onto his back, Vegeta gulped down lungfuls of air in swift, panting gasps while the other two finally caught up and sat down on either side of him.

"Nicely done, my prince," Nappa said sincerely as he lifted the limp figure and settled him in his lap to protect him from the cold.

"I'll say!" Radditz said with a beaming grin. He unwrapped his mane from around his shoulders and charitably covered the exhausted youth with it. "There's something to be said about this teamwork thing after all. Sit tight and I'll summon the pods for pick-up." He pulled a recall device from under his chestplate and typed in their coordinates.

While they waited for their ships to retrieve them, Nappa said in a low voice, "You would have made a fabulous King, Vegeta. One that would have made even Frieza tremble in fear."

"That day may come yet," the little prince said weakly and then slumped unconscious.

>>>>>

"Oh!" Bulma jerked back in surprise as the ice world disappeared and the Siberian landscape came back into view. It took a few seconds to process the abrupt change and she blinked, looking around, as she assured herself that everything was now real.

Vegeta slumped back on his elbows and looked exhausted. It took a lot of concentration to gather his thoughts and direct them into the tight beam of mental focus required to play a memory from beginning to end without interruption. He was badly out of practice. "And that's why I hate snow," he said when she looked at him.

"The memory went black. You passed out-"

"Only for a few minutes. I was whipped. By the time the pods came for pick-up, I was awake again."

"And you were all right?"

"Just mild hypothermia. Both Nappa and Radditz had to be treated for second-degree frostbite in their balls. Served them right for stubbornly refusing to wear a body suit." He added a brief shiver at the thought of trudging through that snow without protection.

There were more questions burning on her face, desperate to be voiced but she lapsed into bewildering silence, staring at him with eyes that were a deep, troubled blue.

Here come the waterworks, he thought solemnly, bracing himself.

Instead of crying, she released a shrill peal of laughter and fell backwards on the ground, holding her midsection. "Oh. My. GOD!" she shrieked, "Seeing you with your tongue stuck to the ice. I've never seen anything so...so funny in my-my...l-" She couldn't form the words to speak, and laughed until tears began spilling from the corners of her eyes.

"Bar'g," he muttered, glaring daggers at her. After watching her for a couple of minutes, he concluded (correctly) that she wasn't going to be finished any time soon. He pulled over the backpack and rummaged inside for the lunch capsule she had packed. Eating with his back to her, he squared his shoulders every time she tried to speak and gave in to hysterics again.

It seemed to take forever but finally, out of breath and smiling, she managed to crawl over to him.

"Finished?" he grumbled, biting into his sandwich.

"Thank you for sharing that memory with me."

"...last time I'll ever do that..." she heard him mutter while he chewed.

"Hey, you said that I'd probably get a good laugh out of it and you were right. Would you have preferred I cry?"

He looked over at her. "I was expecting it. I'll be damned if I know what makes you tick."

"You've been doing a pretty good job figuring it out so far. That's what all this traveling is supposed to accomplish; for us to get to know one another." She pulled out a bottle of water and drank it thoughtfully. "Nappa and Radditz... they were more than just your allies. They were your friends."

"Ignorant, low-brow, uneducated-"

"-Friends," she persisted. "I 'saw' firsthand how the three of you interacted, remember? You guys kidded around and squabbled like best buddies."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Don't use petty human sentiment to try to label our partnership. We were the last Saiyans. We had to work together to survive."

"Yes, but-"

"Time to change the subject, woman," he cautioned, fixing her with a hard stare. It was a look that she knew very well.

"Fine!" she huffed, getting to her feet and brushing off the moss and flower petals that clung to her clothes. "The Dragonball is only a short walk from here. I'll go get it while you rest."

"And who said that I needed to rest?" he cried indignantly.

"You're barely able to keep your eyes open," she said as she pulled the Dragonball radar from her coat pocket. She pointed a finger at him and said, "Sit. Stay. And eat. I'll be back in a little while."

Setting off at a brisk pace, she could clearly hear him behind her as he went back to muttering to himself between mouthfuls. It got her chuckling again and she had to shake her head in amusement. It wasn't long before the laughter dried up as she replayed the earlier events of Vegeta's memory; the one where she got to interact with the little boy he had once been. By the time she reached the six-star Dragonball, Vegeta's prediction had come true: She was crying.

Sitting down and cradling the orange ball tightly in her arms, she considered all that she had seen and heard; a little boy, the last prince of an extinct race, worrying about having his tail chopped off for a bounty; of having to suffer through endurance trials that would have killed a grown-up human; of scheming to commit murder as revenge for what had been done to him and to the rest of his kind. What lingered in her thoughts the longest was the way that Nappa, of all people, had held the boy at the end of the trial. Gently, with great care, trying to protect him from any further exposure to the elements. Completing their strange circle, Radditz had covered him with his mane to help keep him warm.

They were friends, Bulma thought, rubbing the heel of her hand up one damp cheek. For some strange reason, that realization came as a shock; Friends for over twenty years. And when they died, that's when everything changed. That's when Vegeta lost his first battle on earth and later died by Frieza's hand. He no longer had his friends to rely on for support.

He was alone.

"Not anymore," she said aloud, staring at her wedding ring. "Not ever again." She took a breath and said what had probably been a daily litany for the prince when he was small: "What's done is done. No sense bitching about it."

Holding up the Dragonball to the eternal sunlight, Bulma looked at it while her thoughts churned. The first wish was already spoken for; to bring back the city, and all of its citizens, that Vegeta had razed while suffering from Frieza's terrible poison. Neither of them had discussed the matter of the second, and final, wish. There were so many miracles that Shenron could perform; limited only by the wish maker's own desires and imagination. It was possible that Vegeta was scheming to finally get the immortality that he had obsessed about in those awful, early years. But... she sincerely doubted it. She had no idea what he might have planned for the second wish, or even if he had given the matter any serious thought this early into the search.

I could use that second wish, she thought seriously. I could give him back something that he's lost. That thought gave her a measure of comfort and lifted her spirits.

Tucking the Dragonball safely under her arm, she walked back to their little makeshift camp. She felt a brief flare of worry when she couldn't spot any sign of Vegeta. When she had left, she could easily make out his silhouette from the distance but now it looked like he had disappeared.

After wandering around in circles, she finally found the Saiyan lying down in the soft carpet of red tundra plants. He was fast asleep and snoring lightly, with a half-eaten sandwich lying on his chest. It was a rare sight and Bulma stared at him lovingly for a while before pulling her camera out of the backpack and taking a few pictures of him.

As she moved in for a close-up, she lowered the camera and stared at his face. Before she even knew what she was doing, she was parting his hair in the middle and tying the longer strands beneath his chin with a rubber band. Teasing out a few hanging bangs over his forehead, she shaped a lone spike at the top of head. He was now the adult recreation of the harried little boy hiking through an Arctic wasteland. And damned if he didn't look just as adorable!

She managed to shoot an entire roll of film before he woke up.



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* Relates to the ADULT story "A TALE OF TWO TAILS" only available at my web site.

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Chapter Seven: The King of the Jungle marks his territory - And I'm not talking about lions!