UNOWN

When they had fought, Goku had sensed a great power within Vegeta that he had been unwilling to release. If he had given it his all, he could have easily defeated Goku, but something held him back. A sadness, a darkness in his soul. Now the collar around his neck stunted his power. While it remained firmly in place he would never be able to achieve Super Saiyan; he would never be able to rise up from the ground to beat King Cold to death with his bare fists. He was a prisoner, just like Goku.

[...]

In that moment, when he killed his tormentor, he had been free. No longer was he a slave, and he was not yet a king. He was a man who had finally won. That was his defining moment. The moment he had been waiting his whole life for. In the following months, in the frenzy of ruling the universe and satisfying a mate, he had forgotten, but never again.

He had allowed himself to be put back into the place of a slave. He was man enough to admit that it was fear that had made him weak. He had coveted power for so long that when he had finally achieved his goal, it had overwhelmed him. It had been easier to succumb to the darkness of his soul than to fight it. It was easier to let his enemy destroy him rather than let his own tortured psyche do it for him. As a slave he didn’t have to take responsibility for his actions, but now he had a choice. He could die as a slave or live as a king.

[...]

The demons of his soul screamed, but they did not run from the light. They stood their ground, adding their chaos to the purity. No longer would Vegeta live as a separated man, as either good or evil. He was both. He had been forged in the fires of hell, taught by monsters to survive, and he would be a fool to shut them away. The golden warmth of the dragon took that raw power, the pain of his soul and contained it, channeling it. Darkness became one with the light; they defined each other, fortifying their strengths.

[...]

Bulma filled in a huge gap in his life. She brought him things he never thought possible. Sunshine and laughter. But even with her presence in his life he still had felt something was missing. He knew, deep down, he could never be at peace in his life until he came to terms with himself.

[...]

He looked down at his mate as she glowed in the presence of her son. Her eyes darted up at him, so filled with happiness it was like a kick in the gut. Her joy was for all of them, not just her son. Vegeta silently admitted that she had tamed more than one Saiyan.

[...]

As though she could see into his very soul and banish the demons that lived there with three perfect words.

[...]

When you take all the pieces of yourself, and you put them together...

...what do you get?