I'm getting really excited as we near the finale here. And really nervous. Is it normal that writing the end of a story is this nerve-wracking?? I'd imagine so… Also, I threw in a song on this one. The plot of the chapter doesn't match the song exactly, but I simply must insert this song somewhere in the fic. It's called 'Could it be any harder' by The Calling. I love The Calling!!
*sobs* Well, I didn't get to go to Busch Gardens yet, though I'm still going to get a season pass…Bwahahahahahaaa! I can't wait!!!
And much more Vege-chan in this chapter, at my dear Rae's request. ^_^
DAMMIT ALL TO HELL!!! I just called the freaking radio station to answer a question for a game, right? I had a good answer in mind, but never got through. AND THEN ANOTHER FREAKING PERSON CALLS IN WITH THE SAME ANSWER AND WINS!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"This has been a test of your emergency flip out system. This is a true to life story of what you can expect to hear the next time Beji-chan gets seriously pissed…"
(~*~)
You left me with goodbye and open arms
A cut so deep I don't deserve
The blackness surrounding him brightened abruptly, and he was standing on his own lawn.
Vegeta felt his gut wrenching into a knot at the bittersweet apparition before him. Goten and Bra sat against a tree, curled into each other's embrace as Tenshi wandered around the garden, tail waving excitedly as he chased the occasional bug. (AN: Gomen! I forgot to mention his tail before now!)
Everything was back to normal again, normal as things were before Bra died. Hearing that she was gone had been the last nail in his own coffin, at least mentally. He found it sickening how close to happy the news had made him. He was free, he could join his mate, stay with her forever. Nothing could ever separate them. Ever.
And now Kakarott's brat was getting his day in the sun, his own mate and son having returned. And Vegeta was still alone. Alone, synonym for; pain.
But the girl, she had hope. She believed that they could solve the Kai's puzzle, that they could change the machine that brought Trunks back so long ago. She believed that she could not only return his mate to him, but those lost fifteen years as well. What he wouldn't give to see his son grow to manhood. He would even consider allowing him to mate with Kakarott's grandbrat.
Her hope was contagious, and he could only hope she was right.
The vision faded, and darkness swelled, again fulfilling it's purpose as temporary pain-reliever.
You were always invincible in my eyes
The only thing against us now is time(~*~)
The alarm sounded quietly, vibrating in Bra's pocket. She grinned in anticipation, pulling away from her mate to proceed quickly to the lab. He reluctantly released her, returning her smile encouragingly.
The door swooshed open to reveal a still sleeping Vegeta being stared at by a thoughtful Bulma. Bra watched quietly, gently reaching into the mind of her alternate mother.
Memories swirled quickly through the older woman's mind, most bittersweet in their recollection. All thoughts centered on her mate, her pain, sadness, and…guilt. Her short trip to the grocery store on a day the dynamic duo decided to strike. She arrived at the scene as soon as she assumed them gone, checking for wounded or hiding, anything that lived. She felt an odd sense of dread, but shook it off quickly; she had always hated being near the dead. She started at their cold, cruel laughter, their obvious joy at finding one that had escaped. They circled closer, panthers, honing in on the kill.
And then he was there. Fighting brutally, taking far more hits than he landed. Bulma was unsure if he had landed any blows. They taunted, toyed, played with him, killing slowly. Somehow knowing a tiny bit of his heritage, they made cutting remarks about his lost race, his continued failures. He brushed it all aside, ignoring their attempts to hurt him mentally.
His body lying lifeless on the sharp gravel.
Eyes opened to the blue sky.
Staring at the joyous, warm spring sun.
And Bulma knew she would never, could never, forgive herself.
Could it be any harder to say goodbye and without you,
Could it be any harder to watch you go, to face what's true
If I only had one more day
Bra retreated from the woman's mind, her breath drawing in a gasp. The image was burned into the retina of her minds eye, an eternal afterimage lingering just at the edge of sight. A tear escaped her eyelashes, and she watched twin drops of liquid crystal make slow trails down Bulma's smooth cheeks. She rushed to her side, throwing her arms about her alternate mother, who was crying softly. She replaced that small link to her mind, pouring comfort and love through it. Hope managed to blend with it all, as that was the overlying emotion still burning through Bra's being.
The crying of both slowed and they wordlessly walked over to the softly bleeping console, almost racing in their excitement. Bra pulled up the results quickly, and then set the machine to comparing the two samples for any and all differences.
Bra watched with mixed feelings as one characteristic after the other was scanned, identical in every way. The scan finished, having found nothing unique about the two small hairs.
Puzzled, the demi-saiyajin commanded it to re-scan, this time on the molecular level. Nothing. Atomic level. Still no results. Sub-atomic.
Ah, there it was!
She pinpointed the tiny bit of evidence, a small piece of the puzzle revealed. The two women studied the makeup of a single proton. Bulma spoke finally.
"It looks like a numerical, gomen, binary code, almost…tattooed on the proton. If we feed this into…" She trailed on, murmuring to herself. She worked in silence for a few moments, then sat back in the chair when the screen went blank. She was about to restart the computer when the screen flashed white and then faded. Still totally lost, Bulma returned to resetting the controls. Bra stopped her with a gesture, hitting a button to repeat the flash. The computer complied immediately.
"What is it Bra?"
"A sequence. The code converts easily into colors, at least for a computer. Though it was quite fast, that flash was a very, very complex color sequence. Like some kind of tag." Bulma nodded her understanding.
"The time machine is already able to grasp another timeline. If we install equipment that will detect that tag and lock on to it, we should be able to hone in on whatever timeline we wish." The two women rushed about the lab, gathering necessary materials. Bra found another chance to read Bulma's thoughts, scanning her list of parts needed and collecting them with superhuman speed.
Bra sensed her father's ki beginning to rise as he slowly awoke, the pain driving him to consciousness prematurely. It would take at least a half hour to fully awaken, and she ignored his soft murmurs.
(~*~)
I lie down and blind myself with laughter
A quick fix of hope is what I'm needing
And how I wish that I could turn back the hours
But I know I just don't have the power
Feeling intelligent thought return, Vegeta considered the vision he had just seen. He decided that it could easily have been real, had he not been in a coma-like trance from whatever that shit was Bra had administered. That about summarized the flavor of it.
He found that he was unable to open his eyes as of yet, and contented himself with sensing Bra and Bulma's ki moving about the lab. He was finding it increasingly difficult to be near that woman, and her blasted familiar energy signature.
Could it be any harder to say goodbye and without you,
Could it be any harder to watch you go, to face what's true
If I only had one more day
He found that wiggling his fingers was the extent of mobility. He allowed his mind to drift to his own fantasies of the next few days. Who was going to make the trip to the past anyhow? If they even fixed the damn thing. Though, based on his recollection of Bra's current state of mind, returning to the past was entirely possible. Her mind was abuzz with ideas, running with light speed through complex calculations, making educated guesses at the results of different methods. Baffled by the complicated equations, he withdrew to his own thoughts, feeling a begrudging sense of pride in his daughter.
Timidly stepping into the part of his mind that always revolved around his mate, Vegeta was hit with a new wave of discomfort. He ignored it and pressed on, letting his thoughts of raising Bra and Trunks with her entertain his minds eye.
I'd jump at the chance,
We'd drink and we'd dance
And I'd listen close to your every word,
As if it's your last, well I know it's your last,
Cause today, oh, you're gone
He pulled himself out of the reverie, which had turned quickly from fantasy to memory. He cursed when he felt small drops of wetness amble away from his eyes, leaving trails down his tan cheeks. He cursed again when he found himself still unable to move, speak, or even open his eyes. Emotion lay trapped in his throat, a rusted blade twisting itself deeper into the vital organs of his chest.
Soft fingers stroked his face, removing tears. "Shhh, it's okay Touchan. We've got this machine all figured out. All we have to do now is get the new parts installed, and you can go back. I think it's best if you just go and warn yourself, right? Hush now, you'll be with her soon. Goten is having a good time with Tenshi. Maybe when you wake up you can go see him. You'll find he is the most willing student, and he'll copy anything that you do. Now is your chance to influence him no end." She murmured soothingly, her voice breaking with the mixture of joy and sorrow that always resulted in tears.
His tears faded under the influence of her comforting words, the scorching heat embedded in his chest dying down to a soft smolder. And he realized somehow that she considered this to be her main purpose in life. Not training, or her company, but being there for him. So many times she had missed days at work, time spent with her friends, her lab work, time spent with the other man in her life. Stayed home because he was in a fowl mood. Cooked him a good meal, stayed silent unless he spoke, and usually received a rough sparring session. (AN: Not beating, just more intense than usual. No severe injuries)
"Well, we'll never get done just sitting here now will we Touchan? You just let that drug wear off, and then go outside with Goten and your grandbrat." He could hear the smirk in her voice as she moved away from him, intentionally saving him from any embarassment over his weakness moments ago.
How had he produced such an angel? Where had she gotten that sweetness, tempered by her determination and strength of character? Pride was almost as deeply embedded in her soul as his, and no small arrogance. She wasn't perfect, and still contained many of her parent's faults. And yet, she was so close to perfection. So like her mother.
Her mother. He breathed deeply, letting visions of the woman dance through his thoughts. He watched as her halo disappeared, arms opening as she drew near him. She laughed happily as he crushed her to his chest in a loving embrace. Both of his children appeared and he pulled away from his mate slightly. The two were followed by Goten and Pan respectively, a small child held in the arms of each of the young mothers, the fathers looking over shoulders at their children excitedly. A figure hung off to the side, only visible in ones peripheral view, vanishing when you turned your head to find them. He soon forgot about the mysterious creature as Trunks and Bra disappeared again, leaving him alone with Bulma. Except that being alone with her gave the word an entirely different meaning.
Harsh reality crushed his dreams as the stabbing in his upper torso became unbearable.
Could it be any harder to live my life without you
Could it be any harder I'm all alone, I'm all alone
Like sand on my feet,
The smell of sweet perfume,
You stick to me forever
And I wish you didn't go,
I wish you didn't go,
I wish you didn't go away
To touch you again,
With life in your hands,
He pushed all thoughts of her from his mind forcefully, using most of his willpower to rise from the medical bed and stumble through the door, aware of the eyes on his retreating back.
(~*~)
Trunks pulled his jeans on, buttoning them easily and slipping a shirt over his head. He had a really hot ass, Pan decided (AN: *drools*). She made her mental voice intentionally loud, and grinned in success when Trunks turned bright red. His embarrassed look turned quickly to a smirk and she swallowed her laughter. He advanced on her half dressed form, backing her into the nearest wall with ease. He placed a hand on either side of her, trapping her in place.
She took a deep breath, and tried her best to look triumphant. His smirk only turned more mischievous. She leaned against him as he nibbled her ear seductively. She kissed his temple and pushed him away gently, stirring up his memory to recall their original reason for going downstairs. He nodded knowingly and regretfully moved away, striding out the door after flashing her a sexy little grin. She finished dressing and followed him quickly, catching up with him on the stairs.
Trunks took her hand in his larger one as they continued down the halls to the lab. A bleary eyed Vegeta sneered at them as he stumbled down the hall in the opposite direction. Trunks just shook his head wearily.
They entered the lab only to be enveloped in a flurry activity. Bra rushed about the large room, attaching parts to the time machine and then scampering off again to find another tool or component. Bulma glared at the pair before advancing on them. She turned icily to Trunks and explained in detail the modifications they were making to the machine. Pan stood dumb-founded as they rattled off terms she had only heard from the mouth of her best friend. She went to sit on a nearby chair while Trunks got instructions in case Bulma and Bra ran out of time.
Shouting a quick farewell to her mate, Pan exited the lab. She searched out her uncle's ki and followed it outside, where he played with a young man near age twenty. They played a simplified tag, with Goten the pre-determined loser.
"Who's that Goten-san?" She questioned, looking the boy over closely. He seemed vaguely familiar, but Pan found it difficult to place where she had seen him before. (AN: If Pan were to marry Trunks, then that would make Tenshi her cousin and her nephew… o_O; creepiness…) After being tagged playfully on the back by his playmate, Goten called a break, the other man obviously not paying any attention as he slapped Goten repeatedly. Pan noticed his tail with a start. A tail? Who on Chikyuu…
"Pan, I would like you to meet Tenshi, your very first cousin. He came for a visit with Bra and Bulma-san. Tenshi, this is your cousin Pan," Goten introduced proudly, a large grin covering his face. Pan examined Tenshi in a new light, noticing the scowling features, sharp lavender eyes and unmanage-able Saiyajin hair.
"How Saiyajin is he, Goten-san? He looks like more than half, if you ask me," Pan noted, curiosity filling her voice.
"I'm not sure. Do you think Trunks-kun could find out?…Good. Come on Tenshi," Goten grasped his son's hand, leading him towards the house. "Let's go see how much Vegeta-san is going to like you," he finished with a grin towards the Saiyajin no Ouji, who was meditating under a nearby tree. One eye opened to glare at Goten for his remark, however true it might have been. Pan stifled a giggle, entering the house when Goten opened the door for her.
The trio met Trunks on his way outside, and pushed him back towards the lab, excited that he sported the knowledge required to fulfill their task.
Now forming a small clan of demi-saiyajin, they filed into the lab, retreating to the opposite end from Mission: Hope. Bra watched anxiously from the other side of the room as Trunks drew a drop of blood from his nephew. She smirked with pride when Tenshi hardly batted an eye at the small prick.
"Holy shit," Trunks breathed after the machine finished processing the blood sample.
"What is it?" Goten queried, alarm causing his voice to rise slightly in pitch.
"He's about 11/12ths Saiyajin. "I think his eye color is about his only Chikyuujin characteristic." All within hearing range of Trunks, which is to say all except Bulma, sat in stunned silence, letting this new information roll about in their minds. Pan looked pointedly into Trunks eyes, and he swallowed self-consciously. Tenshi gurgled happily, grasping his fathers arm and near jerking it out of joint.
Trunks narrowed his eyes at his mate suspiciously. He moved quickly, grasping her arm and hauling her out into the hallway.
"Ouch! What the hell was that for?" Trunks ignored her protests, staring deeply into her dark eyes.
"Is there something you need to tell me?" Her face closed off, and she glared at him.
"Well I kind of figured you had noticed by now! I thought you were being some kind of asshole and ignoring it!"
"Gomen nasai (I'm very sorry)," he murmured, dropping to his knees to lean his forehead against her flat stomach, his hands holding gently to her hips. His head shot back up to look at her in shock.
"How could I have not noticed that?" He wondered aloud, placing his cheek on her soon-to-be-not-so-flat stomach. She stroked his head softly.
"We need to talk to your Kaasan and Bra, they should know."
"Kami, this certainly doesn't make anything easier."
It couldn't be any harder…harder…harder
***
*sigh* That went quite well, if I do say so myself, (and I do).
Go. Read. Rae George. Now. I. Order. You. She be awesome ^_^
And check out Stef-chan. Even though she stole her own idea for herself…nevermind, that sounds idiotic. Anyways, go read her stuff! Long story short, our joint fic is post-poned, because she decided to do the story on her own. *glares at Stef-chan* ^_~ It was her idea, and while I am very disappointed I will not be mad, because it was her idear in the first place.
I really want to make chapter 20 the end, but I dunno. I can draw it out a little so I get my 100 reviews, (which would be awesome beyond all reason!!) or all you lurker people who read without reviewing can tell me how good my fic is and I'll make it one big part. Just, review!! I only need 11 reviews!!!!!!
Help me Obi-Wan-Kenobi! You're my only hope! (Well, in this case you reviewers would be Obi-Wan)
Did you not love the song? If you've ever heard it, you know how beautiful it is. I think I'll go listen to it now… ^_^
Oh, one more thing! If you like reading fantasy books, go read 'The Wayfarer Redemption' by Sara Douglass!!!! It is such an awesome book!! But you know what's better? The Wheel of Time, by the great Robert Jordan. Oh yes, much better!!! I can't wait for Crossroads of Twilight…book 10!!!!!!!!!!!! JOYFULNESS and HAPPINESS!!!
*ahem* Review. Down theeeeere!
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