Vegeta was gone before sunup, having left silently sometime during the night. I ran my hand over the place where he'd laid, remembering what had happened yesterday.
"I want you, Ally . . . "
Did he really care for me? Somehow I knew he did, in his own way, but what was I supposed to do? I couldn't keep pushing him off forever. I decided to go speak to ChiChi, who understood Saiya-jin men more than anyone else. Maybe she could help me.
I walked downstairs and knocked softly on the door. When no one answered, I cracked it open and peeked in. Gokou was nestled around ChiChi, both still fast asleep. I smiled to myself, thinking how Vegeta and I had been in that same position mere hours ago. Guess it was too early for even Gokou to be up. They were such a happy couple, held such a deep affection for each other. I wanted to have that with Vegeta, to build a life with him.
I closed the door behind me and turned around.
"Ah! Oh, Krillin. It's you. You startled me!"
The baldheaded man grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that. No one came to the door so I let myself in."
"That's ok," I told him, moving into the kitchen. "Everyone else is still asleep." I glanced at the microwave clock. 7:05 A.M. "Hmph. Lazy Sundays, right? What brings you here so early?"
He took the cup of coffee I held out, took a few timid sips, and set it down on the counter. "You missed yesterday."
I was confused for a moment before it dawned on me. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Krillin! I can't believe I forgot that yesterday was the one month mark!"
"I stayed there until past dark, waiting for you," he said, sounding hurt.
"Kami, Krillin. I feel awful."
"Actually, you look pretty good," he commented. "Sleep well last night?"
An unbidden blush rose to my cheeks. "Yes, I did. Better than usual." I fell silent.
"You're doing it again, Ally."
"Doing what?" I looked down at my hands that were tangled in the chain of my necklace and quickly lowered them.
"Was he the reason you didn't show up?" Krillin asked quietly.
"Who?"
"Vegeta."
"Vegeta? Umm . . . no?" I sighed. "Ok, yes. I did see him yesterday."
Krillin got that hurt look on his face again. "Oh."
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Should I tell someone what was going on? "Krillin, can you keep a secret?"
"You know I can, Ally."
"No, I mean this is something you can't tell anyone ever, not even the slightest hint."
"You can trust me."
I took a deep breath. "I think I'm in love."
Krillin started; his eyes grew big. "You're in love with Vegeta?!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down!" I glanced at my parents' closed door before drawing nearer to Krillin. "I can't explain it, what's happened."
"Yeah, yeah, but with him?"
"He's not all bad, Krillin," I said a little reproachfully. "Sure he's moody and sometimes obnoxious but . . . I love him."
"Does he . . . does he love you?"
"You know, a few days ago I would have told you he wasn't capable of love but after yesterday . . . let's just say I think- I hope- he proved me wrong."
* * *
The next six months passed quickly. I graduated from High School- finally!-- and had thoughts of college in the fall on my mind. Gokou and ChiChi's 10th wedding anniversary was coming up. Bulma and Yamucha were expecting a baby boy.
Seeing Vegeta was a rare occurrence. His struggle to beat Gokou had become an obsession and he vanished for several weeks at a time, always coming back worn out and fatigued. When he was around, he rarely spoke, even to me, and I began to wonder if that night had just been a spur of the moment thing and not heartfelt. The idea slowly crept into my head that he had found someone else out there . . . someone who wasn't afraid as I was.
I wanted to talk to him and flew on Nimbus to find him, no matter where he was. I went to his training grounds first and was overcome with relief when I saw him powering up for a ki blast.
"Vegeta . . . " I called softly as to not startle him.
He stopped what he was doing, gazing at me as I landed in front of him.
"I've missed you, Vegeta. You've been in and out so often; I feel like we haven't spoken to each other in-"
"We haven't." His voice wasn't exactly cold or harsh, just bland.
"So, ah, have you went Super Saiya-jin?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.
His jaw clenched. "No, I haven't. Is that what you came to talk about?"
"Actually, I wanted to talk about us. If there is such a thing . . . "
He just stared at me.
Don't cry! Don't cry! "Have you . . . , have you found anyone else?"
"No."
Did I believe him? He had no reason to lie to me.
"I heard you graduated."
"Last month," I said, for once glad he changed the subject. We both fell silent; I played with my necklace nervously while he shifted from one foot to another.
"Look, woman," he growled. "You've already broken my concentration so you might as well tell me what is on your mind."
Despite his harshness, I smiled. That was the Vegeta I knew. Prince charming.
* * * "So basically when someone graduates from High School, they go off on their own," I explained to Vegeta who wasn't grasping the whole concept behind school. We sat side by side on the edge of a small lake nestled in the mountains. I let my feet dangle above the water while Vegeta leaned against a large stone, one arm draped casually on his knee.
"That's what I'm worried about. This world is still alien to me in some ways and now I'll be going off on my own, going to college."
"And what does one do in college?"
"Well, basically, it's a continuation of High School. Just more in depth and easy-going."
"The idea of human children spending their entire existence studying books is silly," Vegeta told me matter-of-factly. "It is a waste of time and accomplishes nothing. On Vegeta-sei, the children began training from day one to keep them from showing any signs of weakness."
"This isn't Vegeta-sei. This is Earth and the kids here have no reason to train."
He snorted. "And you've seen how it has corrupted Kakarrot's brat."
"Gohan's destined for great things," I argued. "Because of his schooling."
"That kid can hardly manage a decent attack anymore." He clenched one hand into a tight fist. "He has the power to become stronger than all of us . . . if properly trained."
"I suppose you mean if he were trained by you?"
He grunted in reply, staring into the water.
"He likes to spar, Vegeta, but becoming a serious fighter like you and Gokou isn't what he really wants."
"How do you know?" he snapped, growing angry.
"I just do, ok?" I eyed him. "Why do you care about 'Kakarrot's half-breed brat' anyway?"
He glared at me, voice rising shrilly. "Maybe I don't want to be the only true Saiya-jin on this miserable planet!"
"Then have kids or something," I retorted.
"In case you haven't noticed, there aren't any Saiya-jin females around. None survived when Vegeta-sei was destroyed. And I won't have my royal blood mixing with weak humans!"
"It worked fine for Gokou's family," I pointed out. "You said yourself Gohan could be stronger than any of you. Human blood must have some good qualities."
"You are twisting my words around!"
"And you're letting pride control you!"
"At least I have pride," he spat. "When things get too rough for your liking, you turn tail and run away."
I threw him a dangerous look and got to my feet.
"See?" He jumped up. "There you go!"
I spun around. "I had no choice, Vegeta!"
"Yes. You did." He crossed his arms. "You said that yourself."
"I-" I gritted my teeth. "I am leaving."
He caught my wrist as I passed by.
"Let me go."
"No." He was challenging me, I knew it. A devilish grin had spread across his face.
"I'm serious, Vegeta," I said fiercely. "Let go of me."
Using my wrist, he pulled me to him. He bent my arms behind me so I couldn't move and the heat of his body was suddenly pressed into me closer than I wanted. I felt twinge of fear.
"No," he repeated, mischief dancing in his dark eyes.
I was seething inside and wanted to say something that would throw him off guard. So I did. "What are we, Vegeta?"
His eyebrows shot down. "What do you mean?"
"Are we friends, or a couple, or just acquaintances who sometimes kiss? Please tell me, Vegeta. I'd surely like to know because all this guesswork is killing me inside."
He stared at me and I found my arms suddenly freed as he backed away. A second later, I was left alone with only the vapor trail from his departure.
I smiled sadly to myself. "That's what I thought, Vegeta."