A/N: Thank you for all your reviews, they are always appreciated! And they
keep me writing ~_^
***************************************************************
The blustery winds around Jade Forest seemed to sing a doleful song on the crisp October evening. Vejita-han school had been shut down for nearly an entire year. Nearly a whole year, and not a word was sent from the warriors in Emporer Qin's army.
Many battles had been won and some lost, but one could not help feeling that the war was far from over. The six huts in their crescent shape stood ominously in the forest. Without the many vivacious trainee warriors, the school seemed to fade into a desolate bleakness. The once proud huts that stood strongly, seemed to waver under parts of the raucous winds.
Bulma tilted her head as she sat on the bed, placed by window. She watched the papery golden leaves dance about in the wind, causing the leaves to inhibit a mind of their own and dance to the unheard music played by Jade Forest's seemingly bewitching winds. A crackly sigh escaped from her parched lips. The once spellbinding glimmer of her eyes had all but died out, and here she sat in her room praying to the heavens above for a miracle to occur. For some holy force to bring her loved one back to her.
She looked down at her delicate fingers that were intertwined around one another, and caressed the soft folds of the skin on her hands. Her hands rested on her large protruding stomach, as a sudden kick from beneath could be felt. Her gaze traveled out sadly beyond the bare trees of Jade Forest.
At one time in their life they had been an enchantress of green and jade, donning the colour for all to see. Now they were bare, stripped and shed of all their humble jade leaves. Bulma contemplated the thought, that the tress that stood so bare before her, was a representation of herself at this current point of her life. Her life had never before come to such a breaking point, this was her destiny.
Drawing a shaky breath, she held back the tears that were threatening to spill over her creamy cheeks. She had promised Vegeta that she would not cry in his absence. What he had said was right after all. Crying was for weaklings, right? She thought back to the time he had gently wiped away her tears and said this mantra to her. She would never forget that day, the day she had met him. Setting her jaw firmly in a defensive stance, she held back the wracking sobs that quivered within her tiny form.
How long had he been away? To her, the days seemed to bleed in one another causing the events of her life after Vegeta left to be lived in a hazy dream. In truth, she had changed from the once bright young woman, to a dull walking corpse. The first few months of his absence were fine. She had reasoned with herself that he would be back once the war was over. And so continued to live life as normally as she could.
What she hadn't bargained for was the war lasting more than a few months. Almost every citizen of Japan wondered how long the war would continue for, but Bulma didn't care. All she wanted was for Vegeta and his father to return safely to the comforting folds of Wou Dhan and Jade Forest. A nagging feeling in the back of her mind, caused her to lay doubts on Vegeta's abilities as a fighter. Granted that he was an extremely skilled fighter and one of the best, actually.
But, what would she do if Vegeta never returned?
Was her child to be brought up without their father in their life? Bulma was afraid. Afraid for herself and her unborn child. She had not bargained on becoming pregnant by the age of seventeen, but what could one do? Certainly not she. The very first time she had found out that she was carrying Vegeta's child was only a month after the crazed departure of the warriors of Vejita-han school. God, she could remember the day like it had just happened yesterday!
Sitting in her cold room she closed her eyes, and blinked back the tears that dared to trickle out from below her closed eyelids. She began to let the sad memories wash over her like a deleterious dream.
~*****~
Bulma hummed softly as she began packing away the healing ointments. It had been an entire month and no news had come from the warriors of Vejita- han school. She was becoming more worried for their safety as each day passed, but she had somehow convinced herself that they would soon return to Jade Forest, as healthy as the day they had left.
That was when she had felt it.
The bile began rising up to her throat. Bulma put her hand tentatively to her mouth. She gagged slightly. Dropping the healing equipment on the side table, she broke out into a run, to the nearest bathroom. Falling to her knees, she began to rid her body of the vile toxins that had suddenly deemed it worthy to turn up.
She heard a soft rustling sound behind her. "Aunt Mameha..?" She called out weakly to the presence behind her.
Mameha looked at her young niece. She crouched down beside her as she continued her assault on the toilet. Rubbing the back of her niece's head, she whispered soothing words. "Everything is alright Bulma. You have probably just eaten something strange."
Bulma sighed meekly. She leaned back against the cool wall, beads of perspiration dotting her upper lip. "I can't remember eating anything to cause me such grief, Aunt Mameha."
Mameha looked at Bulma's pale face. She frowned, "Well, are you feeling any other symptoms. A cough, perhaps. Or a headache?" She asked hopefully.
Bulma shook her head profusely. "Nothing.."
"Dear Lord.." Mameha's voice trailed off as her eyes darted down to Bulma's stomach and back up to her face.
"What?" Bulma caught the disdainful look on her aunt's face.
"Bulma," Mameha continued quietly, "I am going to ask this once and once only, and I know it is personal. Has there been anything going on between you and Vegeta-san?"
Bulma bit her lip, "Yes," she whispered fearfully.
Mameha encircled her arms around Bulma and hugged her close. Tears began dripping down her rosy cheeks. "My dear sweet child..!" She whispered back, gasping to find the unsolicited words. "I fear that you may be with child."
The utterance pounded in her head like the continuous beating of a drum. This could not be happening, not to her! "W-what?" She asked again, hoping that she had heard wrong.
The older woman cupped her niece's cheeks and peered wondrously into her eyes, "Tell me, when was the last time you had your period."
Bulma became numb with shock, "Oh God.. T-three months ago."
It was true, they had determined the cause of Bulma's sickness. And that cause was the small growing child that was softly nestled into her womb. More nausea came over her as she contemplated on how she would tell Vegeta. Would she even get the chance to tell him, or will fate be so cruel as to allow him to die in the war?
Shock was all she felt. Ever present shock. She was not joyous of the news that had been given to her, but she was not upset. At that moment in time, she could not have dreamt of his reaction. But she felt the need to tell him, the urge overpowered her deepest desire. For what would happen if she never had the chance to tell him that he was to be a father?
Such a cruel, but paradox world we abide in.
~*****~
A gentle knock on the door brought Bulma out of her reverie.
"Come in," she managed to croak out.
Her aunt came in with numerous amounts of towels and hot water sacs. Time seemed to stand still as the two women regarded each other in a silent love. Bulma looked at the towels in her aunt's hands gratefully.
Mameha carefully laid out the towels by the foot of Bulma's bed. "What were you doing?" She asked inquisitively.
A chuckle escaped wryly from her throat. "What can I do?" She said with somewhat bitterness. "I can't go anywhere or do anything because of this," she waved disgustedly at her round belly. "It's more like a curse than a blessing," she hissed in contempt.
"Do not say such things!"
"I can't help it.. Have you any word from Emperor Qin's army in relation to Vegeta's whereabouts?" Bulma asked hopefully.
Mameha shook her head in regret. "They will come back to us." She said most assuredly. Or she hoped they would, she thought to herself.
Drawing in a deep breath, Bulma's eyes fell once more upon the dancing leaves. "How can you be so sure?"
"I have complete faith that they will arrive well and alive."
Resting her forehead against the cold window of the room, she watched the condensation droplets form beneath her breath. Science was such a mystery to the people of Japan. But Bulma knew that one day, they would discover the truth and beauty of life. "It will take more than faith to bring them back, Aunt Mameha," with a momentary pause she shook slightly in trepidation. "It will take a miracle." She sounded as though she possessed great wisdom for someone who had lived so little in the world. But as we all know, the wise come in many different shapes and forms, and Bulma was no exception.
Mameha took the face of her niece in her hands, away from the window. Cupping her cheeks in a placid yet stern manner, she tried once more to lift Bulma's spirit. "Even if they do not-" Her voice cracked, nevertheless she continued, "Even if they do not return, you have something- someone to live for. You know that all your melancholy thoughts are not beneficial for your unborn child. Bulma, please be reasonable."
"I just want him to come back... I'm going to give birth soon. Aunt Mameha, I'm so scared." Bulma's voice was but a mere murmur, but showed great agitation.
"We are all-" Mameha was stopped by the rustling sound from outside of the large hut. She looked at Bulma in an equable posture, "Wait here," she whispered. She looked out of the window and upon seeing naught, she ventured outside in search of the unwelcome intruder that had dared to trespass onto Jade Forest.
***********************************************************
Vegeta growled contemptuously. Glaring at the General in charge of the week's 'surprise' scurmige, he readied himself to extract his sword from its intricate leather casing. The warriors stood in a muddy trench, knee deep in the watered soil of the holy earth. The October day had been harsh and unwavering, adding to the misery the warriors were to endure in their unadulterated battle.
Almost a whole year, a whole fucking year in which he had been blustered up into the throws of war. Not that he didn't enjoy fighting, that was all well and good. It was the idea of being away from Wou Dhan and Jade Forest. Away from his training, and of course away from Bulma... He listened to the General's monotonous voice blaring in the midst of his own unscrupulous thoughts.
"Four sets of troops will encircle the Hans in the North Quadrant of No mans' land. We ambush and attack head on, no qualms. We shall return victorious. If you object, speak now."
Vegeta snapped out of the lingering thoughts that encompassed his mind. He took in the full detail of what the General had just announced. "That's utter lunacy!" He found himself speaking out to the large sturdy warrior.
The line of warriors turned their heads to look at the rebellious voice that had called out.
General Sa narrowed his eyes, honing in on the whereabouts of the unknown voice. He focused in on Vegeta, and pointed. "You there! You dare to defy the orders of your General?"
Obviously a rhetorical question, but Vegeta answered regardless of the repercussions. He stepped out of the aligned bodies, showing his entire form to the group of soldiers he had resided with for the past year. All forty of them. His tone was unwavering as he spoke with confidence.
"Think about it. Four sets of troops, that's a hundred and sixty warriors. More than you should need for only a hundred Hans. Why waste the energies of most of your warriors on one Quadrant of Hans, when you could disperse the troops and hit them all in one go. If we had done this in the beginning, we wouldn't have been in a war for an entire year!"
The exasperation clearly showed as Vegeta tried to keep a straight face from his conviction.
General Sa marched up to the defiant soldier. As he stepped closer, in the twinkling of an eye, the stoic form of the rebel soldier brought recognition to him. "You are Vejita-san's son?"
Vegeta's brow furrowed, "What of it?" He retorted in his usual stoic manner.
A thoughtful expression crossed the General's face. "Very well soldier. We shall use your ludicrous idea, but if there is a hint of wavering in your strategy, we abort immediately, and you shall bear the brunt of the punishment. Understood?" Now he addressed the entire line of soldiers.
Each and every soldier nodded in agreement.
Maybe the war would be over sooner than expected.
***************************************************************
As Mameha stepped outside into the crisp and cold day, she quietly closed the door behind her. Regarding the humble landscape that had once been beauteous in every aspect, she squinted into the horizon. All she could hear was echoes of the haunting tune being played by the dismal wind.
A clocked figure materialized into her vision. With a gasp, she took a fearful step backwards.
"Who are you?" She asked, her voice shaking with alarm.
*****
Bulma stretched her neck out as far as she could without damaging it. She tried to desperately seek out her aunt from the view in her window, but found the curvature too steep. Pushing her already heavy form off of the bed, she waddled along the twisting corridors of the hut to join her aunt. She was never one to follow orders anyway.
Her swollen feet slapped against the wood flooring beneath her weight. She did indeed feel like a blown up balloon, or a heavily pregnant whale in her case. Pregnancy had not been good to her and in the hindquarters of her mind, she began to conjecture her and her unborn child's safety in the pregnancy. After all, being young in age was always a lingering doubt to her already fearful perceptions.
Pressing the palm of her hand against the wood walls, supporting herself, she managed to reach the front door. Walking up as quietly as she could, she could determine two muffled voiced coming from outside. One female, obviously her aunt, and one male which was completely unrecognizable.
Scowling, she jostled the door open, her curiosity overwhelming the dread she harbored.
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A/N: Forgive me for the short chapter, but as always school work has kept me busy. The next chapter should be longer and get ready for a shock!
This story WILL be finished before the 15th of December, if any of you were wondering.
Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter (even though it was short). Thank you.
***************************************************************
The blustery winds around Jade Forest seemed to sing a doleful song on the crisp October evening. Vejita-han school had been shut down for nearly an entire year. Nearly a whole year, and not a word was sent from the warriors in Emporer Qin's army.
Many battles had been won and some lost, but one could not help feeling that the war was far from over. The six huts in their crescent shape stood ominously in the forest. Without the many vivacious trainee warriors, the school seemed to fade into a desolate bleakness. The once proud huts that stood strongly, seemed to waver under parts of the raucous winds.
Bulma tilted her head as she sat on the bed, placed by window. She watched the papery golden leaves dance about in the wind, causing the leaves to inhibit a mind of their own and dance to the unheard music played by Jade Forest's seemingly bewitching winds. A crackly sigh escaped from her parched lips. The once spellbinding glimmer of her eyes had all but died out, and here she sat in her room praying to the heavens above for a miracle to occur. For some holy force to bring her loved one back to her.
She looked down at her delicate fingers that were intertwined around one another, and caressed the soft folds of the skin on her hands. Her hands rested on her large protruding stomach, as a sudden kick from beneath could be felt. Her gaze traveled out sadly beyond the bare trees of Jade Forest.
At one time in their life they had been an enchantress of green and jade, donning the colour for all to see. Now they were bare, stripped and shed of all their humble jade leaves. Bulma contemplated the thought, that the tress that stood so bare before her, was a representation of herself at this current point of her life. Her life had never before come to such a breaking point, this was her destiny.
Drawing a shaky breath, she held back the tears that were threatening to spill over her creamy cheeks. She had promised Vegeta that she would not cry in his absence. What he had said was right after all. Crying was for weaklings, right? She thought back to the time he had gently wiped away her tears and said this mantra to her. She would never forget that day, the day she had met him. Setting her jaw firmly in a defensive stance, she held back the wracking sobs that quivered within her tiny form.
How long had he been away? To her, the days seemed to bleed in one another causing the events of her life after Vegeta left to be lived in a hazy dream. In truth, she had changed from the once bright young woman, to a dull walking corpse. The first few months of his absence were fine. She had reasoned with herself that he would be back once the war was over. And so continued to live life as normally as she could.
What she hadn't bargained for was the war lasting more than a few months. Almost every citizen of Japan wondered how long the war would continue for, but Bulma didn't care. All she wanted was for Vegeta and his father to return safely to the comforting folds of Wou Dhan and Jade Forest. A nagging feeling in the back of her mind, caused her to lay doubts on Vegeta's abilities as a fighter. Granted that he was an extremely skilled fighter and one of the best, actually.
But, what would she do if Vegeta never returned?
Was her child to be brought up without their father in their life? Bulma was afraid. Afraid for herself and her unborn child. She had not bargained on becoming pregnant by the age of seventeen, but what could one do? Certainly not she. The very first time she had found out that she was carrying Vegeta's child was only a month after the crazed departure of the warriors of Vejita-han school. God, she could remember the day like it had just happened yesterday!
Sitting in her cold room she closed her eyes, and blinked back the tears that dared to trickle out from below her closed eyelids. She began to let the sad memories wash over her like a deleterious dream.
~*****~
Bulma hummed softly as she began packing away the healing ointments. It had been an entire month and no news had come from the warriors of Vejita- han school. She was becoming more worried for their safety as each day passed, but she had somehow convinced herself that they would soon return to Jade Forest, as healthy as the day they had left.
That was when she had felt it.
The bile began rising up to her throat. Bulma put her hand tentatively to her mouth. She gagged slightly. Dropping the healing equipment on the side table, she broke out into a run, to the nearest bathroom. Falling to her knees, she began to rid her body of the vile toxins that had suddenly deemed it worthy to turn up.
She heard a soft rustling sound behind her. "Aunt Mameha..?" She called out weakly to the presence behind her.
Mameha looked at her young niece. She crouched down beside her as she continued her assault on the toilet. Rubbing the back of her niece's head, she whispered soothing words. "Everything is alright Bulma. You have probably just eaten something strange."
Bulma sighed meekly. She leaned back against the cool wall, beads of perspiration dotting her upper lip. "I can't remember eating anything to cause me such grief, Aunt Mameha."
Mameha looked at Bulma's pale face. She frowned, "Well, are you feeling any other symptoms. A cough, perhaps. Or a headache?" She asked hopefully.
Bulma shook her head profusely. "Nothing.."
"Dear Lord.." Mameha's voice trailed off as her eyes darted down to Bulma's stomach and back up to her face.
"What?" Bulma caught the disdainful look on her aunt's face.
"Bulma," Mameha continued quietly, "I am going to ask this once and once only, and I know it is personal. Has there been anything going on between you and Vegeta-san?"
Bulma bit her lip, "Yes," she whispered fearfully.
Mameha encircled her arms around Bulma and hugged her close. Tears began dripping down her rosy cheeks. "My dear sweet child..!" She whispered back, gasping to find the unsolicited words. "I fear that you may be with child."
The utterance pounded in her head like the continuous beating of a drum. This could not be happening, not to her! "W-what?" She asked again, hoping that she had heard wrong.
The older woman cupped her niece's cheeks and peered wondrously into her eyes, "Tell me, when was the last time you had your period."
Bulma became numb with shock, "Oh God.. T-three months ago."
It was true, they had determined the cause of Bulma's sickness. And that cause was the small growing child that was softly nestled into her womb. More nausea came over her as she contemplated on how she would tell Vegeta. Would she even get the chance to tell him, or will fate be so cruel as to allow him to die in the war?
Shock was all she felt. Ever present shock. She was not joyous of the news that had been given to her, but she was not upset. At that moment in time, she could not have dreamt of his reaction. But she felt the need to tell him, the urge overpowered her deepest desire. For what would happen if she never had the chance to tell him that he was to be a father?
Such a cruel, but paradox world we abide in.
~*****~
A gentle knock on the door brought Bulma out of her reverie.
"Come in," she managed to croak out.
Her aunt came in with numerous amounts of towels and hot water sacs. Time seemed to stand still as the two women regarded each other in a silent love. Bulma looked at the towels in her aunt's hands gratefully.
Mameha carefully laid out the towels by the foot of Bulma's bed. "What were you doing?" She asked inquisitively.
A chuckle escaped wryly from her throat. "What can I do?" She said with somewhat bitterness. "I can't go anywhere or do anything because of this," she waved disgustedly at her round belly. "It's more like a curse than a blessing," she hissed in contempt.
"Do not say such things!"
"I can't help it.. Have you any word from Emperor Qin's army in relation to Vegeta's whereabouts?" Bulma asked hopefully.
Mameha shook her head in regret. "They will come back to us." She said most assuredly. Or she hoped they would, she thought to herself.
Drawing in a deep breath, Bulma's eyes fell once more upon the dancing leaves. "How can you be so sure?"
"I have complete faith that they will arrive well and alive."
Resting her forehead against the cold window of the room, she watched the condensation droplets form beneath her breath. Science was such a mystery to the people of Japan. But Bulma knew that one day, they would discover the truth and beauty of life. "It will take more than faith to bring them back, Aunt Mameha," with a momentary pause she shook slightly in trepidation. "It will take a miracle." She sounded as though she possessed great wisdom for someone who had lived so little in the world. But as we all know, the wise come in many different shapes and forms, and Bulma was no exception.
Mameha took the face of her niece in her hands, away from the window. Cupping her cheeks in a placid yet stern manner, she tried once more to lift Bulma's spirit. "Even if they do not-" Her voice cracked, nevertheless she continued, "Even if they do not return, you have something- someone to live for. You know that all your melancholy thoughts are not beneficial for your unborn child. Bulma, please be reasonable."
"I just want him to come back... I'm going to give birth soon. Aunt Mameha, I'm so scared." Bulma's voice was but a mere murmur, but showed great agitation.
"We are all-" Mameha was stopped by the rustling sound from outside of the large hut. She looked at Bulma in an equable posture, "Wait here," she whispered. She looked out of the window and upon seeing naught, she ventured outside in search of the unwelcome intruder that had dared to trespass onto Jade Forest.
***********************************************************
Vegeta growled contemptuously. Glaring at the General in charge of the week's 'surprise' scurmige, he readied himself to extract his sword from its intricate leather casing. The warriors stood in a muddy trench, knee deep in the watered soil of the holy earth. The October day had been harsh and unwavering, adding to the misery the warriors were to endure in their unadulterated battle.
Almost a whole year, a whole fucking year in which he had been blustered up into the throws of war. Not that he didn't enjoy fighting, that was all well and good. It was the idea of being away from Wou Dhan and Jade Forest. Away from his training, and of course away from Bulma... He listened to the General's monotonous voice blaring in the midst of his own unscrupulous thoughts.
"Four sets of troops will encircle the Hans in the North Quadrant of No mans' land. We ambush and attack head on, no qualms. We shall return victorious. If you object, speak now."
Vegeta snapped out of the lingering thoughts that encompassed his mind. He took in the full detail of what the General had just announced. "That's utter lunacy!" He found himself speaking out to the large sturdy warrior.
The line of warriors turned their heads to look at the rebellious voice that had called out.
General Sa narrowed his eyes, honing in on the whereabouts of the unknown voice. He focused in on Vegeta, and pointed. "You there! You dare to defy the orders of your General?"
Obviously a rhetorical question, but Vegeta answered regardless of the repercussions. He stepped out of the aligned bodies, showing his entire form to the group of soldiers he had resided with for the past year. All forty of them. His tone was unwavering as he spoke with confidence.
"Think about it. Four sets of troops, that's a hundred and sixty warriors. More than you should need for only a hundred Hans. Why waste the energies of most of your warriors on one Quadrant of Hans, when you could disperse the troops and hit them all in one go. If we had done this in the beginning, we wouldn't have been in a war for an entire year!"
The exasperation clearly showed as Vegeta tried to keep a straight face from his conviction.
General Sa marched up to the defiant soldier. As he stepped closer, in the twinkling of an eye, the stoic form of the rebel soldier brought recognition to him. "You are Vejita-san's son?"
Vegeta's brow furrowed, "What of it?" He retorted in his usual stoic manner.
A thoughtful expression crossed the General's face. "Very well soldier. We shall use your ludicrous idea, but if there is a hint of wavering in your strategy, we abort immediately, and you shall bear the brunt of the punishment. Understood?" Now he addressed the entire line of soldiers.
Each and every soldier nodded in agreement.
Maybe the war would be over sooner than expected.
***************************************************************
As Mameha stepped outside into the crisp and cold day, she quietly closed the door behind her. Regarding the humble landscape that had once been beauteous in every aspect, she squinted into the horizon. All she could hear was echoes of the haunting tune being played by the dismal wind.
A clocked figure materialized into her vision. With a gasp, she took a fearful step backwards.
"Who are you?" She asked, her voice shaking with alarm.
*****
Bulma stretched her neck out as far as she could without damaging it. She tried to desperately seek out her aunt from the view in her window, but found the curvature too steep. Pushing her already heavy form off of the bed, she waddled along the twisting corridors of the hut to join her aunt. She was never one to follow orders anyway.
Her swollen feet slapped against the wood flooring beneath her weight. She did indeed feel like a blown up balloon, or a heavily pregnant whale in her case. Pregnancy had not been good to her and in the hindquarters of her mind, she began to conjecture her and her unborn child's safety in the pregnancy. After all, being young in age was always a lingering doubt to her already fearful perceptions.
Pressing the palm of her hand against the wood walls, supporting herself, she managed to reach the front door. Walking up as quietly as she could, she could determine two muffled voiced coming from outside. One female, obviously her aunt, and one male which was completely unrecognizable.
Scowling, she jostled the door open, her curiosity overwhelming the dread she harbored.
***************************************************************
A/N: Forgive me for the short chapter, but as always school work has kept me busy. The next chapter should be longer and get ready for a shock!
This story WILL be finished before the 15th of December, if any of you were wondering.
Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter (even though it was short). Thank you.