I don't own DBZ, I wish I did.
This is an AU, one-shot. There are no sayans, no ki, no dragonballs.
Sorry if there are some mistakes. I had this idea while I was in bed, so I had to get up and write it down and it was around midnight when I started.
It was a nice day. The sun was shinning, birds were singing in the trees, it was just a picture perfect spring day. It was still early in the morning but I was walking down a little dirt path. To my left there was the blue ocean, moving slowly and peacefully. I looked at the water thinking how it was so beautiful, the rays of the sun were reflecting on the deep blue water, and it was such a breathtaking sight. I wish I could go for a swim down there. But I know that I can't, I must go on.
I remember my dear father telling me once that nature was peace and destruction all in one. The ocean for example could bring such joy to a person but it's also able to destroy their life. Nature was unpredictable. It can give you so much, but it can also take everything from you.
And there on my right was the main road leading to my city. I know this road like the back of my hand. I've been walking down this little dirt path so many many times before. Nothing really changes here. I was a little bit far from the city. But I am not worried at all. I have time, I don't have to hurry.
I just keep walking, knowing that at some point I will reach my destination. Like every time before I saw the city in the distance around noon. I stopped at the city borders and looked at the name. West City. The city where my heart lies.
I keep walking, and see so many people passing me by, but no one looks at me. They all seem really busy, never taking the time to look around, but hey it's their loss. I tried talking to some of them, telling them they should live their life, turn to their loved ones be thankful for what they had. But they never listen, and so I gave up.
Now I am reaching one of my favorite places. It's the rose garden of the city. It's so beautiful. So many different kinds of roses. So many magnificent smells. I know where I want to be in this magical place. It's a little place in the middle of the garden. There is a bench with just enough room for two people to sit, surrounded by tall bushes. It gives you much privacy but it's not so big to make you feel trapped. I went over to the bench and sat down. You would think that such a beautiful place would be crowded by couples, young and old. But it's not the case. People don't come here very often. The garden is almost always empty. But I like it that way. It's here that everything started for me.
I remember my parents taking me to this garden. My mother loved nature. You could say she was nature herself. She was such a loving person, always smiling. Some people thought that she was just stupid, but I knew the truth. My mother was just an angel. She had the biggest heart in the whole world. Even her name was cute. Bunny. Yeah that was her. My father wasn't much different from my mother. He was a kind man. Always there for me, in fact he was there for everyone. My father was the kind of person that would take off his shirt and give it to a homeless person. Yeah that was John Brief for you. Perhaps you are wondering why I am talking in the past sense about them?
Well I lost my parents when I was 20. I was home from college, sitting in my little apartment waiting for my mother to call me. Well it wasn't little at all in fact, it was more of a penthouse. My parents went on a vacation to Europe and they were supposed to be home at 10 pm. It was 9:48 so I went to the kitchen to grab a little something to eat, while waiting for the phone to ring. That's when the phone rang. Snack forgotten I went over to take the call.
"Hey mom so how was the flight?"
"Miss Brief?" asked an unknown voice. It was too deep to be my father's and he always called my baby blue. So it was definitely not my dad.
"Y-yes?"
"Miss Brief, I am inspector Piccolo and I am calling about your parents."
So many things went through my head. My head was spinning. What happened? Where were they? Please Kami let them be okay!
"Miss Brief are you still there?"
It took me some time to find my voice.
"Yes inspector I am still here."
He took a long breath and then let it all out.
"I am calling to tell you that the plane your parents took got caught in a great storm and it crashed"
And then there was silence. My brain wasn't working. I didn't understand a single word. It was like he was talking in a different language. And then everything made sense. My dear parents in a plane that crashed. But there could be a chance that they were still alive right? They could be badly hurt but alive? Right? Right? Oh please Kami make it be alright!
"Ar-aare they...?", no I could not say it. May be if I don't say it, it won't come true.
But Kami didn't listen to my preyers.
"I am sorry Miss Briefs, but your parents didn't survive the crash."
And the phone fell on the floor. I could not move. No it wasn't true. No. NO! Why? Why them? They never did anything wrong! Never!
I couldn't take it anymore. That's when everything went black.
I woke up in the morning, wondering why I was sleeping on the floor. There beside me was the phone. Why was it on the floor? I was supposed to talk to my mother about... My mother. And last night came back to me. My parents were gone. I was alone.
I hade to get out of here. I was suffocating in here!
So I ran out not caring to take my phone or my keys. I just needed to leave this place.
I didn't know where I was going until I saw the garden. Our garden.
So I went there, as always no one could be seen. I went to the middle and sat on the little bench. Here no one could see me. I let my head fall down, my messy hear fell all over my face and I started crying. I cried so much. I was broken. I was all alone. I couldn't breath. It just hurt so much.
"May be I should stop breathing, then everything would stop?"
"No don't do that, there is so much more for you to live and see" said a deep voice.
I looked up, but I could not see a thing. My vision was blurred. I could only see the black silhouette of a man. So I raised my hand to wipe the tears with my sleeve so that I could see the person talking to me. But he gave my handkerchief. I took it from him mumbling my thanks.
He sat beside me while I was wiping my eyes and blowing my nose.
When I was finished I looked up at him to thank him again but I forgot what I intended to say. I was looking at the blackest eyes I've ever seen. There were so deep it seemed that they could swallow your soul. Shaking my head a little bit I came back to my senses.
"So what happened to you, that now you are thinking about taking your own life away?"
Why should I tell him? I don't know him. He could be a stalker, or a killer. But when I looked at him again, I couldn't shake this feeling away. It was like I already knew him. Like I could trust him. But why? Where did it came from.
"I am all alone now." the words came out of my mouth before I could stop them.
He looked at me without saying anything. His hand went up to his hair. Huh his hair was shaped like a flame. How bizarre. How did he make it stand up like that? It does not look like he is using anything to make it like that. How strange indeed. And it was black as the night itself. He also had a prominent widow peek, but it looked right being there.
"I am sorry for your loss" that's all he said.
I looked from his hair back to his face. He understood. I don't know how but he knew what I was talking about. His face was not showing pity but deep sadness. He was really sorry for me, not just saying it.
New tears started flowing down my face and before I knew what I was doing I threw myself at him. But he did not push me away. No, he put his hands around me and held me for dear life. You would think that it was crazy and stupid from me to go hug a stranger. But it felt right. It was as if I belonged there. Having this stranger, whose name I didn't even know, hold me in his strong arms felt like home. Yes home, the place you are supposed to feel secure and happy. For me at that moment home was not my apartment or my parents house. But it was the arms of a stranger with flame shaped hair.
I don't know how long we were there. Him holding me and me seeking reassurance from him. After some time I felt better. Not alright but juste better.
I looked up at him. That's the first time I saw how handsome he was. He had those kind of lips you see on men in magazines. Those lips that every woman wants to kiss. A straight nose, just the right size. And his ebony eyes, they were so alluring. He was the most handsome man I've ever seen.
That's when I became aware of the position I was in. Blushing I stared to move away from him. But it left me wanting more, I wanted to be back in his strong embrace where I felt safe. Brushing that feeling aside I looked again at him, and he was watching me intensely.
I became self-conscious. I was sure I was looking like a total mess. You would say that in a situation like this I should not care what I looked like. But I wanted to look nice in the eyes of this man.
He stood up and I started to panic a little bit. Was he going to leave?
"Come I think you need something to eat" he said extending his hand to me.
I looked at him then at his outstretched hand. Should I go with him? I looked at his face again and when our eyes met I knew that this man would never harm me. So I took his hand and he helped me up and led me out of the rose garden. I did not look back. He was the only thing I could concentrate on without breaking down.
We spend the whole day in a little cafe. We talked a lot. It didn't feel strange at all, I didn't have to pretend I was interested in our conversations. Everything he said was interesting, intelligent even. I listened to every word he said. And he did the same for me. He let me speak when I wanted and he asked me question when needed. That day I learned a lot about my stranger. Yes my stranger. He too lost his parents. When he was 16 his parents were killed by a mad man in a mall. He too was thinking about taking his own life but his friend Goku helped him through it all. Now he was 24 and had opened his own company when he was my age. I didn't believe him when he said it was Ouji Corp. It was one of the major technological companies in the world. But he was not bragging or anything, just stating a fact. That's how I met Vegeta and he changed my life.
Now I was standing in front of our little cafe. It became our little cafe over time. We always came here to sit and talk with each other. To be with each other. I am looking through the window and I see our table right over there, another young couple is sitting over there, talking and looking lovingly at each other. How many time have we sat there like them over the years? Don't know, but each time was fabulous.
I turn from the window I don't have much time left, I have to be on my way. I keep walking passing by various places. There is the theater we loved going to. I even passed by the school, where I taught. Ah yes I haven't told you I was a science teacher. I loved teaching all the different things to my students. I can really say that I was a great teacher, I was loved by my students.
Ah look here is the church where Vegeta and I married. It was such a beautiful day. Just like today. All our friends were there. He was so handsome all in black. Later on the way to our honeymoon he told me that I looked so beautiful, that I took his breath away. You see Vegeta didn't like showing his emotions in public. He would take my hand, or would embrace me, but he would not kiss me passionately like he did when we were alone. And that's the way I liked it. That was a side of Vegeta only I got to see. Anyway that night Vegeta told me I looked beautiful but it only came second best. I was hurt by that, who was first? And I put so much work into my appearance for my wedding day and the jerk told me it came in second. When he saw my face he started laughing, that jerk! He stopped the car and turned to me. But I wasn't looking at him. I was angry. He made me turn around by taking my face in his hands. The look on his face was one of deep love and devotion and my anger just disappeared.
"Bulma you are my other half. You are the one and only for me. But today even though you were the most beautiful bride that ever walked down an aisle, it's only second on my list. The first place is already taken by the first time I saw you sitting on that bench in the garden. You were sitting on that old bench with snot and tears all over your face. But I only thought that you were the most stunning creature in the whole world. You really did look like shit, but I just wanted to be with you. At that moment I knew that I want to spend eternity with you to be together with you forever."
Haha what a crazy man I married! A man that thought that I was the most beautiful thing when I was a sniveling mess. If I ever had any doubt about him they disappeared in that moment. I wouldn't want him any other way.
Now standing here I can only smile. He was amazing. And I love him more than anything.
But I should keep going. I am not far from home anymore. We bought a nice house, when we decided to live together.
I am now entering our neighborhood. It is lovely. All nice big houses with green lawns, and for the most nice people living in them.
Ah I see my neighbor Yajirobe Okama leaving his house. He was a fat little man, who worked in the banking business. He was not really nice. So it was kind of normal when I said hello for him to not say a thing. It's been like this since we moved in.
Ah there it is our home. It was a big white house, with a big yard, and blue roses were almost everywhere. I remember some years back there used to be other flowers, but now there are only blue roses. My favorite.
I stepped into the house and went into our living room. There you could almost see our life. Vegeta and I tried to make some kind of family history on the walls. You could see pictures of us when we were little, our parents, Vegeta looked so much like his father, just without the facial hair and with darker hair. Pictures of us and our friends. And so on and on. The last picture was that of us two kissing each other. You can almost see our love for each other. It is such a beautiful picture. It was taken by our friend Goku, it was one of those rare times where Vegeta showed his love for me in front of everyone. This picture was much bigger than all the other pictures and it had a beautiful golden frame. And in the right hand corner you could see the date. 06/24/2004.
I turn away from those pictures, I have seen them so many times and look around the room. Hmmm the place could be cleaner that's for sure. Dust lies everywhere. Now I am walking back to the hall to take the stairs that will lead me to our bedroom. There is a double door that I know leads to our sanctuary. When you open the doors the first thing you think is: the room is huge. There is a king sized bed with black bedding. Vegeta's choice. He said I could decorate the whole house but he wants to choose our sheets. There are two other doors, one leading to the bathroom and another one to our walk in closet. There are other furnitures in the room but what really takes my attention are our armchairs. I go sit down in mine and wait. It's almost dark outside. He should be home soon.
And like every night the door opens at the same time. I hear him close it and lock it. You can never be sure. Some time later he starts moving up the stairs. He is not young anymore so it takes some time. Ah here he comes. The door opens and reveals my other half. The man who has my heart and will always have it. He is so beautiful in my eyes, even though he is so old. He has trouble moving around. I remember when he used to run for miles, now climbing the stairs is hard enough. Yes my Vegeta is an old man of 78. He has a white flame on his head and a fierce scowl on his face. Over the years he became somewhat mean. An old grumpy man you could say. But in my eyes he will always be 30 years old. A handsome man, that every woman wants for herself.
After closing the door he moves over to me.
"Hello love" I said smiling at him.
He only grunts without looking at me.
He sits in his chair just beside me and lets out a long sigh. Yes he was getting old, my hero.
"I am really getting old, I don't know if I can keep this up."
I just smile at him lovingly and keep listening.
"I was there again today and left flowers, but you already know it, it happens everyday. Went also over to those of our parents and Kakarot's. But I spend all my time by..." he stars coughing. Everyday it's getting worse it seams. I wish so badly that I could help him, it tears me apart. But I can just sit there and watch him go trough his pain.
After some time the coughing stops.
He looks in my direction with so much pain and sadness, that I wish I could take it all away, but I can't.
"I think my time is coming dear. I really hope it is."
He is silent for some time just sitting there and trying to breath.
"Have you seen the garden? It's good right? I try my best, but it's always been better when you did it. Yeah you did some amazing things there. On my way back I've seen Martin Schackelbork. Yes that one. He asked how I was. I said I would say hello from him when I see you. He has grandchildren now. Sometimes I wish we had some. But it's better this way, I don't think that I would have been able to raise a child."
He stands up and goes into the bathroom to take his shower and to get ready for bed. Some time later he comes out wearing gray pajamas. There was a time where he would go naked under the covers. The times where I would go wearing something but wake up like him. But that was a longtime ago.
He gets under the covers and I keep watching him from my armchair. He turns to his nightstand and takes the frame with my picture in it. He press it to his chest and I hear him crying softly. I start crying too but without making any sound. Every night it's the same. He would cry, his sobs breaking my heart and I would silently cry to myself. Crying for all that happened and all the things that should but never did. Such a strong man breaking down like this, it's just not right.
I stand up and go to be by his side. Tears are flowing down his face and landing on his pillow. My tears are flowing faster. He is sobbing so much and holding the frame to his chest that I fear it will kill him. Oh my God why?
With a shaking hand I reach out to touch his left one with his wedding ring still on it. But my hand only goes through. Ah yes I forgot. I am can't touch him. He keeps crying and it only break me more. I go lie down beside him. He keeps crying and crying until he falls asleep. He always keeps his hands on the frame,never leaving it while he sleeps. Always keeping it to his chest.
I keep watching him all night. Through the night he will call for me. I tell him that I am here by his side and that I will never leave him. But he will never hears me. I know he feels my presence. I don't really know if he believes it, but he feels that I am here.
Morning comes. He is waking up. He opens his beautiful eyes, filled with so much pain and sadness. I hate myself for all of this, if I could go back, I would change it. He gets up looks at the frame and kisses it. Then puts it back on the nightstand. After that he disappears again in the bathroom.
I go back to my chair and I wait for him to come out.
He comes out, dresses and then looks at me.
"It seams that I haven't joined you my love, but I still hope that today is the day. I love you."
He looks at his hand.
"Together forever"
He always says the same every morning. It's been 48 years and he keeps repeating it.
And then he leaves the room.
I close my eyes.
When I open them I am standing on a cliff, right next to the ocean and the road that leads to him. Beside me there is a beautiful white stone. If you go by that stone you can read.
Bulma Ouji, Born 06/24/1978, Died 06/26/2004. Loved by everyone but most by her husband. TF. It's just a reminder, no body lies here.
This is the place where I died. I lost control over my car and flew over the cliff and right into the ocean. I died before the car started filling with water. There was no pain it was quick. My body lies in the West City cemetery. There Vegeta bought a piece of land, where he moved our parents too. My body lies beside them and there is a place for one other body just to my right. He already chose his coffin and headstone. It will all be black. Mine are all white. He choose them all the same day.
I take off my wedding ring. And there you can read the words "Together Forever".
Yes forever. I will wait for him. I will go back there and wait until the day we can be together again. My love we will be reunited again. I love you Vegeta with my heart and soul.
AN: Well for once I decided to publish a story of mine, so tell me what you think. Good? Bad?
