| Communication Breakdown Chapter 19 |
| Author: Valeyard Rating: R Disclaimer: She doesn't own, so don't even bother. |
| "Do something!" Trunks screamed at Piccolo. "They’ll kill each other!" "No kidding." Piccolo agreed. "That fucking thing has got to go!" Piccolo shot out an arm, firing a beam of fire at the burning moon. He watched, with satisfaction, as it blew into million points of shattering light. There was a sudden burst of brightness, blinding him completely. When his sight returned, he looked at the now empty sky, glad to see the moon, once again, banished to nonexistence. As the moon disappeared, Piccolo heard one of the great beasts howl the despair of an animal robbed of prey. The transformation was rapid, as the two giant beasts quickly reduced to two prostrate people, lying, naked and unconscious, on the grass. Panic ensued in Suno’s village, as people ran pell-mell, not sure of how to react to the orb that burned far too brightly in the sky. "Suno!" The Grand Elder cried. "Did you have to ask for a moon that was quite this bright? It’s brighter than the sun!" "It’s for a good reason, Grand Elder." Suno bowed to the Grand Elder out of respect. She tried to keep the blush from her cheek as she said the next. "Goku said it was important." "Goku?" The Grand Elder looked at Suno perplexed. "That little boy that saved our village so many years ago? He asked for this?" "Yes, Grand Elder." Suno bowed her head in respect. "I can’t explain, but you must believe me. Goku said it was important." As suddenly as the moon appeared, it exploded, with a great flash. Villagers screamed, covering their heads, sure it was the end of the world. In a few moments they looked up wonderingly to see the too bright moon, gone. Tiki torches twinkled once again, in the welcome darkness, as the villagers stood, looking wonderingly at the sky. "Thank you, Suno." Suno heard Goku’s voice once more. "You will never understand it all, but just know you saved us all. Your village. The whole world. Thank you so much. Bye!" "Goku!" Suno called out loud. There was only silence in return. Goku was gone again, and for some reason, Suno knew this time it was for good. She brushed a tear away, but smiled through the tears. She didn’t know why, and she supposed she never would, but she felt, a hero. Vegeta had only been unconscious mere moments. He came to, confused at first as to why he was naked. Turning over to take in his surroundings, he remembered the turn of events that led up to his state of undress. He chuckled darkly as it came tumbling into his memory, his battle with Cell, his transformation to oozuru, and finally losing it with the loss of the moon. He raised a hand to look at it, turning it over in appreciation at its smoothness, and its semblance of life. "I’m alive?" Vegeta contemplated his hand in awe. He was truly surprised he had survived his transformation to Super Saiya-jin in oozuru form. Vegeta stood, naked and unafraid, screaming to the sky in triumph. "I survived! Take that you thousand year bastard! Beat you, too!" Vegeta laughed his own brand of insane laughter, turning to look wickedly at the completely naked woman, still lying on the grass. She was face down, innocently asleep. Her only sign of life, was the new tail which flicked peacefully in time with her contentment. Vegeta lay back down next to her, feeling her pleasant warmth against him. He gently tugged an arm, hearing her, moan a moment, and finally turn over. Bulma stretched happily, as if waking up from a pleasant sleep. She turned slightly to look sleepily at Vegeta. Vegeta watched the turn of events come to the surface, mirrored in her eyes. She rose suddenly in alarm as she saw her state of undress. She gasped, as she realized they were in the middle of nowhere, with not a stitch of clothes. She looked at Vegeta, blushing, bringing her arms up in a vain attempt to cover herself. Vegeta only laughed at her embarrassment. "How? Where? What?" Bulma looked around at her surroundings. "The last thing I remember is Dr. Gero . . ." Bulma blanched. She screwed her eyes shut, afraid of what she might see. She cautiously looked over her shoulder, trying to look at what might be attached Vegeta laughed, again. "Don’t bother looking. It wasn’t your imagination. You now have a tail." He laughed harder, openly amused with her confusion. "Oh my god!" Bulma looked at it horrified. "How can this happen to me? How am I supposed to go into board meetings, and explain this?" "Fuck board meetings." Vegeta moved closer to her, his voice thick with arousal. "I like it. I find it very arousing. And as you will find out, you might find it very arousing, as well." With that Vegeta bent warily toward her as if unsure she wasn’t capable of still attacking. "Oh, does it hurt where I hit you?" He darkly teased. He crouched on all fours like a dog, bending over to lap blood from the injured area of Bulma’s tail. Vegeta smiled, licking the small vestiges of blood from his lips looking up at her with smoldering eyes. Bulma twitched, gasping in shock at the foreign but pleasant sensations that assaulted her body. Despite all her attempts, not to give in, she couldn’t keep her composure. "I’ve never . . ." was all Bulma could gasp out, as she collapsed on the grass. Vegeta reached up, kissing her deeply. Vegeta bent down to lap more blood off her new tail, when he noticed the unwelcome sight of Piccolo and Trunks off in the distance. "We have company, woman." Vegeta said, reaching up to purr in her ear. "Oh shit!" Bulma cried. "What if they should see us naked like this!" "Let them look, and wonder." Vegeta growled into her ear. He took her gently by the hand, leading her off in the wilderness. They ran, as if fleeing from the prying eyes of the world, naked and in full, animal passion. Trunks made as if they might follow them, but Piccolo put up a clawed hand to bar the way. "They’ll be fine now, Trunks." Piccolo said sternly. "I don’t think they want any help from anyone right now." Piccolo tried not to smirk as he saw the redness flush in Trunks’s cheeks, and then Piccolo turned to go. "I assume Gohan is somewhere out there, wondering why the fuck he is running around buck naked in the woods. I better drop by his house, fetch him some clothes and find him, before he gets in any trouble." Trunks snickered good naturedly. "I’ll help you Piccolosan." With that, they flew off finding Gohan, sound asleep, and quite bare, renewed tail slightly flicking as if Gohan was dreaming in contentment. Bulma ran with Vegeta in the woods, in a much more pleasant chase than the one a few days before. She couldn’t understand the vigor that coursed through her veins, but she had never felt better in her life. Yet it was a race, she did not wish to win, as she fell languorously on the grass, learning the hard way that new tails can be very sensitive things. "Ouch!" She cried. She watched Vegeta approach her, smiling wolfishly. "How are you supposed to get used to this thing?" Bulma said irritated. She couldn’t stay irritated long, as she appreciated the sight of Vegeta’s naked form. He seemed quite at ease walking openly naked in the outside world, while Bulma still felt so apprehensive. She couldn’t help admiring his ease. She breathed in contentedly. With his tail, he seemed more animal than man. He was truly a sight to behold. She, suddenly, sat bolt upright at the blood she noticed dripping from his throat. "Dear God, you’re bleeding!" Vegeta smirked wryly, reaching up to wipe blood from his throat. He looked at it, chuckling. "Funny you should mention that!" Vegeta said, smirking wryly. "Dear God. I forgot about your fight." Bulma cried alarmed. "You need medical attention. Did Cell to that to you?" Vegeta shook his head. "Most of my injuries from Cell’s fight eased when I became oozuru. It renewed my strength." Vegeta suddenly threw back his head, loudly laughing. He brought his head down looking at her. An animal light burned in his obsidian eyes. "You don’t remember trying to kill me?" "Me!" Bulma voice rose to shrill hysteria. "I couldn’t do something like that! I’ve never hurt anyone in my life!" Vegeta laughed again. "Even Dr. Gero?" Bulma looked at Vegeta feeling more and more perplexed. "That’s right. What happened to Dr. Gero? I remember him putting that tail on me, and pouring this stuff on that caused it to grow into my body, and I don’t remember a thing after that." Vegeta snickered reaching down to take Bulma’s chin in his hand. "You killed him, woman. You did! Then you destroyed his lab and the entire mountain that housed it." Vegeta pleasantly rubbed at the bleeding wound on his throat. "And when that wasn’t enough blood for you, you tried to take some out of me." "I did!" Bulma shook her head disbelieving. "I just don’t understand." "Don’t you?" Vegeta smiled. "What happens to someone with a Saiya-jin tail under the full moon?" "Full moon?" Bulma looked around their dark surroundings. "But there is no moon." "There was a few minutes ago." Vegeta replied ruefully, looking back to where they had been. "I think that baka of a Namek blew it up, again." "You mean, I?" Bulma just pointed at herself, looking at Vegeta in confusion. "Yes, you!" Vegeta smirked. "I’m sorry, Vegeta." Bulma stammered. "I didn’t mean to hurt you." "Oh yes you did." Vegeta gave her his trademark smirk again. "And I’m sorry the Namek interrupted us. I found it very enjoyable." "You wanted me to kill you?" Bulma looked at Vegeta disbelievingly. "I wanted you to try." Vegeta corrected. "And then when I conquered you, I could have done this!" Before Bulma could cry out, Vegeta sprang so quickly, she couldn’t see his movements. He pounced on her, effectively pinning her to the grass, growling pleasantly in her ear. His tail wrapped around one of her legs. Bulma was too shocked to say anything. She gasped, wriggling under his pinning weight, wondering almost fearfully at what Vegeta would do next. She could feel warmth, and realized for the first time in her life, that Vegeta made a sound when aroused that almost sounded like purring. "And then," Vegeta purred softly in her ear, between teases inside her ear with his tongue. "I would have taken my time letting you know, exactly who had conquered you. A shame I wasn’t allowed to do that, but it would have gone something like this." His tongue started licking the side of her face, and moved down to her neck. Bulma knew where he was headed. "Let’s see," he darkly teased, "where is that spot you like so much." When he slowly reached the base of her neck, she took a quick inhale. She shuddered, closing her eyes. Vegeta chuckled wickedly. "There it is. I remember now." "Vegeta!" Bulma gasped as she reached up to put her arms around his back. She reached down out of curiosity to brush his new tail. Vegeta’s reaction was immediate. He suddenly arched his back, crying out. Bulma recoiled and looked at Vegeta as if she expected him to yell at her for hurting him. But a sexually charged joy was in Vegeta’s dark eyes. "Don’t worry, woman." Vegeta said as he ran a tongue over his teeth and looked at her with predatory eyes. "You can touch that tail anytime you want!" With that he reared up with an almost demonic glee in his eyes and plunged down on her throat. Bulma suppressed a shriek as she felt teeth on the place where Vegeta had drank her blood. But the teeth disappeared as soon as she felt them, and she felt the wet shock of his tongue lapping at the bite. Bulma almost stammered the next, trying to force back a tear. "Vegeta? Are you mad at me or something? You don’t have to scare me like that." Vegeta suddenly rolled off of her, looking at her coldly. Bulma immediately regretted her words, fearing Vegeta would become angry or withdraw. He only looked at her with a closed expression on his face. He slowly closed his eyes. A sad smirk crept across his face, as if he was really sorry about something. Vegeta opened his eyes, but the light in them still had the sexual joy of before. "You will have to understand, woman. When a Saiya-jin has felt the animal joys of the oozuru, it is hard not to become that excited even after returning to normal. Plus, your looking so Saiya-jin right now made me forget." "Forget what?" Bulma felt like she was going to cry. Vegeta brushed her tail as Bulma shuddered in pleasure. "That no matter how much that tail makes you look Saiya-jin." He crouched over her, placing his hand on the breast over her heart. "You will still be human right here." Vegeta grasped her hand and brought it up, placing it on his bare chest. "Just as I will always be Saiya-jin, no matter how human you may think I look." "Are you sorry?" Bulma said hesitatingly. Vegeta didn’t answer. He only crawled back on top of her, but this time gently and kissed her very deeply. "Now, can we try this over? Much more slowly?" Vegeta kissed her forehead. "Much more gently?" Vegeta kissed her mouth deeply. "Much more pleasantly?" With that Vegeta took a breast in his mouth and gently nipped it. "Vegeta!" Bulma gasped and it was her turn to arch her back and cry. They spent the rest of the night, out in the woods, each taking their time as the challenge, without either verbally acknowledging it, was agreed to be a draw. The morning, despite the warmth of the night before, had dawned cold. Bulma shivered in her nakedness, upon the dew-covered hill where they had spent the night. "I feel terrible." Bulma said looking at Vegeta sadly. "There is no way you can say that!" Vegeta said defensively as if being accused. "I was as gentle with you as I possibly could be!" "No!" Bulma shook her head sadly. "I mean I feel bad that here we are enjoying ourselves and Goku is dead." Bulma watched Vegeta close his eyes, as if he too had forgotten that sad fact. He opened them, looking seriously at Bulma. "There was nothing you could have done to bring back Kakarotto. Even the dragonballs cannot bring back someone a second time. But, in the full mating ritual each becomes oozuru and draws each other’s blood. Once blood is drawn, the state is impossible to deny." Vegeta stood up, as if undisturbed by the cold. "There was no other option for us, last night." Bulma shook her head. "Somehow I know you’re right, even though I still don’t understand what happened to us last night. All I know is it was the most wonderful experience of my life. Which is why I feel so terrible." Bulma stood up, crossing her arms in a poor attempt to shield herself from the chill. He looked off in the direction where she knew the Son hut lay, sorrowfully shaking her head. "To be enjoying ourselves at a time like this. Poor Gohan!" Vegeta walked up to her putting a hand on her breast. "Then you should go to them and do whatever Earth rituals you feel necessary." Bulma turned to Vegeta. "Won’t you go too?" Bulma looked into Vegeta’s eyes for any sign that he was sorry for Goku’s death, but they were closed to her. Even through the bond, there were some things he would not let her know. Vegeta turned away from her, crossing his arms, as if he now, too, had a need to shield himself. "How can you expect me to go, when I trained for so long for just such a day?" Bulma touched Vegeta lightly on the shoulder, sensing he too was mourning in his own way. "But you didn’t kill him Vegeta. You had nothing to do with it." "Perhaps." Vegeta turned to smile at her bitterly. "Perhaps not." Vegeta walked away looking off into the distance. "The Namek certainly thinks I had something to do with it, and perhaps he is right. I did deliberately provoke that fight, and Gohan." Vegeta turned to look at Bulma. "You think I don’t know the look of vengeance in someone’s eyes?" Vegeta laughed bitterly, his eyes pools of some pain Bulma couldn’t fathom. "How many years my eyes had that look for Furiza and then Kakarotto. I know that look very well, woman. He blames me as well." Bulma felt like she was going to cry for him. Somehow, she could sense Vegeta was truly sorry, Goku was gone. Whether it was because he would never fight him, or whether he truly felt some emotion for him, Bulma couldn’t fathom. Since the first flooding of emotions, Vegeta had locked some places in his heart off from her, and she wasn’t sure why. "Come with me, Vegeta." Bulma pleaded. "You will see they don’t hate you." Vegeta didn’t answer. He simply walked away and Bulma knew by his body posture, and the agitated way his tail whisked from side to side, the answer was no. Vegeta had only walked a few feet when he huffed in irritation, "Why that voyeuristic son of a bitch!" Vegeta looked back toward Bulma in disgust, and motioned for her to come look. Bulma walked up, and gasped in shock, at what had Vegeta so annoyed. Hanging from a nearby tree were complete changes of clothes for each of them. "One of them brought clothes for us and saw us . . ." Bulma couldn’t finish. Vegeta huffed. "I sense the Namek’s hand in this. He saw us running away." Vegeta looked back at Bulma begrudgingly. "Well I suppose we shouldn’t be too sorry for his intrusion. It saves us going back to the Capsule Corporation for them." Vegeta’s face twisted into an evil expression of mischief. "Although, I was looking forward to the scandal of being seen by all those people as we flew back to the Capsule Corporation bare ass naked." Vegeta chuckled as he teased her. "Now, how would you explain that in a board meeting?" He smiled smugly at her as he reached up to grab the clothes. "Very funny!" Bulma said, as she took her clothes from Vegeta. "Um, Vegeta?" Bulma said hesitatingly as she struggled to put her underwear on. "How am I supposed to . . ." She trailed off turning round to show him the problem. Vegeta walked over with a smirk, as he pushed her over with a tap. She fell onto the grass with a plop, as Vegeta pulled her underwear off, unceremoniously. "Watch!" Vegeta said smugly, as he held her underwear up, ripping a hole for her tail. "Ah!" Bulma flinched in dismay at the mutilation of her underwear. "My best pair of silk panties!" Vegeta smiled roguishly at her. "Get used to it, unless you want to have a tail bunched up in your underwear. Personally, I would find that most uncomfortable." Bulma handed him her pants, flinching as she heard him rip another hole for the new, unwelcome tail. "I don’t know if I will ever become used to this." Bulma said looking at the tail sticking out from her now dressed body. Vegeta pulled on his pants and then pushed the tail through with a rip and a satisfied smirk on his face. "Get used to it woman. Considering, that dead SOB, Gero, managed to keep that tail alive with that gunk of his for so many years, I doubt it will just wither and die as it did on me, by just cutting it off. I’ll warrant it will grow back!" Bulma shook her head, as Vegeta scooped her up and they flew back to the Capsule Corporation. He said nothing when they landed. Only looked at one of their cars as if he was telling her to go on without him, and he walked to the training room without another word. Bulma sadly watched him go, but suddenly heard an intonation in her head. "Do not mourn for me, woman. I am very much alive. Go to your friends, your Kakarotto. You will find me here." Bulma turned to leave, wondering if she would ever get used to the man she had bonded with, and the turn of events that made this the saddest and happiest day of her life. The funeral had been small, but full of love. Love and sadness, and yet happiness had filled the air of the funeral rite for Son, Goku. The funeral pyre blazed brightly, as Gohan stood before the fire, still holding the torch that lit the wood under his father’s body. Tears feel down his face in clear streams, but bravery was just as clear and just as bright in his young eyes. The fire reflected in them, and Bulma realized sadly just how different he was from Sonkun. She never saw anything really affect Goku. Gohan was a different matter. There was something hard in his eyes now, she never saw before. She wondered if Gohan did partly blame Vegeta. With a feeling of sorrow for Vegeta, she had understood, now, why Vegeta had refused to go. "Bulmasan." Gohan had approached her sheepishly, after the funeral. "I need you to do something for me." Bulma almost hesitated speaking to Gohan. She felt almost guilty loving the man who had spent so many years hating Goku, and wondered if Gohan would ever hold that against her. "Vegeta." Gohan continued hesitatingly. "I can understand why he didn’t come. Can you tell him, I don’t hold it against him and I was wrong to be so angry with him." Bulma smiled, putting a hand on Gohan’s head. "You’re a good boy, Gohan." Gohan looked at her with those innocent blue eyes of his, making Bulma want to cry. "You’re going to grow into a good man, just like your father. Always try to be just like him." "I will!" Gohan said to her, his eyes burning with that conviction. With that Gohan ran back to his mother, standing sadly alone by the still smoldering pyre. Bulma couldn’t help smiling, and wondered why, when she realized she wasn’t just feeling her own emotions. ‘He came anyway!’ Bulma thought with a shock. ‘He’s been here all along, through the bond.’ She could feel Vegeta, sitting silently in the training room, eyes closed, listening to everything. He had heard the words of Gohan, and it had made him smile his own kind of sad smile. Forty years later. Vegeta felt sad that day. Pensive would have been a better word. As he sat in the training room, in a lotus position, eyes closed, he found his mind was not on training. In fact, he hadn’t thought about training for many days. His mind was on all the strange matters and events that formed his life. He sighed, truly feeling sorry some things had turned out the way they had, and glad about others. He thought of the way Goku came back seven years after he died for one day, and the desperate and awful things Vegeta had done to force a fight out of him. He thought of all the events that led up to the final destruction of Buu. How Goku came back to life but left even his family to train Ubuu. Vegeta couldn’t help feeling bad for Goku’s family when Goku abandoned them. Finally, he thought about Goku sacrificing himself finally to leave with Shen Long. Vegeta slammed the floor with his fist in bitter frustration. It wasn’t right, somehow that the person who gave so much to the Earth had to suffer with Shen Long to save the Earth. "Hadn’t I told you, you have to let the Earth fend for itself sometimes, Kakarotto?" Vegeta didn’t even know why he came into the training room, anymore. Perhaps it was just out of habit, perhaps because he had nowhere else to go. Vegeta was no longer sure. The truth was, he had ceased training since he knew he would never see Goku, again. He just didn’t feel a need. Instead, every day he came in, sat, and listened to the silence. It sounded like the silence he had to endure traveling in the long cold dead of space. Everything about that time in his life was dead. He would murder off an entire planet listening to the screams die away. Then leave in silence, to hear the screams replayed over and over, in the silent madness of space. Vegeta scrunched his eyes as if in pain. He didn’t like to think about the way he used to be. The older he got, and closer to eternity he came, the more he knew the day of reckoning, for the crimes of his youth, was soon to come. Vegeta couldn’t take it anymore. He suddenly felt great hatred for himself, and realized that was what his pride of old about truly about. It was a cold cover for the deep, abiding hatred he had for himself. He turned his hatred toward the training room that had made up so much of his existence. What a waste it had been! All those years of perfecting himself for battle and for what? Kakarotto was still the one who saved everyone, and he was left behind, only to hear the screams of long ago, dying in his mind. He got up from the floor angrily and ran. Slamming the door in fury, he swore to himself, he would never enter that room again. Vegeta could not have known how truthful that oath would become. Trunks was worried about his mother. She had long retired from running the Capsule Corporation. Trunks had passed a lot of the administration of the Corporation off to his son. Trunks was only involved for the most executive of decisions. Bulma, his mother, had always been a healthy robust woman. However, of late, she seemed far more tired than usual. She was taking frequent naps, and refusing to see a doctor. Age had taken its toll on the energetic woman he knew as his mother, now in her eighties. Trunks shook his head, thinking about his father. Despite the years, Vegeta’s face looked as youthful as ever. The only sign of age on his entire body was slight tinges of gray that streaked here and there in his raven hair. People always stared at Vegeta and Bulma when they were together. Vegeta never seemed to notice, or if he did, he pretended not to notice. Trunks was sure these observers assumed the worst. A gigolo hooking up with a rich old woman, living off her riches. They would have never understood the truth of the matter, and Trunks shook his head thinking about that truth that lay between his father and his mother. Trunks suddenly felt more apprehensive than usual, for his mother. He no longer lived at the Capsule Corporation. He only came there for work and to visit his family. Trunks had long ago moved off when he married, and had children. He went into the living quarters part of the Capsule Corporation and called out to his mother. He heard no answer. "Mom?" Trunks looked around apprehensively. The silence was eerie. Trunks didn’t like it. He began to search room to room, calling for his mother as he went. To Trunks horror, he found Bulma, collapsed on the bathroom floor. "Mother!" Trunks screamed in alarm, picking her up carrying her quickly into the bedroom. Trunks gently laid her in the bed, and immediately dialed for an ambulance. Trunks started rubbing her, looking for signs of life. He opened her mouth, preparing to do CPR. He was relieved to hear his mother make a few noises like someone protesting being awoken from a pleasant sleep. "Mom!" Trunks said desperately. "Mom! Please, say something. What’s wrong?" Bulma blinked and opened her eyes. "Trunks?" Bulma looked around as if she wasn’t sure how she got into the bed room. Then she looked at Trunks as if she suddenly understood. "I think you better get your sister and your father." "Just hold on, Mom." Trunks said fearfully. "I’ve called an ambulance. They are on the way." Weakly, Bulma shook her head. "I don’t think the ambulance is going to make it. It’s my heart." Trunks grasped her hand as if she would slip away from her at any moment. Bulma smiled slightly. "I always thought I would live longer. Guess Vegeta was right. I will always be human." She gasped slightly as if in pain. She looked up at Trunks suddenly frightened. "You better get your father and your sister now!" Trunks opened up the door screaming at the top of his lungs, "Bra!" Trunks then flexed his arms raising his ki, knowing his father would feel it. However, the door slammed in, half coming off its hinges as Vegeta marched in, as if he already knew before Trunks could summon him. Vegeta ran over scooping Bulma up in his arms. "Forget the ambulance!" His father said fiercely. "I can get her there much faster!" Vegeta started to carry her out of the room, but Bulma said, firmly, "No! Vegeta please, put me back in the bed." Vegeta looked at her, as if he would rebuke her for being foolish and leave with her, despite all protests. "Vegeta." Bulma placed a hand lovingly on his face. "I’m dying. There’s nothing anyone can do about it. All they would do is take me away from my family and stick me full of needles. I don’t want to die while they are sticking stuff in my veins. I want to die here, in peace, with my family around me. Please." "Don’t be ridiculous!" Vegeta admonished her frantically. "You think I’m just going to let you die, when your earth medicine can save you!" "Vegeta." Bulma weakly protested. "Remember when you saved me before? You were there the whole time, but I couldn’t see you. I was afraid and in pain, and I thought I was going to die alone. I don’t want to die alone." There was a sudden sad glint in Vegeta’s eye, and it seemed as if all the strength was drained out of him. "Vegeta, please!" Bulma said as if with the last of her strength. "Don’t let me die, alone." Trunks actually saw a tear in Vegeta’s eye, as he walked over gently placing her back in the bed. Bra came running into the room, and gasped, as tears came to her eyes. "You’re not going to die!" Vegeta said as he knelt beside the bed, but Trunks could tell from his expression that he didn’t believe a word. "You know I’m going to die, or you wouldn’t have put me back in the bed." Bulma placed a hand on his face. "Thank you. You could have forced me to try and live, but you didn’t. Now I know you truly love me, even if you never said it." Vegeta suddenly stiffened, and looked at Bulma dismayed. "So you knew! I didn’t know that you knew! I thought I kept that from you!" Bulma smiled sadly placing her hand, again lovingly on his cheek. "I knew. And I’m sorry Vegeta. I don’t want it to end for you, but I just can’t hold on." Bulma’s hand suddenly fell slack, and the life disappeared from her eyes. Bra screamed sobbing. Trunks ran and hugged Bra, desperately trying to ease her grief. Vegeta remained on his knees beside the bed. He stared at Bulma as if the fact she was gone hadn’t registered and he expected her to say something more. It was then the siren of the ambulance could be heard in the distance. Vegeta suddenly stood, looking out the window at the approaching ambulance. Bitter grief and anger were in his eyes. "Trunks!" Vegeta sternly ordered. "You tell the ambulance it was a prank call. The ambulance isn’t needed for anything." "Pappa, you can’t be serious!" Trunks turned to look at his father in shock. "Do as I say!" Vegeta suddenly exploded. "I will not let them take her away. I’ll kill anyone that comes between us." Trunks could only look at his father in horror. The way his father stood beside his mother, like an animal refusing to give up his mate, made Trunks realize his father meant every word. Trunks ran down and did as his father said. The ambulance team was quite upset with Trunks and made a lot of threats Trunks would be prosecuted for making a false call. Trunks could only look up apprehensively at the window of the bedroom where he knew his dead mother lay. He wondered, if her death had finally pushed his father into the arms of insanity. When Trunks returned to the upstairs living quarters, he was shocked to see his father carrying his mother’s body out of the room. Vegeta marched with determined steps toward the lower level of the Corporation. "Where are you going?" Trunks screamed as he watched his father walk by carrying his mother’s body as if Trunks wasn’t there. "I’m going home." Vegeta said simply and kept on walking. "Home?" Trunks screamed after him. "What are you talking about? This is your home!" Vegeta stopped suddenly as Bra caught up with them, and Vegeta shook his head firmly. "Earth is not my home. It never has been." Vegeta turned around, shielding Bulma with his body as he feared they would try to take her out of his arms. "I used to think it was only for Kakarotto that I remained on Earth." Vegeta looked at body he was carrying then lowered his head sadly. "I was so blind. It was all for you. It was always for you. You were my only reason for living." Vegeta then turned to look coldly at Trunks. "And now there is no more reason. So, I’m going home." "Pappa!" Bra screamed in her grief. "Stop talking like that. We just lost mom. I couldn’t bear it, if I lost you, too!" Vegeta smiled a little at Bra, always being more forgiving of her, then sadly shook his head. "I’m afraid there is nothing that can be done to prevent that, Bra. I won’t live for more than a few days." "What?" Trunks gasped, trying to take in the multitude of sorrows. Vegeta looked at Trunks again, but the coldness relented and he smiled slightly at him, too. "When a Saiya-jin bonds with his mate, it is permanent bond. It cannot be taken back, or broken. The humans may say, ‘till death do us part’ in their ritual, but in our ritual, it is something that is more than words." Vegeta looked from child to child, hugging Bulma’s body closer. "If one mate dies, then the other follows, soon thereafter. I won’t live for more than a few more days, maybe even a few hours. There is nothing that can be done to prevent that." Bra started weeping uncontrollably but Trunks could only look down and gasp with disbelief. "I never knew you loved Mom that much. I’ve never even heard you once tell her you loved her." "Love!" Vegeta almost spat the word in disgust. "Earthers depend far too much on words. A Saiya-jin never has to say it. It’s in the blood. There is no need for words." With that Vegeta turned to walked downstairs, exiting the house with Trunks and Bra, silently following him. Vegeta suddenly turned, looking stern again. "Trunks! You had better record this, or the Earth authorities will get suspicious if your mother goes missing." Vegeta suddenly laughed as if it was all a joke. "They will probably accuse you of doing away with your mother and father to get your hands on the Capsule Corporation, if we suddenly both go missing." Vegeta walked toward the spaceship that was parked in the same location that it had been since its aborted trip to Namek. "Record me leaving and tell the authorities your father went mad after your mother died and spirited her away into space. With that evidence they can’t accuse either of you." Trunks ran to a shed and grabbed a capsule. It instantly became a recorder he set up on a tri pod, letting it record without an operator. He moved as if on auto pilot, the terrible events of the last few minutes were just too much to take in, and they seemed to be getting worse by the moment. "Pappa, I don’t understand." Trunks couldn’t help tears to finally flush his face. "Where will you go? You can’t just leave us, so soon after this. We need you." Vegeta chuckled. "You don’t need me anymore, son." Vegeta openly smiled. "Every child has to let go of their parents, sometime. You two are very fortunate. I haven’t seen my father since I was six years old." "You never told us about, er Grandpa before, Pappa." Bra said sadly. "What was he like?" Vegeta turned back just as he was to enter the space ship, smiling a mysteriously wicked smile at his own private joke. "You would have despised him." Vegeta disappeared into the ship, carrying the body of their mother. Trunks watched the door start to close. Reality suddenly crashed in on him as he screamed. "NO!" Trunks ran up to the door, and leaned on it with all his might forcing it back open and ran inside the ship. |