Oh my God! Over 200 reviews! I'm so excited! So very special thanks to Nish095081, Maatlockk, SuperMaz, Saiya-jin Queen, koolkat01, Cappuccino Penguin, bimbosarahsurfchick, Chazie, SilverWing145, Bulma and Vegeta fan, Pearl3 and everyone else who has sent me reviews! Thanks so much!
A/N: Okay, I've never left one of these before, but just so you aren't confused, this is the timeline that I have figured out. When Bulma found out she was pregnant, she was about two months along. She was four months along when Vegeta left. Since it has been about three months since then, Trunks will be born in two months. According to the two year time frame I gave myself, Trunks should be born about nine months before the androids make an appearance. I know that is a little off from the show, but just bear with me. I hope it isn't too much of a stretch. Anyway, happy reading!
Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ or any characters except Muffin. And for those of you who don't like him, I'm sorry but I just had to add him in this chappie!
Chapter 26
About a month later…
Capsule Corporation seemed to be a beehive of activity as Bulma made her way up the path that lead to the front door. Summer had arrived, and with summer came the hustle and bustle of the gardeners that her mother employed to beautify the outside grounds of Capsule Corporation. Even though the weather stayed fairly mild all year long, there was definitely a change in the atmosphere, and her mother naturally took charge of having thousands of flowers planted in huge beds all along the property. Seeing the colors that were popping up all around the grounds made Bulma smile, thinking that her baby was going to be born in a couple of months when everything would still be in full bloom.
Taking in a deep breath, absorbing the smell of the pungent earth and fragrant bulbs, Bulma let her mind relax. It was invigorating to be outdoors at such a time of the year. Just taking in the air was a heady experience and she had a feeling that that her baby was probably enjoying this as much as she was. Patting her stomach absently, she started forward again, stopping at the front door. Carefully raising her arm, she rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer it. She had spent the morning shopping at the local hardware store, finally deciding on a color scheme for the baby's room. Even though she had a feeling her mother would disapprove of her going by herself and carrying the paint cans with her, she wasn't the type of person who liked being dictated to, even if it was her own mother Grumbling when her arms started to hurt from hanging onto the heavy cans, she was about to start shouting at the door when it finally opened up.
"Bulma! What are you doing?" Asked Mrs. Briefs as she looked at her daughter quizzically.
Rolling her eyes, Bulma thrust one of the cans of paint at her mother, letting out a breath of relief when she could finally stretch out her sore limb.
"What does it look like I'm doing? Do you think I enjoy standing at the front door looking like an idiot?" With that said, Bulma pushed her way past, which wasn't too hard considering the massive size of her stomach. Sometimes, it was kind of useful to use it like a beach ball, bouncing people out of the way. Laughing slightly, she started making her way towards the stairs before she was stopped by her mother's foolish sounding voice.
"Honey, did you walk all the way to the hardware store and back carrying that paint without putting it in a capsule? Don't you remember what Dr. Hushimata told you last week? You're supposed to be relaxing, not walking all over town."
Turning around as quickly as her body would allow, Bulma carefully placed the can of paint she was carrying onto a step so she wouldn't have to bend too far over to pick it up.
"Screw that dumb ass doctor! I can't stand being cooped up in this house. I'm not a weakling Mom and I don't have some strange disease! I'm pregnant and this weather is too nice to pass up." 'Wow Bulma, if that didn't just sound like something Vegeta would say, I don't know what would.' Sometimes it was almost scary how much his personality seemed to influence hers ever since they had bonded, even though he was most likely light years away. Or perhaps, there was something about him that brought out the less enduring traits of her personality that she already possessed. Whatever it was, it made her feel guilty, especially when she aimed her irrational anger at the one person in her life that was trying to support her through her first pregnancy.
Stepping closer to her guilty looking daughter, Mrs. Briefs let out a short sigh as she clasped her hands together in a nervous gesture. Bulma's spirits had seemed to definitely improve within the last month as she began to finally accept the fact that Vegeta would come back when he was ready to, but her moodiness had seemed to also come back as well. However, instead of dealing with sobbing interspersed with moments of pure happiness, Bulma was becoming somewhat darker of personality. Deciding to let it go, figuring it was just the stress of her pregnancy that was getting to her, Mrs. Briefs decided to move the subject along.
"Well honey, I suppose you're right, but just think about the baby. You aren't supposed to be doing any strenuous exercise or lifting. Now, I'm not telling you how to live your life, but as a mother myself, you have to start thinking about the baby first."
Shrugging her shoulders, Bulma decided not to respond. What was the point? She knew her mother was right, but she highly doubted carrying paint a couple of blocks was going to seriously damage her half Saiyan child. No doubt, it had probably inherited Vegeta's rock hard head along with his stupid stubbornness, a trait that she also possessed but was too vain to admit to having. Turning back around, she grabbed the paint can she had sat down and started slowly making her way up the stairs. Once she reached the top, she turned around and gave her mother a look, who was still standing at the bottom glancing absently at the wall. Smacking her forehead with the palm of her hand, Bulma shook her head in exasperation.
"Come on Mom! Are you going to help me out or what? We've got to get going on painting the nursery! Time is money!"
"Coming Bulma!" With that said, Mrs. Briefs also started up the stairs, following the form of her retreating daughter as she made her way to the spare room across from her own: the room designated as the baby's abode.
Before stepping into the room, Bulma sat her paint can down next to the doorframe. Suddenly, without warning, Bulma made a quick about face, almost running into her mother in the process. Putting her hands out to steady herself, she grabbed a hold of Mrs. Briefs' arms as they nearly teetered into the wall.
Holding onto Bulma, Mrs. Briefs let out a startled gasp as she found herself falling backwards. Planting her feet firmly into the ground, she made sure to stop the force of Bulma's body pushing into hers. Loosening her grip when their combined kinetic energy stopped, she backed away slightly, sudden concern flooding her usually vacant looking face.
"Bulma, sweetie, are you okay? The baby?" she asked as she held onto her daughter.
Bulma quickly backed away from her mother, feeling extremely foolish. Brushing some stray bangs out of her face, she felt a blush creep into her cheeks.
"Umm, no. I um, just forgot that Muffin's been in my room since I left. I wanted to let him out." And besides that, she suddenly had the urge to pee. That was one of the many things that she couldn't wait to get rid of once she had her baby. It was such a pain to have to go to the bathroom all the time! Crossing her legs and letting out a groan, she made a dash for her door, opening it quickly and running into the bathroom before she really humiliated herself.
Shaking her head slightly and covering her mouth with her hand free hand, Mrs. Briefs let out a silly laugh. She was about to turn around when a small bundle of energy ran through the open door and pounced on her legs.
Muffin had been cooped up in Bulma's room all morning, which meant that the little dog was even more energetic than usual. Bouncing up and down all around Mrs. Briefs, he let out shrill barks every few seconds, which only made Mrs. Briefs' laughter increase. Bending over, she sat her paint can down as she picked up the squirming dog, tittering as it licked all over her face.
"You poor thing, always stuck in Bulma's room. Well, you're going to help us paint, aren't you, you goofy little munchkin! Yes you are!" Mrs. Briefs said in her best baby voice. Figuring it was good practice for her grandchild, she continued to make nonsense talk to the dog, which only increased Muffin's sloppy little poochie kisses all over her perfectly made up face.
"Ugh Mom, what on earth are you doing to my dog?"
Turning around, Mrs. Briefs smiled as she saw Bulma looking at her with a mixture of disgust and laughter on her face. Bending over slightly, she let go of the dog and watched as it scampered over to Bulma, happily running around her legs instead.
"Nothing much. I'm just practicing for when I get to hold my grandbaby. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Closing her eyes slightly and shaking her head, Bulma crossed her arms and stuck out her hip.
"Mom, I swear I'm never going to understand what goes on in that head of yours. But I definitely do not want you to treat my child like a dog. That's just…just retarded. Besides, I don't want to find you fried to a cinder because Vegeta sees you treating his offspring like an idiot. And believe me, if he ever comes back, he doesn't seem like the kind of father who would put up with overly sentimental nonsense."
Shrugging her shoulders at her daughter, the two of them once again found themselves hauling the paint into the soon to be nursery. Putting them on a work table that had been brought up from the lab, the two women went around and arranged the drop cloths that were covering the floor, making it possible for them to work without the fear of spilling paint onto the carpeting. Standing and looking around the room that resembled a blank canvas, both Mrs. Briefs and Bulma found themselves lost in thought about how cute the room was going to look and about the upcoming birth.
Clearing her throat, Bulma grabbed a pan and a roller. Popping the lid to the paint with a screwdriver, she was satisfied to see that they hadn't messed up her order at the hardware store. Stirring the paint, she began to pour it into the pan. Glancing around, she saw her mother pushing a ladder up against one of the walls and she saw Muffin wrestling with one of the drop cloths; playing tug of war with his sharp, little teeth.
"Bulma, I don't see why you couldn't have had a contractor come in here and paint. You really shouldn't being doing this. What if you get hurt?"
What was it with her mother lately? Didn't she understand her need to fill in the role that Vegeta had abandoned when he had left for space to train? It wasn't like he would have taken the time to decorate a nursery anyway, but it was the principle of the matter. And she was going to do everything in her power to prove to the world that until Vegeta came back, she was perfectly able of filling in both the shoes of mother and father to her unborn child.
Frowning at her mother, she let out a snort of air through her nostrils.
"Look Mom, I'm not going to argue with you about this. I can handle painting. I know it's going to be difficult to maneuver around with my big stomach, but I want to do this. So let's just drop it, okay? Besides, I thought you were all excited about decorating. I know it's one of your favorite hobbies Mom." And that was the truth. The only problem with her mother's decorating was that her ideas had the tendency to be over the top. However, at least in the case of the nursery, Bulma had helped to steer the direction onto a theme that both of them could agree on. And since Vegeta wasn't there, he would just have to deal with the flights of fancy that both his mate and mother-in-law had when it came to decorating for a baby.
Watching as her mother nodded her head absently, Bulma walked over with the paint. Carefully, she lifted it up and placed it on the ladder her mother had propped up against the wall. Walking back over to the table, she got another pan ready and brought it over. This was where it got tricky. Carefully, she squatted down and bent over, making sure to not fall over from the extra weight centered in her middle. Setting the paint on the drop cloth, she put her hands forward and placed them against the wall, using it as a support to push her awkward body back into an upright standing position. Sticking her tongue out in concentration, she finally found herself standing back up. She really couldn't wait until she had her old body back. It was starting to become a pain having to adjust her body to do the things that she had never had to think about before she became as big as a house.
Wiping her brow, Bulma put her hand on her lower back, feeling a twinge of pain from her strange posture. Maybe painting was going to be more difficult than she had anticipated.
"Hey Mom, why don't I use the ladder and get the high places and you paint from the floor up?"
"I don't know if that's such a good idea. What if you fall off the ladder?"
Letting out a growl of exasperation, Bulma could start to feel her temper and blood pressure rise. She was really starting to get sick of being treated like some sort of invalid. She was pregnant for god's sake, not seriously ill!
"Mom, I'm not going to fall off of the ladder! The only way that will happen is if you accidentally run into it while I'm on it. And the truth is, there is no way that I'm going to be able to paint from the floor up without getting stuck. I hate my body!"
Deciding it was probably wise not to piss Bulma off any more than she already was, Mrs. Briefs decided to go against her better judgement and let her headstrong daughter use the ladder. She had sinking feeling however that Bulma was going to have just as much trouble painting from a ladder as she would from the ground. Keeping her mouth shut, she stepped away from the device and made her way over to where Bulma was standing, steaming about the current situation.
Walking over to the ladder, Bulma carefully made her way up a few steps. Taking the roller, she dipped it into the paint, which was a nice pastel green color. Both she and her mother had decided on a safari them with giraffes, zebras, elephants, lions, and monkeys. Besides finding plenty of bedding, accessories and toys, it was something that would work well for either or a boy or a girl and it was just such a cute idea – Bulma couldn't let it pass. The color scheme they had come up with was pastel green and light gold. The walls were going to be green and the molding was going to be done in the gold color. Once the paint was dry, they were going to put up a border that had crayon drawings of safari animals. Since they had already bought the furniture and accessories for the room, once the painting and border was done, it would be a snap to put the nursery together. Then all they would have to do was wait for the moment the baby made an appearance into the world to complete the picture.
Leaning forward, ignoring the feeling of the ladder pushing into her rounded abdomen, Bulma stretched upward and started to apply paint in swift strokes to the blank, white wall. In no time at all, both her mother and herself had the first coat of paint on the wall finished. But such a quick pace didn't last for very long as Bulma found herself getting tired and sore from the strain the ladder placed on her body; both from standing on it and from the constant need to get down and move it along the wall. Sweating slightly, she let out a tired pant as she tried to readjust her equilibrium. But it wasn't any use. She was about to say something to her mother when she let out a strangled shriek.
Dropping her roller onto the drop cloth, Mrs. Briefs quickly scampered over to where her daughter was standing on the ladder, looking visibly pale.
"Bulma, what's the matter baby?"
"Oh my God!" Bulma shouted, her face suddenly taking on a shade of red. Turning around to the spot where Bulma was staring, Mrs. Briefs finally figured out what was making her daughter act so strangely.
Not very far away from the two of them, the paint pan that Mrs. Briefs had been using was turned over, paint splattered across the drop cloth it was sitting on. And right next to it was a very filthy and very guilty looking Muffin who's once pristine white coat was mottled with green.
Finding the situation both amusing and horrifying at the same time, Mrs. Briefs let out a strangled laugh as she hurriedly made her way over to the filthy dog and the mess he had just created. Picking up the sorry looking excuse for a mutt, Mrs. Briefs also flipped the paint pan over, glad that it was almost empty and hadn't made too much of a mess on the cloth. They would just have to be careful not to step on it until it dried, otherwise they would end tracking paint all the way around Capsule Corporation, and she really didn't want to have to have the work bots going around cleaning it up.
Turning around, she found herself face to face with her enraged looking daughter.
"Now Bulma, let's not get too hasty. There was hardly any paint left in that pan and Muffin really didn't do any damage. I'll just take him downstairs to get cleaned up and then we can keep going with the painting." She was about so say more when she noticed her daughter take her eyes off of her and fasten them on the doorway behind where they were standing. Crinkling her eyebrows, she craned her head around to see what the disturbance was this time. And it was certainly not what she had expected.
"What on Earth are you doing in here?" Asked a familiar and irritated sounding masculine voice from the doorway.
&&&
It had been months since he had been back to Capsule Corporation. Months in which he had had plenty of time to reflect upon his relationship with the current heiress and what direction he wanted it to go in. The truth was, he had missed her more than even he had thought possible. Sure, they hadn't really separated from one another on good terms, but maybe she would be willing to let the both of them have another chance. It wasn't like she had ever given chances before in the past. For all that she could be a complete bitch at times, she was probably one of the most forgiving people he had ever met. Besides that, he had found his life empty and without purpose without her by his side and things definitely had not been going smoothly for him in the past couple of months.
Walking up to the front door, he didn't even bother to ring the doorbell. Pushing it open, he turned his head to the side and nodded slightly to one of the many gardeners that Mrs. Briefs employed during the summer, noticing that the man gave him a nervous glance as he made his way inside the immense mansion. Even though most of the time he felt like he wasn't respected as a warrior among the Z-fighters, the one thing he could say about the people of Capsule Corporation is that they knew who he was and they treated him like he thought he deserved to be treated. Not like some bum off the street but almost like royalty. Besides, he had been practically married into the family, so it only seemed logical that the employees treated him like he was one of the gang.
Shaking his head over his errant thoughts, he finished pulling the door open and quickly stepped inside. Stopping inside the foyer, he looked at his reflection in the mirror, noticing how muscular he was and how his training really looked like it was paying off. He was definitely going to be more than ready for the stupid Androids and he was really beginning to wonder if that strange boy from the future had told them the truth about their deadly powers. He was one of the strongest fighters on Earth and it did seem a little melodramatic to him that all the Z-Senshi were supposedly going to die against the monstrosities that would claim so many lives in the future. Still, he really didn't want to die, especially since he'd already experienced death at the hands of a fierce and violent enemy once before. He had big plans for his future and dying wasn't part of the picture.
Brushing off some dust from his outfit, he decided his next course of action would be to find Bulma. Normally, he would have gone down to the lab, but as he was standing in the foyer, he had heard her unmistakable voice coming from upstairs. Smiling slightly to himself, he started to climb the stairs noticing that nothing had really changed in the house since he had been gone. It was just like this place to stay the same while the world around them was changing. Still, that was one of the things he had discovered that he appreciated about Capsule Corporation. For all that it came out with new technology and gadgets, the Corporation itself was a constant through out all the changes the world had gone through since he had first become acquainted with the family.
Once on the landing, he followed the source of Bulma's unmistakable voice. Upon reaching her bedroom, he was puzzled when he discovered that her location was across the hall in one of the spare bedrooms that littered the mansion. Making his way cautiously to the doorway, he found himself covering his ears when he heard her let out an earsplitting shriek. Wondering what all the commotion was about, he pressed the button to open the door, waiting for it to slide open. Once it was open, he found himself looking at a most unusual scene. The room was empty of all furniture except for a table that had open paint containers sitting on top of it. Mrs. Briefs was holding onto Bulma's paint covered mutt and Bulma looked as though she was ready to strangle the dog. That's when her eyes suddenly turned and focused on him and that's when he decided to spit out the first words that came to his mouth.
"What on Earth are you doing in here?"
"What does it look like we're doing in here, dumbass? Look at the clues and I'm sure your limited intelligence can figure it out for yourself. And since when was it okay to just barge into a private residence without the benefit of ringing the doorbell or calling ahead? But then, I guess people never change old habits."
Watching as Bulma dropped what looked suspiciously like a paint roller onto the table, he backed up nervously and swallowed slightly, not liking the look in her eyes.
"Uh, I guess I should have knocked, but come on Bulma! Since when did you have an attitude about letting your friends, especially ones that practically lived with you, come to your house without an invitation? I didn't think it would be a big deal."
Stepping closer to the retreating man and ignoring her mother's attempts to grab a hold of her before she did something irrational, Bulma let out a snort of sardonic laughter. He had to be deluding himself if he thought she was just going to welcome her back into her house with open arms, especially after what he had done the last time she had seen him. What a joke!
"Get a life! I'm not a stupid overly romantic kid anymore and I know the only reason you're here is to try to make amends so you can get back in the sack with me. Well, shove off! I don't want or need you in my life anymore. You treated me like crap and I'm not going to put up with it."
Feeling his own irritation beginning to rise, he forgot about his nervousness and stepped even closer to the enraged woman standing in front of him.
"Look Bulma, you're being irrational here. Maybe I do want to give things another shot between the two of us. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately in the last couple of months and I've come to a conclusion. You and I are part of each other. I can't spend the rest of my life without you by my side and I'll wait for you to come to the same conclusion. I just decided to come back over today because I missed being away from you. I'm sorry about before. I didn't mean to say such rude things about you. But you have to admit, you really know how to get a guy's temper going." That was definitely the truth. Bulma just never knew when to shut her mouth, especially when she would start in on a tangent about some perceived wrong. It was enough to drive anyone crazy.
"Well, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I haven't really missed you that much at all. I've been too busy worrying about other things to really notice. So why don't you just turn around and leave the way you came in. I just don't have the time or patience to deal with you right now. I've got a ton of shit to finish up at the moment and you'll just be in the way." With that, she started to turn her back to him which was when he finally noticed something that was so obvious, he couldn't believe he had missed it from the beginning.
"God Bulma, you're pregnant."
Turning back around slowly, she gave him smile that was anything but warm as she proceeded to rip away any illusions he had about the two of them getting back together again.
"Yeah. So nice of you to finally notice. That's usually what happens when to people engage in consensual sex without the use of protection. So save your nasty comments and idiotic jealousy because I really don't want to hear it Yamcha."
With that said, he found himself feeling faint. Before he could stop himself, he fell to the floor holding his head, trying to figure out when she had finally moved on enough to allow for something like this to happen in the first place.
Meanwhile…
"So you're telling me that you don't have the intelligence to figure out how to fix the blasted contraption and I've just been wasting my valuable time as you sit on your asses twiddling your fingers? That is not a satisfactory answer!"
The short green alien nervously glanced over at his brother as they backed away from the enraged looking man standing before them. It was bad enough that they didn't have the parts available to fix what was wrong with the man's spaceship, but it was even worse that the said man was none other than Prince Vegeta. Although it was a commonly known fact in this quadrant of the galaxy that Frieza and his father no longer reigned supreme in the galaxy, he was old enough to have been told horror stories about the Cold Regime and some of their more prominent galactic terrorists. The name of Prince Vegeta was one that his household had grown up fearing. So it was no wonder at that exact moment he turned around and started to run as fast as his legs could carry him out the nearby door. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite fast enough to make it to safety away from his irate customer.
Vegeta casually fazed in front of the doorway that led out of the docking bay where his ship was currently sitting.
"Going somewhere? If this is how you treat your customers, I'm amazed you've managed to stay in business this long." Smiling viciously, Vegeta picked up the small creature by the collar of his shirt and threw him over to where his cowering assistant was standing.
Walking carefully over to where the two aliens where huddling on the ground, Vegeta bent down onto his haunches so that he could look into their terrified eyes. It had been such a long time since he'd been able to really quell anyone into submission and he was reveling in the fact that he still had so much power over the weak. It was too bad this discovery had to come at the cost of trying to find someone in the surrounding area that had the expertise necessary to fix his gravity simulator. It was taking far too much time and effort to fix, but he would be damned if he was going to crawl back to Bulma for some much needed repairs. He still had his pride, even though such a move on his part would probably amount to less trouble in the long run. In all honesty, he just wasn't ready to face his mate at the moment. He was still trying to patch his mental walls back to the way they had been before he had bonded with her and he still hadn't managed to figure out how to become a Super Saiyan.
Shaking his head slightly to clear it of any thoughts related to the woman he was mated to, he carefully picked up both aliens and then shoved them up against the outside frame of his spaceship.
"It's too bad you don't know how to fix my ship. Too bad for you and too bad for your little business venture. But you really blew your chance when you tried to take the coward's way out by trying to get past me through the doorway. Do you think that I'm stupid enough to let you get away with such a stunt?"
He watched in glee as both creatures shook their heads in a terrified motion. It was almost amusing how when one's life was threatened, they forgot to hold onto their pride in the face of their enemy. Part of him enjoyed creating such a feeling of helplessness but a smaller part of him was sickened by it. It was eerie how such behavior on his part mimicked the way Frieza had treated him growing up. The only difference was that he had never given Frieza the satisfaction of seeing him cower in submission just as these fools were doing to him. It was his own personal rule that in order to survive in the universe, you had to become strong because in the end, only your own motives and actions were going to protect you. Obviously, these weaklings had yet to learn this very important lesson and it would be up to him to show them exactly the price that cowardice was going to bring them.
Dropping the two creatures in disgust, Vegeta dusted off his white gloved hands and started heading towards the entry hatch of his ship. Pressing a button on a remote pad, he watched as the door swung down, creating a ramp up into the ship. He was about start walking up the ramp when he heard one of the cowards speak up.
"Uh, sorry to bother you sir, b…b….but y…y…you haven't paid yet."
Turning around quickly, Vegeta crossed his arms and threw back his head in laughter.
"What a joke! Are you trying to be a comedian or are you just a fucking idiot? I refuse to pay for something that was not done to my satisfaction. Maybe you should have thought of that when you told me there was nothing you could do for the damaged parts." With that, he was about to turn around and start back up towards his ship when the other alien took something out that looked suspiciously like a ray gun of some sort. Narrowing his eyes, Vegeta was about to decide exactly how foolish the two idiots were when the one with the gun spoke up.
"I'm warning you, if you don't pay my brother this instant, I'll be forced to shoot you."
If it weren't for the fact that the little man looked like he was about to pass out from terror, Vegeta would have made quick work of the two idiots. But instead, he found himself amused over their audacity and he was curious to see if they would be brave enough to carry through with their threat. Frowning slightly, he cocked his head to the side and looked at the two bakas quizzically.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Are you going to shoot that ridiculous weapon at me or not? I'm waiting."
The alien with the gun swallowed nervously. He'd never before had to use his stun gun, mostly because the aliens that tried to swindle he and his brother out of their pay were more than willing to throw money at them when faced with a gun pointed at them. But from all the accounts he had heard about Prince Vegeta, the man had almost inhuman strength and it was nerve racking to be taunted into doing something he really wasn't looking forward to participating in. Shakily pushing his finger down on the trigger, the little man closed his eyes and dropped to the ground in panic when he heard and felt his gun discharge. After what seemed like eternity, but was more likely only a few seconds, the alien uncovered his head and opened his eyes, slowly standing up to survey what ever damage he had created. Unfortunately, the sight that greeted his eyes did nothing to bolster his confidence in using a weapon against a powerful opponent.
Standing with his arms crossed and a triumphant evil looking grin attached to his face was Prince Vegeta. And by the looks of it, his gun didn't seem to have had any effect on him whatsoever. Throwing the weapon to the ground at Prince Vegeta's feet, he waited with his head held high for his inevitable death.
Stepping towards the idiot who had shot at him, Vegeta casually kicked his pathetic brother out of the way as he came forward, who was still cowering on the ground. Moving in so that he was almost bodily touching the smaller alien, Vegeta sneered down at the obviously frightened man.
"So, you have some small amount of pride locked away inside your pitiable body. That's good. Just because of that, I might actually let you live. Let it never be said that Prince Vegeta is not a gracious man when he wishes to be. But honestly, whatever gave you the idea that that stupid weapon would be able to harm me in any way? You must really live on the fringes of the galaxy to not realize the sheer strength of a Saiyan Elite such as myself. Allow me to demonstrate it for you."
Without warning, Vegeta yanked the man upright by his shirt so that his feet were dangling in the air. He then concentrated a small amount of ki in his hand. Before the man even had time to react, Vegeta released his ki into the man's weapon bearing arm, watching in satisfaction as the offending arm and weapon were cleanly severed off and disintegrated as the man was rocketed away from him. Walking over to the screaming man who was now lying on the floor, he put his boot squarely in his chest and stood over him, bending over to wipe his gloves in a derogatory manner on the man's shirt.
"Stop sniveling like a sissy. You'll live. And maybe next time, you won't be so quick to challenge those above you in authority."
Not caring that he had most likely ended the man's career as a mechanic, Vegeta made his way back to his waiting spaceship, sneering nastily at the other brother who was still cowering against the floor. Walking up the ramp, he made his way inside and then quickly closed the door. Making his way over to the control center, he flipped on the ship's engines, waiting for them to fire up. Looking through the viewscreen, he noticed that the hanger door was still firmly shut. Growling under his breath, he radioed back to the mechanics, waiting for one of the idiots to answer his call. In a few seconds, the cowardly brother's face appeared in front of him.
"Idiot, open the bay door unless you want me to crash through it and see you sucked out into deep space." With that said, he cut off the communication link and waited for the door to open. Thankfully, the moron had gotten it into his head that whatever Vegeta said, he was more than likely serious about carrying out his threats. Within a few seconds, the bay doors were open and Vegeta found himself once again in deep space.
Letting out a sigh, he went over to his bed and sat down. God's above, he was so sick of everything going wrong on this stupid trip! He'd had to replace all of his food stores, all because of a fault in the refrigeration system of the food storage capsules. Thankfully, he'd been able to find someone who could repair the problem, but finding enough food to last him for a good long while had taken some time. More time than he had planned on wasting while flying around in space trying to become a Super Saiyan. And then there was the stupid gravity simulator. He'd made due without it, but he wasn't getting the training that he required in order to finally reach his peak. And so far, the technology his mate and her father had invented was for once more advanced than the technology available throughout the rest of the quadrant. This was the third space station he'd stopped at to see if someone could fix the damn thing. He was beginning to despair that the only way it would be fixed is if he turned around and went back to Earth. And he would not allow himself to come back like a whipped dog. The last thing he wanted or needed was to have Bulma crowing over him because he hadn't been able to stay away.
Combing his fingers through his spiky hair, he was about to get up and find something to eat when a beep sounded out on the ship telling him there was an incoming communication from someone. Muttering under his breath, Vegeta made his way to the control panel and opened up an outgoing communication link. In less than a second, the figure of an uniformed alien appeared across his screen.
"Prince Vegeta, by order of the Commander in charge of Secos VI Intergalactic Space Station, you are under arrest."
"What? And just what am I under arrest for?" What a load of shit! This was the last thing he wanted to have to deal with at the moment.
"You are under arrest for bodily injuring a key member of their repair personal as well as for leaving without paying for services rendered. I suggest you stop where you are and return or will have to choice but to attack you."
Glowering at the officer, Vegeta quickly changed the viewscreen over to see exactly what his ship was up against if he refused. Seeing ten single manned fighters closing in on him, he flipped the channel back to the bastard who was ordering his return.
"You are a complete and total idiot if you think that paltry force is going to make me turn around and come back to that hovel you call a space station. In fact, I would advise you to tell your men to back off because they really will not like to face my wrath should you attack."
"Prince Vegeta, be reasonable here. I was told your ship has no weapon systems and you can't outmaneuver my men. They're much too fast. It would be much better for you if you just cooperate."
Clenching his teeth in exasperation, Vegeta couldn't believe how utterly backwards and completely stupid the aliens of this sector were. To think that he would be intimidated by a handful of space fighters was beyond ridiculous. Perhaps he really had been gone for far too long to allow people to forget just how powerful he was. Turning his face back to the man on his viewscreen, he shook his head in mock sadness.
"For the last time, I refuse to comply with your wishes. And I will not warn you again. Either you have your men turn around or they will soon find out that Prince Vegeta is not a man to be toyed or trifled with." When the captain still refused to call his men off, Vegeta shrugged his shoulders and cut the communication link off.
Stopping his ship's movement, he made his way to the entryway. Turning on the airlock, he opened the door. Suddenly, he felt an exhilaration he hadn't felt in a long while: the joy of the hunt. Powering up, he waited for the fighters to come into position. Smirking mirthlessly, Vegeta moved his hands from his side so that they were facing forward. When the ships were within range, he hollered out in rage as he fired a massive gallic gun, watching in satisfaction as the ships quickly exploded, their flames being sucked out by the vacuum of deep space. Quickly turning around, he closed the door and made his way back to the control center. Opening up the communication link, he scoffed at the terrified expression the captain had on his oversized face.
"I warned you Captain. Now you have the deaths of those ten idiots on your conscious. Next time, I won't give you any warning. So if you're a somewhat intelligent being, I'd lay off if I where you." With that said, Vegeta cut of the communication link entirely knowing that the idiot would comply with his request.
Moving over to the food storage area, Vegeta grabbed a capsule and made his way back to his bed. Sitting down and crossing his legs, he popped the capsule and started to eat what was in front of him. Swallowing a mouthful, he contemplated the events of the day. Sure, he had just killed ten men, but there was something about his actions that was bothering him. After a few minutes of silent contemplation, it hit him over the head like a ton of bricks. He had been merciful. By most standards, he really hadn't been at all and no doubt, if Kakarot had seen his display of violence, the idiot would have chided him over his behavior. But in all honesty, it wasn't like him to let someone live after they had threatened him. In most instances, because of that idiot mechanic's audacity and sheer idiocy in shooting at him, he would have not only destroyed the creature, but the entire space station as a lesson not to ever cross swords with him. Yet all he had done was injure the man and then he had left. Besides that, he had given the commander numerous times to call his men off. In the end, he had had no qualms killing the idiots but the fact remained that he had given them a chance to escape. What was happening to him that he allowed for such a thing to occur in the first place? Was he really starting to turn soft?
"Bah, I'm spending way to much time trying to figure out what the hell's going on in my head. Next time, I'll just kill everyone and then I won't have to worry about turning into an imbecile."
Shaking his head in disgust, he finished his food and then lay down across his bed, putting his hands behind his head. If he didn't stop analyzing his every move, he was going to drive himself even further into insanity than he already was. Closing his eyes, he relaxed a bit and then found himself concentrating on connecting with Bulma. He hated the fact that he found himself doing it more and more often as the months went by, but he supposed that was how Saiyans had stayed connected with one another when they had spent years apart on separate purging missions before his planet had been destroyed by Frieza. Relaxing deeper into the lumpy mattress, he focused his mind into the link he shared with Bulma waiting to catch a glimpse of what she was doing at that particular moment.
He didn't have long to wait when he found himself feeling her emotions. At the moment, she was angry and irritated but there was also a fading feeling of happiness. No doubt, someone had just pissed her off. Chuckling at the image of Bulma screaming at someone, he caught a glimpse of his mate briefly before the image became blank. She was wearing something completely atrocious and her body looked sort of like the way she was in his dreams. She seemed safe and secure and by the looks of it, his brat still hadn't made it into the world yet. More then likely, he would get a better glimpse of Bulma when he fell asleep. Letting out a deep breath, he slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. Getting back off of his bed, he made his way to the center of the spaceship. He didn't have time to think about Bulma. He had to train and train he would.
Hope this chapter wasn't too confusing. I hope you weren't too disappointed that Vegeta hasn't come back to Bulma yet. Rest assured, he will eventually. But when, that will be the mystery! So…what will Yamcha say to Bulma after he recovers from his shock? And will the gravity simulator ever get fixed for poor Vegeta? The answers to these burning questions will be revealed in the next chapter! And please, please review!