Chapter Thirty Nine: Surprise and Confrontation
Authors Notes: I've been getting so many nice reviews lately, even though I made you all wait so long -_- Thanks! Anyway, I'm glad you're all enjoying Koru and Arden, I personally think they're a very cute couple. The filler chapters are done and I'm moving on to the more serious stuff now. Enjoy!
Days remaining: 2
Strifelon opened his overhead latch and peered up into the face of Azul. Instantly he smiled, ushering the man inside.
"Good newsss?" he asked once he and Azul stood on the steps. Azul rummaged around inside his cloak and pulled out the two glass boxes. Each was decorated intricately with small stones and rune markings, markings of their people. Inside were the two delicate Psytrim. Strifelon took the boxes and told Azul to follow him down to his laboratory.
Strifelon's laboratory was a thing of marvel amongst the Storkrin's. Few had been inside it, and those who had left with the feeling that they had personally shared time with the most intelligent Storkrin alive. It was a privilege, and Azul felt no different.
They passed bubbling vials and strange weeds and furs stuffed in overhanging compartments. It would seem a Witch's lair, if not for the obvious abundance of technology. Azul watched as Strifelon set the boxes down gently and then began to extract each flower.
He shook his head, as if annoyed with something. "It isss a sssstrange thing that we Ssstorkrinsss are one of the mossst technologically advanced ssspeciesss, yet we lack the knowledge and the power of the green thumb."
It was not entirely true. Azul had quite the green thumb, which was why it was he who tended to the plants each year. Yet he agreed with the Wiseman. They could create nearly anything they wanted and they could build any sort of mechanical device anyone could ever need.but they were dying because of a plant.
Azul nodded. "You are right, Ssstrifelon. If the Psssytrim doesss not continue to grow." he trailed off, leaving the suggestion open.
They both knew it meant the end of their species.
Strifelon placed the last flower inside the dark yellow liquid and they both watched it dissolve into nothing. Although it was far from nothing; it was the power to exterminate a particularly nasty disease, thus brining forth life.
70% of the remaining Storkrin's alive on R'haksin were male, and half of those alone were either nearing the end of their lifespan or too decrepit to produce anymore. This was a fact that was not easily swallowed. This meant that if they continued to produce at the rate that they were then R'haksin would no longer have a race for itself.
"We are foolisssh." Strifelon said as he stirred the yellow liquid and poured it into two separate vials. One for Koru, the other for Bulma. "If only there were ssssome way to masss produce the Psssytrim." he sighed, and turned to set the vials into holders, upon which he shut them away under lock and key into a small cupboard.
"I have tried everything, Azul." He said, turning toward the kitchen. The younger Storkrin followed, and seated himself at the table as Strifelon prepared tea. "Yet, I find myself a tired old man." He handed Azul his tea and sat down across from him.
They sipped in silence, both contemplating the end of their race forever, both wondering desperately at the solution to the problem.
Then, a knock from above startled them from their thoughts.
Strifelon grumbled, mumbling to himself as he took his staff in one hand and went to answer the door, leaving his guest to his tea.
"Can no one leave me in peace?" he growled on his way up.
A Moment later Strifelon returned with Bulma. Azul instantly rose from the table and bent at the waist, a slight bow for her. Bulma flushed. The Sayajin was behind her, Azul noticed, and did not like the reaction his female had from the display. Azul sat back down.
"Earthling female." He nodded in greeting. "Prince."
Azul had always been one of the more refined of the Storkrin's, one of the very few males who had disagreed to The Dungeons and who treated the women with equal respect.
Bulma seated herself at the table, politely declining the tea.
"Pardon me for sssaying ssso," Azul said, "You do not look well."
Bulma smiled faintly. "I do not -feel- well." she confessed. "I have awoken with a pounding headache, and." she drifted off.
Azul took the hint. He rose from the table. "It wasss nice to sssee you." He dipped his head again, and then left for the stairs with one last glance at Strifelon.
"Tell me Bulma." Strifelon took her hand in his own, and began to rub the skin on her hand. She winced, and he made a noise of deep understanding in his throat. "I sssee." he said.
"What is it?" Vegeta barked, his eyes both angry and worried.
"Not to fear, Prince." Strifelon said as he left the room for a second and returned with Bulma's vial.
"What is that?" Bulma asked. She was sweating.
"Thisss, my dear," Strifelon said as he held it up with his imp grin, "Isss your Psssytrim."
She smiled.
"It will be ripe in two daysss time. It mussst ssssettle until then." He put it into his pocket and pulled out another. "Thisss, I fear, will not make you sssoo happy."
"Why?" Bulma moaned. "Is that another one of your disgusting remedies?"
Strifelon took no offense to her words, but merely smiled sympathetically. "Yesss." He said. "Yet you mussst drink. You are sssuffering from the lassst ssstretch of the dissseassse."
"Which is.?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow.
"It isss when Fortricresss attacksss the reproductive sssyssstem." He announced. Bulma's head shot up.
"What?" she cried, looking panicked. "What does that mean?"
"Bulma." Strifelon soothed. "Lisssten. Fortricresss attacksss the reproductive sssyssstem in all femalesss, which isss why our race hasss been dying out." He unscrewed the top of the vial, letting loose a particularly nasty smell. "Asss of now, your abdomen hurtsss dreadfully, and you are experiencing vaginal bleeding, am I right?"
Bulma flushed. "Yes." She said, very softly.
"Yet, by drinking thisss, we can alter the effectsss."
Bulma took the vial. "Then why did they continue to die?"
Strifelon lowered his head. "Becaussse we ignored them." he said softly.
There was a silence.
"We did not treat them asss we sssshould have." He said regretfully. "Yet, asss you know, Fortricresss isss not the sssame with Earthling women. I do not know how thisss will effect you."
Bulma felt her eyes tearing up. "So, do you mean that, because I'm a human female, I might.." She struggled. "I might not.be able to produce children in the future?"
Strifelon sighed. "I am not sssure, Bulma." He paused. "I'm sssorry."
Vegeta felt miserable. He had taken this woman as his mate, and now there was a chance that he would not have an heir?
"However," Strifelon continued, breaking the awful silence, "You are a ssstrong woman, and you continue to sssurprissse me at every turn." He smiled gently. "I would not be very sssurprisssed at all if you recovered from thisss dissseassse with no real long term affectsss."
"You mean it?" Bulma whimpered, looking pitiful.
Strifelon smiled. "I do." He waved his hand at the vial. "But you will not accomplisssh anything by not drinking."
Bulma tipped the vial to her lips and shuddered. It was horrible, and it burned her throat.
Strifelon looked meaningfully at Vegeta. "I have one thing to add before you are off." He said, taking the empty vial from her and returning it to his pocket. "If you would engage in sssexual activity for the next two daysss, there would be no telling asss to what could happen." He looked at Bulma, who was once again blushing. "Although, I would bet my bessst cauldron on the fact that after drinking thisss, sssex will be the furthessst thing from your horny little mind." He handed her another vial of a darker liquid. "Take it tomorrow morning."
"Horny?" Bulma cried. Vegeta could not help but chuckle. "Where the hell did you pick that word up?"
"From you." Strifelon replied simply. "Now, my dear, in all ssseriousssnesss. Heed my wordsss and resst. There are only two more daysss until you will be cured." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I am sssorry if I ssscared you, Bulma. Pleassse do not let your head be filled with thoughtsss of a barren womb."
Bulma nodded, and together, she and Vegeta left, the vial of dark gray liquid in hand.
Strifelon sighed, and returned to his studies.
Chi-Chi tossed the frozen package of chicken wings into her cart and continued down the isle, absently looking at the assorted packages of pre- cooked food. None of them looked terribly appealing.
And yet, nothing seemed to appeal to her any more.
It had been so since she had discovered that Bulma had left. When the assumed days had passed, everyone had fallen into a deep state of depression. Nobody wanted to admit that Bulma could be dead, but she had to be.if it had taken that long.
Chi-Chi felt her eyes tearing up, and she pushed the cart a little faster.
Yaumcha had been the one to take it the hardest, Chi-Chi thought with bitterness. She hadn't exactly sympathy for Yaumcha anymore. In the beginning, she had felt sorry for him, until she had further read into her friend's diary, and discovered the true meaning of how horrible Yaumcha had treated her.
She looked down. Her cart was nearly full, and Goku was probably going to be starving after his workout with Gohan behind the falls. She sighed, and began to wheel the cart to the front of the store. She picked checkout Isle five and stood, waiting until she could at last get home and forget, just for a little while.
Goku.
She felt a pang of guilt when she thought of her husband. Sure, he wasn't exactly the smartest man on the planet, nor was he rich, and he always wanted their son to do the opposite of what she thought was right. But he was a great person, and he treated both she and Gohan with more love than anybody deserved. Lately, however, Chi-Chi had been depriving her husband of sex. Although she knew they looked like the sort of couple who -never- engaged in sexual activity, she and Goku were quite the opposite. She clenched her hands on the cart and trembled. Goku made love to her with more passion and gentleness than she thought possible and he hardly ever asked for it. She felt guilty. Yet, wasn't she entitled so say no? After all, her best friend was practically dead!
But.to say no ten times? Was that fair?
Chi-Chi was interrupted in her thoughts, however, when Yaumcha suddenly appeared out of nowhere, a basket of food at his hip, a hesitant smile on his face.
"Hey Chi-Chi." He ventured. "Shopping?"
Chi-Chi forced a tight-lipped smile. "No, Yaumcha. I'm just standing here with a cart full of food at a supermarket."
He shrugged. "All right, so it was a stupid question." He paused. "How's Goku?"
"Fine."
"And you.?"
She turned to him. "Not in the mood to talk."
Yaumcha frowned. "Chi-Chi."
"Look, Yaumcha. Just drop it."
"You blame me! Everyone blames me!" he suddenly cried. A woman standing behind him glared. "Everyone thinks Vegeta is the big fucking hero! I suppose they all forgot that he tried to kill us!"
Chi-Chi whirled on him. "No, Yaumcha, we haven't forgotten that Vegeta tried to kill us, but we also haven't forgotten that he's the one who went to space to save her life, which is a shitload more than -you've- ever done for Bulma!" Chi-Chi yelled back. "Oh, wait, you -have- done things for Bulma. What were they, now.oh! I remember! You slapped her one night after she accused you of cheating on her with that blonde from the bar, giving her a very nice black eye, which is why she wore sunglasses all that week. It's not like you were cheating on her that night, though. Oh, no! It's not like she caught you with your pants down giving it to that same blonde behind the bar the week before! But you just had to put her in her place, didn't you Yaumcha!"
Yaumcha stuttered. People were staring, and whispering.
Chi-Chi wasn't done yet.
"If I remember correctly, you've also cheated on her eight times before that, screamed at her and insulted her each time for accusing you." she paused, seeming to think. "You tore the head off of her favorite teddy bear, called her a slut on more occasions than she could remember, and you forced sex on her three times, each time after you'd already screwed 'Sarah' only hours before!" by now Chi-Chi was fuming. "So Kami help me, Yaumcha, but if she's alive, and if she comes back, if you even -touch- her for one second, I will have my Goku on you faster than you can blink," she leaned in very close, "You think I won't do it? TRY ME."
There was an eerie silence in the supermarket. Yaumcha's face was burning red.
"So when she comes back, you can pull your little snot-nosed, sniveling 'please take me back' display, and you show her those fucking pathetic little 'look at me look at me' cuts on your wrists, and try and get her back. But it won't work you shithead." She wheeled her cart around. "Vegeta may have tried to kill us, and he might be an arrogant prick sometimes, but at least he knows how to treat women, and has the heart to be a hero when the time calls for it, you fucking son of a bitch COWARD!!" she finished with a scream.
And with that settled, Chi-Chi lifted her head high, wheeled her cart around, and left for another isle, feeling more proud of herself than she had in years.
In fact, she felt downright peachy.
Authors Notes: I've been getting so many nice reviews lately, even though I made you all wait so long -_- Thanks! Anyway, I'm glad you're all enjoying Koru and Arden, I personally think they're a very cute couple. The filler chapters are done and I'm moving on to the more serious stuff now. Enjoy!
Days remaining: 2
Strifelon opened his overhead latch and peered up into the face of Azul. Instantly he smiled, ushering the man inside.
"Good newsss?" he asked once he and Azul stood on the steps. Azul rummaged around inside his cloak and pulled out the two glass boxes. Each was decorated intricately with small stones and rune markings, markings of their people. Inside were the two delicate Psytrim. Strifelon took the boxes and told Azul to follow him down to his laboratory.
Strifelon's laboratory was a thing of marvel amongst the Storkrin's. Few had been inside it, and those who had left with the feeling that they had personally shared time with the most intelligent Storkrin alive. It was a privilege, and Azul felt no different.
They passed bubbling vials and strange weeds and furs stuffed in overhanging compartments. It would seem a Witch's lair, if not for the obvious abundance of technology. Azul watched as Strifelon set the boxes down gently and then began to extract each flower.
He shook his head, as if annoyed with something. "It isss a sssstrange thing that we Ssstorkrinsss are one of the mossst technologically advanced ssspeciesss, yet we lack the knowledge and the power of the green thumb."
It was not entirely true. Azul had quite the green thumb, which was why it was he who tended to the plants each year. Yet he agreed with the Wiseman. They could create nearly anything they wanted and they could build any sort of mechanical device anyone could ever need.but they were dying because of a plant.
Azul nodded. "You are right, Ssstrifelon. If the Psssytrim doesss not continue to grow." he trailed off, leaving the suggestion open.
They both knew it meant the end of their species.
Strifelon placed the last flower inside the dark yellow liquid and they both watched it dissolve into nothing. Although it was far from nothing; it was the power to exterminate a particularly nasty disease, thus brining forth life.
70% of the remaining Storkrin's alive on R'haksin were male, and half of those alone were either nearing the end of their lifespan or too decrepit to produce anymore. This was a fact that was not easily swallowed. This meant that if they continued to produce at the rate that they were then R'haksin would no longer have a race for itself.
"We are foolisssh." Strifelon said as he stirred the yellow liquid and poured it into two separate vials. One for Koru, the other for Bulma. "If only there were ssssome way to masss produce the Psssytrim." he sighed, and turned to set the vials into holders, upon which he shut them away under lock and key into a small cupboard.
"I have tried everything, Azul." He said, turning toward the kitchen. The younger Storkrin followed, and seated himself at the table as Strifelon prepared tea. "Yet, I find myself a tired old man." He handed Azul his tea and sat down across from him.
They sipped in silence, both contemplating the end of their race forever, both wondering desperately at the solution to the problem.
Then, a knock from above startled them from their thoughts.
Strifelon grumbled, mumbling to himself as he took his staff in one hand and went to answer the door, leaving his guest to his tea.
"Can no one leave me in peace?" he growled on his way up.
A Moment later Strifelon returned with Bulma. Azul instantly rose from the table and bent at the waist, a slight bow for her. Bulma flushed. The Sayajin was behind her, Azul noticed, and did not like the reaction his female had from the display. Azul sat back down.
"Earthling female." He nodded in greeting. "Prince."
Azul had always been one of the more refined of the Storkrin's, one of the very few males who had disagreed to The Dungeons and who treated the women with equal respect.
Bulma seated herself at the table, politely declining the tea.
"Pardon me for sssaying ssso," Azul said, "You do not look well."
Bulma smiled faintly. "I do not -feel- well." she confessed. "I have awoken with a pounding headache, and." she drifted off.
Azul took the hint. He rose from the table. "It wasss nice to sssee you." He dipped his head again, and then left for the stairs with one last glance at Strifelon.
"Tell me Bulma." Strifelon took her hand in his own, and began to rub the skin on her hand. She winced, and he made a noise of deep understanding in his throat. "I sssee." he said.
"What is it?" Vegeta barked, his eyes both angry and worried.
"Not to fear, Prince." Strifelon said as he left the room for a second and returned with Bulma's vial.
"What is that?" Bulma asked. She was sweating.
"Thisss, my dear," Strifelon said as he held it up with his imp grin, "Isss your Psssytrim."
She smiled.
"It will be ripe in two daysss time. It mussst ssssettle until then." He put it into his pocket and pulled out another. "Thisss, I fear, will not make you sssoo happy."
"Why?" Bulma moaned. "Is that another one of your disgusting remedies?"
Strifelon took no offense to her words, but merely smiled sympathetically. "Yesss." He said. "Yet you mussst drink. You are sssuffering from the lassst ssstretch of the dissseassse."
"Which is.?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow.
"It isss when Fortricresss attacksss the reproductive sssyssstem." He announced. Bulma's head shot up.
"What?" she cried, looking panicked. "What does that mean?"
"Bulma." Strifelon soothed. "Lisssten. Fortricresss attacksss the reproductive sssyssstem in all femalesss, which isss why our race hasss been dying out." He unscrewed the top of the vial, letting loose a particularly nasty smell. "Asss of now, your abdomen hurtsss dreadfully, and you are experiencing vaginal bleeding, am I right?"
Bulma flushed. "Yes." She said, very softly.
"Yet, by drinking thisss, we can alter the effectsss."
Bulma took the vial. "Then why did they continue to die?"
Strifelon lowered his head. "Becaussse we ignored them." he said softly.
There was a silence.
"We did not treat them asss we sssshould have." He said regretfully. "Yet, asss you know, Fortricresss isss not the sssame with Earthling women. I do not know how thisss will effect you."
Bulma felt her eyes tearing up. "So, do you mean that, because I'm a human female, I might.." She struggled. "I might not.be able to produce children in the future?"
Strifelon sighed. "I am not sssure, Bulma." He paused. "I'm sssorry."
Vegeta felt miserable. He had taken this woman as his mate, and now there was a chance that he would not have an heir?
"However," Strifelon continued, breaking the awful silence, "You are a ssstrong woman, and you continue to sssurprissse me at every turn." He smiled gently. "I would not be very sssurprisssed at all if you recovered from thisss dissseassse with no real long term affectsss."
"You mean it?" Bulma whimpered, looking pitiful.
Strifelon smiled. "I do." He waved his hand at the vial. "But you will not accomplisssh anything by not drinking."
Bulma tipped the vial to her lips and shuddered. It was horrible, and it burned her throat.
Strifelon looked meaningfully at Vegeta. "I have one thing to add before you are off." He said, taking the empty vial from her and returning it to his pocket. "If you would engage in sssexual activity for the next two daysss, there would be no telling asss to what could happen." He looked at Bulma, who was once again blushing. "Although, I would bet my bessst cauldron on the fact that after drinking thisss, sssex will be the furthessst thing from your horny little mind." He handed her another vial of a darker liquid. "Take it tomorrow morning."
"Horny?" Bulma cried. Vegeta could not help but chuckle. "Where the hell did you pick that word up?"
"From you." Strifelon replied simply. "Now, my dear, in all ssseriousssnesss. Heed my wordsss and resst. There are only two more daysss until you will be cured." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I am sssorry if I ssscared you, Bulma. Pleassse do not let your head be filled with thoughtsss of a barren womb."
Bulma nodded, and together, she and Vegeta left, the vial of dark gray liquid in hand.
Strifelon sighed, and returned to his studies.
Chi-Chi tossed the frozen package of chicken wings into her cart and continued down the isle, absently looking at the assorted packages of pre- cooked food. None of them looked terribly appealing.
And yet, nothing seemed to appeal to her any more.
It had been so since she had discovered that Bulma had left. When the assumed days had passed, everyone had fallen into a deep state of depression. Nobody wanted to admit that Bulma could be dead, but she had to be.if it had taken that long.
Chi-Chi felt her eyes tearing up, and she pushed the cart a little faster.
Yaumcha had been the one to take it the hardest, Chi-Chi thought with bitterness. She hadn't exactly sympathy for Yaumcha anymore. In the beginning, she had felt sorry for him, until she had further read into her friend's diary, and discovered the true meaning of how horrible Yaumcha had treated her.
She looked down. Her cart was nearly full, and Goku was probably going to be starving after his workout with Gohan behind the falls. She sighed, and began to wheel the cart to the front of the store. She picked checkout Isle five and stood, waiting until she could at last get home and forget, just for a little while.
Goku.
She felt a pang of guilt when she thought of her husband. Sure, he wasn't exactly the smartest man on the planet, nor was he rich, and he always wanted their son to do the opposite of what she thought was right. But he was a great person, and he treated both she and Gohan with more love than anybody deserved. Lately, however, Chi-Chi had been depriving her husband of sex. Although she knew they looked like the sort of couple who -never- engaged in sexual activity, she and Goku were quite the opposite. She clenched her hands on the cart and trembled. Goku made love to her with more passion and gentleness than she thought possible and he hardly ever asked for it. She felt guilty. Yet, wasn't she entitled so say no? After all, her best friend was practically dead!
But.to say no ten times? Was that fair?
Chi-Chi was interrupted in her thoughts, however, when Yaumcha suddenly appeared out of nowhere, a basket of food at his hip, a hesitant smile on his face.
"Hey Chi-Chi." He ventured. "Shopping?"
Chi-Chi forced a tight-lipped smile. "No, Yaumcha. I'm just standing here with a cart full of food at a supermarket."
He shrugged. "All right, so it was a stupid question." He paused. "How's Goku?"
"Fine."
"And you.?"
She turned to him. "Not in the mood to talk."
Yaumcha frowned. "Chi-Chi."
"Look, Yaumcha. Just drop it."
"You blame me! Everyone blames me!" he suddenly cried. A woman standing behind him glared. "Everyone thinks Vegeta is the big fucking hero! I suppose they all forgot that he tried to kill us!"
Chi-Chi whirled on him. "No, Yaumcha, we haven't forgotten that Vegeta tried to kill us, but we also haven't forgotten that he's the one who went to space to save her life, which is a shitload more than -you've- ever done for Bulma!" Chi-Chi yelled back. "Oh, wait, you -have- done things for Bulma. What were they, now.oh! I remember! You slapped her one night after she accused you of cheating on her with that blonde from the bar, giving her a very nice black eye, which is why she wore sunglasses all that week. It's not like you were cheating on her that night, though. Oh, no! It's not like she caught you with your pants down giving it to that same blonde behind the bar the week before! But you just had to put her in her place, didn't you Yaumcha!"
Yaumcha stuttered. People were staring, and whispering.
Chi-Chi wasn't done yet.
"If I remember correctly, you've also cheated on her eight times before that, screamed at her and insulted her each time for accusing you." she paused, seeming to think. "You tore the head off of her favorite teddy bear, called her a slut on more occasions than she could remember, and you forced sex on her three times, each time after you'd already screwed 'Sarah' only hours before!" by now Chi-Chi was fuming. "So Kami help me, Yaumcha, but if she's alive, and if she comes back, if you even -touch- her for one second, I will have my Goku on you faster than you can blink," she leaned in very close, "You think I won't do it? TRY ME."
There was an eerie silence in the supermarket. Yaumcha's face was burning red.
"So when she comes back, you can pull your little snot-nosed, sniveling 'please take me back' display, and you show her those fucking pathetic little 'look at me look at me' cuts on your wrists, and try and get her back. But it won't work you shithead." She wheeled her cart around. "Vegeta may have tried to kill us, and he might be an arrogant prick sometimes, but at least he knows how to treat women, and has the heart to be a hero when the time calls for it, you fucking son of a bitch COWARD!!" she finished with a scream.
And with that settled, Chi-Chi lifted her head high, wheeled her cart around, and left for another isle, feeling more proud of herself than she had in years.
In fact, she felt downright peachy.