Recap: Vegeta and Bulma have returned to Earth from planet Aurora, facing the challenges ahead as the prince's recovery proceeds. It is now a year later since their departure, and the couple continues to grapple over their choices. Meanwhile, Goku remains committed to keeping his promise to Vegeta.
I should be used to this by now, Vegeta thought as he meditated in the recovery room. Meditation. Ha! He chuckled to himself. Training like the calculating, determined maniac he was – and would continue to be – had sufficed as meditation for what seemed like five lifetimes. However, over the years he had learned to be a wiling servant-student, opening himself to instruction from teachers who helped unlock his full potential as the combat genius he already was. Goku had a head start from childhood with the seemingly endless litany of willing trainers, both mortal and otherworldly, who watched him run off like a bandit with the hard and magnificent lessons they shared. His successes were their pride.
For so long, Vegeta's successes – however he chose to define them - were his and only his. They were his pride. Until Goku came along and shattered many of his personal shibboleths, the prince hadn't spent much time blaming others for failures. In all truth, he didn't fail much as a soldier. He couldn't and, foremost, also expect to keep breathing.
Frieza was in a different category, of course. That monster randomly imposed or invented "failures" that usually resulted vicious punishment later. Vegeta could say, "Thank you, Lord Frieza," and end up with the creature's tail around his neck for not being "properly worshipful." Working hard did not protect the prince from being on the receiving end of that psychopath's unyielding mind-fucking enterprise.
But Goku. Oh boy. That guy. Once Vegeta admitted how much he had gained after their fateful introduction on Earth - and stopped blaming his rival for his perceived loss of honor - did a broader path to enlightenment open. Goku's core training as a martial artist included the philosophy behind cleansing the mind and spirit through meditation, before and after combat. Vegeta had a military mind, a royal's entitlement, and a street brawler's ethos. Goku fought like a cunning wolf. Vegeta calculated like a German shepherd before crushing opponents like a pit bull. Even as they trained together and joined forces during hard times, both relishing the enterprise as Saiyans, Vegeta retained some doubt about Goku's tactical preparations, meditation being one of them.
Was it really necessary?
And yet here he was, corralling his pride and sense of self, all because he asked Goku to keep a vow. But he hadn't expected Goku to draw from his unvarnished childhood instruction from Master Roshi. Well, minus the embarrassingly vulgar, unapologetic lechery for which the semi-immortal Turtle Hermit was also known. Fortunately, Goku also used lessons from his more pure-hearted ex-trainer, Master Korin.
So, yes, there was meditation – which quieted the noise roiling Vegeta's mind. Over the past year, his days filled with endless discussions about mutated DNA and gene editing; sub-clinical effects from his treatment; immunotherapy and immune system malfunctioning; possibly getting cancer; avoiding seizures; and whether full use of his left arm and leg would return without artificial support.
He didn't say much to his wife or kids, who gave him a wide berth for his concentration. At least some breakthroughs happened with his treatment. Indeed, Tights' research team had outdone themselves, delivering gradual, solid results: increasing his pain tolerance; protecting him from other illnesses; regenerating cells and tissues to restore "normal" functioning. The threat of cancer would loom for years, though, because the experiments were aggressive, with many never tested on anyone remotely close to his species.
At least he could move.
He and Goku left in darkness each morning to train. At first the prince didn't want to use artificial aids, especially the leg and arm supports, which Goku understood but didn't urge. With some exceptions, Vegeta always had worn special body suits.
Besides, Goku planned to strip his friend's emotions and bodily protections bare soon enough. Vegeta chose him over their other trainers for that reason. No one could provoke him like Goku would – ever.
Bulma stood in their kitchen washing dishes, which she rarely did. All of the robots were turned off. Vegeta stood at the side door, watching closely. She was upset, clearly. He eventually walked in, sweaty and limping, taking a gallon of juice from the fridge. Bulma threw a towel over her shoulder. Raising a curious eyebrow, Vegeta grabbed it mid-flight as he approached a neatly decorated table. His speech had improved significantly, though some tics showed when he was less relaxed.
"Don't you dare sit on my new chairs like that," Bulma said coolly. "I could smell you from the hallway before you reached the door."
Vegeta draped the towel over the seat closet to her. "I could…could easily rub my hard-earned stench all over your pretty little backside," he said, teasing her senses with his smoky voice. "You didn't have a problem before we had kids."
Bulma's arms spread across the kitchen sink, on both sides, as she peered down the drain. "If you recall, smart ass, I always demanded bathing within two minutes after kissing you, and you always followed those orders."
"I don't remember that - and while your angry flirtation with me is fun, I'd rather know what you're pissed with me about. It's not like I didn't notice it this morning before leaving our bed."
Bulma walked behind him, placing a cool cloth over his neck and handing him another to disinfect his hands. "How did you know I wasn't asleep? My back was turned away from you."
"Dumb question," Vegeta replied, pulling her onto his muscular lap. She twisted and wriggled, trying to remove herself, until his rough finger slowly traced across her neckline. "You barely slept all night."
Bulma shuddered as he kissed her chest. "Whatever, Vegeta - and stop. I said you smell."
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong? I'll keep going until you do. You won't finish your lab project today." He got a thrill watch her pupils dilate as he unlatched her jeans. Her legs inched open, straddling his, as two fingers circled her clit with a steady rhythm.
Bulma's eyelids tumbled drunkenly. "Damn it," she murmured, grabbing his hair. "Doing this won't make me any less frustrated. Her chest pressed harder on Vegeta as his fingers reached deeper into her panties. Her head swayed with each breath while he quietly observed her defenses fall.
He licked his lips and smirked. "I know. Let's finish our talk later. But first, we shower."
Bulma woke up later still heady and pleased by her husband's careful, loving attention to pleasuring her body. He had avoided sex and intimate touching for months. Not ever having been sick since they met, he had a hard time feeling comfortable with any of that during his recovery. They didn't have sex this time either, but also he welcomed Bulma's eagerness to pleasure him. Sex or not, she wanted him to know he was wanted. Actually, she had been overjoyed in the kitchen that he felt confident to take the lead. But everything comes at a cost, and she soon found her robe to look for him.
Vegeta seated himself on a bench in their estate's gazebo. April weather offered the gifts of a cool breeze and a light rain shower. He liked the smell of lilies and dampened soil. They didn't overwhelm.
"Why are you lurking out there, princess?" he asked, looking up. "You aren't hiding your ki well."
"I guess I really wasn't trying, papa."
Vegeta turned around, studying his daughter's features. "So you were testing if I sensed you? That hasn't been a problem for a while." He moved aside on the bench, making room for her to sit.
Bulla smiled, eagerly speeding over. She looked down at his left arm. "Are you OK?"
"Yes," Vegeta replied, puzzled. He appeared as he normally did. He didn't smile for the hell of it - at least at first - but he was always pleased to see her. "Why?"
"I think mom is bothered about something," Bulla said, eyeing a plate of lemon cookies Vegeta obviously had waiting. If he was around, "the Brief women" usually sought him out for affection on days like this. He didn't know why exactly, but he obliged and never questioned what had become a pleasant ritual.
"She is."
Bulla nibbled on her cookie. "Do you know why?"
"Yes, I do," Vegeta replied, sipping on a glass of water. His eyes crawled over each inch of the creeping vines draped along the gazebo's right side. Then he closed them and sighed.
Bulla frowned. "Papa? What's the deal here?"
Vegeta touched the back of her head. "Being our daughter, negotiation is the most important skill you'll need – especially when you marry."
Eyes widening, Bulla took his hand. "Oh my god." She covered her mouth. "Oh my god!"
"Go back inside, princess." Keeping a straight face, Vegeta winked at her. "Your mother is coming. You know what to do."
"Keep my mouth closed."
"That's my girl," Vegeta whispered, wiping powdered sugar from her hands. "Now go."
Bulla scampered past her mother, waving a greeting. Still dressed in her robe, Bulma grabbed a light coat and rain boots to trek to the gazebo, where Vegeta met her at the entrance looking displeased.
"Bulma –"
She lifted a finger to her lips, shushing him. "Don't go there. You know cool weather doesn't cause colds. Even if I get one, it doesn't compare to what you're about to do. I have held my tongue for a long time."
"Indeed," Vegeta said quietly. "As you can see, the results have been exceptional."
She rolled her eyes and replied, "You've worked hard, yes. You've also been monitored constantly, even with Goku."
Vegeta limped away from her, leaning on a rail. "Which I have had enough of. Bulma, look, it's time."
"No, I don't think it is. You heard what Tights said. You're still at risk for a bad seizure, which could set your recovery back for months - or, you know, possibly kill you. Senzu beans aren't gonna help with that. Just because some of your powers have returned doesn't mean the progress couldn't reverse. Your cells are still relearning and repairing themselves. What about the left side of your body?"
Vegeta turned away, looking into the garden. "Do you still… still believe in me?"
Surprised and bewildered, Bulma stood and said, "Why would you even ask that?"
"Yes or no?"
"That's the most ridiculous question I've heard, Vegeta. Ridiculous."
"It's not to me, Bulma. What happened to 'ride or die'? What's changed since I…I returned home? I was paralyzed almost. You know I must push myself. On Aurora, you were more vocal about it than me."
Bulma paused. He had done the hard work to be this vulnerable with anyone in his life, and she stuck by him through it all. She hadn't felt that he needed much reassurance in that respect. But he did.
"Of course I believe in you. My dad and I didn't design a gravity room, training robots, spaceship, and multiple body suits out of boredom over two decades. I want you to have what you want. I want it. I also want it to be seamless. I don't want you to die needlessly before it happens. I also love my husband, you jerk."
"Then this is the last argument we're having," Vegeta said, extending his hand to her. "Kakarot and I will train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber two days from now. We'll tell Bulla and Trunks tonight."
Goku stood ramrod straight with Vegeta on the Lookout, gazing at the time chamber's entrance. Uncharacteristically, he didn't offer an enthusiastic greeting. He was more focused than worried about their plans. In the span of a day, they would return a year older. He understood Bulma's worry and empathized with her, but he believed this was best for everyone.
Bulma stood back as Vegeta took one last look at her. She gave him a thumbs up and turned to Goku. "Muscle head, if he dies again or returns brain damaged, you're a dead man. You got me?"
Goku raised his thumb at her. "Loud and clear, doctor."
Annoyed, Vegeta whistled impatiently. "Come on, Kakarot! We don't…don't have all fucking day!"
Goku scratched the back of his head. "Uh, actually, we have three-hundred and sixty-five days in there."
"You know what I mean!"
Bulma, Trunks, Bulla, and Gohan laughed as the chamber door closed. Goku also had requested that Dende, Earth's guardian, add another mystical element to their time in the chamber: having their inner memories revealed as they trained. Vegeta didn't know that he would fight his own demons personified – again and often – in every sense. He would be forced to build, contain, and redirect his power, and suppress his emotions in order to win.
"Where are you going, Kakarot?"
Goku nodded, disappearing into the chamber's abyss, leaving the prince to stand alone. "I'll be back."
"I know that, clown."
Goku smiled and saluted. "Bye, Vegeta."
Suddenly the gravity around the prince fluctuated, exerting an extraordinary force on his chest and shoulders. This was by design, and Vegeta expected the pressure to weigh harder on his body eventually. He staggered but didn't fall, stopping in place as a familiar voice cackled from behind.
"Ho, ho, ho! Looks my little monkey has lost his breath. Reminds me of the time I blew that handsome chest open with one shot. It took forever for you to bleed out. You just wouldn't shut…the… fuck…up."
Vegeta slowly turned around. "I sent you…you back to hell, Frieza."
"You did," the red-eyed menace taunted. "But you had the power of a god then. You have less battle value now than you did as a child, when your pathetic father left you. Oh, and that stutter of yours is quite charming!"
Vegeta instinctively crouched halfway into a fight stance, his right arm moving back, while the left extended forward.
Frieza sneered. "Are you…angry? Ah, ah, ah, little monkey. Such a nasty temper you have, although it was quite helpful when you served me. Oh, and when did you become right-handed? Are you not well?"
Vegeta began to wonder if Goku actually bartered with some otherworldly "friend" to borrow Frieza from hell to antagonize him. How often would he endure this? On a scale, he knew it could be worse, but he wished he had known of these plans to fight down "memory lane." Before he could grow angrier with Goku, he soon found himself encircled not only by Frieza, but four others from their galactic army days: Zarbon, Captain Ginyu, Recoome, and Cui.
"Don't worry," Frieza said. "I won't use my strongest transformation on you yet." He blew on his finger before firing a single shot at Vegeta's feet. "Methinks you're nervous."
"The hell I am," Vegeta said with a smirk. "You're not real." The illusions laughed wildly they enlarged.
Frieza smiled with murder in eyes. "They may not be, Prince Vegeta, but I can assure you that I am."
Vegeta heard an echoing beat. Tap, tap, tap, tap - like a metronome directing his movements. Conserve energy. Maximize time. Harness your strength with the power of your mind. He felt dizzy.
Far in the distance, Goku ended his kata practice and frowned. Then he powered up.
Goku bit his lips as the chamber door opened. He had no shirt on, just training pants and a bandanna tied on his head. Gohan and Trunks stood in front, exchanging serious gazes with him. Bulma and Bulla, who were farther back, held hands. Goku looked down solemnly as his childhood friend moved closer.
Bulma blinked frantically while Trunks grasped her shoulders. "You promised me," she hissed. "You promised to look after him, Goku. Why is he not with you?! How long were you going to wait?!"
Her body swayed as Goku took her hand. Bulla smiled at her older brother, whose eyes returned to the entrance. A beaten up, shirtless and shoeless Vegeta staggered out of the chamber, falling on his knees. Bulma immediately ran over, offering a senzu bean to help restore some of his strength.
He squinted and moved her hand away. "No… no."
"Damn you!" Bulma shouted. "Your lips are blue and you're wheezing. You could be relapsing! Guys, why are you just standing there?!"
"Bulma, stop." Vegeta coughed loudly and leaned forward, holding himself up with one arm on the ground. "Help me…me up, Kakarot."
Irate, Bulma wanted to murder everyone – perhaps Vegeta too – except for her daughter, who was unusually quiet. She was too upset to question why Bulla didn't follow. Regarding her husband: Yes, he had his ass whipped often, and yes, threats would be ever-present. But he had rarely entered fights so far behind, even when his opponents' relative power levels seemingly outmatched his, she thought. His smarts and resourcefulness offered advantages on top of his power.
That's right. They did.
"My pleasure," Goku said, nodding at Vegeta and the other men. "Bulma, honey, just let me handle it."
Trunks appeared in front of his mother with breakneck speed, lifting her into his arms. "Gotcha, pretty lady! Let's go!"
"What the hell are you doing?" Shocked, Bulma punched his shoulders as they moved back. "Take me back there this instant!"
Vegeta's eyes turned teal as a golden aura crept around his body. "Honestly, woman. If you ever tell this clown to protect me again in front of other witnesses, I will divorce you." He raised up, standing as solid as a mountain. After placing his hands on his hips, he began to laugh. The tone was rich, resonant, satisfied – one that everyone closest to him knew well.
Bulma laughed out loud, kicking her legs in the air. "Then show me what you got!"
Lightening sparked and crackled from Vegeta's body with dizzying luminescence while everyone looked on. Grinning widely, Goku clapped his hands. "Oh, Vegeta. Stop being so dramatic! You already were ninety percent there when we entered the chamber. By the way, Bulma, looks like those treatments Tights tortured him with worked out OK."
"Hn." Vegeta crossed his arms, fixing his gaze on Goku. "Ninety, you say?"
Goku soared over him, rearing back and belting out a holler as the prince followed. Their Super Saiyan transformations matched now, and Goku's eagerness distracted him enough for Vegeta to appear behind him, landing a kick between the shoulder blades. Goku flipped over him midair and they soon entered a fearsome hand-to-hand combat battle. Their fists collided, sending explosive, sizzling power around them, from all sides. Then they separated, hurling a circular fusillade of ki missiles at each other.
"No final flash?!" Goku shouted.
"That's for…for special occasions!" Vegeta shouted back. "Why should I waste that move on you?"
Bulma could barely contain her joy as the prince dived for ground, joined by Goku, where they continued battle. The men threw left-and-right hooks until Vegeta jumped backward on his hands, landing a crushing kick directly onto Goku's chest.
Goku wiped his chin and smiled. "You're holding back. Nice acrobatics, though."
Vegeta smirked as their golden auras changed to bright white. "You beat the hell out of Frieza with this next transformation, so I said, 'Why not?' You're the next best example for me to test. No cheating."
"Papa, you did it!" Delighted, Bulla pumped her fists in the air "Yay! You told me you would."
"You don't know the half of it," Goku said as he and Vegeta powered down. "You really don't."
"Don't get too excited, princess." Vegeta said quietly. "Remember what I've taught you. I have learned many hard lessons."
Bulma couldn't tolerate any more coded language from either. "OK, boys. One of you needs to cough up the rest of the story now. You had a year in there to drive each other crazy."
"Follow me," Vegeta said. "I have something to show you, Bulma." Once inside the Lookout's palace, his arms spread wide as Bulma jumped into a hug. After a kiss, he moved her hand down his backside.
"We can't have sex here," Bulma whispered nervously. "What are you doing? This is a sacred place."
"Huh?" Vegeta flushed from embarrassment. "No way. Of course we can't." He stepped back, fully exposing his regrown Saiyan tail from within his training shorts.
Bulma's eyes widened. "I can't believe it! It grew back. Has something else changed with your powers? Tights is going to shit a brick over this!"
Vegeta placed his forehead against hers. "I already shit two for her."
Notes: Vegeta's hard-earned recovery hasn't erased thoughts of his travels to planet Aurora. Thanks for the comments on the last chapter! BTW, I just *had* to tweak that part about Vegeta sending Frieza back to hell, and not Goku, since that's what should have happened in the "Resurrection F" movie.
