Welcome to DBZ Love Garden

► Caramel and Chocolate, Strawberries and Cream: Cookery Lessons     Caramel and Chocolate, Strawberries and Cream: Liquid Seduction     Caramel and Chocolate, Strawberries and Cream: Purring Kitten     Caramel and Chocolate, Strawberries and Cream: Books and Games     Caramel and Chocolate, Strawberries and Cream: Caramel and Chocolate     Caramel and Chocolate, Strawberries and Cream: Strawberries and Cream It had been seven years since Bulma and Chichi died in the plane crash; seven years since Goku had had a very obvious nervous breakdown and Vegeta had tried to kill himself. Their families had judged it dangerous to leave the two alone – Vegeta in particular bore watching since, surprisingly enough, he had taken his mate's death the hardest of the two. So they had all decided to move in together and the only place big enough for that was the Brief's country residence. They had forcibly packed up the two Saiyans and dragged them there, forcing them into activity. It worked better with Goku than with Vegeta, as he slowly recovered and became more like his cheerful self, while the Saiyan Prince retreated further and further into silence. For two years he said nothing, rarely taking notice of the world around him, eating whatever was set before him mechanically, without appetite. He lost weight, and became pale, his strength sapped away over time. He seemed to be pining himself to death.

It was Goku who brought him out of it, simply refusing to allow Vegeta to ignore him. He made him spar with him, forced him to choose what he wanted to eat or forced him to eat more when he obviously couldn't be bothered. He continuously chattered at him, saying the most ridiculous things to force a rise out of him. The first day Vegeta spoke – though it was more a grunt than actual words – was one of intense relief for everyone. From there on his improvement was steady, although he still had bad days where he refused to eat or interact, so everyone watched him closely. It was surprising what they learnt from that.
There was the time that Gohan caught Vegeta recalibrating and improving one of Bulma's old inventions. The Prince tried to hide what he had been doing but it was already too late and everyone badgered him about it until he finally gave in and took a test designed by Gohan and Trunks to find out how high his intelligence was. The results were surprising – he could equal Bulma in certain areas and outdid her in others; he definitely didn't need anyone to repair the gravity-machine for him. No one could figure out why he had always made out he was an idiot, nor why he had always made Bulma do everything, and no one dared ask him.

The second surprise that came to light was that the Saiyajin-no-Ouji could cook. It was Bra's idea to get everyone to take their turn cooking – firstly because then no one person would be run off their feet and secondly because it would give the two Saiyans something to do other than spar, eat and brood. When Goku cooked they usually had to order out for pizza and were fully prepared to do the same when it came to Vegeta's turn. They were all stunned when they walked into the dining room to find a perfectly edible, tasty meal laid out. The Prince became very defensive when everyone turned to stare at him in shock, reminding them that he had lived without the benefit of someone to cook for him for several years. Once again no one dared ask him why he had made Bulma cook.
They also learnt something surprising about Goku. Because of the close proximity and the necessity of watching the two men the two families began to notice that the taller of the two Saiyans wasn't acting quite…himself. He often made intelligent comments – far too intelligent for Goku. The day that they really noticed it was when he began psychoanalysing Vegeta's relationship with Trunks -everyone turned round to stare at him and he went silent, blood slowly darkening his skin. Trunks came right out and asked the question hovering on everyone's lips.

"Since when have you been that clever, Goku?"
"Uhhh... well...umm...what?"
"You heard me. Now tell."
"Uhhh...well, you see, I uhhh...made a wish a while back and...uhhh..."
"You wished for the brain-damage to be reversed and you didn't tell us?!"

They forced the full story – what there was of it – out of him within a very short time It seemed that not only did he have his lost intelligence back but also his memories, though his nature stayed basically the same – with a few Saiyan traits added in.

By the end of the seven years the two families were confident enough of the stability of their fathers to leave them on their own so one day they all packed up and left. Trunks was the last to leave, unwilling to just abandon his father after finally learning to understand him. The closeness that had grown between them was something he was loath to give up, even for a short time but it was time to let the two men breathe and live on their own. Vegeta stood in the doorway, watching his son load his belongings into a car with an unreadable expression on his face. Trunks finished in a short time and retrieved his jacket from the house. Just as he was stepping out the door Vegeta enveloped him in a bear-hug, squeezing hard, before holding him at arms length and studying his face intensely, with what looked suspiciously like tears glinting in his eyes.

"Go."

The Prince's voice was husky, and his hands tightened convulsively for a second before he let go of his son completely and walked away with set shoulders. Trunks watched him go, a soft expression on his face, and whispered "I love you too, 'tousan."

That afternoon Vegeta trained in the gravity room as though all the enemies he had ever faced were due to arrive the next day. Goku thought it wiser to avoid the Saiyajin-no-Ouji, knowing that Vegeta had found it hard to let his children go, so he spent the day watching documentaries on TV. Vegeta came in fairly early and started cooking, having got into the habit while their families were still there and not wanting to ring our for food or endure the taller Saiyan's attempts at concocting something edible. Goku, attracted by the smells, walked into the kitchen and leaned back against the door frame, watching the Prince with a steady gaze.

~Kami, he's so beautiful and he doesn't even realise it~

"Vegeta?"
"Hn."
"Will you teach me how to cook?"

The sudden silence, but for the sizzling pan which Vegeta absently pulled away from the heat, was in stark contrast to the activity that had preceded it. The Saiyan Prince studied Goku out of the corner of his eye, gazing at him as though he had grown two horns and a second tail. The taller Saiyan grinned; putting his had behind his head in his classic pose, beginning to blush under the other's scrutiny. Then the silence was abruptly shattered as Vegeta moved towards the stove.

"Pass me the soy sauce."

Goku grinned briefly, looking relieved. "Is that a yes?"

"Of course, you baka. Now pass me the soy sauce!"

"Sure thing, Vegeta."

~Step one in action. Once you get used to my being around and so close all the time we'll move on to step two, beautiful Prince. Hopefully that will be easier.~

The weeks passed and Goku's cooking slowly improved, although the time he managed to burn boiled eggs almost made Vegeta give up on teaching him. The entire process was making the Prince uncomfortable – there seemed to be too much 'accidental' touching for his liking, whenever he turned round he bumped into the other Saiyan. If he took a step back then he'd tread on Goku's toes, his back bumping into the broad, warm chest that was often too close for comfort. Whenever they were in the kitchen together Vegeta felt as though he was being watched, but if he turned around Goku would be diligently performing whatever task he had been set, no hint of him having been studying the Saiyan Prince evident. Vegeta's instincts were right of course; Goku had been deliberately touching the slighter man 'accidentally-on-purpose,' forcing the Prince to grow used to his touch. And he had been watching him at every opportunity, admiring his handsome features and sleek build, watching as his skillful hands performed various tasks and imagining those fingers on him, wishing that body was next to his and those lips tasting his mouth, not the food. He took care not to get caught though – he didn't want to scare Vegeta off.

During the lessons, Goku saw another aspect of the Prince that he could admire, for in making Vegeta teach him how to cook he also got him to talk and the conversations they had ranged from the practical to the purely philosophical. The Saiyajin-no-Ouji knew a lot and was a surprisingly good conversationalist, capable of solving puzzles in an eye blink. His intelligence was almost terrifying but he seemed unaware of it, as though he simply assumed that everyone else thought as quickly and knew as much as he. Goku could spend forever just listening to him, but unfortunately the Prince was taciturn, more inclined to silence than talk and had to be encouraged to speak.
Finally the day came that Vegeta allowed Goku to cook dinner. When they had finished eating, the tall Saiyan looked at his Prince expectantly, waiting for the verdict. Vegeta leaned back in his chair, looking at Goku with his ebony eyes, his face inscrutable, as always.

"Good. You can take your turn cooking from now on."

Goku grinned, relaxing slightly as he heard this, then he frowned curiously. "Vegeta?"

"Hn."

"How come you didn't cook or do mechanical stuff when Bulma was alive? You always made it seem as though you couldn't do anything in the house."

Vegeta gazed into the distance, staring at a point just to the left of Goku's head, looking thoughtful. "She needed to feel some degree of control, needed to know that I needed her as much as she needed me."
He shrugged, his muscles rippling under his shirt. "I saw no reason to deny her that."

Goku looked at the Saiyan Prince; a little surprised at the insight he had displayed even after all he had learnt about him.

~You're not as insensitive or selfish as you make out Vegeta; in fact, you're probably a really caring person under that mask of yours. It'll be fun finding the parts of yourself that you keep hidden~ ► Caramel and Chocolate, Strawberries and Cream: Cookery Lessons     Caramel and Chocolate, Strawberries and Cream: Liquid Seduction     Caramel and Chocolate, Strawberries and Cream: Purring Kitten     Caramel and Chocolate, Strawberries and Cream: Books and Games     Caramel and Chocolate, Strawberries and Cream: Caramel and Chocolate     Caramel and Chocolate, Strawberries and Cream: Strawberries and Cream