The fire in his eyes had long ago burnt out. How long has he been away from her? How long has it been since he had held her in his arms, or tried to protect her and keep her from harm? How long has it been since he had longed to run his fingers through her blue hair? He had traveled relentlessly through the universe trying to get away from her, to run away from a world that was corrupting his own. But the bond he shared with her kept pulling him back in an endless waltz. He seemed to travel in circles through the galaxy, passing, once again, the earth. And when he saw the blue oceans that covered the earth he thought of her hair, and of her eyes, and how he wanted to hold her and tell her… that… he… he… loved her? It were those types of questions that ran through his head each time he passed by the planet and they drove him away. His own fear and pride pushed him away from the woman he loved. And he did love her, more than tongue can tell.

“Good morning Bulma!” Her mother chirped in her high happy voice. Bulma looked at her, her blue eyes had lost their shine and sagged with lack of sleep and ages of crying. She looked older than her 25 years of age.

Bulma looked up at her mother with a forced smile, “Has he…” Her voice was caught in her throat as she tried to get the words out. Ever since she was brought back to life and Vegeta had left she asked, every morning, if he had returned. Yet each times it was the same answer.

“No honey, I’m sorry.” Bulma’s shoulders sagged as if burdened by bricks. She was no longer pushy or shovey. No longer touchy or quick tongued. She nodded yes at each request and gave fake smiles to each person who smiled at her. She had become steadfast and indifferent, and all because a certain alien left her life. She had no idea why. She had a hunch it was because he thought she was too much trouble. It was her fault and she had caused his departure. She thought he loved her, she thought he cared for her, she thought he was going to protect her and forever be by her side. But she was proven wrong. He left her, couldn’t promise her his love or life and left. *Is that what I get for falling for a saiyan?* She constantly wondered. Goku had quit coming over because his futile attempts of trying to make her happy failed miserably and she had told him just to leave. She hadn’t gone to work lately because she felt restless each time she stepped foot into her office. She continually sulked alone in the depths of her room trying to persuade herself that he was going to return and tell her he had to leave for a good reason. And so each morning she wandered obliviously into the kitchen asking her mother the same question, receiving the same answer. It was dejavu each day, it was sadness each hour, it was hopelessness each minute, abandonment each second.

Vegeta’s ship crashed into a large field on earth. “Damnit,” he cursed. He had fallen asleep in his seat while piloting away from the earth, but because his eyes needed rest his ship was pulled back onto earth, back onto the land where his mate lived. “Shit!” he cursed again. His ship was no longer in shape to fly and it would be useless to take it back out into space. He walked a little further from the ship and punched his scouter. There wasn’t civilization for miles. His tail swayed curiously behind him and his mind wondered the same question over and over, *Should I go to her? Should I talk to her?* He growled in confusion. He was a prince! He had honor! He had strength and he had become a super saiyan! During the time in space he had tried to forget about Bulma he had learned to control being in a super saiyan state and he was proud by it. But why did controlling his strength seem easier than admitting and showing emotions? From his distance from her he felt his heart sink. He clenched his fist as he felt it tug at his heart. It wasn’t his emotions but he could feel the pain that his mate felt. *Had I caused this?* He cursed his bond for opening up his emotions to include hers. Finally, with one deep breath he took off flying towards his mate.

Bulma, as she sat on the balcony, sighed and looked up towards the sky. Where was Vegeta now… Suddenly she felt a twinge in her heart. She stood up quickly, “Vegeta.” At first she felt happiness, *He is returning to me.* And then she sat back down in her chair, she was angry. He had left her hopeless and depressed, was she going to take him back? Did he want to be taken back? Bulma pulled her legs into her chest and hugged them closely. She buried her head into them half hoping her would surprise her, and the other hoping her twinge was just her imagination.

Vegeta saw her in her balcony hugging herself tightly. He stopped in mid-flight staring down at her. It had been far too long and her beauty shocked him just as it did five months ago. He remembered that day so well. It was the first time his life was going somewhere that didn’t include a battle. And that was where he fist kissed her. *Those times seem so far away now…* He flew down slowly anticipating at any moment for her head to shoot up and bitch at him. But she just sat there, head buried in her legs hiding from the world. *Why,* he wondered, *Why is she doing that?* He landed softly behind her and leaned against the wall crossing his arms staring intently at her.

He almost wanted to reach out and touch her but he then heard her muffled voice, “Why are here, Vegeta?”

Vegeta stepped back at her comment. *How did she know I was here?* He walked slowly forward till he was near to her, “Bulma,” he said a little too softly for his usual arrogant stature. He lightly rested his hand on her shoulder trying to show a bit of emotion. “I…”

Bulma whipped around glaring at Vegeta with unaffectionate eyes, “What do you need? Trying to atone for your sins? Vegeta, you have caused me far too much pain that you will never be able to make up in your lifetime.”

Bulma turned back around staring over the horizon, hugging her knees once more. Vegeta walked closer to her. He couldn’t believe that she meant it. He wanted to believe she was just playing hard to get, but he knew she was serious. “Bulma look…”

“NO VEGETA! You knew exactly how I felt about you! You knew exactly that you should have told me how you felt! I know you can show emotion, even in that cold dark heart of yours.”

Vegeta was taken back at that comment. *Does she really think that of me?* “Do you…”

“Do I hate you? OF COURSE I HATE YOU! I thought I loved you, but you should me that was obviously a mistake.”

Vegeta wanted to throw her against the wall and make her understand that he did care for her. He wanted to kiss her and hold her and make love to her. He wanted to show her that he would protect her and even love her. But he just stood there. “Bulma, you don’t want to hate me.”

“Hell yeah! You leave me for two months! Didn’t even wait to see me awake from death. I’d rather be off dead and buried than sulking and moaning over the absence of you!”

Vegeta walked closer to her again, “I had to leave… I had to train and learn to control my power as a super saiyan.”

Bulma stood up knocking over her chair, “So that is your excuse for leaving me! You have no love in that heart of yours! I bet you could live without it since you don’t even use it!”

Bulma started walking into her room trying to get away from Vegeta. He reached out and took a hold of her wrist. He was finally angry. “You know what! I didn’t even want to come and see you in the first place! But I decided that since my ship crashed I should visit you!”

“Well then you thought wrong!”

“I can’t believe you woman! I have killed and destroyed so many worlds! And yet you have changed me so much I don’t even know who the hell I am any more! You have controlled my life and stayed in my mind more than anything!”

Vegeta growled as he told her. She stared at him shocked at what she just said, “Vegeta, I love you but do you love me?”

Vegeta stared at her. Yes of course he did but he couldn’t tell her. He would probably just hurt her like he had before. “Vegeta! Do… You… Love… ME!” She stared at him almost in tears.

Vegeta walked up to Bulma and he rested his hands on her shoulders trying to pull her closer. “I…” Bulma turned away from him. “Bulma I… I don’t…”

Bulma pulled out of his embrace, “GO! If you can’t even tell me you love me then GO! Take another ship and LEAVE!”

Vegeta stepped back fuming. “Fine then! I will! But I promise when I leave you will realize that you need me!”

“Whatever Vegeta! Believe what you want!” Bulma turned around and sobbed uncontrollably in her hands. Vegeta looked at her in disbelief . He was about to go and tell her that he did love her. But his pride blinded him and ran out of her room and stole another ship. He flew off into the sky and Bulma stood in her room trying to ignore the sounds of the ship taking off.

* * * * *

“Shhhhh It’s ok Bulma. Everything will be ok,” he soothed as he held Bulma closer to him. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure everything will turn out ok, I promise.”

Bulma sniffed as she looked up at Yamchua. He was there for her, someone was finally there for her to stay with her. She held onto him as if her life depended on it. “Oh Yamchua, I thought he loved me, ya know? I thought he was going to stay with me! I thought that there was a reason our destinies collided as they did. But it was a lie, a sham!” She buried her head deeper into his chest and he tightened his hold onto her.

“I’m sorry Bulma. Think of it this way, he won’t ruin your life any more if he doesn’t return?!” He tried to give her a forceful smile but Bulma just balled harder.

“Yamchua…” Bulma whispered in-between her cries.

“Hmn?”

“Can you stay with me for a while?”

“Sure.” Yamchua pulled her closer to him. He had always liked Bulma and he felt extremely sorry for her and radically angry at that Saiyan Prince. He would stay with Bulma, and if she agreed, he would stay with her forever.

Vegeta stared at his hands blankly, *Why couldn’t I have said it. Why couldn’t I have told her that I loved her? Why is it that these emotions are tearing my life apart?!* Vegeta wanted to cry, he no longer cared to uphold his princely attitude, he just wanted to be with Bulma. He could feel her pain gnawing at his heart and he could feel her tears pierce his soul. “DAMNIT!” He exclaimed out load as he pounded his fist against the chair. He was the strongest being in the universe. His evil master was finally destroyed, a saiyan woman that tried to take his life was finally being burnt away in a fiery pit, but his new challenge, his new evil, was something he didn’t want to kill. He didn’t want to destroy it, he didn’t want to let it go. For some reason this “something” filled up a piece of him he had forgotten even existed in his life. Something he was taught was weakness. Love. Emotions. Two words he was never supposed to know the meaning but had learned it and felt it in the past five months. He covered his eyes with his hands almost crying. His muscled body racked and shook in anger and sadness, but he wouldn’t let one tear out. He would come back for Bulma, in time.

Bulma was having a really good day. She was happy and smiley, and though deep inside her heart cried to the man she was bonded with, she danced around as if he was with her. It was a beautiful day and she heard a knock on her door.

“YAMCHUA! HI! What are those?!”

Yamchua blushed as he held out pink roses for her, “These are for you.” Yamchua laughed sheepishly as she took them and hugged him as a thank you.

“You are soooooo sweet!” She kissed him on the cheek and Yamchua blushed even more.

He walked her outside, “Bulma I want to ask you something.”

“Sure Yamchua, what?”

“Will you… Will you marry me?” Bulma’s eyes widened and she stepped back.

“WHAT?!”

“Well we’ve known each other for a long time and we get together so well, and I want to marry you.”

Bulma shook her head, “Yamchua, you know I don’t… I don’t love you the way I love Vegeta.”

“You still love him! But he abandoned you!” Yamchua was crushed, he loved Bulma, a lot, but he guessed it wasn’t enough.

“Yamchua, I really like you but Vegeta… There is something there, I’m not sure what, but I feel something, as if I have a part of him inside of me. And I know he will come back and will finally tell me he loves me.”

Yamchua shook his head, “He won’t do that. Marry me! I’m the man for you!”

Bulma shook her head and smiled, “No, I can’t do that.”

Yamchua sighed in defeat, “Fine then. I’m going to leave, but if you ever need me, I’m there for you.”

Bulma smiled and hugged him tightly, “I’m sorry.”

Yamchua turned around and flew off. Bulma walked herself home when she heard a loud crash in the woods where Vegeta landed when he first came to earth. For some reason Bulma felt that twinge in her heart again. “Vegeta!”

Vegeta walked out of the ship. He immediately recognized this area and he longed again for her touch. *Damnit ,I’m becoming extremely weak now.* He again heard the same sounds he heard before as someone approached. He knew it was Bulma and so took a seat against the ship and waited for her arrival.

“Vegeta? Is that you?”

He looked up at her and nodded. His clothes were torn and his armor was cracked, but his beauty still caught her eye and she remembered exactly how she felt the first time she met him.

“Vegeta…” Bulma walked closer to him until she was standing right before him, “Vegeta, are you here for good?”

Vegeta looked up at her with his black eyes. He almost frightened her with his eyes. They had changed so much. *Where was the passion and the curiosity I saw before? Where is it? He has changed.* “Most likely.” He stood and faced her. “I wanted to see you again.”

He leaned in to kiss her but she backed away. “You know, Yamchua asked me to marry him.”

Vegeta growled and his tail tightened around his waist. “You won’t marry him.” Vegeta stated matter-of-factly.

Bulma smiled at him, “You’re right. I said no.”

Vegeta glared at her, “Why didn’t you say yes. I bet he told you he loved you huh?”

Bulma looked down, “You’re right. He did say he loved me. More than you’ve ever said.”

Vegeta stood silently, “Did you love him?”

She stared up at her with her blue eyes and shook her head, “I couldn’t love him.”

Vegeta smirked, “Sorry.” He mumbled.

Bulma looked up at him, “What?”

“I’m sorry, Bulma. I had to leave because I caused you pain and even death.” Vegeta looked down in defeat.

“Vegeta, I…” Her words were cut off as his lips covered hers. She kissed him back. She had missed him so much. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer. His tail wrapped itself around her waist and she folded her arms around his broad neck.

They finally stopped and Bulma stared into his ebony eyes. She searched them trying to see what he was feeling. She could only see one thing, hurt. Her hand came up and caressed his face as he did the same. “Bulma,” he whispered breathlessly. “I couldn’t say I love you before because I was taught that emotion was weakness. But I discovered in my loneliness up in space that if I didn’t show love I became weak. Emotion is power and that is why I have become a strong fighter. Bulma… I’m not sure what the hell you’ve done to me, but I love you.”

Before Bulma had a chance to comment on his declaration he kissed her again. He kissed her and held her afraid that if he were to let go she would disappear. “Lets go,” he said.

“Go? Go where?”

“I don’t know, but lets get into the ship and go wherever.” Bulma stared at him and giggled like a little girl.

“You know we’ll have to return someday.”

“Yeah, but until then…” He pulled her inside the ship and started the engine. The ship took off entering space.

::: “Come here boy.” Freeza commanded to the young Vegeta.

Vegeta stood tall and proud in the throne room in Freeza’s ship, “Why?”

Freeza laughed, “Don’t ask me why, just come.” Vegeta slowly crept forward to his new master. “It looks like Vegetasei has been destroyed, you are lucky you came on this ship when you did.”

Vegeta ran up to the window trying to find his planet but seeing nothing but bits and pieces of debris. “How?”

“An asteroid hit it, very sad.”

Vegeta stared in awe at the empty space. *My planet…* “Are they any other saiyans left?”

For a brief moment he saw Freeza’s eyes wander towards the curtain where a figure sunk back and ran out of the room. “No, you are the last.”

Vegeta looked over to the spot that Freeza had glanced at but saw nothing. “Now then, Vegeta.”

“Prince Vegeta,” Vegeta corrected.

Freeza slapped Vegeta sending him across the room. “You are no more a prince. Your planet is DEAD boy! You are a prince of nothingness, now you follow my orders or you will die!”

Vegeta held a hand up to his face and brought it back to see it covered in blood. He growled and stood up. “Just because my planet is gone doesn’t make me any less of a warrior!”

“Whatever boy,” Freeza laughed, “You keep showing this attitude and I will kill you.”

Vegeta stood back vowing to someday kill Freeza. He was almost in tears before he caught himself and wiped them away.

“Don’t cry boy. That’ll make you weak. Emotions are just shit.”

Vegeta looked at him and said nothing. Just as he promised himself when his father told him the same thing, he promised again he would never show emotions, like sadness and love.:::

Vegeta opened his eyes in the bed in the ship. He looked over to his side to see Bulma sleeping peacefully. He sighed. He had traveled the galaxy proving his strength to anyone that got in his way. And that one day when he ran away from the hell hole of Freeza’s base was the day his life actually begun. Where he discovered that emotions gave him strength and love gave him joy. He smiled, not a smirk, but a full out smile. He ran his fingers through Bulma’s hair that had always enticed him to do so. He had finally told her he loved her, and he wasn’t lying. He put everything that his father and Freeza had told him during his life in the back of his mind and thought of only the stories his nurse used to read to him. He lied back down and pulled Bulma towards him. Looking at her he whispered truthfully in her ear, “It wasn’t a coincidence that our destinies collided, it was fate.”

*********************

The end! ~: ) I really hope you liked the story! I tried to make the ending long. I thought this story was a great achievement. One day, hopefully soon, I am going to go back and create more of a fight between Freeza and Vegeta. So that should be out soon. I plan to ask this one person for help, so they should expect an E-mail soon. ~: ) I will write another story soon, well just as soon as I get another idea. I enjoyed writing this, I hope you enjoyed it too.

~*~Laura~*~