((Disclaimer: The character of Vegeta's daughter in this story is not Bulla/Bura/Bra. This is my own original character replacing her. I have no hate towards her as a character, in fact I find her rather cute. I just felt the need to recreate her character the way I would have wanted it to have happened. As far as when the story takes place, it takes place after the events of Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F'. This is also taking into consideration that Dragon Ball GT never happens. I'm not sure if I'll add more events of Dragon Ball Super in as well, as I've only seen about 4 episodes so far. But, hey, it's fanfiction. If I do make a mistake, regarding accuracy towards the Dragon Ball series in general, feel free to inform me. I admit I don't know everything there is to know about the Dragon Ball series, but I love it and I happened to have an interesting idea for a fanfic. Please enjoy. BTW, spoilers from Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F', but I suppose that was a given.))
Sweat beaded down from Vegeta's body. Fists clinched, he stood with a low stance, panting and growling like a savage animal in the gravity room. In one swift motion, the Saiyan illuminated brightly and struck the air in front of him. At 450 G, he was, once again, pushing his body to the limits. With each exertion, he could feel the extra gravity tugging him down violently.
To reinforce his strength, he fueled himself with the rage experienced at the thought of Kakarot and his ability to relentlessly show him up. He nearly had his moment of glory, the one time he could finally prove his strength. The resurrected Freiza was on his knees before the Saiyan Prince. With one more strike, Vegeta could have claimed his life. Yet, for whatever the reason was, Kakarot stepped in at the final moment and took what was to be his victory.
Vegeta pounced into the air, striking faster than the normal eye could comprehend. He screamed his infuriated battle cry, powering up more and more as needed. Blood pulsed through his body like lead. His screams alone were enough to make the chamber tremble. The drones installed into the gravity room activated, striking Vegeta's attention. He swore under his breath and prepared himself for the onslaught of lasers.
The machines sounded in unison and became active, their sights set on Vegeta. The Prince returned his feet to the ground, back flipping and dodging through the assault. Exhausted, he landed back on his feet, stumbling forward and planting his hands onto the ground. He knew he could not stay there for long. Three lasers from different directions were heading his way.
"Damn it!" he screamed, rolling out of the path of the lasers. However he didn't come out completely unscathed. Blood trickled down from a burning laceration stretching over his left bicep. The slight pain in his arm triggered a violent response. He extended his arms out and touched the bottom of each of his palms together. Focusing his energy into his arms, he released a blinding light from his hands. The light gathered together as a sphere, shimmering with electric energy. It shot into the air, disintegrating most of the drones and severely damaging the others.
Vegeta stood up straight, as the gravity was reduced dramatically. His body felt faint and he became dizzy, a common side effect of using the gravity chamber after some time. However that meant the chamber must be malfunctioning since it shut off without the user's permission.
Vegeta stumbled to the exit, struggling to remain balanced. The sudden lack of gravity left him somewhat light headed. He took a moment to regain his stamina and balance before departing from the gravity room.
He paced quietly down the halls of Capsule Corp in search of Bulma to inform her of the now broken gravity room. Bulma put a lot of effort into what Vegeta needed to become stronger. Armor, drones, the gravity room, even the mental support. Vegeta always shrugged off the kind words Bulma offered, claiming they were useless and not needed. Yet, they were always appreciated. The woman had a way about her that forced Vegeta into having conflicting emotions. He cared for her, in his way. A way that wasn't always obvious. Her presence made him jumpy and concerned. She never backed down from an argument, despite how violent it became. She was brave and held a quick tongue. It was irresistible.
"Where is that woman?" Vegeta growled as he became impatient with the fact she was nowhere to be found. He crossed his arms over his chest and thought. She never mentioned she was going out somewhere today. Then again, he hadn't seen her all morning.
He checked the lab, only to find her father there, head buried in papers and machinery. He, too, claimed to not seeing her since the day began.
"Then perhaps you can fix the gravity room," Vegeta told the old man. "You've done it before."
No longer threatened by his presence, Dr. Briefs merely shook his head, not even bothering to look up from the project he was currently working on. "As appealing as that may sound to me, I'm currently in the middle of a very important invention. I can't possibly stop now, and it will take quite some time to finish." Sitting upon his shoulder, that odd black cat looked up and mewed at Vegeta, to which Vegeta simply ignored.
"Then I suppose I'll just have to find that woman and have her fix it. If I could find her…"
"Have you tried the outside garden yet?" asked Dr. Briefs. "She's taken a liking to the scenery as of late. I'd check there if I were you."
Without uttering a formal good-bye, Vegeta took his leave, accepting the old man's advice and checking that area of the corporation.
Lush green grass and palm trees greeted the Saiyan. There were times when the absolute carefree-ness of the entire estate annoyed Vegeta to no end. It felt too pleasant. The bright yellow dome-shaped buildings didn't help, either. As huge and bright as they were, they made for easy targets for enemies. Vegeta felt so damn exposed living in these conditions.
The outer garden consisted of several carefully placed plants and flowers surrounding a small man-made pond. It was a new edition to the estate, a short-lived hobby the Briefs family had created. It was small, but able to survive on its own, with the exception of the fish swimming within the pond.
Rather than finding Bulma, Vegeta instead found two children sitting upon a rock near the pond. The first child Vegeta recognized as his son, Trunks, tampering with the surface of the water, no doubt harassing the fish residing within. The other was his friend, Goten, the other half-blooded Saiyan child of Goku's. Despite the fact that their fathers are rivals, the two had grown a friendship. Part of Vegeta was disgusted by the fact. Then again the two worked well with each other in battle. And, he supposed, if Trunks is happy…
"Trunks!" Vegeta bellowed out, causing the two children to jump. "Come here, son," he commanded.
Trunks leaped to his feet in an instant, retracting his hand from the water. Goten stood safely behind his slightly taller friend. Goten had never really considered Vegeta a threat, but he sure was scary.
"A-Am I in trouble, Dad?" Trunks stuttered.
Vegeta twitched with annoyance and beckoned once more, "Just come here, boy!" Hesitantly, Trunks lifted himself into the air and levitated towards his father, expecting a lecture or sudden, rough training session. Goten remained where he was. He knew better than to interfere. "Yeah, Dad?" he asked quietly.
"Have you seen your mother around? I need to speak with her immediately."
Trunks relaxed his shoulders and sighed with relief. "Oh. For a second there, I thought you were mad about something!" He laughed off his anxiety, one hand scratching the back of his head.
"Just tell me where she is," he said, losing patience.
"Ah-right. Um." Trunks' usual bright grin faded to a face of slight concern. He crossed his arms. "Last I saw Mom, she was at the house. But she was acting…weird." He looked up at his father, presuming it was the reason he wished to speak to her.
Vegeta frowned. "Weird how?" he inquired.
The boy shrugged. "I dunno, she just wasn't acting like her usual self. She's been in the house all day. I thought maybe she was sick, but I don't think that's it."
It was rather strange for Bulma to be inside the house all day. She was usually more active than that. Vegeta didn't take Trunks' concern too seriously, however. There must have been some logical reason that didn't involve any worry. "That's all I needed to know," he said, leaving the children to go about their day.
He approached the entrance of the dome-shaped house. Just as he was about to make his appearance, he sensed not one, but two faint power sources from within. Someone else was within the house other than Bulma. Vegeta hovered slightly above the ground and inspected through the nearby blue-tainted window.
"Oh, it's only her mother," he whispered to himself. The two women were located in the living room, side by side on the couch conversing. From what Vegeta could gather, Bulma appeared to be distressed. She spoke with a troubled expression as he mother listened with that ditsy look of hers that Vegeta secretly loathed. Their conversation was muffled through the walls.
Rather than confronting the situation, he decided it best to investigate. The two were facing away from the window. All he had to do was press his ear against the glass.
"…I mean, should I tell him up front?" He heard Bulma ask. "I doubt he'd even care, that jerk. He didn't the first time."
"Oh, I'm sure he will," her mother responded. "He's changed a lot, you know that. Sure, he's still got a little chip on his shoulder, but I've seen the way he looks at you and Trunks. He's a softy under all that armor!"
Vegeta flinched at the thought of being considered "soft". Had he really allowed his emotions to become so visible? That alone was nearly enough for the proud prince to march in and demand she take that insult to his pride back. He remained still, however, yearning to know what the true topic of the conversation was.
"Yeah, I know, but that's not something he'd want to admit to. He's a 'proud Saiyan warrior', not a family man. I don't want to be a burden on him. I don't want this baby to be a burden on him."
"She's…expecting?" Vegeta murmured. What struck him even harder was the fact that Bulma thought herself a burden because of it. How could she think that of herself? Vegeta was left utterly baffled by the news. He turned away from the window, pressing his hand against the yellow wall inclosing the glass into the structure.
He considered the possibility of another son. It could ultimately be another way he could show up Kakarot and his brats. Vegeta may have respected Gohan's strength at one point, but he's the one who has truly gotten soft. Goten and Trunks alike are still but children. And while Trunks always seems eager for a fight, he lacks true discipline. Perhaps this go around, Vegeta would finally have a chance to redeem himself with a respectable heir.
And then, something snapped. He took himself by surprise. Wait, he thought, shaking his head. I'm talking about children, not pets to be trained. And not just any children…My children. How could I even consider…?
As quickly as the mind-blowing epiphany entered his head, his attention was, again, turned to another direction. A loud, muffled yell emitted from inside the building. "Vegeta, you jerk! Are you eavesdropping?!"
Vegeta flinched and glared through the window again. Bulma stood below with her hands on her hips and one foot tapping the floor repeatedly. Her face was distorted with embarrassment and rage. "Don't you know how rude that is?!" She crossed her arms and stared him down. "Get in here!" she demanded.
"Alright, woman! Quit yelling at me!" Vegeta snapped, lowering himself back to the ground. He stomped towards the door with clinched fists, grumbling to himself until he entered the home, not bothering to close the door behind him.
"Mom, if you wouldn't mind?" Bulma looked to her mother, who understood what her daughter was suggesting. She silently took her leave, stepping past Vegeta on the way out. The two did not exchange a passing glance.
Even after the soft click of the door, the couple remained silent. Bulma had turned herself away from Vegeta, arms still crossed as she stood with a questionable stance. Vegeta cocked his head slightly, trying to get a read on her emotion, as hard as that is by default.
He took a step toward her, causing her to simply glance over her shoulder at him. Vegeta questioned why his heart rate was suddenly significantly faster than it was just moments before. Vegeta fidgeted for a moment, not knowing what to do with himself, all the while Bulma seemed quietly content with the situation. So when it became obvious that this silence would continue to prolong itself, Vegeta decided he would be the first to speak.
"…I care," he grumbled.
It was enough to grab Bulma's attention. She faced Vegeta, eyes wide. "What did you say?" she asked, as if she didn't know.
Vegeta snarled. "Y-You heard me, woman!"
She rested her hands on her hips and sashayed towards Vegeta. "Hm, no I don't think I did. Maybe say it a little louder this time?"
"I said…!" he began sharply, only to see the disapproval of his tone on Bulma's face. So he sighed and avoided her gaze. "…I said…I care. And don't you dare think otherwise. Now drop it, woman!"
Bulma giggled. "I thought so, Vegeta," she cooed, placing a light tap of her finger against Vegeta nose. He crinkled his face at the touch, grunting and turning his head away from her. "Stop," he muttered.
"Your face is getting red," she said with a smirk.
"Is not."
She closed her eyes and kissed him. It was like pressing her lips against a wall. She hardly expected him to return the kiss. Only on very rare occasions did Vegeta ever show his sensitive side willingly. Astonishingly, this was one of those grand moments. A hand hesitantly brushed up her neck and rested on her cheek. His lips parted slightly against hers, opening himself up to her. Bulma shivered at the rare touch. He's turned into quite the romantic, she thought as she wrapped her arms over his neck.
Just as she was fully savoring the embrace, the Saiyan pried himself away. Her arms slowly slipped down from his shoulders and he stepped away from her. He glanced quickly towards her abdomen then away again. It was brief, but just long enough for Bulma to notice. "How does it feel knowing you'll be a daddy of two soon, Vegeta?" she teased, batting her eyes sweetly.
He stuttered out a response. "I-It…does not bother me," he said muttered.
His wife frowned. "It's not supposed to bother you!" You're supposed to be happy about it!"
Vegeta rolled his eyes. "You're impossible, woman."
"Would you have me any other way?"
"Tch…"
"Oh, alright, I'm done messing with you," she laughed. Her attention was then drawn to the injury upon Vegeta's arm. "But at least let me patch that up for you. You know, before you get blood all over the carpet." Without an opportunity to reply, Vegeta found himself being led out of the living room by Bulma, her hand in his. With her back towards him again, he allowed a dim smirk to stretch over his lips.