After returning home, many things happened. For a start, Vegeta had to deal with the fact that his house would now be inhabited by four girls, three of whom were openly interested in him as a potential partner.
Honestly, this confused Vegeta more than it bothered him.
While he didn't consider himself ugly, he wasn't exactly attractive either...even if Bulma had tried to convince him otherwise over the years.
Vegeta always saw his wife's compliments as a kind of provocation. After all, he was a warrior and the Prince of the Saiyan race, coming from a culture where only power mattered.
Besides, in his eyes, that kind of description was better applied to the older version of his son or even Gohan.
Except that sometimes, Vegeta forgot that such a concept could vary between different worlds and races.
Just think of that annoying woman, Ribrianne, and her universe full of nonsense.
With that in mind, either Vegeta really was attractive in the eyes of the women of this world, or his colossal power was what they coveted, even if unconsciously.
Understandable, especially considering that everyone on this planet was laughably weak, even worse than Earth when Vegeta first invaded.
All things considered, this was a problem.
Not only were these girls attractive on levels that were baffling, especially Weiss with her little transformation, but they were also reminiscent of his family in many ways.
Every time Vegeta thought about it, Whis's last words to him came back to haunt him.
"Be happy. Even if she's gone, you don't have to hold on to the past. Make sure you live the life she wanted you to live."
The implications behind it were tremendous and the kind that Vegeta didn't even like to think about, for various reasons.
He couldn't afford to create those kinds of emotional attachments when the possibility of him dying within a year during his fight against Kakarot was real.
Therefore, Vegeta would have to put an end to these girls' foolish ambitions...even if allowing Yang and Blake into his home would go against that intention.
Inevitable, he would say.
These two refused the mere notion of being separated from their teammates.
That, and Vegeta hinted during the rescue operation that they would also receive his training.
Something he hadn't yet decided on, but which was worthy of consideration.
Yang and Blake's mentality had changed considerably during this last week of chaos. What's more, they had proved themselves competent enough while giving their all to help rescue all those in need and had witnessed firsthand what the misuse of power could cause.
As a result, the chances of them doing something similar were slim.
Regardless, there was another unexpected problem that the presence of all of them brought.
For some reason, Ruby and Yang were at each other's throats, to the point where Weiss and Blake had to intervene to stop a fight from happening...one that wouldn't have ended well for the older sister.
Something happened between them back in Vale, and it was obvious that the change in Ruby's personality was part of the reason for it all. Now, she loathed the very idea of having her older sister meddling in her life, as she claimed had been happening for almost a decade.
Yang, on the other hand, insisted that she was only doing what she had to in order to make sure that her little sister didn't do another stupid thing, like fighting the Nergigante when running away was the right choice... All this while she had her hair on fire and eyes glowing blood red.
With this alone, Vegeta already knew that his days of peace would be few, but this friction wasn't exactly a bad thing, being a necessary conflict to push each of them to be stronger.
In fact, now he really wanted to see these sisters fight.
That aside, as they were going to live with him now, Vegeta also had to teleport all of them to that castle where they were studying to collect their belongings before returning and distributing the rooms in his house.
Fortunately, there was enough for all of them, and that was something capable of appeasing the girls. After all, they had been living in the same room for some time now.
A bit of space and privacy would be a welcome change.
Besides, Yang and Ruby could use some time away from each other.
Afterwards, everyone had a well-deserved shower and changed into something clean, devoid of the blood of innocent people.
Even so, the atmosphere in the house was still heavy, and for good reason.
The memory of what had happened in Vale wouldn't leave their minds so easily to the point where they were sure they wouldn't be able to sleep at night... or so they believed, but only until Vegeta put on an apron and started cooking dinner.
Suddenly, everything had changed as each of the girls seemed mesmerized by the Prince, who unexpectedly knew his way around a kitchen.
"Right, I almost forgot he was married once..." Yang murmured, but not quietly enough. "It's still weird, though."
Not for the right reason.
Vegeta was an alpha, for lack of a better term, so seeing him doing housework like this was disconcerting, to say the least.
"That's a shallow way of looking at things." Blake knew better, having had to survive on her own and even helping to make food for several people during many of her trips with White Feng. "If anything, cooking is a basic skill that everyone should have."
Especially if you want to become a Hunter, someone who spends most of their time outside the Kingdoms.
This comment made Weiss look away, feeling personally attacked for not knowing how to even brew tea. In her defense, however, she literally never had to worry about any of this in her life.
Delegating such mundane tasks to someone else was one of the many advantages of being part of a wealthy family. What's more, it provided jobs for other people, so it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Although it was for a different reason than her best friend, Ruby was the same, always having someone else cook in her house. Not that she couldn't cook, but because she just wanted to bake cookies, which didn't make for a very healthy meal...or so they say.
Ruby still had her doubts about the whole vegetable-eating thing.
Yang, on the other hand, while she wasn't a master in the kitchen, she knew enough. After all, after Summer left and her father fell into depression, it was up to her to look after Ruby, and cooking was one of the many daily tasks that came with that responsibility.
Not that the ungrateful brat remembered that, apparently.
Just thinking about all the time and dedication Yang had put into raising Ruby made her blood boil again.
"You're right," was all Yang had to say to Blake, trying not to let her emotions show. The last thing I need right now is to keep making a scene and get kicked out of this house.
So, as much as Yang wanted to scream and even punch that little attitude out of Ruby, she would have to control herself... for now.
Once Yang had gained access to her Ki and leveled the playing field between them, this little ingrate would have a lot of explaining to do, whether she wanted to or not!
"That aside," Weiss cleared her throat, trying to change the subject. "What are we going to ask him?"
There was so much she wanted to know, but not the heart to question, and she wasn't the only one.
"I think we should avoid talking about his late wife." Blake went straight for what most of them had in mind. "Considering the expression he made when he talked about it, it must have been something relatively recent."
Meaning that the wound hadn't healed yet.
Just think of what happened the day they met and the way Vegeta plunged the whole world into chaos after being sexually provoked by Yang, being a remnant of something his wife probably did in life.
Which was normal for happy couples.
The last thing they wanted now was to open the wound and irritate him again, especially after the friction Vegeta had with Ozpin, where his golden transformation was present, albeit in a non-destructive way.
Wisely, but reluctantly, they all agreed not to address this delicate subject directly.
At least for the time being.
Even with that out of the way, there were still a lot of things they wanted to know, and most of them were related to Vegeta's identity.
Who or what he really was.
Only Ruby had something different in mind to clarify, about what she had been told about undoing all that destruction.
Except that would have to wait a little longer, as Vegeta had already finished cooking in record time and served up a veritable feast on the dinner table that they all couldn't wait to try.
"All things considered, you've done well today," he said, inviting each of the girls to join the table. "So eat up, you deserve it."
Having their efforts recognized was heartening, and suddenly, even if it didn't erase everything that had happened, the world around them seemed to have become a little more colorful.
That was reason enough to smile and enjoy the meal in front of them.
To the surprise of each of the girls, the food was delicious on levels that only Weiss knew.
"Truly superb," she couldn't help but praise as she cleaned her plate in a way that had become fairly normal after gaining access to her Ki. "On the level of a chef, I must say."
This raised even more questions.
"Really?" Ruby asked with her mouth full and ready to serve another plate, her silver eyes sparkling at how good this was, but only until she received a series of stares for her rudeness that made her swallow her food and laugh nervously. "Sorry."
Still, that didn't change the fact that Weiss was right.
What Blake and Yang could cook wasn't even close to what was in front of them.
Suddenly, Vegeta's value as a man had just gone up another level.
Just as Yang had said, it wasn't for nothing that he was once married.
The man was husband material.
Vegeta didn't say anything, but the small smile on his face spoke for itself.
He was proud of his skill and for good reason.
Having to cook for a god who could wipe out his existence if the food wasn't good was more than enough motivation to reach this level in something that many would consider a futile skill.
Along with his good mood, his appetite returned, and while Vegeta maintained his table manners - again something ingrained in him along with the fear of being erased from existence for showing disrespect in front of Lord Beerus - he was feasting as he ate several times more than any human or faunus should be able to.
Now the girls understood why there was so much food on the table.
Vegeta was an even bigger bottomless pit than Weiss and Ruby when they were recovering!
"So this monstrous appetite really is a side effect of having access to your Ki..." Blake just had confirmation of this doubt that arose a week ago. It makes sense, considering that Ki is literally Life Energy.
In other words, it was basically the same as manipulating your stamina directly, and only by eating plenty and resting well could one recover.
With this in mind, Blake needed to make peace with the fact that she would soon be joining the gluttony club.
Considering that this meant she could eat a lot more tuna without gaining weight, Blake could live with it.
Her wallet, on the other hand...
"In a way, you're not wrong." Vegeta dumped more plates on the pile next to him, being twice as big as what Ruby and Weiss had eaten, which in turn was twice as much as what Yang and Blake had. "In my case, however, this appetite is due to my Saiyan biology."
That earned a pause from all the girls, making them stare at him in confusion.
"What the hell is a Saiyan?" Yang said without thinking and froze at having Vegeta's cold eyes on her. "I mean... what is a Saiyan, Sir?"
In any other situation, this forced change of tone would be cause for giggles. In the presence of the most powerful being on the planet, only apprehension about his response remained.
Fortunately, the prince was absurdly calm and considerate, very different from his first reaction to Yang's disrespect a week ago.
"Considering that I'm going to train all of you, there's no point in continuing with this charade." Vegeta had already decided to reveal more about his origin, even more so when he wanted to discourage their love interest in him. "I'm not a being from this planet."
As expected, silence was the only response the girls had as they looked at each other to make sure they had all heard the same thing.
"I'm sorry." Weiss was doing her best to remain calm and rational in the face of such a revelation, one that seemed more like an unfunny joke. "But what do you mean by that?"
While it was true that in her eyes this man was from another world, that was just a figure of speech.
After all, aliens were nothing but fiction.
Until this day, Remnant has not been able to start space exploration due to the lack of a viable energy source. For some reason, Dust lost its natural properties and became inactive after leaving the planet's atmosphere. Even so, there were observatories capable of checking planets light-years away, and not one of them was remotely habitable.
On top of all this, despite his body defined to the limit and limitless power, Vegeta couldn't look more human.
Nevertheless... Weiss would at least admit that the mere possibility of him not being an inhabitant of Remnant, however absurd and improbable it was, explained a lot about him, and that gave life to doubt.
The fact that the prince was deadly serious instead of laughing or even smiling as they had hoped only served to make their hearts beat faster.
"Exactly what you heard." Vegeta crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Or do you really believe that a warrior of my level would make the mistake of plunging this world into chaos?"
This was clearly a rhetorical question, and the girls didn't dare interrupt.
"That only happened because I didn't know anything about those creatures of darkness or how they would react to my power." A mistake born of pure ignorance, but one that Vegeta deeply repudiated. "After all, the day we met in that coffee shop was the first time I set foot on this planet."
Again, not one of them said anything, too busy trying to find the truth and lies in his words.
In a way, that would explain why he was a Huntsman without an Aura, something considered impossible. Then there was the fact that he was unknown even when he was so powerful. Above all, there was the method of how to access and control Ki, a source of power as unknown as Vegeta himself. Last but not least, the friction he had with Ozpin, being able to make the legendary Huntsman recoil in fear.
"No freaking way..." Yang was in denial, and for good reason. "That can't be true!"
Because no matter how you looked at it, Vegeta was clearly human!
An alien should be completely different, grotesque, and have a lot of tentacles!
"I have to agree with her." Blake was even more skeptical than her partner, even though the seed of doubt had undeniably been planted in her mind. "If that's really true, then how do you have a bank account, this house, and a Hunter's license?"
There was no way an alien, one who claimed to have only been on this planet for a week, could have managed to infiltrate the society of a foreign world like that...
Unless he had stolen this man's body, like in some horror movies... and the mere thought of that was frightening.
If not, then only Divine intervention could explain it.
Blake had no idea of how right she was.
"Everything you mentioned was prepared by my mentor in advance of my arrival." At least, that's what Vegeta believed. With that angel, you never know. Whis was that kind of existence, capable of defying logic. "He's the reason I'm here and why I even accepted you as apprentices."
Again, a revelation that only served to confuse the girls even more.
Somehow, they couldn't imagine that Vegeta had a teacher, and if he did, that person or being had to be someone equally extraordinary.
Not only that, but they also needed to thank this mysterious person for the chance Vegeta had given them.
"But... Why?" Ruby finally broke her silence, probably being the only one to believe what her mentor was saying, and whose doubt lay elsewhere. "Why are you here?"
In Remnant, of all places.
Just as he had said earlier, the universe was immeasurable and full of mysteries, even containing a method capable of undoing the chaos she had caused in Vale.
So what made Remnant so special?
The answer Vegeta had for her was one that Ruby and her teammates couldn't have possibly imagined.
"To become the strongest in the universe," he said without hesitation, soon darkening his complexion and narrowing his eyes with pure hatred. "And to kill the man responsible for the death of my wife and son."
It didn't matter how or at what cost.
Kakarot would die by his hand.
-----
The girls' reaction to such a morbid revelation was unanimous; each of them was in shock as they felt the intensity behind Vegeta's emotions and the fact that he wasn't lying.
Not about him being a being from beyond the stars or his desire to be the strongest and openly declaring his intention to commit murder, but about having lost his wife and even a son.
Suddenly, it seemed as if any trace of happiness, color, and warmth that they had obtained through this meal had been removed from the dining room.
Now Weiss could understand where all the emotions she had felt when she had awakened Vegeta's Aura and connected with his soul had come from. At the same time, it also meant that the one who caused this suffering and whom Vegeta sought to destroy was actually someone he used to respect and even see as a friend in the past.
What was Weiss supposed to say about something like that?
That kind of loss and betrayal was one she couldn't remotely begin to understand, having never lost someone so important in her life. In fact, the vast majority of people were the same, and unfortunately, on this day, she ended up witnessing firsthand the kind of pain that afflicted Vegeta.
Because of the Red Calamity, many people in Vale lost everything, including members of their families, and sank into despair.
Merely seeing those people break down while holding the lifeless bodies of their loved ones was enough to change their perspective; to understand how fragile life was and that no one knew how long they really had in this world, cursed by darkness.
That must be why Ruby was the most affected by Vegeta's revelation, because no matter what her team had to say and the circumstances that resulted in such a tragedy, she considered herself directly responsible for what happened in Vale.
However, there was something else that Ruby could see amidst Vegeta's hatred and pain, something that she had felt this day, even if only for a moment, and which in the past had threatened to consume her father's life.
Then, in less than the blink of an eye, she had filled the dining room with the petals of her Semblance and embraced Vegeta while he was distracted by his pain.
The same thing Ruby had done once before for her father, someone she admired and wanted to see smile again.
It was enough to look over Vegeta's shoulder, further into the kitchen, where the drawing she had made was hanging on his refrigerator, that justified every one of her actions.
Even if no one else could understand it, including the man she held in her arms.
"Ruby Rose," Vegeta said in a low tone, his voice sounding with a mixture of surprise and anger. "What do you think you're doing?"
As if the humiliation of being caught off guard during a moment of weakness wasn't enough, the last thing he wanted now was the pity of a little girl whose childish personality reminded him of his son.
What she had to say, however, was anything but childish.
"I-I'm so, so sorry for your loss." Ruby had tears streaming down her face and pain in her heart. "I-I know you're hurting, but please..." She squeezed him tighter, able to feel what was going through his mind. "Don't die!"
It didn't matter if he had died twice before; she didn't want it to happen again, let alone become something permanent!
This made Vegeta's eyes open to their limit, and his heart sank, not understanding how she had managed to see through him.
Worse still, now all the girls knew about his intentions, and their reaction was just as bad as Ruby's.
"W-what?" Weiss muttered in disbelief, thinking she had heard wrong, only to see Vegeta look away with guilt etched in his dark eyes. "You...don't want to live anymore?"
It didn't take much for her to understand the reason for this and be overwhelmed by emotion.
Vegeta had nothing left to lose.
If anything, he was only alive now because of his desire for revenge...a road that would surely lead straight to his grave.
"No way!" Yang stood up abruptly, knocking over her chair as a mixture of anger and fear showed in her red eyes. "You can't come into our lives, change everything and then...then..." She stopped, biting her lip as she clenched her trembling hands. "That's not fair!"
Even more so when she had finally found someone who really interested her and moved her heart!
Vegeta was the first man Yang had ever met, hit on, and wasn't seduced by her good looks. Not only that, he was someone who didn't hesitate to point out her faults and even punish her for her disrespect, hoping that she would become someone better.
Now, after that emotion-filled revelation and comparison with his wife, something Yang would never forget, Vegeta was planning to kill himself?!
The hell he would!
"She's right!" Blake lost her composure and almost shouted, being overtaken by a wave of anger and sadness, especially at having missed the signs. "I've seen it many times before, and even if you believe you have no reason to live anymore, you couldn't be more wrong!"
There's always a reason to fight the demons of suicide and depression!
In this room alone, there were four reasons!
All Vegeta needed was to look around and open his heart a little.
If necessary, Blake would be sure to be the one to open his eyes!
"I have a reason to live." Vegeta only had to think about Bulla, his little daughter, who should be under Whis' care and safe right now. But for how long? As long as the clown lived, nothing and no one was truly safe. Trunks' timeline was a prime example of this. "However, that doesn't change the fact that Kakarot is the most powerful and dangerous mortal in the universe." His melancholy turned to anger and hatred. "Only by being willing to die in the process can I hope to kill him."
Again, that was a price he was willing to pay.
The girls, on the other hand, didn't agree with any of this.
In fact, with the exception of Ruby, they didn't even believe most of what Vegeta was saying.
"Are you going to keep insisting on this alien thing?!" Yang had to take a deep breath to stop herself from getting even more worked up, proving that she really had changed for the better. "We should find you some help."
Like therapy, just for starters. Then contact the suicide prevention center.
"I see there are still doubts about the veracity of my words." Vegeta stood up and pulled a crying Ruby off him, then extended his hand to the girls while placing two fingers on his forehead in a self-explanatory gesture. "In that case, let's go." He smiled, almost teasingly. "I'll show you."
Just how vast the universe really was.