The Worlds Smartest
This Is The Enforcer Speaking,
Thank you to my constant readers and reviewers. I have likely failed to respond to you individually, which is out of the norm for me, however I still want you all to know how much I value each and every review. From amidst the rubble of my life I present you with the next chapter in my epic. With much adoration for you, let us continue.
Now…On To The Story!
Miracles
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Blood and sweat dripped from her forehead as she knelt on all fours. Back bowed under the strain of gravity. Pain wracked her body, but she knew she could not stop. She had to get stronger. Power and strength were the only way, her only savior. Screaming she powered up, pushing herself to her feet, straining. The training bots were coming in fast, they were smart, smarter than she had expected them to be. They learned her patterns and technique so fast she could barely keep up with them now.
Moving in a blur of motion, faster than she had ever gone before, she put everything she into her attack and threw it at one of the bots just as it shot in front of the central control panel. Eyes wide she tried to shoot ahead of the ki blast and knock it aside, but she was too slow. The ridiculously powerful ball of energy struck the controls and exploded. Throwing her arms up she protected her face from the blow back.
As the explosion cleared, she narrowed her eyes at the massive hole in the control system. It was trashed except she still felt the effects of the gravity in fact the pressure was increasing. Eyes widening, she bolted for the emergency shut off button but immediately realized it was gone, destroyed in the blast, and changed trajectory, heading for the exit instead.
She did not make it. The rapidly increasing gravity flattened her, smashing her into the floor and crushing the air from her lunges. No!
She refused to die this way. In such a stupid fashion. She struggled against the gravity, but it increased rapidly, well beyond any workable level.
Blood filled her mouth as her ribs snapped like tooth picks. Her ki exploded around her as she pushed everything, she had into trying to stand but it was not enough.
Something inside of her gave way with a pop and pain like nothing she had ever experienced before flooded her body. White hot pain shot through her skull, her vision graying out, as the bones in her head began to crack. Screaming filled her ears. Hers?
If she died, they were all doomed. Everyone. This was not the way she was meant to die. This was not a warrior's death. She refused to die! But while her will was strong her body was only meat. Meat that was being unmercifully destroyed.
There was one last searing pain that tore through her body as femurs broke and her pelvis crushed before her world went blessed black.
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Bulma woke up screaming bloody murder. Looking around she cried out for Vegeta. He wasn't there. The doors to their chamber burst open and her guards stormed inside looking for the danger.
"To the King!" She screamed.
Tears running down her face, blinding pain wracking her body, Bulma scrambled from the massive bed. One guard was gone before she even got out of the bed. The other stayed with her as she ran in a blur of speed towards his gravity room.
Kakarot was already pulling Vegeta's lifeless body from the room when she got there. His form distorted, covered in blood, misshapen. She shoved people aside to reach him but found herself pulled to a halt. Fighting against the arms wrapped around her shoulders Bulma screamed wordlessly as she struggled to reach her mate. He was dead. He was dead. She screamed until her throat went raw.
"Bulma!" Bardock spun her around and shook her. "Focus." He forced her to look up at him, into his dark eyes, and scarred face. "Can you feel him?"
Tears flooded her vision. Could she feel him? She tore her eyes away from Bardock, watching as the closest thing Vegeta had to a friend rushed him down the hall in the direction of the medical bay.
Pain tore through her body, his pain, and there in the very center of her chest she could feel him. That piece of him that lived inside her soul. If she hurt then he lived, if that spark burned then he lived.
"Yes." She answered.
And then she collapsed.
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Why was she on the floor? Bulma lay on her side, on a thick futon, staring at a wall. Blinking away her sleep she frowned. Working through her confusion.
Vegeta.
Memory returned and Bulma sat up in a rush, eyes searching. The regin tank cast dim light in the otherwise dark room and that is where she found him. Floating listlessly, eyes closed, but alive.
She started crying again. Dammit.
"He does better with you nearby." Bulma's eyes shifted in the direction of the voice. Vegeta's Sr. stood against the wall, in the shadows, as the Queen Mother slept sitting up in a chair next to him.
Bulma made to stand but the former King waved her off. "Be at ease."
"What time is it?" She asked collapsing back to the bedding.
"Shortly before sunrise. The accident happened only a few hours ago."
He'd been training longer and longer the closer they got to Frieza's arrive. Refusing to wear his armor, barely sleeping and only eating because it was necessary to continue gaining strength.
"If he dies..." Vegeta Sr. trialed off. Leaving so many words unspoken.
"He knows." Bulma spoke softly as she looked at her mate. His normally stern features were relaxed making him look younger. Without him they all died. In the darkest corners of her heart though, Bulma knew that for her his survival mattered more than anyone else's.
"He fights for you." Vegeta's mother opened her eyes as she spoke and looked at Bulma.
"He fights for all of us." Bulma replied.
Endeev smiled at her in the way one might smile at a puppy being exceedingly cute…or stupid. Ignoring the look Bulma trained her eyes on the monitors for the tank. It estimated he would be out of the tank in approximately eight hours. Add to that the time he'd already been in there and Bulma knew how close to death he'd been. Vegeta normally healed in an hour or two max.
"Do you know what would have caused this?" Vegeta Sr. asked.
Yeah, she knew. She knew because she'd been there with him when it happened.
"He destroyed the control center by accident and the gravity generator malfunctioned." Her voice caught but she pressed on in the telling. "The gravity crushed him within seconds."
The pair shared a look then shifted their gaze back to her. She didn't like the look they were giving her.
"I did not sabotage the gravity room if that's what you're thinking." She replied to those looks. "I am going to install fail safes to make sure this isn't possible again. Though at this point…" She shrugged. Frieza was so close to arriving there wouldn't be enough time for repairs.
Getting to her feet Bulma stood on shaky legs. Pain like a distant echo radiated through her body. She swayed, her head spun, and spots danced across her vision. Large gentle hands closed around her, steadying her.
"You need to eat." The former King commanded as he held her up.
As her vision returned Bulma looked up at the male. His son was so much like him. He also had a point and when her world stopped spinning, he slowly let her go. Cursing her endless need to eat Bulma made her way out to the hall to ask someone to get her something.
Opening the med bay doors Bulma paused at the sight before her. Elite soldiers lined both sides of the hall. They stood, sat and leaned against the walls all the way down the hall. All there to protect the family that ruled them. Something about the gesture gave her pause.
"Your Majesty." Zorn came to attention and saluted her. This drew the attention of the rest of her soldiers and they all came quickly to attention, even the ones who'd looked asleep stood and hand across the chested it at her.
Waving them down Bulma said, "As you were." The Saiyan's relaxed their positions and Bulma asked Zorn if someone could get her something to eat. They sent a runner and she quickly escaped back into the peaceful silence of the medical bay.
"Does the whole planet know?" Bulma asked her in-laws as she came back into to the regin room. She found Endeev standing in front of her sons' tank, worry in her eyes, and a hand on the glass.
The female shook her head. "Only those within the palace walls. All of which have been cleared of treachery at this point. We do not want this getting back to Frieza."
Crossing her arms Bulma nodded her agreement. "What now?" She asked, more to herself than anyone else but Endeev answered anyways.
"Now, we wait."
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The hours passed slowly with Vegeta Sr. and Endeev eventually retiring from the medical bay leaving Bulma alone with only Vegeta's unconscious body as company. Back aching and butt numb Bulma refused to leave his side. She also refused to sleep. Terrified of what her dreams would bring.
At one point Vegeta's vitals took a frightening drop but as she began yelling at him through the thick glass he stabilized. So, she'd talked to him about everything and nothing, until her throat was raw from the effort, until finally she looked up to meet his eyes.
Her breath caught and she laid her hand on the glass as though she could reach him through it. He was awake.
"Thank god." She breathed. "Hold on and I'll let you out. You know how mad Bardock gets when we destroy his tanks."
Ignoring the computers warnings Bulma over road the system and ended the regin cycle. Vegeta hated being left in the tank once he woke up and if someone wasn't around to let him out, he would let himself out.
Bulma went for a towel as the tank emptied and returned just in time for the door to slide open. Vegeta stepped out and her brain immediately forgot how to function at the sight of him standing, healthy and whole before her.
"Words Woman. Use your words." He scolded softly. He looked up with his classic smirk. So devilish.
But instead of words Bulma simply threw her arms around him and began to cry. The tears caught her off guard, but she was too tired, too relieved, to stop them. His arms and tail wrapped around her. Holding her to him.
The world stopped. For in that moment…nothing else mattered.
His body was hard and wet under her hands as she clutched him. Fear lanced through her like lightening. What if this wasn't real? What if she was going to wake up and find out that he was dead? .
Pulling away from her Vegeta forced her to look up at him with firm fingers under her chin. "I am fine woman. It will take a lot more than that to kill me."
"I was there." Bulma whispered. "I was, I don't know, in your head, I guess? When it happened…" She trailed off. Leaving the rest unsaid.
"Our bond is a rare bond." Was his only reply before he crushed his lips to hers. She breathed him in as his tongue invaded her mouth. They kissed until the need for oxygen forced Bulma to break away.
Gasping for air she ducked her head and wiped at the remnants of her tears.
Vegeta kissed her forehead lightly before untangling himself from her and going in search of clothes. His were destroyed but he managed to find a clean black uniform. Bulma eyed him as he pulled the suit on. Liking him in all the black.
"You favor this color on me do you not?" Vegeta asked as he caught her stare.
Heat rushed to her face. The blush only seemed to encourage the unruly Saiyan.
Vegeta put both of his hands behind his head and arched his back in a stretch. The movement made his biceps bulge and flexed the thick pads of muscle across his chest. Her eyes rooved over his body. Drinking it all in.
"These uniforms don't leave much to the imagination." Bulma mumbled. Then shook her head. "You're just trying to distract me."
"Is it working?" Vegeta asked as he dropped his arms.
"Maybe." Bulma hedged, not wanting to admit that what she would really like to be doing right at that moment was running her tongue over every square inch of that gloriously muscled body of his. "That's not the point right now though. You almost died, the gravity room is toast and Frieza's due to arrive in less than two weeks."
Crossing his arms Vegeta dropped his attempts at distraction. The darkness that always seemed to follow him settled back around him like an old friend or a favorite coat. "As I did not die in the incident it is actually beneficial."
Bulma nearly snapped at him before remembering that the Saiyan elite had a secret. "It made your stronger."
"Exactly."
"How much stronger?"
"A lot." He shrugged. "It is harder to keep my power suppressed."
"Will it be enough?" Bulma asked. Afraid to hope.
Another shrug. Great. Sighing Bulma crossed her own arms.
"What are you wearing?" The question gave Bulma mental whip lash. Looking down Bulma took in her tank top and shorts. Her usual sleepwear.
"My bed clothes. Why? It wasn't like I had time to change with you trying to die and all that."
Honestly, she hadn't thought about her clothes at all, or her swords she realized, which was certainly the more unforgivable of the two. Though with a hallway full of elite soldiers she'd probably been safe enough…but still.
"They are like undergarments." Her mate huffed. "If I catch any one of those males looking at you, I will kill him."
Bulma rolled her eyes. "We have bigger issues than that right now. Like what do we do now that your gravity room is destroyed? By the time we get it fixed Frieza will pretty much be here."
"I will train more intensely with Kakarot."
"You mean you're going to go beat the crap out of each other more often." Bulma translated.
"Mostly."
And she would be left behind to care for the entire world. Praying that by the end of the month there would still be a world left to rule. The exhaustion hit abruptly.
"But first we rest." Vegeta came to her, scooping her up into his arms. "Then I will work on saving the universe." He carried her from the room.
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"We will fight on that moon there." Vegeta motioned toward the larger of the two moons of Vegetasai. "It has a breathable atmosphere."
"It's also comprised almost entirely of iron ore rock and is prone to violent windstorms." Bulma pointed out as she glared up at the red rock.
Turning his back to the moon Vegeta crossed his arms. "Yet it is our best option. We cannot allow Frieza inside of our atmosphere and unlike the lizard I can only withstand short interludes in the vacuum of space."
Bulma didn't like the plan but it was their best option. Vegeta would lure Frieza over to the moon for their battle in order to keep him from attacking the planet as whole. They were going to have enough problems with Frieza's lackies, who they were going to intentionally trap inside of the shield. They needed to separate them from their lizard king.
"I don't like it." Bulma crossed her own arms at him.
"Kakarot is strong enough to take on the Ginyu Force while I deal with Frieza." Vegeta all but growled at her.
"Still don't like you being out their alone."
"I do not need the idiot's help." Vegeta snapped.
"Of course, you don't." Bulma sighed looking out over the ocean. Glad to have the balcony open for the moment. "We've run out of time. He's arriving tomorrow."
"I know."
"We've hardly seen each other these last two weeks…" Bulma let her words trail off. Looking up Bulma found herself looking into Vegeta's eyes. Her gaze swept over his sharp features and full lower lip. "I'm scared." She admitted softly.
"I know." Voice as soft as it could be Vegeta reached up and cupped her face.
"Promise me you aren't going to die-"
Vegeta cut off the rest of her words with a kiss before scooping her up in his arms, something of a habit for him, and carrying her inside.
The steel shutter slammed into place, cutting them off from the rest of the world, as Vegeta crawled into the bed her. Movements unhurried he stripped Bulma, tossing her clothes off to the side. The look in his eyes shot a bolt of fear through her heart. Eyes watering Bulma blinked rapidly. This was not a goodbye she told herself as Vegeta leaned down and kissed away the tears she couldn't stop from falling.
Stripping his own clothes free Vegeta settle between her thighs, his body fitting into hers as it always did, as though they were made precisely for each other. Bulma clung to him as he moved inside of her, filling her, making her feel whole as he worked her closer to the edge of ecstasy.
Heat swept through her as his Ki poured into her and she closed her eyes against the overwhelming sensations.
"Look at me." Vegeta commanded and Bulma obeyed.
His eyes glowed in the darkness but before Bulma's mind could register what she was seeing Vegeta pushed them both screaming over the edge of orgasm.
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Vegeta slept soundly beside her. She swore the male could sleep whenever or wherever he wanted. Probably due to all the time he spent soldering across the universe. Bulma did not have that same unique set of skills.
Fear kept her awake long in to the night. Terror at the realization that at some point in the next twenty-four hours their fate would be decided. Vegeta would either live or die. The fate of the rest of their planet would follow in his path. She had to live. With or without him. With or without their planet and people because Bulma had someone besides herself to protect. Their child. Their unborn son if Vegeta was to be believed.
God he looked so much younger in his sleep. Bulma thought as her gaze traveled across his face. Unmarred with his usual frown, features smooth and relaxed. She prayed to whatever God was listening that they would survive, that they would defeat Frieza and somehow get their happily ever after.
The problem was that Bulma had long since stopped believing in miracles and that's what they were going to need. One hell of a miracle.
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A/N: Sorry about the long wait in between chapters. I struggled largely with the last two pages of this chapter and finales really kicked my ass. Hopefully the next update comes along A LOT sooner because I swear to the Gods I am finishing this story this year.
Please review if you have moment. Lots of love.
~The Enforcer
