Chapter Two: Recovery and Loss
Hello again! Thank you for the wonderful reviews so far! I hope to have this story finished in about five chapters. I write pretty fast so maybe I won't keep you in suspense too long, lol! I'm really enjoying myself, and comments will be appreciated! By the way, I don't own DBZ. Anyway, on with the story! *****************************************
Bulma began to try to focus on her surroundings, attempting to ignore the searing pain shooting through the length of her body. She could feel her ribs beginning to snap and her lungs felt as though they would collapse at any moment. She tried desperately to claw her way up to reach for the control switch, but to no avail.
* *Kami...please...if you...let me live...I'll tell Vejita how much I...care for him...I promise. *
Bulma could stay awake no longer as she let unconsciousness overtake her mind.
"Where is that woman?" Vejita said as he landed in the Brief's backyard. He wasn't really in the mood to go searching for her to see if the repairs had been made to his machine. His attention was suddenly directed elsewhere when he saw that the machine was already on. "Well, at least it didn't take her all day. The woman is much better at fixing machines than she is at preparing meals." Vejita thought sarcastically.
As he made his way to the machine, he passed a casual glance though the bay window. Upon glancing in, he could tell that something was horribly wrong. The woman lay in the middle of the chamber, not moving.
"BULMA!" Vejita quickly rushed inside, turning off the gravity in the process. He made his way to her, and was shocked at what he saw. She was barely clinging to life; her eyes were rolled into the back of her head. Vejita lightly spread his hand out across her chest and recoiled with a gasp. Almost all of her ribs were broken, and her breathing was so shallow, it caused him to believe that she may have a punctured lung. Her legs also seemed to be broken and blood was slowly making its way down from the corner of her mouth. But all in all, she was still alive, but, in this condition, she wouldn't remain so for long. Vejita carefully lifted her into his arms, being ever conscious of her injuries. He swiftly made his way inside the compound. And called out for Bulma's father.
"BRIEFS! GET IN HERE NOW!" A hint of panic was laced in Vejita's voice. The doctor and his wife rushed into the room and were instantly thrown into hysterics. "We have to get her to a hospital now!" Vejita spoke up. He thought it strange that he was the voice of reason in this situation.
Bulma was instantly transported to a hospital, oddly enough with Vejita in tow. Goku and Yamcha had also been alerted and arrived instantly. Bulma was barely responding to the doctor's attempts and was pronounced to be in a coma.
Now it was explaining time.
"What the hell happened, Vejita!?!" Yamcha was a little beyond peeved. Vejita just glared at him. "I don't know human, I wasn't there." "Of course you weren't, you bastard1 You just order people around and always expect them to do what you say! Then you go off and try to train to beat Goku, but you'll never be strong enough! You want to know why, Monkey Prince? Because you are nothing more than a spoiled brat who is always used to getting his way. Am I right!?!" Vejita slightly paled at these statements. Yamcha was absolutely convinced that Vejita had something to do with Bulma's current state. He knew that he had done Bulma wrong before, but in his eyes, he would never be as bad to her as Vejita was. The saiyan cast a sidelong glance at the hospital bed containing Bulma.
* I...I did this. I may not have physically harmed her, but my damn pride has done this... I can't stay... knowing she will hate me when she wakes up. *
Vejita looked down at the woman, an unknown feeling of regret washing over him. He couldn't change, he didn't know how. All his life he had been taught that reaching the goal of becoming the strongest and obeying Freeza were the most important things. He obviously failed miserably at alliance to that tyrant and a third class weakling had managed to surpass him in power. This female had been the only one who didn't care about the goals he had erected for himself. No matter how much she bitched, she had selflessly built him a gravity trainer for him to become stronger, she had offered him shelter when others turned their back on him, and, she had wanted to be his friend. No one had ever wanted that of him.
As payment to her he berated her, poked fun at her when her beau left her crying, and ordered her to fix a machine when she wasn't the one who sort-circuited it.
Vejita placed a fleeting hand on her forehead, and Yamcha had to be restrained by Goku as he did so. "I'm leaving now...Bulma." Turning towards the window Vejita lit off into the sky.
After the incident at the hospital, Vejita made one last request of the Briefs. He asked for a ship. He would train alone in space, alone, where he couldn't hurt her anymore.
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Groggily, Bulma opened her eyes to stare at a white ceiling. All she knew was that her head felt as though a train had hit her. "Where am I?" Bulma had yet to recall the incident in the gravity trainer. Suddenly, friends and family surrounded her.
Comments poured onto her... "You're all right!" "We were so worried!" "Do you fell okay?" "Do you want anything?" Flustered, Bulma spoke slowly. "What...happened?"
Yamcha interjected. "You've been asleep for more than a month! You were in the gravity chamber when something went wrong..." an insistent Bulma cut him off. "Where's Vejita... I have a promise I have to keep." "She's rambling, we need to get the doctor." Bulma's mother spoke up in a worried tone.
"WHERE IS VEJITA! I NEED TO KNOW!" Bulma was overexerting herself and she knew it. "He...saved my life..." Yamcha was to disagree but a look from Goku told him to shut up. "Bulma," her father spoke up, "I built a ship for Vejita...he took off right after he brought you here. He's been gone for about a month now. I'm so sorry honey."
Bulma sank back down onto the bed. What did they mean, he had left? But, she had to tell him...
"I need to be alone, I'm sorry everyone. I...I just..."
"We understand." Goku spoke up. "Come on guys."
Yamcha was the last to leave, casting a sidelong glance towards Bulma. "I thought we'd always be together, but now it seems you care for someone else." "I'm sorry Yamcha, I can't change the way I feel." Bulma was now on the verge of tears. "Goodbye Bulma." And on that note, Yamcha walked out of her life forever.
"Kami...now I really am all alone." Vejita had left. Why? Didn't he care enough about her to see if she would recover? But, he had been the one to save her life, hadn't he?
Bulma would remember the times when Vejita would show another side of himself, but it would only be for a split second. Like one time, when she had fallen asleep on the couch after working on an invention all night, Vejita had carried her into her bedroom. Of course he denied it, but she knew. Little things like that made her just want to run up and hug the life out of him. She knew that his life had been rough, and she wanted to be the person to rid him of his pain. Now she would never have the opportunity.
Or would she?
What's going to happen now!?! Well, you'll just have to wait and see. (I love controlling people...BWHAHAHAHA...ahem) Until next time, see you later! Miayu