WHOOHOO! THREE REVIEWS! Thank you people! Now you get the next chapter!
Chihan: *Aw man! ANOTHER chapter?* (sigh) Thanks to... OW! (holds head in pain)
CG: (is holding frying pan) I CAN READ YOUR THOUGHTS YOUNG LADY! DON'T THINK I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING CAUSE I WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE THINKING THAT I CAN'T THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE THINKING BECAUSE I CAN'T SEE WHAT YOU'RE THINKING BUT YOU ARE THINKING WRONG CAUSE I THINK I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING SO DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! (hits Chihan again)
Chihan: Owieowow! Ok already! Thanks to someone who didn't write who they were, eddie, and Aqua-Fresh-Ali...
CG: Much better.
Chihan: And thank Dende CG does NOT own us poor little DBZ characters, or we'd be living HFIL every single winking moment of daylight. And night. Thank Dende Akira Toriyama wrote DBZ, not CG, or I'd kill myself. I am also thankful for...
CG: IT'S NEW YEAR'S DAY NOT THANKSGIVING AIRHEAD!
Chihan: Well in that case, this year I resolve to thank Dende more that CG doesn't own us, I resolve to worship Akira Toriyama, I resolve to...
CG: O_O (falls to ground) X_X...
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Chapter 2: She Forgot Me. SHE FORGOT ME! NOOOOO!
Trunks studied the woman in front of them, who had stopped at someone referring to her. Yes, she did look incredibly like his mom as he remembered her. She had the same light blue hair, the same twinkling blue eyes, the same beautifully shaped body... she had to be Bulma.
"Bulma!" Vegeta said happily. He ran up and hugged her. (A/N: Yea, I know, a little OOC {Out Of Character} right there... since when did anyone see Vegeta willingly hug anybody grown-up?)
To his surprise, the woman shook him off and backed away from him. "Who are you?"
Vegeta's already fragile heart broke away from its string that held it up and smashed into a gazillion tiny slivers. He was in pure shock. *What... she... she doesn't... know... w-who... I... am...*
Trunks, seeing his father was frozen, quickly took command. "Um, excuse me, it looks like we have a lot of things to explain. First, are you in a rush to go anywhere?" The woman shook her head. "Do you-" he glanced sideways at his father. "-well, have anyone to go back to or contact?" She shook her head again, much to Trunks's relief. "OK, then, what is your name?"
The woman shrugged. "Well, I don't know who I am. No one does, but a lot of people call me 'Bulma', for some odd reason. Who is this 'Bulma'?" She missed Trunks's amazed look. "But if you guys know anything, I'd be glad to listen to anything you know."
Trunks had one last thing to say. "OK, this will be sort of sudden, but please, do not freak out. You can trust us." Taking half the food bags in one arm and the woman- Bulma- in the other, he started flying away.
Vegeta stared at the ground for a little longer. A small water spot suddenly appeared on the ground, but quickly disappeared into a crack in the sidewalk pavement. Then he picked up the remaining bag and followed his son slowly.
~~`Up in the air`~~
Bulma didn't freak out, as Trunks had expected. "You know, I should be freaked out right about now, but I feel as if I've done this before." Trunks smiled at her response.
"We're going to an island in the middle of the ocean. All my friends are there, and they can explain everything to you. Where do you live, anyway?"
"Just in a hut next to the beach where you found me. I made it myself when I found out I had no idea who my family was."
Trunks spotted the island. "Hey, we're here!" he cried happily, and landed, with Vegeta not far behind him. "WE HAVE THE FOOD AND A SURPRISE!" he shouted.
Goku and Goten came rushing out first. "WHERE'S THE FOOD?" then they stopped. "Bulma?"
Everyone had come out by then, and had started crowding around Trunks and Bulma, bombarding them with questions. Before Trunks was about to go inside, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Vegeta.
Vegeta didn't look up, but kept his eyes on the sand. When his voice came out, it sounded like he was choking back tears. "I-I'm g-going back t-to the C-Cap-psule Corp."
Trunks kept a steady arm on his father, who seemed like he was going to collapse any second. "Dad, are you sure you don't want to stay, not even for the food?"
Vegeta just gave one quick nod of his head.
Trunks sighed. "All right. I'll be home at around ten, maybe later. You should go now, while the sun's still here." He watched his father fly off awkwardly. *Oh Dad... it must be hard for you to see Mom not even remembering you...*
~~`In the GR at 5:30 PM`~~
Vegeta fell to the ground as one of his attacks rebounded at him. He didn't even bother to try and block it. All he could focus on was one person, one girl, one woman, who had lost total remembrance of their relationship. *How could you forget? How could you? I thought... I thought you loved me... loved us... more than that...* As he struggled to get up he was hit by another thought. *What if someone erased your mind?*
He knew he couldn't train anymore, so he stumbled outside, hoping to find comfort in the skies and stars. But all he found was a huge blizzard, raging in all its fury. But Vegeta, poor Vegeta, didn't even feel the blizzard. He just found his favorite spot, and was about to lie down when a sudden weakness ran through his body. "Bulma... stupid woman... fall in love... weakness..." then he passed out, face down in the snow, completely unaware of the world around him.
~~`In the air at 10:30 PM`~~
"Who was that man who hugged me today, anyway?" Bulma asked Trunks as they flew through the air, with Trunks holding on to Bulma and Bulma holding on to a sleeping Bra.
Trunks avoided eye contact with his mom. "That was my father, and your husband. He's a Saiyan too, not only that, he's the Prince of Saiyans- or was. But he's awfully proud of himself at times, well he used to be, until you disappeared..."
Bulma sighed. "And I thought he was just like that Roshi guy, always trying to get a girl and so perverted, when in reality, he is my husband. But it's weird, I don't feel comfortable around him." She blushed. "I feel more comfortable around Yamcha."
Trunks bent his head down against the onslaught of the winds. "Wow, it's really snowing. I hope Dad went inside." He exclaimed quickly, trying to change the subject.
~~`At Capsule Corp.`~~
"All right, we're here." Trunks announced, landing next to the front door. "Come on, it's freezing, let's go inside."
Bra woke up as soon as they were inside. "Daddy?" she whispered sleepily.
Bulma smiled gently. "No, it's just me, your mom- I think."
But Bra was frantically searching around. "Where's Daddy?!" she cried.
Trunks grabbed her and shoved her into her room. "He's probably asleep!" he shouted through the closed door.
Bulma turned toward Trunks. "Um, I know it sounds kinda stupid, but would you mind if I slept in a different room tonight, instead of, you know, with your father? I mean, I haven't really met him and I'm not sure about sleeping with him yet." She grinned sheepishly.
Trunks was disappointed, but didn't show it. *Man, Dad will be so bummed out!* "Sure... you can use one of the guest rooms."
When he was sure his mom was in her hopefully temporary room, he checked on his dad. But what he found- an empty, messy room- was not what he had expected. "Dad?" he whispered. "Vegeta?" No reply came. "Crap! He must be in the GR or worse, outside!"
Trunks glanced through the small window of the GR, but one look told him his father wasn't there. "No, he can't be outside!" Stumbling out into the raging storm, his voice was lost in the wind as he repeatedly called out, "Dad! Dad! DDDAAAAADDDD!"
He leaned against a tree, closed his eyes, and started to think. "If I were my father, where would I go?" he mused. Then it hit him. "His stargazing area! Duh! Trunks, you are soooooo stupid! Ok, lessee... straight in front of the door, a couple yards away..." he ran toward an oddly shaped snow mound. "Dad!"
Quickly, his shivering fingers dug a small hole, enough to uncover faded blue spandex. "Crap!" he powered up, making the snow melt around them. His father's body slowly came into focus. Not even stopping to think, Trunks flew top-speed toward the house, blasted inside, and lay Vegeta carefully on his parents' bed. "Come on, Dad, wake up, wake up!" He shook the still form vigorously.
Vegeta shivered as he slowly came around. "Where... am I?" he managed to say.
Trunks sighed in relief. "Oh Dad, you're alive! Man, it would have been hard to explain to Bra why you weren't home! Thank Dende, you're alive! Are you OK?"
"No, I'm not OK," Vegeta replied bitterly. "One of the only three people I care about in the whole stinking universe has forgotten who I am. She comes back magically after five long years and not even a "Don't call me woman" or something she would usually say! I've survived without her for five years, without once hearing her voice, without once seeing her at all. Sure, there were times when I wasn't sure I'd make it- I even tried to kill myself once," -at this Trunks's eyes grew wide in horror- "but I remembered you and Bra. So I stopped. But now- now- now- I don't know if there's anything to live for anymore. She's probably gone and found love in that stupid weakling again and forgotten all about me! Wait, that's not a question- that's the truth! She's not my 'woman'. She's not Bulma. She's not your mom. She's some other person. My 'woman' is gone, for all I know. And it was all because I was too weak! If I had been stronger, she'd still be here, and we'd all be the same normal way before she left- no, was taken- because I couldn't stop whoever it was from taking her! She's gone!" he started crying, not even caring that Trunks was there. He just brought his knees up to his face, wrapped his arms around them, and cried silently. "She's gone..."
Trunks had never seen his father so emotional. In fact, it was the first time he had ever seen someone have such an emotional breakdown. "Dad..."
"Leave me alone." Was the muffled reply. "Go 'way. I don't need you or anyone comforting me. I'm fine. Just leave me alone and go 'way!"
Trunks would have laughed at his father's childish reactions if the situation hadn't been so serious. Instead, he just got up and left his father crying on his bed, like the world was going to end.
When Trunks had gone Vegeta finally regained his senses. He wiped away the tears that he hadn't cried in a long time. Then his foot struck something on the floor. He picked it up and held it in his hand. *A tape?* he studied it carefully. His eyes widened in recognition. "This... this is the tape I gave her... on Valentine's Day... when she was still dating that stupid human weakling..." Trembling, he put it in the tape player beside the bed and pressed 'Play'. Instantly the music flowed out and surrounded him.
Another day is going by
I'm thinking about you all the time
But you're out there
And I'm here waiting
And I wrote this letter in my head
'Cuz so many things were left unsaid
But now you're gone
And I can't think straight
This could be the one last chance
To make you understand
I'd do anything
Just to hold you in my arms
To try to make you laugh
Somehow I can't put you in the past
I'd do anything
Just to fall asleep with you
Will you remember me?
'Cuz I know
I won't forget you
Together we broke all the rules
Dreaming of dropping out of school
And leave this place
To never come back
So now maybe after all these years
If you miss me have no fear
I'll be here
I'll be waiting
This could be the one last chance to make you understand
And I just can't let you leave me once again
I'd do anything Just to hold you in my arms To try to make you laugh Somehow I can't put you in the past I'd do anything Just to fall asleep with you Will you remember me? 'Cuz I know I won't forget you
I close my eyes
And all I see is you
I close my eyes
I try to sleep
I can't forget you
Nanana ...
And I'd do anything for you
Nanana...
I'd do anything Just to hold you in my arms Try to make you laugh Somehow I can't put you in the past I'd do anything
To fall asleep with you To fall asleep with you...
I'd do anything To fall asleep with you I'd do anything
There's nothing I won't do
I'd do anything
To fall asleep with you
I'd do anything
'Cuz I know
I won't forget you
Vegeta pressed 'Stop'. "Those days are over." He said quietly. But before he fell asleep, he saw a shooting star cross the now calm sky. Semi- consciously, he whispered, "I wish Bulma was back to normal." And then he fell asleep.
~~`Like, a million months later (Well it's actually five)`~~
The door to Vegeta's room slowly opened and closed. A stranger, or at least by vision, walked down the stairs to the kitchen.
Trunks looked at his father and sighed. Five months after Bulma had come back and was learning life all over again, his father still slept by himself, passed out more often, had more emotional breakdowns before he went to bed (Trunks could hear them), and he didn't care about himself. His hair was oily and had lost its regular straight spike. He had grown thin and looked very sick, and when he ate it was only sparingly. In fact, he picked and played with his food and there was always some left over- unlike the Saiyan Vegeta Trunks had known. But the worst part- the worst part was his eyes. What had been round, dark, deep, cold orbs of the deepest color were now like pieces of stone, flat and emotionless and the lightest brown possible for a Saiyan. It scared Trunks- this was not his father. It was a stranger.
Bulma, on the other hand, was the perfect picture of happiness. Rainbows practically fell where she stepped (A/N: sarcastically speaking) and it seemed that if she left the room the world would be over. Trunks knew from memories that this was not the mother he remembered. His mother wasn't always happy. She fought with his father often enough, and that had made Trunks feel right at home. But this was different.
And Bra, well, Bra was happy with her mom. She hadn't noticed what was happening to Vegeta at all, except that he wouldn't play with her anymore.
Trunks was trying to keep Capsule Corp. together. Bulma had lost all knowledge of technology, so it was up to poor ol' Trunks and the assistants to keep it going. Trunks was so overworked, he wasn't even happy about seeing his friends.
~~`That night`~~
Trunks had rented a movie and the three of them were watching it. That was, Vegeta, Bra, and himself. Bulma had disappeared to go shopping with Chichi, and hadn't returned yet. Bra fell asleep halfway through, and Vegeta wasn't even listening, so Trunks was the only one who actually got to see the movie.
When Bra was tucked in, Trunks went back downstairs. That's when he noticed something was wrong.
Vegeta's face was screwed up in pain, and he was gripping the couch so tight it was ripping. His lip was bleeding from him biting it, trying not to scream out. "Dad! What's wrong?" Trunks cried, worried.
"I-I'm f-fine..." Vegeta grunted, but was overcome with another wave of pain.
"Dad, how long has this been going on?" Vegeta didn't answer.
Suddenly, just as it had come, Vegeta's sharp gasps subsided into regular breathing. "Don't... don't tell Bra. Promise me, OK?" Vegeta asked.
Trunks nodded subconsciously. "Yea, yea... Dad, please answer me. How long has this been going on?"
Vegeta snorted and turned his back on his son. "Why would you care?"
Trunks rolled his eyes. "Because you're my FATHER, duh!"
"Well, if you have to know, it first started on the night she came back. It wasn't this bad then. I thought it was just something I ate. It was just a dull ache in my chest. But recently it's gotten worse. That's all I'm going to tell you." He got up. "By the way..."
Trunks looked up, because he was still sitting and Vegeta was standing. "What?"
Vegeta smiled briefly for the first time in almost six years. He rested a hand on top of Trunks's head. "Thank you, Trunks. Thank you for being understanding." Then he walked off toward the stairs.
Trunks grinned. *That's probably going to be the closest to what he'll ever say 'I love you' to me straight out loud.*
~~`Like, another month later'~~
Trunks scratched his head. It was almost lunchtime and Vegeta hadn't come out of his bedroom yet. "I guess I'll have to give him his breakfast."
He knocked once and entered. Vegeta was still sleeping. "Dad, wake up."
"Come on, woman, I'm still sleeping." He mumbled sleepily. Then he snapped out of it. "What? Oh." He sat up, rubbing his eyes.
Trunks smiled. "Here's your breakfast, Dad, even though it's almost lunch." Vegeta just took the food and put it on the bedside table.
"I'm not hungry."
"But Dad, it's past eleven! You should be hun-" he cut short what he was saying when he saw Vegeta was in pain again. "Dad?"
Vegeta gripped his bed sheets. "I'll be fine in a second..." he closed his eyes.
But a few minutes passed and Vegeta was not fine. He gasped desperately for air and rolled around in pain. To Trunks's surprise, he rolled off of the bed with a thud. His eyes started rolling back into his head, and he felt as though he couldn't breathe... "Help," Vegeta pleaded weakly.
Trunks jumped up. "Hold on, Dad!" he cried. The only thing on Trunks's mind was to save his dad. For all he knew, Vegeta could die from this unknown pain. Trunks did the only thing he could do in his desperate state of saving Vegeta- get his mom.
He grabbed Bulma, who was passing by him in the hallway. "Trunks, honey, where are we going?" she asked quizzically as they ran through Capsule Corp.
"It's a long story, Mom, but Dad is going to die!" he panted. Then they were outside the room, and they went in.
For a minute time froze. Bulma stood in the doorway, staring at the man in pain lying on the floor. Slowly the words made its way off of her tongue. "Ve...ge...ta..." she said quietly.
All of a sudden everything hit her like a flash. All her memories, her mind, who she was, who she loved, her friends, who had taken her- it was all back. Bulma's memory had been restored in the time of need.
"VEGETA!" she cried, and instantly picked him up from the ground. She laid him on the bed, her hand instinctively supporting his head as it moved from side to side. He stopped wincing for about one second to look into her face. He smiled, his face at peace, and whispered, "Woman. You're back." Then the pain started again and he screamed from not biting his lip in time.
Bulma quickly shoved Vegeta into a confuzzled (A/N: I love that word!) Trunks's arms. "Quickly! Bring him to my lab! We don't have much time!" Trunks obeyed willingly.
~~`At the lab`~~
Bulma attached a tube to Vegeta's arm and poured a purple liquid down it. It slowly snaked its way into Vegeta's system. He calmed down considerably, but he was still in great pain- and great danger.
"Trunks, on the search space on my computer, type in- oh, I don't know, disease!" she yelled.
"Now what?"
"Type in... love!"
"It says 'Aikemia'."
"Yes! That's the one!" Bulma shouted frantically. *I can't believe he loves me enough to get this kind of disease... only people who miss their love greatly can get this!* "Print out the antidote and give it to me!" Trunks did as he was told, and soon Vegeta was back to normal, though he did not wake up. Bulma sighed with relief. "Trunks, whatever you do, do NOT tell Bra about this until she is older and can deal with it, OK? Good. Now get Vegeta back to our-" Trunks noted this happily- "room. He'll need a lot of rest." She yawned. "Come to think of it, so do I."
~~`The next morning`~~
Vegeta woke up the next morning, turned around in bed- and saw Bulma. He gasped with astonishment. "Woman... Bulma... you're back!" he practically squealed with joy and hugged her.
This time Bulma did not try to get free. She just hugged him back. "Vegeta, it's been awhile." She looked up into his face and noticed that his eyes were back to normal. He gazed into her aquamarine eyes, and they shared a long, long, long kiss that almost made up for the past five and a half years. (A/N: No they didn't do 'it'! I swear! This is PG people!)
When they broke apart, Vegeta put his mouth close to her ear, and sang softly,
"I'd do anything Just to hold you in my arms To try to make you laugh Somehow I can't put you in the past I'd do anything Just to fall asleep with you Will you remember me? 'Cuz I know I won't forget you..."
Bulma hugged him again. "I knew it! You DID send me that tape on Valentine's Day!" She snuggled into his chest. "Vegeta, I'm going to have to tell you one heck of a long story later."
"Just promise me we won't go into the park to talk this time. That place creeps me out." He grinned.
Bulma laughed. "I promise."
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There you have it. The end of this fic. Yes, I know it was really short. If you want a sequel you can always review and tell me! (Looks hopeful) I know it was REALLY OOC... but I would act that way too if I was Vegeta! Really!
Chihan: You wish...
CG: SHUT UP! (chases after Chihan with frying pan)
Chihan: Blasts and beams may make me scream, but writers with frying pans will never scare me!
CG: Be prepared to change your tune soon, Chihan, veeerry soon...
Chihan: *Aw man! ANOTHER chapter?* (sigh) Thanks to... OW! (holds head in pain)
CG: (is holding frying pan) I CAN READ YOUR THOUGHTS YOUNG LADY! DON'T THINK I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING CAUSE I WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE THINKING THAT I CAN'T THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE THINKING BECAUSE I CAN'T SEE WHAT YOU'RE THINKING BUT YOU ARE THINKING WRONG CAUSE I THINK I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING SO DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! (hits Chihan again)
Chihan: Owieowow! Ok already! Thanks to someone who didn't write who they were, eddie, and Aqua-Fresh-Ali...
CG: Much better.
Chihan: And thank Dende CG does NOT own us poor little DBZ characters, or we'd be living HFIL every single winking moment of daylight. And night. Thank Dende Akira Toriyama wrote DBZ, not CG, or I'd kill myself. I am also thankful for...
CG: IT'S NEW YEAR'S DAY NOT THANKSGIVING AIRHEAD!
Chihan: Well in that case, this year I resolve to thank Dende more that CG doesn't own us, I resolve to worship Akira Toriyama, I resolve to...
CG: O_O (falls to ground) X_X...
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Chapter 2: She Forgot Me. SHE FORGOT ME! NOOOOO!
Trunks studied the woman in front of them, who had stopped at someone referring to her. Yes, she did look incredibly like his mom as he remembered her. She had the same light blue hair, the same twinkling blue eyes, the same beautifully shaped body... she had to be Bulma.
"Bulma!" Vegeta said happily. He ran up and hugged her. (A/N: Yea, I know, a little OOC {Out Of Character} right there... since when did anyone see Vegeta willingly hug anybody grown-up?)
To his surprise, the woman shook him off and backed away from him. "Who are you?"
Vegeta's already fragile heart broke away from its string that held it up and smashed into a gazillion tiny slivers. He was in pure shock. *What... she... she doesn't... know... w-who... I... am...*
Trunks, seeing his father was frozen, quickly took command. "Um, excuse me, it looks like we have a lot of things to explain. First, are you in a rush to go anywhere?" The woman shook her head. "Do you-" he glanced sideways at his father. "-well, have anyone to go back to or contact?" She shook her head again, much to Trunks's relief. "OK, then, what is your name?"
The woman shrugged. "Well, I don't know who I am. No one does, but a lot of people call me 'Bulma', for some odd reason. Who is this 'Bulma'?" She missed Trunks's amazed look. "But if you guys know anything, I'd be glad to listen to anything you know."
Trunks had one last thing to say. "OK, this will be sort of sudden, but please, do not freak out. You can trust us." Taking half the food bags in one arm and the woman- Bulma- in the other, he started flying away.
Vegeta stared at the ground for a little longer. A small water spot suddenly appeared on the ground, but quickly disappeared into a crack in the sidewalk pavement. Then he picked up the remaining bag and followed his son slowly.
~~`Up in the air`~~
Bulma didn't freak out, as Trunks had expected. "You know, I should be freaked out right about now, but I feel as if I've done this before." Trunks smiled at her response.
"We're going to an island in the middle of the ocean. All my friends are there, and they can explain everything to you. Where do you live, anyway?"
"Just in a hut next to the beach where you found me. I made it myself when I found out I had no idea who my family was."
Trunks spotted the island. "Hey, we're here!" he cried happily, and landed, with Vegeta not far behind him. "WE HAVE THE FOOD AND A SURPRISE!" he shouted.
Goku and Goten came rushing out first. "WHERE'S THE FOOD?" then they stopped. "Bulma?"
Everyone had come out by then, and had started crowding around Trunks and Bulma, bombarding them with questions. Before Trunks was about to go inside, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Vegeta.
Vegeta didn't look up, but kept his eyes on the sand. When his voice came out, it sounded like he was choking back tears. "I-I'm g-going back t-to the C-Cap-psule Corp."
Trunks kept a steady arm on his father, who seemed like he was going to collapse any second. "Dad, are you sure you don't want to stay, not even for the food?"
Vegeta just gave one quick nod of his head.
Trunks sighed. "All right. I'll be home at around ten, maybe later. You should go now, while the sun's still here." He watched his father fly off awkwardly. *Oh Dad... it must be hard for you to see Mom not even remembering you...*
~~`In the GR at 5:30 PM`~~
Vegeta fell to the ground as one of his attacks rebounded at him. He didn't even bother to try and block it. All he could focus on was one person, one girl, one woman, who had lost total remembrance of their relationship. *How could you forget? How could you? I thought... I thought you loved me... loved us... more than that...* As he struggled to get up he was hit by another thought. *What if someone erased your mind?*
He knew he couldn't train anymore, so he stumbled outside, hoping to find comfort in the skies and stars. But all he found was a huge blizzard, raging in all its fury. But Vegeta, poor Vegeta, didn't even feel the blizzard. He just found his favorite spot, and was about to lie down when a sudden weakness ran through his body. "Bulma... stupid woman... fall in love... weakness..." then he passed out, face down in the snow, completely unaware of the world around him.
~~`In the air at 10:30 PM`~~
"Who was that man who hugged me today, anyway?" Bulma asked Trunks as they flew through the air, with Trunks holding on to Bulma and Bulma holding on to a sleeping Bra.
Trunks avoided eye contact with his mom. "That was my father, and your husband. He's a Saiyan too, not only that, he's the Prince of Saiyans- or was. But he's awfully proud of himself at times, well he used to be, until you disappeared..."
Bulma sighed. "And I thought he was just like that Roshi guy, always trying to get a girl and so perverted, when in reality, he is my husband. But it's weird, I don't feel comfortable around him." She blushed. "I feel more comfortable around Yamcha."
Trunks bent his head down against the onslaught of the winds. "Wow, it's really snowing. I hope Dad went inside." He exclaimed quickly, trying to change the subject.
~~`At Capsule Corp.`~~
"All right, we're here." Trunks announced, landing next to the front door. "Come on, it's freezing, let's go inside."
Bra woke up as soon as they were inside. "Daddy?" she whispered sleepily.
Bulma smiled gently. "No, it's just me, your mom- I think."
But Bra was frantically searching around. "Where's Daddy?!" she cried.
Trunks grabbed her and shoved her into her room. "He's probably asleep!" he shouted through the closed door.
Bulma turned toward Trunks. "Um, I know it sounds kinda stupid, but would you mind if I slept in a different room tonight, instead of, you know, with your father? I mean, I haven't really met him and I'm not sure about sleeping with him yet." She grinned sheepishly.
Trunks was disappointed, but didn't show it. *Man, Dad will be so bummed out!* "Sure... you can use one of the guest rooms."
When he was sure his mom was in her hopefully temporary room, he checked on his dad. But what he found- an empty, messy room- was not what he had expected. "Dad?" he whispered. "Vegeta?" No reply came. "Crap! He must be in the GR or worse, outside!"
Trunks glanced through the small window of the GR, but one look told him his father wasn't there. "No, he can't be outside!" Stumbling out into the raging storm, his voice was lost in the wind as he repeatedly called out, "Dad! Dad! DDDAAAAADDDD!"
He leaned against a tree, closed his eyes, and started to think. "If I were my father, where would I go?" he mused. Then it hit him. "His stargazing area! Duh! Trunks, you are soooooo stupid! Ok, lessee... straight in front of the door, a couple yards away..." he ran toward an oddly shaped snow mound. "Dad!"
Quickly, his shivering fingers dug a small hole, enough to uncover faded blue spandex. "Crap!" he powered up, making the snow melt around them. His father's body slowly came into focus. Not even stopping to think, Trunks flew top-speed toward the house, blasted inside, and lay Vegeta carefully on his parents' bed. "Come on, Dad, wake up, wake up!" He shook the still form vigorously.
Vegeta shivered as he slowly came around. "Where... am I?" he managed to say.
Trunks sighed in relief. "Oh Dad, you're alive! Man, it would have been hard to explain to Bra why you weren't home! Thank Dende, you're alive! Are you OK?"
"No, I'm not OK," Vegeta replied bitterly. "One of the only three people I care about in the whole stinking universe has forgotten who I am. She comes back magically after five long years and not even a "Don't call me woman" or something she would usually say! I've survived without her for five years, without once hearing her voice, without once seeing her at all. Sure, there were times when I wasn't sure I'd make it- I even tried to kill myself once," -at this Trunks's eyes grew wide in horror- "but I remembered you and Bra. So I stopped. But now- now- now- I don't know if there's anything to live for anymore. She's probably gone and found love in that stupid weakling again and forgotten all about me! Wait, that's not a question- that's the truth! She's not my 'woman'. She's not Bulma. She's not your mom. She's some other person. My 'woman' is gone, for all I know. And it was all because I was too weak! If I had been stronger, she'd still be here, and we'd all be the same normal way before she left- no, was taken- because I couldn't stop whoever it was from taking her! She's gone!" he started crying, not even caring that Trunks was there. He just brought his knees up to his face, wrapped his arms around them, and cried silently. "She's gone..."
Trunks had never seen his father so emotional. In fact, it was the first time he had ever seen someone have such an emotional breakdown. "Dad..."
"Leave me alone." Was the muffled reply. "Go 'way. I don't need you or anyone comforting me. I'm fine. Just leave me alone and go 'way!"
Trunks would have laughed at his father's childish reactions if the situation hadn't been so serious. Instead, he just got up and left his father crying on his bed, like the world was going to end.
When Trunks had gone Vegeta finally regained his senses. He wiped away the tears that he hadn't cried in a long time. Then his foot struck something on the floor. He picked it up and held it in his hand. *A tape?* he studied it carefully. His eyes widened in recognition. "This... this is the tape I gave her... on Valentine's Day... when she was still dating that stupid human weakling..." Trembling, he put it in the tape player beside the bed and pressed 'Play'. Instantly the music flowed out and surrounded him.
Another day is going by
I'm thinking about you all the time
But you're out there
And I'm here waiting
And I wrote this letter in my head
'Cuz so many things were left unsaid
But now you're gone
And I can't think straight
This could be the one last chance
To make you understand
I'd do anything
Just to hold you in my arms
To try to make you laugh
Somehow I can't put you in the past
I'd do anything
Just to fall asleep with you
Will you remember me?
'Cuz I know
I won't forget you
Together we broke all the rules
Dreaming of dropping out of school
And leave this place
To never come back
So now maybe after all these years
If you miss me have no fear
I'll be here
I'll be waiting
This could be the one last chance to make you understand
And I just can't let you leave me once again
I'd do anything Just to hold you in my arms To try to make you laugh Somehow I can't put you in the past I'd do anything Just to fall asleep with you Will you remember me? 'Cuz I know I won't forget you
I close my eyes
And all I see is you
I close my eyes
I try to sleep
I can't forget you
Nanana ...
And I'd do anything for you
Nanana...
I'd do anything Just to hold you in my arms Try to make you laugh Somehow I can't put you in the past I'd do anything
To fall asleep with you To fall asleep with you...
I'd do anything To fall asleep with you I'd do anything
There's nothing I won't do
I'd do anything
To fall asleep with you
I'd do anything
'Cuz I know
I won't forget you
Vegeta pressed 'Stop'. "Those days are over." He said quietly. But before he fell asleep, he saw a shooting star cross the now calm sky. Semi- consciously, he whispered, "I wish Bulma was back to normal." And then he fell asleep.
~~`Like, a million months later (Well it's actually five)`~~
The door to Vegeta's room slowly opened and closed. A stranger, or at least by vision, walked down the stairs to the kitchen.
Trunks looked at his father and sighed. Five months after Bulma had come back and was learning life all over again, his father still slept by himself, passed out more often, had more emotional breakdowns before he went to bed (Trunks could hear them), and he didn't care about himself. His hair was oily and had lost its regular straight spike. He had grown thin and looked very sick, and when he ate it was only sparingly. In fact, he picked and played with his food and there was always some left over- unlike the Saiyan Vegeta Trunks had known. But the worst part- the worst part was his eyes. What had been round, dark, deep, cold orbs of the deepest color were now like pieces of stone, flat and emotionless and the lightest brown possible for a Saiyan. It scared Trunks- this was not his father. It was a stranger.
Bulma, on the other hand, was the perfect picture of happiness. Rainbows practically fell where she stepped (A/N: sarcastically speaking) and it seemed that if she left the room the world would be over. Trunks knew from memories that this was not the mother he remembered. His mother wasn't always happy. She fought with his father often enough, and that had made Trunks feel right at home. But this was different.
And Bra, well, Bra was happy with her mom. She hadn't noticed what was happening to Vegeta at all, except that he wouldn't play with her anymore.
Trunks was trying to keep Capsule Corp. together. Bulma had lost all knowledge of technology, so it was up to poor ol' Trunks and the assistants to keep it going. Trunks was so overworked, he wasn't even happy about seeing his friends.
~~`That night`~~
Trunks had rented a movie and the three of them were watching it. That was, Vegeta, Bra, and himself. Bulma had disappeared to go shopping with Chichi, and hadn't returned yet. Bra fell asleep halfway through, and Vegeta wasn't even listening, so Trunks was the only one who actually got to see the movie.
When Bra was tucked in, Trunks went back downstairs. That's when he noticed something was wrong.
Vegeta's face was screwed up in pain, and he was gripping the couch so tight it was ripping. His lip was bleeding from him biting it, trying not to scream out. "Dad! What's wrong?" Trunks cried, worried.
"I-I'm f-fine..." Vegeta grunted, but was overcome with another wave of pain.
"Dad, how long has this been going on?" Vegeta didn't answer.
Suddenly, just as it had come, Vegeta's sharp gasps subsided into regular breathing. "Don't... don't tell Bra. Promise me, OK?" Vegeta asked.
Trunks nodded subconsciously. "Yea, yea... Dad, please answer me. How long has this been going on?"
Vegeta snorted and turned his back on his son. "Why would you care?"
Trunks rolled his eyes. "Because you're my FATHER, duh!"
"Well, if you have to know, it first started on the night she came back. It wasn't this bad then. I thought it was just something I ate. It was just a dull ache in my chest. But recently it's gotten worse. That's all I'm going to tell you." He got up. "By the way..."
Trunks looked up, because he was still sitting and Vegeta was standing. "What?"
Vegeta smiled briefly for the first time in almost six years. He rested a hand on top of Trunks's head. "Thank you, Trunks. Thank you for being understanding." Then he walked off toward the stairs.
Trunks grinned. *That's probably going to be the closest to what he'll ever say 'I love you' to me straight out loud.*
~~`Like, another month later'~~
Trunks scratched his head. It was almost lunchtime and Vegeta hadn't come out of his bedroom yet. "I guess I'll have to give him his breakfast."
He knocked once and entered. Vegeta was still sleeping. "Dad, wake up."
"Come on, woman, I'm still sleeping." He mumbled sleepily. Then he snapped out of it. "What? Oh." He sat up, rubbing his eyes.
Trunks smiled. "Here's your breakfast, Dad, even though it's almost lunch." Vegeta just took the food and put it on the bedside table.
"I'm not hungry."
"But Dad, it's past eleven! You should be hun-" he cut short what he was saying when he saw Vegeta was in pain again. "Dad?"
Vegeta gripped his bed sheets. "I'll be fine in a second..." he closed his eyes.
But a few minutes passed and Vegeta was not fine. He gasped desperately for air and rolled around in pain. To Trunks's surprise, he rolled off of the bed with a thud. His eyes started rolling back into his head, and he felt as though he couldn't breathe... "Help," Vegeta pleaded weakly.
Trunks jumped up. "Hold on, Dad!" he cried. The only thing on Trunks's mind was to save his dad. For all he knew, Vegeta could die from this unknown pain. Trunks did the only thing he could do in his desperate state of saving Vegeta- get his mom.
He grabbed Bulma, who was passing by him in the hallway. "Trunks, honey, where are we going?" she asked quizzically as they ran through Capsule Corp.
"It's a long story, Mom, but Dad is going to die!" he panted. Then they were outside the room, and they went in.
For a minute time froze. Bulma stood in the doorway, staring at the man in pain lying on the floor. Slowly the words made its way off of her tongue. "Ve...ge...ta..." she said quietly.
All of a sudden everything hit her like a flash. All her memories, her mind, who she was, who she loved, her friends, who had taken her- it was all back. Bulma's memory had been restored in the time of need.
"VEGETA!" she cried, and instantly picked him up from the ground. She laid him on the bed, her hand instinctively supporting his head as it moved from side to side. He stopped wincing for about one second to look into her face. He smiled, his face at peace, and whispered, "Woman. You're back." Then the pain started again and he screamed from not biting his lip in time.
Bulma quickly shoved Vegeta into a confuzzled (A/N: I love that word!) Trunks's arms. "Quickly! Bring him to my lab! We don't have much time!" Trunks obeyed willingly.
~~`At the lab`~~
Bulma attached a tube to Vegeta's arm and poured a purple liquid down it. It slowly snaked its way into Vegeta's system. He calmed down considerably, but he was still in great pain- and great danger.
"Trunks, on the search space on my computer, type in- oh, I don't know, disease!" she yelled.
"Now what?"
"Type in... love!"
"It says 'Aikemia'."
"Yes! That's the one!" Bulma shouted frantically. *I can't believe he loves me enough to get this kind of disease... only people who miss their love greatly can get this!* "Print out the antidote and give it to me!" Trunks did as he was told, and soon Vegeta was back to normal, though he did not wake up. Bulma sighed with relief. "Trunks, whatever you do, do NOT tell Bra about this until she is older and can deal with it, OK? Good. Now get Vegeta back to our-" Trunks noted this happily- "room. He'll need a lot of rest." She yawned. "Come to think of it, so do I."
~~`The next morning`~~
Vegeta woke up the next morning, turned around in bed- and saw Bulma. He gasped with astonishment. "Woman... Bulma... you're back!" he practically squealed with joy and hugged her.
This time Bulma did not try to get free. She just hugged him back. "Vegeta, it's been awhile." She looked up into his face and noticed that his eyes were back to normal. He gazed into her aquamarine eyes, and they shared a long, long, long kiss that almost made up for the past five and a half years. (A/N: No they didn't do 'it'! I swear! This is PG people!)
When they broke apart, Vegeta put his mouth close to her ear, and sang softly,
"I'd do anything Just to hold you in my arms To try to make you laugh Somehow I can't put you in the past I'd do anything Just to fall asleep with you Will you remember me? 'Cuz I know I won't forget you..."
Bulma hugged him again. "I knew it! You DID send me that tape on Valentine's Day!" She snuggled into his chest. "Vegeta, I'm going to have to tell you one heck of a long story later."
"Just promise me we won't go into the park to talk this time. That place creeps me out." He grinned.
Bulma laughed. "I promise."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There you have it. The end of this fic. Yes, I know it was really short. If you want a sequel you can always review and tell me! (Looks hopeful) I know it was REALLY OOC... but I would act that way too if I was Vegeta! Really!
Chihan: You wish...
CG: SHUT UP! (chases after Chihan with frying pan)
Chihan: Blasts and beams may make me scream, but writers with frying pans will never scare me!
CG: Be prepared to change your tune soon, Chihan, veeerry soon...