A/N: First of all, thank you to all the readers of my recently finished fanfic, "What They Truly Feel." I'm glad you all liked the ending.
Thanks for the reviews!
I do plan on writing a new multi-chapter fic. Today, I bring you a one-shot, which I hope you all enjoy. This is something that I came up with before finishing my other fic, but decided to write it after I was done with my first fic. I hope you enjoy this short story. I hope to bring you the first chapter of the new fic soon or short story.
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ.
"10 Years Later"
Vegeta sat there staring at the picture in his hands. It had been ten years since she passed away and he still couldn't believe. After her death, he wasn't the same. She was the world to him and she stayed with him no matter what. She stuck with him despite the fact at the beginning of it all he ignored her. She loved him despite the fact that he went on a rampage and decided to kill the people at the martial arts tournament because he wanted to fight his long-time rival. No matter how bad the day was or what he did, he always knew that at the end of it all, she would be there for him.
But now, after ten years, she was no longer with him. When she died, he was numb. Something inside him didn't want to believe that she was gone forever. He remembered that he stayed with her a full day after she died and didn't allow anyone to take her; in the end, he finally succumbed to their children's wishes and allowed them to take her away. The only thing he remembered at the funeral was that he had screamed and people just stared at him. He didn't remember what he said during his breakdown, but he remembered that it took several men to restrain him.
He held the picture tighter in his hands.
I still can't believe you're gone, Bulma.
He never thought that a woman, especially a weak Earthling, would mean so much to him.
Vegeta spent the days after her death just sitting in their room. He didn't train, eat, drank, or showered. He just sat there, thinking about her, thinking that all of it was a dream and that she would return home, happy, just like the days when she went shopping.
He knew that because of his Saiyan blood, he was to live longer than she was and he had tried to prepare himself for when she was to die. But all the preparations in the world did not help. The pain was too much for him to bear.
Vegeta looked at his left hand, in which he was holding Bulma's yellow scarf. He loved how the yellow scarf looked on her and after he found it, he kept it among his personal belongings. The color reminded him so much of her: lively and free spirited. He kept it in her memory and whenever he felt he needed her and missed her, he would look at the scarf, holding it in his hand.
"Father?"
Vegeta looked up to find his son and daughter standing in the doorway.
"Aren't you coming with us, Dad?" his daughter asked.
"Leave me alone," he replied.
"But, father, we should go see Mom as a family. I'm sure she would have-" his son began.
"I said leave me alone!"
Vegeta wanted to be alone and his children knew that. He had changed after their mother died. He was much quieter and much more reserved. They left him alone.
Vegeta knew that their children were part of the reason he was still alive. They had both gotten married and had their own children. In his children and grandchildren, Vegeta saw a little bit of Bulma in all of them.
But the other reason he was alive was because he wanted to keep her memory alive in him. Piccolo had mentioned to him before his sacrifice against Buu that he was unable to keep his body and would be cleansed of his memory. He knew that if he died, Vegeta would no longer remember her. He remembered her smell so well and he never wanted to forget it. He had remembered it ever since they first made love. She was the cure to the loneliness that Vegeta felt. Vegeta knew that when he died he would no longer see her. At least by being alive, he would be able to remember.
But part of Vegeta wanted to be dead. He had difficulty living without her. When she was alive, he was annoyed by her bossiness and stubbornness. But now, he missed that the most. He missed their daily arguments, even if it meant that she would eventually win. He missed that she was the first thing he saw when he awoke and the last thing he saw before he slept. She was there to provide him with unlimited support. He missed waking up in the middle of the night and watching her sleep. He missed making love to her and holding her in his arms.
Vegeta walked his way to the cemetery and stood looking at her tombstone.
There were many nights during those past ten years that he dreamed about her. All dreams were different. He recalled dreaming of them wrapped in each other arms looking at the flowers of the cherry blossoms trees fall. He dreamed of making love to her. He dreamed of carrying her in his arms and flying, taking her to watch the city lights shine at night.
They all felt so real to him, but he would awake to find that they were all dreams. Every time he awoke the first thing that he sensed was her smell filling the room.
Vegeta read the tombstone although it was similar to all the others.
Bulma Briefs. Loving Mother and Wife.
He noticed that his children had been there earlier since there were flesh flowers beside the tombstone.
It had begun to snow and it was windy. As the wind blew, her smell was strongly felt around Vegeta.
Vegeta dropped to his knees as recalled once more the last words she spoke to him.
The tears began to flow from his eyes, not only because of sadness, but mainly because of the anger he felt. Anger that had sprouted from the fact that he could tell her the words that she had always longed to hear from him. He was too proud and arrogant to ever speak of his true feelings for her.
If only I had told her…maybe…maybe she would still be alive….maybe she would have lived longer.
"Damn it! Why'd you have to leave me?!"
He had ceased training before she died since his old age was finally catching up with his body. He needed her to be there for him. He yearned for her company now the he felt that he was no longer useful as a warrior.
"Why did you leave when I needed you the most?"
Vegeta suddently felt her presence. He could feel the warmth of her body against his back, just as when she would wrap her around him when she hugged him from behind. The wind blew once more and he heard once again the last words she spoke to him before she died whispered in his ear.
"I love you, Vegeta."
He looked at the sky and smiled. Then, as the wind blew, knowing that it would take the words to heaven and directly to her ears, he spoke the words that she always longed to hear.
"I love you, too, Bulma."