Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Birth of a Prince ❯ Going Home and Reflections ( Chapter 3 )

Part 3 Going Home and Reflections


Bulma watched Vegeta as he packed up the surprising amount of stuff they had accumulated in their short stay at the hospital. Her parents had decided they would drive all the stuff, flowers, balloons, presents ect home for them, and Vegeta would take Bulma, Trunks and the new baby Sage home himself. He had insisted. When she pointed out that he couldn't hold her, Trunks and Sage and fly at the same time, he had looked at her in confusion. Then apparently realizing something, he rummaged around in a bag and brought out a peculiar looking piece of cloth. I forgot, he had said, that I hadn't shown this to you. He stripped to his waist, and wrapped the cloth around his body in a complicated fashion, over one shoulder and around his waist, creating a snug pouch which he lined with a couple of fuzzy receiving blankets. Then he carefully placed the alert Sage inside, next to the bare skin over his heart. A soft, throaty rumbling became audible, as Vegeta half purred, half hummed what sounded almost like music, and Sage sighed, flipped his tail into position, and began to purr in response, tiny thumb in his mouth, eyes closing in contentment. It is a Saiyjin carry-pouch, he had explained. His old nurse had had the care of an infant when Vegeta was about Trunks' age, and had shown him several tricks of the trade in dealing with Saiyjin babies. That old nurse was where most if not all of his knowledge of infants had come from. The royal family, he explained, wasn't the most nurturing. He was expected to be strong, to be prepared take the throne. Bulma sighed. This nurturing was a side of Vegeta she had never seen before. He hadn't been this way when Trunks was a baby, but then, she reminded herself that he had been busy at the time trying to save the planet. But even so, she hadn't expected him to help this much with the new baby, let alone delivering him! Bulma watched again as Vegeta explained to his oldest son why the carry-pouch was a good way to carry Saiyjin babies, especially in flight. Trunks was very interested, and hung on to his father's every word, and Bulma noticed, his left hand as well.


Bulma thought back to Trunks' birth, comparing with the recent adventure that had been Sage's birth. Trunks' birth had been fairly uneventful, although the last two months of pregnancy for both of them had been literally a living hell. She had assumed with Trunks, that being half-Saiyjin was to blame, and she had been correct. But it was with Sage, that Vegeta had explained that the unborn baby's ki was so much stronger than her own, that it was confusing her body and throwing it off balance. Added to that was the incredible sensitivity to her moods and emotions that both boys had had. She had suffered alone with Trunks, her mother helping her as best she could, but with Sage, Vegeta had been with her almost constantly the last month, trying to keep her relaxed so she didn't upset the baby, and cause herself more pain. He had grumbled that her brat's ki broadcasting her distress all over the house was distracting him from his training. She had been unable to walk the last two weeks as Sage's movement's had become stronger and more violent, until surprisingly she went into labor and he settled down. Vegeta had carried and bathed her himself, surprising her once again with his gentleness and attentiveness. He was still the same, self-centered, arrogant alien Prince she had fallen in love with, she thought. He just...expanded. And why shouldn't he be a good dad, she argued with herself, you've always known that there is more to him than meets the eye. Infact the only other person who sees Vegeta as more than stuck-up, arrogant cold hearted, cold blooded killer is Goku. She dismissed the thoughts, as she remembered what had been so different between Trunks' birth and Sage's. Sage hadn't cried. Not once. He still hadn't cried. Vegeta simply handed him to her, when he started chewing his little fist or sucking on the end of his tail, stating that he was getting hungry. Trunks had cried before he was even all the way born, and had continued exercising his lungs for about the first three months of his life. Suddenly she was worried.

"Vegeta," she said, "Is...is Sage all right?"

"Of course he is, woman, why shouldn't he be?"

Bulma bit her lip. She hated it when he called her woman, but chose to overlook it. "He hasn't cried," she explained. "I'm a little worried, because babies, well, they cry."

Vegeta looked amused. "Why do babies cry," he queried.

Bulma was surprised. "Why, they cry to communicate, to tell us what they need..." Her voice trailed off as she realized what she was saying. "You mean he hasn't cried because, he just doesn't need anything?"

Vegeta smirked. "Why do you expect him to cry so much?"

"Well because Trunks did. I mean, he didn't cry all the time, but he did cry a lot, mostly in the beginning."

"He probably cried so much because you had his tail removed," said Vegeta coldly, pulling a Capsule Corps. jacket on over the carry-pouch. "Sage is content, full, clean and comfortable. He'll get around to crying soon enough. Are you ready to go?"

Bulma blinked. Would she ever get used to the way he abruptly cut off conversations? Probably not, she smiled to herself.

"Yes, Vegeta. Let's go home."


To be continued...