Chapter Text
The air was colder than normal. Winter must really be setting in. Vegeta mused as he watched the sun rise over the snow-capped mountains. His breath coming out in thick white puffs as the 16 year-old rose from where he sat at the edge of an ice-covered pond some miles from Region 12. Nothing stirred the still, chilly air except his up-swept, jet black hair that was styled like a flame as it had been since birth. Finally happening upon a rafter of turkeys, the young Prince grinned as he stopped to nock an arrow. As he let the fletching slip through his fingers, the turkeys turned into giant wolves.
Ducking down behind a rock, Vegeta tried to get his erratic breathing under control. “Idiot! I’m not in that blasted Arena anymore, so quit acting like it.” Vegeta snarled, not even attempting to be quiet. After a few minutes, once he felt like he was back in control of his own mind, Vegeta stood and went to retrieve his arrow. Ever since that fucking Game I’ve missed at least one target a day. All because of those stupid memories. He unleashed a roar into the silent forest as he punched a tree; this was not the first day he’s had to head back empty handed this week. Well, maybe Nappa won’t be there. Vegeta held on to that small hope as he started the journey back to his home in the Winner’s Ward.
But Vegeta was rarely that lucky when it came to his bald guardian. “Hey, Vegeta! How was your walk?” Nappa asked from dining room where he sat with a cup of hot coffee. Scowling as he removed his black leather jacket, Vegeta replied, “Walk? Nappa, you know…” “You have a visitor.” Nappa cut him off, taking a sip before adding, “He’s waiting for you in your study.” Off-put by this new visitor, Vegeta nodded, “Well then, I guess I had better not keep him waiting. Oh, and Nappa, how many times do I have to tell you? Stay out of the Woman’s coffee.” Not waiting for Nappa’s reply since he knew the man would never listen, Vegeta strolled down the short hallway to the open door on the left.
Behind the cherry desk, sat a man of small stature with platinum white hair that had freshly-dyed purple streaks running through it. A wide grin played on his purple-tinted lips as Vegeta stepped into the room, Freeza’s high-pitched whiney voice dripped with malice at the scene playing on the portable projector, “Such bravery. Such valor. Such… contempt.” Swallowing his pride for the moment, Vegeta bowed his head a fraction of an inch, “President Freeza. What an unexpected surprise.” Freeza turned off the projector since it had finished showing the end of the 74th Game, “Let’s get down to business shall we, Vegeta? I think it’ll go faster if we agree to not lie to each other.” “As if we ever could… sir.” Vegeta stated, barely keeping his contempt for the other male from his voice as he sat down in the empty chair across from the murderer.
“Good.” Freeza leaned back, steepling his fingers, “You see, Vegeta, I have a problem. A problem created by you.” Confusion caused his eyebrows to furrow as those fingers pointed at him, shaking his head, the teen frowned, “I don’t remember creating any ‘problems,’ sir. And how could your problem be my fault?” Opening his sliver suit jacket, Freeza pulled out a tiny glass bottle containing a singular deep purple berry and set it down on the desk, “By pulling out these. Personally, I would have just killed you both before the poison could have but Cell was a coward. I assume that you know of his fate?” “I can guess.” Vegeta scowled, Why are you here? What I would give to be able to kill you right now…
Though he was the guest, Freeza gave off the air of ‘I-own-this-place’, “Well, once he announced you both as Winners, what else could I do but let your little scenario play out? And I must admit, you played the love-struck monkey very well. Practically everyone in the Capital bought it; however, the Regions did not quite feel the same way. Some even saw your ploy with the berries as an outright act of rebellion, not love.” Vegeta had gone ridged as Freeza spoke, vehemently shaking his head, “That was not my intention.” Cold, calculating red eyes narrowed into slits, his fists slamming onto the desktop, “I don’t care if that was your intention or not, Vegeta! The Regions saw a boy from 12 defy the Capital and get away with it. So what’s to say that they can’t do the same? What’s to prevent… an uprising of sorts? Uprisings lead to revolutions and before you know it, the whole empire collapses.”
Scoffing, Vegeta smikred at the lizard of a president, “Tch, must be a pretty fragile system if it can be brought down by one little berry.” The look Freeza leveled at his black eyes nearly wiped Vegeta’s smirk off his face; nearly. “Perhaps, but that is not how you should be looking at it.” “Oh? Then how should I be looking at it, sir?” Vegeta was starting to push Freeza’s buttons and he was reveling in the danger of it. Here he was, trying his best to tick off the most powerful man in all of Ee-arth; and he was actually succeeding! With his patience wearing as thin as his plastered on smile, Freeza ground out, “You should envision thousands upon thousands of your people dead. Your home razed and burned to the ground. And when I ask people if they’ve heard of Region 12, I expect to hear the same response as Region 13.” That caught his attention, Vegeta cocked his head slightly in curiosity, “Region 13?”
“Exactly.” Freeza smirked evilly as he picked up a cookie from a stone plate. It was a simple sugar cookie decorated with icing, each one a different flower or bird; the one he chose had a lilac rose. “You fought beautifully in the Game, Vegeta, but it was just that; a game. Tell me, do you want to experience a real war?” Taking Vegeta’s silence as a no, Freeza continued, “I do not wish to be in a war either. These are delicious! Did Miss Briefs make them?” Chuckling to himself, Vegeta shook his head, “Goodness no. Her mother made them, She merely decorated them. Bulma’s too much like her father to be any good at cooking.” Slowly munching on the treat, Freeza drawled, “Tell me, Vegeta; when did she realize that you felt nothing for her?” Vegeta let his silence speak, it’s not like Freeza would believe him anyway. That cheeky grin became insufferable as Freeza cackled with glee, “Oh, you mean to tell me that the poor girl doesn’t know that you monkeys don’t feel petty emotions like love? I can’t wait to watch her crumble when you show her that it was all a. Filthy. Monkey. Lie.”
Trying to contain his anger and hatred for the man in front of him, Vegeta ground out, “If you want me dead that badly, then why not just kill me now?” “Oh, I don’t want to kill you, Vegeta. I want us to be friends; and if we can’t be friends then at least allies.” Finally! A way to keep Her safe. A determined look flickered across Vegeta’s face, “What do I have to do?” His long, pale fingers steepled in front of his face again as Freeza laid out his desire, “When you’re on the Triumphant Journey, you’re going to be appreciative of my mercy, you’re going to act like you want to be there, and above all else, you are going to act like you are insanely, head-over-heels, ready-to-die in love. Think you can manage that, monkey?” Vegeta nodded curtly, his gravelly voice grim, “I’ll convince them.” “No.” Freeza rose from his chair, “Convince me.” Removing the purple rose from his lapel, the President laid it next to the glass bottle, “A gift for Miss Briefs, please make sure she gets it.” As Vegeta released the breath he had been holding, Freeza paused in the doorway, “Oh, and do convince me, Vegeta. For her sake. After all, I’d hate for something to… ‛happen’ to Ee-arth’s greatest inventor.”
After waiting several minutes to make sure that Freeza had left, Vegeta stalked into the kitchen. Snatching an apple off the counter, he snarled at Nappa, “Why did you let him in here?!” Nappa shrugged as he put a pan of biscuits in the oven, “He’s the President, Vegeta. What else could I have done?” “Oh, I don’t know. How’s bout telling him to fuck off!” Sarcasm dripped from every word as Vegeta crossed one arm across his broad chest, taking his frustrations out on the poor apple. “You know damn well I couldn’t do that!” Nappa bellowed back, then sighed as he gripped the edge of the stone counter, “Listen, my Prince, I know your struggling with what happened in the Arena but I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me. And I’ve put up with you taking it out on me for as long I can stand, but no more. Either you figure out a way to deal with what happened or I’m out. You’ve got a week after you get back or I’m going back to the house in the Seam, understand?” Vegeta grunted, he could care less whether or not Nappa stayed, it’s not like he needed a guardian now anyway.
Suddenly a knock sounded at the door. “What now?” Vegeta growled as he went to answer the door. “Hey there, Vegeta.” Krillin waved, a wide grin plastered on his face. Groaning, Vegeta rolled his eyes as he stepped aside to let them in, “Don’t tell me it’s time already, Bald Man.” Still without a wig, the short Escort beamed at the nickname, “Yep, yep, yep! And have you heard about Selypa?” Now slightly worried, Vegeta frowned, “What about Selypa?” “She’s the biggest fashion designer around! And it’s all from your designs.” “My designs?” Vegeta sneered, I haven’t designed anything.
Quickly directing the two-person prep team up the stairs to the bathroom, Krillin hurriedly explained, “Remember Piccolo telling you that every Winner has to have a hobby to fill their time?” “Yeah,” Vegeta scoffed, “his is drinking.” Sighing, Krillin continued, “It didn’t used to be, but that’s beside the point. Piccolo called Selypa and got her to agree to design some stuff and pass it off as yours. Everybody thinks your hobby if drawing clothing designs.” Still not understanding it, Vegeta wondered, “But why?” “Because even Princes need a hobby.” A new voice called from the entryway. Inky black eyes light up at the voice of his Designer, “Selypa. Couldn’t you have thought of a better hobby for me?.” Pulling the reluctant teen into a strong hug, the black-haired woman still had pink and purple on the tips framing her face, and chuckled, “I missed you too, Vegeta. Now, run upstairs so they can get you ready for me. I take it Krillin filled you in on your hobby?” “Unfortunately, yes.” Vegeta replied as he was released.
Following orders, Vegeta trudged up the steps and paused at his bedroom door. I really shouldn’t… but curiosity got the best of him as he entered and picked up the binoculars Bulma had given so many years ago. He turned on the special heat-signature feature and looked over at Bulma’s house. Her mother and father were on the first floor with someone else while Bulma was upstairs in the bathroom with two other people. A snarl formed deep in his throat before his mind caught up to his instincts, Relax… She’s fine. It’s just Nail and her prep team. Speaking of which… Setting the binoculars back on the dresser, Vegeta went down the hall to the bathroom. They had him ready for Selypa in under thirty minutes with only one incident; one of them had tried to trim his wild hair and he had nearly broke her wrist before she dropped the scissors.
Finally released from the Horrible Two, Vegeta scurried back downstairs to the civilized people. All those two had gossiped about was stuff going on in the Capital that had absolutely nothing to do with Vegeta, so therefore, he didn’t want to hear about it. “Why can’t you be the one that’s gets me ready from start to finish, Selypa?” Vegeta was in a fowler temperament then before, and it only partly had to do with the Horrible Two. “Because,” Selypa set down her teacup as she stood, “I do have other things to do, my Prince.”
All to soon it was time for them to be on camera. Vegeta could hear Jimmy Firecracker’s voice, a little staticky because of the speaker system, “Hellllooo Ee-arth! Six months ago, the 74th Dragon Games brought us the greatest love story of our generation. Two brave young people, who’d rather die than face a life without the other, won the opportunity to live out their love. As a nation, we got to experience their heartache; but we’ve had very little time to delight in their joy. And without farther ado, let’s go to Region 12 to find our Star-Crossed Lovers! There she is, Bulma Briefs. The Girl on Fire!”
The door opened for Vegeta to walk out. Stepping carefully to avoid slipping on the snow and ice, he barely hid the wince as Jimmy shouted, “And there he is! Vegeta Saiyan. The Prince.” Vegeta ignored the bright lights and mechanical cameras, his focus was solely on the blue-haired Woman in front of him. She was in a pair of charcoal gray pants with a matching long-sleeve shirt over which rested a slate blue, knee-length coat lined with white rabbit fur; the pin prominent against the gray-blue of the jacket. While Vegeta himself wore smoky gray slacks with a silver button-down shirt and smoky vest, which Selypa paired with a steel blue coat that stopped at his knees and a matching scarf.
Meeting in the middle of the road, Bulma reached out to hug him right as Vegeta stepped on a patch of ice. They both went down, Vegeta taking the brunt of the blow with his back, “Oof.” Clear blue eye stared into inky black ones, “Hi.” Unable to take it, Vegeta placed a hand in her now-tousled hair and pulled her in for a kiss. They hadn’t kissed since right after the Game and it was eating him alive. “I do hope they’re alright.” He heard Jimmy say but Vegeta didn’t care as Bulma pressed her lips against his. I may not have been the only one missing this. “Ahem! Ee-arth to lovebirds! Is anyone home?” Jimmy called, hoping to get some sort of a response so he could cut away.
Reluctantly breaking the kiss, Vegeta grunted as he and Bulma rose to their feet. Bulma apologized for him, “Sorry, Jimmy. Got caught up in the moment there.” “It’s fine, this is your day after all. So how’s everything in 12?” Jimmy did have a job to do. Looping an arm protectively around Bulma, Vegeta stated, “We’re good.” “‘We’re good.’” Jimmy deadpans, “That’s it? Why so taciturn all of a sudden? Come on, Vegeta, give us some details!” Rephrasing, Vegeta forced a small grin, “As I said, things are great here in 12.” I’ve got to do better than that. “Thanks to the generosity of President Freeza and the Capital, we’ve never been closer.” “Twenty-five feet to be exact.” Bulma quipped under her breath, annoyed at the man that had interrupted their first kiss in six months. “Marvelous! We’ll keep checking in on you two throughout your Journey. Bulma Briefs and Vegeta Saiyan everyone! Farewell and goodnight!” Jimmy wrapped up the starting interview, the cameras and lights turned off as soon as the feed ended.
“Alright, let’s get a move on! The train leaves in fifteen minutes and we all have to be on it!” Krillin barked orders as members of the Freeza Force began to break down all the camera equipment. Bulma went to give one last hug to her parents while Vegeta stayed where he was at. The visit from Freeza had rattled him more than Vegeta would like to admit. Dr. Briefs cleared his throat, catching the teen’s attention, his chocolate brown eyes hiding behind his glasses, silently pleading for the boy to look after his little girl. Imperceptibly bowing his head in acknowledgement, Vegeta smirked, As if I had any other intentions, Old Man.