Chapter Text
Earth. Third planet from the sun. Nestled in the arm of Orion in the Milky Way galaxy. The only planet in this star system naturally capable of sustaining life. A glorious blue marble floating in the vastness of space. And within a few seconds it would meet its demise.
“This is completely unnecessary,” Whis admonished the Saiyan, not for the first time. “Even if you destroy it, it wouldn’t change anything. Lord Beerus would still rule as Destroyer.”
“Not if I prove myself worthy,” Vegeta said, rejecting the truth behind those words.
He took one last look at his adopted home, refusing to allow himself any sentiment, convinced this was what he had to do to keep his throne.
He lifted his hand, ready to strike.
“Hey, Vegeta!” The destroyer winced as the figure who hailed the cheerful greeting rose before him, donning the red hair and eyes of a super Saiyan god.
“Hey, Whis. Long time no see. Good thing I was teaching Uub god ki or I wouldn’t have detected you.”
“Out of my way, Kakarot,” Vegeta ordered.
“Huh?” Goku quirked a brow. “I was hoping we could spar while you were here. I’ve been wanting to fight you since I heard what happened.”
“I’m not here for I fight I know I’ll win,” Vegeta told him. “I’m here to reclaim my throne.”
Goku gave Whis a puzzled look. “He intends to destroy Earth,” the angel clarified.
“What? Really?”
“Damn right,” Vegeta roared. “I’ll show that pathetic cat who’s worthy.”
“Wait.” Goku’s eyes went wide. “Beerus is alive? Way to go, Bulma!”
“That woman ruined me,” Vegeta declared. “She made me soft, weak. Took away what I was. What I was meant to be. A destroyer, born and raised, and I can’t be bothered with the trivial pursuits of mortals. She stole my glory and I won’t let it happen again.”
“Are you insane? Your family means everything to you.”
“They mean nothing to me. Not them, not this backwater mud ball and certainly not you!”
“Yeah, we’ve had this conversation before,” Goku recalled as he hovered closer to his rival. “Sorry, buddy, but if you’re going to destroy Earth, you’ll have to get through me first.”
“With pleasure,” Vegeta snarled as he lifted his hand to generate a ki blast, only to be stopped by Goku’s left hook. He reeled in pain and shock for only a second before refocusing on him. Goku had transformed to super Saiyan blue.
Heart racing, incensed, Vegeta charged at him, determined not to let this low-class defeat him as he and Goku exchanged blows. Fists flailed and kicks swung, Vegeta ignoring the sting of each blow before firing a ki blast, which his rival blocked it with a Kamehameha.
“Wow, Vegeta,” Goku exclaimed, out of breath. “I knew you would be stronger than ever, but your power is unbelievable! Saving Earth is gonna take more than raw power for sure.”
“Shut up, Kakarot!” Vegeta yelled before lunging at him, only for Goku to instant-transmit behind him and hold him in a headlock.
“Still, I’m surprised the Zenos chose you instead of me,” Goku taunted. “After all, Whis did have his heart set on me succeeding Lord Beerus. You had to jump through hoops to convince him to train you, but all I had to do was ask.”
Enraged, Vegeta roared as he broke free and chased after him, following him down to Earth; through the mesosphere, the stratosphere, the troposphere, until they were over a lush, green field.
Goku stopped and lunged at Vegeta with a fist to the face, but the destroyer was undeterred, kicking him upside the chin, disorienting him before speeding above him and knocking him to the ground with enough force to embed him into a crater. Goku struggled to get on his feet before succumbing to unconsciousness.
With Kakarot out of the way, Vegeta was now free to destroy this planet and regain his title. He would prove to Lord Beerus that he was worthy to take his place and rule as Destroyer. Nothing could stop him now.
“Vegeta!”
That voice.
That voice.
It cut him. His thoughts scrambled. He hadn’t heard that voice in months. He’d long forgotten the power that voice- that woman- had on him.
“Vegeta,” she called again, “please, don’t do this.”
He looked over to the source of the voice. Clever. That low-class lead him right to the Capsule Corp compound without him even knowing it.
There on the terrace of their home, Bulma stood, calling to him.
How dare she.
If Vegeta didn’t put an end to her interference, she would ruin him just as before.
Vegeta flew to the terrace, hovering in front of Bulma as Whis materialized beside him.
“Woman, you had no right to interfere by wishing back that lazy feline who calls himself a god.”
“Well,” Bulma said, placing her hands on her hips. “Sue me if I just want my husband back.”
“The man you knew no longer exists,” he told her. “I am the God of Destruction, and I will destroy Earth.”
“Lord Champa told me everything,” she said. “It’s that power messing with your mind. You have to resist it.”
But he clung to it as the war between godhood and his former life waged inside him. He could not let her win. Could not revert back to his lesser self. He was a god. This was his destiny. He could not let that slip from his grasp, and certainly not after everything he had done.
“Daddy!” A tiny, blue haired little girl bounded onto the terrace, gleefully approaching the railing as she called to her father. “Daddy, you’re home. You’re home! Mommy said she would get you back and she did. Yeah!”
“Sorry, mom,” Trunks apologized as he joined them. “I tried to keep her inside, but when she saw dad, there was no stopping her.”
“It’s okay, sweetie,” his mother assured before turning back to her husband.
“Come home, Vegeta,” she pleaded.
His resistance was crumbling. Memories of home and family taunted him. Bulma’s tender care as he abused his body to prepare for the androids. The first time he saw her holding Trunks. The first time he held Bulla. The unconditional love his family had for him no matter how far he had fallen. All of it flooded back, forcing him to remember why he had initially refused to succeed Lord Beerus.
But Vegeta the Destroyer would not be deterred. He had to act fast before he lost his resolve.
He held out a hand, a ball of purple ki materializing in his palm.
“Mommy.” Bulla ran to her mother, frightened. “Is daddy mad at us?”
“No, sweetie,” she assured, pulling her close. “He’s making a choice.”
Trunks stood by her side, the two standing defiantly before their destroyer, Bulla clinging to her mother for dear life.
Vegeta’s throne- his destiny- was at stake, yet he struggled with the temptation to relinquish it all for the sake of these mortals he once called his family. He could not let that happen. Mustn't let it happen!
Before he could change his mind, Vegeta ignored knife in his gut and the cries of his loved ones as he threw down the ki blast, completing his mission.
He was staring out their bedroom window, the room still dark as she stood behind him in tears.
“I just want to know… why?”
Vegeta didn’t know what to say, but the very least he could do was try.
“Since Kakarot’s death, I didn’t know what I was anymore. I was no longer a warrior, I settled down with a family and thought I’d find contentment here.
“But, when I heard that Kakarot would be here for the tournament, I knew it was my last shot at beating him and took the one guarantee that was offered me. It also made me realize how much I missed what I was before, without attachment, without anyone to care for. I thought I had become weak. That I’d lost my glory. But now I know I was wrong.”
Inadequate words, but what else could he possibly say?
One thing was certain. He would never forsake his family again. Not for all the glory the universe could offer. It would be meaningless without them. He knew that now.
He turned, hoping to find the words to convey his regret over his actions, only to spy a shadowy figure behind his wife. She turned to it, indignant.
They were no longer in their room.
“How dare you,” she scolded. “I want you gone right now!” She slapped the figure, which was clearly unmoved. But when he slapped her back, she was knocked to the ground.
“Hey,” Vegeta yelled as his power rose to an unprecedented level, his blood boiling. “That’s my wife, you bastard!”
He charged at the figure, determined to protect Bulma- protect Earth- from being destroyed by this imposing figure who calls himself a god.
“You can’t win, Vegeta,” Lord Beerus told him. “Saiyan powers are no match for a god.”
“I can’t let you destroy Earth,” Vegeta said. “Why must you always destroy?”
“Why, it’s in my name, of course.”
But that wasn’t good enough for the Saiyan prince. He lunged at his adversary, taking him by the throat. “I’ll ask you again. Why must you always destroy?” He punched Beerus in the face before demanding one more time, “Why must you always destroy?!”
When the destroyer looked back up at him, it was not with the face of Lord Beerus, but his own.
Burning embers drifted in the void where Earth had been just moments ago.
Vegeta had expected the elation he would get whenever he destroyed a planet. The high that reminded him of those bygone days when he would purge planets and win battles. But, as he gazed helplessly at what was left of his former home, it wasn’t with victory or excitement, but with regret and loss.
He was a monster from the beginning, born and bred. Even after settling with his new family on Earth he had fallen back into that dark place which drove him to kill, releasing an even more powerful monster that had destroyed everything he held dear. And now it had happened again, only this time he had lost everything by his own hand.
And Whis had been right. Destroying Earth did not change the fact that Lord Beerus was the rightful God of Destruction. Vegeta had only been a substitute.
Bulma.
Trunks.
Bulla.
Kakarot.
Earth.
All gone.
Gone.
How many other innocent lives had he taken in his lifetime?
Why did he ever find pleasure in it?
It was his Saiyan nature, of course. But that was no excuse.
The monster within him crept in once again, determined to claim its prize, but this time he resisted.
“No,” he rasped, Whis beside him. “I can’t do this anymore.”
“Are you saying you are now ready to relinquish your power?”
“If I do,” Vegeta looked up at him, “where would I go?”
Whis smiled, pausing for effect. “Home.”
Vegeta’s eyes flared, indignant. “Have you even been paying attention? I just destroyed my home.”
Whis chuckled. “My, my, how quickly you’ve forgotten.”
What the hell is this weirdo getting at?
It took a moment for Vegeta to remember.
The do-over.
He wasn’t sure how much time had gone by. Time seemed to slow down, even stop. It couldn’t have all happened in less than three minutes, could it?
Yet if three minutes had already gone by, Whis would not have suggested it.
“Well, what are you waiting for, you idiot?” Vegeta snapped. “Get on with it before it’s too late!”
The angel’s smile broadened. “As you wish.”
A small disk appeared beneath his staff, upon which he taped the but of it twice. Time sped backwards so quickly it was but a blur, and once again Vegeta was hovering before his family, holding a deadly ball of ki.
“Mommy.” Bulla ran to her mother, frightened. “Is daddy mad at us?”
“No, sweetie,” she assured, pulling her close. “He’s making a choice.”
“I’ve already made it,” Vegeta announced before the violet ki dissolved and was gone. “Whis, take this power from me,” he said, his family letting out a collective sigh of relief. “And give Lord Beerus my regards.”
o-o-o-o-o
If there was ever a reason for a party, Bulma would throw one like it was an Olympic sport.
Everyone was present. The gods and their attendants, including Miku, were there. Goku even came with Uub in tow, showing off his new fighting skills. The children ran around playing or sparing when they weren’t eating. Mr. Roshi and elder Kai ogled over Roshi’s prized collection of girly magazines. Chi-Chi and Panchi kept everyone fed and happy.
One of their guests of honor, however, was missing, and Bulma found him sitting up against a tree by their pond. It was just like Vegeta to go off by himself and sulk instead of joining the party, not that she blamed him after what he had been through.
“Mind if I join you?” she tentatively asked, to which he answered with a grunt and a shrug. They sat in silence for several minutes before Bulma spoke again.
“We missed you, you know. All of us. Everyone’s here to welcome you back.”
Vegeta looked away from her with a huff. He was clearly having a hard time facing her. He’d been this way the last two days since he came back.
Bulma placed a hand on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Talk to me,” she encouraged.
“About what?” he snapped. “About all the people I killed? The planets I destroyed? About how I chose godhood over my own family?” He had already told her what he had done when he came back, and that was about all he had said until now.
“You know we could’ve had this same conversation when you first came here, right?” She was trying to remind him that this was nothing new to her, but he needed more convincing.
“Back then, you were forced to purge planets under Frieza. But you found a new life here and learned we’re not all tyrants and back-stabbers. Then Babidi manipulated you into killing people and fighting Goku to free Buu, but you sacrificed your life to stop him. This is no different, so quit blaming yourself.” Vegeta was always harder on himself than anyone else was when he screwed up. Forgiving himself always took some doing.
She reached up and cupped his chin, forcing him to look at her. “We got through all that, and we’ll get through this, too.”
“Why do you even bother?” he asked, pulling his face from her grasp.
“Because you always do the right thing in the end,” she assured him, “and because I love you.
“Besides,” she added, “You did look awfully hot in that destroyer getup.”
Vegeta immediately turned fifty shades of crimson, his reply unintelligible.
“Yeah,” she said as she leaned back against the tree. “In fact, I’ve been considering making a replica of it. You know, for… reasons.” She winked at him. “And, if you’re a real good boy, I’ll make one for myself, too.”
“Cut it out, woman,” he ordered.
Bulma kept her peace as her husband once again gazed at the pond. They didn’t speak for a few more minutes before Vegeta broke the silence.
“I’m sure you’d make one fine looking destroyer.”
That made Bulma laugh, and soon Vegeta joined her with mere chuckles. Bulma threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek before burying her face into the crook of his neck.
“Welcome home, honey,” she crooned. Vegeta reveled in her embrace as his guilt slowly melted away.
It was good to be home.