Everyone rushed at Vegeta in a mad fury, swarming him with a million questions all at once, filling his already shocked brain with more stress than he needed.

"Shut up!" he roared, trying to push them back. Dr.Briefs stared back at him with cold eyes, as the others pawed at him with the hope that he may hold the answer to their problem. "You had better not be lying to me, Vegeta. If this is your idea of some sick joke, I will personally see to it that you never set foot in here again."

The room became suddenly silent, and Vegeta narrowed ebony eyes dangerously at the human father. "What?" he hissed. "You think I would lie?" he paused, on the brink of turning and leaving. These miserable humans had no right to accuse him of dishonesty.

"I have more honor than you would assume." He said quietly, and turned to leave. Chi-Chi threw herself at him, catching his arm seconds before he was around the corner. "Vegeta!" she cried. "Please…" He stopped, one second away from turning and blowing them all to oblivion. What was this? For once, he was doing well by trying to help, by divulging important information, and they throw it in his face. Perhaps he was not so far from returning to being the murderous bastard he once had been. Perhaps it was not beyond him to fire a good sized Ki blast into the untrustworthy face of that idiot scientist…

And perhaps, he could save the life of a young woman who had not yet begun to live.

"I know well of this disease that you speak of." He grumbled, yanking his arm free of Chi-Chi’s grip. "And I know where to find the cure."

Ms.Briefs nearly bolted out of her seat. "Where!?" she cried, her voice cracking. "Oh, Kami, please tell me you know where…"

"I said I did, didn’t I?" he snapped, ignoring completely the wounded look on her face. He waited a moment before turning back to the group. "It is located on a planet called R’haksin." He said softly. "The cure is a rare type of fern that inhabits their planet curing certain cycles of the year."

"Vegeta," Chi-Chi breathed, "How do you know all this?"

He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, and his story began to unfold.

"When I was young, only fifteen years of age, Freiza sent me on a mission to a Planet not far from Vegetasei to gather a large group of aliens for armor and weaponry fashioning. I was sent alone; it was one of my first missions out of Vegetasei." He paused. "I was ordered to give the offer to the alien people and return a number of weeks later to collect them if they had agreed. But my pod malfunctioned, and crashed, and I landed a number of Planets away from the one I had been assigned to. The aliens that inhabited the Planet R’haksin were not exactly ‘hospitable’. I had to kill a number of them before the others learned well enough to stay clear of me.

"I quickly learned that the alien tribes on R’haksin were highly advanced in technology, and I ordered them to fix my Pod. It took a number of weeks, as it had malfunctioned very badly, and in my spare time I soon picked up their language. I learned, soon after, of a terrible disease that had befallen half the population of their people."

"Forticres…" Chi-Chi breathed.

Vegeta sighed. "The leader of R’haksin, Treskor, told me of the disease. He told me why half their population was rapidly declining; the cure was a rare plant that only grew in their ‘fall’ and as it was summer on R’haskin when I had arrived, there was no way to cure any of them." he paused. "As it was not contagious, I was able to ‘visit’ a number of the dying. It was…" he paused, not sure if describing the diseased was a good idea. He cleared his throat. "They were very ill."

Piccolo was the only one who seemed to notice that Vegeta had spared the rest of the company the pain of hearing what Fortricres did to someone. He exchanged a knowing glance, a glance of respect. Vegeta returned it with a grunt, but it went unnoticed by the others. He looked back at them. "That is all I know." He said, bringing the story to an abrupt halt.

Goku rubbed the back of his head in a distressed fashion. "So…it’s a possibility that we could travel to this R’haksin Planet and get the plant?"

"There would be no we, Kakarott." Vegeta said suddenly. "I am the only one among us who knows what the plant looks like. I alone know where on the Planet that it grows, and I alone know their language." He paused meaningfully. "They are a very violent race."

Ms.Briefs swallowed hard. "Are you saying…Vegeta…that you would be willing to go to this Planet?"

Vegeta lifted his eyes sharply to her own, which were overfilling with tears. He thought of Bulma, lying in her bed, dying. Did he truly care if she died or not? He had no use for her. She was always at his throat, constantly attacking him with verbal assaults. Not only was she annoying, but she had a temper to match his own, and while he found it strangely exciting, it also threatened him at the same time. Now, he looked around the living room filled with the people who loved and cared for her.

"I…don’t know." He said abruptly.

"Please…" it was a whisper at his back as he turned and left the room.

* * *

"Vegeta"

Vegeta turned at the sound of Yaumcha’s voice. Weakling he thought bitterly upon seeing the man step toward him. They stood in the dimly lit hallway in front of Bulma’s bedroom, and Vegeta immediately sensed the flare of Ki from the warrior. Perhaps he felt threatened that such a man as he was standing in front of his mate’s bedroom. What would he think when Vegeta saved her life?

Wait…am I even going to do that?

"I heard what you said." He said quietly, obviously unsure of how to talk to the Prince. Vegeta folded his arms and waited to hear more, impatient. "What?" he growled. "Are you coming to demand that you accompany me?"

"No." Yaumcha said quietly. "I want to thank you…" he trailed off hesitantly. "You…are going...aren’t you?"

"I haven’t decided." Vegeta replied coolly.

Now it was Yaumcha’s turn to be angry. With a barely contained cry he lunged at the Sayajin Prince in front of him, his hands balled into fists. Vegeta remained standing, impassive and unaffected by the man’s sudden show of courage. "You arrogant, unfeeling piece of shit!" Yaumcha hissed. "She’s dying, there’s nothing we can do, and then a way is shown and you won’t help her!" he glared defiantly into Vegeta’s bottomless onyx eyes. "You don’t deserve to save her life."

"And you? You deserve to treat her the way you do? By going off every chance you get to flirt with other human females at those ridiculous nightclubs?" Vegeta snorted. "Think, child, before you insult me. You have more than enough room to talk."

Yaumcha’s face flushed a deep scarlet. "I love her, Vegeta. I love her despite everything."

Vegeta said nothing.

"If you don’t go…then I will. Whether or not I know the damn plant. I will go."

"Would you?" Vegeta asked softly.

Yaumcha turned, silent, back into the shadows of the hallway. He stopped at the edge of the landing, where he turned back to Vegeta, his face undetectable in the darkness. "I would." He whispered softly, and turned and left.

* * *

Bulma hugged the sheets around her body as her heart hammered in her chest, listening to the retreating sound of Vegeta’s feet as he walked softly past her door. She watched his shadow pass through the thin line of light under her door and wondered what he and Yaumcha had been talking about. She had heard bits and traces, but none of it made any sense. Sighing, she laid back into her bed and curled onto her side, staring numbly out the window and into the endless black sky. Would she see stars where she would go after this life?

She hoped she would.

* * *

She was sleeping when he opened her door, slowly, as not to wake her. The moonlight shone in through the window and sent strange patterns across her bed sheets. As quietly as he could, Vegeta shut the door behind him with a soft click. He stood, inches from her bed, and watched the slow rising and falling of her chest as she breathed, deep in the realms of sleep.

Bulma stirred then, as if sensing his thoughts. The muscles tensed in Vegeta’s body as he prepared to retreat should she wake. But he was not fast enough to anticipate her next move, as she suddenly sat up with alarming quickness and stared him straight in the eye.

"What are you doing?" she whispered after a moment of uncomfortable silence had passed.

Vegeta frowned. What was he doing? What was it that had possessed him to enter this girl’s room to watch her sleep?

"I know…about Fortricres." He said quietly. He remained where he stood, and Bulma gave no indication that she wished for him to be closer. Time passed painstakingly slowly as the two stared each other down, as though both calculating the others motives. At last Bulma released a breath and shuffled back so that she was leaning against the headboard.

"I know. I heard you and Yaumcha." She said accusingly. "What were you two talking about?"

Vegeta’s defense flared up. "I…know of a cure." He said, scowling. "I know the planet on which to find it. It is a small plant, unknown in its name, but I remember well enough what it looks like." He noticed the bewildered look on her face and paused. "It is a Planet called R’Haksin. The people there, called Storkrins, were plagued by Fortricres a number of years ago. My Sayajin pod crash-landed there on a failed mission sent by Freiza. While they fixed my Pod, I had enough time to learn of them and further investigate the disease."

"How…?" Bulma’s eyes were wide in the darkness of the room. "Is this for real?"

"Of course it is, woman!" he snapped. "Why is it that everyone here thinks I am nothing but a liar? I have more honor than that."

"So…what you’re saying…is…"

"I am going to save your pathetic human life by retrieving the cure for you." He said shortly, embarrassed that he had agreed to do it. It surprised him that his pride had allowed him to admit that he cared for another. But enough to save her life…?

He took note of the hurt look on Bulma’s face. "I don’t know whether to be insulted…or thankful." She said coolly. "But mostly, I am surprised."

"No more than I am."

Again, the oppressing silence hung thick in the air. Bulma shifted in her sheets, clutching them around her body. Vegeta could not help but take note of the color of her skin; it had turned from her usual yearlong tan into a pale shade. She noticed him eyeing her and self-consciously tucked her arms back under the sheets. He looked away.

"It’s already taking effect." She said. "I’ve lost three pounds today. I haven’t eaten a thing."

The words struck the unwanted nerve deep within Vegeta, and he decided it was a choice time to leave. He turned and headed to the door, satisfied with his visit, but Bulma stopped him.

"Wait!" she said.

He stopped, but did not turn to face her.

"Thank you. I know that…you do not think highly of me. So I want to thank you for doing this for me. You have no idea what it means to me, Vegeta."

He swallowed, scowling, and grunted an incomprehensible reply. The door clicked softly again as he left, and Bulma sank back into her bed, unsure of what her heart was telling her.