Bulma almost surprised herself, the way she was able to pack away his clothes with such a calm demeanor. Much like the calm he had on his face when he had killed so many people that day. She could still feel the heat of the blast radiating against her skin. She could smell the burnt flesh and hear the agonizing dying screams of the spectators Vegeta had murdered that day. And he had laughed at it.
It only strengthened her resolve as she folded and packed up his half of the room. Not that he had much anyway, the clothes he had amounted to about one suitcase. Plus a capsule for some of his better clothes that she had insisted on buying for him. Now, the sight of them just made her skin crawl, a fear trickling down her spine and she could hear that laugh ringing in her ears again. She hadn't slept since it was over, she had become a shadow of herself and while it hurt, she found it didn't hurt as badly as she thought it would. Her heart had already been broken on that day, what else was left?
Vegeta walked out of the bathroom, toweling at his hair and froze in his tracks as he noticed his empty half of the closet. Bulma stood at the end of their bed, her hands on her hips, staring at an open suitcase as if she was lost deep in thought. She'd been distant from him these past few days, but he hadn't expected this. He slowly lowered his hand from his head, staring at her in disbelief.
"What are you doing, woman?" he asked as his hand clenched around the towel. Was she really throwing him out? Surely not. He'd lived at Capsule Corp ever since he came to earth after the battle on Namek. While their relationship hadn't always been perfect, it was filled with passion and he had even admitted to Goku that he was quite fond of his wife and their son. And now he found her packing his belongings as if none of that mattered to her. "What is going on?"
Bulma couldn't stop the flinch that ran through her body at his sudden appearance and she turned to look at him. He was as fierce as always, proud, but she couldn't see the good. Of course it was there, but try as she might she couldn't do it any more, "I'm sorry, Vegeta. I can't do this any more." She gestured between them. She could see the look in his eyes and she held up her hand to explain, "No, I'm not kicking you out, but Capsule Corp is big enough where two people can live and never come in contact with each other. I just, I can't be around you right now, Vegeta. You murdered hundreds of people, you nearly killed me! You would have laughed about it and not even cared, would you?"
She turned away from him and shut the suitcase with a definitive click. Her voice was quiet, "I can't do us any more Vegeta. I haven't been able to sleep, I've been hearing screams echoing in my head. That Monster you helped ATE me. It turned me into candy and ate me. And you weren't there to protect us. You caused it. I have nightmares that won't end even when I wake up. It just doesn't make sense why I am doing this any more."
"And I suppose the fact that I gave my life to make up for that means nothing to you?" he countered, wrapping the towel around the back of his neck, unashamed that he was completely nude before her. "I destroyed myself in an attempt to stop that monster. I DID help Kakarot defeat Majin Buu. And you and all the others were brought back. Everything that happened was fixed. I told you it was a mistake, that I allowed another to influence me. I'm not proud of that. I told you that. And yet now you're going to cast me aside so easily?"
He didn't understand it and he mentally kicked himself for allowing himself to care so much for an earthling woman. It was too easy for them to abandon their life partners. Saiyans had a much deeper respect for making a commitment like that. He shook his head; he should've known better. He was suddenly very grateful that he had never properly mated with her. He supposed this would've hurt a great deal more if he had.
"Easy?" She echoed, "You think this was an easy choice for me?! We've raised a son together! We were supposed to be a family! Do you think those things you did, just because it was a "mistake" makes everything okay? An "Oops" and "I'll never do it again." makes everything as right as rain?" Tears were in her eyes and she rubbed at her face, feeling the heat gathering there. She thought she had shed her tears over this already, "Put some clothes on." She managed to grind out, looking away from him and rubbing at her eyes, "It doesn't undo what you did, it doesn't change the fact of what you did. You put a nail in a fence post and then take it out, there's still a hole left behind."
There was a knot in Vegeta's throat and an ache in his heart that he'd never felt before. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He should never have let himself get this attached. He dropped the towel on the floor and walked closer to her, reaching out to touch her arm, but he retracted his hand when she flinched. "I told you I was wrong. I would never make that same mistake again." He had to fix this. He couldn't imagine his life without her now. They had been together for so many years, how do you just end something like that? He reached for her again, but she jerked her arm away this time. "Stop pulling away from me! After everything we've been through, you can just end it? Just walk away? How the hell do you expect me to live under the same roof as you and just… just…" He couldn't even finish his sentence.
Bulma backed away from him, she should have know better. When facing a tiger, you don't run away, you don't show it that you are afraid. Tears slid down her cheeks at the realization, "I'm afraid of you!" She cried, "I don't feel safe around you any more. I can't do this any more, Vegeta! After all those years we've been together, you threw it all away for power, fear, to rule with an iron fist and to kill without mercy. After everything we've been through Vegeta and not once. Not ONCE, have you ever told me that you loved me. That you cared. I thought you did once, but after seeing you like that, no remorse in your eyes, I just don't know what's stopping you from doing it again."
A long sigh issued through his nose as he stared at her. Of course he cared for her. He cared deeply for her. But did he love her? The realization of that statement slapped him hard in the face. He'd never known love before, so how could he say either way? Perhaps it was more that he was comfortable here, that they had just sort of fallen into this way of living without questioning it much. She did her thing in her lab while he spent his hours training in his gravity room, both of them falling into bed with each other at the end of the day. There was no romance to it, no silly courtship. It had just happened.
He took a step back from her and grabbed his dark jeans and his favorite dark red tank top from the top of the suitcase and pulled them on. If she was uncomfortable around him now, he wasn't going to make the situation worse. "So be it then," he said thickly as he dressed. He fixed his belt and sat on the bed for a moment to pull on his boots. He couldn't even look at her now. There was no point in arguing. He could see it in her eyes that her decision was final. He could avoid her easily enough within the walls of this place. Her energy signal was so familiar to him, he would never have to see her if he didn't want to. Still, the knowledge that she feared him stung him in a way he hadn't expected. He swallowed harshly. This hurt more than he thought it should have.
He stood and zipped the suitcase closed. "I suppose that's it then?" he asked. At her nod, he grabbed the bag and headed for the door, shaking his head again. He paused, wondering if his words would mean anything to her, but he had to say it. He wanted her to know. "Just so you know, right before I died, my last thoughts were of you and our son. For whatever it's worth." And with that, he quietly closed the door behind him.
Bulma couldn't choke back the sob that made it past her lips as the door closed. She held a hand to her mouth as tears fell down her cheeks. It hurt, because at one point in their relationship she had told him she loved him. He couldn't say those simple words. She fell to her knees and sobbed into her hands. It was for the best, she told herself. She reminded herself of the cold smile he wore on that day, aiming in her direction. So easily he could have killed her and their friends, and he would have laughed at it. What if another offering of power presented itself to him at a later time? What would the price be and would he once again be willing to pay it? It was a risk she didn't want to find out. It was the right choice, she thought to herself, it was the right choice. She choked back her tears and looked at the phone, wondering if she should call Chichi, talk to her friend. Tell her she went through with it. She would understand, right?
Chichi huffed as she hung up the phone, but she was proud of her friend. She and Bulma had been on the phone almost constantly since the World Martial Arts Tournament, discussing what Vegeta had done. Bulma was afraid of Vegeta now and Chichi didn't blame her one bit for it. She was frightened of him, too. She didn't understand why Bulma was still letting that man live in her home, but she supposed Bulma was a bit more forgiving than she herself was.
She sat back down at the table and watched her husband as he finished off his dinner. She chewed the corner of her mouth as she debated telling Goku about the whole mess. Might as well just come out with it. He was bound to hear about it sooner or later. "That was Bulma," she said. "Looks like she finally decided to end things with Vegeta. I'm surprised it took her this long, to be honest. I don't blame her one bit for it. That man is unstable."
Goku nearly choked on his last bite of food, banging against his chest to get the sudden lump down, "She did what? Why would she do that?" He frowned, thinking through all the events that had happened. Chichi had told him what had happened at the Lookout and he closed his eyes. He remembered the tournament as if it had happened a few hours ago. That cold look in Vegeta's eyes, his declaration that he was finally the strongest Saiyan on the earth again. Reclaiming his honor.
"Okay, Vegeta made some mistakes, but he was being controlled. It wasn't really him! He isn't unstable, just," He paused, his mind trying to catch up with the words he was speaking. What was Vegeta? Angry? Controlling? He had a lot of reasons for him to be the way he was, "Okay, so he's not perfect, but no one is. Why would Bulma want to end it with him like this? They have a family, a son!" He leaned back in his chair, thinking how he must sound. Giving up his family to protect them, leaving them for seven long years, "I mean, isn't it a bit sudden? I mean, we just finished this battle. She must still be in shock from it all. I know I would be." He smiled at his wife, but he wasn't sure what to say. He wanted to go and tell Bulma that she was wrong, to take Vegeta back.
"She's afraid of him," Chichi answered matter-of-factly. "He nearly killed her with that little stunt of his at the tournament! He nearly killed me, too. Do you have any idea how close we were to that blast? A couple meters at best. I don't think it's sudden at all. And I don't care if he claims he was being controlled, you said he LET himself fall under that spell or whatever it was. So he wanted that. He chose to do that. No, I think Bulma made the right choice. But why she's letting him still stay on her property, I will never understand. She should kick him out on his rear as far as I'm concerned." She stood up to clear away the dishes and sighed as she filled the sink with hot water. "I just hope he doesn't hurt her. After what he did, I'm scared of him, too."
Goku winced, Vegeta had let himself fall under that spell, "He let himself be controlled, but like I said, he made a mistake. We all make mistakes, don't we? I know you were close to that blast. I was furious with him," He propped his chin up in his hand as he got lost in his thoughts again, staring off at the walls, "But then he sacrificed everything to try and undo what he did, to try to save them. Us." He remembered the speech, the confession that the older Saiyan had given him. He sounded like a man at the bottom of the pit, broken and beaten. Still with something to lose, still with one last attack up his sleeve. He shook his head, "He won't hurt her, he cares for them. More than I think he knows."
"I hope you're right about that," she answered as she began to scrub the dishes. "Yes, we all make mistakes. But right or wrong, we all have to learn to live with the consequences of our choices. That was a choice he made. Obviously it was the wrong one, but he has to lie in the bed he made. I don't feel sorry for him." She shook her head as she washed the dishes, remembering how terrified she was that day. She shivered violently at the memories. How different would that day have been if only Vegeta hadn't been such a fool. "I really think you shouldn't spend much time with him anymore. I don't trust him, Goku."
Goku waved her off, "I think sparring with him will at least help him to channel some of his anger towards me." He stood up and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulled her close, "Trust me to do the right things. I'll make sure he won't hurt any more innocents. I will keep our family safe." He said before he kissed her cheek.
Chichi's eye twitched at the mention of sparring. "You're planning on training again?" she asked. "You just spent seven years in otherworld training. You just got back! Wasn't that enough? Please tell me you're not going to be running off every day like you used to." She turned in his arms, looking up at him. "Goku, I've been running this house and raising our sons completely on my own since you left the last time! You can't do this to me again!"
Goku shook his head, "I'm not leaving you again, Chichi. Never. You won't have to do this alone, because I'm here to help you. I promise that I'll make time each day to help Goten with his homework. Pick up groceries? Anything you want me to do, I'll do it. Though the otherworld training helped, it wasn't near enough. You wouldn't have been turned into candy if I had been stronger, if I had been prepared."
Chichi groaned and turned to the sink to finish the dishes quickly before she dried her hands and clicked off the light over the sink. "I know you. You just can't help yourself, can you?" she asked and closed her eyes as she shook her head. "You'll be running around the whole darn countryside, sparring with anyone who will give you the chance. Just try to keep it in check this time, please? Remember, we have to live with the choices we make."
He smiled at her , nodding enthusiastically, "Believe me, I know that Chichi. I will make sure that I don't get carried away this time." He leaned down and picked her up, "Come on, you've been on your feet all day long, time to relax."
Co-Written with LadyRavenhawk while we take a small hiatus from Rise of the Apocalypse.