Silence falls beneath the night as my pride gradually wears thinner and thinner. Another promise broken, hope shattered within this broken shell. An eerie enigma of listlessness seep into my pores and surround the soul I tried so hard to keep in the light of honor and dignity. Nothing is what you see it as, nothing. Everywhere I turn there’s a knife at my face, ready to stab into my very being at any given turn. I’ve reached a dead end, all ties to hope and stability dropped like a rock and slashed into naught.

Staring eyes bore into me like heavy shards of ice. A broken Prince is all that they see, broken of all that was promises held to me. My kingdom, my honor, and the availability of the title I seek have been denied. Death’s scythe is nearing and no one will care, not even that foolish, eccentric Kakkarot. I reside on a planet I loath and despise, with people who don’t see me as the royalty I am. The last prince of an elapsed empire, condemned with the throne obliterated just before my reign. The prominent rank of my species taken by a third-class Saiya-jin, not by myself, the proud Prince.

" Vegeta?" A voice sounds in the distance, questioning on my deaf ears and jerking me out of my reverie. That foolish earth woman, what does she care? She has her "boyfriend", the desert bandit Yamcha to cater her every need.

"Vegeta!" She calls again, now with exasperation and a slight wave of distress resounding in her voice. She dares to speak to me in such a patronizing way. Such mockery to the monarch on Vegtasei was punishable by death. Yet, I feel my feet rising up beneath me, and my body ascending into the cool air of the evening. Simply standing and waiting is all I will do, if she truly needs me, she’ll come here.

Suddenly, the subtle sounds of distant footsteps cease, and soft, quiet sobs break the twilight’s serene silence. Anguished sounds flood the dusk atmosphere as the shadow of Bulma Briefs shudders in perfect rhythm with each weep released. Pitiful, she doesn’t even attempt to conceal her emotions, it simply is not suitable. Yet, why does my heart contradict my natural instinct to walk away? Why does my shattered soul aspire to comfort her? An enormous force stronger than Frieza pulls me toward her. Forces me to kneel down to her level, to stare her in the eyes, to soften the harsh scowl on my face. To make me speak.

" What’s wrong, woman?"

A deafening, uncomfortable silence shoots in like a bullet. Sobs instantly halting and the pace of tears finishing with celerity.

Quite clearly she comes to find me in a place I thought was known only to me, calls my name, then very acutely tells me to leave.

Women must be the most confusing things Kami brought to this cursed planet. Agitation creeps into me as my voice refuses to hide my confusion and frustration.

Makes me want to answer her calls that made recently. Yet time cannot be reversed (yet anyway) and that force incites me foward.

WHAT THE H*LL! Why am I apologizing?! What did I do!? I was here first! She is the one the should be sorry! But, that nagging feeling inside continues the cruel torture forward. Pushes me to find the truth. To comfort her.

Mournful eyes stare up at me with agony etched deeply within them, pleading for comfort, consolation, and understanding. Eyes that tried to veil tears, pain, and loneliness held deep within for years to long.

A shock wave is sent through me as I take the weight a full-grown woman on my body. Her arms entwine around me, and the gate of tears breaks underneath the flood. Warm tears fall on my shoulder as her body trembles with each sob. Also, with each sob she embraces me tighter and tighter.

Incoherent sounds that more than likely are supposed to represent words flow jaggedly out of the woman’s mouth. Gradually the story that brought forth the anguish arose. Another (one of the many) fight began, accusations made and fingers pointed at the opposing force. Neither side to have came out victorious, yet a battle to end the war. A song’s harmony of melody and harmony broken, forced to end on a bitter note that would reverberate into a reservoir of pungent memories. Her sobs soften and her eyes stare up at mine again. This time I see eyes relieved of agony, and free of the rains.

I felt years of solitude slip from me as I found a forgotten promise found deep within a softening heart of stone.