Chapter Fourteen: The Way Home
Present
Bulma stood at the edge of the clearing for some time as she inspected the last of the story in her mind. Jeice had explained, with the help of Lunia, the events after Freeza's destruction. How Vegeta had fallen…no strength left in him… and how he was almost dead himself.
Lunia was amongst those who had fought to free the planet Helio. The rebels had used the ki-guns to defeat Freeza's soldiers and then stood by to witness Freeza's demise at the hands of Vegeta. Many of the rebels debated whether Vegeta should be destroyed as well. If there was ever a chance, they argued, it would be now, when he was most vulnerable.
But he had freed the Galaxy from tyranny, fulfilled a legend and done the unthinkable.
"We stood vigilant over his comatose body for three days, until he awoke." Lunia's words still hung in the air and over the barren field beyond.
"We bowed to him, our savior, and pledged ourselves to the Saiyan Empire." Her words echoed in Bulma's mind.
Jeice had not stuck around to witness Vegeta's revival. He knew to be on the short list of Vegeta's most wanted, and so he'd fled the planet. But it had become obvious to him, as Vegeta forged across the galaxy in the months after destroying the last ruminants of Freeza's rule, that it would only be a matter of time before he'd be found.
"So I came back to Helio to stand trial for my sins. But not before sending you and Raditz the scripted message that brought you here."
This was the last piece of the puzzle for Bulma. The mysterious message had suggested Vegeta would be on this planet. The planet held many answers, but no Vegeta.
"Where is he now?" She'd asked, both Lunia and Jeice, but neither knew the answer.
"King Vegeta is still purging the galaxy of Freeza. He promised to eradicate anything build or done in Freeza's name. He does, from time to time, send us some high ranking officer to stand trial…such as Captain Ginyu, who was found guilty and executed."
It was a new galaxy order…and Vegeta…King Vegeta, was setting the rules.
And then it dawn on Bulma; what did she expect would happen once she found him?
It wouldn't be some happy reunion where she'd run across a field into his open arms. He had an Empire now….a purpose…and she wasn't sure where she fit in all of it. Bulma needed a new purpose herself, and finding him could no longer drive her destiny.
After some more time standing at the field, Lunia approached her, her sunken eyes boring into Bulma's.
"What will you do now that you know the truth?" She asked with a tired voice.
"I will go home…I have family and friends to find, a world to rebuild." She answered, knowing this would be her new purpose. She paused briefly before speaking again.
"I will be taking Jecie. And when Vegeta comes back, tell him I need to speak to him in regards to his promise to kill him." Bulma paused again before taking her eyes off the distance beyond the field to look at Lunia.
"I will need a large, long range ship and supplies for my journey to Earth." Bulma knew she was asking a lot, but Lunia simply nodded in agreement.
As the sun's tendrils began to dance along the horizon, Lunia and the rest of the jurors summoned Bulma for their final verdict.
She was found not guilty and exonerated for any crime committed while under Freeza's rule.
It took nearly a week to prepare for the journey back to Earth. Bulma had to do a few modifications to the ship they were provided and reboot the entire navigation system. This was her own doing, of course, caused by her death and the destruction of the disk. The entire relay system which provided Freeza's empire with information had been wiped out. This included the mapping of the known universe and in essence, the way back home to Earth. Luckily, she knew how to turn the system 'on' again, and had done so with the help of Lunia and her people.
And now she stood, with her back to the open hatch of the ship as she said her goodbyes to the people of Helio. Lunia's hug was the longest, and Bulma felt a tinge of sadness as she bid farewell to the older capiter.
"You take care, earthling." She said, and with that, Bulma turned and stepped inside the ship.
Eight Months Later…
It took two months for the ship to arrive to Earth. Bulma's homecoming had been an unforgettable event for her as she found not only her father alive, but also Gohan and Krillin, line in her dream. And, as they told Bulma, the Capsule Corp branded guns had helped the enslaved people of Earth fight back and regained their freedom. And so when Bulma stepped off the strange ship, the people of Earth instantly rejoiced and celebrated her as their savior.
This had been six months ago, and soon after her arrival, the work to be done was more apparent than ever as everything was in disarray. People were barely living, with hardly any food or shelter, and as a lot of the technology was destroyed, it was very much like being back in the dark ages.
But with the arrival of Bulma, and with her father still alive, the Brief's were able to 'reconnect' the world, and today they celebrating having electricity once again.
The power grid hummed to live, reminding Bulma briefly of life on the space station.
"Woohoo!" Krillin jumped up and down in excitement, making Bulma chuckle softly.
"I can't wait to take a warm shower!" He gushed as he left the room just as her father walked in, clearly pleased with himself.
"Great job, dad." Bulma complimented the older Brief, as it was mostly his doing. He simply smiled before turning away, heading back into his private study. He obviously wasn't the same, his wife's death clearly affecting him, but at least Bulma still had a parent. She sighed and made a mental note to go cheer him up a little later.
Her attention was turned to Gohan as she approached his desk and looked over his shoulder to look at his work.
"How ya doin', buddy?" She asked while ruffling his thick hair, making him squirm away from her. There was the hint of a smile in his face, though, so she was pleased with herself.
"I'm almost done…these are harder than I thought." He half complained, brows furrowing as he looked at the mathematical problems before him.
"Well, I have no doubts you can figure these out." She stated simply, while folding her hands in front of her. They had a couple of minutes of quiet as Gohan concentrated on his math homework and Bulma silently guided him through them before they were interrupted.
"Is the squirt done? It's time for his ass whooping." Raditz walked into the room, stretching his arms out in front of him as though warming up.
Gohan looked up at Bulma, silently asking her permission to be excused. She winked at the ten year old before nodding towards the door.
"Go." And with just one word, he was out the door so fast he almost knocked his chair back. Raditz smirked before following after his nephew at a similar speed, leaving Bulma behind.
She smiled as she moved to lean against the door frame, taking in the sight of the compound they now called home. There was a sense of peace, with children running around playing, adults busy rebuilding…they started a small school, they had a large tent as an infirmary and, thankfully, they had found a stash of Capsules which contained supplies. She even recovered one of her helidrones!
And now that her father had managed to reconnect the power permanently, things would get much better for the survivors.
Bulma could not follow as Raditz and Gohan trained in super human speeds just beyond the last of the tents, in a small clearing. And even though it had been six months since the nephew-uncle reunion, it was still hard for Bulma to believe it. She smiled, thinking of Raditz as the doting uncle always made her day.
"You seem awfully cheerful today." Jeice suddenly dropped down from the sky next to Bulma, crossing his red arms over his chest as he followed her eye sight to the small clearing.
"The kid or Raditz?" He wiggled his eye brows at her, teasing her.
"Both. It's just nice to see Gohan happy. And his uncle has pleasantly lived up to his family duties." She explained, but deep down inside she knew Jeice saw exactly what she did. It was too good to be true.
"Yeah…until something happens, we're attacked, the Earth is destroyed or conquered…" He offered, very casually and amiably.
"You are the worst prisoner ever." She retorted, wishing she was strong so she could punch him.
"You know, Princess, it strikes me as odd he's yet to make his grand entrance to Earth." Jeice continued, clearly talking about Vegeta, wanting to push her buttons today. He knew, just like Raditz did as well, that bringing up Vegeta was a sure way to get her fired up. And Jeice loved to tease her with the subject.
This was how their friendship worked.
"You should stop pinning over him, Jeice, it's not becoming of a warrior such as yourself." She gave him a glare, and stepped off the doorframe so she could make her way towards the main compound where her lab was located.
She could hear Jeice chuckle as she walked away, and she couldn't help but smile. This was also part of the new 'normal'. Bickering with Jeice, parenting Gohan, helping rebuild, cheering up her father….it was a far cry from her time in Freeza's army, from building weapons of mass destruction and of having to watch her back on a daily basis.
This was freeing…she was useful and important, her technological genius used for good instead of evil, and she had part of her family with her….
…and yet…there was something missing in her life.
Bulma sat with her back against the wall, staring up at the starlit sky. With the world still in a virtual blackout and no light contamination, the skies were impossibly bright, especially in a clear night such as tonight.
She took another long drag of the cigarette, inhaling deeply as she pretended this would somehow ease her mind. Tonight she couldn't stop thinking about him, her chest compressing with every memory recalled from her time with the saiyan prince.
She missed him, she was convinced she loved him, she was also convinced she would never see him again…it was maddening. And there were nights, such as tonight, she couldn't stop thinking of him.
"Where are you asshole?" She breathed out, her eyes lingering on the brightest star, which shone impossibly bright. In fact, it was so bright that it somehow looked as though it was approaching closer and closer…
"Shit!" Bulma flicked the cigarette to the ground as she stood and ran towards the main compound.
The computer confirmed Bulma's observation; there was a ship approaching the Earth's atmosphere.
"It should be landing sometime within the hour." Her father confirmed, looking at the monitor with a somewhat grim expression.
"Don't worry, dad…we have guns and we have Raditz and Jeice. They're both very strong." Bulma squeezed her father's shoulder reassuringly, and he smiled somewhat satisfied with her answer. This wouldn't be like the first time Earth was attack…now they were ready.
"What about me and Krillin? We're strong too!" Gohan protested, obviously feeling left out by not being named as one of the strong warriors.
"You should be in bed. Now, get!" She shooed Gohan back towards his room, and scolded him as he protested all the way to his room.
"It is way past your bedtime, young man." Bulma paused by his door and made sure he got in bed before turning back towards the main computer room just as Jeice and Raditz joined in.
"What do you think?" Raditz asked her as she walked in, Jeice didn't look up at her form the computer monitor.
"I say…put on your armor, boys." Jeice looked up then, and arched a brow, but neither he nor Raditz said a word as they headed out of the room to do as she asked.
Her father stared at her, somewhat unnervingly and she offered a small smile.
"What?" She asked, not sure why he gave her such a strange look.
"It's just…they do as you say. Like you are their leader. And yet…they could kill you at any moment." His father sounded somewhat concern, or maybe confused by this. Bulma took a deep breath as she sat in front of the main computer monitor, looking as the red dot got closer and closer…
"It makes me wonder…what you did to earn such respect." He finished, and Bulma could not bring herself to turn from the computer.
"I did what needed to be done." She said, barely above a whisper.
"Didn't we all…" Her father responded before walking out of the room and leaving Bulma behind to remember her many sins.
There was that pang in her chest, the one which reminded her of just how broken she truly was, and how incomplete she felt. Maybe they were suffering from survivor's guilt…but deep down Bulma felt she'd cheated death, twice, and didn't really get what she deserved. Maybe the ship would deliver her swift justice, or maybe at least the answer she so longed for.
"Where are you Vegeta?" She asked the computer monitor, hoping the answer would be in the red dot flashing back at her.
It had started raining the minute the ship had touched down just in the outskirts of their camp, but this didn't deter Bulma nor the rest of the welcome party from being there.
There were a couple of humans holding the ki guns as well as Krillin, Raditz and Jeice. Her father had decided to stay back and watch over Gohan, just to make sure he didn't run off to join the 'fun'.
As they waited for something, anything , to happen, Bulma couldn't help but make idle conversation.
"I think I will legally adopt Gohan." She announced, mostly to Krillin who stood next to her.
"I was thinking the same thing, actually." He answered, while wiping some of the rain water from his bald head.
"Huh? He's kind of my responsibility being my nephew and all." Raditz weighted in, causing both Bulma and Krillin to look his way. In that precise moment the hatch of the ship opened and their attention was turned to it.
"We'll talk about it another day…" Bulma suggested, her thoughts no longer on the previous conversation but on the possibilities lying just ahead. Her heart was beating so fast she was sure the men beside her could hear it. The rain continued to pour down on them, drenching her hair and clothes, her chest heaving up and down…she could see her breath in the air.
Once the ship's hatch was all the way down, the bright light coming from the ship momentarily blinding her. And then…and then she saw a small alien being, no higher than four feet for sure, wearing a green and black color armored and a red cape. The short being also wore black head apparel with an orange stripe down the middle, and his look was finished off by a scouter. This last accessory brought shills down Bulma's spine, but she shook any doubts away as she took a step forward.
Before she could speak, though, the small being stepped forward and into the rain, and held up a hand.
"I am Staff Officer Sorbet. I've been sent here by the His Majesty, King Vegeta to proclaim this planet…" He looked down at a small pad he held in his hand as if looking for some information. "…planet Earth." He cleared his throat. "…King Vegeta proclaims planet Earth as part of the newly form Saiyan Empire." He did not look at Bulma or the others as he read the proclamation, and instead continued reading, though not loud enough for them to hear.
"Well, tell King Vegeta we do not accept his offer." Bulma spoke up, not waiting for the short alien to finish, and stepped forward again.
"Tell him we will be a free standing planet under the protection of the Saiyan Empire." The rain was coming down harder now, and she could hardly hear over the wind. But she could see as the short alien, Sorbet, reacted to her demand.
"Tell him Bulma Briefs says so!" She added, having to yell over the wind and rain.
The short alien took a deep breath and rolled his eyes as he stormed up the ramp and back into the ship, clearly not happy with her response. This would probably mean a lot of paperwork for the short alien.
Bulma pushed her drenched, shoulder length hair away from her face. She didn't dare look at the men beside her, afraid they would question her sanity. She felt cold now, and resisted the urge to wrap her arms around her. A couple of minutes passed with no movement from the ship, but then Sorbet emerged again, coming down the ramp to stand but two feet away from Bulma.
"His Majesty, King Vegeta…." He paused, staring at her somewhat quizzically. Jeice moved closer to her and so did Raditz, and Krillin had instinctively moved somewhat between herself and the alien…
"…accepts your terms." He concluded, unconcerned as the rain soaked him.
Bulma let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and she could hear Krillin do the same. The short alien turned to walk away before stopping himself.
"Oh, right."He spoke aloud before turning back, facing Bulma placing a hand in front of his chest and lowering his head to her, clearly bowing. He then saluted the men around her and went back up the ramp to the ship, which started closing almost immediately.
The ship took off and was gone within minutes, leaving the landing party mostly relived if not confused.
"That went extremely well." Said Jeice, wiggling his white brows at Bulma.
"Princess Bulma…" He muttered as he excused himself to go back to his private tent.
"He's the worst prisoner ever." She complained, for the second time that day, this time to Krillin and Raditz, but they both knew she didn't truly mean it.
In fact, this was her family now, her people. Jeice, with his dark humor and endless teasing; Raditz, whom instead of leaving Bulma behind and going to find Vegeta to be part of the new galaxy order, he'd graciously stayed to help rebuild Earth; Krillin, who'd been the lone survivor from the Z warriors and who took it upon himself to look after Gohan's safety and wellbeing for all these years; her Father, even in his sadness, she could still see glimpses of his old self;…and of course Gohan, the half-saiyan, half-human ten year old son of her late friend. He embodied everything that was good about humanity and the potential of the saiyan strength.
He also held a special place in her heart, not just for being Goku's son, but also for representing a part of her she'd lost…the little fluttering.
Bulma stood in the rain, even after the others left to bed. The rain stopped and the clouds parted, exposing the impossibly bright skies to her again.
"Where are you, Vegeta?" She whispered to the stars. Her only answer was that of a shooting star.
Thank you everyone for all your comments/favs/follows! Most likely, the next chapter will be the last...stay tuned!