Game of Life
Chapter 9 – The Shocking Return
A/N: Once again, thanks goes to Majin Putty for beta-ing this chapter!
As always, thanks to all the reviewers and readers!
Using her thumbs and forefingers, Bulma pried her eyes open and shook her heavy head. The blinking cursor on her screen remained on the line of code she last read. Two hours and still no progress, Bulma thought in frustration. She needed her mainframe computer. The processing speed of this inadequate laptop was painfully slow and she had not even begun to chip through the first layer of modules. Her computer mascot had left her to pour through thousands of intricate data by all herself. She could really use its help right about now, Bulma growled. She should not have sent the little critter to gather more information. Now that she thought of it, the little critter had been gone for an insane amount of time. Bulma sighed.
Feeling the need to rest her overloaded brain, Bulma relaxed her chin on the downward arch of her interlaced fingers. She looked at her sleeping husband. Vegeta had his head tilted back against the shelf, his nose in the air. Bulma could almost see the heavy breath leaving his slightly parted lips. Beneath the dirty light blanket, Bulma saw the rise and fall of his chest. Tough guy complained he was not tired, Bulma snickered. And she was the stubborn one, she thought, rolling of her eyes
Bulma's ear perked when she caught Vegeta calling out Trunks' name. Her Saiyan prince had been slumbering restlessly, moaning and groaning at every turn of the minute. It was not uncommon for Vegeta to have nightmares. She had seen him acting this way in the depth of the nights, but never had Bulma heard Vegeta muttering Trunks' name in his dreams. Hell, she had never heard him calling her name either. What could Vegeta be dreaming about? Bulma wondered. His voice became more vocal and curses started to fly out of the Saiyan's mouth. His body started to thrash against the metal shelf. It was clear to Bulma that it was time for Vegeta to wake up.
Bulma dropped her fingers and pushed the chair back. With her hands supporting her lower back, she got up. Once standing, Bulma could feel blood rushing up her swollen feet. She reached down to massage her thigh, relieving some of the soreness and tension built from hours of sitting. When she felt sensations returning to her leg, she made her way across the dim room, walking like an unattractive maimed duck. When she reached Vegeta, Bulma slowly bent down and kneeled on the floor.
"Vegeta. Time to wake up," Bulma nudged her prince by the shoulder. Vegeta responded by smacking her hand away and mumbling more incoherent words. Bulma tried again with a little more force. This time, Vegeta dropped silent, his eyelids glued tightly together with ripples forming on his forehead. Bulma grew concern. Vegeta had always been a light sleeper, so light that even a cockroach running across the room could stir the dark prince. Suddenly, panic seized Bulma. She thought of her baby boy who was still in the hospital. What if Vegeta met the same fate as Trunks? This could not happen, Bulma thought as she started to tremble. "Vegeta! Wake up!" Bulma pleaded, desperate to rouse Vegeta from his deep, troubled sleep. Bulma willed herself to calm, knowing that flustering would not help with situation. If pleading would not work, then she must try another tactic. Bulma leaned over so that she was only inches away from Vegeta's ear. Pulling on the ear lobe, Bulma screamed on the top of her lungs. "Vegeta, if you don't wake up right now, I WILL smack you!"
"Move!" Vegeta roared, eyes still closed. He swung his arm in the air, knocking the unexpected Bulma back.
"Oh, shit!" Bulma yelled out as her butt dropped on the floor; her tail bone crashed against the wooden floor. She managed to not completely fall backwards by swiftly propping her hands on the floor. Bulma yelped as an excruciating pain shot up her spine. She gritted her teeth until she could feel the roots of her teeth digging deeply into her gums. Bulma waited until the stars dispersed and moved one hand to her lower back and the other onto her stomach. Her heart thumped. An accident like this could affect the baby. Bulma breathed in slowly, feeling another sharp pain. Her heart thumped again. She slowly pressed her finger against her belly to inspect any sign of irregularity. Her lower back still throbbed, but her baby girl was still well moving within her. When she felt confident that her baby was safe, she let out a sigh of relief. Bulma rubbed her lower back to alleviate the remaining soreness. She really should be more careful around thrashing Saiyans, she thought.
Using one hand, she pressed against the floor to push herself clumsily back onto her knees. Once her eyes fell upon Vegeta, she gasped. It had been less than a few minutes since she had last saw Vegeta, but the physical change in her husband was beyond shocking. His arms and body were now charred with burned skin hanging off his raw flesh. "Vegeta!" she screamed, her pain forgotten. She reached over and cupped his hands into hers, feeling the blister in her touch. She winced and wondered what hell had happened to her husband in such a short time.
Vegeta snapped his eyes open, looking at her, bewildered. Bulma could see he was not seeing her, his mind was elsewhere. Bulma fanned her hand in front of him in attempt to extract a reaction, any reaction from Vegeta. "Vegeta! Talk to me!" She slapped both of his cheeks and pulled his face toward her.
Vegeta blinked. His dark eyes cleared of their cloudiness. "Bulma?"
"Vegeta! You're finally awake!" Bulma exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Vegeta's neck and burying her face on his shoulder. "Don't scare me like that, you asshole!"
"Where am I?" Vegeta asked, pushing Bulma away. Bulma released him and sat her ass on her feet. He got up, using the rack on the shelf as a support. Bulma saw him swaying a little when he released his hand. She did not know if it was from the mysterious injury or if he was just disorientated from re-entering reality. She wanted to help him but had decided against it. Vegeta would be too proud to accept any help. Bulma watched silently, monitoring his husband every movement.
"We're in the lab, remember?" Bulma finally answered when Vegeta was steady on his feet. Using the floor as a support, Bulma pushed herself from a kneeling to a standing position. Suddenly, she felt a kick in her stomach. She winced but quickly swallowed the pain before Vegeta could catch a glimpse at her. Vegeta had enough to worry about. The last thing Bulma wanted was Vegeta worrying about her too. Bulma had purposely neglected to tell Vegeta about her current condition since he could not help her anyways. His energy was better spent on the upcoming fight. Bulma realized that if Vegeta did find out, he would be furious that she had kept this secret from him, but she could worry about that when the time came.
Bulma walked over to Vegeta and said with concern, "Vegeta, look at you. Your skin looks like it's been scorched." She lifted one of his arms so he could see what she was talking about.
Using his fingers, Vegeta traced the raw flesh from his shoulder down to his forearm, brows stitching as he did so. "It was not a dream…" As if a realization suddenly struck him, Vegeta swore. He growled and then demanded, "Call Gohan. Ask him to check on Trunks, now!"
The urgency in his voice and the mention of Trunks' name was all Bulma needed to spring into action. She did not question him, knowing Vegeta had good reason to demand such a request. Bulma ran to the phone on the other side of the room, all the while thinking something awful must have happened to her baby boy. Filled with worry and unease, Bulma picked up the phone. Vegeta was behind, breathing down her neck. Her hands shaking as she punched the numbers. Because of her trembling fingers, she missed the intended number. "Shit!"
"Don't you have their numbers on speed dial?" Vegeta scowled. The frustration in his voice only added to her anxiety. Something is definitely wrong.
"Dammit, Vegeta!" Bulma felt like crying. It seemed she could not form a coherent thought, much less remember something as trivial as a freaking speed dial. "What's wrong with Trunks?" she demanded as she punched the number four.
"Just call Gohan!"
Bulma finally got a ringtone. It rang once and again and again, but no one picked up. "Pick up the damn phone, Gohan!"
Goten felt warmth creeping up the side of his face. He stirred and fluttered his eyes. His thoughts fogged from the fleeting details of his hazy dreams. Where am I? Goten fluttered his eyes some more. All he could make out through his blurred vision was sea of whiteness. The smell was unfamiliar to him. It reeked of acidity. He wrinkled his nose. Before he could fully awaken, he heard someone arguing behind him.
"No is NO! I'm not letting you take the boys!"
"But Chi Chi, nothing will happen. I'll be there with them."
"It's because you're going to be there, I don't trust!"
"Mom, that's harsh…Dad had always protected us."
"No, No, No. I'm not going to let what happened to Trunks happen to you, too!"
At the mention of Trunks' name, Goten shot up with full alertness. He felt a blanket slipped from his back onto the floor. Goten's head twisted to the right and found his friend still unconscious, tossing and turning while he clutched tightly to the blanket. Goten heard Trunks whimpering for his dad a few times. It seemed as though Trunks' nightmare had grown since last night. Goten placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and whispered, "Vegeta will be here soon, Trunks." Goten could not tell if it his voice or Vegeta's name that finally calmed his best friend. Goten saw Trunks loosened his grip on the white sheet, but Goten could tell Trunks was still plagued with dark dreams.
"Nothing will happen to us, Mom. I made a promise to Videl and I'm planning to keep it."
"So you make a promise to Videl, huh? What about your poor mom, Gohan? Ever thought about making a promise to me?"
"Chi Chi, I'll make a promise to you."
"Shut up, Goku! How many promises did you break?"
Goten turned around. Right outside the doorway in the hall, he saw his whole family standing in a loose circle. His mom stood with her hand on her hip . His dad stood on her left one side with and Gohan on the right. Videl stood next to his brother with her arms locked tightly around his. Goten couldn't help but smiled. It was not until after Gohan and Videl had been married that Goten had started to see glimpses of touchiness from the two. When they had been dating, Goten would often find them miles apart. Any little touching had caused his brother and now sister-in-law to flame into crimson fire. Torturing the two lovebirds had been one of the most comical past time for Goten and Trunks. Goten frowned at the memories. Goten wished everything could go back to normal like how it was before they ventured into the room.
Goten took a quick glance out the window. From between the curtains, he was shocked to find the sun was already high in the mid sky.
"What happened, Chi Chi? You weren't like this when we fought Buu. You were supportive and you know…not so unreasonable," Goten heard his dad said with a hint of confusion in his voice. Goten stepped away from the bed. Giving his friend one last glance, he dragged his feet toward the hallway to join his family.
"You're calling me unreasonable?"
"Chi Chi, I'm sure Goku didn't mean it that way…"
Goten sighed when he finally made it to the door. His family, especially his mom, was always so rowdy. On most days, he would find the one-sided quarrel between his parents entertaining. Today, he was too worried for Trunks to find any amusements in his dad's discomfort.
Down the hall, Goten could see doctors and nurses shooting them annoyed glares. Goten bowed slightly and shot them an apologetic smile. Goten took a step toward his mom who did not notice him standing behind her. Pulling on the fabric of her red traditional dress, he said in a low whisper, "I think you guys are too loud."
"Oh, Goten!" His mom cried, instantly dropping her argument with his dad and Gohan. She pushed his dad out of the way. Crouching down, his mom swung her arms around his shoulder, nearly knocking all the air from him.
"Mom…" Goten gasped as he tried to find his breath.
"Mom, you're choking him," Gohan said, walking toward them with Videl by his side.
His mom extended her arms, leaving space between them, but her hands remained firmly on him. "Goten, are you hurt?" his mom asked, frantically. One of her hand moved to his head, pushing back his stubborn dark hair and searched wildly for any injuries.
Embarrassed by his mom's public display of affection, Goten felt heat rising to his cheek. "Mom, I'm okay…!" he said, his voice almost coming out as a whine. His mom had always treated him like a baby no matter how old he was. Heck, she still treated Gohan as if he was still in diapers. At this thought, Goten suddenly did not feel as silly and pampered.
It seemed that his brother finally realized they were in the center of attention with all the displeased hospital staff. Some were whispering among each other while pointing at them. Clearing his throat, Gohan said uncomfortably, "We should go back in the room, Mom," Gohan put one arm around Videl's shoulder, guiding her into the room. "Let's go, Videl."
His dad followed Gohan and Videl, slapping him on the back as he passed. "Hey buddy. Glad you're finally awake," his dad said smiling down at him. Goten looked up and flashed him a weak smile. At the corner of his eyes, Goten saw his mom giving his dad her famous get lost glare. His dad shrugged and walked into the room with one hand rubbing his tummy. Though his dad did not say it out loud, Goten had a feeling his dad's thought was filled with his next meal as if the argument with his mom had never happened. No one except his dad could recover from a verbal fight with his mom so quickly. Goten thought with a genuine smile.
Goten had lived with his dad for the last four years, learning about the stranger when everyone else had known his dad their entire life. Much to Goten's joy, his dad was everything he had imagine the man to be. He was kind, fun, strong and many other great things. Goten was glad his dad was around now. His carefree attitude had always made impossible situation possible, which was exactly the type of assurance Goten needed now.
Goten felt his mom's hand on his back, pushing him forward. Goten allowed his mom to lead him in. Inside the room, his dad was already sitting on the floor cross-legged. His mom said, "I can't believe Bulma. With all the brain in her thick head, I swear she was smart enough not to build that whatever room. She should know better not the encourage you crazy people into more fighting. Look what she did now!" His mom glared at his dad as if it was his fault that Bulma had built the machine.
As usual, his dad tried to avoid any confrontation, only responding with a nervous laugh.
Gohan moved in front of his mom, clearly blocking his mom's spiteful glare directing at his dad. For the first time, Goten noticed Gohan was not wearing his glasses. Even though it did not look like it, Goten could see weariness hanging over his brother. Goten looked around the room and saw a messy couch covered with a thin blanket and a pair of thick framed glasses lying on the stand. It appeared his brother, too, had slept here through the night, if he even slept at all.
Goten took this opportunity to loosen his mom's grip on him. Goten also wanted to defend his dad just like Gohan, but knew he was not the assertive type and when all the adults talked, Goten found himself left out of the conversations, especially a serious one. Without Trunks, his partner in crime by his side, it was even harder to utter a single word.
"Mom, this was no one's fault. Bulma has a lot on her mind with Trunks already in this condition. Right now, I think she needs our support instead of our blaming," Gohan said in a soft but unyielding voice. Maybe it was from his education. Maybe it was because Gohan was much older, but whatever it was, Goten could not help but admired the way his brother was handling this whole mess. Goten remembered last night when everyone left the room, his brother gave him a prep talk. It did not relieve Goten from his guilt, but it sure did make him feel a little better. Gohan was right. What done was done. Drowning in misery served no purpose. It could not change the past. What Goten should concentrate on was to fix the problem. Only by doing so could he change the future.
"Gohan's right, Chi Chi. I've never seen Bulma so stressed," Videl chimed in.
His mom turned to his dad, then to Gohan and finally to Videl. She was silent for a while and suddenly dropped to the ground. She buried her head in one arm and pounded the tiled floor with the other. Bursting into a hysterical rant, she screamed in a muffled voice, "Bulma is the nice one. I'm the mean witch! You guys think that, don't you? Even you, Videl! You'll soon find out that it's not easy to be a wife and mother to these Saiyans! They come and leave when they want. They die when they want. They fight when they want. When did they ever think of me!"
Goten could feel the air of guilt thickening in the now quiet room. He, too, felt remorse for what he put his mom through. This would never happen had he stopped Trunks from venturing in the forbidden room. Goten shook his head and willed himself to stop feeling responsible.
He saw his dad got up from the floor and moved to where his mom was, crouched down and ran his hand up and down her back, soothing her. "Chi Chi, I'm sorry. I promise this is the last time," his dad said. Even as young as he was, Goten knew his dad just made an empty promise. He knew that there would always be another enemy to fight, to defeat and to destroy. Goten could sense his mom knew this as well.
Goten wanted to say he was sorry. He wanted to apologize for making his mom angry and worry, but the next thing that came out his mouth surprised even him. "Mom, I have to do this. Trunks needs my help. I'm his best friend and if I don't fight, I will be disloyal and a coward," Goten paused and swallowed, waiting for another outburst from his mom. It never came. Instead, he felt a hand on his head. Goten looked up and saw Gohan beaming down at him, full of pride. Goten returned with a weak smile.
His mom finally lifted her head and let out a defeated sigh. His dad assisted her up to a stand and said, "Are you okay, Chi Chi?"
Ignoring his dad, his mom said, "I can never win. I thought Videl was on my side –" Goten could see Videl's eyes dropped to her feet, unsure of how to react. "Thought she could help me stop all of you from fighting, but I see I was wrong. Can't say I didn't try though." His mom swiped a strand of dark hair her face.
Everyone's mouth hanged open, including Goten. It was Gohan who finally voiced all their suspicion. "Mom, was that all an act?"
"I was just exaggerating a little there so I can drill it in all your thick heads that whatever you do, don't get yourself kill," his mom explained as she walked away from his still stunned unmoving dad. His mom made it over to Trunks' bed, sat on the edge and said, "Trunks is like another one of my own. Do you think I'm so heartless I won't let you save him? Even I can see the boy is suffering from whatever he is dreaming about." His mom threw a quick glare at Gohan and Videl. "But I still don't like the fact you're taking Bulma side instead of mine!"
"I will never ever take Bulma's side again," Gohan chuckled, lifting his hands in surrender.
"You better remember what you just said, Gohan," his mom returned a small chuckle.
Goten felt moisture forming from his eyes. He had never felt so much love for his mom. All the horror stories everyone told him about his mom being mean, loud, unreasonable was all untrue. To him, she was the world's coolest and best mom. Before Goten could run to his mom and give her the biggest hug and tell her he loved her much much more than Bulma, the phone rang.
Goten stopped and watched Gohan and Videl searching their pockets for their phone. His mom and dad didn't move since neither of them had a phone. They were not fond of using technology even if it was a more convenient tool for communication. Goten could go as far as calling his parents old-fashioned and outdated.
From the corner of his eyes, Goten saw a slight stirring beneath the blanket and thought Trunks was having another nightmare. He saw his mom soothed his friend with a light hum while keeping her eyes locked on the current activity.
"Gohan, I think it's your phone," Videl said, looking around.
"I know, but I don't know where I put it," Gohan said, patting down his loose pants.
Videl started to march over to the couch where the sound of ringing was muted beneath the crack, but stopped abruptly when a surprised scream escaped from his mom. "Trunks!"
With the phone forgotten, everyone rushed to crowd around the bed, all eyes staring at his disheveled friend who was now sitting upright. Goten was so exciting that he jumped on the empty area of the bed and echoed his mom's cry. "Trunks! You're awake!" Instead of getting a welcomed response, Goten was met with a sideward glance. Trunks stared back at him with complete confusion. He finally uttered his first word. "Gohan? How?"
Goten's jaw dropped. He pointed at himself and asked, "Gohan?"
"I'm going to get the doctor. I think something's wrong with his head. You think it's amnesia?" his mom said as she started out the door.
In the background, the undying ring of the phone continued. "I'll get it," Videl said as she moved once again to the couch. Goten heard her muttered a few words while trailing further away. "What am I going to tell Bulma?"
Trunks looked over Goten's shoulder to stare at Videl as if wondering who she was. His dad stepped closer to the bed and asked his confused friend, "Trunks, remember who I am?"
Trunks blinked, waited and finally nodded, "You're Goku."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good, buddy," said his dad as he patted Trunks on the back. His dad turned to all of them. "Just give him a few more minutes. I'm sure his mind still in dreamland."
"Dad, there's something call selective amnesia. Just in case, we should get the doctor to check him out," Gohan said as he studied Trunks with a concerned look.
Trunks looked at Gohan and then Goku with a shock expression. "Dad?" Trunks asked as if confirming that he had heard correctly.
Gohan nodded in affirmation and his frown deepened. "Yes, Trunks. I'm Gohan."
Goten leaned over so now face to face with Trunks. "I'm Goten. Do you remember who I am?"
Trunks' eyes widened as if he just came to a conclusion. "This could not be happening," Trunks muttered as he covered his eyes with his hand and shook his head. Xlowly, Trunks lifted his head and looked directly at his dad. "Goku, I'm not Trunks. At least not the one you think. I'm the one from the future."
In the background, Goten could hear the phone dropped and bounced a few times. On the other end, he could hear a distant frantic voice demanding to know what the hell was happening.
"Who's going to break the news to Bulma?" Goten heard Videl asked.
A/N:Thanks for reading! See you next chapter!