Chapter 3
The morning of the tournament was just like any other morning. Or at least it was close. He had lingered in bed longer than he normally did and was actually enjoying himself.
Bulma's hand lingered on his side as she still slept silently beside him. He could hear his son downstairs' already excited about the tournament that they were going to go to.
He was anxious as well.
To fight with Kakarott.
He grinned. An old battle that was well overdue.
Bulma groaned in her sleep and her hand moved.
She made a startled little sound and touched his back. It was not usual for him to still be in bed in the morning.
"Mom! Dad!" Trunk's voice came through the door before he burst through the door. "Get up! Get up! I want to get there early! Come on!" He bounded on the bed. He let her yell at him and complain about waking her up.
He rose and went to get ready for the big day.
…………………..
He watched with pride as his son beat Kakarott's and was pleased to hear the disappointment in the voice of his rival.
It was going to be a good day.
………………….
He grinned as he showed the number to Kakarott and enjoyed the gasps from the group. It would be the battle of the games.
He would make sure of it.
Kakarott even seemed pleased with it.
It would be a good fight.
They wouldn't disappoint the crowd.
He would finally get the chance to prove that he was the better warrior.
…………………..
The first flash tore through his mind with such agony and swiftness that he couldn't respond at first but the next push into his mind he screamed and tried to push it back but it was strong and painful and persistent and persuading him to… to…
He tried to fight.
He tried but the persuading pushes…
Thoughts of the power and the fear that he used to emit. He tried to stop screaming but he couldn't. He wanted this stupid wizard out of his head! He didn't want him there, but… the power that could be his again.
The freedom…he didn't even know that he had craved it.
…………………….
Why did he do that?
She wanted to cry but she didn't allow herself to. She felt weak as the wind of this blast blew past her as he was standing there… standing there and threatening… and being… like he…
She tried really hard not to cry.
…he couldn't do that! He had changed! He had changed to be with her and Trunks! He said so! He said so! Why! NO! Not again.
How could he?
Not her Vegeta. No.
She could hear the others trying to comfort her but nothing they could say or do, could really make her feel any better.
He wasn't supposed to be like that anymore.
He had settled down with her. He said that he was never going to leave her! And then he blows two giant holes in the stadium with no concern for the people that had been in those seats. No concern, even for her! How could he? How could he stand there threatening to blow up Goku with that horrible look on his face?
ChiChi pulled her to her feet as they exited the stadium, still trying to comfort her.
It felt as if part of her was going to hurt forever.
……………….
He looked down at his fallen comrade…friend…enemy…whatever he had become to him, he couldn't find the right words to describe Kakarott as he lay helpless on the ground and he took the last bean and chewed it.
His mind cleared a bit.
He was stronger but where did that really get him?
The horrible evil…was strong. He wished he could scrub the marks of that fool wizard off of him even though he could still feel him in his head. Feel the presence that had urged him into this… into releasing all the old angst that he had tried so hard to get rid of.
He sighed as he felt the absence of Gohan.
Yes. He had allowed that with allowed all his old anger to erupt out of him in such an uncontrolled manner.
He had to get rid of the distraction but … he knew that wasn't the whole thing.
He knew it but he didn't want to admit it.
…………………..
Trunk's was the last person that he had expected to see save him from the clutches of the pink goo that had threatened to crush him. Trunk's and that boy, Goten shaking him and asking him if he was alive.
Trunk's.
The boy looked so much like his mother.
His life…
Yes.
There was only one way.
He had to correct what he had done.
They may not understand, but, he had to do it to make sure that they would be safe.
He didn't deserve them anyway.
………………….
She felt the great emptiness rip through her.
She knew what it meant but didn't want to believe it. The last voice she wanted to hear was Yamcha's and she knew that snapping at him like that wasn't very polite or nice, but she really didn't care.
He was gone.
He had done something stupid.
But she wouldn't allow herself to cry.
Vegeta hated it when she cried and she wasn't going to allow herself to succumb to the tears or the empty feeling.
She concentrated on the radar. She could get the dragon ball and fix the damage that Vegeta had done and then she would hunt him down, one way or another and make him pay for causing her this pain.
Even if she had to wait until the after-life to do it.
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