It Falls On Me

by Bellaniza

Bulma's wedding to Yamcha is a week away, yet her fears and doubts are increasing as the fateful day approaches. Torn between what she should do, and what she wants to do, is never an easy decision. And what about Vegeta, who has become an unexpected factor in her equation? The battle between the mind and the heart can be won, as long as you can see through both of their illusions.

17. Where The End Starts

Hi everyone! I'm so happy to be updating my story for you today! I know you have been waiting with amazing amounts of patience, and I appreciate your continued support! Luckily, writer's block didn't hit me much this time, which I was glad about. In fact, this is now the longest chapter of my story so far! Thank you, as always, for reading my story and following it. I hope you enjoy the next installment!

A/N: I'm sure you've noticed the title of my chapter. I'm sure some of you will have mixed feelings about what you're about to read. I've got a lot of things happening in it, a couple of twists and turns you might or might not be expecting. I'm excited, as well as nervous about what's going on.

Just remember...not everything is as it seems.

---

Love.

You never know the minute it ends,

Suddenly I can't get it to speak.

Maybe if I knew all the things it took to save us,

I could fix the pain that bleeds inside of me.

Chapter 17- Where The End Starts

He sensed it.

The instant he was in front of Bulma, it had hit him like a punch to his head.

It was the exact strange, uneasy disruption in her energy signal.

Something was very off with her.

Just like with Vegeta.

It was unsettling, and upon feeling this same disturbance in her life force his first instinct was to tell his father that she had something wrong with her also. Unfortunately Goku had no real time at this moment to think much further on the subject as he appeared in front of her…..and Yamcha.

"Goku!" Bulma and Yamcha blurted simultaneously. There was undeniable surprise written on both their faces as they each had different reactions to his unexpected arrival. Bulma had abruptly stopped in her tracks, taking single step backward as she brought one of her hands over her heart, almost having the living daylights scared out of her. Goku appearing out of nowhere was normally not a big deal to her, but considering her mother had told her that he had been looking for her earlier…along with her own self-tormenting thoughts on what it was that he could possibly be wanting to talk to her about…she was understandably apprehensive.

As for Yamcha, his happy demeanor had changed upon seeing the Saiyan suddenly appear in front of them. After all, he had not forgotten what Goku had done to him yesterday morning. His hands fisted in tension, anger washing over him as he recalled how his 'friend' knocked him unconscious for no apparent reason.

"Oh wow, this isn't a good time…" Goku said, wanting to backtrack as he realized more and more that he just did not have the best timing in the world. He hadn't anticipated Yamcha being with her and he knew this could end badly. Once again he wondered how he managed to get himself stuck right in the middle of things.

"Oh, I think this is the perfect time!" Yamcha said angrily, walking towards him with the clear intent of wanting to punch him and start a fight.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Yamcha…" Goku said rather apologetically, holding his hands up in figurative surrender. The last thing he wanted to do was get into a fight or argument with him, especially in front of Bulma. He needed to get out of there, and quickly. The sooner he left, the better for all of them. He could try talking with Bulma later, when Yamcha wasn't around.

"Yamcha!" Bulma said harshly, alarmed at the swift aggressiveness he had toward Goku, realizing there was some sort of issue between them. She hurriedly jogged up to them and took to their sides, stepping in between them to prevent a fight. She placed both her hands firmly on Yamcha's chest, effectively stopping him from advancing on Goku any further. Yamcha didn't appreciate her getting in the way, remaining angry and tense as he wanted to continue forward while she stubbornly pushed against him to stop. "What the hell's gotten into you?!" she demanded.

"ME?!" Yamcha growled, raising his arm and pointing a finger behind her directly at Goku. "It's not ME, it's HIM!" he said defiantly.

"I think I should go." Goku said seriously, seeing that Yamcha was too fired up to want to listen or talk civilly about anything. "This is really not a good time."

"Wait, what?!" Bulma questioned, responding to Goku's words as she turned her head to look back at him over her shoulder. "What do you mean? What is going on?!" she asked in slight exasperation, seeing that Goku was not wanting to get into a fight as she turned her attention back to Yamcha, looking up at his angered face and into his dark eyes.

"Oh, didn't he tell you?!" Yamcha began spitefully, ignoring Bulma's non-verbal plea to calm down as he kept his fiery gaze locked onto Goku. "He came to my place yesterday morning and knocked my lights out!"

"He what?!" Bulma said in shock as she removed her hands from Yamcha's chest, quickly whipping around, looking at Goku with utter surprise and confusion. "You did what?!" she said in disbelief, wanting to know why he would do such a thing to Yamcha like that. It wasn't like Goku to do something like that at all!

Goku frowned in seriousness. This really wasn't a good time. At all. "You don't want to do this right now, Yamcha." he warned him, trying to avoid this conversation happening in front of Bulma as best he could as he momentarily ignored her shock.

"Like hell I don't!" Yamcha replied angrily in defiance, stretching his arm out and shoving Bulma out of his way as gently as he could, before continuing to step up to Goku.

"I'm serious. Drop it. We can talk about this later." Goku said sternly, his voice low as he tried to get the point across to him that his advice should be taken as his tail remained guarded around his waist.

But Yamcha was not going to let it go. "No! We're talking about this now! Why the hell did you punch me?!"

Goku remained eerily quiet for a moment, internally struggling on whether or not he wanted to answer him. He looked over at Bulma as she remained quiet, concern etched on her face as she listened for his answer. He inwardly sighed. He warned Yamcha, but if he wanted to talk about this in front of her, then so be it. "It was for your own good." he replied, no remorse found in his response.

Hearing Goku's words did nothing but infuriate Yamcha as his ki spiked strongly in anger. "For my own good?!" he echoed in audacity. "You punched me and knocked me out for no reason!"

At hearing this, Goku's frown deepened, as he started to grow agitated, the tip of his tail flicking in irritation. "I really didn't want to do this in front of Bulma." he stated firmly, making that perfectly clear to both of them as he gave Bulma an apologetic look before turning his attention back to Yamcha, looking him directly in his eyes. "I had a very good reason to."

"Oh, I'm sure you did! And what exact reason was that?!" Yamcha spat out in angered sarcasm, his hands still clenched in fists as he was one moment away from trying to take a swing at Goku.

"You don't remember what you said to me, do you?" Goku's calm, yet angered tone of warning in his voice spoke volumes to Yamcha and Bulma.

It was Yamcha's turn to finally hesitate for a moment in uncertainty. He didn't know what the hell Goku was talking about, yet he still ignored the dire warning in his voice. Unfortunately, hindsight was 20/20, and he was about to realize that the words he had said to Goku yesterday morning about Bulma…and his uncivil threats about Vegeta…would someday come back to haunt him with a vengeance.

Ironically, that day was today.

Bulma had remained eerily quiet the entire time as she looked back and forth between them, not knowing what in hell was going on. But after hearing Goku's words, her attention turned now to Yamcha, waiting to hear what exactly happened between them the previous morning.

He should have listened to Goku when he said this wasn't a good time. He should have listened when Goku tried to avoid having this conversation in front of Bulma. He should have let Goku leave when he wanted to, so that he could have had a nice early dinner with Bulma this evening. He should have recalled that he could not remember what had happened when he woke up after Goku punched him unconscious. Too bad he was still blinded by his anger and he had thrown any attempt at reason out the window. "What did I say?" Yamcha asked in a mocking tone.

Goku inhaled deeply before letting out a sharp breath, growing increasingly agitated at Yamcha. "You said once you're married to Bulma, that you would be in control, and that she would be too stupid to realize it."

Yamcha's memory was abruptly jogged back by Goku's words. His eyes widened in realization, not wanting Bulma to hear the rest. Oh shit. "Okay Goku, that's enough…" he demanded forcefully, hurriedly trying to backtrack the trouble he was about to be in.

"No, Goku." Bulma's uncharacteristically calm, even voice rang in as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Continue. Please. I would like to hear this." she said, her words laced with venom as she seethed in anger. Did Yamcha really think he would be in control of the company?!

Goku hesitated, but nodded his head, complying with her request as he kept his cold gaze upon Yamcha. "You told me with that control, Vegeta would no longer interfere between you and Bulma. You said you would make sure that she never saw him again."

"You said what?!" Bulma yelled at Yamcha, enraged at what she just heard as she uncrossed her arms from her chest and fisted her small hands as waves of anger washed over her.

Yamcha growled, pissed off that Goku said the very thing he didn't want him saying. In anger and frustration, he threw his elbow back and tried to land a punch at Goku, only to have him catch his fist in his hand and hold it back firmly. "I told you this wasn't a good time." Goku said evenly, squeezing Yamcha's fist tighter, causing him some pain in an effort to get his message across. "Now knock it off before you get hurt."

Yamcha huffed in anger as he tore his fist away from Goku, knowing he wasn't nearly strong enough to fight him. Not by a long shot. "I thought you were my friend, Goku!"

"I am." Goku assured sternly. "And I didn't want this to happen right now, but you insisted we talk now, so you only have yourself to blame." And with that, Goku wisely stepped back away from him, choosing to stand off to the side as he remained around to make sure things did not get out of hand between them.

Upon seeing Goku step out of the way, Bulma stormed up to Yamcha, shoving him roughly in anger. "So that's what you think?! That I'm stupid? That you'll have control over me?!"

"No! I was still angry, okay?! I said things without thinking!" Yamcha growled back at her. "I didn't mean what I said!"

"Bullshit you didn't!" Bulma yelled back at him. "So what you told me earlier was a lie, wasn't it?! You really were trying to get me to choose between you or him, weren't you?!"

"It doesn't fucking matter anymore, does it?! You said he was never coming back to Earth, so what the hell is the big deal?!"

Bulma's anger soared, and her ki spiked up in pain from the brutal reminder that Vegeta would not be coming back. Ever. "The big deal, you jackass, is that you think that you can keep us separated! I still work for him and his family, and for his planet, and you can't control that!" she shouted as she paused for a moment, taking a collective breath as she tried to calm her temper. She threw a warning glare at him, her next words coming out much more quieter but weighing heavily with seriousness. "You will never control that."

'Like hell I can't!' Yamcha inwardly thought to himself. He growled in anger, feeling some sort of underlying threat still existent, even though Vegeta was no longer going to be coming to Earth. Seemed this was not good enough for him. As long as she worked for the royal family and for the planet, they still would be in each other's lives…and he would never be rid of Vegeta's presence. "We'll see about that." he murmured defiantly under his breath.

Bulma narrowed her eyes dangerously, unsure if she really heard what he just said or not. "If you think marrying me will put you in control of myself and Capsule Corp, then you better think again, Yamcha!"

He growled in frustration. "I already told you, I was mad when I said those things. I didn't mean it!" Yamcha hollered back at Bulma in reply, cutting his hand though the air in blatant frustration. "You never believe anything I ever tell you!"

"So you're saying Goku's lying?!" Bulma demanded, her hands firmly placed on her hips in an aggressive stance.

"Are you saying you don't believe me?!" Yamcha mirrored back at her, matching her stance. "You know what?! I don't need this shit right now! You can forget about dinner, I'm out of here!" he shouted in infuriation, giving her an angered look, before shooting a pissed-off look at Goku also. He saw the serious look on his face and he turned his attention back to his fiancée. "You need to seriously think about where your loyalties lie, Bulma, and who they are with! I'll give you the night to think things over." he finished with barely restrained contempt as he stormed past them. "Be sure to let me know in the morning." Yamcha ended in a scathing tone as he quickly headed down the rest of the hallway, wanting to leave her home before he really lost his temper.

Things looked like they were finally going well between him and Bulma until Goku just had to show up and ruin everything! He wasn't sure if it was too late and if the damage had been done. Yamcha sighed in aggravation. He figured if Bulma didn't show up to their wedding rehearsal tomorrow morning, then he had her answer. If she did show up, then she had chosen him….

…and that meant she was his.

---

After Yamcha stormed out of her home, Bulma clenched her hand, slamming the underside of her fist forcefully against the hallway wall. "Ugh! I can't believe him!" she yelled out in utter frustration. She tried to calm down her breathing as she took her fist away from the wall, rubbing it carefully with her other hand. She had hit the wall harder than she intended. "He makes me so fucking mad sometimes…" she growled in aggravation, ready to go on a tirade about what an unbelievable bastard he could be before a strong, gentle hand on her shoulder calmed her down. She took in a deep breath before letting it out, his comforting touch reminding her that he was there. She turned to look at him. "I'm sorry you had to hear all this, Goku. I didn't mean to put you into that kind of position."

"Nothing to be sorry for." Goku said, giving Bulma a sympathetic smile before removing his hand from her shoulder. "I warned him. He didn't want to listen. Doesn't help that I have terrible timing either." he chuckled uneasily, trying to lighten up the situation a bit.

Bulma gave a slight shrug. "Or perfect timing. Depends on how one sees it." she commented, inhaling deeply again before letting her breath out softly. She ran her good hand through her hair while she gently shook out the injured one. "When exactly were you going to tell me what he said?"

"I don't know. Sometime today. Or tomorrow. I just didn't plan on him being around when I told you." Goku said honestly, turning his head slightly away from her as he kept tabs on Yamcha's ki, sensing him move further and further away from the home. Satisfied, he then turned his attention back to Bulma, giving her a very serious look. "Bulma, there's something else that I need to tell you. Something else that Yamcha said."

Concern crossed her face, seeing how serious he had suddenly become. "What is it, Goku?"

"It's the real reason why I punched him. I don't know if he remembers what else he said or not. I don't think he does." Goku began.

"Well, alright. What is it?"

"I think you might want to sit down for this."

Bulma frowned in uneasiness as she nodded her head, understanding that this must have been something bad. Perhaps this was a conversation to be better had elsewhere rather than in the middle of the hallway. She motioned with her head for Goku to follow her, as they walked down the hallway and entered the recreation room. After shutting the door behind them, she turned around and leaned her back against it, crossing her arms apprehensively across her torso. She watched as Goku walked over to the large pool table and sat against the corner of it, crossing his arms over his chest, mirroring her stance. "Alright Goku, what else did he say?" she asked softly.

"It wasn't just about when you married that he was going to try to keep you away from Vegeta." Goku emphasized. "He told me that if Vegeta didn't stay away from you, or you from him…" he hesitated in saying the rest, but he knew he had to, "…well, by then he would have control over the company. He said he would have Capsule Corp find a way to kill him."

At hearing this ominous threat against Vegeta's life, Bulma pushed herself off away from the door, lit up with rage and distress at hearing this revelation. "He said WHAT?!" she shrieked angrily as her wrath ignited. "HOW DARE HE FUCKING SAY THAT! He CAN'T do that! I WONT LET HIM!"

Goku winced at her tone of voice as he watched her pace around like a panther on edge, ready to kill. He noted with concern that her ki spiked up in anger, which only served to remind him about the oddity he felt in it. Now that he had the chance, he concentrated on her unique energy signal, attempting to ignore the random spikes of fluctuations and trying to feel out her base ki signal. He was trying to pinpoint what exactly about it was so…..different. "Now you know why I punched him. It was bad enough he was talking about you like that, but when he threatened Vegeta, I just lost it." Goku said honestly, running an unsure hand through his untamed spikes of dark hair, disturbed over the subject also.

"I just…I can't…" Bulma began, halting her angered pacing as she growled in frustration at not being able to voice her anger and frustration at the situation. She was fuming on the inside, fury washing over her at the audacity Yamcha had at thinking that once they were married that he would be able to tell her what or what not to do, who she could or could not see, and think that he would gain control over Capsule Corp once she took the reins from her father. She couldn't believe he said these things, and to Goku of all people!

"I know Yamcha's not strong enough to kill him or anything, but when he said that to me yesterday….I don't know, it felt like he meant it. And you know me, Bulma. I'm not a violent person, but I couldn't help it." Goku emphasized, trying to explain his actions. "I don't take threats against Vegeta's life very lightly."

"Yeah, I know Goku. I don't either." Bulma brought her hands to her face, rubbing it for a moment before gliding them upwards into her hair as she groaned in frustration, remembering when Yamcha tried to almost kill Vegeta with a blast through his chest when they had fought a few days ago. "Even if Yamcha meant what he said about saying all these things 'out of anger'…there's still a foundation of truth in there, somewhere." she muttered with bitterness. "I'm sure if it came down to it, he really would try to find a way to kill Vegeta."

"If he did, I might actually kill him for it, Bulma." Goku admitted without hesitation, frowning angrily at the very idea of somehow failing to protect his prince, who was as much his rival as his close friend. "That is…if my brother or Nappa didn't get to him first."

At hearing Goku's very honest statement, Bulma walked over and stood near him. They looked over at each other meaningfully for a moment before she spoke. "If Yamcha killed him…he would have an entire race of Saiyans out for his blood. It wouldn't matter though. I would be first in line to kill him." she said rather darkly. In surprise, she shook her head slightly, trying to get rid of the sudden feeling of bloodthirst she felt overcome her at the idea. The sensation faded away slowly as she wondered what in the hell was wrong with her. After a moment she sighed heavy-heartedly, reaching over to place her hand on Goku's shoulder this time, squeezing gently. "Don't worry, I won't let it happen, Goku." she said softly, feeling a great need to reassure her best friend…as well as a need to still protect a Saiyan prince who no longer wanted to come to Earth…or want her around him anymore. The very thought brought the familiar ache to her chest which she tried her best to hide. She sighed, patting Goku's shoulder a couple of times. "Besides, haven't you heard? He's not coming back to Earth."

"Yeah, I've heard." was all Goku could say, a concerned look still etched on his face. It wasn't over what she said though. It was over the surge in her ki that just occurred, as that strange disturbance in her energy he had been sensing suddenly felt even more oddly familiar. He tilted his head sideways a bit, studying Bulma intensely. It was that same level of heightened disturbance that he felt in Vegeta's ki when they were inside the throne room. The realization brought a slight shiver to him. What in the world was the matter with both of them?

"Figured as much." was all Bulma said as she turned away from Goku and walked around the perimeter of the pool table, gently gliding her fingertips over the soft, green felt before grabbing the red 3 ball and rolling it against the opposite rail. She watched the angles of the ball as it bounced off the rails a few times. It only served to remind her of geometry, which reminded her of mathematics, which reminded her of impossible gravity algorithms and formulas that were being difficult with her. "No need to worry about Vegeta being killed if he's not on Earth, right?" she tried to say lightly with false optimism, trying hard not to think of their separation, and failing miserably at it.

He felt her disturbed ki pulsate a bit, and it was concerning him even more. "Bulma, are you….okay?" Goku couldn't help but ask her as he watched her try to keep herself busy.

"I'm fine." Bulma muttered, grabbing another ball and rolling it around the table mindlessly.

"Are you sure about that?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Goku." Bulma said softly as she stepped away from the pool table and went over to the large sectional, sitting on the plush arm of it. "My mom said you were here looking for me earlier." she said, swiftly moving away from the subject of what happened between her and Vegeta. If Goku continued to persist about what was wrong, her heart was feeling weak enough to where she might actually give in and tell him.

Goku inwardly sighed. It looked like he wasn't going to get any answers from her either. She would be stubborn and shut down if he kept asking. Sometimes her and Vegeta were so alike, it was not funny. Whatever it was that happened, he knew it was very bad. It was difficult for Goku to not press the issue any further when he knew there was something big going on that he just was not aware of. Vegeta had willingly sedated himself. His ki signal was different, changed somehow, just like hers, and he didn't know why or how. Vegeta said himself he was never coming back to Earth, and Bulma verified it. Did they have a big fight? That had to be it. Then again, they have had more than their fair share of arguments and fights over the years, and what he felt from both of them was nothing short of disturbing. Not being able to pinpoint it was unbelievably frustrating for him. He had known both of them his entire life, yet he never felt this strange disturbance from either one of them before, even at the heights of their anger and frustration toward each other.

"Yeah, I needed to talk to you about something….but never mind." Goku trailed off, knowing he wouldn't get any answers from her even if she did know what was wrong with Vegeta. But maybe she didn't know. Maybe she didn't know there was something wrong with her life energy either? "Besides about what Yamcha said…I'm actually here because Vegeta sent me to tell you a couple of things."

Bulma visibly tensed up for a moment at hearing this. In the short couple of seconds it took her to respond, approximately 10 things ran though her mind on what Vegeta could possibly have sent him there for. "Did he? What does he want?" she tried to say in a cooled, even tone. It would have worked, except Goku could feel her odd ki signal become nervous.

"He said that six weeks won't work anymore. He needs his new gravity room finished as soon as possible."

A spark of fire ignited in Bulma's blue eyes as her demeanor abruptly changed. "What?! Is he crazy?! NO!" she flipped out in defiance, quickly standing up from her seated position, feeling like she was being challenged.

Goku winced at her reaction, already expecting his blue-haired best friend to be unhappy about it. He gave her a half-hearted shrug. "It's what he told me to tell you."

"That jerk! He has some fucking nerve, you know that?!" she began to rant, throwing her arms up a bit in frustration. "Who the hell does he think he is?!" she demanded as she stamped her foot down in anger.

"The Prince of all Saiyans?" Goku couldn't help but remark, trying to stifle a smile as Bulma threw a glare full of daggers at him.

"It was a rhetorical question!" Bulma said irritably, crossing her arms across her chest, pissed off at Vegeta's audacity to send her this kind of message.

"Rhetorical?"

"Don't worry about it Goku!" Bulma said, not wanting at the moment to explain to him what 'rhetorical' meant. "Look, I don't care who he is! I can't build his damn machine any faster, no matter how much he demands it! My genius can only be pushed to a certain limit, Goku! As it is, I don't even think I can build it in the six weeks I originally told him, let alone any sooner!"

It was Goku's turn to bring his hands to his face, rubbing them downward in slight tiredness. How in hell did he always get caught in the middle of these two?! "Well, what am I supposed to tell him then?"

"Tell him exactly what I told you. That's he's crazy, and that I don't care who in hell he thinks he is, but he has no right to demand something like this from me, and that he'll be damn lucky to get it in the six weeks I quoted him to begin with!"

Goku looked at Bulma with a look of exasperation. "You don't really expect me to tell him that, do you?!"

She gave him a stern look, putting her hands on her hips. "Of course I do, Goku. You tell that prince of jerks that I don't care how pissed off he gets. If he doesn't like it, then tough shit! He can come find me on Earth and tell me that to my face!" Bulma said spitefully. "And considering he's never coming back here, he's going to have to accept my answer to his 'request', because it is officially denied."

Goku pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a moment, feeling a headache suddenly coming on as he vaguely wondered if Vegeta and Bulma were somehow one in the same person. Sometimes it was hard to tell. "Okay, okay, I get the message loud and clear." he said, shaking his head as he opened his eyes and looked at his best female friend. He let out a heavy sigh. "And that's not all he wanted me to tell you."

Bulma huffed in annoyance as she gave Goku one of those looks. "What else does his highness want?!"

"He wants to know what you and someone named Zarbon talked about last night." he said, question clearly evident in his voice.

Bulma's irritation grew bigger, if that was even possible by this point. "Why the hell does he want to know that?!"

"I don't know, he didn't tell me. Who is Zarbon?" Goku asked with curiosity.

"No one. Just someone I met last night." Bulma said, waving a hand in the air, not paying that fact very much importance as she figuratively bushed it away. "Well, you can also tell Vegeta that it's none of his damn business what Zarbon and I talked about!"

"Bulma…" Goku whined a bit, "…c'mon, don't be like that. You have to give me something here! He sent me to get answers from you, and you're not giving me any! You're just sending me back with insults for him which will only make him more mad at me."

"Well, if he wants to know so badly, then he can come ask me himself!" Bulma said stubbornly, knowing she wouldn't tell Vegeta anyway, even if he did come back to Earth to corner her and yell at her about it.

"I swear, you both are the most stubborn, hot-headed, uncompromising people I've ever known." Goku said, shaking his head, giving up on trying to get any answers from her. He had a feeling he was going to be the messenger between them, and he was already dreading it.

Bulma looked at Goku for a moment, suddenly feeling bad. "I'm sorry Goku. I don't mean to be so difficult and give you a hard time. I just…." she trailed off, taking in a deep breath and breathing it out sharply, "…I just don't want to talk about Vegeta anymore. I don't want to think about him. I just have too many things going on right now, too much stress, too many worries…." she ended abruptly, bringing her arms around her stomach, feeling vulnerable as she hugged herself a bit, turning her head away from Goku's intense gaze as she tried to focus on a beautiful painting hanging up on the wall of the rec room. She had already let enough slip, and needed to shut her mouth before she went any further.

"It's okay Bulma, I can understand." Goku answered after a moment, feeling her disturbed ki ebb and flow in a random pattern. He walked over to her, his own eyes betraying worry and concern as he studied her. The disturbance in her ki seemed to surge and become stronger at this moment. Apparently the subject of Vegeta seemed to affect her significantly, just like the subject of her greatly affected Vegeta in the throne room. He sighed heavily, wishing he could figure out what was the matter with her. He made a mental note to observe the disturbance in Vegeta's ki when he returned to tell him what she said. Maybe, if he was able to piece things little by little, he might be able to figure out if they were both sick, or what was going on with them. He was sure he and his father could figure it out. "Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked kindly.

Bulma responded by gently shaking her head 'no', trying her best to keep her eyes focused on the painting. She was trying to will away the hot tears that threatened to emerge. She tried to stifle the feelings of heartache and separation that she was overcome with as she thought of Vegeta, feeling more now than ever that things between them were unrepairable. She supposed she should have at least been glad that Vegeta had something to tell her after their falling-out the night before, even though it was strictly about business. Except for Zarbon….she wasn't sure what that was about. And it didn't seem that he had told Goku about anything that happened between them the night before, at least from what she could tell.

"Alright." Goku relented, not wanting to press Bulma on the subject any further. "Hey, I've got to get going. Got things to do. Need to see Master Korin, then head back to Vegetasei."

"Okay." Bulma answered numbly, sighing softly as she turned her attention from the painting back over to her best friend. "Are you gonna be around tomorrow?"

"Probably. I'll be going back and forth. If you need me for anything, call Chi-Chi and let her know, and I'll catch you the next time I'm around."

"Sounds good." she said, giving Goku a warm smile, although he did not miss the sadness hidden behind it.

"Oh and…sorry to be the one to have told you…about what Yamcha said and everything. But I had to." he began somewhat apologetically. "I don't think it was something he would have told you."

Bulma gave him a half-hearted smile. "It's okay, Goku. Don't feel bad. Thanks for telling me what he said. And I don't blame you for punching him, he deserved it. You're a good friend."

"Hey, I thought I was your best friend?"

Bulma actually laughed a little. "You are my best friend, Goku. You're the best friend I could ever have." she said genuinely.

He gave her a big smile as he raised two fingers to his forehead, getting ready to teleport away. "Good. I'll see you later. Love ya."

"Love ya too." Bulma automatically replied as she watched Goku disappear into nothingness. Her smile remained on her face for a few moments, wondering how he could manage to make her smile, even at the worst times. As the seconds rolled by, her smile slowly faded away, and she sighed heavily. Reality had a nasty way of rearing its ugly head at her, as she remembered she had schematics and blueprints to continue working on, as well as a gravity formula and endless abstract equations on how to bring that damned gravity room to 2000 times Earth's gravity without having it implode or explode on itself.

She left the rec room, making her way to the kitchen to grab a much needed meal. She hoped her mother wasn't in there, because she really wasn't in the mood to deal with more of her questions. And while she was at it, she needed to make some coffee, actually a lot of it, because she was probably going to be up all night tonight working on the gravity room…

After all, she needed to figure out how in hell she was going to build it in less than 6 weeks.

---

Damn Kakarot.

And damn Bardock.

Them and their infernal meddling.

Vegeta growled deeply within his chest as he stood unyielding, glaring at his destroyed gravity room with contempt. He should have taken the medic seriously when he had told him that he would find a way to get him out of his meetings.

If it wasn't for Kakarot damaging his gravity room beyond repair, then none of this would have happened. The woman would have been able to fix his machine, even if it would have taken her a few extra days. Sure, she would have griped about it, but she would have done it, and things would have gone back to the way they always were.

There would have been no need for her to build a completely new gravity room, despite the fact that he knew he would have needed a new and improved one soon enough.

She wouldn't have had to come to him about the supplies and for the funding for it.

He wouldn't have had to leave off-planet with her, only to add her to his accounts and to everything he owned.

They would have never had lunch, and she would have never seen that damned holographic device that advertised the meteor shower event.

She would have never asked him to go, and they would have gone back home after getting the supplies and materials.

If it wasn't for his damned affection for her, they would have never gone to Demesor. They would not have spent the night together.

They would have never danced.

They would have never seen the meteor shower.

She would have never kissed his cheek as a thank you.

He would have never given in to the impulse to kiss her, and she would have never kissed him back.

No matter how right it had felt.

And they, now forever changed, would have never begun to fall apart from each other.

Vegeta winced at the indescribable ache in his heart, his chest tightening at the sensation, as his train of thought reached that point. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest, trying to put pressure on it as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other. He tried to ease the discomfort he was feeling, but it was becoming increasingly apparent to him that maybe there was something the matter with him after all. He scoffed, his handsome face forming into a stern frown as he dismissed the idea, continuing to stare at the ruins. Visiting his destroyed gravity room had been a mistake and he sighed heavily in frustration with himself.

After getting out of the shower and trying to shake off the uneasy sensations he was having, he had gotten dressed and went to meet with Raditz and Nappa. They had already begun to spar with each other and he decided he could wait his turn. As it was, he felt he could not concentrate completely on his training, and how could he? He was locked down on his planet for who knew how damn long, obligated to attend infuriating political meetings. The Icejin threat now lingered heavily upon him, and his mind ran through insane ideas on how he could try to become as strong as he could in what little time he had. This brought him back to his gravity room, which he unwisely chose to re-visit as he waited rather patiently for Nappa and Raditz to finish their warm-up. The destroyed chamber looked no better to him than when he had seen it yesterday, and seeing it only reminded him of the beautiful, genius, blue-haired woman who was embedded in his heart as much as his very own pride.

Much against his own will, all he could think about was Bulma, and it was infuriating. As Vegeta glared at his broken gravity room, it wasn't over just the obvious, like how she designed and built him whatever he wanted, and fixed anything and everything that he broke or destroyed…it was over everything else that filled those gaps in-between.

The times they spent together growing up and living with each other.

The times they were confined to the large library in the palace, studying upon hours and hours over each other's planets and the history behind their races, as well as on many other races and planets that existed in the known universe.

The times they would go to the beach and spend lazy afternoon and evenings talking about whatever came to mind.

The times he would sneak them away from their bedrooms when they couldn't sleep, and fly her up to the highest part of the palace roof, where they would lay together and gaze out into the vast night sky, dotted with endless stars.

The times where they would sit side by side in the conference room, bored out of their minds, passing each other looks as they silently communicated, being able to read the bullshit that some ambassadors tried to feed his parents.

The times where he would come into the medical ward and she would tend to him, cleaning up his wounds and bitching at him at the same time about how reckless he could be with his training.

The times that she would actually come to the grand dining hall and grab a bite to eat and sit with him, even if it was only for a few minutes before she had to get back to whatever work she had.

The times that they would walk past each other in the palace hallways and he would purposefully bump his arm against her to annoy her, only for her to turn around and quickly smack his arm in response.

The times that she would sit with his family at the arena, cheering him on as he competed in tournaments of strength and rank.

The times he would visit her in her lab as she worked, and complain about the messy state she always worked in and began to rearrange things, only to have her yell at him not to mess up her organized chaos and try to kick him out.

The times where he would be training for hours on end, and she would bring him food and water and insist that he take a break before he killed himself.

The times that she would be outside when it was stormy, enjoying the warm rain, no matter how soaked she got, to which he would yell at her to get inside, reminding her she was human and not Saiyan, and could easily get sick.

The times that she would be restlessly roaming around the palace when she could not sleep or was distressed over something, and he would find her and walk alongside her, because he found he could not sleep if she was unable to also.

The countless times she annoyed him to no end with her incessant chatter and persistence to do what she said, always challenging him and standing up to him with no fear at all of any consequences, because honestly, she was the only one he would let get away with it, and they both knew it.

The times she would smile at him, or hear the beautiful sound of her laughter, which confounded him at times, because sometimes no matter how hard he tried, he could not get her angry if she was happy with him, or feeling in a playful mood with him.

The times he would stand with an amused look on his face, smirking at her as she tried to piss him off, because sometimes he was happy with her and felt playful with her too.

So much history between them, and at the moment if felt that everything and everywhere on the damned planet reminded him of her. And as the prince stood drowning in indescribable emotions over her, the ache within his chest twisted a little tighter, the sensation pulsating alongside the beating of his heart as the anguish surged through him. The strength of it was almost overwhelming, and he began to feel a real concern, knowing there was something very wrong with him. It was a day since their falling-out, yet to him it felt like time was torturing him with the idea that he and her would never be okay again.

And this was the state Vegeta was in when Goku arrived.

After making a quick stop at Korin's Tower to say hello and receiving a small bag filled with a generous donation of senzu beans, Goku focused on Vegeta's energy signal. He had no trouble at all sensing him as he teleported instantly to Vegetasei. The scene in front of him surprised him as he suddenly found himself looking at the wrecked damage of a familiar gravity room that he had sabotaged earlier the previous day. He lowered his fingers from his forehead, glancing over at Vegeta nervously. He was dressed in his full battle gear, yet he didn't look as though he had been training or sparring with anyone yet. Not having forgotten the threat that Vegeta had made about cutting his tail off, Goku quickly wrapped his furry appendage around his waist securely, his ki spiking in tension as he believed he just teleported himself into a waiting trap.

The Saiyan prince stood nearby, his strong arms crossed tightly over his broad chest, his long tail swinging in irritation and impatience as he made no acknowledgement at first of Goku's arrival. 'His timing…impeccable as always…', Vegeta thought to himself in sarcasm as he reigned in his emotions and tried his best to stabilize his energy signal now that Goku was there. Aside from Bulma, Goku was the second best when it came to getting a read on him, and if earlier that evening in the throne room was any indication, he was sure the third-class Saiyan could feel there was something the matter with him. But instead, the prince sensed Goku's ki waiver in apprehension and in….fright? "Calm down, Kakarot. You are keeping your tail. For now."

Goku gulped nervously, unsure if he was being lulled into a false sense of security, wondering if Vegeta was angry enough to trick him into thinking he escaped his punishment, only to turn around and rip his tail from his body when he least expected it.

Upon sensing Goku's ki still nervous and tense, Vegeta sighed in frustration. "Violence solves 99% of my problems, Kakarot. Welcome to the fucking 1%." he finished in an stern tone as he continued to survey his damaged gravity room. What was the point in cutting his tail off? It would not reverse the additional damage he had caused to his gravity room. Cutting off his tail would not make him feel better about everything that happened yesterday. Cutting off his tail would not change anything at all. It would not make him happy. It would only serve to hurt his rival, and the only way he liked to hurt him was during a spar, or during a tournament. He needed Kakarot at his very best at all times, needed him to grow in strength along with him and have him at his very full potential, because he was the only other Saiyan who was remotely close to his own power. He didn't want the added weight of guilt by disgracing Kakarot over something trivial like destroying his property. Cutting off his tail was simply not worth it.

At hearing this, Goku relaxed somewhat, although he remained in a guarded state. This was very unlike Vegeta, but to have felt Bulma's odd energy signal only a few moments ago, and to feel his disturbed signal now, almost side-by-side of one another, it only confirmed that there was something very wrong with the both of them. Whatever it was, they were both being affected the same exact way. Goku's urge to get to his father and talk to him about what he was sensing from both him and Bulma was something he needed to do as soon as he had the chance…but if what he was sensing from Vegeta was any indication, it looked like it wasn't going to be anytime soon. "I talked to Bulma."

Vegeta remained silent at first, giving no sign of acknowledgement that he heard Goku at all as he kept his dark gaze steady on his gravity room. The tension rolled off of him in waves as the quiet moment continued. "Get on with it." his gruff voice broke the silence, ready to hear what the woman had to say…if she even said anything to begin with.

"You're not going to like hearing this." Goku warned as matter-of-factly as he could.

"Hn." Vegeta responded in a grunt, already knowing that he wouldn't.

Goku took a deep breath and breathed it out in one big huff. He nervously ran a hand through his wild, dark hair and he reluctantly told Vegeta what she said. Oh boy, here went nothing. "I told her about the gravity room needing to be done sooner. She said that she can't build it any faster, and that you'll be lucky if you get it in the six weeks she quoted you….that you're crazy, and who in hell do you think you are."

Vegeta growled, pulling his arms away from his chest as he clenched his hands into fists. "I'm the fucking Prince of All Saiyans!"

Goku tried to hide his smile. "And that's exactly what I told her."

For a split second, Vegeta understood the humor in the exchange, although he remained stone-faced and serious. "And?" he persisted impatiently, wanting to hear the rest.

"And she said that what her and Zarbon talked about last night was none of your damn business, and that if you don't like it, you can go to Earth and tell her that yourself."

"That insufferable woman!" Vegeta shouted in barely-restrained fury, his ki flaring up in response to her defiance. Even lightyears and worlds apart, and she still managed to continually provoke his temper and piss him off to no end. He was infuriated with her, but equally the fire he had for her remained ablaze. She still had the audacity to challenge him, in spite of everything that was going on between them….and it was something that deep down he could still respect and admire about her. He was glad she was not there in front of him because right now he felt torn between yelling at her and kissing her in angered desire….even if she pushed him away a second time. The hurt coursed through him again as he thought about her rejection, and he composed himself, trying to mask his heartache with anger. It was easier for him to lock his emotions away and replace the gap with physical pain, and he knew exactly who to take it out on. "So that's the way she wants to be?! FINE!" he barked in aggravation as he turned around and glared at Goku, his tail lashing about in irritation. "You know, I was trying to decide on an appropriate punishment for you, Kakarot. Violence might not always be the answer, but it serves as a good distraction. Since you destroyed my gravity room and have caused more than a fucking headache for me, you and I are sparring in 10 minutes, understood?!"

"Aw, no mercy, huh?" Goku tried to joke lightly, but he could tell Vegeta was deadly serious as the promise of pain and blood and broken bones was clearly evident in his voice. Goku's strained smile turned into a worrisome look on his face. "Okay…" he trailed off. He knew the anger that Vegeta had was not all aimed at him, even though technically he could be traced back as the beginning source of it. "…I'll go change into my armor." Goku finished miserably, taking to the air and flying back to his room to hurriedly change and meet Vegeta outside on the training grounds for what he was sure was going to be one hell of a beating.

Still, they would only grow stronger from this, and Goku was all up for helping him become as strong as he could. If Vegeta felt a threat from the Icejins, then Goku would follow his instincts also. He didn't know what good he could really be when the Icejins arrived, but if Vegeta ended up needing his help, he would be ready and fight by his side and give his own life before he let anyone else lose theirs. That was his own promise, as Goku reflected on Vegeta's own promise that he would go to extreme lengths to protect Bulma and his empire.

The sounds of their sparring resounded through Vegetasei's night sky, as energies crackled and collided in brilliant sparks of colorful light and thunderous booms. Vegeta spent the rest of the evening and well into the late night training and sparring against Goku and the others, drowning himself in blood and sweat, broken bones and multiple senzu beans, suffering through horrible pain and gruesome injuries only for the enormous gains in strength that he needed. It was much easier to for him to ignore the emotional anguish that was afflicting him when he focused and concentrated on physical pain. He could always handle physical pain, but the inner torment over Bulma was quickly becoming something that threatened to overtake him if he did not keep himself busy and keep his thoughts away from her. And for the meantime, it worked, as he pushed Goku and Nappa and Raditz to attack him and try their best to defeat him.

---

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Capsule Corp was dark and quiet, except for a single laboratory room, where a brilliant scientist and engineer was still awake. For the majority of the evening and well into the late night, Bulma had thrown herself into her work, locking herself in her lab and forcing herself to ignore the haunting, unrelenting thoughts that told her that she and Vegeta were never going to be okay again as she tried to her best to concentrate on designing and planning the construction of his new gravity room.

Nevertheless, the uneasiness settled deeply within her, and she fought against the feelings of desolation and depression, even as it coursed through her body and pulled and tugged at her heart. It was overwhelming at times, the separation between them continuing to grow as she began to wondered how she was going to live almost the rest of her life without him. And as she drowned herself in her work, the persistent ache continued to grow, her chest now and then stinging in pain momentarily before quickly fading away. She began to worry that she must have been getting sick. She tried to her best to ignore how she was physically feeling as she worked on her project, resolving that if she did not feel better by the time she woke up in the morning, she would have her father take a look at her.

Bulma sighed half-heartedly, sitting back in her chair heavily as she threw her pencil down, looking over countless pages of schematics and blueprints. She glanced over at her multiple computer screens, having already plugged in the some of the data for the physical foundation of the gravity room. So far it was going as well as she could hope, the construction of it looked promising…until she frowned at the screen that awaited further input of the gravity formula. She had given up on the formula a couple of hours ago, as her screen continually flashed red and beeped a few times in alert that the proposed calculations were being rejected. It was unbelievably frustrating as she mulled over her calculations and reprogrammed them into the computer, always ending with the same alert that her calculations were incorrect. Her algorithm had multiple sections to it and she wasn't sure which part of her formula was causing the error. She had decided she wasted enough time over a stupid gravity formula and over a computer who thought it was smarter than her. Bulma rolled her eyes at the screen that awaited a modified formula, choosing to ignore it as she went back to her screens that held nothing but geometrical figures and abstract measurements for the physical construction of the machine. She could worry about the gravitational formula later, she reasoned to herself, as she glanced at the corner of her computer screen and saw it was almost 5 in the morning.

Surprised at how fast time seemed to fly, she decided to take a break since she had been working on the gravity room for hours upon hours already. As she took the time to slow down and pause, she realized how mentally and emotionally drained and exhausted she really was. She sighed breathily, propping her elbows on her desk and gently holding her head in her hands, glancing numbly up at the computer screens. To the average person, it looked like nothing but a great big mess of confusing math, geometry, and architecture, but to Bulma, everything on her screen meant the difference between life and death for Vegeta. Everything had to add up to perfection…. all the quantum physics, all the quantum electrodynamics, all the quantum mechanics, all the advanced calculus and architectural theory had to, otherwise his gravity room would fail and kill him.

The very thought of it made her chest ache again in that same indescribable way she had been feeling most of the night, and she shifted in her seat uncomfortably, groaning slightly in complaint as she rubbed her face, trying to shake off the sensation and wake herself up and get back to work. The irony was not lost on her that she complained about finishing the gravity room in 6 weeks, and now her timeline had been significantly moved up. She would love to have that 6 week deadline again, but apparently Vegeta needed this room completed as soon as possible more than she needed rest and sleep.

Bulma arose from her seat, stretching her body as she yawned sleepily, knowing she had to find it within herself to continue working. Then again, if she didn't get any rest and rushed through this without a clear mind, she was bound to make mistakes. Like with her gravitational formula.

Damn that formula, she thought to herself as she turned off the lights to her lab and made her way through the complex to her room. Why the hell wasn't her math adding up? It didn't make any sense to her. Maybe the computer was rejecting her calculations because the room could simply not withstand 2,000 times Earth's gravity? Her beautiful face furrowed in a frown. That couldn't be true, otherwise the computer would have alerted her to the failure of her proposed measurements for the materials she was going to construct it from. She definitely was going to need to have her father look over her current calculations. Maybe he would be able to see where she was faltering at.

That was a good idea, she thought to herself, as she collapsed face-first onto her comfy bed, hugging her pillow with both arms as she tried to find a comfortable position to sleep in. And after he did, maybe he could check her and see what was the matter with her if she didn't feel any better when she woke up. Bulma hoped that she would, as she couldn't help but wonder how Vegeta was feeling also. The ache in her chest returned, pulsing a bit as she thought about him, and she shifted uneasily. It hurt too much to think of him, and her self-tormenting thoughts about how he might be handling things did not help anything. Wearily, her eyes glanced over at the red numbers on her alarm clock, seeing it was almost a quarter past 5am. She closed her eyes. She only needed a few hours of sleep, she reasoned with herself, and then she would get back up, fuel her body with more caffeine, and get back to work. All she hoped for as she felt herself falling asleep was that she had no bad dreams tonight. She wanted nothingness. No existence. Just wanted to sink into a deep, dark oblivion, void of all thought about Vegeta.

This time Bulma knew she was dreaming, as she found herself in a familiar place. She looked down at herself, reaching to her wedding gown and placed some of the lacy fabric between her fingers, feeling the material. She sighed and looked up, seeing a long aisle in front of her. The pews inside the church were empty for the most part, except for the very front ones, which held her close family and friends. She could see Yamcha standing up at the altar, waiting for her to arrive. She felt a gentle squeeze on her right arm, and she looked at her father, who was at her side.

"Are you ready, sweetie?" her father asked her.

Bulma sighed and turned her attention away from her father and back to Yamcha. "Not really." she answered, as her father began to guide her down the aisle. Bulma reluctantly followed, walking slowly alongside her father as she glanced around. The church was beautiful, but she didn't understand why it was almost empty. Where was everyone? This was a massive wedding, yet no one came? She continued to look around, admiring the beauty of her wedding that her dream presented her, although she could find no happiness in it. She looked around for Vegeta, hoping that somehow he would be around, somewhere, but he was not there.

"Don't be nervous, muffin. It will all be over and done with soon." she heard her father say, and a slight shiver of unease ran though her at the cryptic message he gave her. Before she knew it, her arm was being handed over to the groom, and Bulma looked at their arms interlocked, before glancing up and seeing Yamcha's happy, smiling face.

"You're beautiful." he told her, to which Bulma glanced down at herself again. She supposed that she was, although she didn't not know what she looked like in her wedding dress.

She looked back up at him. "I don't know if I am."

Yamcha seemed to ignore her comment as he brought her closer against him. She instinctually winced, remembering last time in her dream he had hurt her arm, but there was no pain to be found this time around. It surprised her, and she took the time to look around her dream some more. Was this really what she wanted?

The presiding official was speaking, but she paid him no mind to what he was saying as she mulled over her thoughts. Bulma glanced over behind her shoulder, seeing her mother and father, and Goku and his family, as well as Krillin, Master Roshi, Turtle, Master Korin, Yajirobe, Oolong, Puar, Tien, Chiatzou, and even Piccolo there to watch them get married. She shot them a half-hearted smile, but no one smiled back at her. Her own smile faltered as she saw the serious looks on their faces. She glanced away from them and looked behind her other shoulder, looking around for Vegeta, but he was nowhere in her dream to be found. He had told her he would not be there to watch her marry him, and even though she yearned to have him appear in her dream, he did not. She kept glancing over at Yamcha, expecting him to transform into Vegeta at any moment, but he didn't. What did this mean?

"Bulma, do you take Yamcha to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, until death do you part?"

At hearing this question, she looked at Yamcha expectantly, almost anticipating him to turn into Vegeta. Surely at this point in her dream, he would, right? And as the seconds rolled by, she realized that Yamcha would remain to be Yamcha. She also realized that she felt no pain or heartache when she thought of Vegeta. Was this a sign? They really were separated forever now, weren't they?

Bulma hesitated in answering, and expected Yamcha to answer for her, or at least get mad at her for not responding right away like he had done in her previous dream, but he continued to look at her softly, his look mixed with concern for her and….love? Everything in this dream had changed. She took a serious moment to think. She could make this work, right? Her and Yamcha had been through more than their own share of rough patches in their relationship throughout the years, and they could get though this one also, couldn't they? With Vegeta no longer coming to Earth, there would be no more tension between them. No more arguments. They would be happy together. She loved Yamcha, didn't she?

She could make it work, Bulma told herself. She could make this work.

"Yes." she answered softly, agreeing to marry Yamcha.

As soon as the word passed her lips, she felt a strong choking feeling grip tightly around her throat. She let out a strained gasp as the overwhelming force prevented her from speaking. Alarmed, she let go of Yamcha's arm, bringing her own hands to her throat, trying to claw at whatever invisible force was choking her. She tried to grab Yamcha's attention, but he kept his gaze on the presiding official who was finishing up on marrying them. She turned around toward her parents and friends, trying to plead with them to help her…that something was wrong with her, but her voice was silenced, and they did not seem to notice her distress.

"You may now kiss your bride…" she heard the official say, and felt herself being turned around abruptly as she looked fearfully into Yamcha's eyes as she saw a wicked smile on his face.

"You should have never said yes." Yamcha told her, before he forced a kiss onto her lips. Bulma could not shriek or even squeal in panic as she tore herself away from him. She tried to yell at him as the her rage took over, only to see a smug look on his face. "Nothing to say, Bulma? How about now?" he said, snapping his fingers on one hand as the invisible force choking her suddenly let up.

"What the fuck are you doing to me?!" Bulma shouted, finally finding her voice as she was overwhelmed with fury and alarming panic. "How dare you, you son of a b…" her voice was cut off again as she watched Yamcha snap his fingers again, the invisible force silencing her voice.

"I told you I would have control over you." Yamcha told her, and Bulma's eyes widened in panic. She clenched her hands into fists and tried to pound on his chest in fury, only to have him catch her wrists in his hands, holding her back. She thrashed in rage, trying to pull her wrists away from his grip, but it was no use. "You're never going to see Vegeta again. I'm going to kill him."

She looked at Yamcha in genuine fright. A horrible sinking feeling came over Bulma as this dream about her wedding was really just a nightmare beautifully disguised. She continued to toss and turn in her sleep, unable to wake herself up as she suffered through her dream. Luckily, it was her mother who came to her rescue. After realizing she did not come down for breakfast right away, she had thought maybe Bulma was taking her time waking up and showering. But as the clock passed 10am and she had yet to make an appearance, Bunny went to her room to check on her. As she neared her door, she heard small, panicked squeals and what sounded like a muffled struggle, which prompted her to hurriedly open the door to her room. She saw her daughter was still asleep, and having what seemed to be a nightmare. "Bulma! Bulma, wake up!" Bunny said, quickly walking to her bed and placing her hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her down and shake her in hopes of waking her up.

Bulma woke up in a startle, quickly sitting up and trembling from indescribable emotions. She looked around in a panic, forgetting where she was, or what day it was, or what in hell was going on. It was then that she was hit with that all-too-familiar ache she had been suffering from ever since her falling-out with Vegeta. She winced in discomfort as she brought her hands over her chest, feeling the ache pulsate through her intensely for a moment before it began to fade away again.

"Oh honey, you're shaking." Bunny murmured worriedly as watched her daughter wake up in such a startle. She saw her daughter look at her blankly; she must have read the worry that was set strongly on her face. Bunny sighed softly as she raised her dainty hand to her daughter's beautiful face, gently brushing her bangs away from her forehead and tucking them behind her ear. "Bulma, are you okay?"

"I'm fine mom, stop asking me that." she responded rather grumpily. "Just had a bad dream. It was nothing." Bulma reassured sternly, the tone in her voice conveying that she did not want to talk about her dream, or how she was feeling at all. She willed her heart to calm down as it continued to pound in her chest, reminding herself that it was just a fucking dream. A dream that did not mean anything, because dreams were illogical and were simply the products of her overactive mind due to the high levels of stress she was trying to deal with. Nevertheless, Bulma tried to hide her discomfort and pain she was feeling as she got out of her bed, breathing deeply to calm her frazzled nerves, trying to shake off how odd she was feeling. She placed one hand on her hip as the other was still pressed against her chest as she shifted uncomfortably. Whatever was still afflicting her...it wasn't going away. She had hoped she would wake up feeling better, but it looked she was going to have her father run some tests on her and see just what in the hell was wrong with her.

Bunny pursed her lips into a straight line. She knew her daughter could be stubborn, but if she was starting to have nightmares again, then she knew she was very disturbed about something. Considering the luck she had yesterday morning with trying to ask her what was the matter with her, she didn't think she'd get any answers from Bulma this time around either. Bunny sighed heavily. "Well, c'mon sweetie, you need to get going. You're already running late, and I'm sure Yamcha is getting restless."

"Running late? For what?" Bulma asked in confusion, still feeling strangely groggy and disoriented as her mother began to guide her over to her closet.

"For the wedding rehearsal. It's already past 10am!" Bunny said, urging Bulma to hurry up. The massive wedding was literally going to happen in a little more than 24 hours, and Bunny was finally starting to feel the pressure. Her daughter was late to rehearsal, which was never a good sign….Bulma hadn't even tried on her wedding dress yet, which in her opinion was just asking for bad karma….and plus she didn't even know what she was going to cook for lunch after the rehearsals, which was completely unlike her!

"What?" Bulma breathed, her voice unsteady as she took a moment to register her mother's words. Wedding rehearsal? She had forgotten about it, utterly and completely! She had only planned on sleeping for a few hours, waking up and continuing to work on the gravity room. Didn't she set her alarm?! She looked over at the device, seeing that she hadn't set a wake-up time like she thought she had. Son of a bitch. She frowned in displeasure as her mother pushed her into her walk-in closet. "Mom! Why didn't you remind me?!"

"You were locked in your lab almost all day yesterday!" Bunny countered, hurriedly tapping her foot as she watched her daughter hastily pick a shirt and jeans to change into. "How was I supposed to know you would forget something like your wedding rehearsal?!"

"Oh for Kami's sake! What a great fucking way to start off the morning…" Bulma groused, quickly changing out of the clothes she was in yesterday and putting her new shirt and pants on, and quickly stepping into her flats as she emerged from her closet. "I don't have time for this, I've got things to do." she murmured as she took a quick look in the mirror, hastily putting her hair up in a ponytail, horribly frustrated with herself. She had an important deadline Vegeta demanded her to meet, and after the nightmare she just had, she was not looking forward to seeing Yamcha, especially after their last few words to each other yesterday evening. She had not even had time to think things through when it came to him! And she was feeling horrible…she wasn't any better than she was yesterday and she needed to have her dad take a look at her as soon as possible. "Un-fucking-believable…." she muttered, partly satisfied that she no longer looked like she just rolled out of bed, breezing by her mother as she exited her room and flew down the steps in record time.

Bulma grabbed her hover bike capsule and hurried outside, clicking the button and tossing the capsule on the ground, watching impatiently as the puff of smoke cleared. She hopped on it and started it up, traveling speedily throughout Capsule Corp grounds to one of the buildings that was serving as their makeshift church. She had opted for the wedding rehearsal to be held there on Capsule Corp grounds instead of the actual church, since she didn't want the media to know where she was getting married at. As it was, the actual church was not going to be decorated until tomorrow, and only a few hours before they got married, so that the media would not have a clue.

After all, how would they know which church in West City would be the one she was getting married in?

---

The room was eerily quiet that morning, except for the sounds of small mechanical gears every now and then whirling and twirling, as well as gentle, steady beeps that sounded from the single rejuvenation tank that was still currently in use. Bardock couldn't help but yawn and stand up, stretching out a bit in restlessness. By the time he had come into the ward earlier that morning, both Nappa and Raditz had already been healed and sent on their way for whatever their duties were for the day. Except for Kakarot. According to the other medics, Kakarot did not have the time to spend healing in the rejuvenation tanks as he consumed a senzu bean, informed them that he needed to be on Earth that day to spend time with his family, and teleported off-planet. That was unfortunate, because he had wanted to speak with his son and see if he had talked to Bulma after all or not.

Needless to say, the other medics happily ended their shifts and passed the next one over to him and the others, since the volatile prince still remained to be watched over and healed, and no one wanted to deal with him, for many feared him even more so after his powerful display the evening before. It was fine for Bardock though…normally, he preferred to monitor Vegeta and adjust his healing appropriately, but after reading the initial reports of his vitals and seeing that he had sedatives administered to him again, and feeling his disturbed ki, even as the prince was unconscious…the worry over him set in even more deeply.

Now, hours later, Bardock walked over to the tank that currently held the prince, pressing a few buttons on the panel, patiently waiting for the machine to accept his command as it began to print out the latest reports. The last ones he had of Vegeta's readings were from a couple of hours ago, and as he carefully glanced over the new readings, the seriousness that crossed his face remained. He believed for sure, after another day, that Vegeta's ki signal would steady itself and level out. He believed that he would return to normal…but as he scrolled through the long strip of paper, he could clearly see that whatever this abnormality was, it remained embedded in Vegeta's life force. He had mulled over the readings the entire morning, seeing improvements to his physical health and healing, as all his vital stats were back to normal. His resting heart rate, his breathing pattern, his blood pressure…they were within Vegeta's normal parameters. His wounds were all healed now, and technically, he was physically fine. Yet this anomaly in Vegeta's life force was somehow strong enough to continually show up on the readings, and he could still sense it, and it confounded Bardock to no end. Maybe it really was because he was somehow sick? Maybe it was because he was still not getting any rest. Yet, he had been sedated for the second night in a row, and this was what really alarmed him. Even under sedation, he should still be rested.

Ten minutes later, Vegeta's tank beeped an alert that the healing program had completed its cycle. Bardock walked over to it, pressing the button to purge the tank of the healing fluid. As the fluid drained, he stepped back, keenly observing Vegeta, watching him pull his breathing mask away from his face and open the door to get out. The disturbance in his ki signal continued to remain the same, no matter how much healing and medically-induced sleep he was getting. He frowned in concern. It would do no good to keep stating the obvious to him, it would only serve to anger him. "Your injuries were extensive."

"That's what you always say." Vegeta said, sounding groggy as he wiped as much of the healing fluid away from his face as he could. He took a few deep breaths, feeling the health back in his body, as well as the great influx of strength he had gained from his brutal night of training. He would have relished in that fact, if it had not been for the deep, painful sensation that returned to him, flooding him in a suffocating ache as it twisted within him again. He visibly winced, instinctually bringing his hand to his chest before stopping halfway, trying his hardest to suffer through the wave of whatever was hitting him and hide his discomfort from Bardock. What in the hell was wrong with him? As the night had continued and he immersed himself in battle, he was sure that whatever was afflicting him had dulled and had begun to fade away. He even chose to sedate himself once again as he healed, in hopes that whatever was wrong with him would be cured by the healing tank or by simply resting. Nothing had worked, he thought bitterly, as the hurt returned with a vengeance.

Bardock couldn't help himself as he took a step towards him, reaching out in concern after feeling his ki spike up in pain. "Vegeta, what's the matter? What is wrong? Are you still hurt?" he demanded sternly, seeing him tense up and quickly turn away from him. Maybe the machine was wrong? Maybe he wasn't completely healed?

"I'm FINE, Bardock!" Vegeta barked, utterly frustrated and at his wit's end about everything. "Just leave me the hell alone! Stop asking me if I am okay!"

The medic kept silent, continuing to study him, watching Vegeta's tail snap around in agitation. "Are you ever going to get any rest, Vegeta?"

"While I'm healing." he said moodily. "I have to attend those infernal meetings from now on, and when I'm not, I have to train every waking minute that I can."

Bardock shook his head. "You need to rest."

Vegeta growled, quickly becoming irritated. "Why do you think I used sedatives again?! You know how I despise using them! It's the only way I will be able to sleep."

"I didn't say sleep, Vegeta. I said rest."

"What the hell's the difference?!"

"There's a big difference." Bardock said simply, holding up Vegeta's printouts and waving them at him in annoyance. "You need to tell me what is going on with you, so that I can help you. You can continue to tell me that you are fine and that nothing is wrong with you, but the data does not lie."

"I don't have time for this." Vegeta growled, wiping more of the healing fluid away from his face, shooting Bardock a dark glare. "Just do your job of healing me, and mind your own damn business when it comes to the rest, understood? Now if you will excuse me, I have to shower and attend a fucking conference." he ground out bitterly, storming out of the medical bay, almost ripping the doors off their hinges in the process.

Bardock sighed heavily, unfazed by his tantrum, having been so used to them by now. He walked back over to his station and placed Vegeta's reports on his desk, sitting down on his chair heavily. How could he help someone who did not want to help himself? He was the lead medic, he was only able to heal the prince physically, and whatever this abnormality was in Vegeta's ki, he was completely stumped on what to do about it. He needed to talk to Kakarot and see if he found out anything from Bulma in hopes that she would know what was the matter with him. Even better, if he could talk with Bulma herself, then maybe she could help him figure out what was the matter with him if she didn't now. After all, she knew him better than anyone, and if he couldn't figure it out from a medical standpoint, maybe Bulma could think of something else that he wasn't thinking of.

---

On the outside, Yamcha looked cool, calm, and collected as uneasy murmurs ran throughout the building as everyone realized that Bulma was running late to the wedding rehearsal. As the clock continued ticking away, he thought she would not show up, and on the inside he was seething with anger and apprehension. It wasn't until the door opened and Bulma emerged from it that Yamcha's anger was quickly replaced with an overwhelming sense of relief. He didn't realize how badly he wanted her to walk through that door. He excused himself from some of the wedding planners and coordinators and he hurried over to her, noticing the uneasy look on her face. Still, he could not hide his happiness. "You're late."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry…" Bulma trailed off distractedly, looking past Yamcha and observing the building they were in, glancing down the makeshift aisle that was surrounded by numerous fold-up chairs that were standing in as a temporary substitute for the church pews. She glanced over the small crowd of wedding planners, coordinators and decorators who were there for the rehearsals, as well as other Capsule Corp employees and various other acquaintances of hers. "I didn't set my alarm…" she offered a simple explanation as she continued to look around, feeling a slight chill course through her. This wasn't the church, but her nightmare was still freshly in her mind, and she couldn't help but feel slightly panicked.

"I'm glad you came." Yamcha said, studying her for a moment, seeing that her attention was currently distracted. He turned a bit, trying to see what she was looking at. Not knowing what she was looking for, he turned back to her. "Hey, are you okay? You look a little pale."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Bulma brushed off, reaching behind her head to tighten her ponytail, ignoring the slight trembling of her hands.

"Are you sure? You're not getting sick, are you?" Yamcha asked in concern. Great. The last thing he needed was for her to come down with the cold or the flu and have to postpone the wedding another week or so. They were a day away from finally getting married, and something within him was telling him that he needed to marry her….the sooner, the better.

Bulma's ki spiked up in irritation. "I said I'm fine, Yamcha." Bulma said firmly, pushing his hand away from her forehead, wanting to ignore the subject. She saw his somewhat hurt look, and she sighed. "I'm sorry, I just woke up, and I haven't had any coffee, and I just want to get this over with." she said honestly.

Yamcha nodded in understanding. "Alright babe, whatever you want. C'mon, they're waiting for us. They have some coffee and doughnuts set up over there. I'll get you a cup, and a bite to eat." he offered, leaning in to give her a kiss on her cheek, which she allowed. Giving her a small smile, he headed over to the table that held the coffee and pastries to get some for her, while Bulma took in a deep breath and let it out shakily. She began to walk down the makeshift aisle to join in what was supposed to be an exciting time in her life, only to feel quite the opposite.

A few hours passed as the wedding rehearsal continued and Bulma had tried to shut down inwardly, willing herself to ignore her worries and fears and stress and panic that threatened to overtake her. It was all in vain, because all the while a hundred things ran through her mind.

She could do this, right?

She could marry Yamcha.

Sure, they had a rollercoaster of a relationship for the past 10 years. When things were good, they were great. When things were bad, they were unbelievably horrible. In the end, they stuck with each other and made it work.

Yamcha wasn't like the way he was in her dreams. Sure, he may have said some things about her and Vegeta, but she had to reason that he said those things only out of anger, like he had said he did. Besides, with Vegeta no longer coming to Earth, they wouldn't fight anymore.

She could do this.

She could marry Yamcha.

He loved her. Probably loved her more than she really believed. Probably more than she really knew.

She could trust him. She would learn to. When it came down to it, he wasn't with her for her fame, or her money, or for her beauty. He didn't even know who she was when they first met. Sure, sometimes he used her money, or her fame to his advantage, but overall it was for nothing truly bad. Was it wrong for her to have tried to uphold him to a higher standard?

When it came down to it, Yamcha was only human.

She could do this.

She could marry him.

The bad things were behind them. He paid for his infidelity, and had been making up for it ever since. She would make an effort to spend more time with him, give him the time and attention he wanted from her, and be around more.

She could make this work.

After all, she wasn't getting any younger. She wanted to get married. She wanted to have kids someday soon. She wanted love. She wanted a happy life.

If she didn't want to marry him, then she wouldn't have said yes to him. If she didn't love him, she wouldn't have said yes. If she didn't want it to work between them, then she wouldn't be here right now.

Yes, she could do this.

She could marry Yamcha.

The indescribable ache continued to flow through her veins as she tried to rationalize everything and override her very own heart. The sensation persisted, unrelenting and pulsing through her throughout the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon as Bulma numbly went through the motions of the rehearsals, her mind heavily distracted from what she was doing.

It wasn't until the rehearsals began to come to a close that she started to physically show her discomfort, every now and then leaning her weight against a wall, or taking time to sit down as she breathed through the sensation. It was not getting any better at all, and she tried to suck it up and suffer through it, but this time the ache twisted strongly within her chest, feeling like some invisible force was pressing against her lungs as she watched people begin to leave. It was getting to the point that she was getting very concerned over it.

"Babe, what's wrong?" she heard Yamcha's voice as he came over and kneeled beside her as she sat in the chair, placing his hands on her thigh.

"Nothing…" she winced slightly, trying to sound like she was okay, when she clearly wasn't.

"You've been kinda off all day. I think you're getting sick." he began, looking up at her with concern. "Maybe you should have your dad take a look at you."

Bulma sat sullenly, unhappy about the idea of taking more time out of her day to get herself checked out, instead of working on the new gravity room. "No, I'm fine. Besides, I don't have time. I have work to do."

"Bulma…" Yamcha began sternly, "…if you're not feeling well, you need to see your dad. I don't want to postpone our wedding just because you got sick." He sighed, feeling bad for letting his frustration get to him. He softened the look on his face, his voice full of concern again. "Look, please just go see your dad. Please?"

"Fine." Bulma relented, standing up and getting ready to leave and go track down her father. He probably was down in his lab.

"Hey, I'll see you tomorrow." Yamcha said, grabbing Bulma around the waist and leaning in, kissing her on her lips quickly before she took off.

He did not notice that she did not kiss him back as she pulled away and left the building, on the search for her father.

---

Bulma rode back through the complex to her home. Instead of seeing her father right away, she went to her room to take a quick, warm shower, trying to calm her nerves over the worry that something was seriously wrong with her. She changed back into some casual clothes, avoiding the kitchen where her mother was currently serving a late lunch to some people that were at the rehearsals. She couldn't help but smile slightly, her mother always loved to feed people and she was the best hostess she knew.

She walked through her house, heading down the winding hallways to the lower sublevels of the complex, finally reaching her dad's laboratory. She bit her lip, hesitant to press the intercom button. Reluctantly, she pushed the button, waiting for a response.

"Yes?" she heard her father's guff voice ring out.

"It's me Dad. Can I come in, or are you busy?"

"I'm never too busy for you, muffin." she heard him say as a beep was heard, and the lab door was unlocked. Bulma walked in, seeing his lab in as haphazard of a shape as her own. She knew she got her genius from him, but she also got his lack of organization also. She smiled. So what? They both worked in an organized chaos which some people could not understand.

Like Vegeta, with him always bugging her to clean up her lab and organize things when he would come in and, according to him, almost breaking his neck trying to maneuver through the room. Then he would start to rustle though her things and try to organize and she'd get uptight about it and try to kick him out.

It was a mistake to think of Vegeta that way, as the familiar ache pulsed through her again. It only served to resolve that she really did need to find out what was wrong with her.

"What can I help you with, sweetheart?" Dr. Briefs asked her as he set down a small motor-looking device he was working on and cleaned off his oily hands with a shop rag.

Bulma mindlessly toyed with one of his uncompleted projects that was lying around, picking it up and inspecting it. It just reminded her that she needed to work on the gravity room. And that damned gravity bracelet for his birthday.

If he even wanted it.

She sighed with a heavy heart. "I've been feeling kind of…odd…lately. If you have a minute, think you can take a look at me?"

"Of course, we'll go right now." her father said, adjusting his glasses on his nose as he stood up and motioned gently to Bulma for them to leave the lab. As they walked upward, they headed to their own personal medical ward inside the complex.

"What's the matter? A cold? The flu?" her father asked, already starting an initial diagnosis.

Bulma shook her head. "No, I doubt it."

"Fever? Chills? Headaches? Trouble breathing?"

Bulma shook her head again. "No, nothing like that." she commented as she brought her hand to her chest again, feeling the ache within her spike again painfully.

"Hmmm…" Dr. Briefs pondered as they reached a room and entered, closing the door behind him. "Take a seat, sweetie." he said, watching as his daughter hopped up on the plush medical examining table. He walked over to the sink, washing his hands properly, getting the rest of the motor oil off of him. He then dried his hands and grabbed a stethoscope, putting it around his neck. "Well, let's see what's the matter with you." He grabbed a retinoscope, and shined the light in Bulma's eyes, taking a look at them. "Your eyes are good."

"Ow dad, the light hurts." Bulma complained, blinking rapidly a few times as she tried to shake off the dots in her eyes after he pulled it away from her. She complied to his silent request to turn her head to the left and to the right as he took an otoscope and looked inside her ears.

"No signs of an ear infection."

"Good." Bulma said, rubbing the outside of her ears after he took the device away, hating that ticklish feeling inside her ear canal.

"Alright, now open your mouth and say 'ah.'" Bulma complied to her request, as he used a tongue depressor and shined a light down her throat. "No inflammation or irritation. No signs of strep throat either."

"Guess that's good news." Bulma murmured, making a face as she tried to get the sensation of the wooden stick that was in her mouth to go away. It was bad enough that the ache she felt persisted, and being poked and prodded wasn't helping anything.

"Alright, now for your blood pressure." her father said gently, grabbing the cuff and wrapping it around her arm. He put on his stethoscope and began to pump the cuff with air, pressing the device to the bend of her elbow as he listened to her blood flow. Bulma waited patiently, mindlessly kicking her legs gently against the base of the examining table as she waited for her father to say something. After about 30 seconds, he released the pressure from the cuff. "Your blood pressure is normal. Perfect, actually."

"Really?" Bulma couldn't help but blurt. She found that surprising. She was sure with all the stress she was feeling that her blood pressure would have been off the charts. The way she was feeling lately, it should have been. But then again, she was in a quiet room with her father right now, whose calmness was highly contagious. She decided she could tell him a little bit about how she was feeling. "I've been feeling some chest pains. More so around the heart area…but really, mostly in my chest. And a bad aching feeling too."

"I didn't know that. How long have you been feeling this?" he asked as he placed his stethoscope over Bulma's heart, listening to it beat.

Bulma looked away from her father's concerned gaze, staring down at the floor as she tried to keep her emotions in check. "Since two nights ago." she answered numbly. Ever since her falling-out with Vegeta.

"For almost two days now? You should have come to see me sooner." her father chastised gently as he took the scope away from her heart, wanting to listen to her breathing in a relaxed, normal state. "What happened two nights ago?"

Bulma tried her hardest to not think of what happened, but it was useless as memories and feelings of her and Vegeta that night flooded her, and the unbelievable heartache coursed through her again as the pain resounded in her chest and she winced. She didn't want to answer his question as she waited for her father to finish his examination. He sighed, taking off the stethoscope and placing it down on the counter. She awaited his diagnosis.

"Your breathing sounds fine, I didn't hear any fluid in your lungs. Your heart sounds fine as well. I did not hear any murmurs or irregular beats. Physically, you are fine." her father said, looking at her in concern.

"But…." Bulma trailed off in confusion. It didn't make any sense to her. What she was feeling was not in her mind. She was suffering for almost 2 days with whatever was wrong with her. Was she just supposed to keep dealing with it and hope that over time it would go away? "Dad, I don't understand…"

"I don't either. You don't show any signs of being ill. How about I draw your blood and run some tests?"

"What's the point? You won't get any results until tomorrow….and I need to feel better now." Bulma reasoned, pushing some of her long bangs out away from her forehead and tucking them behind her ear. She stepped down from the examining table. "If there are any at all."

"And that's the bad thing…tomorrow is going to be a very busy day." her father reasoned. "But you can't be getting married if you're not feeling well. Do you want some pain medication?"

Bulma grimaced at the idea. "No, you know I don't like taking medicine unless I absolutely have to. I'd rather suffer."

"I know, muffin. It was just an option." Dr. Briefs said as he began to put items away. An idea came to him, and he turned back to Bulma. "Say, why don't you go see Bardock and have him take a look at you? After all he's one of the top medics in the galaxy, isn't he?"

Bulma visibly tensed as she heard her father's words. Going to see Bardock meant going to Vegetasei, and she did not want to go there right now. Not if she could help it. She wasn't ready to possibly see Vegeta, or even talk to him. The very idea put her a slight panic, and she felt that damned painful ache travel through her again. This time she brought her forearm to her chest, pressing against it in an attempt to ease the discomfort. "No, thank you. I would rather take some pain meds. Where are they?" she asked, walking over to the cabinets and opening them up, sorting through various medications, searching for pain killers. She found some. Yes, these would work. They would take away the aches that she felt, and hopefully the pain in her heart and in her chest. They had to. No matter how much she hated medicine. No matter how much she hated the side effects.

"Now Bulma, stop." her father said, gently pushing her arms away and closing the cabinet doors, taking the bottle of pills she found. "It's not like you to do this. I can see you are in pain. Go see Bardock. Have him run some tests. Maybe he can catch something that I'm not seeing. He can even draw your blood and let you know right away if anything is wrong."

"I don't want to go over there." Bulma said irritably, huffing in frustration as her father took the medication away from her. She kept one hand over her chest as she closed her eyes for a moment, riding through the wave of pain that hit her surprisingly harder this time.

"Since when do you not want to go to Vegetasei?" Dr. Briefs asked in genuine surprise, eyeing his daughter almost suspiciously. He watched as Bulma remained silent, visibly suffering but being too stubborn to want to do anything about it. He watched her as she crossed her arms across her chest in an immoveable stance. It was reminiscent of Vegeta's own, and he couldn't help but make the comparison. Speaking of….where had he been lately? He hadn't seen him in days.

"Look dad, I really don't want to go over there. Just give me the medicine and I'll be on my way. I've got a lot of work to do, and practically no time to do it in." Bulma reasoned, reaching out with one hand, palm side up, expectantly waiting for her father to hand over the bottle of pills.

"It won't hurt to take an hour to go over there, have him run some tests, and then come back. I'm sure Goku will relay a message on any results that Bardock finds." her father countered, deciding to try a different tactic on his brilliant daughter. "Please Bulma. Do it for your dear ol' dad. You'll be gone and back faster than you know it. Please?"

"Alright dad. Just knock it off with the puppy dog eyes." Bulma relented, sighing in defeat. She knew he was right though, and couldn't argue with his logic. Something was wrong with her, and if her dad couldn't find it, she was sure Bardock could. Bardock was a damned genius when it came to anatomy and physiology, and the advances he made with medicine and diagnostics were far more advanced on Vegetasei than on Earth. They had to be, because Saiyans lived for the love of fighting, willingly hurting themselves, always healing rather quickly and growing stronger in the process. Bardock was the best medic in the galaxy for a damn good reason.

She just wished he wasn't on the same planet as Vegeta was.

"Okay, I'm going." Bulma muttered, letting her father give her a kiss on her cheek as a thank you before she walked out of the room. She made her way to the living room, avoiding being seen by the people still in the kitchen as she picked up the phone and dialed the Son residence.

---

Bulma waited anxiously, restlessly pacing around the living room. Goku had said he'd be right there, but that was what, 5 minutes ago? But it felt like forever to her as her nerves started to get the best of her. What was she doing? Was she really going to go to Vegetasei? Was she crazy? What if she wasn't allowed to be there? What if everyone knew what happened? What if she saw Vegeta?

She didn't know how she was going to handle seeing him.

She breathed in deeply and let out a shaky breath. She needed to calm down. She was only going to see Bardock, have him run some tests, then she'd have Goku teleport her back as soon as possible. She wasn't going anywhere else. That way, she reduced the probability of running into Vegeta. She didn't want to see him, and she was reasonably sure that he did not want to see her either. But what if he asked her about the progress on his gravity room? She was sure Goku had told him what she said. He was going to be pissed. She didn't even have the final gravity calculations and formulas finished yet! Not even the schematics or the blueprints for the actual construction of it! Not by a long shot.

All the thinking about Vegeta was driving her crazy, as the ache in her chest kept nagging at her and she huffed in annoyance. This was ridiculous. What in the hell was wrong with her? She wasn't sure if she had ever felt so uptight in her life before. Where the hell was Goku at?!

As if in answer, Goku suddenly appeared in front of her, getting in the way of her pacing as she walked right smack into him.

"Ugh, Goku!" Bulma complained as she bounced off of backwards from him a bit, feeling him grab the sides of her arms in an instinct to prevent her from abruptly falling down, which she probably would have.

"Whoops, sorry Bulma, didn't mean to." Goku said, letting go of her and watching her smooth out her shirt and run her fingers through her hair in an effort to fix it. When he had tried to sense her ki to teleport to her, it was all over the place, and he wasn't sure what was the matter with her. Now that he arrived, apparently she was tense about something, as he continued to sense out her ki. And that disturbance within her ki was still there, just like yesterday.

"It's alright." Bulma murmured, trying to calm down her jittery nerves. "I guess it would be hard to teleport to a moving target." she tried to joke. Goku laughed lightly, and hearing his laughter did much to soothe her anxiety. She saw the soft smile on his face, yet could not miss the worry in his eyes. "What is it, Goku?" she couldn't help but ask apprehensively, half worried he was going to tell her something bad.

"I hope my dad can help you." Goku said simply, the statement holding more meaning that Bulma could ever know. Vegeta was being stubborn about whatever was wrong with him, and whatever it was, Bulma seemed to be afflicted with it too. He suspected that they were both sick. They had to be. Maybe they had picked up some sort of virus when they were out together the other night? Goku couldn't be sure, plus he didn't know if his dad had anything figured out since he hadn't had a chance to talk with him yet. Well, that was about to change, since he was going to bring Bulma to him. Then he'd be able to feel what he was feeling from Bulma too. "Are you ready?"

"No, but let's go before I change my mind." Bulma said, feeling Goku put his hand upon her shoulder and give her a soft, reassuring squeeze. She gave him a half-hearted smile. "You're going to stick around while your dad runs the tests, right?" she asked, needing the reassurance of her best friend.

"I won't leave your side if you don't want me to." Goku reassured. After sensing her relax somewhat, he raised his fingers to his forehead and focused on his father's ki as they teleported off Earth and to Vegetasei.

Bardock had been at his workstation, mulling over Vegeta's printouts again when his son appeared abruptly in front of him, along with a blue-haired genius woman he had brought along with him. He had no time to be happy to see Bulma as Bardock had sensed it almost instantly…that same uneasy disturbance in her life energy. He quickly looked at Goku, who returned a serious look on his face also. In that moment, a chill of realization hit Bardock as he looked at Bulma again, standing up from his seat in sudden alarm as he walked over to them. Now, after sensing her ki, he was almost 100% positive he knew what was the matter with Vegeta…and apparently with her also. He had to run some tests to confirm his suspicions, but if he was right, then this was much more serious than he had thought.

Perhaps the tests were unnecessary, because upon Bulma's arrival both he and Goku sensed Vegeta's powerful ki rapidly and significantly spike up. And as Vegeta's altered ki flared up, Bardock sensed Bulma's altered ki also spike and flare up quickly afterward, watching her as she brought her hands to her chest, unaware of what was going on as she winced in pain and discomfort from the sensation.

Vegeta knew she was there.

And they were both suffering in unbelievable hurt.

---

I know you hate it when I leave you at a cliffhanger. I would say I'm sorry about it...but I'm not lol.

What did you think of the chapter?! So many things going on in it! I hope you'll leave me a review and tell me what you think! I'm eager to get some feedback!

Some food for thought...Bulma is back on Vegetasei after almost 2 days of being apart from him. The divide between them isn't getting any better. How will she and Vegeta handle it? And we finally found out what Yamcha said to Goku. What did you think about that? Time is running out, as we are a day away from the wedding. A dream came back to haunt Bulma, but is it a premonition or just a manifestation of her stress like she believes? And Bardock knows what's the matter between Vegeta and Bulma, but is it already too late?

After all, this is where the end starts...