Damaged
Chapter Three: The Day Bulma Briefs Stood Still...
Bulma lay on her bed and stared at her snow-white ceiling... How much time did she dream about this moment?... The moment that he would be back to Earth, caring enough to visit her?... How much time had it been?... All five years, probably?... And what for?... Just to say "hi" and disappear?... Just to come and want another thing from her yet again?... Did he not take enough already?... What kind of a sick bastard would continue to bug a broken creature such as her after all the mental terror she had to endure?... Did it really make him feel powerful by making her feel so weak?
Was he not the one that always reminded her how weak she was both mentally and physically?... Did he need to take everything from her, even her last piece of humanity?... What did she do to deserve such a behaviour from him?... She didn't give him her heart, her soul?... She didn't give him her home, his own back?... Had she not provided him adventure? A break from Freeza? Or had she perhaps not given her own body to him? What more did she have to do, damn it!?! WHAT?!?!
'I do not want him...' She assured herself. Tears would not come to her eyes. They have ran dry. She had cried them dry for the last four years. She had been pitying herself most of that time... She tried to act tough, as she had been doing in her childhood... Trying to be strong in front of her parents, her subjects, her friends... But they always knew that there was something she would not tell even ChiChi... Something that had cut her so deep that she wouldn't even want to admit it again even to herself... Something that made her smile fake, no matter how happy she appeared to be... Something that had taken her ability to be sincerely happy...
Yes, she had been in denial for four years. Yes, she regretted even given birth to. She wondered why did a genius act so stupid... Out of love?... Was that love? Could it be called that?... Did she even know the meaning of love?... Was not love what made you feel lighter, that the whole world is beautiful and that you would never feel sad again?... Why was that turmoil then? Why was the pain inside? Why was it that she felt empty now, completely devastated by her own feelings as well?...
She felt betrayed... By herself... By Vegeta... By her parents... By Yamcha... She betrayed herself... She failed herself... What did she have left now?... Nothing?... Her looks?... Even her body was not hers... She had nothing left, nothing sincerely hers... With a sigh she stood up and walked to her mirror. The same empty azure eyes that met her every day when she woke up and looked at the glassy object on her wall... The same mental torture evident through all those years back...
Shaking her head, she decided that pitying herself would not help her now... Not ever... She decided that she had to take her mind off of things. She needed a break. A big one...
A smile krept its way on the girl's lips. Some time in space with her best friends would be the best decision she could take right now.
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Vegeta and his father walked slowly up to where the guards were talking to one another. All noise ceased once they were completely noticed by the men in the corner. The servants saluted them when a sly smirk took control over the Saiya-jin no Ou's face. Yes... They would be good little dogs to him... On the other hand, they did not have another choice, now did they?...
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Bulma walked slowly down the corridor, her head hung low to the floor as she was once again absorbed by her thoughts. How long had it been since she was last out to space?... Since her last visit to Marron?
And, yet again, her train of thought went into a completely different direction from what she was thinking previously.
Marron... That bitch that thought she was so original by taking her looks... They looked so alike now that Marron lost some weight. But so did Bulma, actually... She didn't become skinny, but she was... Well, lighter. The mental torture that she had been enduring all this time made her body weaken, she had left her training behind her. She needed to keep her mind off her things, so she had to find some real work.
Marron had taken her apearance. Fact by fact, feature by feature. At least her hair was still teal... The little sneaky minx had taken not only her appearance, but her man as well... Her man... It sounded so unfamiliar to her now... Once she really thought of Vegeta as hers... But that had been a long time ago, when her life was easier. She didn't want him, she assured herself. She did not need him. Let Marron have him, since she couldn't live on her own...
No, don't understand the Earth Queen wrongly. She knew well that Marron was not a bad person. She was too naive to be bad. She was just so... innocent that it pissed her off. Yes, she had talked to the girl for endless hours after Vegeta vanished from her life five years ago. The girl was probably the only one that didn't know about her affair with Vegeta...
What startled the Queen was the fact that her people didn't judge her because of the fact that she had been with the Saiya-jin... They have taken that fact really lightly and didn't say anything on the topic. With a sigh, the lavender haired woman wondered how did it become so that only her people trusted in her own judgement...
She really needed to be with her friends right now. All those waves of memories that she did not want to recover were washing over her, making her mind agonize in need to be freed from the visions that it had been rejecting so long. It was still trying to resist the urge to command the woman's legs to run as fast as they could. Run down the corridors, ask the servants whether the Saiya-jin King has left already and if not, to go there and talk to him, convince him to stay, tell him that it would die in its owner's head if he left...
No!... She didn't need him! Bulma assured herself yet again with a violent shake of her head. No! She could make it! She was going to be free! One day, she was sure she would! She wouldn't be held back by all those mental restraints... She wouldn't have to wonder why was she so stupid... She would get over herself, one way or another. She knew that she could do it!
But a little voice in the back of her head shouted at her with its unheard voice that she was broken... Her mind was shut and her heart was damaged... Yelled at her to realize the fact that she could do nothing to get over her pain... Getting over it was not something she could do on her own... It was something that she needed the help of a husband or a friend to do...
Slightly fastening her pace, the Queen made her way to where ChiChi's place in the kitchen was. Lunch was soon to be served, so the girl had to take care of her mistress' meal. Bulma allowed only ChiChi to ready her meals. God, if you tasted how ChiChi cooked compared to any other cook, you'd also want only she to make your meals!
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Vegeta walked pleased down the corridor with a convinced smirk on his face. He had used some force to get the information he needed from the bald body guard. Body guard... Had not that duty brought him to know the woman?... Yes, indeed. As much as he hated to admit and would never voice his thought, the only thing that he really wanted to make Freeza suffer because of was the fact that he met him with Bulma... That shouldn't have happened... It was probably a cosmic joke... How did it happen so that the woman hated him completely right now?... Was he not as irresistable as ever?... How could she say no to him for something as important as the job that he had to have done on this mudball of a planet? But on the other hand, she had no idea what he wanted to do...
Stepping faster with bigger steps down the straight corridor, the Saiya-jin King frowned. The bald idiot did not know much, but it was enough for him to find what he was looking for.
The Dragon Ball radar.
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A few hours later, Vegeta and his impatient father were standing in front of the small orbs made of strange orange glass with the red stars inside... One star, two star, three star, four star, five star, six star, seven star... All of the Dragon Balls were there, glowing slightly in an easing golden light. The Saiya-jin ruler grinned wickedly. He remembered faintly how he knew nothing of Ancient Japanese once upon a time and he had no idea what the woman wished for. However, now the language was like a motherly one to him. He knew much more than when he did when he was younger. Five years changed his life drastically, so much was sure.
Not in the mood to think about his current state of power and statute in the Universe, the man stretched his arms out and called out,
-"I summon thee, Great Shen Long, Eternal Dragon of the Seven Earth Dragon Balls!"-
Lightning struck somewhere in the sky, which darkned as if night came over in the meantime. The Dragon Balls glowed stongly and with a slight explosion of golden light, a huge ray snaked in the sky as the creature materialized in front of the stunned former Saiya-jin King. Vegeta smirked as he observed his father's open mouthed expression from the side of his eye. Yes, his father had been a great leader of his people, but he probably never had time to pay some attention to the beauty of some things, never had the time to see something as majestic as this Dragon...
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Bulma narrowed her eyes as she talked to Goku in the Winter Gardens. She saw from the huge windows how the sky darkened in an istant, the inky blackness of the night covering the whole area.
"Hey, what happened to the sun?!" The boy shouted in surprise as he turned around to face the window as well, scratching his head in thought.
"Never mind that, Goku." She decided that she had plenty of time to wonder and regret if something happened right now. She needed her break, exactly because she was wondering and regretting far too many things nowadays! "Are you coming with us? I would be really pleased if you join us..." She trailed off, thinking how happy ChiChi would be that she would take Goku with them. The Queen wasn't stupid, she could clearly see the sparks that flew between the two of them. She wasn't blind, after all.
"Well, you are my Queen, Bulma, so you really don't need to-" He began, but his now slightly angered friend cut him off.
"I do not wish to command you about these things, Goku! If you want to come with me, do so. If you don't, then don't! I don't want you being there just because I demanded so!"
The strange haired Saiya-jin boy looked confused at her. She had been like that since... Well, since Vegeta left... She didn't like to order people around, even though she was the Queen of them all and was clearly above them. She wasn't that kind of a person, she always said when he asked. But the boy knew there was something more to it, whether his friend admitted it to him or not. He could see it in her eyes. Eyes, that had once sparkled with life, were now completely still and...Dead...
"You didn't understand me. I wanted to say that it's my duty to watch over you as a body guard, but a break on the sunny beaches of Ikaria-sei sounds completely irresistable." The frown on Bulma's face vanished and a small smile krept its way to replace it. "Do you have any idea how delicious ChiChi can cook with ikarian food?! Oh, boy, this is going to be so fun! I must go tell Radditz!" He exclaimed and bowed in respect to his Queen, excusing himself to go retrieve his brother for the trip.
Bulma said they were taking off immediatelly, once they got everything ready. And almost everything was in the ship they were taking off with.
The woman had decided to take a small crew of her people as well. Most of the royal servants. They deserved a break as well. However, her mother and father had preferred to stay and have the Palace to themselves. Yamcha was on his home planet to visit his parents. He did that often nowadays. He said that right now they really needed him. Bulma understood him well, whether he was telling the truth or was just lying to leave her alone to her thoughts for some time.
Yamcha was really an understanding person when he wanted to be. She had the feeling that she made him grow up as well. Well, what would you know? Her own problems made others realize some things... At least there was something good about the whole situation...
Shaking her head, she went to pack her final bags. They wouldn't stay long, but being a Queen, she had to look representive. After all, who wanted a Queen that didn't take care of her body or did not have proper clothes as such?
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-"Do you have a wish?"- The Dragon Asked as the Saiya-jin King stood in front of him.
Thoughts about immortality had often crossed the man's mind when he was younger. He wanted to become immortal so he would be able to kill Freeza and would stand again no matter how hard beaten he became. But if he was immortal, that meant only that he wouldn't die. Never would die. Yet people didn't think about the consequences of such a wish. If you do not die physically, you die mentally every time a huge blow gets connected with your body. You could be immortal, but not invincible. Right the opposite. You become more vulnerable to pain, as it is the only thing you can feel. You will live forever, but it will be a life that you will live completely alone. Centuries, thousands of years, millions of them... All alone. People will be born and will die by you and you will wonder why did you have to become immortal... You will be able to visit every single part of the Galaxy, the whole Universe even. You will have the opportunity to make everything yours. And what for? Knowledge? Entertainment? How will you be able to keep yourself busy for an eternity? It was something he did not wish to know. Yes, a longer life, probably. He lived longer than many other creatures in the Universe. But immortality?...
-"Are you able to resurrect a whole Planet, almighty Shen Long?"- Vegeta was not familiar with such a sly tone anymore. He did not need to act so courteously around anyone. He was the strongest being in the Universe, why should he?! But he knew better than to pick up a fight with a creature such as an Eternal Dragon...
-"Which planet do you wish to resurrect?"- The deep throaty voice of the Dragon boomed in his head. Strangely, he heard it directly in it. No sound seemed to enter his ears. Well, it was only to be expected. How can a Dragon actually speak in your opinion?
Taking a breath in, the male formed the words in his head and spoke slowly, making sure that no mistake was made. There was no place for mistakes anymore. This time everything needed to be set perfect. Maybe he should've told her?... She would hate him even more if that was possible when she found out what happened to her... Shaking his head he tried to concentrate. No, she would only get in his way if she...survived...
-"I want you to resurrect the planet Namek. That is my wish."-
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A swishing sound was heard as a sliding lid opened over some sort of a metal incubator. Another noise was heard and a second one opened. Two mid-tall figures with shoulder length hair stood in the dark room, grinning wickedly at the person in front of them.
"Finally..." Was the only word that passed the old man's lips...
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Vegeta and his father had blasted off the planet a few minutes ago. They were already out of the Earth's gravity as he noticed that another ship had set off. He couldn't see clearly, but he was sure that this was no Earth ship...
"What did you tell that Dragon?" His father stopped his train of thought rudely, having him miss the second ship that took off in an opposite direction of theirs and the strange-looking capsule.
"It is none of your concern." The King threatened and collapsed in his commander's seat. Ah, yes. He commanded everyone around here... Everything was his... Nothing could take this power from him. Not even Bardock's blabbering could darken his mood. Or so he tried to convince himself.
"Do you believe in what Bardock says?" The older man continued with his questionary.
"Of course not!" He bellowed at his father, being more rude than what he intended at first. He relaxed as he realized where he was and set his head on his elbow, that was supported by the arm of the chair he was sitting in. "Of course not..." He repeated quietly to himself, looking out the window in the pitch-blackness of the vast Universe. Of course he didn't...
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Bulma and all of her crew were already on board. The people had been thanking her for taking them with her on her holiday. She liked it when they acted to friendly with her. She loved those people, and she knew they loved her back. Every single one of them had known her since she had been a baby. She practically grew up with them.
With a final wave of her hand towards her parents, the Queen got on board of her ship and a grin stretched her lips. She was going to have a great problem-less holiday, with nothing else but fun to worry about. She needed such in a long time now.
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The ship blasted in space. One of the dark figures with shoulder length hair nodded at the other, who looked questioningly at the elder man. He grinned wickedly as well and nodded at both of them, causing their own smirks to grow into grins.
Both creatures opened the hatch and climbed on the speeding capsule, looking towards the blue planet that they were leaving. Their chuckling echoed forever in the history of the planet Earth as their stretched hands sent huge flying blasts towards it... And that were the last things that the Earthlings would ever see...
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A huge explosion shook the Saiya-jin ship. The people began acting faster, trying to regain the normal state of the spacecraft. Vegeta's father snapped his head towards the window as the King sighed and looked at the tiled floor.
Yes, it was truly happening... Bardock had been right...
Squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth tightly against one another, Vegeta thought of his last moments with the woman... Even their final good-bye had been nothing more than another venom-filled argument, full of hate and loathing...
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Bulma had been talking with ChiChi about the preperations after their blast off, when a huge explosion wave pushed their ship roughly forward. The crew began panicing about the welfare of their craft while ChiChi shrieked as hard as her lungs could handle.
The Queen pushed herself to her hands as she had hit her head against the ground when the ship shook. She stood up slowly on her legs and just as slowly turned her head to the nearest window. She hoped that once again she was wrong with her presumption. She held to her dear life that she was.
But she was not...
The Earth... It was... It was... Gone... Completely... Vanished... No where to be found... It had exploded into millions of tiny pieces and scattered in the Galaxy in the form of star dust...
For the first time in her life, Bulma Briefs the Queen of the Briefs Empire, the most advanced race in the Universe, stood completely still, watching emptily at the free space out the window...
Gone...........
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A/N: Well?! What do you say? I'm really sorry about the lateness, really. But I am completely sure that the chapter would've seriously sucked if I have written it from that club I visit. I think I'll put more time into writing. I don't want this particular story to become dull just because I don't spend enough time into writing it. I won't take whole months to write, don't worry. Haha.
Remember the equality: You plus Your Review equals Me plus Huge Enthusiasm plus Writing plus Next Chapter. Just see how little I wish of you, and how much I give. Haha. ;)
Love you and till next time, yours sincerely,
Hope
