Honor Pride and Duty

Honor, Pride, and Duty
Chapter 7: The Saiyajin’s Departure

Author: Selenity Jade
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Well… suing me won’t get you much. I think I have two bucks in a pair of hole-y jeans. ^_~

Buruma blinked, then shook her head fiercely. "No! You'd become just like this person you are fighting!"

Vejiita shrugged, turning away from her angry eyes to glance at the house. "That does not matter," he said, smirking slightly. "That is the order of things, Onna. The strong beat the weak, and when someone rises in power, the strong will become the weak, and the cycle will continue. I do not care how many people he has destroyed. What I care about is that he destroyed mine."

Buruma hissed, resisting the urge to slap the arrogant alien. "Fine, do what you will, but you are *not* using these balls for them. I have plans for them…" She trailed off, the sadness returning to her eyes, and the anger fading rapidly.

Vejiita didn't miss the returning grief in her blue eyes, and decided to remain silent. He didn't like causing her anymore pain then she already had because of her father's death. His plans did not concern her, in any case. What he would do, what he planned, was his own business.

It had nothing to do with her.

Or the child she carried.

He growled loudly, causing Buruma to glance at him sharply. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak Kamesennin returned.

"Here you are!" He handed her a tiny orange sphere, which she took with an expression resembling awe. She eyed the ball with a sad smile on her face a long moment before tucking the ball away in the pouch at her waist. She glanced instinctively at Vejiita for a moment, only to find him watching her with a neutral expression.

She wasn't exactly sure what he was thinking, and she was cautious enough to know she probably didn't want to know either. Life was funny that way, she supposed. She would prefer to be in ignorant bliss of what the man she had slept with was, than know the truth behind his cold eyes.

"As for the boy," Muten Roshi began, turning a calculating look towards the small Saiyajin. "What do you want with him?" he asked bluntly.

Vejiita let the corner of his mouth twitch upwards, a shadow of his usual smirk, but just as effective. "To help us defeat Furiza," he told the old man. "I am his prince, it is my right to demand it of him."

Kamesennin frowned at the arrogant alien, but didn't immediately speak. An uncomfortable silence filled the room as the aged martial arts master gazed into Vejiita's cold eyes. Buruma wasn't sure if the hermit was intimidated or not as she couldn't see behind his red sunglasses, but she knew that if Vejiita had ever looked at her with such cold annoyance, she would have trembled.

Vejiita was a sexy bastard; there was no denying that. She suspected a part of his appeal was the bad guy act. Although, it really wasn't much of an act. He was a bad guy. One of those people you'd avoid in a dark alley. One of those people you may find attractive, but would never bring them to your bed. Any normal woman, anyway. But definitely not Buruma Briefs. She was far from normal, but until that very moment, she hadn't thought she had lost her senses.

What the hell had she been thinking?

The turtle hermit finally spoke again. "I see. Well, he is almost of age, young man. He can decide for himself."

Vejiita nodded curtly and turned his gaze from the old man. They rested on Buruma a moment later, and although she wasn't certain how, she knew that he wanted to go now, and wasn't about to leave her there alone.

She didn't know what the whole protective business was about, but she wasn't about to question him just yet. She had the feeling that he would probably avoid answering her, in any case.

She gave him an almost imperceptible nod and walked towards the door. "Let's go ask him then," she suggested, opening the door.

The trio exited the house to find Goku and Chichi talking quietly on the beach adjacent from the porch. Vejiita strolled straight over to them without waiting for Buruma to walk with him.

It was odd after all that protectiveness around her being alone with the Turtle Hermit. She shrugged and followed him. Only to keep him from tricking the innocent young man into following him into space, of course.

"Kid, you're leaving with me," Vejiita stated without preamble.

Buruma blinked, feeling an almost overwhelming urge to slap the small Saiyajin.

Goku, however, simply looked puzzled. "Go with you, Vejiita-san?" He glanced confusedly at Buruma. "What does he mean?"

The young woman – girl really – was glaring at Vejiita. "He doesn't have to go anywhere with you! Kamesennin wanted him brought here to train, just like me. He has to stay."

Vejiita's eyes narrowed irritably at the small girl before him. "This doesn't concern you, girl. Move," he ordered gruffly.

Chichi shook her head. "No."

Vejiita stiffened at the blatant disregard for his orders. He was used to being obeyed immediately, and this little girl was defying him?

Bulma immediately sensed that Vejiita was close to lashing out at the young girl, and stepped up beside the surly Saiyajin. "Vejiita, no," she murmured, just loud enough for him, and perhaps Goku as well if his hearing was as sensitive as Vejiita's.

He snapped his head around to glare at her angrily, but when his furious gaze fell upon her calm blue eyes, he relaxed minutely. Buruma thought it might have been because he saw something in her eyes. Or maybe he realized that she wasn't defying him. But whatever it was, it made him calm slightly, enough not to kill the young girl.

"Chichi, right?" Buruma asked, turning her attention to the dark haired teenager in front of her, who nodded at the question. "Vejiita won't kidnap Goku," she told Chichi quietly, shooting a warning look at Vejiita to emphasize her point. "All he's going to do is speak with him, alright?"

The fiery young girl looked as if she wanted to argue further, but a quick look in Vejiita's direction changed her mind. Buruma risked a glance at him, her own eyes narrowing at the dark look he was currently giving Chichi.

"Fine," she snapped, crossing her arms stubbornly.

Buruma was suddenly reminded of her own stubborn streak. Smothering a grin, she nodded at the girl. Buruma then turned her attention to the two Saiyajin. She wasn't ready to trust Vejiita, despite the sort of relationship she found herself in with him. She wasn't exactly sure what he thought, so she played it safe and treated him as if she hadn't had sex with him.

"Kakarotto, you're coming with me," Vejiita stated, his voice warning against any protests the young boy might have had.

"Vejiita!" Buruma snapped, glaring at Vejiita's arrogant profile.

"Vejiita-san?" Goku asked curiously. "Why do you want me to come with you?"

Vejiita growled out, "You are one of the last of the Saiyajin race, Kakarotto. I need all of us to defeat Furiza." He didn't look happy about admitting to needing help. Buruma suspected it wasn't very often that the churlish warrior asked for help. Well, ordered help, in any case.

"Is Furiza a bad man?"

Buruma started at the innocent question and glanced at the teenaged boy. His eyes were focused on Vejiita's dark look, an almost adult seriousness in the young Goku's eyes, and yet the question was something a young child would ask. It was an odd contradiction.

Vejiita actually seemed to think about that question before he answered. "Yes, Kakarotto. He is a very bad man."

The serious young man suddenly grinned then. "Alright, I'll go!"

Chichi gasped. "Goku!"

Buruma simply blinked, turning her eyes from the spiky-haired boy to the similarly spiky-haired man. "Vejiita?"

The Saiyajin no Ouji smirked and nodded slightly. "Good. We leave tonight, Kakarotto. Tell that Turtle Man now."

Goku nodded and grinned at Chichi before he ran towards the small pink house. Chichi hesitated and then glared at the slightly taller man. "If he gets hurt, I'll never forgive you!" And with that, she ran after Goku.

Vejiita blinked in complete shock at the threat. It obviously wasn't something he was used to. "As if I would care if some little human girl forgave me or not," he muttered, turning to look at the blue-haired woman.

She sighed. "Just look after him," she told him.

Again, Vejiita looked surprised for a moment. "What is with everyone's apparent concern over some weak brat?"

Buruma shrugged. "He's cute."

"Cute?" Vejiita repeated aghast.

She nodded. "Yeah, innocent and cute. So, I guess he'd bring out the protectiveness in us women."

He snorted, turning his back on her to look out over the ocean as they waited for Goku's return.

"Vejiita?"

"Hn."

"You'll make sure Goku survives, right?"

Vejiita growled softly, turning to look at her. "Onna, I am not taking the brat with me just to have him killed. But his death is a possibility."

She sighed, nodding. "I suppose so. You aren't much for comforting lies, are you?"

He snorted slightly in a half laugh. "You should know better than that."

"Yeah, I guess I should."

His eyes narrowed at her slightly, his dark eyes watching her intently. "What's your problem?" he demanded, although there was a hint of concern in his otherwise curt voice.

She blinked, and then glared at him. "Nothing!" she snapped.

He sighed, looking away from her. "I did not mean to offend you, Onna. I only want to know what is bothering you."

Her eyes widened slightly as her anger fled. "What?"

He continued to look out over the swaying ocean, an oddly dark expression on his face, one that didn't match the peaceful surroundings, or his soft voice. "You heard me," he said, still not turning to meet her gaze.

"Oh…" She sighed, looking over at him searchingly. "I'm sorry," she finally began softly. "I'm upset over my father right now."

"That's it?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. The question sounded cruel; after all, her father's death was a big deal, especially to her. But he wasn't being cruel; he was simply asking if that was everything. Thankfully, she was aware of that.

She shrugged slightly. "I guess."

He snorted. "What else, Onna?"

"You're leaving today."

"Yes, and?"

She glared at him for a long moment as she wondered how he could act so casually about it. She was pregnant with his child, and he was still planning to leave. Just like that. He didn't even appear to care!

She then turned on her heel and stalked towards the house, too angry to even form a coherent reply.

Vejiita stared after her a long moment before murmuring under his breath. "I will miss you, too…"

~~~

Buruma stared at the three pods with wide eyes. They were leaving. In a few more minutes, *he* was leaving…

She didn't know why she was so bothered by it… She didn't really know him, and had only met him scant days ago. It wasn't as if he was a long-time lover of hers. He was simply a – for lack of a better word – fling. A fling, which had left her pregnant.

At least, that is what they said. She would go to the doctor when she returned home, after she dealt with her mother and her father's death, of course. She should ask Vejiita what to expect, though. After all, it wasn't a common occurrence for a woman to carry a half-Saiyajin child.

She still had no idea exactly what a Saiyajin was, outside of some tailed race from outer space, of course. She didn't know anything about the battles the father of her child would be facing, or really, anything about him.

Buruma was suddenly very afraid of being left. She had felt bothered before, but now, it was more of a frantic panic at the thought of raising a half-alien child alone.

It wasn't the money; she had enough of that to raise a thousand children. No, she was terrified of the thought of being a mother. She wasn't concerned about it before, probably because it hadn't quite hit home yet.

She suddenly hoped the alien men were wrong.

Shaking her head, she pushed those panicky thoughts to the back of her mind. She would not throw herself at the small warrior, terrified of what was to come. She did have her dignity, after all. It was ironic that she suddenly remembered her pride when she had seemed to forget it the night she and Vejiita had slept together.

"Idiots! Just get your fucking asses into the pods! We don't have all fucking afternoon, morons!"

Buruma's eyes moved over to the small warrior as he barked angrily at his men. It was somewhat logical that she had found herself attracted to him. He was just as bossy as she was.

His black gaze flicked to her momentarily before they returned to the two large Saiyajin moving towards their individual pods. Apparently, Radditzu and Goku would be sharing a pod, although it looked as though it would be quite cramped. Vejiita, because of his size, would have been a better person to have Goku share with, at least to Buruma's mind. Of course, Radditzu had looked appalled at her suggestion, stating quite stiffly that His Highness would not share a pod with a low-class warrior.

Meaning Vejiita was simply too good to share.

Buruma rolled her eyes at the thought, and continued to watch as the Nappa stuffed himself into his pod, the door hissing shut slowly. Goku glanced once more back at her before crawling in the other pod with Radditzu, both appearing very uncomfortable as the door slid closed.

The young child had said goodbye to her earlier, with many hugs and a happy grin on his part. He seemed to be relishing the chance to fight some all-powerful being, which Buruma found just strange.

The young girl at Muten Roshi's island had seemed very upset at the thought of the innocent boy going off to fight some monster. She scolded and snapped repetitively at the poor boy before finally bursting into tears and fleeing into the house. Buruma felt sorry for Chichi, and hell, shared her misgivings, but what could they do? Goku had decided to go, and he was even looking forward to it. There wasn't much one could say to that.

She didn't even come out when the three of them left the island. Buruma had a feeling that Chichi would regret that greatly if Goku perished out there. She suspected the girl of having a crush on Goku, although amazingly, Buruma didn't say a word about it. Who was she to speak up? She was sleeping with an alien prince, and was now carrying his child. She didn't think she should be giving advice to anyone at the moment.

At least, not until she figured out what the hell she was doing.

She sighed again, and watched as the two pods suddenly shot into the air. It was almost silent, except for the initial thrust of fuel as they sped through the atmosphere. Her eyes trailed them for the few seconds it took for them to disappear from sight.

She turned her gaze from the blue sky, blinking in surprise when she found Vejiita standing right in front of her. He was staring at her with a guarded expression. His onyx eyes seemed to burn into her blue ones for a long moment before he spoke.

"I am leaving."

'Duh…' She nodded, watching him carefully, not exactly sure what to expect. He had mentioned on their flight back to the landing site that he wasn't going to say goodbye.

So what was he doing?

"I am not coming back. Even with my victory, I will not return."

She nodded again, although her stomach tightened almost painfully. She had figured that one out on her own. She was surprised, though, that she wanted him to come back. And it hurt to have him say those words aloud.

"Kakarotto may return if he wishes."

Again, she gave him a nod. She really didn't trust herself to speak, in any case, so why should she force it?

He suddenly sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. It was his version of letting go of his royal pride, his title, his responsibilities that he had thrust upon himself. It was just him now. Him, the man, the one that had made love to her that night.

He still seemed so regal, so dark, so prideful.

"I regret what happened. Not so much the act, but the complications that have arisen from it." He shrugged slightly, his gaze not releasing hers. "I regret that I may end up thinking about you out there. I am concerned I may suddenly wonder what you are doing. I do not want to find your face in my mind when I should be concentrating on a battle, or a strategy, and yet, I think I will be doing it anyway."

She watched him, curious and pleased at the same time. She would miss him, and it seemed with what he was saying he would miss her too.

She found herself slightly uplifted about his departure now. It was almost unbearable when she thought he just didn't care, but now that she knew he did, at least she would have that. Have the moment that he told her, in too many words then what was necessary, but told her just the same that he would miss her and think of her.

It was enough.

He fell silent and watched her again from a few feet away, his eyes still guarded. "You are unique," he finally said, and then stepped forward, grabbing her face roughly. She gasped in surprise, not expecting the movement or the contact at all.

He pressed his lips to hers firmly, kissing her chastely for that one long moment before releasing her just as suddenly. He stared at her for another silent moment, and then turned from her. He strolled purposely towards his pod, not once looking back.

He slid himself into his small metal pod, his eyes finally lifting to watch her as the door slid closed.

Then he was gone, his pod shooting into the sky within seconds, and Buruma was left to watch the tiny ship disappear.