- 24 -
Loaded Words
What the hell... how did I get here?
She glanced around her to find that she was indeed in her own room and still had the clothes on from -her eyes went from the sunlight filtering into her balcony window to her alarm clock- yup, it was early in the morning, which meant that she still had on the clothes from two days ago. Gross! Kami, I'm going to have to punch whoever left me like this... it was probably Goku. She must have conked out after her talk with Tash and slept for the rest of the day and through the night. She knew she had been tired, but damn.
Then an abrupt thought came to her, Oh no, Tash! Did I leave him on the line when I crashed? Moving frantically to get out of bed and rush downstairs, her legs got caught in the blankets and she nearly tumbled face first to the floor only to catch herself using her nightstand. Something bumped into her hand from the jerky movement and she blinked, finding that the scouter was lying there as if waiting for her.
At least Goku isn't a complete numbskull. She smiled as she placed the scouter over her ear, but frowned upon hearing the sound of a connection. Great, I did pass out on him. "Tash? You there?"
When no one replied and she couldn't hear any sounds of movement or snoring she pushed the big button on the scouter again to sever the connection with a pout. What made her think that there would honestly be someone on the other end? A whole day and night had passed! But she couldn't help feel a little bummed, having wanted to continue with their discussion from where they left off. Sighing, she took the scouter off and turned it around in her hand as she bit her lip. Vegeta's cousin was something else... She found it hard to believe that the two were even related, let alone him being a Saiyan.
Vegeta! Bulma set the scouter back on the nightstand before getting to her feet and rushing to her bedroom door. She froze with her hand on the handle. Surely after roughly thirty-six hours they would be done with the irritable Saiyan... Would the half an hour it would take to bathe and change from two day old clothes that had seen better days really make a difference? She had gone this long without knowing, so she could certainly go a little longer still. She tried to run her fingers through her hair but found a horrifyingly huge rat's nest instead of her long silky blue hair. Yup, definitely going to take care of myself first... What if Vegeta wakes up and finds me like... this?
She glanced sideways in the mirror at the horror of her reflection and cringed, only to realize what she had thought. Her wide blue eyes stared back at her as did her paler than normal face smudged with dirt. Do I really care how Vegeta sees me that much? Rubbing her face, she walked to her bathroom and started the tub. I may need my head examined...
Bulma did her best to hurry her bath and get into new clothes, not wanting to think about what just happened in her head. She had too much on her plate as it stood, what with the Expo coming up -she had moved it back a few days due to the abnormal earthquake rocking the city- and all her projects. Kami almighty, her head was spinning with all she had to do. Not to mention she still wanted to talk to Tash... She pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail and then sighed as she rubbed her face before turning off the light and leaving her room.
She was planning on going straight down stairs, but found her feet taking her to the room across from hers. She didn't even comprehend what she was doing until her hand was on the handle, pushing the door open. The breath she had been holding hissed through her teeth at finding Vegeta in his bed and relief crashed down upon her. He was okay. Nervously licking her lips, she walked farther into the room until she stood by the side of his bed. He looked peaceful lying there; the parts of his body not healed completely by the sensu bean were wrapped up, which was mostly his chest area. Her eyes fell on the thin band of white wrap around his head and she reached out, fingers tracing it gently. His face was so relaxed and she was stuck again by how innocent he looked when he was sleeping. Haha... innocent, right...
"What am I going to do with you, Vegeta?" She frowned, knowing they had a long struggle ahead of them until he found himself and not this shell of a man.
Looking to the floor, she missed the signs of him stirring from sleep as she contemplated what to do. Should she follow her original plan to figure out what was going on or wait here and keep him company? Deciding the former, she turned to walk away but found she couldn't go much farther than a few inches with a certain fury appendage wrapped around her thigh. Her brow rose, looking down, then to Vegeta to find that his dark gaze was on her. She was surprised but happy to see that he was okay and sat down next to him.
"Hey you... How you fairing?" she spoke softly, her fingers stroking his hair line.
Vegeta rolled his eyes, tempted by the thought of simply closing his eyes and returning to his slumber. He really didn't want to deal with her, especially when he could hardly move a muscle and his head was whirling. "You really ask stupid questions sometimes."
She smiled and shrugged. "It's just one of my quirks. Now how about some water, mister?" He only grunted, not in the mood to fight her and he was rather thirsty...
As she moved to get the bottled water sitting on the nightstand he watched her, his gaze falling on the sling which she gingerly pulled her arm from so she could cup water in it to help pour it into his mouth. He lifted his head a little, ignoring the pain that shot through him. Their eyes remained locked and it felt weird to have her do this for him... have anyone do this for him really. It was stirring those strange emotions again and try as he may, he couldn't stake them this time.
Uncomfortable with the silence and his black gaze engulfing hers, she decided to talk about one of the things on her mind. "Your cousin is interesting. Reminds me of a puppy... or even Plato in one of his frisky moods..." With her words Vegeta started coughing on the water and her eyes widened as she stopped and put the bottle back. "Are you okay?"
"When?" he managed to cough out. "Where's Bardock?"
Bulma wiped her hand dry on her pants. "Yesterday. As for Bardock, you do realize you really did a number on him, right? He was sleeping and as far as I know he still is." She chuckled seeing him scowl at the ceiling and carefully she put her arm back into the sling. "Relax, he didn't tell me much. I ended up doing most of the talking in my exhausted slur. He was really curious about Earth's cultures and we have started a theory that maybe the universal language actually comes from us. It seems you guys have a different meaning for a dog... which on Earth is a domesticated animal we use for protection or labor. Then a mutt for you guys means a child of a high ranking individual with a low, but was originally for a slaves and nonsl-"
"I know this, woman. Do you have a point?" he grumbled, really disliking his cousin at the moment. The woman could gab for hours, last thing he need was for Tash to plant new ideas in her head. Or for her to have another thing that reminded him of his only relative.
Her brow rose, amused. "Well someone's grumpy. Yes, I do have a point. We too have the word mutt, but for us it is strictly used for dogs that are of mixed breeds. See, there are many different typ- and you don't care about any of this..." She sighed seeing his look and he shot her another one that practically yelled 'you think?'.
"Case in point is that we humans have been using this language far longer than any written record of it in the universe and no one out there knows where it came from... at least as far as Tash knew. I kind of passed out on him before he could look anything up to give a definite answer."
"Hn," he snorted, but said nothing.
Again they stared at each other for a few seconds in silence and she found that she was unsure what to say. "Uh..." She looked away towards the door. "Do you need anything else? I was planning on going downstairs to see what was going..." She was startled when his hand came up, brushing a strand of hair that had managed to free itself from her ponytail behind her ear. "... on."
Her eyes snapped to him to find that his were on her hurt arm and the dark, nasty bruise around her neck. There was something in his obsidian orbs; something she couldn't even begin to name.
"You know I don't blame you," she whispered softly and he abruptly met her gaze. "And considering what Goku and Bardock looked like coming out I was more or less unscathed. Besides, remember me telling you how Goku almost ate me once? Yeah, I think this time was the least amount I've been hurt with all things considered."
He couldn't look at her anymore as he glanced out the window, confusion swirling around in his head. How the hell did she know what he was thinking about? How did she know that he was upset about it? Blast it, why am I upset about this? She's just a frail human! A frail human who had stood up and hugged him to calm him down, to be his anchor even after everything he had done. She had stopped him from killing Bardock, a man who had been more of a father figure than his own even when the King had been living. Of course he would never admit out loud how much the old fool meant to him, but he couldn't mentally ignore it now as it screamed at him, demanding that he acknowledge it. She had risked her own life to stop him, knowing full well what he was capable of. Shit, she had just experienced it firsthand.
"Will you say something?" Her soft tone cut through the thoughts and he glowered more.
"Hn"
"Oh really? That's all you're going to say?" He noticed her small pout and rolled his eyes.
"What do you want me to say? That I can't tell whether you're an idiot or a... an even bigger idiot?" He shook his head. "No sane person would do what you did, woman."
She sighed as she looked out the window. "I wasn't really thinking about it-"
"Clearly..." he muttered sarcastically.
Shooting him a glare to shut him up, she looked back to the lighting sky that swirled with pink puffy clouds. "At first I was scared shitless. Seeing you... like that... I finally saw what you were talking about. You were a killer and had no hesitation with killing us... You are a killer..." She could feel him stiffen next to her, but refused to look at him or drop the subject. "I didn't like seeing you like that, but I couldn't disregard it when it was right there before me. At the same time part of me just couldn't understand it. It was like I was seeing some wholly different person... I think what scared me the most was that I couldn't see the man hidden underneath anymore. The man I know you can be..."
"That's rubbish, woman." Could she even hear herself; hear how sappy she sounded?
She frowned, giving him a hard look as she forcefully grabbed his hand, something that made him horribly uncomfortable. "No it isn't, Vegeta. I honestly believe in what my gut is telling me a-and... and I believe in you!" He was too stunned by the passion in her voice and how it played on her face to think about how she was still holding his hand or about how horribly sentimental she was being. "I didn't see this hidden man then and never in my life had I felt such fear... b-but when you mentioned someone taking away your free-will and a chip... and then..." Her gaze moved to their hands as she rubbed it gently and her voice trailed off and her eyes watered. "I-I'm sorry, I could never imagine someone taking that away from me; being trapped in my head and watching a-"
"Will you shut up!" he snapped angrily as he jerked his hand away from hers, making her flinch and causing his body to scream at him.
Bulma turned then, sitting with her back to him as she tried to hastily wipe her tears away. Vegeta didn't understand the sudden feeling that filled him when he heard the sniffles. Normally he would just be filled with disgust, but he didn't like having her like this. Then without warning the blue super nova that was her hair as she floated in the pool flashed in his head; her wide frightened eyes as he held her afterwards; the blood that trailed down the side of her face... She had every right to hate him, to turn her back on him like everyone else did, but she stood by him in the end. Even now, instead of fleeing the room like he could tell that she wanted to do, she remained there by his side. She was trying hard to rein her emotions back in, stop her crying.
It was a little late. He had seen the tears streak down her face the second before turning as her eyes closed. Could smell the salt in the air. And there was something about seeing her upset that for some reason made him... upset. Was he... was he feeling guilty for snapping at her? This is fucking... perfect! His tail hit the bed under the blanket irritably. He was guilty not only for making her cry now, but for all he had done the other day. Vegeta never felt guilty about anything he did. He couldn't afford it. No matter how much he tried, however, he just couldn't push it away... this guilt.
Sensing that things were derailing further, she stood, keeping her back to him. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up... I just wanted you to know that I believe what I told you, what I've told you twice now..." She hesitated, licking her lips. "You aren't a monster and I know you can be someone else. The thing is you are going to want to have it, Vegeta. You have to want to be out of Freeza's shadow and out of the suppressive weight everyone places on you. And I'm not saying this just as a friend, but as someone who has a mother who knows a lot about these things."
He sneered as she started for the door. "There is no changing me, I am what I am. Why can't you get that through that thick, idiotic skull of yours? You are only going to end up getting yourself killed..."
Realizing that the last bit could be mistaken for him actually caring what happened to her, he added with less fervor, "... killed over such an asinine belief."
"Hmm... that may be. But you are going to be here for a while, my Prince, and a lot can happen." She stopped at the door before glancing back, a sad smile on her lips. "And I don't need you to believe in me... I need you to know that I believe in you and will be here if you ever need me."
Vegeta wanted to cross his arms, but thought otherwise due to the pain it would bring him as he stared up at the ceiling. "I think you've lost it, woman."
She chuckled softly, "Some would say I never had it... But with all that said, I promise not to bring this up again. Just... keep it in mind. Now try to go back to sleep and if anything important happens I'll let you know."
He didn't acknowledge her as she left, the door closing quietly behind her. The woman always had a knack for leaving him all knotted up inside and bewildered. Always so mystified. Never in his life had he felt guilty and this woman had managed to bring it out along with everything else his cold heart was feeling. All the while he still couldn't understand the logic of it. This woman was a genius, something he begrudgingly admitted. So why did she do things that were so... stupid?
"That woman... what an enigma..." he sighed as he closed his heavy eyelids and tried to forget about everything so that he could sleep once more and shortly after he did.
.~-~.
Soft rhythmic snoring reached her ears and she looked to the living room to find what must have been Goku's feet propped up on the side of the couch. She took a few steps further into the family room and found that not only was it her best friend snoozing out on the couch but Krillin on the loveseat and little Gohan lying on top of his father. She couldn't help but smile at the scene that almost brought tears to her eyes with all the memories that flashed through her head. It was like nothing had changed... only now there was one extra little guy and she hadn't slept in the room with them.
"It's cute, isn't it?" ChiChi kept her voice hushed as she came up beside her and stared down at her husband and son.
Bulma glanced sideways at the younger woman, seeing her wishful look and the pain in her eyes. Obviously things were still not good between her and Goku. The heiress walked behind the couch and leaned against the back of the couch with her chin resting on her folded arms.
"It is... and he looks so much like him."
Carefully so as not to wake them, she reached out and touched Gohan's wild black hair.
While in the end she ended up helping Vegeta more than Gohan, she still hadn't forgotten how it was originally for him that she had moved to do something. It was like her maternal instincts kicked into overdrive and for the first time ever she felt the true longing of having something like this... a child of her own to give all her love and show the world to. She was somewhat jealous of ChiChi, but she let all these thoughts go. There was no time for such things and the last thing this situation needed was for her to get bitchy about something she didn't have. Besides, she was still young even in spite what her mother said.
It seemed ChiChi had been thinking along the same thing when she stepped closer. "I saw what you were doing... you got up to stop Vegeta from hurting Gohan. You tried to save him and I was frozen where I stood. Bardock may have ultimately saved him, but you still acted where I didn't." The raven-haired woman tried to blink away the water in her eyes and she grabbed Bulma's hand making her stand, squeezing it lightly. "Thank you."
Bulma gave her a pity-filled smile after getting over her shock. "Any time... You know it isn't your fault for not acting, ChiChi. The only reason I did was likely because I am used to things like this happening... from all the adventures and all. But I've also been told that I have a crazy lack of self-preservation at times..."
The younger woman frowned as she shook her head, lips pushing together. "Don't make excuses for me, Bulma. I'm a mother first and foremost and I should have done... something. Anything! Instead I just stood there..."
An awkward silence followed her small outburst and both swiftly checked to make sure no one was disturbed by it. What should Bulma say? She was at a loss for words and her mother, humming in the kitchen pretending she didn't hear a word of it was of course no help. Her mother liked to let Bulma fix things on her own. It wouldn't hurt if she could help out every once in a while, could it? Instead of making her learn things on her own... Frowning, she went through her options. She could try... and most likely fail at making this woman feel better -likely saying the wrong thing. Or she could just change the subject. Yes, the latter was the best option in this case because honestly, she didn't know how to counter that. She just reacted; there hadn't been much thinking involved. Why Chi Chi didn't react the same way was far beyond her.
"What happened? When did everyone get home?" she asked, finally breaking the silence as she awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck and bit her lip.
"Sometime after lunch... around three or four I believe." ChiChi sighed as she hugged herself, feeling the same discomfort. "As for Vegeta and t-the chip... Nothing much was said other than the issue was taken care of. After Goku went to check on you and take you to your room; he, your father, and Krillin crashed... and sometime after dinner Gohan fell asleep where he is now. Your mother and I have been checking on Bardock and... him. So far only Bardock's woken a few times..."
The younger woman shivered whenever she spoke of Vegeta, and Bulma felt her protectiveness rear its ugly head. Fortunately she had enough sense not to let it loose.
Keeping her voice calm, she replied, "He isn't going to hurt you ChiChi... the other day was a... a..." She searched for the word she needed. "... rarity."
She snorted, giving Bulma a skeptical look. "You can't seriously believe that, Bulma. Not after seeing what he is capable of and what he did." She hissed, "He's a-a monster!"
The heiress' fists clenched and she gritted her teeth to keep herself from saying something she might regret.Breathe, Bulma... breathe. She couldn't believe how narrow-sighted the woman was. Did she ever look deeper than the surface? Did she even bother to think about what Vegeta said? This was not his fault and in no way was he a monster. But then Chi Chi could have not heard him and Bulma wasn't sure what she knew about the Saiyan Prince.
She opened her mouth, prepared to defend him in a calmer manner when Goku beat her to it. "He's not a monster, ChiChi."
Both women jumped a little, startled as his soft voice had caught them unawares and they looked to find that he was frowning up at the ceiling.
"How can you say that?" The young mother said, her words laced with frustration as her brow creased.
"E-Everything that happened... it was my fault!" Then he muttered angrily under his breath, "Why... why did I not see it? Why did I let fear rule me?"
Covering his eyes, he spoke as if he was talking to himself, "Bulma had almost gotten him to calm down and see reason; and I let fear drive my actions... And then when Bardock showed up, even I could see that he was scared, feeling as if he was backed into a corner..."
Bulma knew ChiChi was about to blow her top, but her concern was only for her best friend and getting him to understand that it was not his fault. "Goku... As far as we know he could have really been ready to attack me, or the chip would have set him off again. The only one at fault here is the one who did this to him. Not you."
His hand fell back to his side and he looked at her, pain in his dark gaze. "I almost got you killed."
Putting her hands on her hips, she glared at him. "No... Freeza and who made the chip is the one who almost got me killed. Stop blaming yourself for something you had no control over."
He looked as if he wanted to argue, but remained silent as they stared at each other.
ChiChi couldn't believe what she was hearing. Had they both lost their minds? How could they not see how Vegeta was going to be their downfall? He was only going to get everyone killed! And probably feel smug about it. He may have not talked to her much other than to insult her on the rare occasion, but she really despised him. Especially the way he looked down on everyone, thinking himself superior to them. There were many things that ruffled her feathers, but this had to be one of her biggest pet peeves. He was a prince, but that didn't mean anything to her. She was a princess for Kami's sake and that meant nothing to him. If anything he thought even less of her.
She also wouldn't ever forgive him for even thinking about hurting her little baby. Her maternal instincts were telling her to get Gohan as far away from his as possible, but for now she was stuck here with no means out. Why had she not left already? She could have taught Gohan how to fight on her own in the safety of her own home... now she was chained here, pride not allowing her to back out of the deal.
Then there was the whole fiasco that happened the other day. He may not have targeted her, or even acknowledged her... but that still didn't stop the nightmares from happening two nights in a row. She shivered as the memories flashed in her mind. That crazed evil laugher of his echoing in her head and that murderous glare that seemed to swallow her whole. It was almost enough to make her cower in the corner of the room, quaking with fear.
She huffed, unable to stay soundless anymore. "What is wrong with you two? The only one responsible for all this is lying upstairs..." She focused her heated expression on Bulma. "... and if you're not careful, he's going to... to kill... you."
Her voice lost its energy at the end and grew almost weak, seeing the fuming look the heiress was giving her. She wasn't sure which was worse, Bulma's look or the one of disappointment on her husband's face.
"It is because of people like you that he is as he is," Bulma seethed, oh-so tempted to go ballistic on her, yet if she did that ChiChi would never understand. She would take a defensive stance, her mind set... that was if it wasn't already. Yet, she couldn't give up, there had to be a way to make her see reason.
"And you don't know a thing about him, what right do you have to judge him?" The raven-haired woman opened her mouth to retort back, but Bulma didn't give her a chance. "Did you know he was Gohan's age when given to a psychopath and beaten countless times before being sent out to kill others?"
ChiChi crossed her arms as she tilted her head up some. "He still had a choice."
Bulma sneered, "Right, a choice... Do you want me to show you the scans, ChiChi? He's had every bone in his body broken more than five times; thin lacerations almost naked to human eye cover his whole body and he has welts on his back along with a multitude of other scars! I hardly see that as a choice. He no doubt would have been beaten further if he didn't do as he was told and more likely most of them were from him disobeying. He was basically a slave! Actually scratch that, he was a slave."
ChiChi notably paled, not having known any of this. How would she know? They basically kept her in the dark about everything except the bare minimum. But so what! He had been a slave. He wasn't the only one out there that had a horrible upbringing and had to face things that would break normal people. This Freezer guy didn't control his body to do the killing personally. He still had a choice...
The heiress continued trying to drive the point home, "How do you think you would turn out being raised in such an environment? What about Gohan? Imagine him being stolen away from you right now, being beaten day in and out to do what some sadistic bastard wants him to do... with no one there to protect him."
Bulma had to look away towards the end of her tirade, her voice softening and she hugged herself as if seeking comfort. "He was all alone, ChiChi. I'm not saying what he did wasn't wrong, nor am I condoning it... but how do you expect him to be different if everyone judges him on the actions a crazed tyrant made him do? Let alone having someone put a chip in his head... taking away his free-will as they controlled his body to d-do..."
Sighing, she met the younger woman's gaze again. "Look, I'm not asking you to be all buddy, buddy with him. Kami knows he's as friendly as a poisonous raptor and I sometimes wonder if I need my head examined when I keep pestering him like I do, but when you look past what he has done and his roughness... there's a man there who is struggling in this life, drowning even as he searches for a way out. When he's super tired... or you catch him off guard you can see this man, and when that happens it makes putting up with everything he does all the more worth it."
The room fell hushed and she blushed a little realizing she did it again... she defended passionately and now looked like she had feelings for him. Well, she did. He was her friend. She rubbed the back of her neck. Great going, Bulma... I wonder if there's any way to salvage this. Her gaze went to Goku, almost as if seeking him for help. There was a small cheerless smile on his lips and he shook his head.
"Fess up, Bulms. We both know he is a challenge for you... a puzzle to solve." He sat up, ruffling Gohan's hair as the boy woke and rubbed his eyes; the sounds of the argument waking him... and to Bulma's further embarrassment, Krillin. "You would not be doing this if it weren't for that added bonus, but I so agree... he needs help."
She faked a grin and held her hands up somewhat as if to surrender. She knew Goku would come through for her and figure it out. "Okay, okay... I wouldn't mind seeing if someone like him can change... and what that might be." She pouted, feigning hurt. "But I'm wounded that you don't think I did it out of the kindness of my own heart and that it's the right thing to do."
Krillin snorted after getting over his confusion at what was happening and also his astonishment with what Goku said. "When have you ever done that, Bulma? I seem to remember being told the story about not wanting to help Mr. Turtle only to change your mind when you realized Master Roshi had a dragon ball... Face it; you don't do anything that doesn't benefit you in some way."
She leaned over the back of the couch, reaching for the pillow Goku had been using and threw it at him. "Hush you... go back to sleep."
He chuckled, which was followed by Goku and Bulma's own laughs; somehow the mood had lightened slightly. Yet in truth, it was a fake happiness. They all just wanted to forget about it... but that was impossible.
Goku groaned as he stood and stretched before crossing his arms and growing serious again. "The chip has been removed."
"I heard..." Bulma glanced at ChiChi who was still stunned by what she said during her rant, the raven-haired woman's eyes on her son.
"Um... yeah." Krillin scratched his bald head. "They were having trouble finding it or something and then used electro... electro..."
"Electric-signals, my boy." Dr. Briefs chose that time to walk down the stairs from his side of the house, having caught some of the discussion in the hallway.
He was scratching Plato's head as he walked to his daughter before proceeding to check out her arm. Hearing the way his daughter defend the Saiyan Prince again was starting to worry him. While what Goku said was true, what she said before that had been the truth as well and he knew the telltale signs of when she was getting attached to something... even if it was an experiment. He couldn't name all the times she hurt herself in the name of science they were so many, and having an actual person-like aspect to it made it all the more worse.
He kept these thoughts in the back of his mind as he recounted what happened with Vegeta and the chip, "We were searching for it for hours when I realized it was still sending a signal, jolts of electricity through the brain and from there it was relatively easy getting it out. What took so long was checking to make sure there was nothing else there..."
He peered at her over his glasses and they shared a knowing look. "We tried everything we could think of but the lad checks out fine, Bulma." Bulma exhaled with relief only to yelp when her father touched a tender spot. "Sorry, dear... I say a few more days and you'll be right as rain."
"Thanks, Dad."
Everyone glanced at each other after that, an awkward silence settling over them. No one wanted to mention the huge elephant in the room: that being the Saiyans and their horrifying display of power and this Freeza character. It was still a lot to absorb... the amount of power Bardock and Vegeta showed was enough to shake them to their core, let alone comprehend how much power Freeza and his lackeys must have to enslave the powerful race! It also made them question whether Goku could pull it off, could he and Piccolo defeat this Raditz? The odds had been stacked against them many times before, but never had it been this much.
Krillin gulped back his fear of the heiress and said what in his opinion needed to be said. "Don't get me wrong, Bulma... I hear ya about Vegeta and I feel bad for him... but are you sure helping him won't put us in a dangerous position? What if it doesn't matter what Bardock does, just the simple action of defending Vegeta brings this Freeza here? We can't fight something like that... at least not yet."
Bulma stood with her arms crossed, staring at the ground as she pondered it for the millionth time. It felt so surreal, standing in her living room... Goku and Krillin back in her life. The smell of eggs and bacon really didn't fit with the dark discussion they were having. Nor did the bright cheery sun that now hung in the sky fit right with the atmosphere they found themselves in.
Dr. Briefs cleared his throat as he took his glasses off to clean them. "That is a very real possibility, Krillin. One Bardock himself has warned me of... Unfortunately we don't really know that much about the universe other than what they tell us. I'm hoping that he will tell me more when he wakes... you can say we reached an understanding of sorts..." He put his glasses back on and pushed them up the bridge of his nose. "But even then we run the risk of being subjected to biased views. Only thing we can do at this point is help and try to come up with something to defend ourselves."
The heiress snapped her fingers and everyone jumped slightly. "That's right! I wanted to have a meeting with you guys about this... Now's as good as time as any. I think I found something that can throw Freeza off if he decides to come here. You remember the invisible shield thing I showed you guys during the tour of the Headquarters?" She looked to Goku as she asked the question and he gave a curt nod. "Well I was thinking... this Freeza guy is so powerful it would be near-impossible to make any weapon that could kill him or deter him... So why not make it look like Earth is not here?"
Her father nodded, thinking about the applications of something like that. "I see where you're going with this... He would most likely think someone already destroyed the planet. In theory I guess it could work... but the sheer size of the Earth and the amount of power it would take is almost as impossible as making a weapon that could hurt him."
"Um..." Krillin raised his hand a little to draw attention. "What is this invisible shield thing? Do you actually mean we would appear to be... see-through?"
"Yes," Bulma replied swiftly, "It takes light and bends it around objects to make it appear as if it's not there. Of course it's more complicated than that, but that's more or less the gist of it. The nifty thing is that it should also make us invisible to any sort of radar they have..." She fingered her chin as she nibbled on her lip. "As for the power source, I've been thinking about that for a few days now... there's these sketches of an energy source I've been working on that might be able to do it. Only question is how long this will take. The invisa-shield is in its infant stages of testing for objects that are the size of an orange and my energy source is only a theory."
"Give them to me..." Her father started to pet Plato once again after he nipped his ear. "I'll look at them between everything else."
"Okay, Dad. I also think this all should be kept between us, just like the dragon balls." They all nodded with agreement, even Mrs. Briefs gave a small 'yes' from the kitchen.
Bulma sighed and looked to Goku again. "Regrettably we are going to have to tell them about the sensu beans... there's no way we can hide that, our medical tech isn't that advanced."
Goku shrugged. "Couldn't be helped."
She pinched her nose, new thoughts about the projects she had going on spiraling around in her mind. "No it couldn't and now I have to figure out a way to explain the odd plant in a way that doesn't make us sound like nut-jobs."
Honestly, she wasn't looking forward to that.
.~-~.
"Sorry... You startled me," he murmured as he moved to lean against the headboard. Like Vegeta, his upper half was heavily wrapped having taken a lot of damage, if not more so.
"It's fine."
She bent over and switched on the lamp beside the bed; it felt too strange to be semi-dark room, alone, with her best friend's father. Yet even with the added light, she felt slightly uneasy and chuckled softly, "I think I'm getting used to being manhandled."
He didn't say anything, only frowned at the not-so-funny joke. If anything it worried him. His eyes scanned her as she sat on the bed next to him, finding the sling and dark ugly bruise around her neck. She had recently showered. He could tell that easily by the smell of her body wash that still lingered and her damp hair. Overall she looked healthy though, but he still couldn't help feeling bad for what happened.
"You hungry? We weren't sure because what we gave you... uh... curbs appetites," she finished lamely before looking at his wounds to see the progress. He remained still, not even sparing the food a glance.
"Why are my wounds healed this much? Last I checked Earth did not have such advanced methods."
Bulma looked up and wished she hadn't finding his eyes pinning her to where she sat, demanding answers. She hesitated briefly before returning to checking him over. "Actually, my father just recently developed a serum that triggers bones to produce their natural enzymes and heal faster... of course they have to be set and-"
"You're skirting the subject... and I knew that already. Your father informed me that he used it on Vegeta." His brow rose, somewhat amused by her fumbling and also intrigued by it. "Why are you so timid to tell me?"
She blushed and then sighed, "Well, in all honesty, Bardock... what we gave you is going to sound crazy. I was trying to come up with something during breakfast to tell you, but there's no real good way around it." Finished checking his wounds, she held his gaze then, deciding just to get it over with. "Here on Earth there is this very special plant... as far as I know there is only one and its seeds when eaten heal the person completely, even if they are almost dead and every bone in their body is broken. On top of that the person won't need to eat for some time." He stared at her with no emotion on his face and she pushed on, unsure whether that was a good sign or not. "We didn't mention it before because Goku only had one that he was hoping to save for the fight with Raditz, but Vegeta wouldn't have survived if Goku didn't give him half. He took a sliver for himself and then gave you the rest..."
He frowned, watching his hand as he opened and closed it, deep in thought. "That's unfavorable for us..."
A plant that heals all your injuries? I guess I've heard of stranger things... He wasn't exactly upset that they hadn't told him about it before either, for what reason had he given them to trust him? The Saiyans certainly wouldn't be as accepting to some random stranger that claimed to be a father to one of them as these humans had been to him. He needed to change that and the other day sure hadn't helped his or Vegeta's image in their eyes.
At that thought his eyes trailed over Bulma again. He had seen the warnings in his visions, but like most times he only knew what they meant in hindsight. Even if he did not have visions he should have realized the chip would still be there and what issues could arise from it. He didn't care that Vegeta or himself were hurt, they had beaten each other to near death many times before. She on the other hand was an innocent bystander. Someone who had done so much for both of them and even after what happened she had saved his life!
Bardock couldn't really describe how that made him feel. He had never been put in a position where he owed someone like this. If it had happened with only Saiyans no one would have stepped in, they would have let him die, lying in his own blood. They would have even let his corpse rot there, shamed and dishonored. He didn't like having to owe someone, but it surprised him how little that mattered when compared to his gratitude and respect for Bulma. And that blooming bruise on her neck only reminded him of how much he owed her. How he had failed at protecting everyone especially her.
"What about you? How are you?" he asked, wondering if there was more injuries that he just couldn't see.
Laughing, she shook her head. "I should be asking you that."
He smirked, her cheerful disposition finally rubbing off on him, and the effect it had on Bulma was simultaneous. Bardock was a good looking man, there was no denying that. Even with the scar on his cheek, it only added a flare of experience to him. And when he actually smiled like that he looked so much better, which wasn't much of a surprise given Goku was basically his identical twin and was nearly always smiling... But damn! His smirk was so different than her best friend's... part sly, part rugged, and... Damn it! She forced herself to look away lest she start thinking things that should never cross her mind when the subject was Bardock. He may look no older than thirty, but he could be as old as her grandfather for all she knew.
Luckily he spoke and ceased these thoughts, "I'm not complaining if what you say about this seed is true... I can hardly move and couldn't imagine what it would be like without it." His smirk became strained with a hint of sadness... and perhaps guilt as he reached up to gently brush her discolored skin at her neck. "I'm sorry about what happened. I should have realized the chip was still there..."
She rolled her eyes as she huffed at him, "Don't you start blaming yourself too! Goku's got enough guilt for the both of you. Besides, as I keep reminding everyone... I've been hurt far worse than this before. All I had was a dislocated shoulder and a mild concussion. It's hardly anything to fret about."
"It still shouldn't have hap-"
His eyes widened when she lightly flicked him on the nose, smiling brazenly. "Stop that, seriously. There are many scenarios and what-ifs that could have happened and being upset over something that has already passed won't help anyone."
He smirked again. "Rather insightful."
"I do try..." she drawled as she picked up the scouter on her lap and handed it to him. "Tash called yesterday, he's... something else."
Grunting, Bardock took it. "That he is... what did he need?"
She shrugged as she brushed a pesky strand of her hair behind her ear. "He lied, telling me it was nothing and that he only needed to tell you about Raditz. I may have been half dead on my feet, but even I could tell he was disappointed and frustrated about something. Is he always so curious about other race's cultures?"
Bardock didn't put the scouter on like she expected, but instead stared down at it as if contemplating something. "Yes... he's searching for something, probably a place where he can belong. He doesn't really have anyone other than me and Vegeta, and doesn't seem to understand his own people..."
So Tash and Bulma have met... He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Up to that point he had been trying to keep them from actually meeting, worried that the cub would slip and reveal too much. He needed to start trusting them, really trusting them and not this half-assed shit he had been toying with for the past week or so. His visions told him that these humans weren't going away; they were going to play important roles in what was to come. But up until Dr. Briefs eased his fear and doubt he had stubbornly refused to believe that they were this... nice and helpful. It was so different from how the rest of the universe worked.
And he knew that this was the sole reason why his Prince was changing. Their views were so radically different from what they knew that he couldn't possibly remain as ruthless as he normally would here. As weak as they are, they certainly are stubborn and prideful. Then again they had survived drastic climate change and other sufferings that would kill most races. Vegeta needs this... he needs her... But at what cost?
"How is Vegeta?"
Bulma blinked at the sudden change in topic. "He's doing good... he was actually awake to talk to me for a few minutes before breakfast. My father was able to get the chip out and did not find any others with the techniques he used. As for his heart... the sensu bean -the seed we gave you- basically healed most of the damage, restarting the count down until it gives out on him."
Bardock didn't like the sound of that. "So it's going to take longer now?"
"Yes... before my father suspected that he had probably two months if he didn't strain himself. Now it's anyone's guess... because before his heart had been weakened from previous damage and now he's starting off fresh." She rubbed her forehead, recalling all her father told her during breakfast. "He may at some point even be able to use ki without straining himself..."
"Interesting..." his voice trailed off as he continued to study the scouter as if he had never seen it before.
He was worried, but it wasn't the worst case scenario. No, that would be if Vegeta had died, which was a very dark thought that he didn't really want to explore. Yet this could be a good thing too. With this heart issue and the drug, Vegeta's body had to work more, which meant that when he finally was healthy he would be unbelievably powerful. That also meant that Bardock was going to have to train even harder just to keep up with him...
Pushing these thoughts away for later, he concentrated on the issue at hand. He couldn't very well help Tash in the state he was in now, and if he had to guess he had at least another day before he would be useful to anyone. Knowing the council, Tash would need someone, and Bulma was the best one to do that. But this was something he should ask Vegeta about before doing...
"Um, is everything alright?" Bulma started to stand. "Do you want me to leave so you can call h-"
"No, sit... please." He finally looked up, decision made. "It was wrong of me to not introduce you and Tash, and until I get better I want you to take his calls and help him."
Her eyes widened, startled. "A-Are you sure?"
He smirked and her breath caught. "Yes, I trust your judgment, and if we are going to be partners you are going to have to know things and I'm going to have to trust... And don't worry about the difference in culture. While Tash may not like ours currently, he knows more than most Saiyans do about it and can inform you if there are any issues with a solution you propose."
She opened her mouth, wanting to disagree, only to close her mouth. What could she possibly say? It was obvious his mind was made up. Even his tail flicked on the bed next to him, entirely relaxed where before it had been twitching with uncertainty. He had no doubts. Who was she to question him? He must know what was best for his people and to be trusted like this... Hadn't her father said that he and Bardock had reached some sort of understanding? Could it be possible that this was what he meant?
Bardock placed the scouter over his ear, switching it to her written language before putting it on speaker and sending the signal to start the connection. He took it off and handed it out to her and slowly, unsure, she accepted it and smiled hesitantly.
"You can read it now," he stated as he reached for the plate of food.
"I-I... I don't know what to say... T-Thank you."
He simply nodded as he ate a sausage link.
Tash's voice suddenly crackled on the scouter and she jerked startled as she looked at it. "Hello, hello... sorry I'm here. You left me hanging, Bulma! But that's okay... had things to take care of anyway. Oh, I did look into the whole origin of the standard language and was still unable to find anything... then again it's only been a day and my sources haven't had a chance to look into it..." He hesitated a thought crossing his mind when Bulma didn't try to interrupt him. "Wait... is this the old man taking my fun away?"
Bardock coughed as Bulma rolled her eyes. "Both, cub."
"Ahhh man, we're being chaperoned..."
"That's right, so you better behave." Bulma snickered softly as Bardock shook his head only to return to his eating.
"Me behave? You know that's impossible, right?"
Bardock paused with the fork halfway to his mouth, grunting, "Get on with it, cub."
Tash sighed exuberantly, "Alright, alright. Not much of a surprise, but Leka and Shellato tried to pass some laws without your decision... or even knowing about it. But there's no need to concern yourself over it, I put them in their places."
"What laws?" the older Saiyan questioned, brow creasing in thought.
"Oh, you know... laws banning mixed rank children from being any rank higher than their lowest ranking parent... and other laws about the mutts. I was able to recount every time you counter argued against it... so they dropped it." He suddenly grumbled lowly, the hint of anger making Bulma shiver at how Vegeta-like it was, "But now they are going on about wanting to 'putdown' feeble elders and those that can't 'further the Saiyans' and are 'deadweight'."
"Hm..." Bardock stared at the food on his plate, something telling Bulma that he wasn't really seeing it. "They tried that before, once... You weren't there, so of course they would think they have the upper hand. Not that I'm shocked, I figured they would try this sooner or later."
Bulma blanched before breathlessly muttering, "You can't be serious..."
Bardock looked up at her. "I wish I wasn't. It's regrettable that the time when Saiyans honored those that came before has passed... for most... What did you say to them, cub?"
Tash remained silent, as if he was unsure he wanted to tell him. "I... I told them to futue te ipsum."
Bardock shook his head, trying to keep his amusement from entering his voice. "Really, cub... And how did they take that?" Seeing Bulma's confused look he added quickly for her benefit, "He told them, as you would say, fuck off."
"Ohhh..."
"Didn't go too well actually..." Tash chuckled at his own expense.
"Little wonder," Bardock retorted sarcastically.
"The meeting didn't last long after that, as you can imagine, we started brawling on the table and many ended up in the infirmary."
Bulma was unable to help it as she laughed at the mental image of huge muscle men wrestling like children fighting over something. "Why am I not surprised by this?"
Bardock smirked at her, but left the rhetorical question unanswered. "How did you fair?"
"Ehhh... I wasn't one that went to the infirmary, but I am sporting a rather nice shiner, if I do say so myself."
Bardock snorted, "Tash, what am I going to do with you?"
"Brush my tail, give me an eget and tell me I'm a good cub?" he offered with fake hopefulness.
"Hmm, maybe later." He chuckled before growing more serious. "Now back to the issue that started the brawl... I don't think the argument I used last time will help you any, cub." Bardock went back to staring at his plate, pushing some of the food around with his fork. "You don't have the... finesse to pull it off."
"I would normally argue that just for arguments sake, but with all things considered I'll let it go this time, boss-man. So what do you want me to do?"
Noticing Bardock's haggard appearance, Bulma picked up the scouter and moved to get up before he could say anything. "I'll help you with a strong argument that even a numb-skull like you can pull off, Tash. Bardock really needs his rest."
"Umm..."
"It's okay, cub. I told her I wanted her to help you." Bardock gave her a small nod, grateful.
"Well... okay. Vale, Bardock," Tash muttered, the concern obvious in his voice.
"Vale, cub. Try not to start any more brawls..." Then adding softly under his breath so that only Bulma could hear, "...though I doubt very much that you can help it."
Bulma smiled as they exchanged a knowing looking and his own lips tugged up slightly before he went back to picking at his food. With the way his shoulders were slouched over, bandages covering his chest and his tail hardly moving he really looked like a ran-down man who had seen too many years. She cursed herself mentally for allowing the talk to go on as long as it had, she should have been out of there way sooner...
She looked the older Saiyan over one more time before exiting the room, her business tone snapping into place as her mind rolled the issue in her head, "So how about this..."
.~-~.
And mingled within this melody were the obscure reflections of the gone, orchestrating some ghostly, discordant infested harmony that left one on the brink of despair. Rancid flesh curdled in the acidic smoking air; swelling tongues envenomed, brazened with the kiss of their fatality; opaque, frosty orbs soured even as the white wiggling scoundrels swell their bowels; torn rotting limbs and shredded cores gave essence to the flaming mountains of rank expired shells that no longer held their vessels.
These memories and more nipped and snapped at his heels, braying as they had since he was tossed into this forsaken nightmare. Like some confused loyal companion, they had stayed with him for so long he had grown accustomed to them. He became comfortable to the point that he knew not what life would be like without their dogged bawls in the shadows of his mind.
They made him believe that he needed and perhaps even thrived on them. And yet as he ran, bolting away from them near the point of numbing exhaustion, he finally found himself questioning whether he indeed enjoyed this hounding. Was this what he truly lived for? To be lured by the song of this putrid, crimson drenched siren? If anything this deadly beauty was starting to appear more like some fanged grotesque hag, her song like some outrageous wailing screech that shook him to his core and left him back in the body of that five year-old child. The child that had had so many dreams for his people, visions that would see them to greatness, only for them to turn their backs on him as they traded him for a few moments of life for the collective whole.
This child did not understand what actually happened. All he knew was that he had once been cherished by his mother and those around him and was then left alone, forgotten as another -a monstrous fiend- cherished him in a whole different way. Being the bright child that he was, he had quickly realized that he had become a simple prize, a treasured possession placed high on a pedestal for all to see. "Look," they would say, "look at the monkey prince in his entire splendor." Their laughter and jeers did not fall on deaf ears, and he learned after a certain spell of time that he had been merely a commodity, bartered and traded for a false hope.
It was this child that spurred him to run, to get as far as possible from these memories that haunted him. The child he had thought dead had been rekindled in the tide of events during the past few weeks. A small flame, flickering in this horrific sinister world, or perhaps it was more like orange gleaming amber from a cooling fire where a strong relentless breeze could extinguish it once and for all. But who knew the strength of this child? With enough raw wood and a steady puff of air perhaps the amber could regenerate the roaring fire. The child was here now, wasn't he? Running in his mind, lost next to the adult as they both tried to flee the nightmare that chased him like he was some wounded animal. Then again he was a wounded animal, wasn't he? And yet his adult self sneered at such a thought; he had survived; he had done what needed to be done; he had lived and endured where no one else would have.
This growl was more like a whimper to the child who continued to run, always running. Before him and all around him the darkness stretched on, endlessly like some dark sinister artificial forest of trees planted end on end. And he was searching for something in this abysmal forest, something that the adult said couldn't possibly be there. Yet then the adult was missing one important component: hope. Mind consuming rage and drive that some would call insanity, yes, the adult had that. It was what spurred him to run now next to the child, the fight to stay ahead and above the madness, to achieve his goal no matter what. But hope? Never.
The adult didn't have this strange notion that bubbled under the surface, hidden yet tangible and flavored peculiarly like those lemon-drops the elder Briefs woman had given him once. When the child closed his eyes he could picture it. He could imagine the bubbling honey of molten light pulling in on itself, swirling like the core of the Earth as it formed a small sphere in the distance. It radiated outwards like a million suns jammed together in the space meant for one, and as if the mere thought by the child had brought it to life in this dark world the adult was forced to shield his eyes when that image was reflected outward.
Blinded by the radiant light, the adult came to a stop as surprise and wonder filled him. It felt warm on his skin, hot and dry as the wind picked up and pelted him with gritty sand, and as the sand invaded his mouth and nose he too could taste the lemon-drops, could even smell something so rich and delicatessen that he took a step forward wanting more. What was this scent? It was so familiar to him and yet...
"Vegeta! Vestibulum nunc mauris eum," a voice scolding but oh-so soothing whispered among the wind, telling him to stop reaching for... something. What had it been?
He tried to peek through his fingers at the light, but he was forced to close his eyes once again as the coarse wind pelted him, stinging him. It wasn't lemon-drops he tasted... just something akin to the taste.
He sat there pouting as he stared at the delicious bread-like bacca, fingers itching to snatch one of the dozen laid there before him; his mother's warm brown eyes glaring at him and yet there was amusement there; she was trying hard not to lose her frown, but even he, a mere child could see the small telling of a smile forming; he crossed his arms and whimpered as his tail flicked agitatedly behind him; she sighed as she grinned, "Perge, Vegeta... solus"; with permission his hand struck out like a viper, grasping one of the bacca and shoving it into his mouth as he fled before she could change her mind; her warm honey-laugh followed behind him almost forgotten as the lemon-zest taste and tangy spices overwhelmed his senses.
A sharp tug brought him back and he blinked the spots in his vision away as he stared at the same child he had been in his memory. Fear was etched on his slightly chubby face as he looked behind them and turning the adult found the looming shadows of his past, made all the more sinister by the light before them. He looked before him once more, able to see the glowing sphere. It was still bright and illuminating, but instead of blinding him it was as if he was only staring up at the sun from a planet. It had this sheen to it, and was it moving?
The child tugged at him again and started to pull him along behind him until they both were running, this time for the radiant sphere instead of searching for nothing in the dark forest. Speaking of the trees... the adult then noticed how they were still there, only now they were tall pillars reaching high into the darkness above. With the sphere of light, they casted shadows of their own like towering wooden grave posts. His eyes narrowed as he looked into one of the shadows, his suspicion confirmed when the darkness slithered. Wails screeched out suddenly from the tree-shadows, nearly overpowering the whispers that could still be heard from the sphere.
He shook his head, trying to rid himself of their hounding screams and focus solely on what was before him. But the siren's song remained there in his mind, rooted like one of the pale trees that surrounded him. He found himself being pulled back by it, each step becoming more weighed down. He struggled to not give up, finding that he couldn't grasp onto the rage like before... not after having honestly felt the child's hope. That was it though, wasn't it? It wasn't his hope and so he couldn't use it now when his rage failed him. The child squeezed the bigger hand and with strength he should never possess pulled the adult from the churning black ooze at his feet that he could not see.
Time trickled on as the two ran through the ghostly forest and the whole way the adult was saved by the child. As weak as he appeared it stunned the adult by how strong he actually was. Before he could think about what the implications of that could possibly mean they had reached what had once been a small speck of radiance in the distance. They slowed before finally coming to a stop, the shimmering golden sphere right there... all he had to do was reach out and touch it. Would it be his? Would the spicy lemon-drop essence be his if he all but touched it?
The child beamed happily at it, still holding onto his hand as he asked, "Do you hear it?"
The adult was about to shake his head, for all he heard were the hounding nightmares approaching steadily from behind them. That was until the glowing sphere sent out a blast of gritty wind and sound, momentarily holding the nightmares at bay with the taste of lemon-drops and rich earthly spices. The sound of what the woman had said were birds, chirped loudly, and he could hear someone muttering, as if talking to themselves mixed in with the chaos of other voices and sounds. His mother's voice was one of the main voices he could actually recognize.
He could only stare, wide-eyed, when she stepped out of the sphere. Liquid gold dripped from her form, leaving her in a golden breezy dress and a thin crown resting on her ebony head. Her warm brown eyes stared back at him, taking him in with a slight frown playing on her lips. Her scent of what he would liken to vanilla surrounded him, hugged him. Normally he would get angry and defensive when he saw pity in another's eyes, but not his mother... never her. If anything he would rather see that than the disappointment he thought he also saw in her brown irises. Would she turn away from him? Turn away from him like everyone else had?
He forced his gaze downward to the sandy ground, gritting his teeth as the old pain surged forth from where he had laid it to rest so long ago. Of course she would turn away from him, for what he had done and still had notions of doing at times would have been unforgivable in her eyes. He had survived, but what really remained behind? He glared accusingly at the ground, feeling the despair rise as his eyes watered. He wouldn't shed them. He wouldn't feel remorse about his choices. What right did she have to judge h-
"Vegeta..." her voice broke his thoughts and his head jerked up startled by the sadness in her tone, "Come, come with me."
Breathless, he first searched her outstretched hand and then her face, trying to find any lie that remained there. She wasn't going to shun him? Why? What had he ever done to still warrant her attention? Her cheerless smile slipped somewhat as her brow creased with confusion, wondering why he wasn't accepting her hand. She looked to the child who stared up at him knowingly before meeting her gaze, something passed between them.
She sighed solemnly, nodding her head in understanding as she let her hand fall and instead raised the other up, holding it as if it were a perch for something. The adult could only watch when that something turned out to be one of the birds he was hearing as it exited the sphere and landed daintily on his mother's finger, gold-liquid dripping from its tiny frame. She smiled at the azure-feathered bird. A Blue-Jay was what the woman had called it... He eyed it warily as the small creature tilted its head to study him.
His mother nodded, gesturing for him to do something. Baffled, the adult looked to the child who smiled at his cupped hands before him, the azure bird resting in them. He looked to his mother, finding the bird gone and then looked down to find that it wasn't the child who held the bird anymore but him. The bird stared up at him innocently before hopping around and chirping, it stopped briefly to scratch with its small clawed feet only to return to hopping and chirping. A strange concoction of sensations washed over him as the bird nestled down into his hands and ruffled its feathers; wonder, at how something so small, fragile, and delicate could trust him; sadness, at having never felt like this before; bewilderment, at why; anger... anger at the naive, innocent thing that didn't know better.
What right did this bird have to be so damn innocent? What right did it have in putting this trust in him? Being naive was no excuse. It hadn't been for him. Perhaps he should show it why it should fear him? As he closed his fists around the bird he heard a startled squeak, but didn't do much else as it allowed him to enclose it in darkness. And still the damn thing trusted him! What would it take for it to figure out that he didn't deserve such trust? His hold tightened, but not enough to do any damage...
The siren's deliciously devious song broke through the sphere's protection and the memories flooded his mind, forming a haze before him. The dead screamed at him, clawing. And all the while the bird remained calm, eased even by his presence. Conflict tore at him, making him question everything. He closed his eyes, trying to gain any sort of ground in the whirling storm he found himself lost in. He would break the surface, lungs hungry for air only to be pulled beneath the white caps once again.
This frail creature had no right to put this on him! To do this to him! Everything was so simple before. All that mattered was revenge; it had been enough to keep him afloat on this nightmarish sea. He just wanted the confusion and the drowning to stop. He wanted all of it to stop!
And all of it did stop. The storm of screams and memories, leaving him standing there, eyes closed listening to his ragged breathing. It was then he noticed the sticky warmth that slipped through his fingers and his mother gasp. He opened his eyes and stared at his hands, his crimson hands that dripped to the sand below, staining it. He swallowed, not looking at his mother or the child afraid of what he would see in their eyes as he opened his hands to find the messy remains of feathers and the silent body of the once so innocent bird.
He didn't get long to ponder what it all meant when arms reached from the shadows and their hands snaked around him, pulling him back into the dark ooze. The smell of rotten decay was overpowering and he coughed as he dropped what remained of the bird. Covering his mouth he started to struggle the losing battle and fear gripped him. He reached out for his mother and his child-self, hoping they could save him, only this time his mother watched as he was pulled away, the true disappointment in her cold brown gaze and his child-self looked on with deep sorrow as he shook his head.
Seeing that look in his mother's eyes crushed him like nothing else ever could and he found himself unable to fight anymore, allowing the darkness to consume him...
Vegeta jerked awake, gasping as he sat there leaning against someone sitting next to him and stared blankly at the top blanket of the bed. He could only remember pieces of the dream and yet every emotion was rolling through him like a thunderstorm and with each clap of roaring thunder he felt his insides get all the more knotted up. The bloodied bird, him as a child and his mother? What did it mean? How could this completely unhinge him like this?
"Vegeta..." He dimly recognized the heiress as she rubbed his back. She wanted to say more but something thankfully kept her from doing so.
He relaxed at her touch, his nature subconsciously excepting her as safe seeing as his more logical self couldn't make much of any decision at the moment. If she hadn't been he would have just walled himself up, waited until whoever it was left him alone. But with this woman he felt that urge slip through his fingers much like the blood from the bird had. She squeaked when he grabbed her and as he held onto her like an anchor he tried to quell the shiver that went down his back at the sound. Closing his eyes, he put his nose in the nape of her neck and smelled her. The strong aroma of strawberries made him forget the putrid stench from the black ooze in his nightmare. He let her quick thumping heartbeat lure him away from the sounds in his mind, allowed himself to think of nothing as he felt her breathe.
.~-~.
She had been in his room, sitting on the floor with the scouter project, communication project, and invisa-shield project all spread out before her when he started mumbling in his sleep. However, it wasn't until he started growling out full sentences when she started to worry. Well, she guessed they were sentences, he hadn't exactly been speaking English and it had been far too rough and low to understand it even if he had been. But it was the fear she heard in his voice that had really scared her and made her try waking him. Now he was holding onto her as if his life depended on it. Must have been one hell of a nightmare... she mused. Maybe the chip uncovered some repressed memories?
The room was silent except for their breathing. Frankly it was too quiet for her liking. Normally when she was upset she liked some sort of noise... Probably had something to do with how her mother would always talk to her when she was upset. Talking about anything and everything to distract her from whatever was bothering her. Vegeta certainly wouldn't like that but... She glanced at the far wall as an idea came to her. If she put a TV in his room she could keep movies playing, give some sort of noise to break up the silence. Maybe that will help with these nightmares too...
She sat there hugging him back, merely being the grounding that he obviously needed. It was the only thing she could do. She wouldn't lie: the anticipation of this was killing her. She really wanted to know what had happened. What was he thinking now? But she knew that whatever trust he was showing to her now could evaporate with the smallest wrong look so saying anything was out of the question. She'd be lucky if he didn't turn on her simply because she was here now...
Bulma pushed the thought from her head, hoping that that would not happen. Even so, she would be here for him nonetheless. If anything this only proved how much he needed someone! And damn it, she was going to help him. Screw what Yamcha said. Or what anyone else would say. No! This was more... so much more than spurning the opinion of what everyone else thought. She was going to help him even if he never actually trusted her. He may do anything he wanted to push her away; continue hating her or trying to kill her. Anything. She simply didn't care about her own safety anymore when it came to Vegeta. No matter what, she would help him, even if that meant her death. Even if... that meant death at his own hands.
~~~~.~-~.~~~~
Beta'd by LPphreek
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