Chapter 8: TRAIN & INVENT

Kakarot and Vegeta sparred on top of a desert canyon. They powered up and made the ground tremble. The rocks broke and their energy created faults on the ground. They were going at each other like never before. It was the day after Bulma left and Vegeta needed the distraction.

He felt at ease when he trained and the palace was so quiet without her. He found out that worse than her constant noise making; the silence of her absence was a torture. He had become used to her presence and her voice.

Her voice was like a double edge sword. It could have an angelic and soothing tone but angry enough, she used it against his acute Saiyan ears.

Both warriors were making great progress. And Vegeta was wasting no time in non-training activities. He and Kakarot sparred every morning, ate breakfast, swam against the current of the rivers, sparred some more, spent the rest of the day in the gravity chamber, and after six or eight hours of grueling gravity training, they took a bath and slept until the morning.

The Prince dragged Kakarot into this routine. Kakarot of course had something else he wanted to do. Or at least he wished he would able to divide his time between his training and his fiancée. But the Prince didn't allow it. He pushed and pushed until Kakarot was pressured enough to give in.

Vegeta was being selfish. He used Kakarot to keep his mind off her and her absence. It was the Prince's way of dealing with his hidden feelings. It was his way of disguising his true state of mind. And it worked. It worked until night fell and he was forced to stare at the ceiling of his room and for those 15 minutes it took him to fall asleep, she occupied his mind.

Then, his dreams haunted him. He dreamt of her every night. When they were together, there were pleasant dreams, but those became nightmares when in his dream he would lose her. Lately, in his dreams, she suffered a great pain. But he didn't know why and he couldn't listen to what she yelled.

She screamed at the top of her lungs but her pleas were muffled. He didn't hear anything. And he couldn't reach her. She kept turning him away, she turned away from him and that pained his warrior heart.

Apart from inventing and working on her invention, he wondered what she could possibly be doing with her time. Did she think about him?

/////

"Celine, I need your help with something." Bulma said as she entered the kitchen with Igor behind her.

Celine was preparing her afternoon tea. She looked up when she heard Bulma's voice.

"What is it child?" Celine asked.

Bulma showed her a pair of scissors and smiled.

"Oh my, are you sure Bulma?"

"Yes I'm sure. It's time for some change. Don't you think?"

"That would be a radical change, I think."

Bulma handed Celine the scissors. "It's what I want."

Celine smiled at the Princess and nodded.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Let's go for something short."

/////

"Vegeta, we need a break!" Kakarot had his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.

"NO! Keep going. Hit me, come on!" Vegeta floated close to the gravity machine's ceiling.

"We've been in here since the morning! It's been too long!" Kakarot yelled.

"Stop complaining and hit me!" Vegeta powered up and launched himself toward Kakarot.

"Damn it!" Kakarot blocked Vegeta's hits with his arms.

/////

King Briefs sat in front of his computer. In his hand, he held a small chip. He introduced it into one of the ports. While he waited for the window he expected to pop up, he looked at the small case to his right. He ran his frail and skinny fingers on the capsules.

"Everything you'll need is in there."

"Welcome Dr." The automated feminine voice saluted the King.

"I have a message to record."

"Of course Dr. Press enter to begin recording."

King Briefs cleared his throat and pressed the enter button.

/////

Igor ran around the compact and round ship. Bulma worked below the ship. Her fingers were dirty and her hair no longer got in the way. She loved her new bob hair cut. Celine was rather skilled with the scissors.

Igor barked and Bulma became startled. She bumped her head and rubbed her forehead. "Ow!"

Igor kept barking. "Igor, stop that!" Bulma yelled as she reached for a screwdriver. She made the final adjustments and introduced the software chip.

She smiled to herself. She had assembled and programmed the ship in two days time. All by herself.

And she was about to finish her masterpiece. All she needed was one last piece in order encapsulate it.

Bulma made it out from the bottom of the ship and looked at the new model. It was a fast hybrid ship. It had two spacious bedrooms, one bathroom, and a small kitchen with a storage room. Celine had made sure it was clean from the inside.

/////

"Chichi don't worry, she'll be back, she promised." Kakarot rubbed Chichi's back to soothe her. She was getting anxious and angry. It had been five days since her best friend left and her wedding plans seemed to be stuck.

She wanted Bulma with her in that special day and to make matters worst, Kakarot trained all day everyday with Vegeta. They hardly had any time for themselves.

"She better make it back soon or I'll kill her."

"Uh-huh."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, you're like Vegeta. You two have a soft spot for Bulma but sometimes you don't really show her how much you care about her."

"She knows I care about her."

"You expect her to know."

"She knows she can count on me."

"Again, you expect her to know. And now that she's not here, you mope around."

"Well I…I--"

"Go ahead Chichi, say it."

"Okay, I miss her. I really do miss her."

"See, I don't know why you and Vegeta have a hard time expressing your feelings."

"And I don't why it's so easy for you considering you're a Saiyan."

Kakarot allowed a light and honest laugh out as he rubbed the back of his head. "That's me!"

Chichi sighed and cried.

Behind the door, Prince Vegeta listened to the unaware couple and their conversation. At first he left like punching Kakarot in the stomach for talking about him and inferring that he had a soft spot for the Earth Princess. Then, it dawn on him.

"I miss her too." Vegeta whispered to himself before walking away from Kakarot's room.

/////

"Come on sweetheart, come to me."

"Mom?" Bulma took a deep breath. Bulma saw her mother. She was as beautiful as always. Her blonde hair fell below her shoulders. And her light pink robes made her fair skin stand out even more. She opened her arms, inviting her child into her motherly embrace.

"Mom!" Bulma took off running as fast as her feet were able. She crashed into her mother's delicate arms.

"Bulma, my Bulma." Bulma's mother embraced her and buried her nose in Bulma's hair.

"Mom, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be--"

"Dead? I am Bulma, but I'm here to help you."

"Help me? With what?"

"Soon, you will be forced to face a great loss. But you must not lose your faith."

"What are you talking about?"

Bunni caressed Bulma's hair. "You'll understand when the time comes."

"I miss so much mom." Bulma asked and her tears escaped her sapphire eyes.

"I miss you too Bulma. I miss your father."

Bulma lowered her head to her mother's chest. She wanted to feel like her mother's little girl.

"It's time to go back sweetheart."

"No, don't go yet."

Bunni smiled and grabbed Bulma's face. "It's also time for you to go back Bulma."

"Back where?" On her cheeks, her tears flowed.

"Go back to the palace. There are those who await for your return." Bunni brushed Bulma's hair from her face.

"What if I don't want to go back? I'm at peace here."

"Running away from your troubles won't solve them."

"But--"

Bunni brought her daughter's face an inch from hers. "Listen to me." Bulma swallowed hard. "Are you listening?"

Bulma nodded. "You must go back now and be strong. Trust me Bulma, there are some that need you back and remember, you will never be alone even when it seems that you've lost everything."

"Mom, you're scaring me. Tell me what's going to happen. Why are you telling me this?" Bulma grabbed her mother's hands.

Bunni kissed her daughter's hands. "I must go. Remember what I've told you. You will understand when the time comes."

"No, don't go. I need you. I need you more than ever." Bulma gripped her mother's hands.

"I love you sweetheart." Bunni said as her figure turned into fog and disappeared. Bulma looked at her empty hands. Her mother's were no longer there.

Bulma abruptly woke up from her slumber. She felt the tears on her face. The breeze that entered her room from the opened window eased her clammy forehead. She gripped her covers and silently cried. She realized that it was time to face whatever came her way.

"I guess it is time to go back." Bulma whispered to herself.