Welcome to DBZ Love Garden

He was searching.

Searching for revenge. Searching for death. Searching for love. Searching for acceptance.

Searching for Kakarot.

Kakarot was calling to him and he was searching. He would find Kakarot. And show him. Show them all. Yes. That's what he had to do. Show them that Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans, was not weak!

That Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans, could beat that joke of a third-class once and for all!

And so he continued searching.

The river. The cave. Their old training grounds.

Searching.

"I'm here, Vegeta. You know where. You know where I am. Look for me. Find me, Vegeta."

Gnashing his teeth in frustration, Vegeta thought desperately about where the other Saiyan could be. Maybe. Maybe he was in that place. That place where he trained alone. That place he retreated to in order to escape Vegeta.

That place.

Changing course, he flew off in that direction. To that place.

~*~*~*~*~

Goten was playing happily in a large field surrounded by forest. Scorch marks scarred the trees around the edges and large craters pockmarked the ground in places. He had been practicing his martial arts, but was currently distracted by a green, shiny lizard crawling under the rocks.

Feeling someone familiar approaching quickly, he stopped his game of chase to wait for them. Looking up to the sky, he watched the blue streak zoom down to land with earth-shattering force in front of him.

"Mr. Vegeta?" He asked with curiosity, looking around to see if maybe Trunks had been overlooked somehow.

Vegeta stared down at the boy with a cold, unrecognizing look in his eyes. Not even really looking at the young child, looking through him. Through him to Kakarot.

"I've finally found you, Kakarot," he said harshly, yet with a hint of pride.

"Yes. You found me, Vegeta. You finally found me."

Goten tilted his head to the side and gave Vegeta a puzzled look. "Kakarot? What are you talking about?" Looking around the area for a "Kakarot," Goten was dismayed to not see anything out of the ordinary.

"You've found me, Vegeta. Now what are you going to do? What are you going to do now that you've found me?"

"I'll kill you. I'll kill you and show you. I'll show you and I'll show them all. You'll see. They'll all see. I'll kill you!" The Prince hissed in fury.

"What? What do you mean, Mr. Vegeta? Why did you say you were going to kill me?" Goten asked, now a little scared of the man who had always been like a father to him.

"Show me. Show me, Vegeta. Show me that you can kill me."

Spurred on by the commands of Kakarot, Vegeta leapt forward and punched the small boy sharply in the face.

Head snapping back and blood pouring forth from the crushed side of his head, Goten fell over in agony. Before he had a chance to power up, before he even had a chance to shed tears of pain, Vegeta was beside him. Snapping his neck in two. Ending his life. Killing the innocent to pay for the guilty.

Wiping the spray of blood from his own face, Vegeta surveyed his work with a grin. He had shown him. Shown him that Vegeta was the stronger warrior! Shown him that Vegeta was worthy of respect!

He was no longer the Nobody!

He was Vegeta again!

"I showed you, Kakarot! You didn't believe me, but I showed you! Now you see! Now you believe!

"And now they'll all believe!" He shouted at the dead body with mirthful delight.

Smiling gleefully, he scooped the limp body into his arms and began the flight back to Capsule Corporation. Where he would show them all.

~*~*~*~*~

Since Vegeta had left, Yamcha had sobered up a bit. He was still to drunk to think about what he had said to the fanatical Saiyan. But no amount of alcohol could have steeled him against the sight that just walked through the door.

Vegeta stood with a broken body in his arms. Blood was smeared across his spandex top and his hands.

But the most startling part was the maniacal grin on Vegeta's face and the wild look in his eyes.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD, VEGETA! WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE?!" Yamcha screamed as he rose from his chair and stared in horror at the sight. Covering his mouth with his hand, the human fought hard not to vomit.

"See? I killed him. He wasn't dead at all. But he is now. Yes. He is now. He's dead. I killed him. I killed him dead. Kakarot is dead by me!" Vegeta said proudly as he dumped the lifeless body on the ground. Crossing his arms in victory, Vegeta smirked at the pure shock on Yamcha's face.

"You didn't think I could do it. But I did! I showed him! And now I showed you, too! I killed Kakarot!" Vegeta said in triumph.

"VEGETA! That's Goten! Listen, Goku is DEAD! You didn't kill him! YOU KILLED GOTEN!" Yamcha said in anger, his body beginning to tremble in rage. Bulma was right, Vegeta was crazy. He had to be stopped somehow. Before he could do anything else.

Vegeta's smile disappeared as he regarded the human with a calculating gaze. "I killed Kakarot. I killed him and I can kill you, too."

"Just LOOK at him! That's Goten! You didn't kill Goku! You killed his son!" Yamcha said with clenched teeth as he pointed at the body.

Looking down at his victim in annoyance, Vegeta's eyes widened in disbelief. 'That's the brat! Where is Kakarot?! I killed Kakarot! Where is he?! That human! He must have switched the bodies! He's against me! He doesn't want the truth! He did something with Kakarot's body to hide the truth!'

Snarling in anger, Vegeta lunged forward and gave Yamcha a hard uppercut to the jaw, sending him flying backwards to bounce off the kitchen wall. "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH KAKAROT!? TELL ME WHERE HE IS!"

Coughing up blood, Yamcha rubbed his cracked jaw and stood up ready to face Vegeta. 'I have to stop him somehow. He's a lot stronger than me, but I have to try.'

"I didn't do anything with him, Vegeta. You killed Goten. Not Goku," Yamcha said as he glared coldly into Vegeta's black, feral eyes. Falling into an aggressive stance, he waited to see what the Saiyan would do.

"GIVE HIM BACK TO ME! GIVE KAKAROT BACK TO ME!" Vegeta roared, flying forward at the human to plant a heel in his stomach.

Doubled over in pain, Yamcha grit his teeth and once more claimed he had done nothing. Straitening, he looked into Vegeta's eyes and saw nothing there. No sanity. No reason. No recognition. No control.

No Vegeta.

He knew there was no way to escape the Prince. He had never had a chance. Whoever Vegeta used to be was gone. Taken over by this savage being. Swallowed by the darkness.

Powering up as quickly as he could, Yamcha lunged forward by sheer willpower and tried to connect his fist with Vegeta's face. But the Saiyan was infinitely faster than him. A high kick to the head and Yamcha was on the ground again, darkness clouding his vision.

"You should have told me where he was. This is your fault. You should have said. But now it's too late. Too, too late for you. Missed your chance." Vegeta whispered as he slowly walked towards the human.

Yamcha marshaled his strength and put all the power he had left into one last ki attack. But Vegeta just knocked it aside, letting it take out a wall instead. Looking up at his executioner, Yamcha gave Vegeta a look of pure hatred.

"If I was Goku, I'd rather be dead then come back to you, too." Yamcha spat at the other man.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! I HATE YOU!" Vegeta shrieked as he grabbed Yamcha's head and bashed it against the floor. Bones broke and a loud cry of agony issued forth from the human's mouth.

Vegeta didn't stop. It wasn't good enough. He slammed Yamcha's head into the floor again and again and again. Until the tiles were covered in thick, sticky blood. Until Yamcha's face was unrecognizable. Until Yamcha's head was just a lump of unorganized flesh.

But that wasn't enough. This was the man who had taken Kakarot from him. He took him and left the boy. He had tried to trick Vegeta. He had stolen Vegeta's truth! He had stolen Kakarot!

Vegeta let go of the ruined flesh and began to pound his fists into Yamcha's back. Pounded hard enough to break bones. To tear through flesh. To burst soft organs. To break through to the floor.

Standing and wiping a bloodied hand across his forehead, Vegeta stilled to regain his breath. Surveying his work, he gave the mass of blood and flesh a final kick to the side with a snarl.

"You should have told me. But you didn't. Because you wanted me to kill you. Because I killed Kakarot. And he was your leader. So you wanted me to kill you, too. You wanted it." Vegeta said with a serious nod.

Hearing a shrill cry at the doorway, Vegeta turned to see a petrified Bulma standing there. Smirking at her, he raised a hand in welcome.

"Will you tell me? Or do you want to die, too? I'll kill you. I will. I killed them. I killed Kakarot. You must be scared. Just tell me where Kakarot is and I'll let you go," Vegeta said in a calm, blank voice.

"V-Ve-Vegeta! What?! What have you done?!" She cried out as tears ran streaming down her soft cheeks.

"The same thing I'll do to you if you don't tell me," Vegeta warned with a growl.

"I don't know! I don't know where he is! Vegeta! Why?!" Bulma said in small, scared voice.

"If you won't tell me then you should be quiet!" The Prince snapped as he strode forward and backhanded her to the ground.

Crying in fear and pain, Bulma curled into a little ball for protection. Clawing at the floor, she prayed for help. Or a fast end.

"I said BE QUIET!" Vegeta snarled as he brought his foot crashing down on her fragile neck. Twisting his heel until he no longer heard bones popping, Vegeta snorted in disgust at her.

"You wanted to die, too. If you didn't want me to kill you then you should have told me. But you didn't. And now you're sorry.

"But I'm not." Vegeta stated plainly. Stepping over her prone form, he made his way into the living room and sat down on the plush couch.

Crossing his arms across his bloodied chest, he frowned in thought. Where could Kakarot be? They couldn't have hid him too far away. They didn't have enough time for that.

But what if he hadn't completely killed Kakarot?! What if he had used his Instant Transmission to escape Vegeta at the last second and put the boy in his place?!

"So Kakarot is still alive!" Vegeta growled in frustration. "He's only toying with me again!

"But I'll get him. I will. I'll show him. He can't hide forever. I'll find him again. And this time there will be no escape for him."

Comforted by his new plan, Vegeta chuckled lowly in his throat. Stretching himself out on the luxurious couch, the Prince of all Saiyans fell asleep with a smile on his blood-spattered face.

~*~*~*~*~

__ "Fight me, Kakarot! What is your problem! You act like you're scared to hit me!" Vegeta snarled as he slammed Goku to the ground again. Spitting in disgust, the Prince eyed the other man with contempt. "I could get a better work out with Trunks!"

"I'm sorry, Vegeta... I think maybe we should train separately from now on..." Goku said as he put a hand behind his head.

"What? Am I slowing you down? Am I not good enough to train with anymore?" Vegeta snapped as he crossed his arms over his sweat-glistened chest.

The younger Saiyan chuckled nervously and refused to meet Vegeta's eyes. "No, it's not that..."

"I see." Vegeta growled with narrowed eyes.

"Vegeta, wait a minute!" Goku called out, trying to explain a little better.

"I don't want to hear whatever pansy-ass bullshit you're about to spew at me. You can save it for your little worshippers."

Flying off as fast as he could, Vegeta ground his teeth in anger. First rejected and now pushed aside. Unacceptable. It was unacceptable. He would get Kakarot. Someday. Somehow. He would do something. And then Kakarot would see how good he was.

And then he would have Kakarot.__

~*~*~*~*~

Awaking with a scowl, Vegeta was again faced with how he would find Kakarot. Walking back into the kitchen, he sat down at the table and began drinking the beer Yamcha had left behind.

Looking around at his drinking companions, he snorted in derision. "Pathetic. That's what you all were. I killed you all. Because you were pathetic. Now you're just dead there. You stink." He said as he curled his nose up in disgust. "You should wash yourselves." Pausing, he cocked his head to the side in thought.

"That's what I'll do," he murmured as he strolled out of the kitchen and into the bathroom. Picking up a small item and returning to his seat, he smiled at the shiny object in his hand.

"Pretty. Pretty like me. Pretty like you. Pretty like Kakarot." He said as he took the razor and drew little designs on his forearm. "Such a pretty red." Smiling, he took it and carved the royal crest onto his chest where it would be if he was wearing his ceremonial armor.

"That's how it would have been. See?" He asked as he displayed it to his unseeing audience. "It's pretty."

Tracing the blade lightly across his skin, he stopped at his stomach. "Hmm, it should be here."

Twisting his wrist, he cut seven neat letters across his well-defined abs.

'KAKAROT.'

"There!" Vegeta said with a grin. Laying the bloody razor on the tabletop and drinking another can of beer, the Prince sat back to think again.

"Where is he? I know he's out there. Kakarot is out there. Somewhere. Waiting. He thinks he's waiting to get me. But I'm the one who is waiting to get him!" The Saiyan said with a low chuckle.

"What was that, Vegeta? Waiting to get me? That's all you'll be doing because you'll never get me."

"Kakarot!" Vegeta shouted as he stood quickly from his chair.

"Have you been doing a little redecorating around here, Vegeta? I don't think red tile is all the rage these days, but I'm sure someone like you would know better than me," Goku said with a cocky grin.

Crushing the can in his hand, Vegeta threw it to the floor in anger. "I hope you said goodbye to all your friends that I haven't killed yet because you won't escape me this time!"

"Are you going to kill me? You have my name cut into your stomach for fuck's sake, Vegeta. Would you really kill the man whose name is carved onto your belly?" Goku asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I will! I'll show you! I will kill you! I'll kill everyone! Everyone dies!" Vegeta shouted at the other Saiyan.

"Then show me, Vegeta. Show me." And with that Goku disappeared from the room once again.

"I will show you, Kakarot. You'll see. And then you'll know. You'll know how good I am."

Blasting a hole through the kitchen wall and then flying through with a burst of speed, Vegeta set off to prove himself to Goku.

~*~*~*~*~

Standing over the blazing rubble of West City, Vegeta frowned. It wasn't enough. Not enough to show Kakarot. Not enough destruction. Not enough carnage. Not enough screams for help.

He needed more. Needed more bloodshed. Needed more death.

Death.

Didn't he once deal in death? In the mass slaughter of entire planets? Wasn't that Vegeta?

'Everyone dies. And leaves me alone. And makes me happy. Death makes me happy. Bloodshed makes me happy.

'Yes. Everyone dies.'

Rocketing from the area and into outer space, Vegeta looked down on the blue sphere. The corners of his mouth twitching into a small smile, he held out his hand as to hold the planet in his palm. Closing his fist around it, he whispered to the cold vastness.

"Bam!"

Holding his outstretched palm towards the Earth, Vegeta began to draw the energy out of his body and form it into a glowing ball of ki. Making it bigger and bigger, Vegeta smirked as it finally reached its intended size. Holding it for a moment, the Prince admired the beauty and sheer power of his creation.

"Such a pity I have to waste it on you. All of you. Who never cared. Who never knew. Who never deserved to live. A waste of beauty. Of power. Wasted on the waste. Pity." Vegeta commented as he let the large blast hurtle towards the small planet.

A display of light flashed across Vegeta's visage as he watched Earth be consumed by flames. Igniting, burning, destroying. A planet of ash and cinders. A planet of death. A planet of desolation. Everything was gone. Everything was dead. Everything.

"See, Kakarot? I told you I could do it. I killed the world that you loved so much. The world that you died for so many times. I killed your love. Now the only thing left to love is me. Vegeta! Love Vegeta!" The proud Prince said in triumph as he grinned at the ashes of Earth.

Tucking his knees to his chest, Vegeta curled into a ball and used his ki to warm himself against the coldness of space. It was all gone. And soon he would be, too. He knew he couldn't survive very much longer in the dead vastness, but it didn't matter now. Kakarot was waiting for him. He would be with Kakarot. And that would be good.

"Kakarot...did you see?" he whispered to the twinkling stars as his eyes began to get heavy.

"I saw it, Vegeta." Goku said as he suddenly appeared beside the Prince.

"Did you see? Did you see how good I was?"

"Yes, I saw. You were very good," the younger Saiyan said soothingly to Vegeta.

"Are...are you proud of me, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked, his voice getting weaker.

"I'm very proud of you, Vegeta. You showed everybody."

Vegeta nodded slowly with a smile. He had shown everybody. He shown them all that he wasn't some Nobody. He was Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans!

"Vegeta, it's time to go home now," Goku whispered into the older man's ear as he wrapped strong arms around the Prince.

Vegeta cocked his head to the side and looked into Goku's welcoming eyes. "Home? I want to go home. I haven't been home in a long time. Long. I want to go."

"We'll go there. I promise. We'll go there together, Vegeta." Goku said with a soft smile.

"Is father there? Did he see? Is he proud of me?" Vegeta asked, snuggling against the warm chest of his love and drifting towards sleep.

"Yes, he's there waiting to tell you how proud he is of you," the Earth-raised Saiyan said as he held Vegeta tightly in his arms.

"And...mother? Is she proud?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

"Yes, everyone's very proud of you," Goku said, softly running his hand over Vegeta's cheek.

"I love you, Kakarot," Vegeta whispered, unable to open his eyes long enough to see the only person he had ever loved.

"I love you, too, Vegeta," Goku said as he gave the Prince a gentle kiss with soft lips.

"That...is...all I...wanted," whispered the contented man as he drifted off to sleep. A sleep in the darkness of space. A sleep where he could continue his dream of love. A dream of love in the lonely vastness.

Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans, died in the nothingness of space. Nobody around to remind him of his weakness. Nobody to be better than him. Nobody he had to protect. Nobody he had to pretend for.

Died with only a dream he could embrace in place of reality.

~*~*~*~*~

Owari