'Thank you all for your comments, feedback, and overall interest. It makes me happy. Thank you, as well to Azmidiske for finding the info I needed! So, here we go. On to chapter 38!
Chapter 38
The sudden flinch in Vegeta's body sent Bulma skidding away from the table in shock. Her large blue eyes scanned the area quickly, seeing that there was no apparent danger nearby. She and the others inched closer as the saiyajin prince began to tremble strangely, his entire body vibrating on the table. His once calm, emotionless face was now tense and grimacing, his eyebrows pinching together and mouth set in a firm straight line of pain.
It was hard for Eighteen, Krillin, Bulma, Chi-Chi, Yamcha, Tien, and all of the others to even get close to the cot that Vegeta lay upon since Piccolo, Gohan, Goku, Goten and Trunks were all positioned around him in a circle. But as they watched, they grew more and more nervous as Vegeta began to have small convulsions where he lay.
Bulma hovered over, her eyes like two glittering jewels as panicked tears began to gather. Her fingers rose slowly to her mouth as a harsh choked cough escaped the suffering prince. For one terrifying moment, Vegeta's eyelids fluttered open, but the audience surrounding him could only see the whites of his eyes. They continued to watch as thick, almost black blood slowly seeped from his flared nostrils, his breaths coming in fast and labored as his limbs shook and his chest heaved. The wounded warrior's mouth opened several times like a fish out of water before a line of blood slowly trailed from his parted lips.
"What's happening?" Bulma whispered in horror.
But her friends and family said nothing, too drawn in and shocked by what they were seeing. Veins rose darkly from Vegeta's face and neck as he strained against the pain within. More blood joined the trails on his skin as the red substance crept from his ears, as well. Jerking horribly once more on his cot, Vegeta let out another harsh sound from his throat.
Krillin and Eighteen leapt forward instantly, their quick hands grabbing Piccolo's clawed fingers as they began to slip from the prince's seizing form. It became apparent that the hands of the others could slip off, too, and were that to happen, there was no chance for them to remain in Vegeta's mind and help fight off whatever was destroying the saiyajin.
"What is happening?! Please!" Bulma shrieked, whipping around to face Dende.
The young namek jerked nervously at the vicious glare but hurried forward. Peering around the tables, the green-skinned teenager pondered how he would reach Vegeta without knocking the other warriors over.
"You can fly, can't you?" Bulma hollered. "Just hover over him!"
Thinking of what a ridiculous position he would be in, Dende shook his head, but quickly moved forward. Hopping onto Goku's cot and crawling steadily forward, the robed namekian crouched over the third-class saiyajin's arm and reached carefully forward. Concentrating, Dende placed small green fingers against Vegeta's temple and cautiously entered the damaged mind. He knew he couldn't get past the barricade that protected the prince's psyche, but he could get a feel of the pain Vegeta was in and a possible sense of what was happening.
The others watched tensely, their hearts racing as they awaited Dende's reaction. The small namek remained crouching on the same cot Goku lay upon, his eyes closed and face in deep concentration. Bulma couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene, her mind and body feeling numb as Vegeta's booted feet trembled sickeningly, the occasional small kick escaping him as a wave of pain engulfed his short form.
The entire lookout was silent as the crowd watched anxiously. Dende was perfectly still as he searched through the prince's mind, but startled everyone as he gasped loudly and stumbled backwards on top of Goku. Helping hands immediately reached out and pulled the boy from any damage he could inflict on the scene and assisted Dende to the ground.
"What is it?" Krillin asked sullenly, the human knowing that expression well.
The namek's large black eyes were fearful and wide as he pieced together what he just felt and glimpsed. His heart was racing and he felt a deep horror gnawing at his innards. The evil he sensed within Vegeta's mind was nightmarish and it would be a most terrible thing if it managed to escape.
"Vegeta's barriers," Dende stammered. "They weren't even there. Vegeta's mind is usually completely blocked from any outside intruders, but I managed to enter his brain easily." The god of Earth shook his head, his large green ears twitching with jumping nerves. "From what I sensed and saw briefly…Vegeta's mind is completely crumbling."
There was a collective gasp and Dende slowly turned his saddened gaze toward Bulma. The woman stood in her perfect clothing and beautiful hair with an almost blind and ghostly expression on her pale face. She stared at the ground at Dende's feet, completely silent and unmoving. The group was waiting for the explosion to come, but Bulma remained unspeaking and emotionless.
"Is there no hope?" She whispered at last.
Dende stared at her a moment longer before lowering his eyes. "I've never seen or felt anything so horrible in my life," the little alien murmured. "There is a darkness destroying his mind; a nightmarish hatred that knows no bounds. It is as dark…if not darker than Frieza himself. Vegeta's mind is shaking apart. I don't…I don't know if Goku can even stop it."
All eyes turned to Bulma again, but she said nothing. The wide-eyed, haunted expression still sat upon her features, but there were no tears, no tantrums, no cursing or sobbing. Turning very slowly, the blue-haired beauty walked back to where Vegeta lay, his trembling not as bad as before, but still noticeable. Bulma looked at all the fighters that surrounded him, each one in his mind now, trying to save the remnants of a tattered, broken psyche. Her friends and family were about to die to save the saiyajin prince, but it appeared that Dende was right. Hatred knew no bounds.
Reaching forward as if in a trance, Bulma began to pull the hands away from Vegeta's prone form; removing the connection to his brain and bringing the earth warriors back into the real world.
…………..
The horrible, pained shrieks that escaped Vegeta were sounds that Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks, and Goten had never heard before. The saiyajin clawed his head as dark rolling growls of agony erupted from his throat. Unaware of the blood leaking from the sides of his skull, Vegeta's fingers sank deeper into his temples. The prince writhed on the shattering floor as all he saw was red and all he felt was earth-shattering torture.
Hatred waited patiently above, his spiked arms crossed over his bare chest and red eyes staring downward at the convulsing saiyajin. The evil persona could sense his giant ball of energy finally dissipating on the walls and structures of Vegeta's mind. Hatred let a small smile appear on his pale face as he looked forward to getting the chance to destroy more of Vegeta's brain. The energy he had thrown wasn't even his biggest attack. One more strike of even greater caliber would finish Vegeta and his annoying personas once and for all. But for now he would gladly watch the weakened full-persona suffer in agony.
The earth warriors had not even able to get near the blast as it rocketed toward them. The heat from the horrid thing warned them to grab everyone and dodge the unstoppable attack. Gohan had grabbed his injured brother and Piccolo quickly pulled Vegeta away from the oncoming attack. Trunks staggered out of the way and was soon followed by Pride and Honor. The two oldest Arrogances were already out of the way when Hatred fired the blast, but it was hard for them to just hover nearby and watch the nightmarish pink energy ball destroy the mind they belonged to and protected.
And now from the looks of things, there would be no way to get Vegeta up to his normal power level…or even save his mind for that matter. Pride and Honor stared on emotionlessly, their defeated eyes watching as the current full persona died painfully.
"Dad," Trunks whispered, his voice soft and scratchy. The boy had barely been able to dodge Hatred's gigantic attack. The injuries he had received as Gotenks were too much and there would have been no way to stop it even if he was at full power. But Trunks didn't care about that right then. Watching his father bleeding from his ears, eyes, nose, and mouth was absolutely terrifying and the young warrior had no idea what to do. He couldn't even imagine how much pain Vegeta was in.
Gohan stared hopelessly down at the saiyajin he had grown to admire and look up to. The teenager felt his stomach lurch sickeningly as Vegeta's mind slowly and excruciatingly caved in on itself.
"What's happening to Mr. Vegeta?" Goten's voice asked quietly.
Gohan's dark eyes turned to stare into the groggy face of his little brother. The half-saiyajin had finally woken up when Hatred's energy burst through the white wall of Vegeta's mind. The first thing the scared and startled boy saw was the prince's condition and his stomach immediately leapt into his throat at the sight.
Gohan turned Goten's face away, but was at a loss of words as to what to say. Goten's large eyes grew wide and grief slowly washed over his features.
"He's dying…isn't he, Gohan?"
Trunks gripped Vegeta's trembling back and dug his small fingers into his father's shirt, somehow hoping to stop the pain and torment the prince was feeling. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head violently, sending his messy purple hair everywhere.
"No! He is not dying! No stupid persona could finish off my dad like that." Furious blue eyes glared up at the stony face staring down at him. "Even in this state my dad is strong. He will always be able to win…even if there's no hope."
Hatred let out a rush of air from his nose and gave the boy a toothy smirk, but said nothing. With a twitch of the tail, the cruel persona looked out into the dilapidated land that was once Vegeta's immaculate, beautiful mind. The white insane asylum was a hovering, destroyed rectangle now, floating within the blackness of the prince's psyche. Gray bricks clattered onto the many surfaces in the distance, falling from the many hallways and corridors that snaked their ways through Vegeta's mind. The floor of the once smooth, blank corridor had shaken loose and a rancid, musty smell crept through the land where they stood.
Beams and fixtures hung low, some scraping the floor of the destroyed asylum. The ice-cold reservoir poured like a waterfall over the edge of the giant corridor, streaming into the shadows below. Yes, this was quite some handy-work, Hatred thought to himself smugly. Perhaps Vegeta would recover slightly in the next few minutes so he could watch as Hatred finished off his mind once and for all.
The gasping, whimpering prince let out a harsh cough and flipped onto his back. His rigid fingers gripped his head and face and he let out forced, panting breaths. The small noises of pain and torment were so unnerving to hear coming from the ever strong and quiet saiyajin. The warriors around him wished they could do something to ease his pain.
Piccolo ripped a strand of white cloth from his cape and leaned over to wipe the blood from Vegeta's face. The saiyajin's eyes were squeezed shut in tremendous pain, but Piccolo's action seemed to calm him marginally.
Releasing a sharp grunt, Vegeta turned his head to the side and pressed a stained glove against the bridge of his nose, his fingers curling into his palms as pain engulfed him. He slowly sensed others around him, but it felt as if someone had just cleaved his skull in two. His brain felt rotted, as if was trying to leak from his ears. Never had he felt this much pain before.
"I think he's coming around," he heard Gohan say quietly.
Unable to open his eyes, Vegeta let out a dry cough. "Where are we?"
The warriors around him were silent for a moment before answering softly, making sure not to speak too loudly and give him even more pain.
"We're still in the white corridor," Gohan explained.
"Not very white anymore," Trunks added.
"Hatred has," Gohan hesitated, "destroyed a lot of your mind, Vegeta. He fired the blast at us…and it crashed through the walls…and kept going."
Vegeta felt nauseous even thinking about the damage it caused. His lips pressed tightly together as another wave of agony hammered through his skull. His face contorted into a mask of absolute pain and he let out a gasp as colors exploded in his vision.
Soft hands rested on his shoulders, but Vegeta refused to open his eyes in the light, no matter how dull it had become.
"Come on, Dad," Trunks begged. "We have to get you out of here. Maybe if you wake up-"
"No," Vegeta snapped, his voice quiet but stern. Keeping a hand over his eyes, he squinted open a lid slightly. Peering through a film of red the prince could barely make out his son's worried face through the cracks in his fingers. "If I wake up, I will only be able to sit and wait for his final attack to come. I will still be in pain."
Gritting his teeth, Vegeta tried to sit up. Helping hands grabbed his back and the earth warriors carefully helped the pained true-persona fully sit. His head pounded and ached and colors burst in his vision, but Vegeta bit back any cries of agony he wanted to release. Still holding a gloved hand to his forehead, Vegeta opened both eyes marginally and peered at the fighters surrounding him. He could see Piccolo, Gohan, Goten, and Trunks, but he could not make out the two clouded figures behind them. He could only assume they were either Pride and Honor or the two remaining Arrogances.
"You should all leave. There's nothing you can do now."
They all started talking at once and Vegeta hissed as his skull ached with all the sound. Gohan immediately shushed them and patted his hand against the prince's back.
"We will stay with you until-"
"The end?" Vegeta scoffed. "You won't have to wait long."
"We are not going to leave you here," Piccolo boomed. "Let's just hope Goku has made it in somehow. You need all the fighters you-"
Through Vegeta's hazy vision he saw the large green namek flicker strangely, like a TV with bad reception, before disappearing completely. Piccolo was gone instantly, and Vegeta's heart pounded even louder in his ears.
Gohan was up in a flash, his eyes wide and voice calling out for his old mentor. The voices all around Vegeta began to call out in a panic, adding more pain to situation.
"Did he get shot? Did he die?" Goten cried.
"Why did he just disappear like that?" Gohan shouted.
Pride eyed the area cautiously, his dark irises sweeping past Hatred, who also looked mildly confused as well as interested. The princely persona paused and then closed his eyes.
"He lost connection with Vegeta," he said over the panicked voices. But they obviously had not heard him, for Gohan and Goten still searched frantically. Whipping around, the battle-worn persona glared at the earthlings. "Piccolo lost connection. Either his hand slipped, or someone is trying to pull you guys out!"
Gohan's eyes widened and he stared at the red and gold prince. The prideful being held a darkened expression, his black eyes identical to Vegeta's.
"I have a feeling Vegeta isn't looking too good on the outside world either. I would not be surprised if someone is trying to pull all of you out."
Gohan's stomach plummeted and he felt a deep gnawing terror as he realized that he might be pulled from this world at any moment. Not knowing how to stop it the young warrior ran to Vegeta's side.
"I'll come back in. If I lose connection with you, I'll come back. We all will!"
Lowering the hand that shielded the fractured light from his eyes, Vegeta gazed at Gohan's concerned face through a sea of red. His squinted eyes were expressionless, but he was calm and almost serene.
"Don't, Gohan. If you are pulled away…stay away. This is my mind."
Gohan opened his mouth to respond, but a voice identical to Vegeta's interrupted.
"Every person has the right to control his own thoughts and mind," Pride barked. "The battle and struggles Vegeta faces will be dealt with by him alone. He has his personas. No matter what happens, even if we lose, respect Vegeta's pride. Allow him to fight alone as every saiyajin does."
"But you asked for my help," a strong voice spoke from above.
All eyes turned upward as a flash of orange dashed through the air and landed gracefully. Vegeta felt his world spin and found it hard to believe that Goku was standing right before him. He closed his blood-filled eyes briefly before gazing at the other full-blooded saiyajin again. Stepping forward, the brave warrior stared down at his wounded friend, his demeanor calm yet his insides leaping at the sight of Vegeta's face and injuries.
"When we fought along the Cliffside and I knocked you to the ground, you had asked for my help then," Goku explained. "Your pride tells you to fight alone. You have trained yourself to trust no one. But I think you're really ready to ask for help, Vegeta. You may not fully realize it yet, but even when you fight alone, you can still receive aid from your friends and loved ones."
Clapping, Hatred grinned and leered at the man who had once again come to Vegeta's side. Goku stared up at the demon from under black bangs, his anger already rising at the sight of the monster.
"Good of you to join us, Kakarotto," the evil persona laughed. "How do you like my remodeling job?"
Goku never removed his eyes from the beast. "I see you have remodeled yourself, as well. But you're still weak-minded as ever."
Ignoring Hatred's angry retorts, Goku moved forward, kneeling before Vegeta. He looked at both his sons and gave them warm smiles.
"I see that you two saw your fair share of fighting, too," the optimistic saiyajin observed. Goku then looked at Trunks and saw his anguished expression. "It's ok, Trunks. I know this has all been really scary, but trust me, things will work out."
The lavender-haired child felt his heart swell at such confident words and he couldn't help but smile at the determined, brave warrior.
"Where's Piccolo?" Goku asked suddenly.
Gohan's eyes widened and he turned to his father quickly. "He lost his connection with Vegeta. I think that someone is-"
Goku gasped as his oldest son flickered before his very eyes and disappeared. The third-class reached out in a panic, but there was no one there. Frantically, Goku scanned the shattered environment before a heavy hand rested on his shoulder.
"I think you came too late, Kakarotto," Vegeta's rough voice said. "Someone is removing all of you from my mind."
Whipping around, Goku came face to face with Vegeta. Both were kneeling on the ground, but Vegeta was barely able to hold himself up. Goku saw the blood that pooled along Vegeta's lower-lids and the dark red veins that webbed across his eyes. Dried trails of blood spiraled from his nose and ears and deep scratches scarred the sides of his face. He must have been in horrific pain and Goku felt the urge to cradle the prince's face in his hands and remove the agony he still must have felt.
But he made no movements. If someone was breaking their connection to Vegeta's mind, there was no way he could stop it. An overwhelming panic crept through him and Goku wanted to scream out to the others on the outside to not touch him. He had come this far and finally reached Vegeta. He could not be dragged away.
In a flash Goten flickered silently and disappeared, too. Trunks backed away from where his best friend had been standing, his eyes large and shining with fear. Turning around immediately, the eight year-old sprinted to his father and threw his arms around him, squeezing Vegeta's weakened frame. The boy's eyes squeezed shut as he felt his usually cold and distant father wrap his arms around him, too.
"Dad…" Trunks bit his lip as his tears fell and he could not stop his gulping breath as he cried. Burying his face in the torn blue shirt of his father's, the child felt his cheeks redden at such a cowardly and weak display.
"Trunks, when you see your mother…tell her that…" Vegeta hesitated, the words almost impossible for him to say. In fact, he was sure he had never uttered such words in his life. "Tell Bulma that I love her."
Trunks pulled away slightly and stared into his father's face, making sure it was still Vegeta he was hugging. The man still looked the same; the hard, black eyes, the glassy and unreadable face, and the continual arrogance and pride. Yes, this was Vegeta.
The prince wiped away Trunks's tears with a torn, stained glove. "I love you, too, Trunks."
The boy's eyes widened and he immediately began to cry harder. Shaking his head, Trunks's face was covered with sweaty lavender hair as his heart felt as if it was about to burst. He had never heard his father speak such words. Even before sacrificing himself to Buu, he never said the word LOVE. It meant only one thing. Vegeta was going to die.
Vegeta held onto his son's shoulders and found it hard to see his strong child sobbing so harshly. Trunks was an incredibly smart boy and he knew exactly what Vegeta was saying. It pained Vegeta even more than the aching in his skull to know that Trunks realized he was going to lose his father. But the prince said nothing more as the lavender-haired child became suddenly transparent and faded slowly from sight, unable to say his final good-byes.
Goku stood silently to the side and watched as Vegeta's arms fell to his sides, his head bowed and back hunched in defeat. The prince's shoulders shook briefly before he suddenly pulled himself to his feet, his face scrunched in pain as his vision blackened horribly. Bursts of color exploded in front of his eyes and he wobbled unstably as his world spun and head pounded. Feeling strong arms steadying him, Vegeta swayed a bit as his blurry vision came back.
"It's only a matter of time, Kakarotto," Vegeta warned. "There's not much you can do."
Goku stared at the side of the prince's face as he steadied his quick breathing. The third-class held Vegeta by the arm with one hand and his other on his back for support. It felt wonderful to touch the saiyajin once again.
"I will do everything in power to help you. I will keep coming back and we will defeat Hatred, no matter what it takes," Goku said.
Vegeta continued to stare forward, his eyes dull and body struggling just to stand. He gazed over at Pride, Honor, and the two remaining Arrogances.
"Let's get started then, shall we?"
…………
When Bulma approached the cots where the warriors all lay, no expected her to suddenly plunge her hand forward as quickly as she did. The blue-haired woman stood staring at the resting fighters as if in a trance for some time. The crowd waited for her grief-filled outburst. But instead the frazzled beauty strode forward and plucked Piccolo's clawed hand from Vegeta's body. Immediately the warriors felt the namek's connection snap and they let out identical gasps of horror.
Krillin was the first to reach the insane woman, his hands quickly grabbing her away. Bulma lashed out violently, a fiery and terrifying glare in her usually sweet blue eyes. Her nails narrowly missed Krillin's forehead and she screamed at him angrily to get back.
Piccolo jerked awake, his body jolting upward and his eyes wide and startled. With a bewildered and shocked expression he scanned the area as his mind pieced together what had happened.
"Was I injured?" He asked himself more so than anyone else. Checking his caped body, Piccolo gave his allies a quizzical stare. "Why am I out of Vegeta's mind?"
All eyes turned to Bulma who was still struggling against Krillin. Piccolo was incredibly surprised to see such anger and frustration on her red face.
"Have you completely lost it, Bulma?" Krillin yelled. One eye was squinted shut as the hysterical woman swung at him repeatedly.
"What is wrong with all of you?" Bulma shrieked, shoving the short man away from her with impressive force. Krillin stumbled backward, but was caught in the arms of Eighteen. Bulma stood fuming, her finger pointing back at the other sleeping warriors. "Why won't any of you realize it? Why won't any of you accept it? That creature that is destroying Vegeta's mind is too strong. It's obvious that no one can stand up it. Do you want all of them to end up like Vegeta?" She screamed, unaware of the tears streaming from her eyes.
Her audience stood in a stunned silence before settling their gaze on Vegeta. His corpse-like appearance and ghastly condition sent a chill through their bodies. Piccolo was still adjusting to his rather abrupt departure from the prince's mind, but Bulma's words struck him to the core. He had only seen the brilliant scientist ever lose her cool like this before, and that was when Vegeta had died against Majin Buu. When she spoke from her soul and heart, the woman knew exactly what she was saying.
"If we don't get them out of Vegeta's mind, we will only aid in killing them all," Bulma said softly.
"Don't say that," Ox-King begged. "Gotenks, Goku, and Gohan are the strongest fighters alive."
Bulma lowered her head and let a few tears fall. From under short blue bangs she gave a sidelong glance to Piccolo. The namek felt his entire body freeze under the calculating stare, but he had seen and felt Hatred's power. Trunks and Goten were almost killed and he had no idea how they were surviving at this very moment. Standing from the rickety cot, the giant alien let his glassy black eyes gaze across the crowd of anxious faces.
"It would be better…to let Bulma continue what she is doing."
There was an explosion of angry and outraged voices, a few agreeing, but many angrily shouting out or arguing. Chi-Chi strode forward, her arms crossed over her chest defiantly.
"Bulma can't just make the decisions for my husband and sons-"
"So you want them to die then?" Bulma hissed, her temper flaring dangerously. Chi-Chi's face darkened and she stared at the fuming woman before her. "This is Gohan and Goten we're talking about, Chi-Chi. I-" Bulma paused and tried to catch her breath. "I would never forgive myself if our children died because of Vegeta's problems. I don't want to see anyone hurt."
Piccolo nodded slightly. "Trunks and Goten have both been seriously injured while within Vegeta's mind. It's only a matter of time before Hatred finishes off all of them."
Chi-Chi and Bulma paled considerably at the words but said nothing, both too afraid to ask how bad their wounds were. Without another thought, Bulma turned around again and grabbed the person closest to her. Gohan's hand slipped from her love's prone form and the crowd watched as yet another warrior was brought back to the real world. Goten followed soon after, but Bulma's shaking hand hovered over Trunks's resting form. The worried mother stood and stared down at her child as she watched his young face contort with pure sadness. Her lip quivered and she felt her eyes get misty again as tears slipped from her son's closed eyes. He remained silent, but Bulma could feel the waves of grief rolling off of Trunks and it tore at her heart. He was saying goodbye to his father.
Stroking Trunks's violet hair, the mother caught her shuddering breath and placed a trembling hand over her son's small fingers. Pausing for a few moments, Bulma squeezed her eyes shut before removing Trunks's hand from Vegeta's face. Her son came alive loudly, his mouth agape as he sobbed and eyes streamed with tears. Already prepared for his forced exit, the boy threw himself off his cot and into his mother's arms where he bawled into her dress and hugged her waist.
Bulma knelt down and gathered the boy in her arms, burying her teary eyes in his lavender hair. His shuddering body shook her whole frame, but she would not let go. Trunks's reaction and demeanor told her everything. Vegeta was going into a battle he was not going to win. The saiyajin prince had said goodbye to his son.
Drawing back slightly, Trunks wiped at his eyes and tried to stop his sniffling. His grief-filled face tore at Bulma's heart and she rubbed his back warmly. Catching his breath, Trunks finally raised his puffy, red eyes and shook his head. Trying to find the words he needed to say, Trunks let out a hiccupping sob.
"Mom…"
Bulma hugged her son tightly at the agonizing croak and tried to calm her child's shaking form. Trunks pulled away again and stared into eyes that were identical to his own.
"Dad wanted me to tell you…that…"
Bulma froze, her whole heart sinking to her stomach and body feeling as if it had been doused in icy water. Her heart pounded in her ears as she waited for her son to speak. Trunks struggled to talk and Bulma unconsciously circled her arms around the boy. This was it. Vegeta had told his son to let her know that her time was over. In the last few moments he had with his son, he must have told Trunks to tell her the truth…that he loved another. That she was nothing.
"Dad said…tell Bulma…that I love her."
Trunks's eyes rose and held onto Bulma's. The mother reached into the blue depths and she could see it there. She could see the truth within his wide, glistening eyes. Vegeta had said those words. He had actually said….
Tears streamed from Bulma's eyes and she fell to her knees, her hands covering her face as she let out a sharp cry. So many emotions swept through her and she had no idea what to say or feel. A bubbling happiness that she had never felt before consumed her, yet a horrible, swallowing agony tore at her. An awful grief collided with a pure wave of love and joy and Bulma felt like standing and screaming until her throat bled. But instead she rocked back and forth and sobbed.
She felt the others around her, but all she wanted to do was crawl next to Vegeta and enter his mind, to see where he was and what he felt at that exact moment. Her heart was racing and her tears kept falling, but the blue-haired beauty managed to stand. She ignored the helping hands and shakily turned toward her prince. He was in the same position he had always been in…and so was Goku. It was just the two of them, once more.
Bulma stared down at the pair, not knowing what to do or how to feel. The connection of the two saiyajins was evident, but the fact that Vegeta had actually said he LOVED her was so overwhelming and amazing, she had no idea how react now. Goku's hand remained on Vegeta's forehead. The last remaining saiyajins in the entire universe held a tie so strong Bulma knew that she could never match up.
Krillin moved forward slowly and reached for Goku's hand.
"No!" Bulma snapped, lifting her palm as a sign to stop. She stared down at the two, unsure of what she was feeling. "Goku is staying in there. We will let him do what he wants."
And for once, no one argued with her. The finality in Bulma's voice was so strong and empowering that the warriors on the Outlook obeyed without saying a word. They all gathered around and watched as Goku and Vegeta fought together, once more, to save the prince's mind from certain doom.
'Heads up. It's almost done!!'