From the beginning
I knew meeting could only
End in parting, yet
I ignored the coming dawn
And I gave myself to you.

- Fujiwara No Teika

###

Prince Vegeta's body lay on a simple wooden pallet on the floor. Bulma sat nearby on her knees observing the silk gauze sheet covering the outline of his physique. She wore an elegant black mourning robe Chi-Chi started making for her the day Vegeta returned home from the hospital weeks before.

"Come, sister," Gure said. "We must prepare him for burial. There are rituals when a Saiyan dies a natural death."

The gentle voice helped Bulma slowly recover her awareness. Her mind had been motionless since her beloved husband took his last breath that morning. After days of being unresponsive, he stunned her earlier that week when he regained consciousness and promptly commanded everyone's attention. He also insisted on speaking instead of conversing non verbally. His stubbornness almost convinced her that he would recover, although his appearance made it clear that he wouldn't.

"Woman?"

"Yes, Vegeta?"

"You are not… caring… for yourself in the way I told you to."

Faking irritation, Bulma wrinkled her nose at him. "Really? You're giving me orders right now?"

"Why… would I not? You are my wife."

Trunks and Bulla glanced at each other to stop from breaking into laughter. They found it far too tempting to tease their parents about their quarreling. More than anything, they valued the normalcy of it.

"OK, handsome," Bulma said tenderly. "Although I hate to let you win, you are correct this time. I will keep my promise to you."

Vegeta shook his head. "You did not… let me win, Bulma. I was right."

Their children had already braced themselves for some scorched-earth piece of advice, or a cleverly worded threat, from Vegeta as his eyes drifted in their direction.

"Yes, papa?" Bulla said.

"The same… goes… for you two brats. Remember what you… learned from me, good and bad, and do better."

"You have our word," Trunks said.

Later that afternoon, Vegeta felt his mind slipping away again. He wanted it, but instead he tried to focus on clouds passing by his bedroom window. There was one more person he had to see.

At that moment, Goku strolled in wearing a gaudy neon pink shirt, adjusted for his size. It said "Badman" on the back.

Vegeta smiled weakly at the spectacle. "You… look like a clown, Kakarot. I told Bulma years ago… to burn... that thing after she tricked me into wearing it."

Goku's laughter filled the room.

"I'm glad you like it. Chi-Chi had a hard time remaking it to fit me. Here, I'm going to help you sit up better. I can open the window too. It's lovely outside."

Vegeta returned his attention to the clouds. "My children say you have visited… every day this week."

"I have."

"Do you not have something… better… to occupy your time than sitting vigil by my bed? You have seen me… near death... before."

"I guess I could be overseeing my farm's harvest, Vegeta, but being here has been far more rewarding. It ranks right up there with us fighting together."

"As rewarding… as your recent companionship has been for me, we both know there is no comparison to our battles, my friend."

Those were his last words to Goku before he lost consciousness. He died two days later with his loved ones by his side.

###

Gure bowed her head respectfully. She knew many things, and she was certainly no stranger to grief. When Bulma reached for her hand to stand up, she felt relieved. They began to place candles around the room for the wake.

"Bulma, I hope this does not sound inappropriate, but you have shown Vegeta the kind of reverence that even he said he didn't always deserve. He was fortunate to have you."

"I suppose he was, Gure. When we finally married, I knew that many Saiyans didn't experience 'natural deaths' for reasons of which we're well aware. Then I woke up one day awestruck that we had been partners for almost 30 years, and we created these two fantastic children. I began to take our longevity for granted, I guess. He never did."

"No, he did not."

Gure helped Bulma return to the floor and brushed her hair. Together, they pinned her tresses into a tight bun.

"Tell me more about these rituals," Bulma said. "I never had the impression that Saiyans were all that sentimental, either."

Gure leaned forward to readjust her robe. "My husband Tarble received rigorous education from infancy like other Saiyans. Their technology ensured this, but his and Vegeta's mother, Queen Ariel, enhanced those lessons with strong instruction in ancient history, rituals, and the universe.

"Life and death were not so easily written off in her mind. She told my parents she tried to influence Vegeta as much as she could, too, without angering King Vegeta. They had disputes over what they considered important.

"After his birth, the doctors not only said Tarble was physically unfit; they later deemed him 'mentally weak.' This was too much for the King, so he banished him to my planet. For all of his shame, he could not bring himself to kill his son or allow anyone else to. I am grateful for that."

"What happened to the Queen, Gure?"

"She had already planned to leave with Tarble and begged her husband to let her bring Vegeta. She foresaw what was in store for the boy as Frieza gained more influence, but the King threatened to imprison her. He said she lacked faith in his and Vegeta's abilities.

"She died when Tarble was 13. He never left my planet because my people were kind and happy to raise him, and he also feared being killed. But Vegeta had long known how to find his brother because his attendants knew where the King sent him. Despite the terrible things Frieza's army did elsewhere, Vegeta managed to successfully divert attention from our region for years. He protected him."

Bulma looked over at the pallet. "He never spoke about his mother, even when I asked."

"Knowing that she left was enough," Gure said. "Vegeta may have been gifted, but he was still a child, and he was being groomed from all sides to be a killer. Tarble has not shared much more about their talks beyond that. Your spouse had many layers."

"Tell me something I don't already know."

Gure took Bulma's face into her hands. "Sister, though Vegeta's life was restored after his and Goku's struggles to save this universe, I am unsure if the cosmic debt for his other misdeeds has been fully repaid. What I can say with certainty is he loved you unconditionally, as you loved him. Take comfort in that."

Bulma lifted the sheet and folded it under Vegeta's arms. "I know he did."

Gure knelt beside her. She knew then that Bulma had made peace with herself and her loss.

"Some rituals were discarded as Saiyans began to regard their lives as fighters, as well as those they fought and conquered, as disposable," she said. "Now that Vegeta has passed, Tarble and I thought this would be an appropriate time to honor what could have been for those two little boys we just discussed."

###

After bathing him, Tarble and Trunks dressed Vegeta in a formal black-and-white uniform. A sash with a silver-embossed Saiyan crest was positioned on the left side of his chest. The smell of heavy incense filled the room.

"I will stay with him all night," Tarble said. "That is tradition. Gure, your mother, and your sister will return shortly. Are you joining us?"

"Yes, uncle. I will remain here."

Piccolo came in and sat down next to them. He did not speak until they lifted their heads to acknowledge him.

"Thank you for being here," Trunks said.

Piccolo nodded at him. "Your father asked me to give this recording to you and Bulla. It should tell you almost everything you want to know about his past. He also gave me permission to answer all questions you may have after listening to it."

Trunks set the recording in front of him as Piccolo removed his weighted clothing and placed it outside of the room.

"I understand your desire to know, Trunks," he continued, "but I don't want this for you now. I believe you can handle the truth, but first I want you to remember Vegeta as a man who found his way after facing something greater than himself. I witnessed it firsthand when he self-immolated to stop Majin Buu. He didn't want you to see that. I haven't forgotten some of his other offenses, but I surely can't judge given my history. Goku forgave him. Others did too. That says a lot.

"Your father's only condition was that you set your mind free from his shadow, even if that means purging all emotion you've ever had for him. He also asked me to continue helping you with your addiction if you want it. Actually, his exact words were: 'Namekian, your kind of discipline would be far better for my son than anything that fool Kakarot could provide.'"

"Did he really say that, Piccolo?"

"Of course he did. The three of us laughed about it. Look, come with me to New Namek for a while. It's peaceful there. You'll have time to train and meditate. Your sister could benefit as well. You don't have to walk in anyone's footsteps, but the mental and physical lessons I and the other Namekians teach will follow you throughout life."

Trunks gave the recording back to him. "I'll go with you. Perhaps I'll be ready to see this when we're through. My sister said papa proved his devotion, and that's all she needs to know for now. I might follow her lead."

"I'll stay with your family tonight," Piccolo said. "Those of us who care about your well-being are privileged to support you."

Thin sunbeams peeked through the trees near the cabin the next morning. A cement cremation pyre sat several yards back from a cleared space where a small group of people stood silently.

Surrounded by the Z-fighters, Tarble opened Vegeta's coffin for family and close friends to include personal items. Bulla and Trunks slipped a pair of white fighting gloves on their father's hands and crossed his arms over his chest. Bulma placed a ceramic spoon she fed him with when he was ill on his right side. On the left, Goku laid a tiny linen bag filled with sand from the places where they fought against each other.

He stood momentarily with his head down, and then he faced everyone.

"We both found our deliverance on these sands, my friend."

Bulma used a hammerstone to drive the first nail into the coffin, followed by her children, Tarble and Gure, and finally Son Goku.

***Finis***