A/N: hey hello there!! so how y'all doin'?? neway thanks heaps for all the great reviews, i loved 'em!! (hint hint). well here's the last chapter - yes indeedy, it's the one you've all been waiting for!!
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IS IT LOVE? :
MAYBE...
Bulma sighed. Vegeta had moved back in when she had come home from the hospital, but things were not great between them. He never looked at her, never talked to her. He didn't even yell at her for being late with his food anymore. Despite this, she knew that life must go on and so she went to every possible length to act 'normal' around everyone.
At work some bastards spoke down to her, even though she was the all powerful Miss Bulma Briefs. They spoke down to her because first she's a woman, and now she's disabled. "Those stupid fuck-wits don't know anything! They think just because I got smashed by a semi-trailer my brains suddenly ran away and left me with nothing up here," she fumed, tapping her head. She was at home in her office working on a new invention, but as always her mind slipped back to all her worries, of which she had quite a few these days. "Ah well, we'll just see what happens tomorrow, shall we??" Little did they know, but Bulma was planning a rather unpleasant surprise for all the chauvinistic idiots who dared to think they were better than her.
(the next day, at work)
"Do you really think that's wise? I mean, there are a million other ways of dealing with this problem. If you'd just look at this plan I've drawn up you'll see..." The suit (i use this term to describe air-headed dimwits who think they're business hotshots..) was addressing the entire board of directors, many of whom quite agreed with him. Others were becoming increasingly worried as they watched their boss grow madder by the second.
"Hmm, I quite agree. a very good model, don't you think, Bulma dear?" Asked another soon-to-be-dead member of the board. He asked it in such a way as to imply that really Bulma didn't have a choice - that model was thought up by a man, and more importantly, by one who was still whole. It was his tone as much as anything else that finally sent Bulma over the edge.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU MEAN BY THAT?? MIGHT I REMIND YOU THAT I HIRED YOU??!!! MIGHT I ALSO REMIND YOU THAT WITHOUT ME THIS COMPANY WOULD NEVER HAVE EXISTED!!!!" Although most at the table were literally blown away by the force of her scream a few fools still sat in their places smiling indulgently, as though she were merely a small child throwing a tantrum rather than their boss who was about to fire them.
"Really, is that necessary? My dear girl -" his sickeningly false smile was suddenly cut off along with his air supply as an infuriated blue-haired woman launched herself at him.
"Don't (punch) call me (whack) 'my (boom) dear' (smack) you worthless piece of elephant shit!! As of this very second every single one of you who think that I'm weak just because I can't walk are fired, and I will personally make sure that you never work in this industry again!" The terrified suits grabbed what was left of their colleague and ran from the building; one man had been so frightened he had accidentally left a wet patch where he had been standing. Bulma sneered, then turned back to what was left of the board and flashed them a bight sweet smile. "So, where were we?"
Unbeknown to her, a certain Saya-jin prince was chuckling to himself as he flew back to his training.
***
About a week after that Vegeta was stalking around the house trying to find Bulma so she could fix the gravity room for him. He ambled past her workroom, and catching a glimpse of her he stopped to watch.
She was again hard at work on her invention. "Damn! Where's that wrench?" She looked around the place and finally spotted it high up on a shelf above her head. "OK, just a little higher, just a little - FUCK!!" She had been reaching up out of her chair but suddenly slipped and fell to the floor, tools and invention all clattering around her. In the shadows Vegeta sneered, ignoring the part of himself that ordered him to run to her.
"Fuck this shit!" She laughed a little as she saw the wrench lying beside her. "Well, that was one way to get it.." She struggled to pull herself back up into her chair, but on the way noticed a thin piece of metal sticking out of her leg. She shrugged, not registering any pain, and pulled it out and wiped it. That caused Vegeta to start - he had expected her to scream or cry or something, but not just to keep on going.
He walked into the room saying, "You're bleeding." Bulma started and then turned around, and angry retort on her lips. At the sight of him standing there contemplating her - as though he was weighing something up - she stopped and looked curiously at him. Then she looked down at her leg and realised there was a shocking amount of blood pumping out of it.
"Oh dear. Can you pass us that rag?" With that she proceeded to bandage herself up.
Al the time she was fixing the gravity room Vegeta watched her with that calculating look in his eyes, and she noticed it as he watched her go about her daily chores, although he was trying to make sure she didn't see him watching. And she could have sworn she could feel him near her at work sometimes, but always when she turned to look he wasn't there.
He was sitting on a rock one afternoon lost in his thoughts, when Bulma and Goku, ChiChi and Gohan came into view. They were all laughing at something, but suddenly Bulma tripped and fell (she was using the crutches for a change). Nobody dove in to help her up, the other three just stood around and kept on talking while she hauled herself upright. All her friends had learned not to offer help unless she asked for it, which was never. Vegeta didn't realise this and found himself powering up out of sheer anger at their 'neglect' of her. Then a small part of his mind yelled, "This is BULMA we're talking about! Why should you worry about her?" Out loud he said, "Yes, why am I worrying?" He continued to watch and saw how she just continued walking and talking as though nothing had happened - no sign of anger, no sign that anything was wrong.
~Huh? I thought for sure she'd be angry with herself or something! How can she not have any reaction at all??~ Then the thought struck: she's accepted it. Vegeta tried to imagine himself in such a situation and realised that the rest of his life he would be fighting with himself, fighting his disabilities. He knew that that would surely send him mad, but also knew that he would never be able to accept himself as less than perfect. Hell, he had enough trouble doing that now! ~It's because she's weak, that's why she doesn't fight.~ But he wondered, wondered exactly how much courage it would take to admit to yourself that you were not perfect, that there were things you just could not do. And at that precise moment - when he realised Bulma had accomplished something he would never have the guts for - all of a sudden she didn't seem so weak after all.
***
Bulma couldn't work out what had brought the change in him, but she wasn't complaining. Since last week Vegeta had suddenly started looking at her again and, by Kami, he even made some conversation! He no longer called her 'woman' either, which really puzzled her, because even before the accident, even while they were going out, he had almost never called her by her name.
That night there was a formal dinner being held by the Capsule Corp., and Goku was going to be her date. She really wanted to look good for this one, but she knew that however beautiful she used to be, she wasn't any more. Still, she dolled herself up and wheeled out of her room in a clingy black dress, not looking half bad either, but she thought she looked awful. She went into the lounge room (not realising Vegeta was lying on the couch), saw her reflection in the mirror and picked up a vase to smash against the wall. In the settling dust and pieces of glass Vegeta could hear her crying silently and muttering, "I used to be beautiful."
"You still are," he whispered. At that she swung around to face him, prepared to knock his head in, but at the look in his eyes she stopped. He wasn't looking at her with 'you are weak' written all over his face, not even close. Her heart stopped in her chest as he continued to look at her, as he continued to stare right into the very depths of her soul where he whispered again, "You still are beautiful."
Suddenly tears welled up in her eyes but he wiped them away with his thumbs, cradling her head in his large hands. By this time he was kneeling before her, forehead resting against forehead. As both sat there finally giving in to their love the bond that had held them together through everything they had suffered flared up and forged their souls, making them one. Wonderingly, Vegeta stared at his mate and said, "I love you. I always have. And you are beautiful, woman who has invaded my heart, you will always be beautiful."
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awww.... now wasn't that sweet?? i know they've all been a little short, but they're still good, aren't they?? neway, please leave your comments in that box down there, and thanks for reading!!!
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