Sacrifice

'What do you plan on doing?'
'What do you think I can do?'

He spat the words at her, resenting her calmness and the nerve to ask him such a question. It was obvious his duty went before anything else. As king, he had to protect the planet! As king, he had to fight!

'You can't win from him, Vegeta!'
'What do you want me to do, woman?! Run like a coward again? My planet is in chaos because of that! Even at distance Frieza is capable of bringing us to our knees!'

Bulma kept quiet, keeping her feelings to herself. I can't let you… I've already lost someone today. Her heart ached at the memory of Libelle. You are all I have left, Vegeta.
A rush of emotions went through her at the thought of that. Vegeta was the only person she knew and could count on. She wasn't certain what type of sacrifices he'd be willing to make for her but… But who else could she depend on in this dire situation? What would become of her, should she survive, without him around…?

'We just need to buy you some time— 'I've got no time left. It's over!' he angrily yelled.
'We just need to outsmart him or something,' Bulma muttered, stubbornly refusing to just let him walk into his own death like this.
'Don't treat me like…' he struggled to find the words, obviously agitated. His dark eyes stared intensely at her before looking away.

Scanning him with her blue eyes, she noted he wasn't only agitated because of Frieza's presence but hers as well. Frowning at his behavior, she tried to figure out why he was suddenly behaving this way. Perhaps he regretted kissing her. She wasn't an idiot; she was very much aware he found it hard to be around people that evoked certain emotions within him. Emotions he did not know how to deal with.

Hence the unnecessary threats. The violent behavior asserting to keep distance.
She supposed, with all she had found out about him now, her existence affected him greatly. He kept his distance and arms crossed, as to defend himself from her. Whenever she would stare too long at him, he'd break eye contact.

And as flattering as it was to have this effect on him, it was also tiring.

'I don't want to die either,' she pointed out. 'I need you to win, Vegeta. So, I can live.'

She knew any other excuse on why she wanted him to win would only complex matters, so she made it sound as impersonal as possible.

He fell silent.

And it wasn't like she was being dishonest either, she truly did need to live if she ever wanted to go home again. The nagging little voice in the back of her head asked her if that was indeed still the case, ended up getting completely ignored.

'What does he want?' Bulma asked, trying her best to understand the situation better.
Her calm tone seemed to have the willing effect this time because Vegeta remained as calm as he could himself.

'He's tyrant. At this point, he just wants us to suffer. Killing us is something he could've done a long time ago. He can destroy this planet in an instant, but he chooses not to because he relishes on the idea that we live limited and in fear!'

Bulma tried to decipher the mix of emotions that lay in his eyes. As violent as she had always interpreted them, she realized now shame, hurt and hidden fear were all a part of it too.
She couldn't just flat out ask him what had happened to him when he had been taken away by Frieza. Heck, she didn't even know any details. But this tyrant had scarred him. And the monster hadn't quit chasing him since the day he had escaped.
All her own hate shattered, and the emotional part of her explained that perhaps Vegeta simply did not know any better.

But we are talking about Saiyans. They are proud of their purges and battle skills… But at this point I do want to help. Now, I understand. Of course, does that mean I can forget? Does that mean I should no longer deem them as the enemy? Am I willing to sacrifice myself for no good reason other than my emotions leading me?

'I meant it,' she suddenly said. 'You can count on me, if I can on you, Vegeta.'

For the first time since she met him, he avoided her eyes. Looking out of the window to witness his own planet crumbling under the tension. Every minute he could feel Frieza closing in on them.

'I know you think you can't, but you can,' Bulma continued, ignoring his stubborn silence.
Not caring if she was completely going out of line by stepping closer to him. She even dared to reach out and touch his cheek. Surprised by how the action startled him, she gave him a small smile in return. Not being capable of anything other than putting on his usual mask, a cold expressionless face stared back.

Bulma placed her lips on his and closed her eyes. Thinking he would stay just as unresponsive as before, he caught her by surprise when kissing her back. Pulling her so close, she though her body would shatter against his. In an almost painful hold, he kissed her so thoroughly, her entire body was on fire in just seconds. When he pulled back, they were both breathing hard.
It took her a second to recover from the daze she had been pulled in so unexpectedly.

Quickly remembering her train of thought before the kiss, she spoke up to voice her thoughts to him.
'I know I'm too late… but it's not over just yet, Vegeta. I want you to stop Frieza. I realize that I rather fight with the Saiyan than hide from a tyrant like him.'

Vegeta stayed quiet and for a few seconds she didn't know how he'd react but instead of giving her some type of answer, he kissed her again. His hands traveling all over her body now. The world was trembling, but his hands were steady. The loud noises of explosions went silent. Everything became a blur.
A shameful feeling overwhelmed her when she felt herself getting excited to the point, she felt it in between her legs. A blush crept on her face when he abruptly halted, as if he knew.

He nuzzled her neck, taking in her scent and let a sigh escaped his lips. Turning them around he pushed her against the closed door of the healing tank. Nipping at her lips and caressing her upper body. She felt one hand nest in the back of her neck, making sure he stayed in control.

'Let me have you,' he hoarsely whispered in her ear. 'Just once, before I die…'
Not being able to stop him, she let him continue his actions. Feeling herself getting further pushed up against the door while his hand grabbing her knee up to his thigh. A moan escaped her lips when she felt him so close to her. She then felt something else touch her leg. It took her a second to figure out it was his tail, that normally stayed raveled around his waist.
Her hands finally moved and with a determination, she placed them on his cheeks. Kissing him as thoroughly as he had kissed her. He kissed her so differently than any other man ever had. As if he was almost tasting and savoring her at the same time.

Her mind almost stopped working completely until another blast outside.

Realizing what was going on and that their actions were completely unappropriated, she halted him. Instantly her body hated her rational mind. And she hated herself for doing this too, but she wouldn't let him walk off and die simply because they couldn't control themselves.

Especially not after what she had just experienced. Just once would not be enough…
Placing her hands on his chest and bringing him back by saying his name, he calmed down as well. He let his head rest next to hers, against the cool surface of the tank.

'We can't…' Bulma took a deep breath, realizing that simply talking would be a difficult task.
Annoyed by her weak attempt, he kissed her again. The hand that had roamed around freely settled in between her legs and made her audible gasp.
'Don't deny me, woman,' he said, using his usual threatening tone. 'You want this.'
'I-I do,' Bulma admitted, whimpering when his fingers touched her deeply. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, not being able to not succumb to him when he was so fierce on getting what he wanted.

'B-but I don't want you to die.'

Abruptly he ended all movement. And out of nowhere, his fist hit the machine and Bulma let out a yelp when he pulled her away, so she wouldn't get hurt. He made a growling noise and cursed underneath his breath.

'Just give me…' He swallowed his next words, trying to control his temper. 'Why can't you ever just give me what I ask for, woman?'

'I do,' Bulma said, finding her body still trembling with pleasure. 'I do want to give you… I just don't want it to end like this. I sacrificed myself for my planet but I'm unwilling to sacrifice my life because you think you are out of time.'

The words made him waver and by the frown that was on his face, she could tell her words were slowly seeping in.

'Buy yourself… and me some time! I promise you; I won't let you down!' Bulma said again. At this point her body still longed for his touch but her mind was becoming clear again. Remembering her conversation with his father, she then asked Vegeta a question that had been burning her mind.

'What is on Namek? Why do you want to go there, Vegeta?'

Pulling his arms away from her, he created some distance between them. Which immediately Bulma disliked but she kept quiet not wanting to dance on the thin line of temptation any longer. Perhaps it was better if they did not stand to close to one another right now.

'That is none of your concern, woman—'It is, if you want me to help you win! It is important I know why you want to go there! I know it has something to do with power!'

It was obvious he didn't want to tell her, but she stubbornly kept staring at him, not letting anything escape her. His body tensed up again, but she gave him a fierce look, reminding him of her words. Unwillingly he caved in, realizing he had nothing left to lose at this point either.

'Namek… Is the home-planet of the Namekian, your green friend back on Earth who created the Dragon Balls.'

Bulma's mouth fell open and her eyes widened. Her brain couldn't quite comprehend what this all meant, and it took her on a rollercoaster of emotions. His stoic appearance stayed unmoved by her inner turmoil. She didn't quite know if she had to be angry with him or not. After all, he hadn't done anything wrong, he had simply never told her about his secret plan.

Until now…

Her head started working again and shoved all the emotional baggage to the side, to be dealt with at another time. This meant they had a wish to count on…?
'You think the Dragon Balls exist on Namek too…' she whispered underneath her breath, he only gave her a solid nod in response.

Hey, and if this Frieza is here, than that means that… A bright idea hit her and with a huge smile, she gave him a quick peck on the mouth which startled him. His cold mask shattered for split second before calling her an idiot.
'We're going to Namek!' Bulma determinedly yelled out. 'I just need to make a quick call before we do!'

'Woman, what are you blabbering on about?' he asked, completely confused by her weird behavior.
'Just trust me, Vegeta!' She ran out of the room but came back to add, 'Go buy me some time!'

'You?' he muttered confused. This woman is absolutely insane. But what did he had to lose at this point?
He let out a deep sigh, wondering if landing on Earth could be called the start of his current demise.

Meanwhile Bulma ran as fast as her feet could, her mind still working on her newly formed idea. Unfortunately, she couldn't predict Frieza's plans and it was hard to guess his work ethic after hearing all those horror stories. Which made calculating how much time she would exactly be needing harder.
Perhaps she was going to need some help from the Saiyans themselves if she wanted to truly succeed.

'When exactly will Frieza be here?'
'In less than a few days,' the former king of planet Vegeta answered. The older man had the same expression as his son but was much better at hiding his skepticism.
'But it's hard to determine. We are talking about Frieza, of course.'
'What are you planning, woman?'
'Listen, just trust me! We need to buy ourselves three months of time— 'Impossible!' Vegeta interrupted.
'I know that!' Bulma yelled back. 'I've taken in account Frieza won't allow us that much time! But from what I have heard he is rather impulsive, so we can use that to our advantage!'
'If we agitate him, he'll destroy our planet,' the older man said, remaining more calm than then both of them.

Understanding that any slip up, no matter how small, could lead to total annihilation, Bulma tried to keep her mind focused. She bit her lip in thought, thinking every step of the plan through again. They had so little options and too many dangerously high risks. But what choice did they still have at this point? They were out of options.

And I refuse to put Earth at risk just yet. The thought of wishing them all to Earth had crossed her mind but with the Saiyans current chaotic situation, she couldn't do that. Also, she simply couldn't bring herself to do so either. After all, she couldn't sacrifice her own sacrifices for her newfound devotion.

'I would like to remind you that Kakarot is on his way to Namek as well,' Vegeta suddenly said, snapping her out of her thoughts. Her eyes widened in shock.
'What!?' Bulma shouted. 'You hadn't told me that! Why didn't you say anything earlier!?'
Though his expression stayed stoic, she could see glimpse of a blush creep on his cheeks in embarrassment, as if admitting he had forgotten about it himself, but he quickly shook it off.
'I…' Swallowing his words, he instead ended with, 'It didn't matter at that moment, woman!'

Bulma only frowned in response while her eyes caught his father's eyes darting from her back to him. His one eyebrow up, intrigued about what could make his son declare that this has been irrelevant up to this point. She could see a smirk grow on the old man's lips, but he refrained from saying anything, keeping his thoughts to himself.

'What is on Namek?' King Vegeta asked, wanting to know what the two of them were talking about. At first, he had been reluctant of Vegeta going anywhere but realizing that staying here would only lead to the Saiyan Empire's total downfall, he had changed his mind. Giving the gifted scientist everyone spoke of, a chance this time, instead of his son. She too had claimed he needed to go to this planet called Namek.

'Power,' Bulma answered with certainty. Though she herself was not quite sure yet why she was allowing Vegeta to take it and use it. Perhaps this infatuation of hers was only leading the rest of the universe into further demise.

I can't think about that right now... Like Libelle said, I need to follow my instinct. And it's telling me we need to stop Frieza!

The older man let his head rest on the back of his chair while letting her words sink in. Just like Vegeta, he frowned when thinking and had angry expression on his face which made you wonder who he was planning on killing. Bulma snickered, which made the two Saiyans scowl it at her in response.
Hiding her amusement, Bulma looked at her hands to avoid their eyes.

Hearing the ruckus outside, Vegeta got up and stated he first needed to take back control of the planet before doing anything else.
'It just seems a few believe I'm not capable of being King of the Saiyans,' he murmured.

He left the room without hearing her cry of protest.

Bulma didn't allow herself to think of what he could be planning but hearing the threatening undertone, she knew it wasn't going to be a pretty sight.
Am I forgetting who he is? After all, it was a Saiyan that killed Libelle… It was the Saiyans that purged my planet…

Clearing his throat to catch her attention, Bulma looked back up to see the former king of Saiyans staring at her. Her heart skipped a beat before she felt a calmness take over. Despite his rough exterior, Bulma felt that she could explain her plan to him without being interrupted or ridiculed. Perhaps it was because of his old age, thus having the knowledge that their stubborn personalities were counterproductive at times, but he seemed wiser and more willing to listen then Vegeta.

'I had plan but now that I know Kakarot is also on his way to Namek, I guess we'll have to go with plan B,' Bulma softly said, feeling a bit uneasy to be with the former king all alone now.
'But you do have another idea?' he said intrigued.
'I have a plan but it's risky and I don't know—'Let's hear it,' he calmly said, halting her insecurity to take over. She didn't express it, but a grateful feeling overwhelmed her.

'The first step is to create a diversion, let Frieza think Vegeta is fleeing. We'll use the main ship for that. But in reality, Vegeta will be on another ship, heading towards Namek. However, we'll need to bait Frieza into following the main ship. I realize that telling him Vegeta in on board isn't going to be enough. Plus, there is also the risk he'd blast the ship from a distance then. I have an idea of what we could lure him with but…'
'But it's risky?' he asked with a grin.
'Very risky,' Bulma exaggerated not echoing his amused undertone.

'If we slip up or fail… This entire race is done.'

The words hung in the air, but the former king refused to acknowledge or respond to them.
Perhaps he was already very much aware of that fact, hence why he had changed his mind about Vegeta having to stay.
Taking him in, Bulma noted that the tiredness in his eyes reflected the years of being under this type of pressure all the time. And before she could stop herself, she took pity on the man. However, knowing Saiyans disliked that sort of emotions, she straightened her posture and resumed their conversation, pretending it never happened.

'We'll absolutely need those three months. Every Saiyan will be safe and Vegeta will be more ready to take on Frieza when they meet.'
He remained quiet for a long minute, his stare smoldering Bulma. It didn't help that for some absurd reason her mind kept thinking of Vegeta and what had occurred just a few hours ago. Unwillingly, she started to blush.

'It seems, this mind of yours never stops thinking, Bulma.'

The remark made Bulma wince before smiling.

'It seems to come naturally,' he noted while his eyes took in her entire form.

Aware of his stare, she tried to remain confident. And with a nod explained that this was her race's spirit; curious, inventive and, just like the Saiyans, with an instinct to survive.
His smirk widened at her words. When she dared to meet his dark eyes again, they still looked tired but gentler than before.
However, they were void of the warrior-spirit that lived within every Saiyan she had ever encountered.

'Sounds much like our race. Perhaps we might fight differently but all for the same cause.'

His word left an impact on her, suddenly making her very much aware of how true that was. The image of the barbaric race was left shattered in her mind. Suddenly Saiyans were not only less frightening to her but more recognizable too. They too were only trying to survive; in the best way they knew how.

'Yes, perhaps…' Bulma muttered.

However, this feeling gave her confidence a boost to continue.
In her mind she had an entire plan devised on how to leave planet Vegeta safely. But there was a very ominous treat that she couldn't avoid. And she hadn't brought it up just yet.

And that was the planet itself. Nothing she could think of could give her the certainty that Frieza would not blow it up.

'After Vegeta comes back, you'll two leave. You have already wasted enough time,' the king spoke up.
Bulma couldn't help herself to voice her worry, 'There one more thing… It's about the planet. I don't know how to avoid, should Frieza decide...'
She left the rest unsaid, but the king understood her. His dark eyes lit up in a spiteful way and he asked her what she meant with every Saiyan being safe, trying to be sure if she understood the meaning of that promise.

'Everyone—who is on the main-ship, you mean?' he asked being more specific this time.
Bulma reacted a little startled aware he knew of the huge risk that held. Meaning her promise, wasn't truly a promise. Only if everything went as planned. But she nodded with certainty, though unsure of where he was going with this.

'Because of Frieza… Our race has been halved. War has taken its toll on our planet, meaning our entire race can be evacuated,' he said, affirming the little detail she hadn't been so sure of.

'They would have to be on the main-ship, that would serve as a distraction…' Bulma muttered, realizing how ridiculous dangerous her plan was.
Her heart started to race again, feeling her body react in panic to the idea of taking such a huge risk. She didn't know if she should start shaking her head in disagreement or keep quiet and forget the whole idea.

'My son seemed to always have a lot of faith in your capabilities, Bulma. And I now understand why.'

Bulma's mouth went dry, feeling suddenly torn between feeling flattered or ashamed, since she had only recently accepted her own fate. And she hadn't figured out if she had forgiven them for what they had done to her just yet. And she wasn't sure her reasoning on why she was indeed now helping them could be called righteous.

'You two seem to work well together too,' he added, 'As both of you carefully avoid informing me of what it is on Namek he seeks.'

Not being able to help herself, Bulma gave him a shy smile.

'It is nothing personal, your majesty. Not for me at least, I just follow his lead. It just seems he wants to avoid anyone knowing about it...'

He just doesn't want to take any risk, I guess.

The man remained unresponsive though he had a content expression on his face. Eventually he nodded absentmindedly and ordered her to make everything ready before they departed.
As Bulma got up, she had one more request to ask the former king of Saiyans, should things go wrong.

'Absolutely not,' he coldly answered. His harsh manner of speaking told her there was no room for any further conversation.
'We'd figured you'd say that…' Bulma muttered.
'What is wrong with my father? Is his mind deteriorating?'
'What do you mean?' She asked confused.
'First he wants me to stay, now he insists I must go! I'm not a coward! I will not leave my people behind or flee from Frieza any longer!'

He was standing in the middle of the Gravity Room installed in Ilkm's latest ship. Vegeta didn't know it yet but he'd be training here for the next three months. The time it would take for them to arrive on Namek.
Bulma didn't respond to his outburst and tried not to dwell on what he had just said, instead taking in the huge ship she would call home for the next few months.
It was huge, perhaps a little too big for just two people. For a moment she had wondered if she shouldn't be taking anyone along to help but truthfully, she didn't trust anybody anymore at this point.

Walking out of the room, she took deep breath. He'd be angry with her and hopefully it wouldn't become hell afterwards, but she had promised his father no more stalling.

Once outside, she hurried off to cockpit, where she had complete control over the ship. Turning the gravity machine on, she saw Vegeta fall onto the ground because of the pressure. Screaming out her name in anger, he stayed completely helpless on the ground. Finding the coordinates to Namek, the ship started to take off.

Taking a deep breath, she prayed her plan would not fail, otherwise she had just sacrificed the entire Saiyan race.

The ship blasted off into the familiar darkness that had tortured her for so long. As they burst through the atmosphere, she bid the red planet goodbye and noted her attempt to walk around on it freely had been rather futile. Walking freely on the planet had only occurred in the hours of pure chaos. Maybe it was never meant to be… Not for beings like me, I suppose.

Now all alone, it felt as if she was sacrificing a very important part of her.

Something that had been her identity for so long.

Being just an Earthling and nothing more.

Now she had truly become a part of the Saiyan Empire.

Her heart was no longer numb but painfully throbbing in her chest while her emotions were tearing her up inside. Her mind completely disordered. Her battle with the Saiyans was over.
In a way, she was now one of them and she struggled to understand how she had ended up making such a huge sacrifice on her part without much thought. But then again, they are making the same sacrifice by placing their faith into me…

Her heart was torn between hopeful and hopelessness as the abyss of the universe welcomed her back with open arms.

First, thank you for the overwhelming positive responses on last chapter! It was wonderful to read all your enthusiastic reviews! Thank you! It really brightens my day and motivates me to keep writing : )
To be honest I post every chapter feeling a little uncertain. And this was not an easy chapter to write either! Hopefully everything is clear. We'll get to know more of Bulma's plan in the next chapter, although a few things will remain unexplained until future chapters. As much fun as plot twists are, I have to be very careful and make sure everything keeps making sense. So hopefully I'll succeed in doing that : )

Thanks for reading! (and sorry for the way too long author's note)

Comment/review!

(PS can't believe we are almost at 100 reviews! That's crazy! THANK YOU, so, so much!)