Ki Links: Part 4
It was too true that Winter was at a loss for words.
Only moments before, she had been sleeping peacefully, something which was in itself an incredible thing after the years of nightmare-filled slumbers. And to then be awaken by this woman Bulma's painfully loud screams was even more puzzling. It seemed that in the past day, everything had been turned more confusing than it had been in years.
Winter reached up to rub one of her sensitive ears. Does this woman have to scream all the time? she asked herself in annoyance. But she could partly understand, at least this time she looked like she was in actual pain. But even if she was silent, the sight was more than enough to convince her. The woman's face was red and sweat was pouring off of her in large amounts, soaking the robe she had been wearing. Her blue eyes were squeezed shut and when she opened them, tears flowed from them uncontrollably. Her body twisted convulsively, and she struggled to even speak. It was even slightly frightening to Winter to hear the woman's begging her for help, whether in short gasps or in loud shouts, in harsh commands or frightened despair. But confused as to what to do, she could only stand and watched the display with an almost curious wonder.
But her thoughts were interrupted as Bulma let go another chorus of shouts. "Baka, what are you doing?! Help me, Winter! Do something! Anything!"
Winter's state of dignified stillness changed as she shrugged a bit absently. Out of her few emotions, confusion took over. "What am I supposed to do, Bulma? What is wrong with you?"
Bulma let out something that sounded almost like an expression of exasperation. "Winter…I've gone into labor. And I'm out in the middle of nowhere…you're the only one who can help me. Please."
Her eyebrows furrowed in question. "Labor? What is this 'labor'?"
The pain was unbearable. Bulma had never thought going into labor could be so bad. Her teacher at the pregnancy course she took had said that she would know when she was really in labor by certain signs: her water breaking, painful convulsions, pressure in the abdomen. She had never imagined it being this…extreme! Kami, help me…the pain….
She could barely see anything as tears clouded her sight and sweat flew into her vision, stinging her eyes. Her mind kept screaming and cursing at her. It's too early! You can't have the baby here! Why were you so naïve as to go camping at a time like this? Suddenly another voice, somewhat harsh, but perfectly calm, rang into her mind from the real world. "What is this 'labor'?"
She knew Winter was still standing in front of her, looking at her in her mad hysteria of pain. She didn't understand how anyone could be so…ignorant! As another twist of pain wracked her stomach, Bulma felt the rage in her increase. "What kind of stupid question is that?! Don't you know what it means to give birth, you imbecile?!"
There was a pause of silence. In that one instance, fear and panic overcame the anger. Her mind ran rampant with ideas of what would happen if she didn't get help. She felt a gut wrenching fear…fear for her life, fear for the baby's. And a painful realization that she might be alone, at a time where it was necessary she was not. "Wait! Please, no, I'm sorry, Winter…forgive me…"
She suddenly felt relief when she heard the same voice, steady and still remaining calm. "Birth, Bulma? You…a human…give birth?"
Small inklings of a memory came back to Bulma as she remembered a voice so similar to that one ask almost the same question. Son-kun had asked the same question when he first found out Chi-Chi was pregnant. He had come to Bulma, asking what it meant, if she was sick or was dying. He had been wrought with worry at the idea. "You really…don't know, do you?" Bulma asked, the same question she had asked him those years ago.
"No," the girl replied simply.
Bulma suddenly received another painful blow. It was almost as if someone was kicking her repeatedly, and she fought to keep herself from getting sick from the pain. She had little time, now was no time for long explanations. "Winter…people give birth to babies. But they…need help. If I don't get that help…I don't know…what will happen. I need a doctor…now!"
Winter felt an inkling of something resembling panic mixed with an annoyance. She knew what a doctor was: humans that cured the sick or injured in buildings called hospitals. But more importantly she knew she definitely did not the knowledge to deliver Bulma's child. She had seen wild creatures lay eggs and give birth without her help, and it confused her to think that a human would need assistance doing something such as that. Of course, no animal had looked as terrible as Bulma did right then…
The whole situation was sardonically twisted. How many times did she have to rescue this woman? This was the second time her life was in her hands… it would be perfectly easy just to leave her there. It was none of Winter's business what happened to her or the child… and yet it was. The child's father was a Saiyajin… a Saiyajin! One of her own kind, a missing link to her hidden past.
It wasn't just his child…it was hers. It wasn't just a half-Saiyajin that was being born…it was a brother.
And Bulma was no longer a strange being from another world…she was a healer. A consoler. She had taken her in, fed her, clothed her… and the blood of the Saiyajin now flowed partially through her, too. It was an entangled chain that spread through all of them that bound them together through fate and blood. Slowly Winter's annoyance left her, replaced by a strange satisfaction and realization.
Bulma suddenly screamed loudly. It was more tearing this time, more painful. And to Winter it was now that much more evident. "Winter… Now!" she gasped.
Within a second, Winter knelt beside the suffering woman and picked her body up easily, cradling it in her large grasp with gentle ease. She ran out of the clearing and fired her ki to its maximum. Her desperation powered her quicker than it ever had before and she jumped into the air with a huge gust of wind. Energy cracked around her as her level of Saiyajin power rose as high as her body would allow. It took her no time at all to start flying with astonishing speed through the night sky.
It had been a while since she had actually gone flying. It would have been exhilarating, the feeling of power and life that was flowing through her in those moments. She felt stronger than she ever had before, a true warrior in her element. But the fact that the blood of two of her comrades was now at stake, her mood was hardened with the determination inside her…inside them.
Over the howling wind produced by their speed, Winter could barely make out Bulma's once again extremely loud screams. Her sharp nails dug into her still injured back and shoulders as she grasped her body frightfully. Winter slowed to a hovering stop, powering down the excess energy that was still surrounding her body in blue flames of power.
Winter braced her ears for the barrage of panicked shouts she knew were to come as the air became still. She was unpleasantly surprised to find the woman only now breathing in huge gasps. "He's coming…Kami, he's coming!"
"Bulma," Winter said, trying to keep as calm as she possibly could, but firm. "I need you to tell me how to get to a hospital. I've never left the forest alone before…I need your help now."
The woman suddenly let out a squeal of air from her throat and gritted her teeth, starting to cry again. "I can't! I can't!"
The girl felt herself rise a bit in anger, and she fought to control her emotions. "You must. Or the child is going to die, Bulma. Focus, now!"
"Too soon…too soon…" she repeated over and over, her voice becoming husky and sore.
Winter felt a slight panic begin to swell in her mind. There had to be some way to help the woman, some way to calm her down… I've got it! She had never actually used the ki power on a human before, but she had used it several times on injured creatures or her own wounds she would accumulate from over-training. Perhaps it would work for a temporary relief.
She propped Bulma's body weight on her right arm, sitting her on one knee and into an almost sitting position. She had to be careful not to drop her as the woman threw her head back in another howl of maternity pain. Winter then held her other palm flat against the woman's bulging stomach and began to focus all her spare energy into the formation of a warm healing power. She searched her mind to pinpoint the power into the child inside Bulma. Winter strained as her concentration that allowed her flotation to sustain wavered and she almost started sinking to the ground.
Fight! You can do this, Winter! her mind repeated to her. Finally, slowly, Bulma started to breath steadily and her eyes blinked as they focused into awareness. She felt relaxed and Winter could feel her heartbeat slow as her adrenaline level lowered substantially. "It… stopped," Bulma let out finally, almost in a childish wonder.
Winter's head was now swimming as she fought to control her flight. Her energy was drained, and she prayed that she would be able to make it to the hospital. She managed to wheeze out in a low voice, "Which…way?"
Bulma looked at her with a concerned sympathy. "Winter…you're drained. We have to stop until you can control yourself."
Humans and their insane sympathy… As Winter shook her head to clear it, she gasped out in an angrier tone than she had intended. "I'm fine, woman! That healing I administered to you was only a temporary commodity…I range that in about two minutes, the pain will be back. And I can't do that again!" Her voice grew to a shout. "Now tell me which way!"
Bulma shrank back a bit in Winter's grasp, a bit of fear in her blue eyes. She finally pointed out to the west. "Only a few miles that way, then you get to the city. The hospital is on Hibiki Road."
"Good thing it's not far," Winter replied as she rocketed forward again. Her pace was a great deal slower than it had been and each foot they flew felt like a hundred. Her acute sight scanned the countryside, looking for a sign of anything that would show the way.
Finally she made out the hazy shadowed shape of a few sparse round buildings. Slowly their numbers increased until they saw the beginnings of a huge city, jammed with busy city streets, bustling cars, and towering skyscrapers and buildings. Winter decreased their height until they were almost along the rooftops.
Bulma scanned below them. She knew the city better than Winter and finally she pointed to a small side road. "There! That's Hibiki Road…the hospital should be two blocks down that way. We should be there any…any… no. Not again…kuso!" She let out a small moan and Winter could feel the effects of the recurring pains in Bulma's body even before she let go another burst of screams.
Vegita felt like he was going to literally burst from all the pressure he was exerting on himself. He had let his rage increase to its maximum peak and he knew that his body was slowly starting to change… he was so close now… and soon he would be ranked with that fool Kakarrotto. And then he could surpass him. Defeat him.
He felt the gravity room floor start to push on his feet and he thought it may crack again. It shouldn't though, Dr. Briefs had seen to it that the materials were doubly reinforced, especially after Vegita had destroyed the room in another try at turning Super Saiyajin. The accident had nearly killed him and had reduced the structure to an unsalvageable wreck. He had seen to it that the doctor had rebuilt it by the time he was out of the recovery room and had reconstructed it to take on all effects of his training. It had then taken him a few months to finally return to this current state he was in; any other time he had tried, it would send him into a fit of illness. And with that an uncontrollable rage that he was to fall victim to such… weakness.
Vegita could feel the bones and muscles in his body bulge and shift as it started rearranging to suit the transformation. His hair started to flair, to pale in color as it began to take on the golden aura, the telltale sign of the new form. Suddenly all he could see was white as even his eyes started to change from their normal color. He could feel his own royal blood boil with his increasing anger. It was so close…
And no sooner had it begun that his body erupted in a blinding pain, forcing a choked gasp through the Saiyajin's throat. He fell to the metal floor with a sickening thud, the advanced gravity taking its toll on him with increasing pressure. He forced himself to a crouched position. "Chikuso…" he managed out in a harsh voice. "Again…I fail."
Vegita could feel all his energy spent, his body totally drained of all power within him. He forced himself to crawl to the controls at the center of the room. He let out a wheezing laugh. "To think…the almighty Saiyajin no Ouji…would be forced to crawl…like some animal. How…ironic." He hit the controls with his hand, instantly feeling the relief as the gravity of Earth returned to normal.
He stood up shakily and almost fell back to the ground. "Even more ironic…that a third class traitor…a half-witted fool…would outdo my power…time after…time…" he murmured to no one. He was filled with a mixture of emotions: anger, at both himself and fate that he should be practically at the mercy of some lowly commoner, a deep sadness that penetrated inside his very soul… why? Why couldn't he make it?
Vegita suddenly fell to his knees as he felt a twinge of pain hit his chest with extreme shock. He gasped and grabbed at his heart. What was wrong with him? This was not like any pain he had ever felt before… it was a physical pain, but also something more…something more deep inside him…
Bulma!
It was still the middle of the early morning, and the hospital was practically empty and totally silent. A nurse sat behind the desk, twiddling a pen between two of her fingers idly while another ran scans through the computer files, checking for system bugs. A doctor passed by, sipping on a cup of hot coffee, thinking how much he would like to go home and get some well-deserved rest. It was a normal night for everyone working at the usual stations.
That was before Winter had broken through the glass sliding doors, carrying a still yelling Bulma in her arms. "Baka! You're supposed to use the doors, not go through them!" Bulma screamed at her.
Winter ignored her, blinking and trying to focus on where she was. She was a wreck, weakened beyond belief and trying to maintain a manageable consciousness. A few streams of blood now trickled from a few scratches on her face from going through the door. She looked at the workers standing around her, gawking at the sight. You'd think they never saw someone flying before… Winter thought to herself. But she was suddenly torn from her thoughts as Bulma's body convulsed again.
Winter turned to one of the nearby nurses. "You! Help her! Now!" her voice was loud with rage and it took on an animal-like growl as she spoke.
The young woman scrambled from where she was standing and rushed over to her. "What is the problem?" she asked, obviously shaken by the girl's sudden entrance.
Winter snarled. "What does it look like? This woman's in, er, uh…" She faltered, trying to remember the word Bulma had used earlier. "Um…"
The woman in her arms suddenly lashed out and grabbed a hold of the nurse's sleeve. "My baby! I'm in labor, please!" she let out in one gasp.
A doctor suddenly pulled up with a wheelchair. "Here, set her down in this. We'll take her to the delivery room."
Winter looked at the strange chair and hesitated in deciding whether or not to trust Bulma with these…strangers. She suddenly felt a cool hand touch her shoulder and she looked down to see Bulma staring up at her with a strained look of kindness mixed with trust. "Go on, Winter…they'll take care of me. This once…please trust me."
Winter considered for a moment and finally set her down in the wheelchair. She followed obediently as the doctor started to push Bulma down the hall. She turned when she felt a small tug at her gi sleeve. It was the same nurse who had first confronted her. "Ma'am, you can't go back there. You'll have to wait in the…" She stopped short when she saw the girl staring murderously at the hand that was holding her back. She immediately let go.
Winter leaned her back against the wall outside the delivery room. She had decided it best to let the doctors perform their work without her in the way, but she wanted to be close enough should Bulma need her help. She stared at the door intensely, they had been in there for a while now. Long enough that a few people intent on 'removing her from the building' had already approached her a few times. Some small blast techniques had gotten rid of them easily. Annoyances… she thought sourly to himself.
Suddenly the door opened with a small creak. A few nurses came streaming out, looking a bit downcast; Winter felt her gut wrench with a feeling of nervousness and fright. She pushed past them and ran into the delivery room. "Bulma? Bulma!"
Winter saw her lying on a small bed, looking lifeless and pale. She gasped suddenly and walked over to her. She was extremely relieved when she could make out her light breathing through her acute hearing. The doctor that had wheeled her in was looking intently out the window, his back to her. Winter could hear him murmuring to himself. "It was very close… dangerously close…"
No…No! She felt a sickening pang of guilt resound through her already weakened body, and Winter fought to remain standing. This couldn't be happening! How could it be happening…? "For all the worth of a Saiyajin, how could I not be able to save one of my own?" she let out in a strangled growl. "I am not of any worth to anyone…"
The doctor turned around to look at her. His brow was furrowed slightly. "What are you talking about? I said it was close, I didn't say it didn't live!" He held up a small bundle of cloth that was lying in his arms. He smiled warmly and walked over to Winter, holding it out to her. "It's a very healthy, remarkably strong baby boy."
Winter felt her heart beat furiously as she took the child awkwardly. It was definitely not what she had expected a human baby to look like, but at the same time she thought…no, she knew…it was the most wondrous thing she had ever seen. It was a new life she was holding…a new Saiyajin life. The boy's eyes slowly opened, blinking awkwardly for the first time. His curly purple hair reflected the light of the actually dim room. His tiny arms and legs wriggled slightly in her grasp. He stared up at Winter almost in thought, almost as if knowing the link that was actually between them…and suddenly burst into a fit of wailing cries.
And, for the first time in years, Winter smiled honestly. Like mother…she thought warmly to herself. But I will take care of you…I promise. For we are linked in blood, small child. Even though you do not know it. As she gave the child back to the waiting doctor, she looked at baby's face one last time before he carried it out of the room. She couldn't help but secretly wondered if it was just coincidence that his blue eyes were almost identical to hers…