Chapter Six: Guardian Angel
"She should be awake any time now. I just came back from her room. She looks almost back to normal."
"Are you sure Chichi? She looked pretty bad when we found her. "
"Don't worry, Goku. Bulma's going to be just fine. She's gotten through worse than this. You remember…?"
"Yeah. I remember. She was just a kid when she was almost killed. I doubt she'd remember something like that. Plus, now it's happening all over again. I'm surprised she got here safely, considering the shape that she's already in. That guy must have been pretty intimidating for no one to at least try to do something harmful to her. He carried her all the way from the other side of Satan City."
"What happened to him anyway?"
"I don't know. He just dropped Bulma off here and then he was gone. I didn't see where he went, but he was all bloodied up. I wonder what happened to the both of them."
"Please don't start throwing questions at her as soon as she wakes up. She's going to need rest more than anything. Anyway, did you get to ask that guy who brought her here what happened? Or where they came from, because last we heard from Freiza was that she had left the station with someone, which I'm guessing was that guy. An assumption I'm making is that Bulma was that man's charge. He seemed to do a shitty job of keeping her safe, though."
"At least she's back in our care. Nappa, Tien and Radditz will be happy to hear that. They won't let her out of their sights for a split second. Especially now that the population is going all crazy on the Corporation."
"Yeah, of course."
"I think I hear her in the other room. She might be awake."
"You stay out here. I'll go check on her."
"Sure thing," Goku replied, standing guard at the door. The major thing that puzzled him was the fact that the guy who had brought Bulma home seemed to not want any help from them. He distinctly remembered offering to call someone to treat the guy's wounds, but he had just scowled at him and walked out of the building. That had been over 24 hours ago. No one had seen him since then.
Chichi walked inside Bulma's room to see if she was awake yet.
"Bulma, ma'am? Are you feeling any better? We've had our top nurses and doctors getting you back to perfect health. You should be able to walk any time now, and you should be able to get back to your normal life in a day or so."
"Chichi? Is that really you?" Bulma asked her maid, opening one eye.
"Yes. Of course it's me."
"I thought… I thought I was going to die. But he came back… Chichi, where is he?" There was a hint of urgency in her voice.
"Where is who, ma'am? You mean the man who brought you here?"
"Yes. His name is Vegeta. Where is he?"
"I don't know," Chichi replied, not wanting to offend Bulma in any way. That's usually how it worked around the company building. Every employee here knew that Mr. Briefs would fire anyone who didn't give the utmost respect to his daughter. "He left as soon as he dropped you off here, at your home."
"I'm in Capsule Corporation? How did he know how to get me here?"
"I'm not sure. He probably asked around."
"You don't know where he went?" Bulma asked, the urgency a little more obvious now.
"No, ma'am. No one has seen him since he was last here."
"How long ago was that?"
"It was about a day ago. You've been here, in this bed for that long. It was a little strange though. The man—"
"Vegeta," Bulma corrected her maid.
"Pardon my mistake, ma'am. Vegeta wouldn't let anyone go near you until you were in this bed. Then, our doctors and nurses crowded around and he was gone. He just left."
"Do you think he'll be back? Did he say anything?"
"I don't know if he will return, ma'am. He didn't say anything to me."
"I want a search part out looking for him. If anyone finds him, tell them to be extremely proper, as if they were talking to me… he's a little hostile. Just have them explain to him that I want to see him. He's also badly injured, so he might take even a single movement as a threat." Seeing a hint of fear in Chichi's eyes, Bulma added, "I just don't want anyone getting hurt."
"Of course. I'll go get someone to send a few people out to look for him," Chichi replied, turning and walking out the door. Bulma sat up, which took some effort. Why would he just up and leave? He had saved her life. Did he want to leave so he could be alone for a day or two, or did he never want to see her again? That thought pierced her heart like an arrow.
Bulma was extremely happy to wake up in her room, knowing very well that she had a high possibility of dying the previous day. She felt silly that she thought Vegeta wouldn't come back for her, but then she remembered the pain… all the short breaths… she thought she would never see her family again… and… she had admitted that she was in love with Vegeta… Why would he have let her suffer like that? The thought that he might have wanted to do that to her caused a tear to run down the side of her face. She quickly wiped it away. If anyone that was currently around her saw it, they would think she was in pain, and Bulma wasn't in the mood for a bunch of tests for no goddamn reason.
She decided that she would go looking for him whenever she could get out of her home without someone yelling at her. She hoped he would just come back before then, but one can only hope…
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The next day, Bulma found herself waking up to the sun invading her room like a bunch of laser beams pointed at the carpeting. She tried to stand up, and found that it wasn't painful at all. She was back to her normal, walking self. Instantly, the first thought that crossed her mind was that she could now go Vegeta-hunting. The only problem was that her maids and guards would probably try to stop her if she tried to leave… luckily they were nowhere in sight.
Bulma grabbed her bag and peeked out the door. Looking down both sides and seeing no one, Bulma ducked down and made a run for the exit.
For safety reasons, the medical wing was right next to the entrance, and for Bulma's own mischievous purposes, she had asked her parents if her bedroom to be built next to the medical wing, but she meant to ask if she could have it built next to the exit… oops.
Bulma laughed to herself when she was out of the building. She looked down at herself to find that she was wearing new clothes, already fit for going out. She wondered who did that. She gripped her bag tightly and headed off down the street. She knew that people were out looking for her to do her harm, so she would keep a low profile. Not everyone knew her face, and if she kept her head down, she'd be fine. The first thing to do was to find a place to start looking. She tried to think of places that would attract a person like Vegeta, and the thoughts that came to her were a little disturbing. The first place she thought of was the tavern. He seemed like a guy who would get drunk to rid the world of their troubles. The second was, god forbid, the whorehouse, because… he seemed like he'd need it after all that had happened (Bulma felt a knot twist in her stomach at the thought that Vegeta would sleep with a girl for the pleasure of it instead of love. But, then again, he probably didn't even know what the word meant anyway). The third was the back streets, because he seemed like the type of guy who would beat everyone else up if he was having a bad day. So, Bulma started with the tavern. She knew she might get in trouble though. These were definitely not her types of places. She was more like a go shopping, and spend the money you could probable burn and get away with type of person.
She opened the door to the tavern and stepped inside. It was dimly lit and the music was way too loud for her liking. Big, burly men were screaming at each other and one scrawny-looking man was thrown across a table. Bulma jumped at hearing the glasses shatter and hit the ground.
"Hey, sweetheart. What're you here for?" a drunk man asked her, staggering to her.
"Oh, nothing really. I'm just looking for a friend. I don't see him here, so I think… I think I'll be going now." Bulma took one last glance around the bar tables and the front counter, but he wasn't here, so she turned to the door. Opening it, she welcomed the fresh air happily. It smelled like throw up and urine in that building. There was no ventilation except for when someone opened the door.
The next place she went to check was a bit embarrassing. When she walked into the whorehouse, people gave her strange looks. For a very good reason, too, but it wasn't true. She already knew what they were thinking. She would think the same thing but… it still made her face go a little red when men gave her disgusted looks and one woman winked at her. Bulma felt like throwing up.
"Can I help you, ma'am?" a blond, stupid-looking lady at the front counter asked, redirecting her attention from the tempting garbage can to the lady. "I'm sorry, but we only accept men here."
"Oh! No! that's not why I'm here at all. I'm looking for one of my friends. I was just wondering if he was here… or if he had been."
"Oh, honey. I understand completely. He's not worth it if you feel that way about him. Even if he gives you the slightest idea, he's probably not good for you."
"What? No, it's not like that. He's just my friend. We're not… no, not at all."
"Oh, well I'm sorry, but we don't allow stalkers in here either."
"Excuse me?! I'm not a stalker! He's just my friend and I'm looking for him! Can I just see your schedule?"
"Our what?"
"Don't you have a sign-in sheet or something?"
"Oh, yeah. I'll get it. Wait right here." The lady bent down behind her desk and pulled out a stack of papers and a clipboard. "Here you go, honey. The clipboard is the most recent. Probably a few days old by now, but the top paper should show you today's... guests."
Bulma looked over the entire clipboard until she was satisfied. Vegeta hadn't been here. she heard herself let out a held in breath. She sucked in fast, so she wondered how long she had been holding it in.
"Thank you," Bulma said to the lady, handing her back the clipboard.
"Well, at least there's some good news. He's not cheating on you sweetheart. You can be thankful for that. He probably loves you for who you are," the lady said, continuing to talk as Bulma raced out the door, "stop judging him, and start to see him for the wonderful man that he is!"
Bulma walked even faster, worried that someone might see that the crazy blonde lady was screaming her brains out at her about personal matters that weren't even her own.
When she was finally far enough away to hear her own thoughts, Bulma paused to decide where to go next. Her final thought had been the back streets where all the idiots hung out, making their own arenas for amateur fights and whatnot. Turning her head, Bulma realized that she was standing right at the intersection for one of those back streets that lead to all the others. She walked down the back street and rounded a corner to find a hoard of guys surrounding what looked to be a fight. Bulma wasn't that interested in stuff like that, but she wondered if Vegeta was in that circle. For all she knew at this point, he could have been anywhere. It was worth a shot. Putting her head down, she squeezed in between the crowd of now cheering men and teenage boys. Unfortunately, Vegeta wasn't fighting. Only a man who was passed out drunk and a boy with his hands up, claiming the victory. He had horrible acne, but it didn't stop him from beating up a full grown man. Bulma pushed her way back out of the crowd and tried a different street.
This one held a few girls injecting something in their arms. Bulma shivered and walked past them as they tried to offer her some of whatever drug they were using. She just shook her head and rounded another corner.
"Hey there," a man said from behind her. Bulma turned around to see a tall, shadowy figure looming over her. He was handing her two hundred dollar bills, "You tryin' ta make some money, sweetheart? I can supply it if you can give me somethin' in return." He puckered his lips at her and moved closer.
"No thank you," Bulma replied politely, beginning to think that leaving home without one of her guards was a bad idea, and coming to these back parts of the city was an even worse idea. She walked away from the man as he cat-called her and whistled. If anything, Bulma was getting out of there, and she was getting out of there fast. She rounded a corner to see a working street light. A good sign. It meant that a few more yards and she would be back in the safe parts of the city. But then she was grabbed from behind and pulled back into the shadows of the back streets. One of the street lamps flickered and died out as a dirty hand was placed over her mouth. She quickly opened her mouth and bit down hard on a finger. It tasted worse than it smelled. She sprinted for the lighted street, but heard something she feared she would hear.
"Hey… isn't that… Dr. Briefs' kid? It is! Is that runt that's contaminating our water supply! Get her!" Then, more hands grabbed at her and she was blocked off from the street by another group of people who had heard what the first man had said. She was trapped.
Bulma tried to break free of their grasps, but it was no use. There were too many of them.
"You're the reason my daughter's had that stomach virus for two months!" one lady yelled in her ear.
"Dr. Briefs told me he'd give me a raise, but look where I am now… Fired! That son of a bitch is the reason why my children go to bed on empty stomachs every night and my wife looks like a skeleton! I think he should know what that feels like instead of fattening up his stupid little daughter and telling her that the people like me don't matter!"
"Yeah!" everyone joined in.
"Please!" Bulma cried, "We're doing everything we can! We're trying to help you people, not hurt you!"
"Yeah, good job! You're really helping us!"
One man lifted up his shirt to reveal that all his bones were protruding through his skin. It looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Bulma wasn't the cause of all this, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for these people. Even though what they were doing wasn't right, she could understand where they were coming from.
"My daughter needs a new shirt," one of the men stated, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to say. He grabbed for her shirt and tugged hard.
"Yeah, and my niece needs a nice bag like that one," one lady taunted, ripping the bag from Bulma's hands.
One of the men reached between her legs, making her yelp. "Yeah. And I need a little something, too," the man said, squeezing her. Bulma screamed.
The women, getting the message, started to walk away for the men to do with her what they pleased. Bulma felt a tear run down the side of her face. She was afraid. She was a genius, and she knew that no amount of brain power was going to get her out of this mess. These people just couldn't be reasoned with. She felt more tears cascade down her face.
Another man grabbed her face in his big, reeking hands. She tried to pull away, but another one grabbed her arms and threw her onto the ground. Her head hit the cement and she felt the world spin around her. Her head throbbed and she thought she was bleeding. She couldn't check because her arms were being tied tightly behind her back.
"I have a brilliant idea!" one of the men shouted, "Let's keep her hostage and tell that old fool, Dr. Briefs, that if he wants his daughter back alive, he'll fork over all his money to helping the people in the city like us!" A few cheers were heard from the group.
Bulma noticed a couple people with children pass by and look at her sympathetically. She knew they would never risk their children's safety by saving her, but she couldn't help but hope. She tried to look through the crowd of males to the people walking by for someone she could yell at to help her. Someone who looked strong and able to handle themselves without help from someone else. Even if they didn't need help, at least it might cause more people to try to free her from these men. But no one even seemed to notice her. Maybe it was because they knew who she was. By now, she doubted it that this entire part of the back streets knew she was here. Maybe they thought that she deserved what she was going to get. They were going to use her to get money from her father. If only she'd stayed home. This would have never happened. Vegeta had probably already found a way off the planet and was far away by now. She had started a mission that was guaranteed to fail from the beginning. Everything was pointless. She had already sent scouts out to search for him. The one's that came back said they didn't see him anywhere in the city. Two didn't even come back to Capsule Corporation. She had to admit it to herself. Vegeta was gone. He wasn't coming back, and these people were finally going to get what they wanted… money, revenge, and her father to beg on his knees to the poor people of Satan City for his daughter back. Everything was going to fall. The company, her future, her family's reputation, everything. She felt the full weight of what was to come drop on top of her and push her farther into the ground. She wouldn't have liked anything more than to just be buried where she was.
Another man gripped her chest and pulled. "I'm sure your father won't mind if we don't give all of you back… will he?" He pulled out a knife from his back pocket, showing his green and yellow teeth to Bulma. She looked at the man, feeling the stink of his breath in her face, then glanced at the shiny piece of metal he was showing off before her planned to cut into her with it.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice hissed from behind. The man with the knife whipped around. Bulma tried to see around him, but couldn't look at whoever had spoken out in her defense. A feeling of joy welled up inside her. Finally, someone who was on Capsule Corporation's side was here to help her get back to her family without them having to pay a ransom.
"Please! Help me! I'm over here!" Bulma called to the stranger.
"Yes, I know you're there, woman. Stop screaming."
Bulma's head snapped up. "V-Vegeta?"
"Who else do you think it would be, woman? One of your puny Earthlings? Your planet has no warriors. I feel like I'm contaminating your planet's undisciplined and untrained nature by just standing here. Only cowards and weaklings would pick on a defenseless girl. I could kill everyone in this city with my hands tied behind my back and my eyes closed, and their all so idiotic that they're still standing there. Like what? They think they can fight me? Yeah," Vegeta chuckled. He glanced at the man who was holding the knife. "You. Try to keep up. I'll go slow for you."
In an instant, the man was thrown against the farthest brick wall and held there by his neck, Vegeta lightly laughing, his face inches from the man's fearful eyes. He took a quick glance toward the men who Bulma thought seemed pretty fearsome a few moments ago. Now, they looked like scared pups. A few ran away and she pictured them with their tails between the legs.
"So? I guess you're just playing with me," Vegeta said, smirking, "Right? Because I took it easy on you. I wasn't even moving at half of my maximum speed. You were just… warming up, weren't you?"
Bulma thought the man looked as if he was about to cry. Vegeta had certainly scared him out of his previous state of mind. He went from savage-like weasel to little girl in a matter of seconds. She turned to see that all the man's comrades had run away from what looked to be their deaths. Bulma felt like laughing at what Vegeta could make those men do, but she knew it wasn't the proper time, so she kept her mouth shut.
"Woman," Vegeta called to her, sounding a little bored, "Are you badly injured?"
"N-No. I'm fine."
"Can't you complain about anything? They didn't touch one hair on your head?"
"W-Why?"
"I'd like to give this idiot what he deserves, but if he didn't do anything to you, I can't do anything to him." Vegeta turned his head to lift an eyebrow at her. "Well?"
"Really. I-I think I'm fine."
"Two mistakes, woman. First, you can't think that you're fine. You're either fine or you're not, and you're the only person who can determine that in your current situation. Second, you keep stuttering, so obviously this man did something. Plus, he just dropped a knife he was holding. That isn't nothing to me. Come on. Just give me one reason to rip his limbs off… slowly," he added, turning back to the man. His face went white when he saw the evil intent in Vegeta's eyes.
"No, Vegeta. Stop. Let him go."
"Yeah, right," he chuckled, "I'm actually beginning to think that I won't need a reason. His breath is making me nauseous, so I might just kill him to save someone else the trouble of smelling this horrible stench.
"No, Vegeta," Bulma repeated, raising her voice.
Vegeta turned his head back around to glare at her, but then noticed all the people who were now staring at the scene he was making. He scowled and let go of the man he had been holding the throat of. The dirty rat fell to the ground with a grunt. He didn't lift his head as Vegeta bent down next to him.
"If you ever think of hurting her again," he whispered, too low for anyone to hear but the man, "I will hunt you down and I will kill you. Understand?" When the man nodded, Vegeta elbowed him in the stomach and then stood back up, turning to Bulma. He didn't say a word. He just grabbed her by the middle of her arm and pulled her along. She didn't object and when they were out of the back streets he let her go.
"I keep having to bring you back to that stupid home of yours," he grunted, "Why can't you stop getting in so much trouble. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were looking for it that time."
"Well, if trouble is what you refer to yourself as then you're correct."
"Me?! That's why you went out by yourself? Are you insane, woman? Don't you have any brain functioning up there?" he asked, hitting her lightly in the head, although it didn't seem like he was joking.
Bulma sighed as Vegeta started to head down the street and moved to follow him. He didn't say anything until they were back at Capsule Corporation's front entrance. He paused and turned to face her.
"Now, go in there and stay there," he said, making a move to go past her… to leave.
"Wait, where are you going?" Bulma asked, her heart about to fall down into her stomach, "You can't just leave again."
"Of course I can. Who's going to stop me? You?" he laughed at the thought.
"Please don't go."
"Why not?" he asked, folding his arms defensively.
"I… I don't want you to go." Bulma said, putting her head down.
She snapped her head up when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Well. I guess I can stay for a little while," he stated, refusing to look her in the eyes.
Bulma smiled and put her hand over his on her shoulder. He looked up at her and pulled his hand away with force that could have knocked over twenty men. (Earthling men)
"Do that again and I'll never come back," he warned, "Not only that. I'll tie you to your bed as well so you can't leave." Bulma was about to protest when she noticed the side of his mouth curve into a smirk. She smiled back at him, then raced for the door to her home, holding it open for her guardian angel.