Chapter 02

"Dad, Mom, let's go on that one!" Trunks grabbed his parents' hands, dragging them to the next toy in their day at the amusement park.

For Vegeta, hell was more fun, and this park was hell. Except for the street food, there was nothing good about this place.

He didn't understand what fun it was to walk in the middle of these crowds, to endure so much noise just to use the so-called toys. These things were...slow and boring. The boy could make light itself look embarrassing compared to his speed, blow up planets without even trying, and even explore the cosmos...in a few more years, and with his mother's permission, then this silly, happy smile made no sense.

At least, it used to not make sense.

It wasn't the toys, nor what they could do that made the boy happy, it was the company; the mere act of being with those he loved that brought that smile to life on his face.

Vegeta had to lose them to finally understand something so simple.

His eyes opened and the park disappeared along with those who accompanied him, revealing the reddish sky of a familiar place.

"Ohh, you woke up." Whis had been waiting for some time now, however, the peacefulness of that sleep indicated a good dream that should not be interrupted.

"Whis..." Vegeta regained his senses completely, as did the memories of recent events, and his stomach churned. "Why am I here?"

To the listener, it sounded more like he was questioning why he was still alive.

"Because I thought it would be for the best," Beerus was there too, meditating nearby and took the liberty of explaining. "It wouldn't be pleasant at all if you had another fit of rage for being on Earth and near... him."

The God of Destruction wasn't wrong.

"I see..." Vegeta had no idea what he would have done after waking up in this new reality where he couldn't feel the Ki of those gone and desperately wanted to see again to come face to face with the power radiating from that bastard. Maybe, while blinded by anger, I would even forget about Bulla...

Losing control and ending up doing anything that could hurt her was unthinkable, yet a fact to consider.

The anger of a Saiyan wasn't easy to contain, much less to control.

"Vegeta," Beerus called for the broken-hearted Saiyan's attention and took a deep breath to express himself as best he could, "I'm sorry for your loss."

Only now Vegeta looked at the God of Destruction and did not expect to hear words of consolation from this entity known as the embodiment of death.

For a moment he thought he was still dreaming; that maybe none of this was real, but as he bit his lips and tasted his blood he was sure that what he feared most was true.

On his knees, red drops of his blood and translucent tears fell over his clenched fists onto the grass of this divine world.

Once again, Vegeta found himself crying. Although... this was the first time he did it for someone and not for his wounded pride.

Vegeta could almost feel something breaking inside him; in his heart, as he poured out those damn salty drops for the loss of most of his family.

What he felt could not be described in words. There was a sense of shame at being unable to protect the only thing that mattered in this life of freedom and peace, as well as frustration at not being able to reverse this damned result with the usual ease provided by the Dragon Balls, and most of all, there was the familiar hatred toward the one responsible for all of this.

No, it was even worse!

Vegeta hated that damned Kakarot more than ever!

Beerus could feel those emotions emanating along with the prince's power, about to have another burst of more than justified rage and decide to say something else that didn't suit him,

"Of all the mortals I have encountered throughout my vast life, Bulma was the weakest and scariest of them." Sentimentality was something he didn't understand... or rather, he stopped understanding long ago. Vegeta was someone similar to him, so it was hard to see him showing such emotion, to the point where he couldn't get angry and attack the prince like he normally would. No, strangely enough, he could only utter words that he would hardly admit were true in any other situation and be sincere to the point of earning a small smile from Whis. "Therefore, I say that I will hardly forget her as long as I live."

The prevailing anger gave way to surprise, and Vegeta recovered his ability to reason so that he could calm down. Somehow, he felt no shame for having let these emotions out in front of the two most powerful beings in this universe.

"Thank you, Lord Beerus." Truly, Vegeta was grateful as this proved how special his wife really was.

Bulma, without knowing it, had managed to mark even the non-existent heart of the God of Destruction.

"Hn." Beerus wasn't good with such things, so he avoided getting attached to mortals. After so long, and seeing so many interesting people die, he thought he was used to it, but it simply wasn't something that could be changed. "As for Goku."

Vegeta trembled from head to toe just hearing that cursed name, and for a second his eyes shone royal blue to make the planet shake.

"I have banished him from my world and the divine affairs of this universe," Beerus said having to hold back a smile at the prince's reaction. He really had grown stronger. He could feel it in his skin, being even stronger than what the prince had shown in his last failed attempt at revenge, probably the genetic traits of the Saiyans doing their job. This almost made him want a fight, but this was not the time. "Don't get me wrong, I didn't do this for you or Bulma." Kind of, but he would never admit it. "Over this short time that Goku has been getting his hands on divine power, he has been showing himself to be very..."

"Immature, Lord Beerus," Whis made sure to help find the correct term.

"Yes, as well as irresponsible with the scale of the problems he creates because of his obsession and reckless ideals. Let's just say that this...incident was the last straw," Beerus couldn't say much about the part about wanting to take on someone stronger, but he understood the gravity and consequence of his actions. "So taking away something he really enjoys, seems like an appropriate punishment."

Losing access to the divine and issues that related to other universes, plus the chances of fighting numerous unknown warriors would hit Kakarot right where it hurt the most.

However, Vegeta wanted to be the one to deliver those blows until he broke him for good!

"That could hardly appease the resentment inside you," Beerus was no telepath, but he knew exactly what was going on in that almost hate-consumed mind. "That's why, when the time comes, an arena in the Empty World will be waiting for you. There, you two will be able to settle things without risking destroying this universe... and potentially the others around it."

Even though he had been banished from the divine, Goku was training and training hard; preparing himself for the inevitable. He should have known better than anyone that Vegeta would be more than capable of challenging him someday and giving him a fight, possibly the fight of his life.

"That..." Vegeta hadn't thought that far ahead, he only knew that he would fight Kakarot or die trying. But now, he wouldn't risk destroying everything around him with his selfish desire, "I have no words."

"You don't have to, just put on a good show." Beerus would get something good out of this too, by showing the other universes the power of the Seventh and establishing once and for all which one was the strongest!

"Definitely." Vegeta wouldn't just make him pay the price of stealing much of his reason for living, he would finally claim the rank of most powerful Saiyan! Just wait for me, Kakarot!

His revenge was beginning to take shape and was no longer just an illusion!

Or so it should be.

"Although... I don't think that fight will happen anytime soon." Beerus circled Vegeta, analyzing on a deeper level the prince's current power. The demonstration he and Goku made when the wish was denied was a good comparison of the differences between them. "You've definitely gotten stronger... completely mastering your new blue form and even gaining access to your latent power by fixing that horrendous imbalance of your Ki with your body, but that all doesn't even come close to being enough, even more so from here on out."

Vegeta knew that better than anyone. While he had gotten stronger to the point of being unbelievable, this was all proving to be a minimal achievement after breaking his bones by just hitting that clown and being practically defeated in a single damn blow.

The truth was that, for the time being, Vegeta was arguably weaker than Kakarot...

"To be honest, at this point, Goku could probably make me take him seriously in this form," Beerus hated to admit, but continuing to deny that truth was even worse, "You, on the other hand, still have a long way to go."

An unexpected and frightening piece of information to cogitate on.

"In this form?" Vegeta wasn't sure he heard it right.

"Hmph, what?" Beerus had his predatory, sarcastic smile back on his face along with his usual arrogance. "Did you really think that only you Saiyans could transform?"

This revelation brought back memories of the tournament of power and a certain God of Destruction candidate.

"Like Toppo?" Vegeta muttered, unsure if it was what that claim was about. The rise of this God's smile sent shivers through his body with the confirmation and revelation of how outmatched he had been since their first meeting. He is an even bigger monster than I imagined.

Somehow he could compare all this to when he was a mere child before Frieza.

The difference in power was simply absurd.

In all of this was Whis, with his almost indifferent smile; someone even more powerful than Lord Beerus.

"Surprised? You better be," Beerus never tired of bragging about his unlimited strength. "The Incarnation of Destruction, that's something every God of Destruction can access, but I'm even more above that because I also have Ultra Instinct Sign!"

"Something that needs a lot of work," Whis reminded, always ready to diminish this student's ego before it went too far up his head.

Again, Vegeta swallowed dryly, not even able to imagine how powerful Beerus really was, but knowing all this didn't help him.

"That...is impressive, Lord Beerus," he hesitated to continue, but his first mentor was sharp enough to understand his doubts.

"The point he's trying to explain and failing," Whis ignored Beerus' tantrum, smiling to continue, "is that there is more than one divine technique."

"I was getting there, Whis!" Beerus hated being interrupted, even more by someone he couldn't destroy!

"Of course you were!" Whis stifled a laugh, however much more forced than usual. "That would certainly happen after you bragged about being one of the most powerful Gods, wouldn't it?"

"As I said, I was getting there!" Beerus grumbled until he sighed, starting to feel hungry and sleepy along with his bad mood.

Vegeta didn't know what to say about that. This silly exchange aside, he always knew Beerus was strong, but these revelations made him feel smaller and smaller in comparison. There were twelve Gods of Destruction, each of them was stronger than him and could probably access this 'Incarnation of Destruction' thing, and Beerus was still among the strongest...

Regardless, all that didn't matter. Beerus was not the enemy to be faced... at least, not anymore. Therefore, Vegeta would find a way. He always did and would be able to close the power gap between him and Kakarot, no matter how big it was.

"As I was trying to say, Ultra Instinct is not the only divine technique, there is also the Hakai!" Beerus pointed to the sky and released a small amount of destruction energy that resulted in the almost immediate explosion of one of the decorative planets, whose resulting shock was unlike anything the little prince had ever seen in his life. "What do you think," he smiled even wider at the stunned reaction from his demonstration, "interested?"

"S-so much power coming from so little Ki..." Vegeta could hardly do the same without using dozens, maybe even hundreds of times more power and so casually, not understanding how the explosion had been so powerful. "Wait!" everything that was said by Beerus finally hit him to his confusion. "Are you suggesting..."

"Don't jump to conclusions, Vegeta," Beerus still had more to say. "Although I'm not even close to retiring, perhaps, I could accept you as a candidate for God of Destruction." Beerus was young, relatively speaking, still having hundreds of millions of years ahead of him before he retired from his job, yet nothing was stopping him from having a candidate beforehand. "That way, you could close the power gap between you and Goku."

In fact, if everything went right, Vegeta would surpass Goku based solely on how difficult Ultra Instinct was to master in depth.

Even more so without a teacher.

Besides, Destruction was an ego-driven power that had no limits and no need for a calm heart.

"Candidate to a God of Destruction?" The term reminded Vegeta of a time when destruction was all his heart sought; of a version of himself who would accept without hesitation. Now, however...

How could he, especially after knowing the pain of loss to such an extent?

There was simply no way he could go back to the way he was before, no matter how much hatred his heart harbored against Kakarot.

"Objectively speaking, there are only two suitable candidates for the job in this universe: Freeza and you," Beerus continued speaking, not noticing the kind of expression Vegeta was making.

"Freeza?" Imagining that trash with such power was unthinkable, and Vegeta was capable of accepting the offer only to not give him such an opportunity. "You can't be serious."

The universe would be torn apart at the hands of that monster!

"As I said, I'm not retiring anytime soon. And as for my statement about you and Freeza, I'm referring to the current era. A thousand years from now, that answer might be different... Nah, better say millions of years from now." Powerful entities were rare and it took forever for new ones to appear, Beerus knew of that better than anyone. "If you don't want to, I won't offer Freeza either... I kind of don't like him."

That lizard was too arrogant as it was, as God of Destruction he would be insufferable.

"A wise decision, Lord Beerus." Whis would rather avoid tutoring someone so unruly. "Mr. Freeza is just like Mr. Goku, someone completely unsuitable for the job."

As for Kakarot, Vegeta could understand, but Freeza? The bastard was the embodiment of destruction, always was, and probably would continue to be until he died for good. He wasn't a God of Destruction just in name and power, because otherwise...

"You see, Mr. Vegeta," Whis would elaborate to clear up the doubt, "While Mr. Goku is very kind, Mr. Freeza..."

"He's a psychopath." Another reason Beerus dislikes the little white...or golden...lizard. "He likes to destroy more than he should."

"Exactly." A crude, yet accurate description Whis would say. "Hesitating and looking for an excuse to avoid destroying a planet, Mr. Goku would do just that. Mr. Freeza, on the other hand, would make excuses so he could destroy more planets than necessary."

"That would be counterproductive," Beerus knew, for he himself preferred not to abuse the destruction, so it would increase the chances of having more planets with delicious cuisine. That and the Mortal Level would also go up, especially after the universe had almost been wiped out for that very reason. "Destruction is all about balance, not too many planets and not too few."

It was about time. Whis wondered how much longer it would take for this student of his to understand the true nature of his work.

"That makes me the middle ground." Vegeta did what needed to be done, regardless of what it was.

He was always like that and always would be.

"That's why you would be the best candidate. Currently, that is," Beerus reiterated, certain that his point had been made. "So, what do you say?"

A tempting offer, since he would receive real training from Whis, not limited as it has been until now. In that case, considering all he had accomplished with so little, what would not come of this unique offer?

Reaching the level of a God of Destruction would be just around the corner, and who knows, maybe even being the one to provide a challenge to Lord Beerus, as well as the most important: his revenge against Kakarot.

However...

"I appreciate the offer, Lord Beerus," Vegeta really did, hardly having any words to express himself. "But, I cannot become a Destroyer... not anymore." Again, his former self would not think twice about accepting, but even though he hated Kakarot as he would have done in those days of incessant bloodshed, his current self no longer wanted to do any of that. "Besides, I would like to search for a way to get where I need on my own." Exactly as he had always done. A search that could end in a dead end, but whose outcome was completely unexpected. "Should I find nothing promising, I will not hesitate to return."

Nothing more than expected for those listening and who knew this proud prince.

However...

"I think you've got things wrong here, Vegeta," Beerus sighed, hating to have to explain when this hardhead could have simply accepted the offer. "If you refuse, you'll never be able to go head-to-head with Goku, not anymore."

That was the truth that needed to be told.

"What do you mean?" Vegeta narrowed his eyes, even closing his fists with the discomfort such a claim brought.

How could he not surpass that clown? The two of them kept doing that to each other! They always leveled each other in power! Hell, Vegeta was sure Kakarot would have to transform to hold his own against his base form now that he had access to all his latent power! Yet Beerus would ignore all that to make such a claim?!

"Ultra Instinct is a purely divine technique, so it uses only divine power." Beerus would ignore that look Vegeta dared to make because of the situation as a whole. "Your Blue form makes use of your mortal Ki as a Super Saiyan to inflate your God Ki to a higher level. Your newer Blue form, which breaks your limits, perfectly combines those two energies into one to again go up a level, though not as much as the previous transformation."

Vegeta knew this very well, not understanding why all this explanation was necessary.

"My point is, in case you haven't noticed," Beerus smirked at the power emanating from his body like waves of violence and destruction to surpass what Vegeta could remotely demonstrate and went much further, "that God Ki is thousands of times stronger than a mortal's Ki!"

Vegeta clenched his teeth, angry to the point of giving up trying to fight that power and the truth of those words.

"That combination of powers of yours is not a waste, but unfortunately it doesn't compare to a purely divine form," a fact reflected in the power Beerus held in his hands. "That's why, from here on out, now that Goku has managed to access Ultra Instinct at will, surpassing it may be just a dream without making use of an equally divine technique!"

Now Vegeta understood.

Beerus was not mocking him but making clear what was needed to achieve his goal.

"Even if that is the truth," he would not change his mind, "I cannot become a Destroyer."

Bulma wouldn't want that.

"Stubborn Saiyan..." Beerus wanted to break this prince's hard skull! "Fine, you don't have to become one!"

Silence reigned on this divine planet for more than a moment.

"Wait a minute, what?" Vegeta wasn't sure if he heard that correctly.

Whis had to stifle a laugh, wanting to tell the reason for this abrupt change and Beerus' insistence on all this.

Because he had promised a good fight to the other gods, he couldn't let Vegeta fall behind, no matter what.

"Exactly what I said!" Beerus hated repeating himself, and this traitor Whis wasn't helping! "You don't have to become even a candidate, but I'll just teach you the basics and after that, it's up to you!"

The damn time he opened his mouth to get an arena, having to promise the Grand Priest a fight to the delight of Lord Zen'oh and all the other gods!

Not to mention that if he had accepted, I wouldn't even have to work for the next million years! This was the part that really made Beerus want to kill someone! "Let's get started right away!"

He had some anger to vent, and Vegeta with all his altruism would take the worst of it.

"Better not keep him waiting, Mr. Vegeta," Whis had seen that face before and it was never a good sign. "After your...training is over, I have some matters to address."

"Hmm?" Vegeta was still kind of lost in all this, not knowing what to say other than agree. "Y-yes, fine."

Then a little ride through hell began, with Beerus showing Vegeta the difference in power between them in the worst way.

Thus, a few months passed with instruction on the power of destruction, where even a lesson was given to him about the sin of the Saiyans not being a burden he should carry and the fact that Beerus had given the order to the cursed Freeza to destroy planet Vegeta.

For a moment, he hated this god more than Kakarot.

Unfortunately, there was a good reason for that to happen.

The Saiyans were a threat to the balance of the universe and needed to die.

It was for reasons like this that a God of Destruction was needed.

Vegeta understood this and now even accepted it.

However, amid this turmoil resulting from an unexpected revelation, a change within him remained to assist him in this quest for power.

Thus Vegeta learned to erase things from existence, and his limited training came to an end.

"Here," Beerus handed this temporary student an earring. "A proof that you are capable of using Hakai." A proof that he could be more than a mere mortal and stand a chance against Son Goku. "From here on out, it's up to you."

"I won't let you down," that was a promise Vegeta was making both to this unexpected mentor and himself as he placed this earring in his left ear. One step closer to taking down that clown.

Now all that remained was to master this power completely until he turned it into a new divine transformation as Kakarot had done with Ultra Instinct.

The problem was that this was something uncertain, so Vegeta would not put all his expectations on this power and would look for something else as he had planned.

Maybe I should go to Yardrat again, Vegeta cogitated, the possibilities in that world being beyond imagination. Something to consider.

There was a lot to learn there, and that was a fact.

"Whatever," Beerus was too sleepy to deal with this. "I'm going to sleep, so don't come back until you're strong enough to give me a fight in this form."

"Definitely." Vegeta would do much more than that, he wanted to see the full power of this God of Destruction. Just wait.

Then next, it would be Kakarot's turn!

With the departure of a sleepy Beerus, Vegeta was thinking about his next steps when Whis approached.

"Mr. Vegeta." He had a few things to share before his departure.

"What is it, Whis?" Vegeta was always attentive to the words of his first mentor.

"I have some gifts for you," Whis smiled and waved his staff before being questioned, touching Vegeta's head with its blinding glow.

Being caught off guard, Vegeta couldn't even react in time and felt his whole body boil as if he had been electrocuted. Then, just like that, all this strange feeling disappeared and comfort took over him.

"Whis! What was that for?!" He stepped back, confused by what this angel had done. Examining his body, he felt looser and freer than he remembered, almost like he used to be decades ago. "What have you done?"

It must have been some kind of extreme healing, for injuries rooted from long before he had settled on earth.

Hell, even his left arm, which was becoming a weakness after so many years, looked perfect!

"While I said it was a gift, I didn't say it was from me." With another flick of his staff, Whis made a mirror appear before them. "That was Bulma's wish."

Vegeta's eyes widened as wide as they could go, not believing what Whis had done! He looked as Young as Gohan or when he was in his Super Saiyan God transformation, except that his muscle mass remained the same.

"Whis, what the hell?!" He couldn't believe it! Waiting for a good explanation for this nonsense, when he finally allowed himself to understand what had just been said. "Wait... did you say Bulma?"

What did Bulma have to do with all this madness?

"I suppose Mr. Vegeta remembers the conversation we had before the battle against that other Saiyan?" a rhetorical question, Whis knew. There was no way he couldn't remember that day. "The wish Bulma had was to get five years younger, right?"

"Yes, I remember." Vegeta relaxed a little, recalling those moments that could no longer be recreated other than in his memories.

"Later, she told me she made that same wish for you," Whis said and got an even bigger reaction than Lord Beerus' offer. It seemed that for him, Bulma was more important than power.

Something he wasn't sure he could say about Mr. Goku and his wife.

"But... I didn't feel any difference." If something similar to what Whis had just done had happened, Vegeta wouldn't have missed it. Unless the dragon balls have a different effect?

"Your confusion is not unfounded, for that wish was not fulfilled. The Earth dragon cannot affect an entity with power that exceeds his by such a margin. Without permission, that is," Whis clarified, but could see more questions being created.

"Permission I would never grant..." That explained the lack of apparent change, which probably wouldn't even make a difference. After all, five years was nothing to a pure-blood Saiyan who could live up to two hundred years. Regardless, Vegeta still wanted to know the reason for all this.

"That's why I'm the one doing it." Whis smiled, even though he knew the gift had not been well received.

"I don't understand. Why would Bulma want something like this? We Saiyans remain in the prime of our youth until the end of days. Something like this is completely unnecessary." Vegeta had explained this to her in the past, more than once, when she complained about getting older on her own, when she didn't change at all over the years either. Well, she was using the dragon balls without anyone knowing...

"Bulma's request wasn't to make you younger, but to give back the time that was stolen from you." Whis wanted Bulma to be there to watch Vegeta grow more and more confused and have the opportunity to explain it herself. I should have done this earlier when she was still among us...

A pity, it was too late for regrets. Still, he couldn't help but regret it more and more.

"The time that was stolen from me? what was she..." Then Vegeta remembered one of the topics she most insisted on questioning and he avoided, "The time I spent serving Freeza."

The time as a slave of that cursed bastard, where he spent more time sleeping inside those Pods than training. Vegeta remembers commenting on this small grudge in Bulma's presence after he had been surpassed by father and son in the fight against Cell.

When serving Freeza, conquering and destroying planets, Vegeta never stayed in the same place for more than a month. Trips between missions, however, lasted at least a month and escalated to years. All this time was spent sleeping, greatly affecting how much his power grew in his youth.

Vegeta always believed that Freeza did this on purpose, to prevent him from training and growing stronger to become a threat.

Bulma must have heard that and never forgot it. In fact, she even tried to help him get back all those lost years...

"Not only that, but I also discounted the time you spent in that room with time dilation." An extra service, which made no difference at all to Whis, but which would certainly help Vegeta in this coming quest. I'm sure Bulma thought about it too, but she didn't want her husband to look younger than her, fu, fu~

She tended to worry about some things so silly!

"B-But that's at least thirty years!" More than half of his life! Now Vegeta was worried whether this had affected his power in any way, for he was unquestionably weak in his youth.

"So now you are twenty-five years old, congratulations!" Whis didn't receive a celebration back, acknowledging the concern present. "Don't worry, your power remains the same."

He would never make a mistake like that, Vegeta should know better.

"That's good." Very good, taking an absurd weight off his back. Still, Vegeta didn't know what to say. "Whis, I'm grateful for the intention, but..."

How could he accept this? He didn't want to live much longer than necessary. The days he longed for eternal life were over. Even more so after Bulma and Trunks were gone, such attachment to life had diminished considerably.

If it weren't for Bulla, Vegeta would have blown himself up along with this universe in an attempt to take Kakarot with him.

"I won't undo it," Whis denied the request before the prince could finish justifying himself. "To me, that was pretty much Bulma's last wish."

"I understand that may be the case, but why would you take it forward? Going even against my own will?" Vegeta wanted a good reason to simply accept it quietly.

Whis had asked himself the same question every day since she was gone. The answer probably lay in the way he interacted with Bulma.

To him, Bulma was the only mortal in his entire existence that he came to consider a friend.

Truly, the more Whis thought about it, the worse he felt. Since forever, only his older sister, Cus, received any manifestation of positive emotions from him, as well as from his other siblings. She was what mortals called a mother figure, the one who raised and taught them in place of the Grand Priest.

While they respected their father, they feared him much more. Cus, unlike the suffocating feeling of submission and obedience imposed by the Grand Priest, was much more receptive and gentle, so everyone didn't respect her... they loved her.

Time was a cruel thing and its passage changed many things. The influence of the one you kneel to becomes more present and a sense of superiority is born, creating deep roots.

The mortals, Whis learned to ignore their minute life existence, being destroyed by the trillions every day around the multiverse. In the end, even the Gods he guided didn't represent much of anything.

Whis was egocentric.

Not only him, but every member of his family, except Cus, the oldest and genuinely concerned for their welfare, and Merus, the moralistic fool who was lucky enough not to grow up around their father, were the same as to what happened to those around them.

Even the universe they helped guide had little sentimental value.

Bulma, one of those mortals, frail and insignificant, achieved the impossible with Whis, almost the same as Goku did with Lord Beerus, and gained his attention. She wasn't like other mortals, gods, and angels. There was no fear or admiration in those blue eyes, like the mortals who learned of his existence. She didn't see him as a means to an end, like the gods and those who wanted his power. Not even that indifference and coldness hid behind the fake smile of the other angels.

Bulma looked at him the same way she did at everyone she interacted with.

She treated him as an equal.

Some might say it was nothing more than ignorance, but Whis saw that as a kind of strength and let his guard down, stopped using sarcasm at everything, and interacted freely with another intelligent being.

It reminded him of the past, where everything was simpler, more ordinary, and fun. It also brought back those emotions long buried within him.

Whis loved her... and it confused him.

The only kind of love he knew was that for his older sister, but with Bulma... it was similar, yet different.

These feelings, after he came to the conclusion that he would never see her again, started to hurt him.

"I felt nothing when my brother died, nor when the other students I spent millions of years with... and with Bulma, in such a short time, she managed to make me feel and experience something unknown like sadness and pain of loss." It was so fast, almost like a day from a mortal's point of view and Whis was sorry it wasn't more.

Vegeta had never seen his mentor show an expression like that, only now realizing how close they were. While Bulma used to call Whis her best friend, he had no idea it was a reciprocal feeling.

"If all I can do to honor the memory of my only friend is to carry out a wish against your will, Vegeta, so be it." Whis was determined, and not even his father would change his mind.

More and more Vegeta noticed how much the death of his wife affected those whose lives she was a part of.

"All right, Whis," Vegeta resigned himself to the fate imposed upon him and accepted the gift. "I won't ask you to undo anything."

In the end, this could be a blessing in disguise. With so much time recuperated, he could go to the Time and Spirit Room and stay there until he nearly went mad.

"Oh, just for the record, I took the liberty of modifying that room and disabling its effect should you try to use it again." Whis had a hunch about how this gift would be used and hit the nail on the head when he saw Vegeta's face show disappointment. "I didn't give your time back so you could just throw it away again."

"I should have imagined..." Vegeta would have to find another plan then.

"That was Bulma's gift, now it's time to give you my gift!" Whis gained the prince's attention and used his staff to create a small rectangular object and deliver it to his hands.

"And what exactly would this be?" Vegeta, for a moment, feared that it was some further violation of his physical integrity.

"A Scroll!" Whis stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, enjoying the justified confusion arising in this pupil of his.

"It doesn't look like one." Even if it was, hardly a scroll would be of any use to him.

"Not literal, silly!" Whis touched Vegeta's forehead with his staff, hoping to clear everything up.

"This..." Out of nowhere, Vegeta knew exactly what he was holding and how to use it. With a touch, the small electronic device opened to show a transparent screen with his personal information. "Prince Vegeta, the Fourth..."

It also had a date of birth, age, address, bank account, and even a license... to hunt? But for what? Even on Earth he didn't have any of this... or did he? This seemed like exactly the kind of thing Bulma would do to try to force him to fit in better in society.

"In that direction," Whis pointed, to which Vegeta looked. "In the last galaxy and on the farthest planet, there is something that can help you achieve what you desire most."

What he wanted most was power, so this planet must be as special as Yardrat, but...

"That's almost half a universe away. To get there, I would have to..." Vegeta didn't even like the thought of having to use that clown's technique.

"Vegeta, you must abandon this line of thinking," Whis warned, aware of what that conflicted expression was all about, "For that being the case, you shouldn't even use your transformations anymore."

Even if it remembered that bastard, Vegeta would never abandon his full power. Teleportation, however, was a move characteristic of Kakarot.

"That technique was created and taught by the Yardradians, so it doesn't belong exclusively to Mr. Goku and neither does to anyone else." Whis didn't want to see Vegeta letting resentment cloud his common sense, or else he would never move on.

As always, there was logic in the words spoken by this angelic instructor. Super Saiyan transformations, spirit control, short and long-range techniques... Vegeta and Kakarot shared countless similarities, using teleportation wouldn't change anything.

No, it would be even better. Using the most characteristic technique against the user himself had a different taste in defeat. Vegeta experienced this firsthand when Moro hit him with his Big Bang Attack.

"All right, Whis. You won," Vegeta gave up trying to look for more reasons to hate that clown when there was more than enough already.

Vegeta would use everything he could to get the power he needed.

"Very well." Whis was satisfied, noting that it was relatively easy to convince him. The loss really affected him. He would know, as he experienced for the first time what it felt like.

Before, it would be almost impossible to make Vegeta change his mind. Now, while he was filled with anger, that resentment was completely directed and focused on a single person.

Bulma may have been erased from this timeline, but her influence still lived on in Vegeta... and in everyone whose history she was a part of.

Having nothing more to do on this planet, Vegeta would reluctantly return to Earth before searching for the planet Whis recommended.

"Vegeta," Whis interrupted the Saiyajin's departure. "Before you go, I have a request to make."

"What is it?" Vegeta was listening, curious. It was hardly something complicated, considering it was always about food.

Not this time.

"Your daughter, Bulla." Whis didn't miss the clear reaction shown. "I want your permission to bring her here and guard her."

"You want to take care of Bulla?" Of all the things Whis could have asked, that one didn't even cross Vegeta's mind. "Why?"

"Probably to appease the pain and guilt I feel," Whis wouldn't lie about that. If he hadn't left as soon as he was called by his father. If he had stayed to monitor the situation... she would still be alive. "Besides, this child, in my eyes, is like a reincarnation of Bulma. If you allow it, I... would be happy."

So Vegeta wasn't the only one with such feelings.

Everyone who met her must feel guilt, including... The clown came to his mind. No! No matter how sorry he is or not, I still going to break him!

Kakarot would not come out of this without tasting the wrath of his fists!

"Whis, you have my permission to visit and even bring Bulla to this planet in the interval of a few days," Vegeta would reciprocate the help received within the limit of what was possible. "However, we were not the only ones to lose someone. While I lost my wife and son, there are two people on Earth who lost their daughter and grandson. Taking Bulla from them would be the same as taking away their reason for continuing to live and Bulma wouldn't want that."

"I understand." Whis was aware of Bulma's parents but had not considered the weight the loss had on them. "In that case, I agree to your terms. I will limit myself to not retaining custody of the child for more than two days a week in Earth time."

"That's good," Vegeta nodded, satisfied that they had reached an agreement. "I'll be going then."

"Before that, Vegeta." Whis smiled a little, thinking about what he would say next; what Bulma would say, "Be happy. Even if she's gone, you don't need to dwell on the past. Make sure you live the life she wanted you to retrieve."

Vegeta didn't have an answer for that, wondering if something of the sort was remotely possible.

"See you another time." He decided not to think too much about it, using instant transmission to return to Earth.

"I really hope this new world can calm your turbulent heart." Whis wanted the best outcome, for he couldn't do much more than had already been done.