Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.
I'm not too sure what I'm doing, but I'm trying.
Bulma sat within the chair, looking at her bony hands. She felt helpless and stuck. There was nothing to do. She seemed to feel that the only thing she could do was sit, worry, and not mention the absence of her son.
Vegeta stared at her. Her usually beautiful and silky blue hair was messy, oily, and constantly forced itself in front of her eyes. She didn't bother to move them to see, there wasn't anything worth looking at if she couldn't see her son. Her eyes seemed worn and abused from behind the glaze of tears, and her face was startlingly pale. Dark circles had decided to show themselves from underneath her eyes, and her once rosy lips had turned to a shade of gray and purple.
She refused to eat anything nutritious. Vegeta had managed to persuade her to drink small glasses of water, but he had roughly and almost cruelly forced her to eat something with nourishment in it by pouring honey mixed with milk down her throat.
Vegeta had searched for months for Trunks, but was unable to find anything that led to his whereabouts. There wasn't even an explanation for his abrupt disappearance. At first, Bulma thought that he had run away, and would return in time. But as each day passed by, they didn't hear from him or see him. They were convinced he had died.
As to who might have murdered him, they couldn't say. There was no one they could think of with enough power to blow Trunks away into oblivion, without leaving a single molecule of his existence behind. They would certainly have been able to sense the powerful Ki of an enemy. But there wasn't even a hint of someone suppressing his or her enormous strength.
Naturally, they searched frantically for the Dragon Balls to summon the Eternal Dragon. They begged to have him back, but their wish was denied. They didn't understand why, and shouted their protests. The dragon simply replied, "I am powerless in this matter." The next best to ask for was to know the location of Trunks, but again the dragon wasn't able to do anything.
With everything confusing him, even Vegeta had snapped. There had been several nights where Bulma would sit awake in her chair and listen to the violent sounds in the next room as Vegeta smashed things to pieces and blew parts of the wall away.
"Vegeta," Bulma walked into the room so that he stopped, panting. "I'm sorry," she cried. Her weak, pale legs collapsed from underneath her so that she landed on all fours. Shards of broken glass cut into her palms, and he could see the dark blue bruises on her arms where he'd held her down to force-feed her. She was nothing but a mass of pain. "I'm sorry," she cried, putting her drenched face into her hands. Vegeta could only stare at the pitiful scene.
And now they stood around continually, saying nothing. Bulma steadily grew sicker and sicker as she refused to keep her body nourished, and Vegeta was ready to give up force-feeding her.
The knock on the locked glass doors brought their empty minds to a realization of where they were and what they were doing. Vegeta was the only one nowadays who would talk to anybody. Silently, he went to the doors to unlock them so they could slide open for their guest.
Goku entered quietly and looked at Vegeta for a moment. Finally, he spoke. "She's not alright?"
Vegeta's silence was enough for Goku. Goku understood completely what Vegeta must have been going through. Even the tall, proud, royal Saiyan, who never admitted emotion, couldn't hide the frustration and stress that incessantly swelled up within his chest. He knew exactly what they were going through, because Goten, too, was missing.
In exactly the same way, at exactly the same time, the two boys, who were miles away from each other that afternoon, had vanished. At least Goku and Chi-Chi still had someone to look after, which kept them going. But Gohan, in his worry for his younger brother, wouldn't do anything productive.
"Has she eaten?" Goku asked, his voice low and weak.
Vegeta shook his head.
"And you haven't even eaten. I can tell."
"Neither have you," Vegeta told him.
Goku stood with his arms crossed. "Chi-Chi doesn't even get out of bed."
"Bulma won't get out of that damn chair," Vegeta growled.
"At least she's not always lying around."
"Big difference."
The two stood in silence for an hour, looking at the walls of the house, until Goku finally left with a feeble goodbye.
No hints or clues. Nowhere to look anymore. Nothing to do anymore. They were falling to pieces. They were collapsing. And this time there was nothing to mend them.
Okay, end of chapter one. Review!
I'm not too sure what I'm doing, but I'm trying.
Bulma sat within the chair, looking at her bony hands. She felt helpless and stuck. There was nothing to do. She seemed to feel that the only thing she could do was sit, worry, and not mention the absence of her son.
Vegeta stared at her. Her usually beautiful and silky blue hair was messy, oily, and constantly forced itself in front of her eyes. She didn't bother to move them to see, there wasn't anything worth looking at if she couldn't see her son. Her eyes seemed worn and abused from behind the glaze of tears, and her face was startlingly pale. Dark circles had decided to show themselves from underneath her eyes, and her once rosy lips had turned to a shade of gray and purple.
She refused to eat anything nutritious. Vegeta had managed to persuade her to drink small glasses of water, but he had roughly and almost cruelly forced her to eat something with nourishment in it by pouring honey mixed with milk down her throat.
Vegeta had searched for months for Trunks, but was unable to find anything that led to his whereabouts. There wasn't even an explanation for his abrupt disappearance. At first, Bulma thought that he had run away, and would return in time. But as each day passed by, they didn't hear from him or see him. They were convinced he had died.
As to who might have murdered him, they couldn't say. There was no one they could think of with enough power to blow Trunks away into oblivion, without leaving a single molecule of his existence behind. They would certainly have been able to sense the powerful Ki of an enemy. But there wasn't even a hint of someone suppressing his or her enormous strength.
Naturally, they searched frantically for the Dragon Balls to summon the Eternal Dragon. They begged to have him back, but their wish was denied. They didn't understand why, and shouted their protests. The dragon simply replied, "I am powerless in this matter." The next best to ask for was to know the location of Trunks, but again the dragon wasn't able to do anything.
With everything confusing him, even Vegeta had snapped. There had been several nights where Bulma would sit awake in her chair and listen to the violent sounds in the next room as Vegeta smashed things to pieces and blew parts of the wall away.
"Vegeta," Bulma walked into the room so that he stopped, panting. "I'm sorry," she cried. Her weak, pale legs collapsed from underneath her so that she landed on all fours. Shards of broken glass cut into her palms, and he could see the dark blue bruises on her arms where he'd held her down to force-feed her. She was nothing but a mass of pain. "I'm sorry," she cried, putting her drenched face into her hands. Vegeta could only stare at the pitiful scene.
And now they stood around continually, saying nothing. Bulma steadily grew sicker and sicker as she refused to keep her body nourished, and Vegeta was ready to give up force-feeding her.
The knock on the locked glass doors brought their empty minds to a realization of where they were and what they were doing. Vegeta was the only one nowadays who would talk to anybody. Silently, he went to the doors to unlock them so they could slide open for their guest.
Goku entered quietly and looked at Vegeta for a moment. Finally, he spoke. "She's not alright?"
Vegeta's silence was enough for Goku. Goku understood completely what Vegeta must have been going through. Even the tall, proud, royal Saiyan, who never admitted emotion, couldn't hide the frustration and stress that incessantly swelled up within his chest. He knew exactly what they were going through, because Goten, too, was missing.
In exactly the same way, at exactly the same time, the two boys, who were miles away from each other that afternoon, had vanished. At least Goku and Chi-Chi still had someone to look after, which kept them going. But Gohan, in his worry for his younger brother, wouldn't do anything productive.
"Has she eaten?" Goku asked, his voice low and weak.
Vegeta shook his head.
"And you haven't even eaten. I can tell."
"Neither have you," Vegeta told him.
Goku stood with his arms crossed. "Chi-Chi doesn't even get out of bed."
"Bulma won't get out of that damn chair," Vegeta growled.
"At least she's not always lying around."
"Big difference."
The two stood in silence for an hour, looking at the walls of the house, until Goku finally left with a feeble goodbye.
No hints or clues. Nowhere to look anymore. Nothing to do anymore. They were falling to pieces. They were collapsing. And this time there was nothing to mend them.
Okay, end of chapter one. Review!