Chi-Chi groaned as she trudged up another foothill carrying bag upon bag of groceries. All that work she put into making Goku get a license and this is how it pays off? She stopped for a moment to catch her breath She silently cursed everyone she could think to blame, Supermarkets, shoe makers, Goku, Goku, and Goku.

He was the one who suggested living off in the middle of nowhere. Honestly, she wasn't sure why she had agreed to a stipulation like that. At the time she was thinking some alone time with her beloved husband would be good but in reality it cut her off from everything she knew. Sure she still saw her father, but other people? Never.

She had seen the exact same people for years and years; had the same exact conversation with them time after time. Who ever said country living was relaxing was full of it. The work was hard, the winters harsh and the alone time unbearable. Had Goku been around more often, maybe living so far away from civilization would be somewhat bearable, but times like these, where he went for months and months with no word. She would find herself dreaming of running away from everything with a knight in shining armor, the one she would dream of when she was a child. He'd ride up on his mighty steed, announce that he loved her and had been searching for her for years. She'd swoon over him and climb upon his horse and they'd ride off into the sunset. Goku used to be that knight, but lately, it was nothing she was sure.

Cringing, she looked down at her feet, they were blistered and she could feel the cuts forming inside her shoe. If only she had better shoes for these rough pathways. These ones barely covered her feet and were worn beyond giving her feet any support at all. She had ten more miles to go and she was already ready to give up. But something (pure will? Determination? Hope her family would return tonight?) made her limp on.

She shouldn't have let Bulma keep her car the night earlier. Of course, there were a lot of things she shouldn't have done that night.

Bulma had found her and Vegeta at dawn. She had dozed off on the bed and Vegeta had even begun to nod off on his perch but Bulma's barging in had startled them both. Chi-Chi and been flabbergasted and the Saiyajin prince defensive. Really, why did he insist that everyone know he was a prince anyway? She was a princess and you didn't here her running around telling everyone?

Anyway, Bulma had found them. She had been surprised that Chi-Chi hadn't left and even more so that she had somehow gotten into a long-winded conversation with Vegeta without incident. The ensuing conversation between the women had been far from friendly. Bulma had commented on the two making, 'quite the pair.' And then after having her fun offered her a ride home with one of the Capsule Corp. drivers.

Chi-Chi had resisted at first, she had, believe it or not, driven there herself after all, albeit shakily. It was only one of a dozen times she had been behind a wheel. She would have made it home fine by herself except, she realized that one of her headlights was on the blink and reluctantly decided it would be safer to take a ride.

Politely, Bulma even offered to take a look at the car, 'and see if there wasn't something she could do to fix it.' She thanked Bulma for her generosity, to which the genius answered, 'anything for Gohan's mom.'

Anything for Gohan's mom.

She huffed as she continued on her way home. Wasn't she worthy of anything just because she was Chi-Chi, not because she was Son Chi-Chi? No, she decided all she was now were Goku's wife and Gohan's mom and that was partly her fault. She had cut herself off from the rest of the world hadn't she? And she was the one who had been bitchy to all of Goku's friends when they had come along, but it was just she had lost her social sense after all those years alone, she didn't know how to deal with people. But how do you explain something like that? You can't to someone who doesn't understand, someone who hasn't experienced such a large amount of solitude.

******

"Onna. I demand you fix the gravity room this instant! I've been waiting for precisely twenty four hours and you've yet to repair it!" Vegeta hollered as Bulma toiled away on Chi-Chi's car.

Slowly and threateningly, she looked up at the Saiyajin through slitted eyes, "If memory serves, I DID FIX IT TWENTY FOUR AGO, you baka!"

"Hmph, I hardly call pressing a few buttons 'fixing'." He responded, crossing his arms frustrated.

"And I hardly call nearly killing yourself on a daily basis a training regiment.but it works for you doesn't it?!" she answered snidely. Really, the man could be too predictable.

"The thing gave out after five minutes woman, I would say that means you did a poor job doing this supposed, 'fixing'." He growled, taking a step towards her.

She turned to him violently, "Well if you were more careful in there, it wouldn't keep breaking you klutz!"

His eye twitched," I don't even know why I waste my time on this mud ball."

"That's a good question Vegeta? What keeps you here?" Bulma answered her arms akimbo.

He stalked up to her face and through gritted teeth answered, "Because of the spawn, nothing more nothing less, that is why."

"So what I am? Some one night stand that got knocked up?" she said, staring back at him as icily as he was at her.

"You said it." He hissed staring at her for a prolonged moment before turning on his heels and flying off.

"Yeah that's right! Run off somewhere! Hell why don't you go and visit your harpy friend!" She screamed throwing the wrench she had been gripping in her hand at him.

She hated him, she decided as she stood there seething. What was she thinking when she slept with that disgusting creature? He'd never be anything but a snide, smug jerk.

****

Vegeta seethed as he flew over cities and countryside, trying to sort things out in his mind. That damn woman, That damn brat. Damn everything, he hated what he had become, a mere shadow of his former self. He used to be a strong soldier now he was some pseudo-human, not a Saiyajin that was for sure.

He looked down at his gloved hands. Some many innocent and not so innocent had been slain by those hands. They held in them pride and sin, evil and good. He scowled and landed in some forest, somewhere he was sure he hadn't been before. It looked to be untouched and lush with vegetation. Imagine that, something the humans hadn't destroyed.

Good, he was far away from aggravation then. Or would have been had his mind decided to stop working. Death would be a cherished gift, he sometimes thought. Then he wouldn't have to think the things he sometimes thought or feel what he sometimes felt. Guilt, that was the new feeling he was having, wasn't that ridiculous? Actual guilt. It was maddening; it made him want to blast something, of course most things made him want to blast something.

He walked slowly through the forest. Chancing upon a figure up ahead, he hid behind a tree, it looked as though it was some sort of forest animal, he smirked. His victim. E was due for some target practice. He released a blast and watched as it made it's way towards the creature. Then he realized something. The creature was humming. The creature was walking on two legs. The creature had a slender figure. He squinted and looked closer at the creature.it was human.

"Shimatta!" he yelled shooting off after his ki blast and sending another blast to divert it off its course, just in time. He landed in front of the person; he just saved. The person huffed annoyed at him.

"Vegeta? What the hell are you doing here?" the voice asked from behind a mound of paper bag.

Chi-Chi? What was she doing out here? He cocked an eyebrow and tried to get a better look at her, "What am I doing out here? What are you doing out here?"

"I live here moron." She responded motioning as best she could to the path ahead where a small cottage lay.

"What a pathetic excuse for a living quarters." He mused to himself.

She rolled her eyes, "Hey excuse me prince charming, thanks for the help with the grocery bags."

He scowled, what made her think he was going to help her? He'd say he'd done his duty saving her life. He looked over at her from the corner of his eyes, she looked so pitiful, he couldn't believe he was actually going to do this. Begrudgingly he took the bags from her and stamped towards the home down the long path, after a few feet, he realized the woman was a pretty far behind him.

He looked back at her, "Can't you walk?" he spat.

"I just walked ten miles to the market and ten back, up hills and through rough terrain on practically my bare feet, I'm lucky I can limp." She answered angrily.

"For the love of." he cursed, storming over to her and turning his back to her, kneeling down.

"What are you doing?" she asked mystified.

He sighed frustrated at how long this was taking, "Hop on, I'll carry you back."

"I uh." she hesitated.

"Just do it woman, or I'll leave you and the damned food out here, I'm in no mood." He answered testily.

She growled, "You're in no mood! Look at me feet! You have no right."

"Just hold on!" he yelled back to her.

"Fine!" she finally relented, grabbing his neck tightly. He might have won that little squabble but she was going to make him pay for it.

He stood up and began walking down the path. After a few moments he looked back at her, scowling, "Do you have to hold on so tightly?"

She smirked, "Am I too strong for the Saiyajin prince?"

He grumbled something to himself about a conspiracy against him and suddenly lifted off the ground, much to Chi-Chi's dismay.

"What the hell are you doing?" she panicked, grabbing him tighter.

"I'm making this go faster." He answered speeding down the hill.

"GHA! Stop it! I'm gonna fall off." She screamed in protest.

"With the grip you have?" he answered snidely, "I doubt that."

She closed her eyes, deciding not to see the world speed past her. Her stomach was doing flips as she felt the ground spinning around her. She buried her face in his back, trying to gain some semblance of balance.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the spinning stopped and she opened her eyes to see her home in front of her. She looked at it dazed for a moment before Vegeta's gruff voice brought her back to reality.

"Will you let go now?" he growled.

Chi-Chi fought back the blood rushing to her face and let him go; wincing as her feet hit the ground, "Thank you."

"Hmph." Was all he said as she opened the door to the cottage and put the groceries down.

"Well it would be rude of me to not to invite you to stay for dinner after your help." She said as she saw him turn to leave. It would be nice to have some company she thought to herself as she watched him intently.

He turned around and eyed her suspiciously as he examined his neck with his hand, "Dinner?"

"Yeah.I was about to cook it anyhow." She answered, suddenly feeling uncomfortable again, she wasn't sure she liked how he looked at her at times, it was so intense.

It was better than the alternative, Vegeta reasoned to himself. He couldn't bear to look at the blue haired woman right then or stomach her cooking. Then again, that meant staying in Kakarot's home, but he was being fed.

"Fine." He answered turning from her and sitting rigidly on one of the chairs in her kitchen.

She smiled bitter sweetly; well at least she hadn't scared him away.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Vegeta drummed his fingers lightly on his thigh as he listened to the constant chopping noises coming from the kitchen. What was taking her so long? If he were with the damned scientist she would have already thrown a slab of some sort of food at him, if you wanted to call it food.

This waiting was making him anxious. It was bad enough to be sitting in the home of his sworn enemy but to fraternizing with his mate? Sickening. Not to mention, there was something about the whole damned environment of this room that was making him uncomfortable. It was so disgustingly peaceful.and clean. Did the onna clean the house twice an hour or something? Most notably to him, the room smelled of obnoxious cleaning fumes that made his head ache and his eyes burn. His overly acute senses had been nothing but a nuisance to him on this planet. He balled his hands into fists, fighting off the rage he felt at his deceptive senses.

Looking to his right he noticed on the oak mantle a picture taken a few years earlier of the onna, Kakarot and their brat. Odd.they all looked so happy. He remembered when he had been forced into the same sort of picture a few months earlier with Trunks and that damn headache of a woman, the outcome was quite different however. He had turned himself totally away from the picture calling it 'sentimental garbage'. Bulma was turned yelling at him and Trunks was wailing like some banshee, he had read about in those ridiculous Earth legends. Why he had even agreed to such a photo he didn't know and why Bulma insisted on hanging the awful thing on the walls of the compound was even more confusing. The damn thing didn't look good; none of them were even looking at the camera.

"If I had known this is what I'd be reduced to when I was younger." he whispered to himself, closing his eyes ruefully. Never in his life had he felt so stuck than he had being there. Even when he was under Frieza he still some semblance of freedom at least then he could leave a planet whenever he saw fit without regret or reason. Here he needed to explain every little thing he did to someone.

He chuckled to himself at the thought of comparing Frieza and the woman. They were both spoiled brats who always got their way and had been given far too much power by their fathers. The only difference was the onna wasn't in the habit of destroying galaxies when she didn't get her way and the food on Frieza's bases was digestible.

***

Chi-Chi hummed softly to herself as she painstakingly chopped up the vegetables for her stir-fry. She turned and looked out the window momentarily as she washed a few carrots under the sink.

Cooking.her only escape from the reality she was stuck in. When she was preparing a meal she felt all her cares melt away as she threw all of her emotions into her food. She had prepared so many meals for Gohan and Goku under this roof. Her eyes lowered, and how many had they missed under this roof? She went back to the stove and added the final ingredients. She wondered if they'd return tonight, it looked as though it might rain and the thought of her Gohan out there in a storm. She shuddered and silently cursed Piccolo and Goku for willing putting her son in this danger, for putting her through this hell of not knowing.

Turning from the stove she set the table, which Goku had put in front of the stove strategically so she wouldn't have to walk so far with the large amounts of food she was forced to cook almost hourly and so it could get to him and Gohan faster. She set four places.for her, Vegeta and..

She stared at the plates, dazed.

"Is the damned food done yet woman?" came Vegeta's voice from the opposite room.

"Hai." She responded after a moment, still dazed as memories of her husband and son filled her thoughts.

Vegeta sat there for another moment before loosing his patience, "Well, where the hell's the food?"

"."

"Hello?! Woman!?"

"I'm not bringing it into you, in my household we eat at the table and the table's in here." She answered finally, breaking her earlier musings.

She grunted impatiently as he grumbled to himself something about her being a pushy beast of a woman. Gritting her teeth she gripped her frying pan, coaxing herself to remain calm. She didn't want to go alienating more people, even if the person with her was an arrogant self-serving bastard.

"Well come on woman, I'd like to get out of here sooner than later." He commanded as he sat down like he was something important. How she would love to throw the food she had in her pan right in his face. If just see the look on his Royal Highness's face after it. She chuckled to herself at the idea. Turning swiftly, she slammed the food onto the table much to Vegeta's amusement.

"Temper.temper.." Her reprimanded playfully.

"Temper, temper." She repeated in a high pitched, mocking voice as she sat down across from him.

Studying the food he commented finally, "It smells like a decaying beast of burden."

Chi-Chi's face visibly turned a darker shade of red. "Weren't you ever told not to play with your food, prince."

"Hmph, I would hardly call this food." He responded with a challenging glint in his eye.

"Oh is that so? Well I would hardly call you a prince." She answered shooting daggers at him, "Princes are gallant and well mannered."

He glowered, staring at her as he brought the fork to his mouth and tasted the food. His eyes grew slightly bigger for a moment but quickly recovered their earlier glare. It was delicious to his surprise. Never in his life had he eaten anything with so much life or flavor in it. 'So that's why Kakarot puts up with her., he thought to himself.

Noticing the look of surprise on his face she smiled, "So you like it do you?"

"Hmmm, it's better than eating dog shit I suppose." He answered looking down at he plate, quickly spooning more into his mouth.

Huffing she sat back and let out a laugh at his audacity, "You are such a jerk."

"And you're a fool for thinking Kakarot will actually come back tonight, really, you actually set a place for him and the boy? That's sad." He answered shoveling more food into his mouth.

She sat up straight and scowled, she knew the game he was playing. She realized it after their first conversation. He would constantly steer a conversation when it came to him talking about personal information or when he felt threatened and sometimes he'd do it just to see what buttons he could press. Well she wasn't falling for it this time, so she decided to fight fire with fire, "Oh thank you for your analysis, tell me how's Trunks doing anyway? Oh that's right! You've seen him what? Twice in the past two months."

His eyes slanted testily, "What does that matter?"

"Oh nothing I suppose it just proves you're a heartless bastard. I mean really, you live in the same house as the kid, you'd think you'd at least take the effort to check in on him every now and then." She replied swirling the food on her plate with her fork. She avoided eye contact with him. She might loose her nerve if they made eye contact.

"Yes, that's right, a heartless, cold killing machine who likes to dine in the home of my worse enemies while they're away and kill their wives." He answered with biting sarcasm, taking the pot she had put in the middle of the table, deciding to eat from that, rather than continuously getting himself more.

She growled softly, he had steered the conversation back to her again, so now she knew Trunks was a touchy topic with him. She wondered if Bulma was too, she looked up thoughtfully, "You know what? I don't know what Bulma sees in you. If I was her."

"If you were her? If you were her, I'd have nothing to do with you because you'd be a disagreeable pushy bitch." He spat.

She smiled so she was an even more sensitive subject. She looked up at him confidently, feeling that she had finally gained the upper hand in their relationship, "It's amazing how much you really believe what you say, if you took yourself anymore seriously, it wouldn't even be funny to me or Goku or Bulma, it would be sad. But luckily we're all still able to laugh at you expense."

His eyes slanted further at her last comment, "Not nearly as much as they all laugh at your expense, you don't fit in with your husbands followers at all."

She slammed her hand on the table, "Oh and you do I suppose?" She cursed for letting herself get angry at his ploy.

"No I don't, but I'm not the one who makes foolish attempts to be accepted or the one who cares, as far as I'm concerned, they can all rot in hell." He sat up and pushed the now empty pot away from him.

She sighed in exasperation and started to clear the table off, "You know what Vegeta, I don't think you're as tough or cold as you think you are."

"We'll see how you feel about my coldness after I kill your husband and son then?" He answered.

Her body stiffened as she stood behind him He smirked waiting for what he expected to be a heated response but instead was treated to an eerie silence followed by a piercing pain on the side of his head followed by absolute blackness.

His hearing was the first thing that returned to him as the blackness began to dissipate around him into a world of pain. He could here the onna making a big fuss, begging him to get up, or move, anything. His eyes slowly squinted open and he saw the look of concern etched across her somehow fetching, face. He winced, he must have been hit pretty hard to think something like that. He shook his head and sat up forcefully.

Chi-Chi grabbed his shoulders firmly, "Maybe you should lie down for another minute."

He scowled at her and pushed her away, "So Kakarot thinks he can blind side me huh? Well I'll show him!" He stood up shakily and limped a few steps before collapsing to one knee.

"Goku.uh no, he's not here." She said almost fearfully as she took a step toward him with an outreached arm.

"Then who hit me? That brat of his?" he growled turning to her.

"I did." She said motioning to the dented frying pan a few feet from him, "And by the way that BRAT happens to be my soon too."

He fell back, ignoring the end of her statement, "You? That's impossible."

"Vegeta, I'm so sorry, I'll go get ice okay?" she choked out, still in shock over what she had done.

He stared at the ceiling half-conscious. That woman packed quite a punch when she was angry. How was it then she was never taught to control her ki? He shook his head, what did it matter? He stood up on rubbery legs, "No.I don't need it, I'll just be going."

"Are you sure?" she asked holding the back of the chair in front of her. How could she have reacted so violently? Okay, so he had threatened her family, but she should have expected him to say something like that. He always spoke tough like that.

"Yes." He snapped angrily, stalking towards the door.

She rushed over to him and tried to help him to the door. Why did she have to go and lose her temper like that? And she wondered why she was alone so often. Kami! Who wanted to be around some unstable woman who knocked people out for saying the wrong thing?

"Would you get off of me!" Vegeta finally growled, swinging the door open, almost falling out of it.

"But Vegeta, you can't even stand straight." She argued. He turned to respond to her when he heard another loud crack and a saw white flash then he felt a drop of water on his head, followed by another one and then a few more. Suddenly, the heavens had opened up and released a deluge of water upon the Earth. Vegeta let out an angry howl screaming, "Are you all working against me huh?" He tipped to one side but quickly regained his footing as he stared angrily at the weeping sky.

Growling softly he went to fly off but was stopped by Chi-Chi's pleas and unsteady hand around his wrist, "No please, I can't let you leave in your condition, in this weather."

"Please, I have no problem with rain and you barely hit me with that frying pan." He answered looking back at her with a murderous gaze.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand in attempt to drag him back into the house, "You'll catch cold.besides.you might get hit by."

Suddenly a lightning bolt cracked in the dark sky causing her to jump into Vegeta's chest with a cry. He almost fell over from the force she threw herself at him. As he kept himself steady he looked down at her shuddering figure perplexed for a moment before realizing he was holding her. When had he put his arms around her? He winced, he was starting to think that earlier hit had given him some sort of brain damage. He grunted pushing her away, "You aren't seriously afraid of a little lightning are you?"

Her eyes were darting about like a frightened cat, or perhaps a drowned rat is a better analogy? He could barely make her out because of the fierce downpour, soaking them both to the bone. "Please? Just until the storm passes." She whispered.

He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, cursing himself for what he was contemplating. He looked out at the darkened horizon and then back at her. Scared of a little storm, how ridiculous, the damn woman had just minutes before practically knocked him, the prince of Saiyajins, out. By now he should have killed her for her insolence not comforted her for her fears. Walking past her, he entered the house yelling back to her, "Well are you staying out there or what?"

Chi-Chi's eyes grew wide and then relieved. "Thank you Vegeta."

She walked back up the pathway to the cottage, thankful and surprise he had agreed to stay. It seemed out of character for him almost. Then again, what did she know of his character? She squealed as another lighting bolt hit, causing her to run into the house, slamming the door behind her.

"You're just lucky I don't want to wreck my clothes and deal with that damned scientist." He lied crossing his arms.

She looked over at him about to say something but the words came out as a whimper as she saw the way his soaked clothes clung to his body. She could make out the outline of his chiseled body through the wet fabric. Even the way he stood so upright and properly looked intriguing in his current state. Admittedly he carried off his compact frame extraordinarily well. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she scanned him up and down trying to pry her eyes away to no avail. She had never realized how sexy he was. She slapped herself mentally, sexy?? Where'd that come from? He looked nice, not sexy. No! Not nice, he didn't look at all. She was married, married to a wonderful man who would leave with no word for months on in. She shook her head, she wasn't going there, not at that moment. She was married.

She gulped as their eyes locked onto each other. For a minute she almost thought she saw a glint of loneliness in the obsidian depths of his eyes. She shifted uncomfortably as they stood there locked in each other's gazes for a moment. She could tell she was blushing. Her brain was yelling at her to say something before she made a total fool of herself but her body refused to reply. She was married.

"Eheh.well, I'm soaked, I'm gonna go get changed." She choked out finally. Quickly she exited the room and walked down the hall to her room, slamming the door. She looked about to make sure she was alone before exhaling. Where the heck did all that come from? Her heart was racing a mile a minute and her face felt hot. She closed her eyes and hit her head with her hand, "Get a grip Chi-Chi!" What was she doing? Asking him to stay like that, it must have sounded like, 'oh Vegeta take me!' to him!

She looked through her closets..nothing. All of her clothes were waiting to be washed. She hadn't had time for laundry with that party and then the shopping and the company. She cried softly, biting her lower lip cursing herself, "A fine time to slack off on your chores Chi-Chi, what the heck are you going to wear out there?"

Turning she noticed a bathrobe she'd been given for Christmas by Bulma a few years ago. She'd barely worn it, thinking it was pretty pointless, since it was much easier to dress right away in the morning. But how would Bulma know that? Besides, it was nice of her to get her anything for Christmas. Anyhow, it was the thought that counted. She went to grab it and ended up cursing herself again, "Oh right, so I'll walk out there in barely nothing but a robe, that's intelligent." But what else could she possibly wear?

***

Vegeta stood in the middle of the living room motionless. His eyes staring at the pool of water forming below him as water cascaded off of his soaked figure. The way she had just looked at him, he had never seen such a look of sincere gratitude, directed towards him, in his life, not that he'd ever done anything to deserve gratitude. It was just, it gave him a strange feeling, and he wasn't even sure how to describe it.

He looked up suddenly feeling awkward in his soaked attire, in this small room, in this peaceful cottage, in his body, hell even on this planet. He shifted about restlessly, unsure of what to do with himself.

Why had she blushed when she had spoken earlier? And the way she had stared at him. He felt so bewildered, bewildered he had stayed and bewildered that she had asked him to. Hell, minutes before he'd made snide comments about her family, personality and cooking. He had tried on a few occasions to kill her family for Kami's sake! He cringed at the feeling of guilt in the pit of stomach. He didn't deserve such hospitality, such kindness.

He looked down the hall wearily, then back down at the floor. He needed to get a grip before she returned but he wasn't even sure he could move at the moment, his head still ached from the hit he'd taken earlier and now his stomach ached for staying here. He wasn't sure if he was about to collapse or scream out.

He heard the door creak open down the hall, cringing as he saw her silhouette move slowly towards him. She combed her long raven hair with her fingers as she moved closer. Their eyes met for a moment and then Vegeta gave into a fit of laughter he had never experienced in his life.

She looked over at him mortified, as he actually had to hold the table in front of him to keep from keeling over in cachinnation.

"What? What's so funny?" she cried, nervously pulling at her clothes.

He breathed in and looked up at her about to respond but when he opened his mouth only cackles came out as he grabbed his stomach.

"WHAT?" she screamed, her face turning redder by the minute.

"Do you usually dress up as a hard shelled candy when it rains?" he finally said in-between laughs.

She looked down at her costume and sighed, "A few years ago me and Goku dressed up as M&M's for Halloween. It was the only clean thing I had."

He looked at her as seriously as he could, "Well that explains your fear of rain, you're scared you'll." Before he could even finish he started cackling again, "Melt!"

"Well at least it's not a pink shirt and lime green pants!" She screamed.

Instantly the Saiyajin prince's laughter ceased, his forced smile replaced with the usual scowl. Encouraged she kept ranting, "Yeah, Goku and Gohan came home laughing about it, they giggled for hours and hours over that."

He cocked his head, "Fine, turnabout I suppose is fair play." He smirked stifling a giggle, "You still look ridiculous although I will say red is your color."

She looked down, her face as red as the M&M she was dressed up as. She sat down on her coach and sighed, deciding the robe would have been a far better choice, once again a fine example of her social skills.

After a moment, she looked back up at him, deciding to get the subject off of herself, "I suppose you'll need a change of clothes until those ones dry."

He looked at her smugly, "I'm sorry, but I refuse to dress up in the matching costume."

She scowled, "Oh shut up! You can wear something of Goku's, you jerk!" She smiled testily, "Of course considering your stature they'll be big on you, maybe you'd be better off in something of Gohan's."

His face faded back to an angry expression; "I refuse to dress in Kakarot's clothing."

She sighed, "You'll get sick if you walk around in soaked clothes."

He grunted and pulled off the green sweater he had been wearing, the damned scientist had no taste in clothing, actually, the entire planet had poor taste in his opinion.

Chi-Chi's eyes quickly averted from the visage of the half naked Saiyajin, "a little decency please?"

He smirked, placing a hand on his hip, "What? Do I make you uncomfortable."

She glanced up at him and then looked back down at the ground, "No, but someone stripping in front of me makes me a little uncomfortable."

"Honestly, it's just a shirt." He complained walking over to a chair and plopping down on it.

She shifted in her seat uncomfortably as she felt his eyes on her. She bit her lip frustrated, realizing he was only doing it to get a rise out. She just had to show him, that he couldn't get to her.

Finally, she looked up at him. His eyes were shaded from the looming shadows of the room but she could still make out he was looking at her. His skin shone slightly from the slight light coming from the kitchen hearth. Her eyes rested momentarily on the scar on his right pectoral, wondering how he had gotten such a thing when suddenly he shifted his body to the side. Her eyes fell back to the ground as she realized he must have noticed her looking at it.

"Some weak creature got in a good hit before I sent him to the next dimension." He said in an even voice.

She looked up at him and cocked her head to the side, "Huh?"

"You were looking at the scar weren't you?" he asked almost annoyed at her act of obliviousness.

"Did it hurt?" she finally answered.

"I don't feel pain." He answered in a monotone voice.

"Bull." She said raising an eyebrow.

"I've been raised my entire life not to feel pain. One only feels pain because they expect to feel it when they're hit. I, on the other hand, have been trained as a soldier. We don't feel pain because we're taught that it's false." He looked down thoughtfully, "Not taught I suppose, programmed is a better word to describe it."

She entwined her fingers together and sighed, "That's sad."

He scowled, "What the hell's so sad about that?"

"Well, without pain how do you know when you feel joy or pleasure? Even though it hurts at time, I like the full spectrum of feelings." She answered.

He let out a false laugh, "Oh I see, how noble you are, little wife to a missing hero and mother to a hero in training."

She let out a ragged breath and looked out the window as water slowly traced its way down the windowpane. She caught her reflection and frowned, what a joke she was. She shuddered as a lightning bolt struck.

"Why is it you're so scared of a little rain anyway?" Came Vegeta's gruff voice.

She looked over at him and glowered, "What do you care?"

"Hmph, you're the one who asked me to stay." He answered, sitting back.

She clicked her tongue annoyed, she HAD asked him to say. Damn her and her poor judgement calls. She sighed, what would it hurt to tell him anyway? Maybe it would even make him act nicer towards her. Besides, he was the first person to ever even take an interest in her enough to ask.

"Well, when I was younger, my father and I lived in a beautiful castle." She began.

"A castle? Hmph, you can spare me the fairy tale." He interrupted, skeptically.

She looked up at him enraged, "You're the one who asked me, and for your information, I happen to be the princess of Mount Fry Pan."

He crossed his arms and let out a hurrumph as she sat back and continued, "So anyway, my father understandably became paranoid as people began trying to steal his treasures and even kidnap me and my mother for ransom. First, he taught me some martial arts techniques for self-defense and had created for me a helmet that could generate powerful laser blasts but that didn't stop the intruders. He tried to fight them all off, he was strong, but being under constant attack and threat isn't good for one's nerves."

Vegeta's eyes rolled, "Is this story going anywhere?"

She inhaled heavily and scowled, "I was getting to the point oh patient one. Anyway, my mother was taken one night and killed by some ambitious treasure hunters. In a craze, my father went to a gypsy who was passing through the town. She said for the price of one million zeni she could rid him of his intruder problem. Willing to try anything, my father complied with the gypsy's wishes. With money in hand, she set a curse on the mountain, saying it would 'burn and burn until all bad intention was withered away into the wind.' Well, honestly, I didn't understand it and neither did my dad but a minute later a huge bolt of lightning hit our castle followed by a large crack of thunder and as we watched the entire mountain burst into flames. I watched as my home and everything I knew went up in a cloud of smoke. Ever since then, when I see lightning I get that feeling, I felt then."

She looked up at him and sighed. He stared at her for a moment before leaning forward, his face illuminated by the occasional crack of lightning beyond the window, "Even if I was to believe you were a princess, I'd still say that story was poorly concocted. Honestly, I could have some up with something better."

Chi-Chi's eyes watered over, she had just shared with him a story she hadn't told a soul and he scoffed at it as though it were nothing but lies. She turned her head from him and whimpered silently unwillingly to let him see her cry.

He sat back, "Oh poor you, at least your damn home still exists, my planet was blown up, did your beloved husband tell you that? At least you knew your mother if only for a short while, I don't even know my mother's name." His voice grew fiercer and fiercer by the second as he continued, " and least you didn't have to be kind and respectful to your kidnapper for years if only to survive, the only thing giving you SOME semblance of sanity a legend that for all you knew could be absolute rubbish but inside you knew it was your only hope of surviving the hell you were in. The only way to beat your captor."

Chi-Chi was taken aback as he leaned forward so they were face to face. She trembled in fear as he looked at her with hatred. She had never seen eyes that could go through so many emotions so quickly.

He sneered, "And then, after years of self-loathing and humiliation to have your chance at retribution just to have it yanked away by an enemy who should have killed you but decided to let you live in shame. A creature who could care less about the legend, about the destruction of his race, about the destruction of everything I was supposed to be." He hissed the final words, his hand slamming the arm of the chair as he stormed out of it and next to the fireplace.

With a choleric growl, he sent a blast at it, setting it ablaze. The room suddenly illuminated and warmed by the firelight. The color of warm orange danced upon his face as he stared at the flames as though they were an extension of himself.

She sat back and finally breathed again, her eyes wide. He had just told her everything and strangely nothing at the same time. Somehow he was able to keep his outburst so anonymous while at the same time personal. She looked back at him as he panted still recovering from his enraged words, "So? What does it matter? You survived didn't you?"

"No I didn't survive." He answered ruefully, "Frieza killed me, end of story, the gods simply decided to play some cosmic joke on my by letting the dragon balls bring me back."

She looked down and sighed, "I'm sorry."

He snorted and looked over at her, "For what?"

"I'm sorry you never got to get your revenge on Frieza." She answered, turning to him sadly, "And that you seem to think your life is pointless."

His eyes grew wide in confusion, "I never said I thought my life was."

"You insinuated it." She answered, "Besides, I know how it feels to be lonely." She motioned to the house and laughed good natured, "Hello! I've been away from all human contact for about eight years now."

He looked around the room and smirked, "You're better off anyway from what I've seen of your race, they're dirty self-absorbed creatures."

She let out a laugh, "Oh they're still acting that way? You'd think after eight years they'd learn a new trick."

His eyes scanned her face in confusion. He felt like she had just touched something in him that he hadn't shared. How was it she saw he was alone? Why was it that she cared and how was it she accepted everything he had said when he had been so callous to her?

Quietly he sat back down and looked up at her, "Why is it if you were trained in the martial arts, you never learnt how to control your ki?"

"Well." She looked up thoughtfully, "My father didn't go into any great fighting detail just the basics."

Staring at the ground he continued, "Odd, you're very powerful for someone without formal training. You should at least know how to fly."

She smiled at what she took to be a compliment from the Saiyajin, "Fly? You really think I could learn how to?"

She laughed imagining the possibilities. She could get to the market MUCH quicker and spare her poor feet and even better she couldn't wait to see the look on Gohan's face if he tried to fly off somewhere when he was supposed to be studying. She let out an evil cackle.

He looked up at her. "Yes, perhaps you should bring up to Kakarot when he."

"Who the hell wants to wait for that screw up to show up when you can teach me." She laughed.

Vegeta's eyes grew wide in protest, "No, I have training of my own to do, I have no time to spend training the likes of you."

"Aww....but even you said it wouldn't take too long." She persuaded, "And, I'll even throw in free meals for every class."

His eyes lowered to the ground, it would be nice to have a meal he could digest every now and then but he had training to do and he already lost so much time.

She pleaded hopefully, "Well at least think about it."

He looked at her suspiciously, "Fine, I'll consider it."

His eyes traveled to the window where he noticed the rain had all but stopped. He stood up, "The storm's over."

She looked to the window and then back up at him, "So it is."

Vegeta picked the soaked shirt up about to put it on but then opted against it, putting it on the chair. "I should be going then."

Chi-Chi stood there awkwardly in her Halloween costume looking at the less than composed prince. She had a feeling she would laugh about this whole thing later, in a year or two. He went to the door and she opened it. He turned and looked down at her for a moment, unsure of what to do. Chi-Chi's arm twitched twice and finally she decided to go for it. It was just a nice 'thank you hug', after all. She embraced him and whispered, "Thank you Vegeta."

He felt an odd burning sensation just below his eyes as one of his arms went around her waist and the other against his better judgement brushed her cheek. She looked up into his face as he looked down at her. He moved his face lower, noticing the pink hue forming below her eyes and the dazed almost dreamy look in her eyes. He felt his heart begin to race as he felt her soft figure pressed against him like a warm comforting blanket. He shut his eyes, loosing his nerve and whispered, "I should go, the storm's over."

She stepped away and nodded her head in mortified consent, "Yeah, thanks Vegeta."

"Don't do that." He reprimanded softly.

"What?" she asked looking down at the floor, embarrassed at what they had almost done.

"Thank me." He answered taking off into the sky.

She watched his figure grow slighter and slighter upon the nighttime horizon. Finally, deciding to go back in. She massaged her temples, too tired to think or analyze what they had almost done. It was nothing. Nothing at all. She went down the hall and fell into a deep, uncomfortable sleep.

The next morning, Chi-Chi walked shakily outside, carrying in tow a large barrel of laundry; she had to take to the river. She looked down at the step and to her surprise saw a new pair of shoes. She placed the basket down and picked them up. They were beautiful and to her surprise were her size. She looked around the cottage unable to find any evidence of who had left the gift, although she had an idea. Finally with a smile she slid them on her feet, took the barrel and went on her way, determined to get her chores done, unaware that a few feet above her perched on a tree branch was her anonymous provider watching her with uncertainty and confusion as his feelings whirled out of his control.