The Bond

Rilan was resting in his usual spot, next to the gardens behind Capsule Corp. He had his hands laced behind his head. About three months had passed since Cell's death. It had been years since Rilan could finally relax, but he found some discontent in finding nothing to train for. The clouds above were lazing along, and he jumped when he heard a voice.

"Rilan."

Rilan looked around, spotting Vegeta coming around the corner. He blinked, surprised to see him out here.

"Vegeta?"

The Saiyan Prince looked embarrassed. His cheeks were slightly red and he was looking at his feet.

"I need… to know… what is it that you and Bulma did."

"What?" Rilan blinked, not understanding.

"That thing, back before your baby was born, that stupid thing where we all had to wear ridiculous outfits and sit around while you two said a bunch of shit," Vegeta still did not look at him, blushing.

"I… wait… our wedding?" Rilan nearly laughed, but he could tell Vegeta was taking this seriously, "Why do you want to know about that?"

Vegeta let out a hiss of annoyance, "I heard Katima and Bulma talking about how I should ask her to 'marry' her whatever the hell that is.."

"That… that's adorable," Rilan laughed heartedly and Vegeta finally looked at him, face twisting in anger.

"Shut up!" Vegeta snapped, "I don't do this warm soft fuzzy bullshit! I just…"

"Want to make Katima happy," Rilan smiled and rolled to his feet, facing him, "Yeah, I get it. When I heard about the human traditions I was… a little alarmed."

Vegeta looked at him, crossing his arms, "What has to be done?" he demanded.

"Well, you have to propose to her," said Rilan, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Propose?" Vegeta blinked, "Propose what?"

"You have to ask her to marry you," said Rilan stated simply.

"Why would I have to do that?" snapped Vegeta, "I heard her and Bulma talking, I already know she wants to be married."

"That's not the point." said Rilan flatly, "The earth and human tradition is that the male of the couple proposes the marriage by getting a ring, getting down on one knee, presenting it while asking the female to marry him."

"I- I- that's ridiculous!" Vegeta spluttered, looking alarmed, "Why should I get on my knee? And why a ring? What does that have to do with anything?"

Rilan sighed and showed him his own wedding ring, "The couple wears matching rings to show that their married," he said, "The engagement ring, which is the one you present to her when you propose, is fused to the actual wedding ring that you get after she says yes."

Vegeta looked thoroughly confused.

Rilan chuckled, "Okay, after she says yes, you go pick matching rings to wear after your wedding, and her wedding ring is fused to her engagement ring. But don't worry about that, that isn't the things you have to worry about."

Vegeta grunted irritably, "This sounds ridiculous, all of it."

Rilan reached out and clapped a hand on Vegeta's shoulder, "I thought the same thing."

Vegeta shrugged his shoulder away from Rilan's hand, "What's next?"

"Well, I'm guess you don't even have to worry about the wedding, if I know Bulma, she will have that planning all taken care of. All you have to do is repeat what the pastor says, and put the ring on Katima's finger, and kiss her. Easy-Peasy."

Vegeta still looked disgruntled, "This still sounds like a giant waste of time…"

"But you want to prove to Katima how much you love her," Rilan said, crossing his arms.

Vegeta exhaled.

Rilan nodded, "Yeah. That's why I did it."

Vegeta shook his head, "Fine. Where do I get a ring?"

Rilan shrugged, "Hate to tell ya, buddy, but you're gonna have to take Bulma with you for that. She will know what Katima will like."

Vegeta looked suddenly terrified, "Do I really?"

Rilan laughed, "Good luck, man, my sympathies go with you."

*scene change*

A few days later, Katima was in the forest room, a parrot on her shoulder and a squirrel on her knee. She was lounging in a tree, reading a book, humming to herself, the parrot singing with her happily. She liked the peaceful times since Cell's death. She knew that the others from Kame House were visiting today, but she was trying to avoid Roshi for Vegeta's sake. She would pop in and say hi, but not for now, she was content with her animal friends.

"…Katima."

Katima looked down to see Vegeta at the foot of her tree. He was glaring up at her.

"Get down here."

His tone was sharp and took Katima by surprise. She closed her book and looked at him with a brow raised, "Am I in trouble?"

"You will be if you don't get down here and come with me, woman."

Katima stared at him, "What the fuck?" she asked, setting her book in a notch between branches, the squirrel scurrying away and the bird fluttering off.

Vegeta glared at her.

Katima sighed, "Alright, I'll bite," she hopped out of the tree.

When she landed, Vegeta snatched her arm and dragged her along.

"What's going on?" Katima asked, shocked.

"Shut up," snapped Vegeta, pulling her along the halls.

Slowly, she realized he was taking her to the living room, and as they entered, everyone looked up from where they were watching the TV. Even Tien and Chautzu were here today, and waved but seemed shocked when they saw the look on Vegeta's face and how he gripped Katima's arm.

They stopped talking as Vegeta placed Katima in the middle of the room and released her. He pointed at her threateningly, "Don't. Move."

Katima stared in slight shock as he took a few steps back and took several deep breaths.

"Er," Krillin dared to speak, "What-?"

"Shut up!" Vegeta snapped.

Krillin blanched and closed his mouth, however, 18, who was effectively Krillin's girlfriend now, stepped forward, eyes narrowed, "Don't talk to him like-"

"I said shut up!" Vegeta shouted, "Will you all just be quiet for a second?"

Bulma giggled, "I know what's going onnnn," she sang, and at 18's angry face she said, "Just watch, hun."

Katima blinked, looking around. The only other face that wasn't confused was Rilan's, as he folded his arms and leaned back against the wall.

Vegeta took several deep breaths, and then, to Katima's amazement, stepped forward, grabbed her hand and got down on one knee. His face was nearly all red and his eyes kept flicking from Katima's to the ground. There was a collective gasp around the room.

"K-Katima," Vegeta stammered, "….Damn it, this is…" he seemed to stop himself and he started again, "Katima," he forced himself to look in her eyes, "Will… will you marry me?" he pulled out a ring box and opened it. It had a beautiful ruby in it, her favorite gem. Only Bulma knew that, she had never told Vegeta because she assumed he didn't care.

Katima felt joy swell in her heart. This was… amazing! How did he know? He must have asked Rilan and Bulma about how to do this- that he had the thought to do this… it made her eyes burn, and she stared into Vegeta's eyes with a joyful squeal erupting on her lips.

She yanked Vegeta to his feet and hugged him as tightly as she could. Vegeta grunted in surprise and then yelped in pain, "Too tight!" he hissed.

Everyone in the room burst into applause, all cheering and laughing. Katima released Vegeta, laughing and beaming. She gently took the ring and put it on her left ring finger, "Yes, Vegeta," she sad officially, "I would love to marry you."

Vegeta smiled lightly, blushing still, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Way to go man!" Yamcha crowed.

"Yeah Vegeta, total win!" Krillin laughed.

Katima was suddenly pounced on by a squealing Bulma and laughed, hugging her friend back.

Married…

She was going to marry Vegeta!

*scene change*

When the day actually came, Katima never felt so nervous.

Bulma had taken care of everything, and the wedding itself was taking place in the gardens of the Capsule Corp building. There was an archway made of flowers that lead to an isle between rows of white benches, rose petals littering the walkway. Kaitma felt her heart pounding as she approached it. The crowd of people in the benches was staggering.

Rilan was Vegeta's Best Man up front, Gohan standing beside him, looking extremely uncomfortable in his suit, Trunks, who was now walking, was the ring bearer. Bulma was the Bride's Maid, and Chichi was another, her belly showing her pregnancy that Goku left with her. In the audience was Krillin, Piccolo (who looked hilarious in a tux),Yamcha, Tien, Chautzu, Master Roshi, The Ox King, who was Chichi's giant of a father, Oolong, Puar, even 18, and several of Bulma's friends that Katima had NEVER met, Bulma's parents and some other of her family. They all stood when they saw her coming, and music began to be played on a piano nearby, not the traditional song for weddings, but something that Bulma herself had requested. She said that it sounded like Katima and Vegeta, and now that she heard it, Katima could understand what she meant…

Katima stood there, her dress flowing around her like silken waves of white. There were no sleeves, and the pattern of white lilies went down her chest to her toes where were concealed in beautiful laced heels.

Walking down the isle, Katima smiled as everyone looked at her, but her eyes were only for Vegeta. He was in a white suit with a black tie and red rose in his pocket. He was blushing furiously, not quite smiling yet, but he too stared at her as she approached. Her dress trailed out behind her, scattering the rose petals, and she nearly tripped in her heels. Her only wish was that Goku was here to walk her down the isle and give her away…

Her mind wondered what it was be like if her actual father could see her now. Vegeta had told her that Bardok had been a great warrior. He had died defending their home planet from Frieza, and Katima felt pride that she had such a brave man's blood in her veins.

She reached the front of the isle at long last and turned to face Vegeta, his face slightly obscured by the veil over her face. He awkwardly reached out, and she instantly grabbed his hands in her own. He smiled, and the look in his eyes was like crystalline black pools. As the pastor spoke, she barely heard him. They had written their own vows, so she didn't quite care what the man said at this point.

She reached in and touched Vegeta through the bond, letting his presence flood her mind. The warmth of him caressed against her own conscience. His feelings were soft, feelings of happiness, of affection and deepest of all, love. To feel it so willingly was like water on a thirsty tongue to Katima. She let her own feelings press against his, letting her love push forward and his hands tightened against her in response.

When it came time for them to recite their vows, Katima felt slight excitement in her. She did not know what Vegeta's were, and eagerly spoke hers so that she could hear his.

"Vegeta…" she said his name softly, like it was candy on her tongue, "When we met… I thought I was going to die."

That got several laughs from the audience. Of course, it was mixed. While the ones that Katima knew understood exactly what happened the day they met, Bulma's family in friends obviously thought it was metaphorical.

Katima continued, "But… it seemed that slowly, you became my reason for living. And though things were hard at first, I slowly began to love you despite your quirks… I want this day to be the day where we seal everything. I want today to be the day where I truly become yours, and no one else's, for today to become the day that begins the rest of our lives that will be forever together…

"And so…" she looked around as little Trunks came rushing up, wearing an adorable little version of Vegeta's suit, and a pillow with two rings on it. He held it up to her, and she took Vegeta's ring, a band of gold with a single small ruby on it.

"I get candy now?" Trunks asked his father, who turned bright red and hissed, "SH!" while the audience laughed for a moment before listening again to the vows.

"With this ring…" Katima gently pushed it on Vegeta's finger, "I vow to love and protect you with my life, to stay with you forever and always, and to be you're better half," she smirked at the last words and Vegeta blushed a bit as another laugh was given through the audience.

Vegeta closed the hand that the ring was on around hers again and looked down, blushing a bit before sighing and fishing out a piece of paper from his pocket.

"Vegeta!" Bulma hissed, "You're supposed to memorize it!"

"Shut up, woman, I don't do this sort of thing often!" Vegeta snapped, getting mostly laughs from the audience, a few gasps from Bulma's friends.

Katima smiled lightly, "It's okay, Bulma," she said, "Go on Vegeta."

Vegeta was still blushing furiously, looking down at the paper, "Katima." he started flatly, which made her smile again.

"When we met, I hated you," Vegeta continued, getting more gasps from Bulma's friends, who all were starting to look offended, "But slowly, I discovered that you were a true warrior, one with determination, pride, and protectiveness over your family and friends…" he looked up at her for a moment, still blushing, as if to check to see if she was still listening, then back down at his paper, "You took me in even after all the terrible things that I did, and even when I still wanted to kill your brother.."

There was a silence of slight mourning as the all were reminded of Goku and his lack of presence.

"And, through your actions, I learned how to also be brave and determined like you are…" Vegeta sighed and tossed the paper aside, "Screw it," he said as he did so and took the ring from the pillow and shoved it on Katima's finger, "I promise to always protect you, to always stay at your side, and to love you until our days are through and even beyond," he said, and, instead of pulling the veil up over her head, he ripped it away and tossed it on the ground.

Katima yelped in surprise as he grabbed her, twisted her around, holding her above the ground and planting a kiss on her lips.

The crowd erupted in laughter and applause as they kissed for a long moment, their feelings pulsating like electricity in the bond.

As they broke, Vegeta murmured, "I love you."

"I love you too," Katima said as he straightened her and hugged him against her.

The pastor looked rather upset that he didn't get to say, "You may now kiss the bride," but it seemed the infectious laughter of everyone else got to him.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," he said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce you for the first time to Mr. and Mrs. Fallon."

It was the last name that Bulma had picked out for them. Human life means a human name, she had said. And Fallon spoke for both of them, since they fell right out of the sky on to earth.

The crowd erupted into cheers again and like a great sweeping motion, they went to the courtyard where the reception began. The music was like nothing Katima had ever heard, and it seemed everyone wanted to come to them to say congratulations, even the ones they had never met. Vegeta kept a strong hand at her hip and she happily greeted everyone that came to them.

"Hey!" Bulma eventually jumped into the center of the crowd, "Come on, now, it's time for the dance! Vegeta, Katima, come on now!"

Katima looked at Bulma and laughed, "Bulma, come on-" she began.

Bulma shook her head, "No way, not getting out of this one! It's wedding requirement!"

Vegeta was blushing brightly, "Dance?" he said flatly, "I don't do dance."

"Trust me, Vegeta, just do it, you're better of listening to her," said Rilan, who had Trunks on his shoulders.

The couple looked at one another, and the crowd began chanting, "Do it! Do it! Do it!"

"Oh very well," snapped Vegeta, "If it will get you to stop this madness."

The piano began playing, and this song was the same as the one that Kaitma walked down the isle too. The melody was sweet and soft, and Vegeta placed one hand on her hip and took her hand in his with the other. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder, and to her surprise, Vegeta began to lead in a dance that was smooth and swift all across the courtyard, the audience cheering them as they swept by.

"Vegeta!" Katima hissed as they stepped along, her feet just following his lead, "Where- how?"

Vegeta blushed, "Bulma made me take a stupid class so that we could dance… I tried to get out of it but that woman…"

Katima giggled and let him sweep her along. He stumbled now and again, but refused to give up. "I think it's wonderful," she breathed, and he twirled her awkwardly, "You learned quickly!"

"It isn't much different from fighting," he said, but he was still blushing furiously.

Slowly, the whole crowd began dancing around them, and Katima felt herself brimming with joy. The night came, and the lights around the courtyard came alight, and the dancing was all across it, people laughing and cheering as the music switched in pace from slow to fast and back again.

Roshi was actively hitting on all the females in the courtyard, getting slapped every time he made contact. Yamcha was charming one of Bulma's friends, making her blush and giggle, Puar on his shoulder, looking happy as a floating cat could be. Oolong was at the buffet table, munching up everything the maid put down in front of him. Tien and Chautzu kept to the sidelines, talking with Gohan, and Krillin was dancing with 18, which looked particularly funny given their height distance. Rilan had let Mrs. Briefs take Trunks and was now expertly dancing with Bulma around the courtyard, his dancing even better than Vegeta's. Piccolo remained at the side lines, getting odd looks from some of Bulma's friends.

Katima and Vegeta finally stopped dancing, and Katima left him to speak with Chichi, who was at the edge, looking rather tired.

"Hey," Katima greeted her, "Are you okay, Chichi? Do you need to sit down?"

Chichi ran a hand over her swollen belly, "Oh, no," she said, smiling at her, "I was just remembering my own wedding…" a frown came to her face and she looked down at her stomach again, "He'll never meet this child, Katima. This one will have to grow up without a father."

"You have Gohan," Katima assured, "He will make sure that the kid get's all the male bonding it'll will need!"

Chichi sighed, "I suppose that's true, I just wished he would have come back…"

"He wanted what was best for you and Gohan," said Katima, "What he did was for the good of the Earth."

"For you, too, Katima," said Chichi, "You're family too, and now, so is Vegeta," a slight smirk came to her lips, "I guess this technically makes him brothers with Goku."

"I wouldn't tell him that," said Katima dryly.

The Ox King approached, smiling widely down at Katima. It wasn't her first time meeting him, but the size of him was still hard to get used to.

"I guess that means you're my second daughter!" he laughed.

Katima smiled at him, "Well, I'm honored then. You did a great job with Chichi, and you've been a good grandpa to Gohan, he talks about you a lot."

Before anyone could reply, Katima felt her spine seize up as she sensed it. She looked up at the sky, eyes wide.

She noticed the others, the ones with the ability to sense energy, all stopped and looked up too, leaving those who were oblivious to stumble into them and blink with confusion.

"Katima?" Chichi said, "What- what is it?"

Katima narrowed her eyes, "A pretty high power level," she hissed, "And it's heading this way."

*scene change*

Vegeta was at his wife's side within moments. He looked up into the sky, feeling the power source getting closer. He didn't recognize it, and therefore his mistrust was instantly up, and he was more than tempted to go Super Saiyan.

He wrapped an arm around Katima's waste, pinning him to his side.

"What- what is it?" Bulma was asking. All of her friends also looked confused.

"Trouble," Rilan went to her and handed her Trunks, who he had been giving a piggy back ride to, "Take you friends and parents and get inside Bulma."

Bulma looked at him with wide eyes, "It's not…"

"No, it isn't Cell," said Rilan, "I don't know who it is, but I don't want to take any chances. Gohan, where are you?"

Gohan stepped out from the crowd, his face hard, "Right here."

"Good," said Rilan, looking at the sky again, "This guy doesn't feel too strong, but best to have our head fighter out here."

"What are they talking about, Bulma?" one of Bulma's friends asked, tugging on her friend's arm.

"I'll explain later," said Bulma, hugging Trunks to her. The baby seemed to be getting fussy, and Vegeta could have sworn he was too looking at the sky.

"Chichi, go with them," said Katima, gently pulling Vegeta's arm off her.

"But Gohan-" Chichi began.

"Nonsense, Chichi!" the Ox King stepped forward, putting a massive hand on his daughter's shoulder, "You've got another little one to be concerned about! Gohan can more than take care of himself!"

Chichi still looked worried, but Gohan came to her, "Get inside, mom, please."

Chichi sighed and followed everyone else inside.

"Yamcha," Rilan spoke, "Go with Bulma, make sure she and the others stay safe."

Yamcha nodded, "No problem."

Rilan nodded back to him, then turned his head, "Roshi, what are you still doing out here?"

Roshi looked over at Rilan with his eyebrows raised high above his sunglasses that he even wore to the wedding, "I still have a good fight left in these old bones, youngster!" he snapped.

"I'm twice your age," Rilan reminded him flatly, "The less people that are out here to worry about the better! We don't know what this is!"

Roshi looked up at the sky then back at Rilan and those around him, "Fine, but only because all those ladies in there need gooooood protection!" he cackled, "Hoo hoo!" and smacked Yamcha with his staff, "Let's go before they get too lonely!"

Vegeta let out a hiss of disgust as the two of them retreated into the building after the others. Why they let that old pervert stay around was beyond him.

"I'm taking Chautzu inside," said Tien, "Krillin, you comin'?"

Krillin looked back at them, then over at 18, who was staring up at the sky, determination on her face. He looked back at them and shook his head, "Sorry guys, I'm can't lea- er- I want to see what this is for myself."

Vegeta tried not to hiss in annoyance, returning his attention to the sky. Whatever this was, it didn't feel strong enough to pose too much of a threat…

But he still had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.