for him ... Do you think if Papa could hear this he would be proud of me?"
<br />
<br />
"Definitely he would be", Dende said at the time, "You are really strong and brave."
<br />
The little Namek had long pushed the memory of this incident away from him. It was just easier to see just the nefarious killer in Vegeta. If someone like that could change, he, Dende, had to. At that moment Dende said goodbye to the hatred that had gnawed him for so long and as if his healing powers had been halved by this hatred, new strength suddenly streamed through his hands. He would do it.
<br />
<br />
....
<br />
<br />
Something was pulling Vegeta out of the cotton wool blanket in which his mind was trapped, something burned a swath through the paralyzing cold and dragged him towards a light that seemed strangely warm and familiar ... someone called him and he wanted to answer ....<br />
<br />
He opened his eyes and his heart jumped. No more darkness, instead the glaring light of the spaceship lighting. Vegeta raised a hand and looked at it in amazement. Not a single scratch, only dirt on it. He turned his head and saw Dende, who had backed away a little. "Are you feeling better, Vegeta?"
<br />
<br />
"Dende?", The Saiyan straightened up and rubbed his eyes. "Isn't that a dream? Am I alive, healthy and can see again?"
<br />
<br />
"Shall I pinch you?" It came from above and Bulma hobbled down the stairs. Her face was beaming. "Dende, I don't know how I can ever thank you for that ..."
<br />
<br />
"It's okay," Dende stood up. "I'll tell the Chief Elder. Are you staying here any longer?"
<br />
"No, we both want to go home at last. I'll say hello to Gohan for you."
<br />
"That would be huge," said Dende happily. "Good flight!"
<br />
<br />
Bulma pressed his hand. "Thanks.I'll show you out. "
<br />
<br />
At the foot of the stairs she turned briefly to Vegeta, who still didn't really understand what had happened to him. "See to it that you finally get rid of all the dirt that's stuck on you. And don't forget to make the bed fresh, unless you want to sleep on the floor."
<br />
Then she and Dende were out of sight.
<br />
<br />
A good half an hour later, he had freshly made the bed and was just under the shower, enjoying the warm water that pelted down on him. Even the stinging of the shampoo in my eyes was welcome, it was just wonderful to be able to see again, to be healthy and alive. It looked like he was going to have to thank the Namekians personally. Not exactly his strength, but his relief at the regained sight slightly outweighed the inconvenience.
<br />
<br />
He rinsed the last bit of shampoo out of his hair, turned off the water and stepped out of the shower.Too bad there was no room in the ship for a large tub to soak it in hot water, that would have been the icing on the cake. He had just rubbed his unruly hair dry when a jerk went through the ship. Bulma had already started, it seemed. Vegeta almost felt guilty because he hadn't even been able to thank Dende.
<br />
<br />
When he stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed, Bulma stood waiting in front of the door, her fresh clothes on her arms. "So, is it finally my turn?" She asked impatiently. "I programmed the course. Thanks to the chips I got from the Great Guardian, we'll be back on earth in a good 12 hours."
<br />
<br />
"Sounds good," said Vegeta. "I've skipped my training for far too long. I'll probably have to start at a ridiculous 60G as soon as we arrive."
<br />
<br />
"Don't be so sure about that," said Bulma. "My ship doesn't have a gravitational converter and until Paps has made a new one ..."<br />
<br />
Vegeta scowled.
<br />
<br />
"Why don't you radio to earth?" Suggested Bulma. "If Dad knows, he can start right away."
<br />
<br />
That lifted Vegeta's mood again and while Bulma was occupying the bathroom, he stormed upstairs to the radio.
<br />
<br />
"Vegeta, see you? Then Bulma found you in time, thank heavens", it sounded to him as soon as he had made the connection. Vegeta, who had recognized Prof. Brief's voice, summarized briefly that they were both doing brilliantly, that one spaceship was unfortunately not even scrap worth, that they would be back in 12 hours and that he urgently needed a new gravity converter.
<br />
<br />
"Don't worry, my boy," said Prof. Briefs in a good mood. "I've built one for you a long time ago. Somehow I had a feeling that I won't see your spaceship again. This time it's in a special room right in the house.It's much more practical, even in winter and when it rains, isn't it? "
<br />
<br />
Vegeta had to admit that. The thought that a special training room was already waiting for him put him in high spirits. After saying goodbye to Mr. Briefs, he immediately began stretching to make his muscles supple.
<br />
<br />
This is how Bulma found him when she wanted to check the course upstairs after the shower.
<br />
<br />
It was so much Vegeta just thinking about training again that she had to smile inadvertently. There was also a slight melancholy, because that closeness that had arisen during his time of his blindness seemed to have been lost again. Well, she was heartily glad that he was healthy again and could see that asking for more would be really inappropriate. But no matter how often she told herself that, the feeling of loss remained.
<br />
<br />
She sat in the pilot's seat, turned her back on him, and began a few tedious calculations.The better prepared she was for her task, the more surely she would complete it successfully. She listened to Vegeta with half an ear.
<br />
<br />
"Bulma, I'm getting hungry," he said after a while.
<br />
<br />
She entered the final result into the computer and turned around. "Meets well, me too."
<br />
<br />
"Do we still have supplies?" He asked doubtfully. "The Namekians only live from water and sun ..."
<br />
<br />
“Don't worry, our freezer survived the crash and so did the refrigerator. We can still fill our stomachs for a few more weeks in space if we have to.” She got up and walked past him to the stairs. "If we're lucky, there'll be a couple of juicy steaks."
<br />
<br />
All he had to do was reach out to touch her. Her freshly washed hair hung open to her hips and smelled of almonds and peach oil. But he didn't even look at her directly, something was preventing him from crossing the dividing line that had emerged between them since he woke up.Somewhere he hoped that she would take the step, but at the same time he was also unsure where and how far this step would lead them both. The return to earth also meant a return to the old scheme, to the old rut and again the knowledge of the competition with Kakerott in the back of your mind and the threat of the cyborgs hanging over them all. Could it all go well if the wall fell, if he threw his restraint for it overboard and abandoned himself entirely to the urge that he believed closed behind thick doors?
<br />
<br />
The moment passed without moving. Bulma suppressed the sigh and made her way into the kitchen. Why hadn't he given her a sign? Had everything that had happened, that had happened between them, was just a brief flirtation, a false spell that crumbled to dust in the harsh light of everyday life?
<br />
<br />
It hurt, and she was glad Vegeta didn't see the corners of her mouth quiver and her eyes become suspiciously moist again.No, she wasn't going to throw herself on his neck. Not again. Her resolve to confess her feelings to him was clearly wavering. There was still time, they still had a few hours ahead of them, maybe the relaxed atmosphere would help with the meal.
<br />
<br />
But there was no relaxed atmosphere. Vegeta seemed embarrassed to choke the food down quickly, he didn't even look her in the eye and when their fingers touched briefly he winced as if something poisonous had bitten him.
<br />
<br />
Before the tension became unbearable, he had left the kitchen with a muttered thank you. Bulma stayed at the table. She put down the fork with the piece of steak. Despite the hunger, she hadn't managed to eat more than half the steak. She stared blankly at the empty seat across from her and fought the lump in her throat.
<br />
<br />
Did he really want it that way? Wasn't it more than an annoying accompaniment to this journey, the cause of his blindness and the injuries that had thrown him so far back in training?Would he prefer she wasn't there at all?
<br />
<br />
Slowly, as if the pain in her soul was paralyzing her muscles, she got up and began to clear the table with mechanical movements. As far as she could hear, he was already training upstairs again. Time went by as she washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. She felt tired, burned out and completely exhausted. She slipped on her night shirt, combed her hair and braided it into a long braid. At home she would cut it off again, that was just more practical. She turned off the light and crawled under the clean blanket. The bed was wide enough that it wouldn't be a nuisance to him. Then exhaustion won out and she fell into a restless sleep. She didn't hear Vegeta disappear into the bathroom after the next training session to wash his sweaty body. But when he slipped under the covers on his side, she suddenly woke up.She opened her eyes wide without turning around. The mattress sagged under his weight and she heard him begin to breathe deeply and evenly. Apparently the exercise had made him tired enough that he could sleep without any problems. He didn't seem to care that she was an arm's length away. She rolled over and held out her hand until her fingers almost touched his hair. Then she stopped. Hadn't she been hurt enough and rejected already? Why open your heart again, turn your throat again and lay your soul bare? Was he worth it? She withdrew her hand and