Hello my wonderful readers! Yes, this is an update! No false alarms this time!
For those of you who don't know, I posted an 'Author's Note' after chapter 14, so it messed up the sequential order of the chapters now. Rest assured that this is chapter 15, not 16, so don't be alarmed if you think you missed a chapter!
I want to take this moment to THANK YOU ALL from the bottom of my DBZlovin' heart for your continued reading and support! Thanks for all the reviews you leave. I appreciate the compliments, as well as the critiques for they continue to help me become a better writer.
I am very happy that you are continuing to enjoy my story and like where it is going. I know some pretty heavy stuff happened in our last chapter as things took an unexpected turn. Believe me, I am as impatient as you are! I just want to get our favorite couple together already, and say good riddance to the rest of what's going on….but then that would be no fun, my story would be immediately over, and that would make me pretty sad. I don't know if I'm ready for this story to be finished….I have at least a few more chapters planned, and then it will be probably be over. Could always write a sequel, I suppose? Or maybe not a sequel, but continue on with the basic premise? We'll talk about it more as the story comes closer to an end, because I would really like your opinions. Maybe I can even take on a writing challenge, like a special story idea request from you guys.
Okay, enough rambling. Let's get on to chapter 15. I know you all have been waiting patiently, so I won't keep you any longer. Thank you for your time, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
A/N: I don't own DBZ. I am, however, thrilled about the 'DBZ: Battle of Gods' movie! I can't wait. As soon as I heard about Goku turning into a Super Saiyan God, my first thought was that eventually Vegeta would turn into one also! You have no idea how psyched I am about that!
Second A/N: In case you were wondering, it's 2 days until Bulma's wedding.
Chapter 15- Mirrored Reflections
It was early morning on the beautiful red planet as Vegeta suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He forcefully stumbled forward, managing to reach out with his free hand to grab hold of the examining table in front of him. He had much need for the support as he lowered his fingers from his forehead, steadying himself as he was overwhelmed by the effort and strength it took him to abruptly tear himself away from Bulma and teleport back to his homeworld. He had forced himself to teleport out of instinct without taking his usual few needed moments of concentration, as he focused solely on the ki of the only Saiyan whose company he could stand to be around at the moment.
Bardock's eyes widened in complete surprise at seeing the wayward prince as he unexpectedly manifested in front of his eyes. "Vegeta!" he hissed as he shot of his chair and rushed over to him. "You're in a lot of trouble! Guards and Elites have been storming the palace, patrolling all around the planet, awaiting your arrival! Your parents are outraged! What the hell is going on?!" he emphasized in alarm, not immediately sensing the condition that the prince was in.
Vegeta remained silent, his head bent downward as a wave of sickening regret hit him. The anger he felt towards himself and Bulma, as well as the startling intensity of pain at the divide between them, had hit him harder than he realized. His arms trembled from the conflicting emotions that were flowing through his veins as he gripped the examining table, effortlessly bending and crushing the metal in his hands.
Bardock took a step back, rightfully cautious after feeling the suffocating aura that now filled the room. He immediately started to diagnose the prince, feeling his powerful ki spike up in an unpredictable pattern that was indicative that Vegeta was very, very disturbed about something. He began to think quickly….right now the prince was a shining beacon for their scouters as the Elites and Royal Guards would read his energy signal and hone in on him in mere minutes. The need to protect Vegeta as much as he could suddenly took hold. "Vegeta?" he asked hesitantly, not knowing what was the matter with him.
"I think you're right, Bardock." the prince said, his voice sounding detached.
Bardock paused, uncertain if he wanted to hear whatever he was going to say. "About?" he voiced in hesitant confusion.
"I think I've gone insane." Vegeta answered back in a uncharacteristically calm, serious tone as he kept his iron grip on the metallic examining table. He glared at it, unwillingly recalling the countless times he was made to sit or lay on one while Bulma inspected his wounds and tended to his injuries. He growled at his unwanted thoughts as he forcefully shoved the table away from him, causing it to collide and smash into a few other tables. He remained standing, clenching his hands into fists as he tried not to think of her.
Gone insane? Those weren't exactly the words that Bardock expected to hear from him. Not at all. "Vegeta, what's wrong?!" he asked in alarmed concern as he placed his hand on the prince's shoulder. He couldn't help the fatherly, protective side of him kicking in as he sensed Vegeta's ki was hyper-stressed over something.
Vegeta snarled as he rolled his arm away from him, freeing his shoulder from Bardock's calming touch as he shot him a deadly glare. "Nothing's wrong!" he snapped out, clenching his fists again as he tried to reign in his anger and the surprising heartache he was feeling. His heart was pounding in his chest, his tail thrashed in anger as he was overcome in emotion and utterly torn in more than one direction. No, nothing was wrong, he inwardly told himself, nothing but temporary weakness that he needed to purge from his heart. When the hell did he become so soft? When did he suddenly drop his guard and allow himself to feel all these sickening human emotions?!
Since when did he place Bulma on such a high pedestal? Since when did he become so disgraced to be reduced down to a prince who desired a weak human woman? How dare she get into his heart and make him feel emotions that he believed he was immune to! How dare she toy with him! How dare she make him think that she was his! It was she who should be holding him up on that high pedestal! It was she who should be desiring him!
How dare she choose that human weakling over him!
Bardock chose to remain silent as he watched the clearly distraught prince walk over to his personal regeneration tank and began to press buttons, programming the system. As Vegeta's ki continued to spike up randomly, Bardock glanced over at his scouter resting on his desk, seeing the red lights flashing. An alert. The prince had been sensed back on the planet and they would be coming for him very, very soon. "Vegeta, you must calm down." he began to urge. "Kakarot's already told you….the whole palace is looking for you. You've been sensed… they're already on their way here to get you."
Vegeta scoffed with indifference. "Let them. What's my father going to do, strip me of my title and disown me? And my mother, what will she do? Cut my tail off and banish me? I dare them to even try." he spoke in a stern, composed tone as he eyed the entrance of the medical bay for a moment, awaiting Royal Guards or Elites to come bursting through those doors to apprehend him and take him to his parents. Come to think of it, maybe he should let them. He was itching for a fight. Why the hell not? Getting his anger and frustration out on someone sounded like a great idea. He would show everyone how hopeless their efforts were in trying to control him and tell him what he could and could not do. He didn't really care who it was that he beat to a bloody pulp. Hell, the way he was feeling, he could take down the entire Saiyan militia and level his whole planet to dust right now if he so wanted.
"The way things are going, they just might." Bardock said in a grim tone, earning a rather disturbing look from Vegeta. The medic eyed the prince warily, not liking the vibe he was giving off. Whatever was the matter with him, he seemed…unstable. "I don't know what's going on, but we need to buy you some time. Enough for me to at least calm your father and mother down, or at the very best, get them to call the Guards and Elites off your neck!"
"What the hell do you think I'm doing?!" Vegeta barked in reply, as he turned his attention from the entrance to the medical bay back to his rejuvenation tank. He finished up whatever he was programming in the system as he then heard the tank beep a code of acceptance. He turned his attention back to Bardock, a dark, stern look on his face. "I am only going to say this once. I am to remain undisturbed while inside the tank. Is that understood? Even if my father orders you to get me out of there, I don't give a shit. You keep me in there."
The medic looked at him incredulously. "You want me to defy your father?!" At seeing Vegeta's unwavering, uncompromising glare, he knew the prince meant it. Bardock managed a difficult swallow. "Do you want me to die? How in hell do you expect me to go against his orders?!"
Vegeta growled as he pointed a finger in warning. "I swear, Bardock, you and Kakarot are one in the exact same! You're the lead medic….fucking make up a reason why! Surely you can think of one." he said with absolute finality as he opened the door and stepped into his tank. He grabbed the breathing mask and watched as Bardock walked over and read the screen above the button panel to his tank.
"Sedatives?!" Bardock exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes widening as he saw what Vegeta had programmed for himself. He looked at him with apprehension. "But you never use sedatives!"
"Like I said, I've lost my damn mind." the prince spat back in reply.
"That's not funny." Bardock voiced in genuine worry. "Not humorous at all."
"What makes you think I'm joking?" Vegeta said harshly as he then paused for a moment. "Speaking of jokes, your son is right around the corner." he said, sensing Raditz moving in on them quickly, with Nappa not too far behind. He gave Bardock one last order as he moved to place the breathing mask over his face. "Keep an eye on the levels after I go under."
Bardock looked at him numbly, not knowing what was going on, but there was no time to talk with him and find out what was troubling him so badly. "As you wish." he reluctantly obeyed his demands. "How long do you want to be kept sedated?" he asked, still not believing that Vegeta willingly programmed sedatives to be administered to himself. He wasn't even injured! Why the hell was he going into the rejuvenation tank?
"Forever." the prince ground out sarcastically as he gave Bardock a look. Vegeta reasoned with himself that he wanted to be sedated long enough to get some badly needed rest, and hopefully awaken with a much clearer mind.
But in truth, he wanted to be under long enough to sink into a deep, dark oblivion, void of all feelings and thoughts about Bulma.
He wanted to be under long enough to heal the unfamiliar pain in his heart, one that could never be detected or measured by an EKG machine.
He wanted to be under long enough to hopefully awaken and no longer feel the sinking feeling of regret…or the suffocating fire of anger….or the surprising love for a blue-haired, genius, beautiful human woman who would never be his.
"Forever? You're being a bit overdramatic, don't you think?" Bardock replied worriedly, question in his dark eyes as he wanted to know why Vegeta was so willing to resort to something like sedation. This was alarming, and upsetting. Going by the dangerous look reflected back at him by the tumultuous Saiyan prince, he wasn't going to get answers from him anytime soon.
"Blame it on my lack of sleep." Vegeta ground out as he placed the mask over his face and firmly shut the tank door, abruptly ending the conversation before it could even truly begin. He shot Bardock an stern look through the glass, and the medic sighed disapprovingly as he pressed a button, starting the rejuvenation tank on its cycles. Bardock watched as it began to fill up with healing fluid, seeing the prince quickly being submerged as the machine beeped a few times, alerting that the sedatives were now being administered.
Vegeta closed his eyes, feeling the effect of the sedatives hit him fast. A small feeling of panic washed over him at first, not liking how they were affecting him, but the anxiety quickly subsided. Troubled, he sank into the promising dark comfort of sleep, temporarily giving up control of himself, his surroundings and his environment. Just for once he was willing to no longer be awake and conscious. He had to trust that Bardock would keep him in the tank until it was time for him to come out.
No more thinking of his mistakes. No more thinking of regrets. No more thinking of her. No more feeling anything. No more existing.
For the time being, it was exactly what he wanted.
A minute later, Raditz and Nappa burst through the entrance doors of the medical ward, rushing their way through the hallways until they came upon the entrance to the tank room. Only minutes ago, Vegeta's ki signal had abruptly appeared back on Vegetasei. It had been strong until the last minute or so when they had felt his life energy drop alarmingly fast. Too fast for their liking, as they sensed he was near Bardock in the medical ward. A sinking feeling was threatening to overtake them as they worried that Vegeta had finally done it and got himself killed…or at best, he was gravely injured and was on the verge of dying.
"Where is he?!" Raditz yelled demandingly as he swung the doors open to the tank room and stormed in with Nappa closely following suit. He quickly approached his father who, to his surprise, was calmly seated at his station.
"In his tank." Bardock replied evenly, nodding his head in Vegeta's direction. Raditz and Nappa both turned around to look, and indeed saw the prince fully submerged in his rejuvenation tank.
"He's not dead." Nappa voiced the obvious, relieved for the moment as he tried to calm Raditz down by placing a strong hand on his shoulder. "He's not dead." he reassured him.
Knowing this didn't make Raditz feel any better. "Does he even realize what the hell he's put us through?!" he yelled, torn between being glad Vegeta was back home safely, and wanting to yank him out of the tank and give him a few good, well-deserved powerful punches in his royal face.
"Calm down, son." Bardock said, standing up from his chair and walking over to where he and Nappa were.
"Don't tell me to fucking calm down! " Raditz growled, shrugging his shoulder away from underneath Nappa's hand as he began to pace back and forth angrily, glaring at Vegeta in the tank every now and then. "He insists on taking off to wherever he pleases, without telling anyone where he's going, not even us! He continually goes beyond our protection! He keeps defying his parents…he keeps getting me and Nappa in trouble for it…and he's getting Kakarot in trouble now also! So don't you tell me to calm down!" the tall, long-haired Saiyan finished his rant, clenching his fists as he continued to prowl back and forth, trying his best to calm his temper down.
Nappa let out a half-hearted sigh as he watched Raditz pace around, voicing his unabashed irritation at their prince. After a moment, Nappa turned to Bardock with a much more level head than his Saiyan comrade currently had. "You can't blame him, Bardock. We felt Vegeta's ki suddenly drop down to almost nothing. We didn't know if he was dead…or on the verge of it."
Bardock nodded in understanding. The guardian trait ran strong and dominant in their family, and at times like this it was a curse as he watched Raditz fight the internal battle between being pissed at Vegeta for his recklessness and continued defiance, coupled with relief that Vegeta was back home safe and alive, as well as worrying over what the king and queen were going to do their rebellious son later on. He knew how Raditz felt, because it was exactly what he was feeling also. "Vegeta is fine. Well…physically, at least." the medic replied, earning an suspicious look from his eldest son.
"Just what in the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Raditz demanded, stopping in his pacing as he walked back over to his father. He stood in front of him, looking down at him as he crossed his arms across his broad chest, wanting an answer.
Nappa had to agree with Raditz as he voiced his concern also. "If he's fine, then why is he in a rejuvenation tank?!"
"I'm afraid I don't know." Bardock answered honestly, earning incredulous looks from them both.
"What do you mean you don't know?!" it was Nappa's turn to demand, not liking the sudden turn of the conversation.
Bardock sighed, running a hand through his wild, dark hair. "Look, questions and answers will have to wait until later, whether we like it or not. For now we must be grateful that Vegeta is alive and okay. He is back home now, and we all can be mad at him later…but for right now I need you both need to say outside this door and guard and protect him." he paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. He looked at his son and at Nappa, his own eyes reflecting a deep worry he did not care to hide. "He's sedated."
"You sedated him?!" Nappa said in apprehension, not sure if he should be angry or worried that Bardock did such a thing.
At hearing his father's last words, Raditz dropped his arms down to his sides in shock. "You did what?!" his anger rose again. "He doesn't use sedatives!"
"Don't you think I know that?!" Bardock growled back. "He put himself in the tank! He programmed the sedatives himself!"
Shocked, Raditz and Nappa quickly looked over at Vegeta again, and felt out his energy signal. It was low, but it was steady and it was even. He was calm. He was relaxed. There was no doubt about it…he was knocked out completely.
"Shit." was all Nappa could say. This was disturbing, to say the least.
Raditz studied Vegeta for a few moments through the tank. He did not appear injured. Was it true? He put himself in there? And sedated himself? "But he…." Raditz paused in alarm, looking back at his father, not knowing what else to say. "He never uses…."
"I know." Bardock tried to console him. He let out a frustrated sigh as he turned away from them and slowly walked back to his station. "He already knows he's in trouble, but from what I gathered from him, it's the least of his concern. For the time being, it will now be ours." He reached his desk, grabbing his scouter and holding it up in front of him, turning back to his son and Nappa. "I don't know what's happened, but whatever is wrong with Vegeta….we need to give him time."
Raditz nodded, a concerned look etched on his face as he listened to his father. His anger and irritation at Vegeta would have to be quickly pushed aside to be dealt with at a later time. "Right. The others will be coming here to get him." he said as he looked to Nappa for some level-headed guidance.
"I'll alert the Guards and the rest of the Elites that he's back, in a rejuvenation tank, and will be in there for awhile. That will call off the search and buy us some time. The king and queen are busy with meetings….they will not call for him right away." Nappa said, promptly walking away from them and heading toward the entrance doors. He hoped to intercept anyone trying to get to Vegeta as he pressed a button on his scouter, his voice fading away as he put the message out there to the Saiyan militia.
"Go, Raditz, follow him. You and Nappa need to keep everyone else away from Vegeta. Tell your brother to come see me as soon as possible. He and I will handle his parents' wrath. Now hurry." Bardock said, nodding an encouragement to his son.
"Right." Raditz said, throwing a protective glance over Vegeta, reassuring himself that he was okay as he pressed a button on his scouter, turning to walk away as he spoke into it. He confirmed Nappa's message that they had the prince in their custody and would be guarding him until he was out of the medical bay, and would personally escort him to the king and queen, as ordered.
Bulma watched helplessly as Vegeta teleported away, and immediately felt the shattered distance between them. She allowed the tears that were gathered in her eyes to fall freely now. It would have been shameful to cry in front of him. She had been taught by Saiyans to be stronger than that, and to have cried tears in front of him would have only shown her weakness. Bulma leaned heavily against the wall, sliding down against it until she sat herself down on the soft, plush carpet. Her tears…they burned hot down her face as she felt her throat constrict from the overwhelming emotions that she was drowning in. Her lungs burned like fire, demanding that she cry outloud as she stubbornly refused to do so, holding her anguish within. Her chest heaved heavily as she raised her hands to her face, cradling her head as she felt this was a horrible dream.
Her mind reeled as she wondered what the hell just happened between them. Waves of conflicting thoughts washed over her as she battled her anger and regret and despair at the same time. How could Vegeta do this to her?! How could he kiss her like that and change everything between them now?! How could he make her feel all these emotions that she was currently choking on?! How could he think he had the right to demand that she call off things with Yamcha?! How could she expect him not to?! She let out a frustrated groan as she tried to wipe the unrelenting tears away from her face. Yes, she was upset with herself for kissing Vegeta back and letting it get as far as it did…but she was even more upset that in trying to do the right thing by Yamcha, she ended up hurting the one man who she thought she could never hurt.
A mistake, Vegeta had said. He had called it a mistake.
He called her a mistake.
He meant it. A deep feeling of sadness engulfed her. Vegeta was never the type to lie or say something he didn't mean, especially to her. He was a man of his word, and he had meant every last word he said to her. Despite what people thought, she was no exception to the rule.
And what about her? She had lashed out at him unfairly, calling it a fling. A fling! Regret reared its ugly head at Bulma. She couldn't help the words that had tumbled from her mouth. She had panicked. She was just as responsible for the words she had told him, that included when she had agreed with him that it was a mistake. Their moment together, it had happened so quickly and so passionately that neither one of them ever really had a chance to anticipate it or even avoid it. The guilt bitterly stung her as Bulma inhaled deeply and let out a shaky breath. Whatever it was that had happened between them, she knew it was not something as superficial and so easily forgotten as a fling.
This shook them to their very core, down to their very hearts and souls as they crossed some invisible line that neither one of them knew had existed. There was no other way to explain it. Whatever they were to each other…it had been immediately turned upside-down in an insanely wonderful, unbearably heartbreaking moment. Bulma didn't expect this. She didn't plan on this happening.
And she was reasonably sure that Vegeta didn't either.
Her heart ached as she felt she was being torn apart in multiple directions. If she was feeling this way, she could only begin to imagine how Vegeta was feeling. This was something that neither of them would be able to get over anytime soon. How could they? What could she say to him? He made it clear he did not want talk to her. How were things ever going to be okay between them again, when he was never coming back to Earth, and she was supposed to be getting married soon?
It was all too overwhelming for Bulma as she, in true Saiyan behavior, began to shut down, pushing her anger and heartbreak aside. Her tears began to subside as she took a moment to compose herself, wiping the remnants of the last tears away. She stood up from the floor with some difficulty, and began to head to her room only to see Vegeta's armor and cape a few feet away from her. With a heavy heart, she bent down to pick them up and as she did so, his gloves fell to the floor along with his credit chip. Seeing the microchip brought unwanted memories of the earlier day with him, and as Bulma leaned over to reach for the fallen items, she suddenly began to feel overwhelmingly tired and drained of energy.
Concerned at what she thought was exhaustion that had abruptly hit her, she picked up the items and made her way to her bedroom. She opened the door and closed it behind her, tossing Vegeta's armor and gloves to a corner of her room. She cautiously made her way in the dark, reaching her bed and landing heavily upon it. Sleepily, she managed to take off her earrings and her jewelry, placing them on her nightstand along with his microchip. Bulma crawled under the sheets, clutching her pillow for comfort, telling herself that this was all a bad dream. Things would not seem as bad tomorrow as they felt right now. It was a lie, she knew, but it was one she needed to tell herself as she tried not to think about Vegeta anymore, surrendering herself to the intense beckoning call of sleep.
How could either of them know that tonight they truly had crossed a line? A line that, to this very day, Goku and Chi-Chi still had yet to cross.
Vegeta and Bulma had become partially bonded to each other.
Hours upon hours passed, as the illusion of time was unable to reach the sedated prince. It was already mid-afternoon on Vegetasei as Bardock continued his rounds, keeping Vegeta his priority as he mainly focused on him, letting the other medics pick up his slack and tend to the other injured warriors that managed to get past Nappa and Raditz. The duo were steadfast and uncompromising when it came to anyone wanting to see Vegeta for themselves. The king and queen had gone so far as to award a higher rank to any Saiyan who found their rebellious son and were able to bring him to them. Needless to say, there were many Saiyans wanting to get at Vegeta as soon as he was released from the rejuvenation tank, but after the first few hours, the prince's bodyguards made it clear that no one was getting to him.
Bardock glanced over at his youngest son who was entertaining himself by spinning around in his chair. "Kakarot, you're going to get yourself dizzy." he said distractedly, turning his attention to the time displayed on his workstation.
"Too late for that." the good-natured Saiyan laughed as he stopped spinning around, shaking the dizziness off. "How much longer until we can get Vegeta out of there?"
Bardock walked over to Vegeta's tank and pressed a few buttons, gathering the paper that it spat out at him. He brought the reports over to his station and read through them quickly. "Not much longer. The sedation terminated shortly ago. His brainwave pattern remains stable but preliminary reports are displaying his neural signals are starting to fluctuate, which is indicative of consciousness. The data is conclusive."
"Huh?"
Bardock couldn't help but smile a little. "The sedatives are wearing off. He's rested and he'll start to wake up soon enough." he said, making it a little simpler for him. At seeing Kakarot's understanding, he put Vegeta's report down. He re-tightened his red headband as he looked at his son. "Why don't you go check on Bulma again? It's been almost an hour since you last did. See if she's still asleep." he encouraged.
"Sure, why not? I'll be right back." Goku said, placing his fingers to his forehead and teleporting to Earth. As his son went to go check on her, Bardock walked back over to Vegeta's tank, pressing some buttons and reading more data from the small screen. Vegeta was going to awaken soon, probably within the next hour or so. He returned to his desk and grabbed the scouter, paging Raditz.
"Raditz, Vegeta is going to be waking up soon. You and Nappa continue to stand guard outside, even after he wakes up. There are some things he and I need to discuss in private." After hearing his son's response, Bardock frowned and set his scouter back down and began to walk around restlessly. After about another 10 minutes, Goku appeared again.
"She's still asleep." Goku said with a shrug. "Bunny said she hasn't seen her sleep this much in a long time."
"Strange." Bardock commented, remaining silent for a moment as he pondered. Something seemed very…off….but he couldn't quite place what it was. He had this nagging feeling that he was overlooking something, but what? He studied Vegeta for the hundredth time, and still couldn't figure out what could possibly be the matter with him. The medic let out a half-hearted sigh. "Well, so much for asking her if she knew what was wrong with him."
"Hey Dad…" was all Goku managed to say, his voice tense as he felt two very strong, familiar energy signals quickly heading their direction.
Bardock looked at him quizzically, seeing the serious frown on his face. He also stretched out his senses, and felt the energy signals also. "Shit! I was hoping I'd get a chance to talk with him before his parents came." Bardock complained, sensing the king and queen approaching the medical ward as his son's apprehensive warning distracted his train of thought. He glanced over at his scouter and saw a rapidly-blinking, single red light. It was too late, as he was trying to be alerted again. "Nappa and Raditz said they might be on their way. They can only detain them for so long."
"Can't we just tell them the truth?" Goku reasoned. "I don't understand why it's so bad to let them know what's going on."
"What might be going on. I don't know for sure yet. Now stick to what we talked about, unless you want Vegeta to kill you when he gets out of his tank. And he will be getting out soon.…" Bardock warned lightly.
"Fine." Goku said reluctantly, discouraged that there was such an effort being made to shield Vegeta from his punishment. It wasn't that he wanted Vegeta to get punished, far from it…but he thought if his parents knew the reason why he was always leaving Vegetasei, they might go easier on him.
Then again, they might not.
Goku and Bardock did not have a chance to talk anything else over as the king and queen stormed through the entrance doors. Their auras were intimidating as they honed in on Vegeta. Early on, they had been alerted that their insubordinate son had arrived back on the planet many hours ago, and they had been patiently waiting for a break from their intergalactic meetings to pay him a personal visit. Bardock and Goku bowed down to them in respect as they quickly approached.
"We don't have much time. Get him out of the tank, now." the king ground out his order at Bardock as he stood in front of his insubordinate son. The king's arms were crossed firmly across his chest, the tip of his tail snapping in anger as he glared at Vegeta through the tank glass.
Bardock managed a difficult swallow. "Your majesty, with the utmost respect, as the lead medic and personal physician to the prince…I have to advise against doing that."
The enraged glares that he received from the king and queen caused him to second guess his resolve. He practically disobeyed. Bardock managed a difficult swallow. He knew it…he was going to die, or worse, be demoted from his military rank and his medical position. He couldn't believe the things he did for Vegeta.
"Oh? Did he order you to keep him in there?" the queen spoke in a deceivingly calm tone. "Because I know you wouldn't obey him over us, would you, Bardock?"
"Of course not, your majesties." he replied neutrally.
"Good. Because that would be treason, after all." the king said, turning his attention back to his son. "I would hate to have to deal with a second traitor today."
Alright, so they meant business. Bardock just got himself cornered…he was either going to be forced to get Vegeta out of his tank and hand him over to his parents, or he had to disobey his king and queen's orders and pay one hell of a hefty price for his treason. There had to be a compromise somewhere. Just how in hell was he going to keep Vegeta in there and calm his parents down? They were ready to break him out of the tank and have him cut Vegeta's tail off. He couldn't let that happen. He refused to be the one to do it.
"My king and queen…" Bardock spoke in a softer tone, bringing one arm gently across his torso and giving a slight bow to the royals, "…I advise against taking him out right now. Not because he ordered it, but because I swore to you to keep his life, his health, and his best interests as my priority. It is my duty to ensure that Prince Vegeta remains inside the tank until his treatment has fully completed."
"He's been in there for well over half the day! How injured could he have been? He appears healed now. Shut off the system and remove him from the tank!" the king demanded in a growl. There was no room for negotiation. At hearing this, Goku swiftly moved to stand closer to Vegeta's tank, feeling a threat. A great need to protect Vegeta overcame him, even when it was from his own parents. He would even defy his own king and queen and go against them to protect his prince. It was something he did without a second thought, with no worry about repercussions for himself. Luckily, the king and queen did not notice his passive-aggressive move as they were too busy shooting death glares at his father.
"The Prince was not injured upon his arrival." Bardock said quickly. Vegeta had told him to make up a reason, and he needed one, fast, otherwise things were going to go horribly wrong in a minute. He had to give them good enough reason to not only leave their son in the tank, but he had to calm them down and protect him from their rage. His voice turned serious. "Vegeta is…..not well. There could be dire consequences if he is removed during the middle of the programmed cycles." Bardock reluctantly admitted, not knowing if it was true or not.
Hearing this prompted the king and queen to take their attention away from him and place it back on their son. "What do you mean he's not well?" the queen bit out, her tone of voice slightly lacking in anger.
"When he arrived early this morning, he did not have any visible indications of physical trauma upon him. No wounds, no injuries. But he was….unstable. He put himself in the rejuvenation tank." Bardock then paused for effect. "He willingly sedated himself." he finished in an even tone, watching as the king and queen's faces betrayed some sort of worry. It was only for a short moment, as they looked at each other before looking back at him.
"He does not use sedatives." the king said tensely. "You expect us to believe this?" he continued, concern hidden in his skepticism. "How dare you lie to us."
"He's not lying." Goku rang in, feeling nervous as suddenly all eyes were on him. He had to think fast if he wanted to help save him. "Vegeta hasn't been sleeping well…or much at all, as a matter of fact. I would know….I always find him awake late at night and early in the morning. I don't think he sleeps much at all. Not lately."
"Is this true, Bardock?" the king asked, his voice toned down slightly as he searched him for a hint of a lie.
The medic nodded. "The other night when Vegeta was injured, I printed out data from his tank." he said, shuffling through the paperwork at his station, secretly glad he had kept Vegeta's printout. After finding what he was looking for, he pressed the papers out on the table for them to view. "The findings were unexpected. Results showed he had an unstable, erratic ki pattern. This could be the result of many different factors, but in my experience and medical opinion, it indicates that his lack of rest and sleep have been affecting him on a biological level."
"Kakarot, how long has he been without rest or sleep?" he queen demanded, studying him intensely. Goku was a horrible liar, and they would be able to see right through him if he spoke any untruth.
"From what I've seen and felt from him…weeks. Lots of weeks. At least a couple of months." Goku answered honestly.
The king and queen heard no falseness in his answer, felt no misleading in his voice. The king proceeded to pick up the reports and look through them, and after a few tense moments, he glanced up at looked at his son who remained submerged in the healing tank, asleep and uncharacteristically calm. The king frowned, his eyebrows furrowing in veiled concern. Vegeta was almost always awake and alert, even when he was being healed in his tank. It was painfully obvious that his ill-tempered, powerful, rebellious son was sedated. Otherwise, Vegeta would be getting out of the tank right now, either ready to argue with them, or escape their fury by teleporting himself away from them.
Vegeta's uncharacteristic vulnerability unnerved them, and as the king glanced over at his queen, Bardock saw that their rage had subsided significantly. He took advantage of their wavering resolve. "I recommend keeping him in there until treatment has run its full course. His most recent data shows his ki is stable again, and he is almost fully rested."
Surprisingly, this time there was no protest from them.
"How much longer until he awakens?" the queen asked, placing her hands on her hips as she continued to look at Vegeta. The deep-hidden, unsettling worry in her dark eyes looked right back at her through the reflection of the tank glass.
"Soon. Within the next hour or so." Bardock answered cautiously. He felt he could almost breathe again, as the king and queen's energy signal was much more even and stable. He hoped this meant they were not going to cut off his tail anymore.
This time, at least.
"We must return to the conferences. Alert us when he has awakened." the king commanded sternly, leaving things at that. There was much for him and the queen to think over and discuss when it came to their wayward son, but unfortunately they did not have the time right now to do so.
Bardock bowed down. "Of course, your majesties." he said, watching as Goku bowed down to them also. With a meaningful look back at their son, the king and queen left the medical ward to head back to the grand conference room. After they left their sight, Goku leaned heavily against Vegeta's tank, sliding down alongside it as he sat himself down on the floor. He ran a hand through his messy hair as he let out a sigh of relief. "Wow, I can't believe that worked."
"Of course it did, it's the truth. Well…most of it." Bardock murmured, feeling as relieved as Goku did. He stared at Vegeta for a few seconds. He had no idea how close he was from losing his tail. He watched as Vegeta frowned and his closed eyes twitched a couple of times. The prince would be waking up soon.
"Dad, he's not really sick…is he?" Goku asked, looking up at his father, seeing the concerned look on his face.
"Not sure. He might be." Bardock answered with a shrug. "I haven't decided yet." he commented as he walked over to the tank and pressed a few buttons again, getting updated readings on Vegeta's vital stats and neurological readings. He studied them again, mulling over the results. His readings the last hour or so had been interesting. Very interesting.
The afternoon sunlight attempted to shine through the glass. It was a failed endeavor as the rays remained abandoned behind the balcony doors, closed off from entering her room completely. Stray fragments of dusted light managed to beam through a few breaks between the curtains as they inched over the plush carpet, stretching out, trying to reach the bed where the genius blue-haired woman was sleeping.
Bulma stirred, her beautiful face frowning as she felt herself being dragged forward to alert consciousness. She struggled to pull herself away from the inviting comfort of sleep as she gradually opened her eyes and sighed heavily. Her breath feathered some stray strands of hair away from her eyes as her first thoughts were not on what time it was, or how long she had been asleep, or even what day it was. The first feelings that came to her were of the very man she had tried to escape from.
A deep, suffocating feeling of anger, mixed with heartache, remained with her. She groaned miserably as she pushed her comforter off of her and sat up in bed. She took a deep breath and let it out. Her heart felt just as heavy as it did when her and Vegeta had their falling out. The wound was still fresh. This wasn't supposed to happen. Things were supposed to be better when she woke up. She was supposed to feel better. At the very least, she was supposed to at least feel rested. Instead, the reality of it was that everything remained the same. Nothing had changed. Nothing was for the better.
Bulma sensed the upsetting divide between herself and him. She could feel that Vegeta was as troubled as she was. That he was as angry as she was. That he was as torn apart as she was. She was losing her mind, she reasoned. It was all in her head, she convinced herself as she closed her eyes, not wanting to feel what she was currently feeling.
She brought her hands to her eyes, rubbing the drowsiness from them before bringing them up to her forehead. What time was it? She did not care to look over at her alarm clock. Anger caused a lump in her throat as she refused to shed more tears. Keeping her eyes closed for a moment, she attempted to run her hands through her hair, only to get her fingers caught up in the barrettes and diamond-tipped bobby pins of her elegant up-do. Her eyes opened as she glanced down, realizing she was still dressed in her formal gown. Heartache overcame her as she was forced to remember the wonderful night she had with Vegeta. Everything had gone so wonderfully, until the very end.
Their time together…it was something that probably would never happen again.
Bulma had a sudden, strong urge to remain in bed. The thought of hibernating was appealing. The idea of drowning herself in a fathomless, never-ending blackness, void of any consciousness at all was horribly tempting. What she would give to be able to continue to sleep for weeks…or months. No reality. No dreams. No thinking. No anything. Just hide herself away from the world, from her work, from her life, from everyone and everything.
From Vegeta.
She frowned in displeasure. That would be nearly impossible. Eventually she would have to see him. Eventually she would have to talk to him. He had made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to see or talk to her unless it was necessary. She grew agitated. How could Vegeta do that?! Their lives revolved around each other…. he couldn't just sever them apart like that, just because he said so! So what, he expected her to talk to him about business and repairs on his machine, and that's it?! Could he really take her out of his life that easily? Could she take him out of hers that easily? How could they ever be okay again? Even if they got past this, things between them were never going to be the same again.
Bulma pushed her heartache deep within and locked it up, refusing to let it overwhelm her again. Keeping her anger at herself and at him close to the surface, she ignored the time on the clock, getting out of bed and heading over to her bathroom to take a shower. She silently hoped the warm, therapeutic water would wash over her and somehow heal the invisible wounds and surprising heartbreak she was trying hard to ignore.
After showering and changing into a pair of black slacks and a cream-colored long-sleeved blouse, she made her way down to the kitchen, where she found her mother sitting at the table, flipping through the pages of a magazine.
"Well, good afternoon sweetheart!" Bunny chirped happily. "I was wondering when you were finally going to wake up!"
Afternoon? Had she slept that long? Bulma glanced at the time displayed on the oven, seeing it was indeed mid-afternoon. She knew she had been exhausted, plus her falling out with Vegeta didn't help either. "Afternoon…" she replied back to her mother in an even tone as she walked over to the coffee machine, seeing a fresh pot of coffee waiting for her. Her mother had impeccable timing, she supposed, as she grabbed a large ceramic coffee mug and poured the hot liquid into it. Bulma then proceeded to start opening up random cabinet doors, looking for something.
"What are you looking for, honey?" Bunny asked. Her daughter remained quiet as she found what she was looking for. She watched as Bulma opened up a bottle of Kahlua liqueur, pouring a generous amount of it into her coffee mug and stirred it around with a spoon. Watching her daughter take a few big gulps, she couldn't help but to give her a smile. "Hungover?"
"No." Bulma answered simply, leaning against the granite countertop as she continued to sip on her alcoholic coffee.
Bunny's playful, cheery attitude continued, oblivious to her daughter's distress. "Well, how was it last night? Did you and Vegeta have a nice time?"
Bulma's demeanor turned dark as her mother asked the very question she did not want to be asked. She tried hard not to let anything show. "I'd rather not talk about it."
Bunny's bright disposition dimmed as she heard an odd tone in Bulma's voice. She placed her magazine down and looked at her more closely. "Honey, are you okay?" she finally noticed that Bulma did not quite seem like herself.
"I'm fine." Bulma said in a cooled tone as she then looked out the window and immediately saw Vegeta's gravity chamber outside. There were no red lights coming from it. And if he meant what he said about never coming back to Earth, then there never would be again. With an aggravated huff, she turned away from the window and walked over to the kitchen island, setting her mug down with a clank. She placed both her hands down on the island, gripping the edges as a wave of distress hit her. It was hard to hide the disturbed look on her face as she tried to reign in her mixed emotions. She was not sure what to feel about anything anymore.
All gladness and cheerfulness was gone from Bunny as her motherly instincts were telling her something was wrong. "Bulma….what's the matter?"
Her mother's gentle, serious tone of concern rang hard through Bulma's heart. For a split second, she felt like breaking down in tears and telling her mother what had happened between her and Vegeta the night before. The fleeting moment of weakness quickly subsided though, as the Saiyan-like woman within her refused to show her emotions to anyone. "Nothing. Nothing is the matter, mom." she said simply, letting go of her grip on the island and picked up her coffee mug, drinking from it again.
Bunny knew it was a lie. She pursed her lips firmly together for a moment, wondering what was wrong. "Well then….how did it go last night?" she asked with veiled caution.
Bulma inwardly shut down, refusing to answer the question. If she stayed in the kitchen any longer, eventually she would break down. She needed leave and be left alone for the time being. "I've wasted half the day sleeping. I've got things to do…" she said, avoiding her mother's question as she began to walk out of the kitchen. She didn't know what she was going to do, but anything was better than talking to her mother about what happened last night. And she wasn't too keen on the idea of going to Vegetasei today either. She had a feeling she was not wanted there…and she didn't know how she would handle seeing Vegeta. Or how he would handle seeing her.
Confusion crossed Bunny's face at seeing her daughter abruptly change the subject, only confirming that something was very wrong. "Goku was here earlier, looking for you." she managed to tell her daughter, trying to get her to talk and open up about whatever was bothering her.
Bulma stopped in her tracks at hearing this. A slight chill of panic hit her. Did Vegeta tell him what had happened? Did Vegeta tell everyone what happened? Did he have a message that Vegeta wanted to give to her? Was he there to teleport her to Vegetasei? Was she needed there? She didn't want to go. "Was he? What for?" she asked, keeping her voice as unemotional as possible.
Bunny gave her a small shrug. "He said he had something to ask you, but each time he came by, you were still asleep." she answered, watching her daughter tense up. "He came by again not too long ago. He had told me to set the coffee pot for you since you would be waking up soon. I guess he was right." she tried to finish off lightly.
"Did he say what he wanted to ask me?"
"No, dear. Only that he would stop by again later today. It seemed like he had to get back to Vegetasei pretty quickly. He didn't even want to eat anything I offered him."
Bulma nodded as she gave her mother a numb look, even though her eyes betrayed her emotions. Goku not eating anything was strange. What was going on over there for Goku to not want to eat anything here at her home? "Don't worry about it. I'm sure he was just busy, that's all."
"It's not him I'm worried about." Bunny said honestly.
Bulma purposely looked away from her mother. "I'm going to be down in my lab if anyone Goku or anyone else comes looking for me." was all she offered her mother, ignoring her concern as she quickly departed from the kitchen before she could try to ask any more questions. She made her way to her laboratory to start working on the blueprints and schematics for Vegeta's new gravity room.
Drowning herself in her work always helped her forget her worries, although this time, she knew it wouldn't. Not when she was supposed to be building Vegeta the ultimate gravity room, so all her thoughts would constantly be on him. Even complex mathematical formulas and calculations couldn't distract her from thoughts of him now. He had given her 6 weeks to complete it. Whether she liked the deadline or not, she knew she would have to work hard and work fast. Not because he demanded it, but because the sooner she built it, the sooner she could get on with what she felt was the rest of her life.
And in a couple of days, that was supposed to be a life with Yamcha.
The rejuvenation tank beeped, indicating that the programmed healing cycle had been completed. The tank began to purge the fluid down the drain as Vegeta opened his dark eyes. He was feeling drowsy from his many hours of sedated slumber, but he would have to force himself to shake it off. He waited with barely restrained impatience as the fluid finished draining. Bardock had heard the alert and walked over to his tank, pressing a button, unlocking the door and opening it for him.
Vegeta pulled off his breathing mask with distain, roughly tossing it aside as he harshly wiped the thin layer of healing fluid away from his eyes and from his face. He fisted his hands, feeling angry. It didn't work. Nothing was better. His escape into unconsciousness did not help the suffocating ache in his chest. Sure, he felt rested. He was no longer exhausted, but his mind and heart remained deeply troubled as his emotions were still swirling and twisting within him in a tempest that would not be controlled.
He had hoped his anger and heartache would lessen after he awakened. He had hoped that he would feel nothing. Instead, he felt the same….yet something had changed. This unfamiliar feeling lasted for only a moment as he swore that he felt Bulma. Vegeta tried to remain calm as his first instincts were to sense if she was nearby, or even on his planet.
She wasn't.
His face furrowed in irritation. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. He was imagining things, he reasoned, figuring it was an odd side effect of the sedatives. He shook his head slightly, trying to shake it off. And besides, why would she be here anyway? She was supposedly busy, not to mention she had a damned wedding to go through with. It was all for the better, he told himself. She made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him, and he sure as hell wasn't going to convince her otherwise. Keeping their distance from each other should not be a difficult feat. It wouldn't be an issue on his end, as Vegeta resolved that he was never going back to Earth, for any reason.
He was glad that Bulma wasn't on Vegetasei right now. To have her physically close by, yet be so distant to her was something he wasn't sure he could handle. It would make it more difficult for him to purge her from his heart, which was something he would begin focusing on.
And the sooner the better.
"How are you feeling?" Bardock asked in an cautious tone, having studied the prince very closely for the past few moments. He saw the flicker of emotion in his dark eyes. He could feel his distress.
"Like shit." Vegeta replied, wiping away the thin film of healing fluid away from his arms and chest as he stepped out of the tank. He rolled his neck around, stretching out his tense muscles. "How do you think I feel?"
"I don't know…you tell me." Bardock said firmly, eyeing the prince knowingly. "You spent half the day in the tank, and yet your ki is still as disturbed as it was before you entered." he said, analyzing him carefully. He ignored the death glare from Vegeta. "What's wrong, Vegeta?" he asked, demanding some sort of an answer from him this time.
"Nothing is wrong." Vegeta answered back coldly. He was in the tank for half the day? What a waste of time, he thought, disgusted with himself. All of this, and for what? Only to emerge and still feel all these sickening emotions that he thought would disappear?
"Bullshit. There is something wrong." Bardock said sternly, stepping in front of Vegeta, giving him his own intimidating look. "You don't just willingly sedate yourself for half the day and then say there is nothing wrong!"
"I don't have to answer to you." Vegeta bit out in a snarl.
"When Nappa and Raditz guard the entrance to the medical bay all day to prevent warriors from getting to you, even when there was a hefty bounty on your head and even when you have gotten them into immense trouble with your disobedience…when Kakarot and I staved off your parents from taking you out of the tank and having your tail cut off….when we have done all in our power to protect you, I think we goddamn well deserve an answer from you. Now I will ask you one more time, Vegeta. What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Vegeta hissed, his tail lashing around as he started to get pissed off. He didn't have time to deal with this. To answer his question would be admitting there was something wrong. To admit something was wrong would lead to talking about what happened. And Bulma was a subject he did not want to talk about. He didn't want to even think about her. All he wanted to do was take a shower, change into his battle gear, and go find Kakarot. He felt like drawing someone's blood, and his Saiyan rival was always a good punching bag.
Seeing his stubbornness, Bardock had two options. He could either get pissed at Vegeta, or go psychologist on him. The first option would probably cause Vegeta to storm away angry, and he wouldn't get any answers from him. The second option would be more interesting, and he would more than likely get Vegeta to let something slip. He opted for the latter. "Your ki gives you away, you know. After all that time in there you should be rested, but you're as disturbed now as you were when you first entered the tank, which leads me to believe that you are not suffering from exhaustion, but that something traumatizing has happened."
"Mind your damn business, Bardock!" Vegeta snapped, glaring at him as his tail fuzzed up in irritation before wrapping it around his waist securely.
Bardock tried to hide the smile from his lips as he watched the prince curl his tail around his waist. Vegeta was feeling threatened and defensive, he mused. "Ah, so something bad has happened. Only a few things that I know of could cause you to be this riled up."
"I'm warning you, Bardock." Vegeta growled, his threat lingering.
"Let's see here. Going by what Kakarot said, you seemed fine yesterday, besides being angry with him for following you around the galaxy." he began to fish, subtly studying Vegeta's body language to catch a cue on a nerve he might hit.
"Of course. Your idiot son can't seem to understand the concept of minding his own business and leaving me alone, much like yourself!" Vegeta said angrily, beginning to walk away from him and start heading out of the medical bay. Bardock sighed. He sensed no discernable reaction that was out of the norm for Vegeta when it came to his youngest son. Then maybe…
"He also said you and Bulma were at some fancy get-together last night." At hearing this, Vegeta paused abruptly in his stride as he clenched his fists. Oh, that did it right there, Bardock thought to himself, as he felt Vegeta's ki fluctuate and spike up again the same way he had sensed when the prince had first arrived back on the planet.
The anger that flooded Vegeta, as well as the heartache, momentarily silenced him as he visibly tensed at hearing Bardock's last words.
"Vegeta…." Bardock implored, this time his voice much more gentle and full of unease, "…what happened?"
Vegeta kept his back turned to Bardock, giving him a stern side-glance over his shoulder. "It doesn't matter anymore." And with that, he began to shut down, unwilling to hear any more questions, and refusing to give out any more answers as he proceeded to walk out of the medical bay.
So what did you think of this chapter? I hope you liked it!
Sorry if this chapter seemed to jump around too much. I was trying hard to show how much Vegeta and Bulma mirrored each other (hence the title). Now that they are partially bonded to each other and falling apart from each other at the same time, I was hoping you would get the references…such as when he's sedated, she suddenly feels sleepy…they wake up around the same time….they both refuse to answer anyone on what happened…they both shut down and keep their thoughts and emotions and everything to themselves…..etc.
I hope you will leave me a review and tell me what you think! I have to say, writing this chapter was hard for me. I spent so much time on it, I started to feel sad pretty often. Maybe even depressed. It didn't help that I was listening to sad songs while writing this either! I don't consider this a fluff chapter, but it definitely was an odd chapter to write. Probably because I'm so used to writing Vegeta and Bulma interacting together, and now that they are separated it really sucks.
I hope it didn't leave you stressed out like it did to me.
Thanks for reading everyone! Chapter 16 is under construction. Are you still down to ride with me on the rest of this journey? I only have a few more chapters to go until this story ends, so I hope you can keep on hanging in there. It's amazing, I can't believe my short story idea turned into this! It's because of all of you, you know. You guys are awesome! Thank you for continuing to read my story and letting me know your opinions!
I do this for you! Otherwise I would just spend whatever free time I manage to get watching lots of DBZ stuff, or playing WoW, or watching 'The Walking Dead'. I should probably throw in some rest and relaxation in there too someday.