"Are you ready?" She asked, stretching blood red gloves onto delicate fingers. He looked at her in bafflement.
"You would actually ask me that question?"
She rolled her eyes. Always so tough, the man was unbreakable.
"Very well, take my hand."
He did as asked and suddenly felt a familiar jolt. Planets and stars whirred by as Vegeta unconsciously tightened his grasp on Bulma's hand.
"Oh yes," she said, feeling his uneasy grip. "You were ready alright!"
"Quiet woman," he growled. Bulma's eyes widened and she found herself forcing back a smile. Vegeta couldn't stand teleportation, in fact, it seemed to be making him sick!
Unbreakable indeed.
"We'll be there soon," she said softly, offering him a helpful smile. His face altered no expression, but she could see the relief in his eyes.
"Is Chimera jealous he couldn't come with you?" Vegeta asked, trying to remove attention from his obvious weakness. Bulma allowed the diversion.
"Chimera has more important things to concern himself with. I fear he's trying to figure out his own place in things."
"Have you considered his place?" Vegeta asked, turning to her slowly. It was hard to move when being flown through the time spectrum. Harder still when one was nauseated by the journey.
"I have," Bulma replied, looking down to the magenta-gold blur that served as their temporary floor. "I still don't know what the turnout will be."
Vegeta nodded his understanding.
"Well," he said, a touch of sarcasm and cockiness filling his voice. Bulma looked up into his onyx eyes. He smirked. "One can only have faith." Bulma smiled up at him. How she loved his sarcasm.
The blurring colors slowed their rainbow perversion, and the two settled into a blanket of black.
"We're here," Bulma said, releasing his hand. Vegeta blinked and looked around.
They were on a dark planet, one he could have been on before. There loomed before them a great black building, made entirely of a single metal.
"Cerebic," he whispered.
"Yes," Bulma replied. "When one is responsible for the death of so many, I guess it becomes rather necessary to confine themselves within supposedly indestructible material."
"So it's true, Cerebic can't be destroyed?"
"False," Bulma said slyly. "Salt water can dissolve it." Vegeta raised an eyebrow.
"And just how would you know that?"
"Because," she answered, "It is probably the most widely used metal when it comes to bondage and chains. In a position like my own, it's rather 'nifty' to know loopholes. I tested Cerebic for weaknesses. It took nearly a month to find one."
"No one else is aware of this, but it only took you a month?" Vegeta crossed his arms in disbelief.
"You forget, darling," she whispered. "I am a genius."
Vegeta laughed and followed her up to the Cerebic fortress, quite interested in what would happen next.
They made it to the door before the Saiyan prince paused again.
"Why didn't we just teleport to where the man is?"
Bulma smiled and it seemed to Vegeta she had been waiting for him to ask just that.
"I have to kill Gangis, but that's no problem. However, I have to prove to you I can hold my own against Galvan. There lies the real conundrum! Can I prove to his royal highness I am worthy?"
"Your sarcasm proves plenty," he said dryly, glancing up to the black enigma before them.
"Perhaps," she replied, "But I plan on making sure you know…" She brought her lips up to his ear. "Just how good I am."
Vegeta grinned despite himself.
"Well," he began, looking down to the coy thing beside him. "Then by all means, let's begin."
Bulma nodded with a smile and walked up to the doors. Pulling a capsule out of her utility belt, she threw it to the ground. After a poof of smoke, a vile of misty water materialized. Bulma picked up the container slowly, cautious of spilling the precious mixture.
Vegeta looked on as his crafty wife sprinkled part of its contents onto the door locks. They dissolved instantly. Carefully encapsulating the vile of salt water again, Bulma slipped the used capsule back into her belt. Turning to the doors once again, she gave them a swift kick and watched as the 'indestructible' Cerebic doors buckled in.
Bulma hesitated long enough to wave on Vegeta and the two entered the estate silently, enthralled by the hunt.
****
Goku's eyes crackled as he looked up in surprise and anger. It was that power again! That amazing, savage power that seemed to overwhelm Chikyuu. Was Arwen truly that strong?
"Goku?" Her blurry words ascended to him and he cast all thoughts away.
"ChiChi!"
Her slender body stirred under the covers and Goku watched, smiling, as porcelain hands reached up to touch his face. His heart warmed to the satin feel of her palms and he leaned forward to kiss her forehead.
"Welcome back," he whispered.
****
"Trunks, don't you think it's strange?"
"What's that, Goten?"
"Your MOM is a fighter person!"
"Yeah, and your point?"
They were outside, taking a break after a long sparring session. The purple-headed warrior was sitting down cross-legged, his arms braced behind him.
Goten was swinging from a tree limb above his head.
"You look like a monkey," Trunks noted, looking at him condescendingly.
"It'd be so cool if I still had my tail."
"No," Trunks stated. "It would be very frightening. A full moon would come, and you'd go ape shit."
"Sorry Trunks," Gohan said, walking forward. "But that had to be the worst pun I've ever heard." Goten beamed at his older brother. It was clearly obvious that the youngest Saiyan had no clue what they were discussing.
"Well," Trunks replied. "If you hadn't shown up, it would have been funny."
Gohan shook his head.
"We have way too much time on our hands," he answered. "So what are you two doing? You're not training that's for sure."
"We're thinking!" Goten asserted, swinging foppishly on his branch. Gohan looked up at him and laughed.
"Like I said, what are you doing?"
"Taking a break," Trunks answered, standing up. Goten swung around until he was sitting on the branch.
"So Trunks," he said. "Like I was saying. Don't you think it's strange your mom fights?"
"No," Trunks replied. "But I think it's strange Dende let you have power to fight. Considering there's not much in that head of yours."
Goten's eyes widened as he absently reached for his skull.
"Ya think?" He asked, rubbing his scalp vigorously.
"Oh, I know," Trunks replied, smirking.
"He's joking with you Goten," Gohan inserted, realizing the torture his younger brother was being submitted to. "Take my advice and never take Trunks seriously."
"Hey that's good advice!" Goten replied, dropping his hand. "Especially since he told me the same thing about you!"
****
Chimera fought his inner demons by roving Remina in a feverish run. Through the underbrush and by the trees he escaped that acute burning that lit up his body.
It was this presence of something else. Something more adequate and of more completion than Bulma's being had ever presented. It was something unconditional; a foggy reminiscient thing that wailed for him to remember. That had given all, without regret and all to him.
He roared, allowing that bestial part of him to commandeer his soul. How good it felt to be a simple animal, hunting for food in the jungle!
And Chimera had loved Bulma, endlessly worshipped and cared for her. Now, he knew she was gone, but the pain he should have felt was not there! The emptiness, cold tempestuous rejection and despair, they were all for not and not there at all.
Why wasn't he happy?
****
Author's Note: I'm evil, ne? I mean, to cause you all to wait so long, only to present you with something like… THIS!!! THIS CRAPPY BLECK CHAPTER!!!
::head down sobbing:: I am truly forsaken!
Anyhoo… This will be IT for 6 long weeks. I am attending Governor's School, starting June 16 – July 21. Sorry!
OK SO THAT WAS the note… but FANFIC.NET DID NOT UPLOAD THIS CHAPTER! I have not been aware that this chapter wasn't uploaded for the 6 + weeks I was in GOV SCHOOL!!! I'm SORRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYY I'll have another chapter soon! SERIOUSLY!!!!
Much luv, I suck, I know…
~JZero