And we're back! Hope you all have had a fantastic week. It feels weird to be back to updating a story in this universe. Even though I just finished the spinoff, returning to Planet Vegeta has been a little weird. I dunno. Probably just me but whatever.
As usual, all comments and feedback are appreciated. Enjoy!
Vegeta didn't return, that night. Bulma woke up in an empty bed. He was probably training himself to exhaustion, again; he always did this, when he was having problems. She hated it, but there was little she could do about it. If she tried to prod him to talk to her, it would only make things worse. She could only hope that he'd open up, soon enough.
Bulma had a meeting with the council, that morning. She was to brief them on all that had happened, during her visit to Earth. She understood why it was important, but she despised these meetings. This is why she never wanted to take over Capsule Corporation; she had no interest in long, slogging meetings: ones where some of the board members were actively trying to tick her off. But, this was part of the job, so she had to suck it up and get through it.
She made it to the meeting room, with a few minutes to spare. Most of the council members were here, but the king was missing. She took a seat, at the end of the table. Maybe he would show up, when it began. It was unusual, given his usual punctuality, but maybe he overslept, or something.
Soon, the rest of the council took their seats. Still, there was no sign of the king. Instead, Nappa was sitting at the end of the table.
"I now call this council meeting to order," he spoke. "I, Nappa of Onio, am proceeding in place of King Vegeta II. He is busy with diplomatic duties and is, therefore, unavailable to be present. All other members of the council are present, as well as our guest, Ambassador Bulma of Earth." He gestured towards her and nodded. "Bulma, you may proceed with your briefing."
She stood up, and took a deep breath. She pushed a few handouts to the side, outlining the briefing. "Gentlemen, my latest trip to Earth proved to be a success. The Earth leaders approved of the tax and tariff cuts we discussed. Within the upcoming months, it will be less costly for the people of Earth to buy exports from Planet Vegeta, increasing our presence in the market. In theory, this might encourage entrepreneurs to consider expanding their businesses to Planet Vegeta, creating more jobs and vitally diversifying our economy."
"How did you get them to agree to this," one of the councilmen asked.
"As you know, Prince Vegeta accompanied me on this trip." One of the councilmen snorted, which she ignored. "He spoke very eloquently and managed to convince the swing voters to vote 'yes'. Much of this can be credited to him, as well."
Nappa had a small smile on his face. "Is that all you have to report?"
She nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Alright. Good work as usual, Bulma. If anyone has any comments, now is the time to speak."
One councilman raised his hand. "Yes, I have a few."
"Then speak, Chini."
Chini propped his hands on the desk. "Now, Miss Bulma, will there be any measures taken to assure that Planet Vegeta's own will not be driven out by this new competition?"
"That will depend on the competition. As I mentioned, this is all based on possibilities and a bit of wishful thinking. Nothing is set in stone, yet. If the people have those fears, then we can always discuss methods of cultural preservation."
"Is that right?"
"I understand the importance of heritage and historical preservation – it is a big issue, back on Earth. Luckily, they have done much of the trial and error, already, so we shouldn't have as many issues as other peoples have, in the past."
"Ah, I understand. I suppose Earth has all the answers, doesn't it?"
Some of the councilmen sighed and groaned. They didn't want to hear one of his rants, again.
"That's not what I said," Bulma said, trying not to look visibly annoyed. He did this at every briefing. "Don't put words into my mouth."
"But it's not a valid concern, isn't it? Need I remind you that not even three years ago, our entire species was nearly wiped out? It's only natural to feel a bit weary of this."
"Of course. I understand and empathize with you, completely. But-"
"No, you don't. You're not a Saiyan. No matter how many elites you shag up with, you never will be."
"Chini, that's enough," Nappa said. "This is the third meeting in a row you have gone on this rant. Cut it out, or I'll have choice words for the king, when he returns."
Chini huffed. "Have it your way,"
"Now, does anyone have anything constructive to add?"
Thankfully, the remainder of the meeting went on without a hitch. They discussed what they should propose for the next time that Bulma returned to Earth, and managed to narrow it down to a few options. They would debate and vote on these when it was closer to Bulma's return. With another successful meeting finished, the council was adjourned.
Before she left, Bulma went up to Nappa. "Hey Nappa," she asked. "Can I speak to you, for a moment?"
"Of course."
They exited the meeting hall, going to stand in an empty hallway.
She glanced around, before she looked back up at him. "You know about the murders, right?"
He sighed. "Yes. What a pointless shame… Why?"
"Vegeta… he didn't take it well. He left the room, while the king was giving his speech, and he didn't come back for the rest of the night."
"I figured, as much. He nearly killed himself in training, when he thought you were executed. He likes to beat his emotions out of him."
"What should I do? I want him to be open and talk to him about it, but I don't want to push him. Last night, he just told me to leave him alone. I'm afraid if I try to pry, I might close him off more."
Nappa put his hands on his hips, and huffed. "I'll be honest, Bulma: I couldn't tell you what to do." He paused. "The best I can say is just be there for him. Don't prod – that's the right idea. But just be present. I think that'll be enough to get through, to him."
That was probably the best answer she was going to get. She nodded. "Okay. I'll try. Thanks, Nappa."
He smiled. "No problem, kiddo." He patted her shoulder, as he walked past her.
Bulma went back to the room, carrying a bit of food from the cafeteria. She intended to spend the rest of her afternoon in her room. She needed a bit of peace and quiet, after how long and nerve-wracking the council meeting was. She quietly slipped inside, and set her meal on the small coffee table. Intending to change into her home clothes, she walked into her room.
She sighed. Vegeta was face down on the bed, fast asleep. He must have been so tired; normally, if he were asleep, he'd be awake and alert, as soon as she walked in. She walked closer to the bed. His bodysuit wasn't tattered and there were only a few bruises on his skin. At least he wasn't overdoing his training.
She knelt down, next to the bed. Even in sleep, he looked tense. Very gently, she ran her fingers through his hair, softly massaging his scalp. His face began to relax, under her touch. She smiled and kissed his forehead.
The kiss was more forceful than she intended. His face flinched for a moment, before he slowly blinked his eyes open.
"Hey," she said, softly.
He grunted.
She reminded herself what Nappa said – be present. "Have you eaten? I can fix you up something. Okay?"
After a long pause, he nodded, and slowly began to sit up. She left the room and went to the small kitchenette. They only had a little food on standby, but she managed to fix it into something edible. She figured he might not be able to handle much food, anyway.
They ate in silence. Bulma nervously glanced at Vegeta. He kept his eyes on his plate the entire time. She wanted to say something to him, but she knew how much good that would do. No, she needed to be patient. If she just waited, he would open up to her, soon enough.
Once they were done, Bulma set the dishes in the sink. Vegeta sat in his chair the entire time, not looking at her. He still looked a little dazed; maybe he was tired. She didn't intend to wake him, earlier. He could probably use a bit more rest, but if she left him alone, he might go back to training.
An idea came to her. She managed to feign a yawn. "I'm going to go lie down, for a bit. Don't worry about the dishes – I'll get it done later. I'll see you in a few hours." She accented her speech with a few more yawns, for good measure.
She walked back into the bedroom and climbed in. She didn't fall asleep, as she wasn't very tired. She purposefully stared at the wall, keeping her eyes off of the door. However, she still listened closely, hoping her plan would work.
She pushed back a squeal and a victory dance, when the door opened, once again. She felt the mattress give way next to her, as the covers were shifted and pulled.
"You are an awful actress," he finally said.
She smiled, rolling over to face him. "And yet, here you are. All according to plan." She leaned her head on her pillow, as he lied on his back.
He closed his eyes, as he sunk into the mattress. "Brilliant. Maybe the generals should hire you for battle strategy."
She looked up, feigning thinking. "But that would mean less time here, wouldn't it? And I bet a certain prince wouldn't be too happy about that." She ran her hand down his arm, running it over his bicep.
"He'd get over it." He still didn't open his eye.
She sighed. "I don't think she would, though. I mean: imagine all the burly, rugged, dark, and handsome men serving in the army. All those years of experience? Oh my lord, how would she ever cope without him?"
Bulma felt Vegeta's tail curl around her waist, squeezing her tightly. He shifted onto his side, and pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her. "I guess we should make sure she won't worry about that."
She nestled her face into his shoulder, sighing in content. This was her favorite side of Vegeta – the soft, romantic one. It made her feel privileged to know that he wouldn't show it to anyone but her. She didn't think she would ever tire of it.
She looked up at him and frowned. He had a serious look on his face; she only saw it when he was deep in thought. He must have still been thinking about last night. She put her hand on her chest, feeling his heart beating beneath her fingertips. She didn't want to press her luck, but she still wished that he would talk to her about it. She remembered what Nappa told her, and lied there, quietly, gently caressing his chest.
"I apologize for running out, last night," he said. "I should have given you an answer."
She shook her head. "You don't have to apologize. I understand that you were upset." Her gaze dropped. "I was worried that you were going to hurt yourself, though."
He squeezed her, slightly. "Idiot. You know I wouldn't do that to myself."
"Not on purpose, maybe. I still don't want you to overdo it."
He huffed. "I cannot remain complacent. There's a threat out there that's killing innocent Saiyans one by one. I have to be the one to put an end to it. I made a vow to protect my people: I must uphold it.
"You won't be able to, if you kill yourself in every training session, either." She kissed his cheek. "Vegeta, I know how much you want to serve your race, and I respect that. But I hate seeing you, like this. You don't have to carry the weight of this, on your own. You saved us all, once, but back there, we had no other options. There are hundreds, no, thousands of others who are just as passionate to put this to an end as you are. Please, just let them help." She ran her hand down his face. "I don't want you to be a martyr."
"Gods, how did I end up with someone so neurotic," he muttered.
"It's not neurotic to care for someone else, Vegeta." She sighed. "Just promise me you'll be careful. Is that too much to ask?"
"Do you underestimate my control? I know when to stop. You're reprimanding me over nothing."
"I still worry. I know how you can get, when you're emotional."
His eyes narrowed. "Are you calling me irrational?"
"What? No, not at all."
He didn't respond. He turned over onto his other side, leaving his back facing her. His tail uncurled from her waist, and lied down onto the mattress.
She sighed, and wrapped her arms around his waist. She wouldn't let the discussion end on a bad note. "Vegeta, I only want to help you through this. This is tough for everyone. I know you have your pride and I don't want to step on that, at all. But I can't stand to see you, like this. Please, just let me help you. I can't do that if you don't tell me."
He sat there unmoving for several moments. She didn't move, either. She tightened her arms around him, to make that clear. She was putting her foot down. If she showed a little bit of force, then he might be willing to listen.
"The Legendary," he finally spoke. "I have yet to obtain it, again. If I can, I might be able to stop this. There could be power even beyond it."
She nodded. "Then let me help you."
He glanced behind his shoulder, at her. "How could you? You've stopped training."
"I mean it: just leave it to me. I might be able to come up with something."
He shrugged. "If you think you can…"
A smug smile forced on her face. "Don't underestimate me, either. I know that I can."
Suddenly, Bulma was flattened onto her back, with her hands pinned to the mattress. Vegeta was looming over her, with a wry smirk. "How could I have forgotten? I guess I need a little reminder."
Her eyes widened. She put her hands against his chest. There wasn't time for this, again. He was still tired, and needed rest. "Wait, Vegeta, you need to-"
"If you want me to roll over and sleep, just say so."
She shivered, hearing his low-voice. He rarely spoke to her in that tone; only in times like this. She groaned. "You are so unfair, you know…"
He chuckled. "You'll get over it." He leaned down and kissed her. Her eyes rolled back and she quickly responded. She supposed a few hours of this wouldn't be too much harm. There'd be plenty of time for rest, afterwards.