I do not own DBZ.
Thanks a lot to Thor, for his help!
Sentence
Reika76
A sentence plain and simple, she doesn't need a doctor to understand the meaning of the exam she holds in her shaking hands. Yet, she was hoping for a mistake, but the diagnosis was fast and lethal.
From six month to a year, no way out. She slowly puts her head on the cold wall of the toilet, unable hold together the pieces of what remains of her life.
All the recurring sickness, weight lost in few weeks, nose bleeding, a victim yes, but of her own pride.
Bright, and still beautiful, Bulma Briefs had forgotten about some basic laboratory rules.
She hits her fists heavily on the hard mirrored surface, unable to control her wrath.
Bulma sits down on the floor, in the cold aseptic hospital toilet, while memories overwhelm her.
The Brute Ray Machine, planned and built in few days with Earth at stake. To not lose a mere minute, she forgot to use protective clothing, numbers and equations were more important, it was a mistake, a deadly one.
Radiation poison, slow but lethal, the dose she had was too much for her frail body.
She works hard to not start laughing, the monkeys could easily survive a nuclear fall-out, but a few ounces of radioactive material condemn her to certain death. She puts her head in her hands, she can't die, she won't die, in the past she had solved problems bigger than this, saving the world more than once. She has to calm herself and think about it.
She exits the small cubicle were she had been hiding till now, looking at her image reflection in the mirror, trying to fix her make up, she can't go home like this.
Better, she is not going home, not now at all, Vegeta would surely notice that something is wrong with her. She needs time, after the early symptoms a latency period is going to follow, than after that an acute phase... her mind refused to think about it. A short stop to the chemistry lab to get what she needs, and then she jumps in her air car.
The doctor was plain and simple: antibiotics are not going to save her, but could help her live a little longer, avoiding dangerous secondary infection as pneumonia. She takes a few breaths of fresh air, before putting her hands on the steering wheel, panic is not going to help her, she is a Briefs, not a stupid girl!
She sends a message with her phone:
I WILL BE LATE, ORDER PIZZAS FOR DINNER.
She is going again to the office, at this time it will be deserted, Trunks is probably on the way home. She turns the keys, and start the engine before entering the town traffic.
Finally, alone in her office, she tries to analyze the chances she has:
Using the Dragon balls?
Impossible, because Goku disappeared with them
Find a cure?
Impossible again, her time is running too short.
She closes her eyes, she needs a smart idea or...she creeps.....there's Vegeta face under her closed lids, her kids will survive after her departure, but him? And than the solution to all troubles stands still in front of her, she underlines the last word written on the end of the sheet, like a mark of victory. The latest prototype of Jet is waiting for her on the company roof.
The sheet lay forgotten on the desk, like a warning for each one: Bulma Briefs never accepts defeat! The flight didn't last long, Capsule Corporation technology had a lot of improvement in last years. Seeing the temple of God reawakens a lot of memories, some good, others less.
When she touches the ground, she is very surprised, Little Dende has become a man, he's very like Piccolo now, but still gentle as before. He gives her a hand to get down from the plane, strange, a few years ago she was surely going to jump down, but now things are different. They walk together to a little table Popo has prepared.
Dende spoke first. "I know what is bringing you here Bulma, but I can't help you, I can heal injuries but I can't play with the natural course of things."
There is a sad smile now hanging on her lips, she tries the last chance. "Maybe senzu beans can help me?"
Dende takes a long breath before answering:" Yes they can, but you have to wait till the new ones are ready."
A new blue hope shines in her eyes now. "How much time?"
"Few months I believe, could you wait?"
All the tension immediately leave her body. "Only if I can keep this secret from Vegeta, or that monkey is going to kill me." Dende looks at her with eyes popping out from eye sockets, and then they are laughing hard like children.
Death, is crazy, between all the words she can use she finally chose this one.
Bulma scratches her arm , damn it, something has probably bitten her, when she opens the cuff of her shirt, her laugh immediately stops: an incredible eczema has sprang up all over her arm.
So, just one of the symptoms was still missing... Dende, gently takes her hand.
"With this, I can help you".
A few seconds under his touch, and her skin become fresh and pale as a newborn one.
"I can't heal you, but I can help with symptoms like this".
She jumps, arms tight around his neck, so in this way she has an answer to one of hers faq lists, Namekians do blush red!
On the way back, she thought of Vegeta, and how he had gone in and out of her life for a long time before choosing to be back for good.
On the roof of the hangar she is cold, but the sky is too beautiful to leave, a blackout has turned off all the lights in West city, stars are bright as never before. Bulma is finally at peace with herself, everything the future is fixing for her, she will accept.
She isn't scared, not anymore, if the senzu beans will not be ripe in time, she is happy for what this life gave her, more than a simple mortal can ask for.
Vegeta
Goku
The two opposite poles of her existence, together they re- wrote history.
She looks again to the stars, her long lost friend, is probably sparring between them.
Suddenly a hot hand is on her shoulder, scaring her.
"It's cold, it's better if you go inside" His voice is throaty, a little bit of worry in it.
She turns on her heels, dropping for a moment in the dark eyes of her mate before leaning back into him. Vegeta takes her between his arms and than jumps down from the roof.
Bulma feels tired, truly for the first time all she wants is to close her eyes and rest.
Vegeta doesn't leave her when they arrive at the bedroom; she feels his lips on the neck.
She breathes easier in the perfect circle of his arms, quiet like never before, Bulma is not worried, not any more, because she is sure as hell that there isn't a Bulma without a Vegeta, it's just a question of time, and they are going to have an eternity at their feet.