Soliloquy in the Dark
Chapter Nine
This is going pretty badly if I do say so myself. Are you getting bored of this? I have a plotline, it's just hidden under a lot of angst and confusion. Neway, here's chapter nine for you. Would it help if I put a summary of the last chapter here? If most people think it will, I'll do it on the next chapter, okay.
Go see:- Solo Maxwell, Kath_Molko, Demon Spawn and CadeVD's (now vegx[c4th3r1n3]xgie ) fics, they're all cool ppl.
Go to Prime Minister's Website to see a fic that I haven't posted here. It's called Phoenix Warriors. (Thank you PrimeMinister, u my m8 4 life ;) )
Disclaimer:- I don't own Dragonball Z, or any of the characters within it. I do however, own a copy of Staind's album Break the Cycle, which is really good for inspiration if your an angst author. Go buy it!
Enough advertising. On with the fic!!!
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Vegeta woke up with pins and needles in the arm hanging off the sofa arm, but feeling incredibly rested. He hadn't had such a good sleep since... well he couldn't remember. And that dream last night... even as he shuddered at the thought of what he had seen, he felt an unfamiliar glow spread through him as he also remembered the feeling of comfort, of being cradled away from harm in loving arms. It was such a beautiful feeling, made all the more intense with the fact that he hadn't experienced that feeling of being protected in for so long that he had forgotten what it felt like. It was a new experience, and he loved it.
But then he realised that he couldn't feel that anymore unless he was asleep. He sat up and crossed his arms in his normal way, hugging himself unconsciously to try and trap some of the warmth that had stirred in his soul. It didn't work. He got up, feeling slightly betrayed, and walked out to train.
He couldn't see the wraith-like form that flitted anguishedly before him and then retreated, exhausted and weak. For now.
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Bulma threw down the screwdriver with a growl of frustration. It bounced up and flew at her. She 'eeped' and threw her arms up instinctively in front of her face. The object hit her just above her elbow and clattered harmlessly to the floor.
Bulma hissed her breath in as she bent her arm round to examine the damage. The pointed end of the screwdriver had nicked her, and it was bleeding slightly. It wasn't too bad though. It would have to be disinfected, but she could get away without a plaster.
She took this as a signal that she should go downstairs for a break, as she had been working all day. She stretched her arms up above her head and bent backwards to stretch all her unused muscles, and then got up to have a wash and make a snack.
She washed her face, making sure to get rid of all the grease and examining it for wrinkles. No. She was still as fresh-faced as she had been all those years ago, when her hair was still purple and she was still exploring the rest of the world.
She sighed at the thought of lost youth, but then brightened as she remembered that she had grown up to be one of the most lusted after and gorgeous women in the world. It wasn't all bad.
Except, maybe, that she was lonely. Sure she could have any one of the suitors that had come up to her, and she had had a few short flings with a couple of the cute ones... and then she got Yamcha, and then she dropped Yamcha, and now she couldn't seem to find the right kind of guy. They were all too weak, mentally and physically. She needed the right amount of balance, she needed to be given her space and she also needed excitement in her life. She didn't want to become a trophy wife for some rich guy, who could brag about having 'caught' the wilful Miss Briefs.
Ha. She wouldn't be hunted. She would hunt. She'd find the perfect guy and marry him, and he wouldn't be using her for her power either.
She sighed. Such wistful dreams. She'd never find the man she'd love.
She disinfected the small cut, went downstairs and began to cook up some rice.
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The following day, routine went on as normal. Bulma's dad and mum went about the house on their own business, Bulma alternately worked, chatted and relaxed while Vegeta trained and ate and trained some more and ate some more. Bulma and Vegeta avoided each other as much as possible, but Bulma still pondered the implications of Vegeta's morose mood and Vegeta continued to have little luck in sleeping.
Things would have continued as normal until Doctor Brief's 'great discovery'.
He had run into the kitchen while Bulma, her mother and, strangely enough Vegeta, were sitting, eating or leaving with food respectively.
"I've finally done it! Finally! After so many years of, of little or no contact, excluding our current guest, I've finally managed it. This will put us on the map!" He picked up his blonde wife and twirled her, nearly upsetting his omnipresent black cat.
"That's great honey." She smiled. "But, er. What exactly have you done?"
He straightened his coat and smiled at them all.
"I've made contact with an alien species."
His response was slightly anticlimactic.
"Oh. Well, that's great dad." Bulma started. "But, we've already met loads of alien species. We even have one living in our house." She pointed a finger at Vegeta who snarled at her.
"Besides old man." Vegeta continued. "Contacting other races is no big deal. We had intergalactic communicators on Frieza's ship and we frequently made contact with other aliens on our travels. I even had an… experience, with a race of bugs on a planet not far from here, as the space pod flies."
"Meaning you exterminated them?" Bulma stated.
Vegeta's expression darkened and he said nothing, looking away from Bulma. Bulma, in turn, was both angry and afraid at Vegeta's unspoken admittal, but she couldn't help but wonder why he had chosen to withdraw into himself now. She had known that he had been a 'planet- purger' and that he had the blood of thousands staining his hands, but his reluctance to boast about his 'accomplishments' was uncharacteristic of him.
She had a brief moment of guilt for bringing his past up, and also wondered if this might even mean that he felt guilty about his past actions. But she quickly stifled this little voice and concentrated on what her dad was saying.
"Yes… well, as far as Earth technology is concerned this could be a breakthrough. We received a transmission from a planet on the opposite side of the co-ordinations plotted for Goku's trip to Namek. It's untranslatable at the moment, but we have expert linguistics working on it as we speak."
Vegeta snorted. To him, meeting with new alien cultures wasn't anything to write home about, but he did wonder about that side of the universe that he hadn't explored while under Frieza's command. He was also, and this was a more important point, very, very bored.
"I'll help."
Doctor Briefs looked shocked and Bulma turned to him with her mouth open, about to say something.
"I'm bored and I was good at that in Frieza's army. It might even be Space Standard, which I bet you don't even know. Do you?"
"Ummm, well, err…" Doctor Brief's stammered as his mind raced ahead of him, thinking of the possibilities an alien who knew other alien languages might have.
"Exactly. So show me this 'alien language' then."
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Hours later, the alien code had been decrypted and had started playing through the headphones that Vegeta was wearing. He nodded as he listened, pausing the audio and telling Doctor Brief's that it was Space Standard. Dr. Brief's almost hugged the Sayain as he heard this. Vegeta went back to listening.
As he did so, his face grew blanker and paler until he was expressionless. If it hadn't been for the fact that he had gone almost white, you wouldn't have known anything was wrong. He took the headphones off with shaky hands and put them down on the table before standing and turning to face the doctor.
The little old man stood, hands clasped in barely contained excitement as he asked, "Well? What did it say? Who are they? Are they friendly?"
Vegeta didn't answer as he played the message through his own head.
*Help us! … We need help desperately … a hostile takeover, repeat we are experiencing a hostile takeover … help desperately needed … Scorpion terrorists … King Kold's dead … for the love of Kami, someone HELP!!! *
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Oooo, cliff-hanger (!) Yeah, whatever. I have no excuse for not posting sooner, not even A-levels, coz I could've posted before now. But, at least the chapter is out now. And plot is happening… gasp… shock, horror! If you are of drinking age in the UK (18) go see Talentless's fics too, they make ppl cry and junk. Mwa, mwa, luv u all, don't let the terrible, soul crushing pressures of life get u down. : )