Chapter 26 – The Ultimate Sacrifice

"Are you an idiot?" Bulma yelled at a warrior who was just carelessly throwing women and children into one of the smaller ships. "They're not luggage, they're people! Show them some respect."

The strange looking warrior smirked before turning around to look at Bulma. When he realised who it was, he charged a ki blast and threw it at her, but before it could hit her seriously weakened body, someone batted it away, making the alien's eyes widen. He hadn't expected there to be any Saiyans around! He thought they were all fighting. The yellow skinned man looked up reluctantly to see a severely pissed off Bardock glaring at him as though he was about to rip his throat out. As he looked away from Bardock to Bulma, he saw that she was staring at him with wide eyes.

"You're the traitor!" She shouted in disbelief.

There was no point in denying it, so he nodded.

A second later, Bardock killed him.

"You know," Bulma said in a casual tone as she watched his body turn to nothing but ash, "I think we could have used him for information."

"I doubt he would have talked." Bardock shrugged as he continued on with his duties as though nothing had happened.

Sighing, Bulma turned back to see Kakarot saying goodbye to Chi-Chi and Gohan. Even though they were his family, because they weren't warriors, they had to go to the planet with the other women and children. It was a little sad to see Chi-Chi warning Kakarot that he better return to her, but it was even sadder to see Gohan begging to stay behind and help him.

Bulma walked over to the family and smiled at Gohan as she ruffled his hair. "Your daddy will be okay, kiddo."

Both Kakarot and Chi-Chi looked at Bulma with wide eyes. Never had they ever heard Bulma speak to Gohan, let alone touch him! Whenever he entered the room, she would leave before any sort of conversation could start up.

"But what about you, Miss Bulma," Gohan asked sadly as he sniffed, "you're still hurt."

She smirked. "I'm tougher than I look! Besides, these boneheads need me to keep control of the ship since your grandpa and my dad are going down to the planet with you all."

Gohan laughed.

She had made him laugh.

For some reason, the sound of his laughter caused her to laugh too; it was as though it was infectious. It felt strange to laugh since she hadn't truly laughed in a long time, but it felt nice all at the same time. Also, seeing Gohan look happy made her heart warm. What was this strange feeling? Did she really care for the boy?

"You've got to go," Kakarot said before hugging Chi-Chi and Gohan goodbye.

Kakarot and Bulma watched silently with small smiles as their escape ship dropped out of sight. When they were no longer there, Bulma turned and nodded once to Kakarot before they both continued helping other civilians into their ships.

For what felt like the hundredth time in just ten minutes, the ship shook again, making Bulma exchange wary glances with Bardock, who was currently preparing another ship to go down to the planet. When he told her to continue working but to pick up her pace, Bulma agreed and got to it. There were still battles going on in parts of the headquarters ship, so she just hoped that that was the reason as to why it was shaking so much.

"Mom, dad, the ship is ready for you both." Bulma told her parents.

"Please be safe, Bulma." Mrs Briefs begged with a sob.

She nodded once before taking over at the control panel. As she continued the work her father had just been doing, Bulma watched out of the corner of her eye as her parents climbed into the ship and gave her one last glance. Bardock nodded once to her, Raditz and Kakarot before he and Turles also got into the ship. Two seconds later, when all of the other civilians got in, the ship dropped out of sight, very much like the others.

Now that her worry had been lessened, Bulma really got to work. There were flashing red lights all over the control panel, signalling that there was an emergency and just the thought of what it could be made Bulma's heart clench and her stomach twist.

"You've got to move faster!" She yelled at Kakarot and Raditz.

Sensing her distress, they picked up their pace.

It wasn't long until all of the civilians were off of the ship, as well as most of the warriors. There weren't many warriors left after the attack, so the ones who were left, had been sent to protect the non-fighters. Just as the last escape pod left, headquarters started to shake again. In an instant, both Raditz and Kakarot were by her side.

"It's not the battles, is it?" It sounded more like a statement as Raditz spoke to her.

She shook her head. "No."

"Then what is it?" Kakarot asked with wide eyes. "What's happening?"

Bulma looked back over at the control panel, the flashing lights were continuing to grow as more of the ships engines started to give out. "The attack was a distraction for whoever got into the ship's main control system. If we don't get everyone left to evacuate now, then we're all going to get caught up in it and we might not make it."

Kakarot frowned, but it was Raditz who spoke. "How much energy do you have left?"

"Not enough." Kakarot continued to frown. "You barely have enough to keep you on your feet, let alone fly down to the planet from all the way up here."

She glared at him. "Stop answering for me! I'll be fine."

Raditz shook his head. "Don't do anything reckless, Bulma."

Her features emptied of all emotion. "Translation: Don't do anything that will kill both me and Kakarot. Am I right?"

"You know that's not what Raditz meant Bul-"

"Whatever," She cut him off before going back to the control panel. "We don't have enough time to get to every warrior here. We have to warn them over the speaker, but that gives us the risk of having the enemy hear us."

Raditz shrugged. "There are hardly any of Frieza's warriors left and we have the advantage down on the planet, so do it."

She looked to Kakarot, who nodded once. Taking a deep breath, Bulma switched the microphone on.

"Listen up," Her voice hinted at the fact she was close to freaking out. "We need to get off of the ship now or we're all going to die-"

"Bulma you need to say it in a way that isn't going to freak them all out!" Kakarot interrupted her.

"Shut up! I'm speaking so be quiet and get ready to leave." She then went back to speaking to the others, who most likely heard her entire conversation with Kakarot, but she didn't care. "Everybody needs to evacuate the ship. We have sent the civilians to the planet below us, but the problem is now we don't have any ships to use."

A sigh escaped Bulma's lips as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't care how you do it; just get off of the ship. We don't want to lose anybody and your families and friends want you to get back to them in one piece and alive. If you have to blast down a wall or smash a window, do it. But I personally suggest you find an exit or break the windows because trying to take down the walls will take you a while and that is time that we don't have.

"You have ten minutes to get off of the ship…" She looked away from the two staring Saiyans as she continued to talk. "Vegeta, you better get off of this ship alive. I don't care what you have to do, just go down to the planet. That goes to you too, Nappa. If either of you die, then I will find a way to get to you and personally kick your asses!"

Her head started to spin slightly as she switched the microphone off and in response, Kakarot looked up at her warily. "I'm fine," She told him when he went to grab her. "It's just the fumes from the engines. Come on, we need to check for any injured civilians or warriors."

Kakarot didn't look happy about it, but he did as she said. If he didn't, he would feel guilty for just abandoning innocent people when he had the chance to save them. As they looked through the hallways and rooms, Kakarot kept watching Bulma carefully; which annoyed the hell out of her. He could feel the pain that was increasing every minute and he could also sense her light headedness and lack of energy.

"Raditz," Bulma said as she covered her mouth and nose. "Go and break some windows. When you're done, go down to the planet and have them prepare for the warriors who will be coming down. Also, warn them about any broken glass or parts of the ship that will be falling to the planet. We'll be right behind you."

He nodded once before disappearing.

Bulma then turned to Kakarot. "Kakarot, we need to move the ship."

His eyes widened. "What?"

She sighed before continuing down to the main control room. This was why she had made Raditz go. She didn't need to risk anymore lives and already felt incredibly guilty for risking Kakarot's. "We need to move the ship. If it's going to blow up whilst it's still in the planet's atmosphere, it'll send large pieces of it down to the planet and they'll be moving too fast for them to stop them. If we don't do this, Kakarot, a lot of people are going to get seriously hurt or die. I can't risk that. My parents and your family are down there."

He nodded once before picking Bulma up and running through headquarters so that she didn't waste any more energy. They both needed to save as much as possible, especially if they were going to have to do this.

"Keep you energy hidden," Bulma said quietly as she watched warriors fly out of windows and exits to get down to the planet. "If Vegeta senses I'm still up here, he'll come and get us."

"Why is that a bad thing?"

She lowered her head and bit her lower lip. "Kakarot, I can't risk his life like that. I already feel bad for risking yours, but I know that if you go, I won't have any help and because of that stupid ritual, we'll both die. At least this way, we have a better chance of surviving."

Again, Kakarot nodded once before masking his energy. As he started to run faster, Bulma saw both Vegeta and Nappa leave the ship, which made her smile and sigh in relief. They would both be okay but more importantly, Vegeta would be alive and safe.

When they reached the main controls, they both coughed and gagged at the fumes coming off of the engines. Whoever had messed up the controls and engines obviously knew what they were doing. In some parts of the room, there were flames growing and flickering to life, making it harder for them to see and breathe. Bulma narrowed her eyes as the two of them covered their mouths and noses. She got to work with setting coordinates straight away.

"Kakarot," Bulma coughed after a couple of minutes as she turned to face him. "It's not responding. You'll have to blast it away with the Kamehameha."

He looked unsure as he smashed the only window in the room. "I don't know Bulma, you have no energy left. You're not going to be able to fly by yourself."

Her eyes spat fire at him. "Just do it!" She yelled angrily before gathering the last of her energy and fleeing the ship with Kakarot right behind her.

His eyes still held uncertainty as he and Bulma stopped about a mile away from the ship and turned around. She couldn't see much on the planet, but she could see the last minute stragglers making their way down. Out of the corner of her eye, Bulma saw Kakarot contemplating asking one of them to take her, but her glare silenced him. They were going to do this together, like they always had and always will.

Kakarot flew forward until he was right in front of Bulma with his back to the ship. He didn't need his Saiyan senses to tell him that headquarters was about to blow, the black flames coming from the building was enough to tell him that. Ever since Bulma told him that this would be a great risk and they could lose their lives, he had cut off the connection between his and Chi-Chi's mind. If that was true, it was definitely something she didn't need to see or feel. He furrowed his brow as Bulma looked up at him. He could see the fear in her eyes, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Kakarot was always able to easily pick up on her moods, even before he did the ritual.

His eyes never left Bulma's face as he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes widened slightly, but she was quick to return his kiss. She could feel his worry, his fear, his sadness and she wanted to take it all away from him. It was like their kiss was exchanging their feelings and thoughts and they could both feel that there was nothing romantic about it.

It was a goodbye kiss.

Being in space… it was strange to say the least. Bulma had been travelling through space for months now and finally, just when she felt as though things were going to get worse, they got better.

"My name's Kakarot, what's yours?"

Bulma looked at her mother uncertainly before looking back at Kakarot and smiling. "My name's Bulma."

"I want you to train me."

Kakarot looked at Bulma with wide eyes for a moment before a gigantic grin threatened to split his face in half. "I'd be happy to!" Then, his grin turned into a sly smirk. "Are you sure you'll be able to handle it though?"

"Ha!" Bulma barked out a laugh as she narrowed her eyes. "I'm sure I'll manage."

"Here she is!" Mrs Briefs's sing-song voice called when the double doors opened and revealed the Briefs family to their guests.

Bulma blushed as everyone looked her way. Not even a second later, Kakarot had her in a bear hug and was spinning her around as she laughed. There was a flash and Bulma couldn't help but grin. No doubt her mother had just taken yet another picture. When he finally put Bulma back down onto her feet, he tilted his head to the side as he looked her over.

"What?" Bulma asked, looking down at her outfit.

Kakarot shrugged before smiling. "You look different!"

She rolled her eyes. "Well duh," Bulma giggled. "I'm wearing a dress, makeup and I've had my hair cut!"

He grinned and scratched the back of his head. "It looks better short."

"Are you both ready for your first mission together?" Bardock asked as he finished setting up the coordinates and exited the ship.

Both Bulma and Kakarot looked over to their families, one nodding with determination whilst the other was looking rather nervous. It wasn't hard to guess who was doing what. As though he could sense her silent distress, Kakarot threw his arm over Bulma's shoulders and smiled brightly.

"Don't worry," He spoke low so that only she could hear, "I won't ever let you get hurt."

Her eyes were wide as they scanned the area before them. The planet was deadly silent, like there was no life at all living there.

And there wasn't.

Their first mission and they had failed. They had failed to reach the planet on time and they had failed to stop Prince Vegeta from murdering thousands, if not millions, of innocent people.

The sight was too much for Bulma as she turned her back on Kakarot and threw up. She threw up until her stomach ached and her throat burned. There were tears streaming from her eyes but not only from the pain, but also from the grief, from the stench of burning and decomposing bodies, from the suffering and destruction she could see. Her knees gave out on Bulma as she fell to the ground, her hands stopping her from going face first into her own vomit. Just as she started sobbing, arms were pulling her away and back to the ship at a hurried pace. Bulma didn't need to look to know that it was Kakarot.

As soon as they were on the ship, Kakarot set the coordinates Bardock had given them before pulling Bulma against him as they both cried.

"Come on Kakarot, don't be such a loser!" Bulma teased as she snuck into her parent's bedroom.

Kakarot frowned. "I'm not being a loser!"

"You are!"

"I'm not!"

Bulma rolled her eyes as she stuck the key into the hole and a large smile lit up her face as the cabinet opened. "Look! I did it." She told him as she turned around to look at Kakarot.

The Saiyan sighed as he stuck his head out of the door before looking back at Bulma. "This isn't right, Bulma. You could get into so much trouble for doing this."

"Who cares?" She groaned with annoyance. "You're either with me or you're not Kakarot. All you ever do is train!" Picking up her prize, Bulma once again locked the cabinet before walking towards Kakarot. Once she was right in front of him, Bulma looked up at him from under her lashes and gave Kakarot an impish smile. "We're both sixteen and since you're a Saiyan, doesn't that mean you're classed as an adult?"

Kakarot looked torn for a moment before looking down at the bottles in Bulma's hands. "I've just… I've never drank alcohol before."

Bulma giggled. "Neither have I," Trying to seem as snobby as she possibly could, Bulma stuck her nose in the air and spoke in a slow, posh voice, "so I would be honoured to have my first time with you."

Copying her, Kakarot smirked. "Well, it looks as though I cannot possibly say no to that offer. It will be my pleasure to have our first taste of alcoholic beverages together."

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," Bulma replied with another impish smile.

Bulma's heart started to beat faster as Kakarot approached her and very slowly, he placed his hands on the sides of her face and kissed her. At first, she had no idea how to react but then she gave into her curiosity and temptation and kissed him back. A fiery feeling in the pit of her stomach started to swirl as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

She would be lying if she said that she never saw this coming or that she didn't want it to come. Like most teenagers, she was curious about boys and the wonders of intimacy.

Kakarot deepened the kiss as he pushed Bulma against the wall with his body pinning her there. As his hands slipped away from her face and moved down her arms before holding onto her waist, Bulma broke the kiss to catch her breath but Kakarot didn't stop kissing her. His soft mouth trailed from her lips down to her neck where he started to kiss her passionately as his hold tightened.

Her heart clenched painfully and a second later, his arms tightened around her as though he could sense her pain. It only took him a month to ask her to marry him, something that Bulma had be hoping and wishing for, for as long as she could remember. She tried not to, but Bulma couldn't help it. Her arms tightened around Kakarot as a silent sob shook her body. Bulma knew that he could feel her tears soaking his shirt and she knew that he knew she was crying.

It made her feel pathetic, especially since they hadn't been together for a while, but there had always been a part of Bulma that was hoping they would be together. That they would get married, have children and now… now she knew that she would never have any of that. It was as though her dreams had shattered.

Sniffling softly, Bulma pulled away but kept her head lowered so that her bangs were shielding her eyes. "You should go back to Chi-Chi." Even though she couldn't see him, Bulma knew he was hesitating, so she took a calming breath and spoke again. "Kakarot… please, just go. I need to be alone right now and you staying here… it isn't helping."

It really wasn't. With each passing second of his hesitation, it was building hope inside of her chest.

"I'm sorry," He said softly before leaving the room.

When the door shut behind him, Bulma quickly collapsed onto her bed, got under her covers and buried her face into her pillows as she cried.

He grabbed her breast and squeezed hard, causing a scream to rip out of Bulma's throat. She felt his hand trail down as it went over her new injuries but just as he was about to rip the rest of her spandex playsuit away, he fell to the ground beside her as blood splattered all over her. Bulma looked at Dodoria and saw that he was now headless.

She screamed again.

Her screaming continued and only grew louder and more frantic as she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her body. She looked down at her body and saw that she was covered in even more blood. Her eyes widened at the sight. There was so much blood. Bulma thrashed violently as she felt her captor pulling her away from Dodoria's body and the now extremely enraged Zarbon.

"Bulma," Kakarot yelled over her screams of terror.

Bulma relaxed slightly against Kakarot but was still sobbing violently and she watched as the infamous last Saiyan squadron stood in front of them, all with their own cocky stance.

He was always saving her.

"What's going on?" He frowned. "Why can't I remember anything?"

"Kakarot, what I'm saying is true." He looked like he was about to argue but Bulma simply raised her hand to silence him. "It has been years since we were together, over four… maybe even five years. You have a mate now and a son who adores you and looks up to you. You're his hero, Kakarot. As much as it hurts me to tell you this, you don't love me. I wish with all my heart that it was me who you bonded with and I wish that it was me who carried your children, but it isn't. Chi-Chi is your mate. It wouldn't fair to her or your son if I took advantage of what's happening to you. I already feel guilty for letting it go as far as it did."

"Bulma I-"

"Kakarot, shut up. If I'm opening up to you like this, then shut up and listen." Bulma took a deep breath as she calmed herself and then looked away as she continued. "I'm not going to lie and tell you that it didn't hurt me when you told me about you marrying Chi-Chi, because it did. It hurt more than any physical attack that I've ever received. It felt like someone had ripped out my heart and tore it to pieces.

"But I can tell that it would hurt Chi-Chi a whole lot more if anything happened between us again. You love her, Kakarot. You love her a lot more than you have ever loved me." Bulma put extra emphasise on the love and loved. "And I'm not going to go throw away these last few years of trying to pick up the pieces of my heart and then allow you to break it all over again when you see Chi-Chi and realise that she's the one you love."

Bulma looked back at Kakarot and saw that he was fully focused on the words she was saying. She changed her position so that she was facing him. "I wasn't lying when I said that it took all of these years to get over you, because it did. Even now, I'm still not fully over you but I accept the fact that we'll never be together. There will always be a place in my heart for you, but you have to realise Kakarot that we're not meant to be together."

Kakarot frowned. "Is there someone else… or…"

She shook her head and smiled sadly, "No, there's no one else. There never has been and probably never will be."

"Why?"

Bulma could feel a lump rising in her throat and her eyes started to sting. "I'm bipolar, Kakarot." It felt strange admitting the truth. "People tend to find those who have mental problems… weird. In my case, people don't look at me the way they used to. Instead of lust or adoration or love, they pity me or find me disgusting."

Kakarot clenched his fists, "You are not disgusting or weird! You're beautiful Bulma and I'm sorry that I broke your heart."

"I know you are," She smiled sadly at him. "You tell me all the time that you're sorry."

"Are we still friends?" He asked hesitantly even though she could tell by the look on his face that he didn't want the answer if it was bad.

"Of course we are! We're still best friends."

No matter what, they would always be best friends. They would never be nothing more or nothing less.

"What about Vegeta?"

A smile brightened her face at just the sound of his name. "When I'm with Vegeta, I don't feel like I'm just wanted, I feel like he needs me just as much as I need him."

Kakarot smiled down at Bulma. "Then you should be with him."

Her eyes snapped up to his face in shock, "W-what?"

"It's obvious that it is more than just lust between you both." Kakarot shrugged as Bulma went back to helping Bardock and her father with the ship. "And you won't find someone more worthy than a Prince who will always be able to protect you."

Forgetting completely about the ship and her injuries, Bulma giggled happily before throwing her arms around Kakarot's neck and hugging him tightly. "Thank you!" She yelled at him, despite the fact he was right next to her, in her arms. "I'm sorry for being such a pain in the ass," Bulma then said quietly in his ear when she felt him return her hug. "Your approval really does mean a lot to me."

His approval really did mean a lot to her. Even though it wouldn't have done anything to affect her decision to be with Vegeta, it was nice to know that Kakarot approved of her choice.

Once they parted, Kakarot pressed his forehead to hers. "I never wanted you to feel unwanted or unneeded. You're a big part of my life, Bulma and I'm sorry for hurting you."

Tears started to form in Bulma's eyes at his words. "Kakarot please-"

He shook his head. "No, let me talk. You never like to talk about your feelings, but this might be the last time we ever get a chance to. I'm glad I met you Bulma and I don't regret being in love with you or doing the ritual. I was in love with you the second me and my father saved you and your parents." His own eyes started to water as Bulma's emotions flooded into his mind. "You're not worthless or ugly or disgusting. You're one of the most beautiful women I have ever met. You're perfect in your own way and even though you are kind of weird, you will never be how your illness makes you feel.

"And even though… even though I don't love you in the same way as I love Chi-Chi, I still love you." Bulma started to sob as his words imprinted themselves into her memory. "When I was younger, I always thought it would be you who I bonded with and had children with, but I realised that we're not meant to be together. I don't regret my time with you Bulma, because to me, you are my life. You're just as important to me as Chi-Chi and Gohan. Forget about the ritual, because that doesn't affect how I personally feel about you. Whatever I feel Bulma, it is all me."

Bulma closed her eyes tightly and let out a shaky laugh. "Kakarot, I don't know what to say to that. It feels like you took the words right out of my mouth but at the same time, you left out one of the most important things. Even though I told you I hated you and acted as though I did, I really don't. You're one of the few people who understand me. Yeah, you treated me differently when you found out I was bipolar, but you were still there for me and doing whatever you could to make me happy."

The ship behind them started to groan as time started to slip passed them.

Kakarot looked her in the eyes before pressing his lips to hers one last time. The kiss was much shorter this time, but still meaningful as they once again shared their thoughts and emotions with one another.

He then turned around, protecting Bulma with his body as she prepared herself for the blast that could end their lives.

A/N - I'm not too sure about this chapter...

Oh, and I am such an idiot. There I was, promising you all more Vegeta and Bulma chapters and then I post this. Honestly, I wrote this chapter long ago and I'm way ahead in this story so I forgot that I wrote this. I had a look, and you will be getting some Vegeta and Bulma in about three or four chapters. After that, it is all Vegeta and Bulma, I promise.

Preview to the next chapter:

The power emitting from his hands was enough to blow both him and Bulma back a couple of feet, but the ship moved back a whole lot more. However, just like Bulma had predicted, many parts of the ship started to break off and head towards the planet. Using what little energy she had left, whilst Kakarot was busy with his Kamehameha, Bulma spun around and blasted as much as she could but after a couple of moments, her energy was completely gone and she felt herself starting to fall.

Her feeling of falling and being alone didn't last long as two strong arms wrapped around her. When she looked up, Bulma almost cried at the sight of Kakarot's worn out face. She knew that he was feeling the affect from her energy-less state. When she felt Kakarot's arms tighten around her, Bulma wrapped her own around him.

This was it.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)