Chapter 5 - Guilt, Rage, Betrayal, and Love
"Well that was fun." Bulma said, stepping up to the Z Warriors next to the Ferris wheel. "You guys should have gone on."
"Yamcha did." Chao-zu said, pointing to somewhere just behind Bulma and Vegeta. "Here he comes now."
"What?" Bulma shrieked, glancing at Vegeta nervously before turning round to look for Yamcha. She gasped as she came face to face with him. "Yamcha!" She cried. "You went on the ride? I didn't know."
"No. I didn't think you would have noticed." Yamcha said coldly. "I was in the cage behind yours. You two seemed to be having fun."
"Yes, we did." Vegeta said, catching the murderous look in Yamcha's eyes and stepping in front of Bulma.
"It's called a funfair you see. That's what you're meant to do here - have fun."
Yamcha stepped right up to Vegeta, so close that his right shoulder was touching Vegeta's left. "Your not meant to have that kind of fun." He muttered in Vegeta's ear, so quiet only he and the Saiya-jin Prince could hear it.
"Guys." Yamcha said cheerfully, turning to the rest of the Z Warriors. "I'm just gonna go have a quiet word with Vegeta. Wait here."
Yamcha grabbed Vegeta's arm and pulled him about twenty metres away from the group.
"I'm warning you, monkey boy." He said quietly. "Keep your hands off her."
"I'm not going to be told what to do by a pathetic human wannabe warrior like you." Vegeta sneered, smirking cruelly at Yamcha. "I could crush you like a bug. Remember that."
"I mean it!" Yamcha said, pure rage flowing through his veins, watching Vegeta start to walk away. "Stay away from my fiancée."
Vegeta froze and turned to face Yamcha. "Your fiancée?" He repeated, looking across at Bulma before looking back at her 'significant other'.
"That's right, Vegeta." Yamcha said smugly. "Me and Bulma are engaged. We're going to get married."
Vegeta watched in shock a Yamcha walked back to Bulma, slipped his arm around her waist and said something to the group. The Z Warriors started walking towards the funfair exit.
Vegeta's arms hung loosely at his sides as a feeling of heart wrenching betrayal overcame him. Unable to control his tortured emotions, the Saiya-jin Prince fell to his knees, gripping his head, and let out a sob of grieving pain.
It was then he realised it. He loved her. He loved her, but she had already made her choice. And it wasn't him.
*
Bulma sat up in her and Vegeta's bedroom, looking around. She was drowning in guilt. She had cheated on Yamcha. She had kissed Vegeta. Yamcha really cared about her, and sure, he pissed her off, but he didn't deserve to be cheated on. Was it even cheating? To kiss another man once?
'Bulma!' A tortured cry suddenly rang through Bulma's head, dragging her out of her thoughts. Vegeta's voice rang in her ears, although she knew the voice was only in her head. 'Why do you toy with me like this? Bulma!'
Bulma ran out of her room and down the stairs of the Capsule Corp. house, not even stopping when first her right shoe, then her left shoe, fell from her feet.
"VEGETA!" she shouted, running down the stairs in a mad rush. "VEGETA!"
Bulma fell onto her hands and knees at the bottom of the stairs as a sudden burning pain tore through her chest, just as the Z Warriors piled out of the lounge to the foot of the stairs. She choked violently, feeling as though she was drowning. Coughing, she was surprised to find herself coughing up a large amount of cold liquid. Opening her eyes slowly to look at the liquid, she was horrified to see that it was muddy pond water, complete with a little bit of blood.
"Oh, Kami." Bulma choked, standing up quickly, ignoring the ripping pain in her chest, and running towards the back door. She quickly opened it and stepped out into the pouring rain. "VEGETA!" She screamed, running towards the large pond in the middle of the garden. "VEGETA!"
Bulma stopped next to the pond and screamed, staring at the middle of the pond. The Z Warriors came up behind her and gasped, horrified. Floating face down in the middle of the pond was a body. It was a man's body, wearing black jeans and a dark sweater. The man had thick, black, flame-like hair. The cuddly snake he had won for Bulma lay abandoned by the side of the pond.
"VEGETA!" Bulma screamed just before she jumped into the pond. Spluttering, she swam as fast as she could towards the drowning Saiya-jin Prince. "V-Vegeta!" Bulma gasped, grabbing him by the waist and rolling him over in the water. "Oh, Vegeta! Please be Okay! I don't want you to die! Not yet! Wait a bit, please!"
Huffing, puffing and spluttering, Bulma slowly pulled the unconscious Saiya-jin-no-Ouji to the edge of the pond.
"Vegeta?" Bulma said timidly, slapping him lightly across the face. "Vegeta, babe, are you okay? Come on," she said, laughing nervously, "You hate it when I call you 'babe'. You've gotta wake up just to yell at me for that!"
Vegeta suddenly coughed, and a load of muddy, bloody pond water splashed all over Bulma from his lungs.
"Aargh!" Vegeta roared, lifting a hand up to his chest.
Concerned, Bulma reached towards him and moving his hand out the way.
"Oh, Kami!" She gasped, horrified.
On the left side of Vegeta's chest, narrowly missing his heart, a thin, circular wound had torn right through his torso. Bulma noted that it was in the exact same place the burning pain had ripped through her chest.
"Vegeta." Bulma whispered, wiping a droplet of water from his cheekbone. "What happened? Who did this to you?"
"I did." Vegeta said through clenched teeth. "I happened. I did this to me."
"Why?" Bulma asked, crying. "Were you trying to kill yourself or something?"
"Yes." Vegeta said shortly, looking away.
"What?" Bulma gasped, her shoulders shaking as she wept. "Why?"
"You." Vegeta replied. "Because of you."
"But - how did I make you want to kill yourself?" Bulma asked him, her heart literally aching for all the guilt and pain she felt for him.
"I can't take it anymore." Vegeta told her, wining as he moved to look at her properly. "I've never had feelings for anybody in my life. I've always allowed myself to be cold-hearted and cruel. Now, suddenly, I've got all these ridiculous human emotions overwhelming me, and I can't take it. I've got all these feelings for something I can never touch. And she -" he hesitated, looking into Bulma's wide blue eyes. "- you never wanted me to have these feelings, you'll never return them, you'll never want someone like me. I'm just left to hurt."
Bulma stared at Vegeta, stunned. He had opened his heart to her, shown her everything in his soul, for the first time ever.
"Oh, Vegeta!" She cried, pulling his towards her, resting his head on her shoulder and lightly kissing his forehead. "That's not true. I do want you to have these feelings, I do return them, I do want you. I love you. I love you." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I love you."
"Well that was fun." Bulma said, stepping up to the Z Warriors next to the Ferris wheel. "You guys should have gone on."
"Yamcha did." Chao-zu said, pointing to somewhere just behind Bulma and Vegeta. "Here he comes now."
"What?" Bulma shrieked, glancing at Vegeta nervously before turning round to look for Yamcha. She gasped as she came face to face with him. "Yamcha!" She cried. "You went on the ride? I didn't know."
"No. I didn't think you would have noticed." Yamcha said coldly. "I was in the cage behind yours. You two seemed to be having fun."
"Yes, we did." Vegeta said, catching the murderous look in Yamcha's eyes and stepping in front of Bulma.
"It's called a funfair you see. That's what you're meant to do here - have fun."
Yamcha stepped right up to Vegeta, so close that his right shoulder was touching Vegeta's left. "Your not meant to have that kind of fun." He muttered in Vegeta's ear, so quiet only he and the Saiya-jin Prince could hear it.
"Guys." Yamcha said cheerfully, turning to the rest of the Z Warriors. "I'm just gonna go have a quiet word with Vegeta. Wait here."
Yamcha grabbed Vegeta's arm and pulled him about twenty metres away from the group.
"I'm warning you, monkey boy." He said quietly. "Keep your hands off her."
"I'm not going to be told what to do by a pathetic human wannabe warrior like you." Vegeta sneered, smirking cruelly at Yamcha. "I could crush you like a bug. Remember that."
"I mean it!" Yamcha said, pure rage flowing through his veins, watching Vegeta start to walk away. "Stay away from my fiancée."
Vegeta froze and turned to face Yamcha. "Your fiancée?" He repeated, looking across at Bulma before looking back at her 'significant other'.
"That's right, Vegeta." Yamcha said smugly. "Me and Bulma are engaged. We're going to get married."
Vegeta watched in shock a Yamcha walked back to Bulma, slipped his arm around her waist and said something to the group. The Z Warriors started walking towards the funfair exit.
Vegeta's arms hung loosely at his sides as a feeling of heart wrenching betrayal overcame him. Unable to control his tortured emotions, the Saiya-jin Prince fell to his knees, gripping his head, and let out a sob of grieving pain.
It was then he realised it. He loved her. He loved her, but she had already made her choice. And it wasn't him.
*
Bulma sat up in her and Vegeta's bedroom, looking around. She was drowning in guilt. She had cheated on Yamcha. She had kissed Vegeta. Yamcha really cared about her, and sure, he pissed her off, but he didn't deserve to be cheated on. Was it even cheating? To kiss another man once?
'Bulma!' A tortured cry suddenly rang through Bulma's head, dragging her out of her thoughts. Vegeta's voice rang in her ears, although she knew the voice was only in her head. 'Why do you toy with me like this? Bulma!'
Bulma ran out of her room and down the stairs of the Capsule Corp. house, not even stopping when first her right shoe, then her left shoe, fell from her feet.
"VEGETA!" she shouted, running down the stairs in a mad rush. "VEGETA!"
Bulma fell onto her hands and knees at the bottom of the stairs as a sudden burning pain tore through her chest, just as the Z Warriors piled out of the lounge to the foot of the stairs. She choked violently, feeling as though she was drowning. Coughing, she was surprised to find herself coughing up a large amount of cold liquid. Opening her eyes slowly to look at the liquid, she was horrified to see that it was muddy pond water, complete with a little bit of blood.
"Oh, Kami." Bulma choked, standing up quickly, ignoring the ripping pain in her chest, and running towards the back door. She quickly opened it and stepped out into the pouring rain. "VEGETA!" She screamed, running towards the large pond in the middle of the garden. "VEGETA!"
Bulma stopped next to the pond and screamed, staring at the middle of the pond. The Z Warriors came up behind her and gasped, horrified. Floating face down in the middle of the pond was a body. It was a man's body, wearing black jeans and a dark sweater. The man had thick, black, flame-like hair. The cuddly snake he had won for Bulma lay abandoned by the side of the pond.
"VEGETA!" Bulma screamed just before she jumped into the pond. Spluttering, she swam as fast as she could towards the drowning Saiya-jin Prince. "V-Vegeta!" Bulma gasped, grabbing him by the waist and rolling him over in the water. "Oh, Vegeta! Please be Okay! I don't want you to die! Not yet! Wait a bit, please!"
Huffing, puffing and spluttering, Bulma slowly pulled the unconscious Saiya-jin-no-Ouji to the edge of the pond.
"Vegeta?" Bulma said timidly, slapping him lightly across the face. "Vegeta, babe, are you okay? Come on," she said, laughing nervously, "You hate it when I call you 'babe'. You've gotta wake up just to yell at me for that!"
Vegeta suddenly coughed, and a load of muddy, bloody pond water splashed all over Bulma from his lungs.
"Aargh!" Vegeta roared, lifting a hand up to his chest.
Concerned, Bulma reached towards him and moving his hand out the way.
"Oh, Kami!" She gasped, horrified.
On the left side of Vegeta's chest, narrowly missing his heart, a thin, circular wound had torn right through his torso. Bulma noted that it was in the exact same place the burning pain had ripped through her chest.
"Vegeta." Bulma whispered, wiping a droplet of water from his cheekbone. "What happened? Who did this to you?"
"I did." Vegeta said through clenched teeth. "I happened. I did this to me."
"Why?" Bulma asked, crying. "Were you trying to kill yourself or something?"
"Yes." Vegeta said shortly, looking away.
"What?" Bulma gasped, her shoulders shaking as she wept. "Why?"
"You." Vegeta replied. "Because of you."
"But - how did I make you want to kill yourself?" Bulma asked him, her heart literally aching for all the guilt and pain she felt for him.
"I can't take it anymore." Vegeta told her, wining as he moved to look at her properly. "I've never had feelings for anybody in my life. I've always allowed myself to be cold-hearted and cruel. Now, suddenly, I've got all these ridiculous human emotions overwhelming me, and I can't take it. I've got all these feelings for something I can never touch. And she -" he hesitated, looking into Bulma's wide blue eyes. "- you never wanted me to have these feelings, you'll never return them, you'll never want someone like me. I'm just left to hurt."
Bulma stared at Vegeta, stunned. He had opened his heart to her, shown her everything in his soul, for the first time ever.
"Oh, Vegeta!" She cried, pulling his towards her, resting his head on her shoulder and lightly kissing his forehead. "That's not true. I do want you to have these feelings, I do return them, I do want you. I love you. I love you." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I love you."