Author's Note: Hiya. Well, this would have been done last week, but my computer decided to crash, and I had to get it fixed. Luckily, I was able to get all of my data back, because this was one of the few documents I hadn't backed up yet. Phew...that was a close one.

This takes place about when Trunks is conceived. I obviously don't own Dragonball Z, or I would have kidnapped Vegeta and Future Trunks by now ^_^. Enjoy!

Alive

Mother.

Fucking.

Humans.

Oddly enough, those three words were the only ones that came to him. That alone was enough to alert him that something was seriously wrong.

Vegeta wasn't one to stumble on his thoughts; even when he was a small child, he'd always had a way with words. Usually, he never bothered to use them unless it was to bark orders, or to shoot off a few sarcastic remarks, but he possessed the skill for it, all the same. He was eloquent, cold, calculating…. He could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times he had been utterly speechless. He was the strongest being alive. He was the fire that burned through the veins of his people. He was fearless, ruthless, in control. Why then? What was happening to him?

It was absurd, it was completely idiotic…and it was very, very real. Vegeta, Prince of the mighty Saiyan race, had absolutely nothing else to say to the sight in front of him. The sight of a naked human woman, lying in his bed, covered in wounds that looked far too close to bite marks, and "bruises" that didn't look quite like bruises.

That was normal for him…there shouldn't be any problems here. It wasn't as if he had never bedded anyone. Surely that wasn't what shocked him, because that would be impossible. He'd had hundred upon hundreds of women, for his resources certainly weren't limited. He had traveled from planet to planet, slaughtering everything in his wake, for crying out loud! He'd known a woman's touch ever since he was a mere thirteen years old, and since then, he was almost never without it.

Why, then?

Vegeta watched as the woman groaned in her sleep, rolling over almost idly to face him. Her teal-colored hair was rumpled, and it fell in messy tangles in front of her face, even a she mumbled nonsensical words in her sleep. That just might be his fault, of course.

An arrogant grin, one he had come to easily recognize, twisted his lips, but it felt a little hollow to him. He should be feeling victorious, and yet somehow, he was more baffled than ever.

Why was his heart doing flips inside of his chest? That too, was impossible. He didn't have one anymore; he'd lost it long ago. How could something that didn't exist be pounding so hard, and so fast?

Hmph. Preposterous...what reason did he have to feel so uncertain? Everything should be making perfect sense.

The woman(he refused to remember her name) sighed and mumbled something in her sleep, and though he tried not to hear the name upon her lips, his heightened senses picked it up anyway. His fists clenched tightly where they lay upon the bed, and try as he might, he could not forget the sound of her soft, whispering voice.

Vegeta...

It was a hypnotic chant from an evil temptress, and it was wrapping him under it's spell.

Without another word, the Prince of all Saiyans stood up and stalked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Vegeta needed an outlet, now. Luckily for everyone within a five mile radius, lightning speed was one of his best virtues. In almost seconds, he was in the gravity chamber; the one and only place he could truly let himself go. Pausing only to set the gravity to five-hundred, he dropped into position and began to execute his normal training regime.

What the hell? Why was he letting a mere woman get under his skin?

Vegeta had known from the moment he saw her that she was attractive. He would have to be blind to miss that. Luscious curves, perfect skin, bright blue eyes, and legs that never ended. Inwardly, lust had curled deep within the pit of his stomach. She was a loathsome creature, as all women he bedded were, but she would be fun for however long she lasted him. He would have her someday, and then he would discard her like the rest. She was a prize to be had, all right. If only she would keep her big mouth shut...

Despite his initial intentions, things hadn't gone quite as planned. Slowly, grudgingly, he'd gotten to know her. That was the last thing he ever wanted to do, but he needed somewhere to train while he waited for Kakarot to show his ugly face, and what better way to do that than her gravity chamber? Yes, she was just another tool; just another way to reach his everlasting goal. As time went on, he found her to be more of a nuisance than ever. He should have been revolted...he should have been repelled, but he hadn't. How it was possible, he could not say, but somehow, it only made him want her more.

The thought of it almost made him laugh out loud. It didn't make any sense.

The woman was insane. She was the most infuriating being he had ever had the displeasure of meeting. She was bossy, loud, annoying to the extreme…why then, was he drawn to her? She was a human. How pathetic was that?

He hated them with a force that even he was overwhelmed by, and it wasn't the customary, "fuck off" attitude he displayed toward anyone who looked at him wrong. It was murderous. It was deadly, and it was strong enough to eat the flesh off of the largest beast. They were a stigma that wouldn't go away, no matter how far he went, no matter how hard he tried. They were the embodiment of all things that he loathed; more than any other beings he had ever encountered in his life, and that really was quite an accomplishment, considering the fact that Vegeta hated everything. After everything he'd seen and heard, after everyone he'd massacred, you'd think the choice would be a tougher one, but he could honestly say it was no contest. He certainly hoped they weren't expecting a medal though, because he would have to disappoint them (although, that would simply kill him, of course).

Yes, yes some Saiyans of old could argue that the Tuffles should receive credit for being the most loathsome lifeforms alive, but no one cared about those weaklings anymore, and Vegeta could damn well say Frieza if he pleased, but what the hell was he, anyway? A giant sized lizard?

Humans. That vile word dripped off his tongue with all of the sweetness of cyanide poison. Even the sound of it put a bad taste in his mouth,

The Prince of Saiyans scowled and gritted his teeth, throwing himself more fiercely into his training as the foolish blond woman screamed at him, blabbering something about midnight snacks, and handsome young men keeping their strength up. If he hadn't had better things to do, he would have killed her where she stood. Hadn't he ordered everyone to stay away from the chamber while he was in it? What did he have to do for solitude on this piece of trash planet?

With a frustrated growl, he threw another series of punches into the air, sweat soaking him to the skin, dripping into open wounds and making them burn as if submerged in salt water.

Why?

They were a weak, pathetic race. They wasted their lives on all things idiotic. They went nowhere. They achieved nothing. Oblivious were they to the natural flow of the universe, of the trillions of other lifeforms outside this one tiny, insignificant chunk of rock called Earth. They were morons. They were fools. They had absolutely no sense of pride at all.

They walked along the surface of their disgusting little planet; mingled in droves among their parasitic race, with no idea of how easily they could be crushed in the palms of the wrong hands.

They were selfish. They were weak. They were all of these things and more, and he knew it. So then, why? Why did he stay with her?

Vegeta clenched his teeth and dug his fingernails into the palms of his hands, letting the stinging pain wash over him, willing it to dull out anything and everything else he felt. Ki blasts, punches, and kicks flew through the air in rapid succession, and he wished more than anything for an opponent of the flesh.

Why?

Blurred colors and distorted shapes swam before his eyes, disorienting the Saiyan prince almost to the point of collapse. His breath came in hasty, sputtered gasps as he struggled to drag air into his collapsing lungs; severely broken ribs were pressing against them and puncturing through.

As he clung to consciousness, he fell to one knee, closing his eyes and bowing his head in a rare, unguarded moment. Vegeta knew exactly why. When he pushed all fiery denials aside, he could clearly see it. He hated them...but he envied them.

They were a people who still had their lives; a planet to live in, to fight for and die. The clutches of Frieza were foreign to them...the curse of being the only person left was but a frightening dream.

They lived in an ignorance that surely must be bliss, and Vegeta had told himself many times that he wouldn't want that for himself anyway, if he were in their shoes. They were naive fools, all of them!

...They knew a happiness he never would. No matter how hard he tried, Vegeta would never be able to wipe the descending darkness away. No matter how many times she smiled at him, he would always push it away, because that was who and what he was. He was the legacy of his dying race. He must live with pride. He must walk alone. He had to forget her, as he forgot everyone. His comrades, his family...they were dead and gone from him, and he would treat everyone he met as such. It was his way of life, but even so...he couldn't put that fierce little woman out of his head.

She was the fragments of things long forgotten.

She lived with pride.

She was alive.

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There we have it. I wanted to write something about Vegeta again, since it has been awhile. Reviews are great. Please tell me if there is any way I can improve ^_^