A/N: I'm not dead! For those who do not read my other stories, about two months ago I broke up with my fiance whom I had been with for over 5 year. It was a difficult time, and only recently I've been able to pull myself together, and get organized in my life again. I really apologize for the delay in updates, and no I have no intention of giving up on the story. I promise the updates will be more regular from now on. Thank you so much for your patience, thank you.
There might be more mistakes then usual, forgive me, my head is everywhere. I'll look it over tomorrow, I just really wanted to post it.
Thank you all for the kind reviews. They mean everything. Especially during hard times.
Satisfied Love
Chapter 4: Far Away
The sun was setting, indicating that another day had gone by. Unfortunately, today was not the day of his return either. She had hoped that he would have been back after a week, but she had been proven wrong. Perhaps two weeks would be the amount of time he would spend away. Whichever it was, she could only hope that he was alright. Vegeta could be so reckless, especially when his feelings were trying to break through.
She took a deep breath, before glancing away from the window.
Bulma had truly hoped that Vegeta would leave a message for their son, but he didn't. She could handle her own, unfortunately, Trunks couldn't. Of course, he did not seem as sad as he used to be, but it was because he had another emotion bubbling within him. Instead of pain, it was anger.
When Trunks had come back from Chichi's house, where he had spent the whole weekend, he had acted differently. He was so young, and he wasn't supposed to grow up like that. At first, she had believed that him fighting would make him too old too fast. Apparently, she had been wrong, since it had almost made him act more like a kid then ever.
This was different, this was abandonment.
Trunks felt like his father was leaving him behind. Bulma loved her son, and she didn't want to make him feel that way. It was obvious that she had tried taking to him, but it hadn't been that easy. Every time she would make an approach, she would be turned down, and told that he was fine.
But she was his mother, and she could see he was not fine.
All the thoughts of him were filling her mind, and she found herself leaving her own bedroom to head in direction of her son's. For the past few days, when she would return from the lab, she had found the light in his room turned on. She had been avoiding it, letting him stay up, but now it was itching her. When she had been younger, her parents had given her a lot of freedom, even during her rebellious phases.
She had turned out fine that way, and she had no doubt that Trunks didn't need constant surveillance to grow up to be a fine man.
Unless he was like his father. After all, he had inherited his cockiness.
Her steps were heavy, and almost loud as she made it to the hall, and headed down. It only took her a few instants to reach Trunks' room, and as expected, the light was on. She stood in front of it hesitating to knock. God, how many times had she been in such situation? Except the other times, it had been Vegeta on the other side, not her son.
She knocked on the door softly, but no answer came. Could he have fallen asleep?
Deciding this was her house, and that she had given him a warning, she put her hand on the doorknob, and opened the door. At first glance, all she saw was emptiness, but then as she looked closer, she saw her son, lying on his bed tangled with his blankets.
Her looks softened as she walked in, gently closing the door behind her. She took small quiet steps, until she reached the bed. She then proceeded to sit on the edge, making sure to not make it shift too much. Gently, she stretched out her arm, and ran her fingers through her son's hair. She could feel the sweat on her forehead, and she cringed.
It was then that she noticed the stickiness of his cheeks, and she knew it had nothing to do with sweat. No, that had come from the tears. Her breathing accelerated before she bent down and pressed a soft kiss against his forehead. She could not leave him like that.
She wrapped her arms around him, intending to move him feeling something heavy. Last time she had lifted up Trunks, he did not weight that much. Bulma found herself glancing down at his arms, only to notice a way too familiar object. It was one of Vegeta's saiyan spandex armor suit. A saddened look appeared on her face, and she could not find it in her to take it away from him.
Instead, she laid Trunks on his bed carefully before putting the blanket over him, his arms still holding onto to his father's possession.
She had never thought Trunks could be affected by it so much, but then she remembered the Buu incident. Back then Trunks had lost his father, almost twice. Vegeta was not aware that she knew all of that, but Trunks talked to her. She knew about the time Goten and Trunks had found Vegeta, and when Vegeta had sacrificed himself of course.
It was obvious that he could not take losing his father again, not after everything.
She sighed heavily before rising to her feet, glancing at her son, even as she proceeded to walk away, and leaving him to his slumber. She couldn't help but wonder what made men so stubborn that they refused to talk to women about what was going on inside, and their feelings.
Maybe she needed to find a hobby for Trunks, keep him busy while Vegeta was away. After all his father was his training partner, so without him, Trunks couldn't exactly train. True, Goten was there as well, but she knew it wasn't the same thing since they were both kids, and they couldn't teach each other much.
Maybe, she could get Goku do to something about it?
It was true that he wasn't the smartest person around, but he was an excellent fighter, and since he usually didn't seem to pick up when people were upset, he might just make Trunks feel better.
Yes, tomorrow, she would contact Chichi, and try to fix up something.
Her heart felt a bit lighter as she silently closed Trunks' door behind her, ready to head to her own bedroom. Unlike Trunks, she would not find sleep tonight. Instead, she would be up all night, working on some projects she had neglected over the years. It was the only thing she could do when she could not find slumber.
But it wasn't because Vegeta was gone that she couldn't sleep.
No, no. She just liked coffee too much.
Yes, coffee was such a bad habit.
-S-
"Don't worry, I'll fix it up in no time."
"Gee, thanks B! I don't think I could afford taking it to a bodyshop."
Bulma's eyes narrowed. "And you better not. Nobody can fix up my babies like me. They would just ruin them."
She offered Yamcha a smile as she put a cup of coffee down in front of him. It was not unusual for him to come around, and as per routine, he came when he required a service. They had remained friends through everything, and the awkwardness between them had left years ago, but it was never the same as before. Bulma had always assumed it was because Vegeta and Yamcha, no matter what, would never really get along.
Nonetheless, he dropped by once in a while. Today to be honest, she appreciated the company; her mother was driving her nuts. Bunny didn't understand the fact that Vegeta could just leave, and the Earth wouldn't stop rotating, so she wouldn't shut up about him, and frankly, Bulma had heard enough. At least with Yamcha she knew that if the subject would come up, it would be brief.
She joined him at the table, her own black coffee waiting for her. As expected, she hadn't slept a wink the previous night, and coffee was the only thing that kept her going. Bulma immediately grabbed it, before taking a long sip, clenching her thirst for energy quite rapidly, even if it would only be temporary.
"So, where's Vegeta?"
And he had to ask already.
"Like you don't know."
It was a known fact that Yamcha would drop by Goku's more often than at her house, meaning that by now he had heard the story, since Goku really couldn't keep something to himself.
"I guess I do," he said with a smirk. "So, he still pulls those kind of thing huh?"
"He's not pulling anything. He just needed time alone."
Yamcha shook his head. "Time alone for what? He's got everything a man could want, B. A wife, and a son. What's wrong with him?"
Perhaps she had been wrong about Yamcha, perhaps he would drag the whole matter longer than necessary. A sigh escaped her before she put her cup down on the table.
"You don't know him Yamcha, or what he's been through. Vegeta doesn't deal with things the way we do."
He shrugged his shoulders, as if he was giving up, but he was not happy with her answer. Yamcha didn't really have anything against Vegeta. He didn't love the guy, but he didn't hate him as much as he used to. The only thing that bothered him was how he had it all, and he seemed to be able to easily throw it away.
Yamcha was no longer in love with Bulma, but she remained a dear friend. He did care for her a lot however. How could he not? They had spent almost half their lives together, and it was not something that could be forgotten. She might have found the love of her life, but he had not, so far, loved anyone like he loved her. She had fire, and passion, something that was hard to find in women nowadays.
Perhaps he did get too involved in her business, but it was because he didn't want to see her upset. He knew as much as anyone else that Vegeta would come back, but the question was when? He could be gone for a very long time since he enjoyed solitude so much, and Yamcha just thought it wasn't right to leave his family behind for so long.
"M-mom-m."
Both Yamcha and Bulma snapped their heads in direction of the voice, only to find Trunks standing in the doorway. His eyes were a bit red, which she assumed was from the crying he had done the previous night, but that was not what bothered her. He looked extremely upset at the sight in front of him, and she could not understand why. Yamcha had been there plenty of time.
"Something wrong Sweetie? Do you want breakfast?"
He shook his head. "I'm not hungry."
Before Bulma could provide a reply, Trunks had already turned around, and was heading for his bedroom. She gave Yamcha a look, which meant she'd be right back, before walking after her son, wanting to find out what had made him so upset all of the sudden.
Of course, there was no way for her to make the link between Yamcha, and Trunks' mood. How could she know that having her ex-boyfriend in the house, while her husband was gone was enough to make Trunks angrier than he already was. He had nothing against Yamcha himself, it was simply the thought in his mind that made him upset.
She was about to reach his bedroom, when he slammed the door nearly in her face. At first, she had felt bad for him, but now she was feeling a slight amount of anger building up. Being upset was never an excuse to not be polite. Her eyes narrowed as she opened the door without a warning, closing it loudly behind herself. She could slam doors as well.
"What is wrong with you Trunks?"
Not to her surprise, she received no answer as Trunks buried himself under his pillows and blankets.
"Answer me Trunks."
Once again, she was graced with perfect silence.
"Is it because of your father?"
This time he stopped all the movements he had been doing under the blankets, and she noticed his lavender hair pop out from under the blanket. She took it as a cue to get closer, so she went and sat on the edge of his bed, waiting for him to speak. Hopefully, he would share a little this time.
"How would you know?"
His tone was the first thing to strike her. Clearly, he was picking that up from his father. "And just what does that mean, mister?"
"It doesn't matter to you if Dad's gone, you don't miss him."
His words stung like needles, and she found her features softening. Did he think she did not miss Vegeta? Of course she was not heartbroken to the point where she could not find rest, but it didn't mean she was at peace with him leaving. Sleeping had only gotten harder each day, and finding herself alone in such a big bed was just heartbreaking.
The difference was, she was strong enough to go on without him. Not forever of course, but for now, since she knew he would return, and perhaps even share with her. She wanted nothing more than for him to be comfortable on Earth, with her, and their son, but she knew that sometimes Vegeta needed to be well… Vegeta. Also, she already knew he had grown, especially since the whole Buu event had occurred.
Bulma made herself more comfortable in Trunks' bed before reaching out for him, and pulling him out against his will.
"Honey, of course I miss your father."
He almost glared at her, as if he didn't believe her words. "Then why aren't you sad?"
"I am sad. But see, I know your father is coming back."
There was a moment of quietness, as if Trunks was processing her words, before he spoke again. "When?"
She wished she had an answer for him, but she didn't. "I'm not sure honey. Sometimes, it takes your father longer to figure out what everyone else knows."
Bulma knew Vegeta had a hard time forgiving himself, yet nobody was dwelling on the subject anymore, only he was. They could tell him to not worry about it, but until it came from him, it wouldn't mean anything. She could only hope he would not be too stubborn this time around. Being gone for months would be unacceptable.
Trunks wasn't sure if he believed his mother's words, but it was better than nothing. After all, she wouldn't lie to him would she? On top of that, he knew his father was scared of nothing except his mother, meaning he would have to come back if he didn't want to face her wrath. He knew his mother would hunt him until the end of the world if she had to.
He allowed himself to relax while his mother played with his hair. Usually he would scold her for it, saying he was too old, but right now, he didn't feel old enough. His father was often harsh on him, training him to be the best, and sometimes, Trunks had been upset by it, almost wishing his dad would play with him the way Goten's dad did.
But then, he would remember that his father wanted him to be the strongest, to be like him. And in those moments, he felt more proud than ever to have Vegeta has his father.
Now however, he was gone.
His mother was acting like it was a casual thing, but Trunks couldn't remember his father ever leaving. Well, he did fly away in the sky a few times, but he'd be back in a couple of hours, which was nothing if you compared it to his mother ten hours shopping spree. Never though had he ever been gone for more than one day, and now, his absence was weighting on Trunks.
He had thought that going to Goten, and train a bit would have gotten rid of his anger, but he had been wrong. It was mostly frustrating to see Goten and his father together. He knew that apparently Goku had been gone for a long time, but now he was here.
Trunks knew his father was almighty and powerful, but what if something happened to him? He had already refused to believe his father could be harm, but after Buu, he wasn't so sure. Granted nobody had been able to defeat Buu, but still. What if his father encountered a powerful force on a foreign planet? He would be all alone, and if something occurred, they would never know.
His eyes closed, while he allowed all thoughts to leave his mind. For now, he would believe his mother.
He'd believe his father was going to come back.
-S-
Blood was dripping down his chin as he used his white glove to wipe it away. He had destroyed all there was to destroy on the deserted planet, and there was no longer any reason for him to stay. This was his third planet in the two weeks he had been gone. Some part of him was wishing for an occupied planet, but each time he found one, he avoided it. Perhaps it was because he was afraid of what he might end up doing out of anger.
The first week, he had not noticed the days passed. He couldn't even remember if he had spent one night inside the ship. Maybe he didn't want to because it reminded him of them.
Them.
Bulma had not attempted to contact him again, and he could only assume that they were doing fine. If they weren't, the woman would have contacted him on the spot. He had thought about her a lot, but she hadn't been the only thing on his mind. Trunks had been a lot. He hadn't been able to record a message for him, because there was nothing to say.
And now, all his frustration was passing on, and he was taking it out on the wildlife.
For some reason it made him feel alive, and perhaps he needed that. The feeling of destroying without guilt, because nobody was being harm was new, and nice in its own way. Perhaps he was enjoying such thing because it made feel like they were right when they said that he was one of the good guy. For so many years he had fought against that title, and now… he wanted it?
He couldn't understand himself.
And it almost killed him to admit it, but then again, after everything he had done for her, this was nothing to admit; he missed her.
Not just her, but everything about her.
Even the way she annoyingly kicked him during her sleep, and the way she could snore sometimes. It was the warmth of her body he sought in the coldness, yet he never found it, because she was light years away. He could always go back, but if he did, then he shouldn't have left in the first place. He left because he felt something wasn't right within him, and he could not return until that feeling had disappeared.
Until he could feel like he wasn't an internal mess, he would remain away. Though there was a question burning his mind; how long could he stay away until it would be too much? Two weeks was nothing, but what about when the weeks would turn into months?
A long time ago he had made a commitment to both Bulma and Trunks, and he couldn't suddenly drop it because of himself. To many people words and promises didn't mean anything, but to him they meant something. A long time ago, all he had was his honor, and he intended on still keeping it intact.
However, he made the decision to cross that bridge once he would get there. He still had another week to go before he began worrying.
After a month would have gone by, then perhaps he would think about his return. Until now, it could only be himself. It had been a long time since he actually had to remind himself to stop thinking about other people. In the past, it had always been by himself, never the others.
Then again, it was one of the many things that had changed about him, one of the things he didn't understand. It was also the reason why he was currently alone, why he couldn't have anyone around him. Loneliness made a person understand many things.
In his case, he needed to figure out himself.
-S-
Bulma rubbed her forehead forcefully, keeping herself up. Her plan for the day had somewhat gone down the drain. She had spent more time than expected cheering up her son, and afterwards, she had been stuck repairing Yamcha's car. It wasn't until all was done that she had been able to call Chichi, and explained her idea to her. Of course, it had been approved immediately.
Only because school was nowhere near starting. As soon as school became involve, Chichi turned into a whole different person.
Nonetheless, her plan had not gone perfectly. She had expected Trunks to be happy and excited, but unfortunately, he hadn't been. She had assumed it was because of his previous mood, since he had still gone without complaining. She thought she had him figure out, but apparently she had been wrong.
She felt like she couldn't do anything right lately.
Usually when she had a problem she didn't know how to fix, she would invent something, and everything would go well. In this case, she couldn't do that. There was nothing she could invent that could make Trunks feel better about his father leaving. At least nothing that would be right to use. She would have to use the normal people's approach, and actually go with trial and errors.
She wasn't familiar with errors. Nothing was ever a mistake with her, just a discovery.
And now, out of all places, she had found herself in the control board room, where the big turned off screen was staring at her. Without thinking she had made her way there early, but she had never tried to communicate with Vegeta. She knew by now that it was hopeless, that he wouldn't answer. Nonetheless, the room gave her some sort of comfort.
The red button was staring at her, but she ignored it the best she could as she moved her eyes away form it, concentrating to the blueprints she had laid out in front of him. She had decided to work on some upgrade for the GR. When Vegeta was present, it was hard to actually get him to leave long enough so she could do work on it.
Now that he was gone, and that she might obtain a few extra week, there was no more prefect time.
And he had been whiny about her actually doing some decent work. Of course, it wasn't her fault that he used too much strength inside something that could not bare it. A sigh rolled off her lips as she picked up her pencil from the desk, and began drawing again.
It was then that she saw the flash of the red button lighting up the paper. She pinched her lips together as she lifted her eyes and glanced at it. It couldn't be that Vegeta was trying to make contact was it? Her heart suddenly skipped a bit, and she couldn't explain her nervousness. Why would that, after all these years, make her nervous, it made no sense.
Tempted, though she had her own stubbornness, she reached out for the button. Her fingers lingered on top, never quite touching it, as she attempted to make up her mind. Often, she would have let it flash, but this time she was unsure. For him to make contact, it had to mean that something was important. Vegeta never needed people when he was alone.
She decided to give into the impulse, and smashed her palm against the button. Immediately, she lifted her head, and glanced at the screen, but unfortunately all she saw was a black screen, instead of his face. She was not surprised however since Vegeta could often only use his voice instead of his face to contact her. Her eyes moved to the intercom, waiting for his voice to come through, but that didn't happen either.
She could not even hear his breathing.
She knitted her eyebrows together, before pinching her lips together, a bit annoyed. It was taking him quite a while before he could make up his mind. But then it happened, she heard a noise. However, it wasn't the one she was expecting. Instead of Vegeta's voice, it was the sound of something being smashed against his control board. Then, finally the blackness covering the came was taken away, and she could see the ship.
Apparently something had been thrown on it, and now Vegeta had realized it.
It almost meant that he had never tried to contact her. Rather, all of this had happened by accident. Bulma was also even proven more right when the camera shut off, as Vegeta turned off the communication. She felt a slight thug at her heart because of his actions, but she brushed it aside, and ended the conversation on her side as well.
A small chuckle went pass her lips as she dropped her pen, and ran her fingers through her hair. Nothing was going as plan.
Vegeta was doing his own thing in space because he said he needed it. Then perhaps she needed to do certain things as well. With their life being thrown in every direction lately, could it be that that she needed a break, she needed to do was she loved doing? Shopping, partying was not something Vegeta enjoyed, but she did.
Now that he was gone for a while, why didn't she treat herself?
Granted she loved inventing, and being stuck in a lab, but once in a while, perhaps it would do her some good.
A smile was now back on her face, as she dropped everything, and rose to her feet. Her husband was out of the galaxy, and her son was at his friend's house meaning she was all alone, and about to hit the town.
She didn't need people, she was Bulma Briefs, they all knew who she was.
Her spirit back where it belonged, she smiled brightly, and nearly rushed out of the room. As a mother and wife, even she deserved a bit of good time.
-S-
"Is something wrong Trunks, you're not hungry?"
Trunks raised his head, looking up at Chichi. He hadn't realized he had been playing with his food for the last fifteen minutes. He offered Chichi his best smile before grabbing a first bite as an answer. Of course a saiyan was always hungry no matter what. Chichi didn't seem to believe him, but she still returned to her own seat, keeping her eyes on him.
Granted he wasn't her son or her responsibility, but she still worried. She knew Bulma didn't know what to do, and Chichi could understand it was a difficult situation. She remembered that after Goku remained dead, she feared for Gohan. Fortunately, he was so busy with school, that it didn't affect him. She had kept him in a straight line.
Unfortunately, Trunks, although he was a very nice polite boy, was much like his father. Meaning, he would be as stubborn as Vegeta, and she didn't sure if Bulma stood a chance with him. He would live his emotions as he saw fit, no matter what his mother would say. Hopefully Trunks wouldn't be a bad influence on Goten.
Chichi knew just how difficult it was the separate the two boys, and she had given up a long time ago. Still, she didn't want her son to end up a bum, or a rebel.
Trunks had nothing against being at Goten's house. Perhaps minus the fact that the house was much smaller than his, and that there wasn't as many toys or inventions to play with, but nonetheless. His only problem was with Goku. There he was, sitting at the table with them, eating, as if all was well.
According to everything he had heard, Goku was all powerful and he could do everything. Then why couldn't he go get his father? Why did he have to be there, couldn't he leave as well?
His foot was twitching as he took another bite of his food, his eyes glaring at Goku. It was also then that Goku felt Trunks' eyes on him. His mouth was filled with food, as he offered his best grin to Trunks. The young boy noticed it, but it only caused him to drop his fork down on his place, causing a ting sound to be created.
"You left too right?"
Everyone was surprised by Trunks' word, but Goku, who was still smiling.
"MWmhat?"
Trunks' glare became harsher as he repeated his words. "You left your family too right, like my Dad?"
Goku nodded, not understanding the point of the question. Yet, he still kept listening.
"Why did you do it?"
His mother kept telling him that his father loved them, that he would be coming back, and that nothing was wrong, but he didn't believe her. Last time his father had left, there had been no certainty that he would come back. As a matter of fact, he had been dead, which meant he shouldn't have come back.
Trunks knew certain thing about his father that he shouldn't know. Well, he always assumed he shouldn't know. Sometimes he had heard other people, especially Krillin and Yamcha have conversation about his father. The story they told had nothing to do with the stories his mother had told him over the years. Who was lying?
His mother had painted his father to be a strong warrior, a noble prince, and everything that came with that, while Krillin had referred to his dad as being a murderer. All of the fighters killed people from time to time, of course, bad people only, so what made his father deserve the murderer title?
His father was quite the loner type, and what not, but he wouldn't actually kill for the heck of it would he? His father was not that kind of man. He was fighting with his mother sometimes, but they loved each other. After all, he had caught them.. well he didn't want to think about that now.
Goku shrugged his shoulders as an answer. "It was simpler. I attracted the bad guys, so I stayed dead."
It was too easy, it wasn't why his father had left. Vegeta didn't attract bad guys, he fought them, and destroyed them, he made the world a better place.
"Then why is my dad gone?"
A silence installed itself upon the room, and even Goku had enough common sense to not break it. The teary eyes Trunks had, and his bottom lip quivering was enough to make everyone think twice about it before speaking. Goku blabbered but no real words came out. What was he supposed to say? He didn't know why Vegeta left! He never really understood anything Vegeta did.
Seeing as how Trunks would need an answer, Chichi decided to be the one to provide one. "Trunks, you're father is a bit selfish sometimes. He doesn't understand that the world doesn't revolve around him. He needs to be alone sometimes."
Her words were the truth to her, but they were not what Trunks wanted to hear, especially not in a desperate moment. It seemed that her words were the last straw, and as more tears rolled down his cheeks, before he pushed the table a bit too much, almost causing Chichi's plate to fall on her. Trunks nearly rushed out of the kitchen, prior to exiting the house, slamming the door behind him.
Before anyone could stop him, they heard him take off in the sky, and Chichi's head dropped before she sighed. Why did she know this would happen? Maybe she should have said no to Bulma. But they were friends, and she was trying to help.
"Goku, go after him."
Some of the food Goku had in his mouth dropped, before his eyes widened a bit. "Me?"
"Yes you," she said, slightly annoyed. "You're like him. Maybe you can talk."
Apparently, she couldn't share much with Trunks, and maybe it had something to do with the fact that she could not stand his father. Nonetheless, he needed help. Goku was not always the one to come up with the best ideas, and advices but perhaps he could help when nobody else could.
Goku could sometimes turn out to be really insightful.
Goku finished the food he had in his mouth, before pushing his plate aside, as he proceeded to exit the house, much like Trunks had just done. He could feel his ki, and knew he was still very close by. He didn't know what to say, but he would figure it out. Perhaps he would say some things Vegeta had told him in the past.
Those the full saiyan couldn't figure out why Vegeta had decided to pick now as his time to leave. Nobody was mad at him, and there was nothing to train for, neither did he need to achieve a new level.
So why had he left?
Vegeta was a mysterious man.
I wasn't sure how long I could sustain the effort without breaking in two. It was as though the only thing holding my body together was my one burning desire to be better then Kakarott. Sometimes I thought I was losing my mind. Why wasn't I able to obtain what Kakarott had obtained? It didn't make any sense. It was infuriating… and it was my fury that kept me alive.
Was his fury the only thing keeping him away from a normal life now?
-S-
When we see Trunks, and Bra, and Bulma and Vegeta at the last episode, Trunks seems a bit different. Like he used to be all cocky and all, and now he doesn't want to fight or anything. I think it's more than him growing up, and being a teenager. I mean those hormones should make him want to fight, especially considering the parents he has.
Anyways, you'll see where I take this, lol.
