2- Devastation

Spring

Bulma sighed as she sat on the balcony gardens behind the castle of Vegeta-Sei. Swarming around her were colorful flowers of all shapes and sizes. When she had first arrived on Vegeta-Sei eighteen years ago, there hadn't been a garden around, and truthfully that hadn't bothered Bulma. She had never been a plant person, her love had always been with machines. However, it wasn't long before she started to long for the green trees and colorful flowers from the earth and so Vegeta had created the gardens for her. Whenever an invention got too stressful or she just needed a breather for whatever reason, Bulma would come to the gardens.

Sometimes it was still hard for Bulma to believe that it had been almost twenty years since she had met Vegeta. It happened by absolute chance. He had come to earth for trade and had snuck off from his group to explore and that's when he found her. She had been busy working on a handheld electronic game when he had walked up behind her and asked what she was doing out of curiosity. At first, they clashed. Their personalities were too similar and they both were too stubborn, but more than anything else, they were curious about each other. Curiosity grew to friendship, which then grew to romance.

When Vegeta had asked her to come with him to his planet, Bulma had been terrified at first. Though Vegeta-Sei and Earth weren't in war with each other, they weren't exactly friendly with each other either. The humans thought Saiyans were barbaric and unruly, and Saiyans thought earthlings were judgmental hypocrites. She supposed both races were right about a few things. To save himself from any trouble it could have caused, Vegeta lied and told his parents, who were the King and Queen at the time that she was a Saiyan, like them. He told a story of how she had been in a terrible accident when she was younger and toxic chemicals had turned her hair blue and made her weak. Bulma wasn't offended by being called weak. What she lacked in physical strength she made up for in mental strength. She was a genius- the best one on Vegeta-Sei and that had earned her the respect of her people.

"Eomma!"

Bulma drifted from her thoughts and turned to see her little four-year-old daughter running towards her. Bulla was like her mini in every way- even the attitude part which caused her husband to sigh more times than not.

"Hi Darling," Bulma greeted with a smile as Bulla reached her. She was smiling brightly, her blue eyes as light as the sky on earth.

Years ago, in her younger days, Bulma hadn't wanted children. There were too many things she wanted to enjoy and do, and she thought children just would have slowed down. Then she had Trunks and her world completely changed in an unexpected and wonderful way. Then a few years later, she had Bulla and her heart couldn't have been fuller. She had her Prince, her Princess, and her King. She couldn't have been happier.

"Look, Appa bought me this when we were in town," Bulla said as she held up a beautiful porcelain doll.

Bulma found herself chuckling. Bulla had so many dolls that they were running out of places to keep them in her room and closets and her collection just kept growing. Her husband, the frightening Saiyan King, was a rather big softy when it came to his children. Bulma loved that fact about him though. He always made time for his children and her, even when things sometimes got rough.

"She's beautiful!" Bulma told Bulla with a warm smile.

A yell rang through the garden and Bulma glanced up just in time to see her nine-year-old son run across the grass with something shimmering in his hand. She gasped as she stood up with wide eyes.

"Trunks!" She yelled and the boy stopped suddenly and looked at her. "What do you have in your hand?"

Trunks blinked at her before glancing at his hand, then back at her. "A sword," he said with a shrug as if it was no big deal.

"Put that down before you stab yourself!" Bulma yelled, several unpleasant thoughts running through her mind.

"No way!" Trunks whined. "Hyung got me this, Eomma!"

Bulma set her jaw and turned her attention to two new figures who had walked up to the balcony. "You," her eyes glared at Tarble. "A sword is not a proper gift for a nine-year-old!" She stormed.

Tarble let out a sheepish laugh and held up his hands. "Now Noona, he's fine!" He claimed as he gestured to Trunks, who had his knees bent and his sword over his head like he was about to strike some invisible enemy.

"Fine?" One of Bulma's eyebrows twitched. "A nine-year-old should not have a sword!"

"Bulma, relax," Vegeta spoke now with a roll of his eyes. "Trunks has had a wooden one for years now, it's about time he upgraded," he smirked.

"And what are you going to do when he slices one of his limbs off?" Bulma huffed as she crossed her arms.

"Sow it back and throw him in a healing pod," Vegeta shrugged with a teasing smirk.

"Vegeta!" She hissed. "We-"

"Appa!" Trunks yelled as he rushed up to the balcony as well. There was a tremor in his voice as he pointed to the sky, "look!"

Bulma glanced up and gasped. In the distance loomed the shadow of a familiar ship- Frieza's. Beside her, Bulla whimpered and Vegeta picked her and held her close. Bulma glanced down at Trunks, who was now standing behind Tarble, who had a comforting arm across him. Bulma could give her children just about anything they desired. Everything except for a life without the evil Tyrant and that broke her heart more than anything else in the world.

Vegeta turned his attention to a nearby guard. "Go get Radtiz and Endou!"

"Yes, Sire!" The guard bowed before taking off.

Bulma swallowed a lump that was starting to rise in her throat. She just prayed that the day would end well.

Chi-Chi was in her happy place. Her hands were in the dirt as she planted her garden and near the stream a few yards away, her husband and children played and fished.

"Still playing in the dirt, Sis?"

Chi-Chi glanced up to see her older brother, Yamcha standing in front of her. A teasing smirk was plastered across his face as he looked down at her. He was a few years older than her, and truthfully, the throne was supposed to be his but he had turned it down. He had wanted adventure and to be a captain in the royal army.

"Still scared of worms, Cha?" Chi-Chi smirked at him. "I'm sure I can find a big fat one for you."

Yamcha cringed and crinkled his nose. "I'll let you handle the bugs, Chi."

"Cha-Cha!" A yell rushed through the air and the siblings turned just in time for a five-year-old to attack Yamcha.

"Panny!" Yamcha laughed as he adjusted the girl in his arms. "How's my favorite girl doing?" He asked causing her to give a toothy grin.

"Good! I've been finishing with Papa and my brothers," she told him.

"Panny, don't tell me you've been touching those yucky worms!" Yamcha scrunched up his face.

"No!" Pan squealed as she scrunched up her face a lot like how Yamcha had. "Papa does it!"

Chi-Chi smiled as she watched Yamcha tickle Pan. Her little girl was as healthy as any other five-year-old around and she couldn't have felt more lucky. To this day still, she didn't know what Goku had done to save Pan and honestly, she probably didn't want to know. All Chi-Chi knew was that she had her little girl.

"Your Majesty!" A guard ran into the clearing.

Goku stood from his spot near the stream and walked over the guard. "What's wrong?" He asked as the boys followed him.

"This came for you," the guard bowed as he handed Goku a letter.

Chi-Chi wiped her hands off before she walked over to Goku with Yamcha, who was still holding Pan. "Goku-sa, what is it?" She asked as his eyes skimmed through the letter.

As soon as his eyes met hers, she knew it was something bad. Her stomach dropped before he even spoke.

"Frieza. He wants me to meet with him."

"Goku-sa," Chi-Chi gasped.

"What?" Gohan spoke with wide eyes. He was seventeen now and growing into a fine young man. Sadly, he knew of the horrors that revolved around Frieza though Chi-Chi was thankful he hadn't had to meet him.

"But why?" Yamcha asked with a raised brow.

"I'm sure it's not for anything serious," Goku told the group. "He's probably just wanting the earth to start a new trade route or something," he shrugged it off, obviously not worried, but Chi-Chi was. Frieza wasn't the type to just chit-chat.

"A new trade route?" A curious eight-year-old Goten asked. "For what, Dad?"

"I don't like it," Chi-Chi shook her head. "Please Goku-sa." Her body was growing cold at the thought. Frieza worked closely with the Saiyans, so what if he found out Goku was one and had been lying about who he really was? What would he do to Goku? The thought terrified her.

"It'll be alright, Chi," Goku promised.

For some reason though, Chi-Chi didn't believe him.

Winter

Chi-Chi was numb as she walked through the stone maze outside of the castle. The chilly air rushed past her, causing her to shiver but she didn't bundle her coat around her. Once she neared the grand mausoleum, she pushed the doors open quietly before walking inside. Her parent's remains were here, as well as her grandparents, the first King and Queen to rule. Chi-Chi walked up to the newest addition in the middle and felt herself trembling.

"Goku-sa," her voice shook as she looked at his name neatly written on his tomb. She fell to her knees as tears rolled down her cheeks.

It had been half a year, but Chi-Chi hadn't healed in the slightest. How could she when the love of her life was gone?

The day she received a letter from Frieza stating that Goku had suffered from a heart attack was the day that her world felt like it ended. Everything came crashing down. The worst part about it was that Frieza, stating that he was being gracious since his guest had passed while in his company, cremated Goku for them. Chi-Chi hadn't even had the chance to tell him goodbye.

"I miss you, Goku-sa," she whispered. "I wake up every morning and I'm still in disbelief that you're gone. How could you leave me like this?" She asked him with eyes full of tears. She let out a deep sigh. "Gohan is doing great in his studies. He still has three more years to go before he'll be twenty and can take the crown, but he's studying hard for that day. He said he wants to be a great king, just like his father was. Goten's still learning how to fight. He wants to be like Yamcha and join the army," she let out a tearful laugh. "I guess he wants to be strong like his dad too, and our Panny," she glanced at his tomb as tears rolled down her cheeks. "She's doing so good, Goku-sa. She still doesn't understand, but she's stopped asking where you are," Chi-Chi's voice broke. "Is it wrong for me to feel relieved because of that? Every time she's asked when you're coming home I died because I had to tell her you're not," she sobbed. "I wish you could come back home, Goku-sa. Please, come back."

"I've lost enough to never need a lesson in heartache ever again."

- autumn