Chapter 35: Vegeta's Judgment
"Videl, really - how could you let them go like that?! You could at LEAST have stopped Goten and Trunks, they're not even ten years old yet, they can't go like that fighting a monster!"
"I'm sorry, Chichi," the teenage girl replied, bobbing down. "I just... they told me they were going to fight that Majin Buu-whatever, and then before I could even realise it, they were gone. I-I know I shouldn't have-"
"Don't sweat it, Videl," Yamcha said on a comforting tone.
Smiling gently, he turned to look at her.
"If they truly wanted to go after Buu, there's nothing you could've done - trust me, trying to stop them is like trying to hold water in your hands. No matter how much you try, it's gonna slip away anyway. They're Sai... erm... they have very stubborn fathers."
There was a heavy shock as they started going down, since Yamcha had stopped watching where they were going: Chichi, Videl and Bulma screamed in fear, holding themselves to whatever they could as he grabbed the controls again.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"
The little Marron started to cry in her mother's arms, and 18 shot Yamcha a very threatening glare as she held her daughter with the utmost care against her chest to protect her.
"Stop it, you dork, you're making her cry! You'd better make this thing fly straight right now, or else I'll kick your ass!"
Yamcha swallowed hard, still struggling to get them out of this mess. For a cyborg who had forgotten that she used to be a human, she was incredibly protective of her only child.
And she was super tough, too. She had once beaten the hell out of Vegeta, and Yamcha's stomach still remembered how overpowered himself had been by the mighty prince. If there was a person in this jet that he didn't want to get angry at him, that was surely the beautiful blonde.
"I'm doing my best!" he assured her as he honestly started to worry for his own safety.
"Well then do it better!"
Quite miraculously, Yamcha finally managed to save both Bulma's jet and his own butt.
"Phew," he sighed with relief. "Anyway, don't you worry about that, Chichi. These kids are tough, and if something happens to them, we can use the Dragon Balls to-"
"Well excuse us, Yamcha," Bulma said harshly, speaking for the first time in quite a while, "If we don't want our sons to be murdered by some ugly and horrible creature just because they can be wished back!"
"B-but, I only said... of course we don't want anything bad to happen to them, but if that happens, then it's no big deal after all-"
"No big deal?" she yelled. "Oh well, perfectly! So you won't mind if I kill you, then?!!"
For his sake, Yamcha decided to keep his mouth shut, and Bulma leaned back in her seat, starting to bit her perfectly manucured nails. Perhaps she shouldn't have shouted at him like that, but she had been under a lot of pressure lately, and had endured far more than she could take without freaking out. First, Vegeta had apparently gone crazy and had killed dozens of people without any reason, and now her only son was after some unknown, evil and powerful beast. She had obviously lost her husband to some evil force, and maybe she was going to lose her son ontop of it.
This was what she called one hell of a long day, and the mess didn't seem as though it was going to end soon.
Vegeta, how could you be so cruel? What has happened to you?
Bulma had been watching over and over again the horrible scene in her head ever since they had left the Stadium, but she was still unable to figure out what had truly happened. It was as if he had gone back in time, becoming that cold and ruthless warrior again. But, if it was true... then what had happened to the man she loved? Was he gone for good? A tear rolled down on her cheek at this terrible thought.
What if...
"Hey, guys," Yamcha's voice suddenly said, "Look at this!"
Bulma's head barely lifted and she gazed at the horizon with indifference: there was an odd golden light coming from afar.
Odd... yet familiar.
"It's beautiful, I wonder what - WOOOOOH!"
He lost control yet again when the Capsule Corp Jet met with turbulences of an incredible intensity. Videl fell on the floor, Chichi winced as she hit her head on the wall, and Marron started to cry again, causing her mother's fury to burst again.
"Hey, what did I just tell you about that?! Stop fucking around and making my daughter cry, or I swear -"
"I'M DOING MY BEST, ALL RIGHT?" Yamcha yelled. "But this is - what kind of turbulence is that, for the love -"
He was struggling to keep the jet straight in the turbulences. Bulma, however, did not panic like the others: she was frozen on her seat. It was just like all the confusion around her did not even exist.
"Holy - aw, thank you so much, 18 -"
A violent slap was heard in the back of the jet.
"Get your damn face out of my breasts, dirty old man!"
"But I was merely thanking-"
Bulma closed her sapphire eyes.
It felt as if every wave of turbulence hitting her jet was a new knife stabbed in her heart: it hurt her so badly that her shaking hand clutched on her chest in an attempt to ease the pain. The mark under her scarf was burning, too, and she bit her bottom lip.
The final wave was different: although it had the same effect on the jet than the others, to Bulma, it was not another knife in her heart, but a soft caress on her cheeks, a tender kiss on her lips.
It was a farewell.
Vegeta... no...
A tear rolled down her pale cheek.
Vegeta was tapping his foot on the floor, his arms crossed and his dark eyes throwing knives to whoever passed by. It was annoying enough that he had just died, why in the world did he have to be in a goddamn queue? He had to admit that this could be worse, though: the first time he had died, he had found himself waiting among all the Nameks that had died on their planet, including the villagers he had killed himself.
Pretty awkward moment.
And, truly, what did he have to take the queue anyway? He had died before, he had already been judged: why didn't they send him straight to Hell? He sighed. Hell... this wasn't a pleasant place to be - well, it was called "Hell" for a reason, after all. He hated that he had to go back there, and this time for good. Nevertheless, he did not regret his action whatsoever: thanks to him, Majin Buu had been killed. Bulma and Trunks would be allowed to have the peaceful life they deserved.
Perhaps they would ever be better off without them.
Finally, he was facing King Yemma.
Well, this shouldn't be long. He'd just glance up at him from his enormous book, say "Hell!" and Vegeta would go down again. Well, at least, this time around, Hell would be slightly better: surely Frieza was there.
Well, he could now spend the eternity beating the shit out of that bastard. This should keep him entertained for at least a few centuries.
"Well, well," King Yemma said behind his huge desk. "Prince Vegeta, we meet again."
"I can't honestly say I'm pleased," Vegeta replied, rather grumpy.
Death often had this consequence on people.
"I suppose," Yemma admitted. "Well, let's see, what has happened to you this time around..."
He glanced down at his book, then arched an eyebrow.
"Sacrificed himself in an attempt to destroy Majin Buu," he read.
Had Vegeta's heart still been beating, it would've stopped right now.
"What in the world are you ranting about?" he snapped. "An attempt? You mean I crushed that oversized ball of chewing-gum!"
"No, Vegeta, I'm afraid you haven't," Yemma replied, seeming honestly sad.
"What? But... but I... I blasted him with all my energy! I gave up everything, every tiny part of vital energy, to make sure I would destroy him forever!"
"And this was a very good try, and a very brave action, but it did not work. He reformed his body."
Vegeta's hand closed into a tight fist. There was absolutely no word to describe his frustration: he had sacrificed himself so his wife and son could be safe, but this had been in vain? So... so instead of protecting them, he had put them even more in danger! Soon, Kakarot's time on Earth would be over, and Earth would be left with no one but their sons, the Namek, that bunch of weaklings and perhaps the android as a defence against Buu's horrific power.
Earth was done for.
"Oh well," Vegeta said harshly. "Why am I still here anyway? Just send me back in Hell, Frieza's face is waiting for a punch."
"Hell?" King Yemma repeated.
"Yeah, Hell," the prince continued, very irritated. " Were the bad guys go. What, do I have to explain you your own job?!"
Though unpleased by the Saiyan's hard words, King Yemma bent over his desk to look at him right into the eyes.
"Vegeta," he said after a moment of silence. "Heroes don't go to Hell."
"What the -"
Vegeta blinked several times. He couldn't possibly mean...
"But I... I failed!"
"The end does not matter in that case: only the intention does. I do not have the arrogant and cruel prince of Saiyans in front of me this time around: I have a proud warrior who gave up his own life in hopes of saving the ones he loved from a terrible death."
He nodded to a very dumbfounded man standing before him.
"An action of pure selflessness," he concluded.
A subtle smile formed on Yemma's lips.
"You've atoned, prince Vegeta."
"How are we going to tell them?" Goku whispered to Piccolo.
He wished they could speak about that somewhere else away from the others' eyes, but there was not much place to hide in Kami's lookout.
"We? What 'we'? Emotions are your departement," the Namek replied in a murmur.
"Oh, come on, don't make this any harder - besides, you were there when Vegeta -"
"Hey, Goku," Chichi's voice interrupted him.
She was walking towards him with Bulma. He swallowed hard: this would need improvisation.
"Where on Earth are Gohan and Goten?"
"And Trunks a-and... Vegeta?" Bulma added.
"Well, you see," Goku started.
He scratched his head and looked down at his feet. How do I put this? How was he supposed to say that? How do you tell your wife that her firstborn is dead, how do you tell your friend that her husband shared the same fate?
"I - they - erm -"
He took a deep breath. Clearly, Piccolo was not going to help.
"Goten and Trunks are fine," he said. "They need to rest, but they'll be all right."
"Why do they need to rest?" Chichi asked. "Oh, my poor little baby, he got hurt fighting this horrible thing -"
"No, no, Trunks and Goten didn't fight Buu. They... they were knocked out by Vegeta."
"WHAT! THAT SON OF A FUCKING BITCH! I'M GONNA TEAR OFF HIS-"
"Chichi, calm down please -"
"Tear off his what?" Bulma asked rather coldly.
"I'm going to fucking kill him!"
"But, Chichi -" Goku tried to say.
"IF YOU LAY A SINGLE FINGER ON MY HUSBAND, I'LL THROW YOU DOWN THIS PLACE!"
"QUIET!" Piccolo's voice yelled.
The two women shut up at once, glaring at the Namek warrior.
"Phew. Thanks, Piccolo. Chichi, Bulma, please, listen... Gohan and Vegeta..."
He bobbed down.
"They died."
Bulma remained motionless: Chichi, however, burst into tears.
"Oh, no, no, not my poor little -"
"No," Videl said, putting her hands on Chichi's shoulders. "Gohan is not dead."
She smiled very kindly to her.
"I can feel it," she said.
"But Vegeta is," Bulma said with an incredibly neutral voice. "I can feel that, too."
She shook her head.
"Good for him," she uttered under her breath before walking away.
Goku was about to follow her, but Piccolo stopped him.
"No," he said. "Take care of Chichi. I'll handle Bulma."
"I thought emotions wasn't your department."
"Well, I guess sometimes you just have to show some flexibility," he replied before following the blue-haired woman.
She was sitting on the floor, few meters away from the others. Piccolo expected her to cry, or at least to have tears in her eyes, but she seemed awfully calm.
"There is something you need to know," he said.
"You mean, besides the fact that he slaught innocent people and knocked out our son?" she snapped.
"Yes, besides that."
Her sapphires glanced up at the Namek in curiosity.
"Vegeta knocked out Trunks and Goten because they wanted to fight Majin Buu with him. He did that so I could bring them here, where they would be safe from Buu... and Vegeta's explosion."
"You mean this explosion I felt earlier... it was him?"
Piccolo stared at her right into the eyes.
"Your husband gave up his life so you and your son could be happy and safe."
He cleared his throat and looked away.
"I just... thought you ought to know," he finished rather awkwardly before leaving her alone.
Bulma bit her bottom lip and looked up at the sky.
I'm sorry I doubted you, Vegeta...
End of the chapter: *massages her neck and yawns* you know, I should be sleeping now. Lol. Anyway, I hope you like this new update :D and, for those who disagree about Vegeta's judgment, I have elements to back my theory ya know :)