Chapter 13: Vegeta's Mistake
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or any of the following characters, except Celeste. She is © Me.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~
Vegeta caught Celeste's fist and dodged a kick that was aimed for his stomach. ::She doesn't have my
experience, let alone my strength; she can't beat me! What the hell is she thinking?:: He swung around
and caught her in the ribs with his foot. She let no sound that would prove her pain escape her mouth, and
quickly retaliated with a punch in Vegeta's stomach. He backed up and fired a few blasts at her, which she
deflected with her wings, sending them back at him. Vegeta dodged them easily enough. He made the
mistake of watching them as they shot off, and turned back to see Celeste fly at him and send him reeling
with a kick.
"Lucky shot." He smirked, and sent a large blast at her. Celeste tried to block it with her wings again, but
it was too strong and it tore right through, catching her in the chest and leaving a section of her wings in
shreds. A large gash was visible just below her throat. It bled heavily, but she ignored it. She said nothing
as she flew like lighting a Vegeta, pausing a mere foot from him and letting off a round of blasts.
As she was, this took a lot out of her, and she was gasping for air. Vegeta, on the other hand, had not yet
broken a sweat. He laughed now, at her pain, at her foolishness.
"Child, give up before I kill you." He said, his mouth forever set as a triumphant grin.
"Never." Came the cliché reply. Celeste could tell her energy stores were depleted and she couldn't keep
fighting. Vegeta knew this also, which made it all that more fun. He did marvel at her determination,
though.
Celeste shot at Vegeta, fists ready. Vegeta started charging up a blast. She closed in, quickly destroying
the distance between them, and Vegeta let go of the blast, sending it screaming towards her. Celeste
stopped abruptly and was trying desperately to reverse her path, but momentum kept her going forward.
She threw her arms in front of her, and prepared for the pain. She felt the searing heat of the blast fall
upon her, but before the actual connection, something shoved her hard and painfully out of the way,
causing her to lose concentration. She started to fall, with no energy left to stop herself with. Celeste could
only watch as the ground rushed up to meet her.
~*~
Bulma woke alone. The clock read 6:43 am. There was no sound except for the occasional bird chirping.
She stood up and grabbed some pants and a tee shirt out of the dresser and put them on. She walked out
into the hallway and went to kitchen to start making breakfast for when Vegeta and Trunks came home.
But before she could even open the refrigerator, she heard the door open and slam shut again. Vegeta
walked in, followed by Trunks, who looked a little beat up.
Trunks carried the unconscious Celeste, who looked much worse. Her shirt was torn, revealing a large
blue and purple bruise on her side. Celeste's wings were torn badly, and a couple of her spikes were
broken. Blood ran freely from a gash below her throat her mouth. But most definitely, the wound that
stood out the most was the hole that obviously went right through her. Located below the rib cage and off
to the side of her body, Bulma guessed that if Celeste was lucky, it would have missed any vital organs.
Blood gushed from it, pouring out onto the linoleum floor, and the amount of it was astonishing. Celeste
had most certainly lost a vital amount of blood, and her chest heaved up and down in attempts to continue
breathing.
"She fell." Trunks whispered, looking blankly at Bulma. ".Can you help her?" Bulma looked down
from Trunks's emotionless stare to Celeste, then over to Vegeta, who was leaning against the wall, eyes
closed. She knew that he thought she could save the girl, but with this situation, even Bulma doubted
herself.
~*~
Blinding pain forced it's way into every nook and cranny of Celeste's body. Flash after flash of pain shook
her with every breath, every heartbeat. Her mind screamed. If only it would end, if only the pain would
stop. Death was welcome now, anything that could relieve her of this misery. But no, something forced
Death back, away from her. Something denied her relief. ::Please! Oh Kami, stop the pain!:: She scream
inwardly.
Suddenly, the pain subsided. A cooling fluid rushed through her, numbing her to the pain. What once
burned, was now frozen solid. It no longer hurt to breathe. ::Thank you.:: Celeste called.
"She's stopped shaking. Her breathing's evened out. I think she's ok."
"We're not out of the woods yet. Give her another shot."
"You're sure? What if it's too much?"
"It's not. Do it."
Another flush of ice ran through her, feeling even better than the first. Celeste felt the energy rebuild itself
in her, gaining momentum. She open her closed eyes slightly, and felt feeling return to her body. It was
like surfacing out of a lake of numbness. She could feel the dried blood on her face being wiped away.
Something else stirred inside her. The pain, though weakened, was still determined to kill her, and it
rushed to the surface as well. But it lost it's speed, it was too weak now. She felt it only slightly.
Focus did not come, and left only blurry shapes.. Someone leaned over her. Whoever it was just stood
there, watching emerge from her lake. She moved her hand slightly. Pain flooded over her from the lost
effort. Celeste let out a small whine of pain. The figure hovering over her laid their hand on top of hers,
stilling the movement.
"Don't move." It whispered, it's mouth right next to her ear. It's voice was sad and distressed, and she
could feel the pain in it's mind. She stopped trying to move, and closed her eyes.
"Try to sleep Celeste. You need rest." It was soothing, and Celeste agreed. She did need rest. Suddenly her
body was racked with weariness. She let a sigh escape her lips, and sank into a dreamless sleep.
~*~
Trunks sat beside Celeste's bed where her unmoving form lay bandaged. She slept deeply. After Bulma
had finished working on her, Trunks had carried her to her room and set her in the bed and had not left
her side since. ::It's my fault, I shoved her out of the way and forgot to catch her.:: He thought sadly. He
could hear Vegeta in the other room telling Bulma what had happened. Now Bulma was yelling
something about how Celeste couldn't leave. Trunks looked at the wall that separated the rooms, trying to
listen, then moved his eyes back to Celeste.
Both her wings were bandaged, and her entire waist had been bandaged because of the hole in her side.
Her head was wrapped in bandages also. The had found numerous cuts on her body. One of her arms were
broken, but everything seemed to be healing quickly, except the hole.
Trunks recalled the events in the purest of detail.
~*~
As soon as Trunks had shoved Celeste out of the line of fire, the blast had caught him, sending him flying.
It was small, just enough to bruise him, but in Celeste's weak state it could have killed her. He had seen
Celeste falling, and kept hoping that she would wake up and catch herself. But no, she had continued to
fall. Right into the trees. When they found her, she had been impaled on sharp stick panted in the ground.
Oh Kami, how he hated recalling that scene. Celeste's blood reflected his failure to protect her, and every
time he thought about her still figure laying there, the wooden stake through her, the blood pooling and
sinking into the ground, staining the dirt and grass, he felt like someone had impaled him.
~*~
Why hadn't he caught her? Why? Now she might die. So much blood had she lost, that the possibility of
her death was very real. But she couldn't die. So many things were unknown about her. If she did die,
who would they tell? What if she had family? They would never know.
What about the dragonballs? Couldn't they just wish her back?
No, something told him deep down that it wouldn't work. There was something different in her that
would prevent her from being brought back.
"Don't die." He whispered to her, even though she couldn't hear him. She continued to sleep. Her chest
moved gently up and down in the shallow breathing the showed sleep.
"Please don't die." He felt so small. He couldn't do anything. For once, he couldn't help. Trunks put his
hand in his hands and just sat there, saying nothing, thinking nothing. Just waiting.
~*~
Bulma walked in at 1 pm to find Trunks sleeping on the floor next to Celeste's bed. Vegeta had gone to
train two or three hours after they brought Celeste back. He had asked Trunks if he would come also, but
Trunks had refused. ::And rightly so.:: Thought Bulma.
The girl herself still slept also, but in a deeper way. Trunks sleep was visibly restless, as he was tossing
and turning on the floor. He still wore the blood-stained jeans, which were a little singed. Bulma walked
out and came back with a blanket that she spread over Trunks. She pulled back the covers on Celeste and
undid the bandages wrapped around the girl's waist. The hole was no longer bleeding, but it was still open
to infection. Bulma grabbed some antibiotics and a new bandage from her lab and redid Celeste's wound.
The gash on Celeste's neck had healed nicely, but there was still a slight scar. The girl's healing factor
was abnormal, and her cells were reproducing quickly to fix the hole and get rid of scar tissue.
Celeste twitched as Bulma finished wrapping the bandage and tied it shut. She would be in pain for at
least three days, until her body had repaired itself. Bulma pulled the blanket back over Celeste and threw
the bloody bandage in the trash can at the door as she walked out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~
Blah. Enjoy some Angst. Please comment.
- Siphyis Pendragon
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or any of the following characters, except Celeste. She is © Me.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~
Vegeta caught Celeste's fist and dodged a kick that was aimed for his stomach. ::She doesn't have my
experience, let alone my strength; she can't beat me! What the hell is she thinking?:: He swung around
and caught her in the ribs with his foot. She let no sound that would prove her pain escape her mouth, and
quickly retaliated with a punch in Vegeta's stomach. He backed up and fired a few blasts at her, which she
deflected with her wings, sending them back at him. Vegeta dodged them easily enough. He made the
mistake of watching them as they shot off, and turned back to see Celeste fly at him and send him reeling
with a kick.
"Lucky shot." He smirked, and sent a large blast at her. Celeste tried to block it with her wings again, but
it was too strong and it tore right through, catching her in the chest and leaving a section of her wings in
shreds. A large gash was visible just below her throat. It bled heavily, but she ignored it. She said nothing
as she flew like lighting a Vegeta, pausing a mere foot from him and letting off a round of blasts.
As she was, this took a lot out of her, and she was gasping for air. Vegeta, on the other hand, had not yet
broken a sweat. He laughed now, at her pain, at her foolishness.
"Child, give up before I kill you." He said, his mouth forever set as a triumphant grin.
"Never." Came the cliché reply. Celeste could tell her energy stores were depleted and she couldn't keep
fighting. Vegeta knew this also, which made it all that more fun. He did marvel at her determination,
though.
Celeste shot at Vegeta, fists ready. Vegeta started charging up a blast. She closed in, quickly destroying
the distance between them, and Vegeta let go of the blast, sending it screaming towards her. Celeste
stopped abruptly and was trying desperately to reverse her path, but momentum kept her going forward.
She threw her arms in front of her, and prepared for the pain. She felt the searing heat of the blast fall
upon her, but before the actual connection, something shoved her hard and painfully out of the way,
causing her to lose concentration. She started to fall, with no energy left to stop herself with. Celeste could
only watch as the ground rushed up to meet her.
~*~
Bulma woke alone. The clock read 6:43 am. There was no sound except for the occasional bird chirping.
She stood up and grabbed some pants and a tee shirt out of the dresser and put them on. She walked out
into the hallway and went to kitchen to start making breakfast for when Vegeta and Trunks came home.
But before she could even open the refrigerator, she heard the door open and slam shut again. Vegeta
walked in, followed by Trunks, who looked a little beat up.
Trunks carried the unconscious Celeste, who looked much worse. Her shirt was torn, revealing a large
blue and purple bruise on her side. Celeste's wings were torn badly, and a couple of her spikes were
broken. Blood ran freely from a gash below her throat her mouth. But most definitely, the wound that
stood out the most was the hole that obviously went right through her. Located below the rib cage and off
to the side of her body, Bulma guessed that if Celeste was lucky, it would have missed any vital organs.
Blood gushed from it, pouring out onto the linoleum floor, and the amount of it was astonishing. Celeste
had most certainly lost a vital amount of blood, and her chest heaved up and down in attempts to continue
breathing.
"She fell." Trunks whispered, looking blankly at Bulma. ".Can you help her?" Bulma looked down
from Trunks's emotionless stare to Celeste, then over to Vegeta, who was leaning against the wall, eyes
closed. She knew that he thought she could save the girl, but with this situation, even Bulma doubted
herself.
~*~
Blinding pain forced it's way into every nook and cranny of Celeste's body. Flash after flash of pain shook
her with every breath, every heartbeat. Her mind screamed. If only it would end, if only the pain would
stop. Death was welcome now, anything that could relieve her of this misery. But no, something forced
Death back, away from her. Something denied her relief. ::Please! Oh Kami, stop the pain!:: She scream
inwardly.
Suddenly, the pain subsided. A cooling fluid rushed through her, numbing her to the pain. What once
burned, was now frozen solid. It no longer hurt to breathe. ::Thank you.:: Celeste called.
"She's stopped shaking. Her breathing's evened out. I think she's ok."
"We're not out of the woods yet. Give her another shot."
"You're sure? What if it's too much?"
"It's not. Do it."
Another flush of ice ran through her, feeling even better than the first. Celeste felt the energy rebuild itself
in her, gaining momentum. She open her closed eyes slightly, and felt feeling return to her body. It was
like surfacing out of a lake of numbness. She could feel the dried blood on her face being wiped away.
Something else stirred inside her. The pain, though weakened, was still determined to kill her, and it
rushed to the surface as well. But it lost it's speed, it was too weak now. She felt it only slightly.
Focus did not come, and left only blurry shapes.. Someone leaned over her. Whoever it was just stood
there, watching emerge from her lake. She moved her hand slightly. Pain flooded over her from the lost
effort. Celeste let out a small whine of pain. The figure hovering over her laid their hand on top of hers,
stilling the movement.
"Don't move." It whispered, it's mouth right next to her ear. It's voice was sad and distressed, and she
could feel the pain in it's mind. She stopped trying to move, and closed her eyes.
"Try to sleep Celeste. You need rest." It was soothing, and Celeste agreed. She did need rest. Suddenly her
body was racked with weariness. She let a sigh escape her lips, and sank into a dreamless sleep.
~*~
Trunks sat beside Celeste's bed where her unmoving form lay bandaged. She slept deeply. After Bulma
had finished working on her, Trunks had carried her to her room and set her in the bed and had not left
her side since. ::It's my fault, I shoved her out of the way and forgot to catch her.:: He thought sadly. He
could hear Vegeta in the other room telling Bulma what had happened. Now Bulma was yelling
something about how Celeste couldn't leave. Trunks looked at the wall that separated the rooms, trying to
listen, then moved his eyes back to Celeste.
Both her wings were bandaged, and her entire waist had been bandaged because of the hole in her side.
Her head was wrapped in bandages also. The had found numerous cuts on her body. One of her arms were
broken, but everything seemed to be healing quickly, except the hole.
Trunks recalled the events in the purest of detail.
~*~
As soon as Trunks had shoved Celeste out of the line of fire, the blast had caught him, sending him flying.
It was small, just enough to bruise him, but in Celeste's weak state it could have killed her. He had seen
Celeste falling, and kept hoping that she would wake up and catch herself. But no, she had continued to
fall. Right into the trees. When they found her, she had been impaled on sharp stick panted in the ground.
Oh Kami, how he hated recalling that scene. Celeste's blood reflected his failure to protect her, and every
time he thought about her still figure laying there, the wooden stake through her, the blood pooling and
sinking into the ground, staining the dirt and grass, he felt like someone had impaled him.
~*~
Why hadn't he caught her? Why? Now she might die. So much blood had she lost, that the possibility of
her death was very real. But she couldn't die. So many things were unknown about her. If she did die,
who would they tell? What if she had family? They would never know.
What about the dragonballs? Couldn't they just wish her back?
No, something told him deep down that it wouldn't work. There was something different in her that
would prevent her from being brought back.
"Don't die." He whispered to her, even though she couldn't hear him. She continued to sleep. Her chest
moved gently up and down in the shallow breathing the showed sleep.
"Please don't die." He felt so small. He couldn't do anything. For once, he couldn't help. Trunks put his
hand in his hands and just sat there, saying nothing, thinking nothing. Just waiting.
~*~
Bulma walked in at 1 pm to find Trunks sleeping on the floor next to Celeste's bed. Vegeta had gone to
train two or three hours after they brought Celeste back. He had asked Trunks if he would come also, but
Trunks had refused. ::And rightly so.:: Thought Bulma.
The girl herself still slept also, but in a deeper way. Trunks sleep was visibly restless, as he was tossing
and turning on the floor. He still wore the blood-stained jeans, which were a little singed. Bulma walked
out and came back with a blanket that she spread over Trunks. She pulled back the covers on Celeste and
undid the bandages wrapped around the girl's waist. The hole was no longer bleeding, but it was still open
to infection. Bulma grabbed some antibiotics and a new bandage from her lab and redid Celeste's wound.
The gash on Celeste's neck had healed nicely, but there was still a slight scar. The girl's healing factor
was abnormal, and her cells were reproducing quickly to fix the hole and get rid of scar tissue.
Celeste twitched as Bulma finished wrapping the bandage and tied it shut. She would be in pain for at
least three days, until her body had repaired itself. Bulma pulled the blanket back over Celeste and threw
the bloody bandage in the trash can at the door as she walked out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~
Blah. Enjoy some Angst. Please comment.
- Siphyis Pendragon