Dragonball Super: Spiced-up Broccoli
Part 5
When Broly woke up the next morning, he took a moment to study the room he was in. He had never seen anything like it, as though he were on some alien world with weird technology. His eyes darted around the room and he felt his anger begin to rise. He didn't like the situation he had found himself in, this strange room without a familiar face to latch on to. Except that there was a familiar face, Lemo's.
"Hey buddy, welcome back," Lemo said, leaning forward against the railing on the bed.
"Where…am I?" Broly asked. His voice was full of anxiety on top of calm anger and Lemo was preparing himself for the worst.
"You're at a medical facility on planet Earth," Lemo said. Broly tried to sit up but he grunted and only managed to lift his head. He saw that his clothes were missing, and he was fitted with a hospital scrubs. His face flew into a panic as he moved his arms to feel around his waist.
"Where is it?!" He yelled and Lemo knew what he was talking about. He quickly went to a table at the opposite end of the room and retrieved Broly's pelt, the severed ear of the Vampa beast called Bah and he handed it to him.
"They had to remove your clothes so they can examine you more closely. You're lucky you're still with us," Lemo said and Broly sighed, clutching the ear in his hands. He looked around the room again. He wanted to see Cheelai's face, to see those features again surround her lavender eyes. He felt he'd be calm again if he could see her.
"Where is Cheelai?" he asked, hoping she'd still be nearby.
"She stopped by earlier this morning, hoping you'd be awake. She said she was going to spend the day with Bulma and that you should rest and take it easy here."
"I see," Broly said, his head resting back on the pillow beneath him. He still had a firm grip on Bah's ear as he stared at the ceiling. He breathed a sigh of discontent since he wasn't going to see Cheelai for a while. Lemo stood up from his chair.
"I'll go let the nurses know you're awake," Lemo said as he began to walk out of the room and Broly raised his arm, stretching out his hand to Lemo.
"Don't go," Broly said and Lemo could tell that despite the bit of anger that was still in Broly's eyes, there was also a bit of fear at the strange surroundings he's found himself in.
"You're going to be fine in here, trust me. This is the safest place you can find yourself in," Lemo assured him and Broly's face sunk a bit.
"I don't want to be alone," Broly said as he stared ahead and Lemo crossed his arms, sighing.
"I get it, bud. You're scared, confused, probably pissed off a bit that you're in a situation you have no control over. Like you have that damn collar around your neck again, right?"
"Yes," Broly sighed after thinking it over for a few seconds.
"I'm not an expert on fixing emotional damage, Broly. I don't know what to say or do that would make this current predicament better for you."
"I don't want to be alone, Lemo," Broly repeated and Lemo sighed, pulling up a chair to sit down on.
"Alright. I'll stay here until a nurse comes in, then I'll go and cook you up a big meal. How's that sound?"
Broly eventually realized that he was starving on top of exhausted and he stared at Lemo, glancing around the room.
"Why did Cheelai leave to spend the day away from here?" Broly asked. He began to miss her presence and Lemo frowned, staring at him.
"It's been a difficult time for Cheelai, emotionally. She needs time to herself to gather her thoughts and unwind, but I know she will be back, either tonight or tomorrow, whichever comes first. She cares a helluva lot about you, bud."
"I too care, a…hellavalah about her," Broly said, trying to speak Lemo's slang and Lemo chuckled.
"Your slang needs work, but you'll get there eventually," Lemo said, smiling and Broly returned that smile. He brought up the OK sign and Broly managed enough strength to match it.
A man dressed in orange and blue gi appeared before them and he waved at Broly and Lemo.
"Yo!" he said.
"Kakarrot," Broly said and Lemo turned around.
"Oh, hey there," Lemo said and the man called Goku (or Kakarrot to Broly) untied a bag from his belt.
"I stopped by Korin's tower to pick up a fresh batch of Senzu beans. I think this one will work now that you're free of your infection," Goku said. He unlatched the bag and reached inside for a bean which he handed over to Broly.
A sudden flash of memory burst in Broly's mind as he remembered taking that bean. He remembered the searing pain that amplified in his body like a raging fire and he immediately reacted by batting the bean out of Goku's hand in anger.
"Get that away!" he yelled and Goku's eyes widened. He lowered his eyes a bit and frowned.
"Hey, it's okay. I didn't know that the bite left a viral infection in your body. But I guarantee you that if you eat a Senzu bean this time, it'll heal you to full strength and restore your energy."
Goku went to retrieve the bean that Broly knocked out of his hand and wiped it on his gi before he walked back to the side of the bed. Broly stared ahead.
"It felt like I was eating fire," Broly said. Goku extended his hand with the Senzu bean on his palm and he stared at Broly, hoping he'd meet his gaze.
"Do you trust me?" Goku asked. Broly looked back and forth from Goku's face to the Senzu bean and he slowly brought his hand up to take it. He stared at the bean for a few seconds before he breathed a sigh through his nose and he put it in his mouth. He crunched it down and swallowed the bean, then waited a few seconds.
What he felt this time was different. It was nothing like the flaming hot pain that seared through his body. It felt warm, like a burst of energy that flowed through him. He felt strength come back in his arms, especially the shoulder that had been pierced by the gargantuan worm. He sat up immediately and looked at his hands, then at Goku.
"I feel strong again," Broly said and he saw a few things hooked into him under his skin and Lemo raised his hands.
"Let me get those for you, bud," he said and he carefully took out the IV needles that were still stuck to Broly. Goku looked away since he wanted nothing to do with them and he waved at Broly.
"I'll be outside. Hope to see you then. Later!" he said, smiling and he ran out of the room. Broly expressed confusion as he got a good look at the scrubs that were barely covering his body. Even at its largest size, it was still two sizes too small for Broly.
He grabbed the scrubs and ripped them off his body, walking in the buff over to his regular clothing. He ripped the bandages off and let them fall to the floor as well and he could see that the hole had closed completely, his injury gone. He felt the area on his shoulder and a smile crossed his face. He felt relieved that Goku wasn't wrong about the Senzu beans this time.
"Let's set up our house nearby and I'll cook up a feast worthy of a king," Lemo said, patting Broly on the back.
As they were walking, they didn't notice that Vegeta was making his way from the opposite end of the hallway. The path behind Broly led to the gravity room where Vegeta had been using it for his own personal training.
When the two eventually saw each other, they stopped. Vegeta and Broly stared at each other, not saying a word, but the intense looks upon their faces increased the tension in the air. Vegeta continued to walk towards Broly and he casually strolled past him, staring ahead. Broly could feel the pit of rage boiling up but he felt that avoiding Vegeta's face for now would help make things less awkward and he started walking again after Vegeta left his sight.
Lemo waited with bated breath over how things were going to unfold, and he froze in place when he saw Vegeta. It was more nerve-wracking than fear seeing Vegeta again after the fight with Broly and Lemo did not want anything to escalate involving these Saiyans.
When they were outside, Goku was leaning up against a tree.
"Vegeta said he'd leave a table full of food up on that rooftop over there, if you're hungry. I've eaten there plenty of times before, so the atmosphere is really relaxing. C'mon!" Goku smiled as he took to the air to fly up to the roof. Lemo grabbed Broly by the arm and was lifted to the rooftop as well. There were other guests as well and Broly recognized the face of one of them.
"Hey Whis! Hey Lord Beerus! Glad to see you two again!" Goku cried out pleasantly and Broly locked eyes with Whis, walking cautiously towards him. Beerus glanced at Broly and stood up, placing his hands behind his back and Broly took notice. He stopped and stared at Beerus while Goku pulled up a chair for Broly.
"You must be the Saiyan Goku's been bragging about," Beerus said, casually walking over to Broly.
"Oh, right, lemme introduce you. This is Lord Beerus, the Destroyer of Universe 7, and that's his attendant, Whis," Goku said, gesturing to the two of them.
"Destroyer?" Broly inquired, glancing at Goku.
"God of Destruction, to be more specific," Beerus stated and Broly's eyes widened a bit.
"My father has spoken of the Destroyer God before," Broly said and Beerus wore a grin.
"Glad to know my reputation preceded me among your race, as both an honor and a warning after my visit to King Vegeta," Beerus said and he had to look up at Broly's face considering the height difference.
"I'm at least glad we can finally properly acquaint ourselves in a more peaceful setting," said Whis as he stood beside Beerus and Broly nodded.
"I remember you, but not in great detail," Broly said.
"Out of curiosity, have you had a chance to work on your temperament, or are you still at risk to fly off the handle?" Whis asked him and Beerus shot him a glance.
"I'm not interested in a therapy session, Whis. I'm here for a grand feast," Beerus said and Whis grinned.
"Of course, my Lord. Shall we be seated, then?"
Broly and Lemo sat with Goku at a table large enough to seat six.
"They both look strong," Broly said as he glanced at the Destroyer and his attendant and Goku leaned forward in his chair.
"They are the strongest in the universe, especially Whis. He taught Vegeta and I how to use divine energy to fight even stronger opponents. If it wasn't for him I don't know how well we would've done at the Tournament of Power," Goku whispered to Broly and he nodded. His grin widened as an idea came to his head.
"Maybe we should ask Whis to train you on Lord Beerus's world?" Goku asked and got a stare-down from Beerus.
"I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you, Goku. I've got my hands full with you and Vegeta as it is," he chimed in and Whis chuckled a bit.
"I believe the phrase is 'two's company, three's a crowd'?" he said and Goku's face fell a bit as he glanced at Broly.
"Well, you're still really strong that not even Super Saiyan Blue is enough to hold you back."
Whis leaned down to whisper in Beerus's ear. "Especially since that one has the same power as Kale from Universe 6."
"He doesn't need to know about that, Whis."
Whis grinned at Goku, which made him look a bit confused. He wondered if Goku would eventually make the connection between Broly's power and Kale's power and decided he'd let him figure it out on his own.
The youthful-looking Pilaf gang emerged with the banquet and they saw Beerus and Whis seated at a table before them. They didn't expect them to show up and they stopped short of bringing the trays of food to Broly's table. Beerus had his gaze fixed on the three and Pilaf gathered Mai and Shu over into a huddle. They whispered among themselves and they quickly stood before Beerus, bowing at him.
"We were not expecting your arrival so soon, my Lord," Pilaf said nervously and Beerus waved them off.
"It's fine. Feed those two first and then you can indulge my palate afterwards."
"Um, my Lord?" Lemo said cautiously, holding his toque in his hands. He had overheard that Beerus was a God of Destruction and the stories he heard throughout his career of the existence of a Destroyer were originally just stories. But seeing Beerus in the flesh seated in front of him staring at him with an air of intimidation only proved how wrong he was for doubting those stories.
"What is it?" Beerus asked.
"Well, if it would please you, my Lord, I would be honored to cook up a feast worthy of your title as Destroyer. I've formerly been a part of a team of chefs during the reign of King Cold and I've endeavoured to cook nothing but the absolute best."
Goku looked down at Lemo with an air of caution.
"Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into, Lemo?" Goku asked and Lemo nodded, determined now.
"Interesting. Your species does look familiar now that I think about it," Beerus said and Whis examined Lemo.
"Quite astute, my Lord. This one is among a race of people skilled in many talents, the term 'jack-of-all-trades' is thrown around to describe them often, so it wouldn't surprise me if he's quite skilled as a chef."
"As well as both an engineer and a stellar cartographer," Lemo said proudly and he puffed out his chest. He walked over to Beerus and Whis.
"If you don't mind waiting a bit longer, I will showcase my talents for you both," Lemo said and Beerus grinned ear to ear.
"Of course, if your 'talent' isn't up to snuff I'll have to pay your planet a little visit," Beerus said and Lemo swallowed.
"Yes, understood, Lord Beerus," Lemo said and he marched past the Pilaf gang into the kitchen area.
It took him at least an hour while Beerus was busy staring at Goku and Broly eating non-stop. He channeled a bit of energy on his knuckles and rolled a ball of purple energy along the back of his fingers, flicking it up and catching it on the back of his hand while Whis had conjured up a tea set from his staff. Beerus flicked the small energy ball in the air and it exploded in the sky, distracting Broly enough that he stopped for a moment, swallowing a large portion of meat from its bone. He glanced over at Beerus who was grinning back at him and went back to eating the rest of the meat off the bone.
Lemo and the Pilaf gang emerged through the doors with a few carts of their own and they set the trays down in front of Whis and Beerus. Lemo had crafted a variety of rice, seafood, meat, noodle, and soybean dishes. He also set up a small grill in front of the two and began preparing a dish of his own with a carefully clean-cut portion of Wagyu beef with an array of vegetables to compliment the meat's flavour and both Beerus and Whis's eyes widened.
"My goodness! The artistry behind these dishes look simply divine!" Whis cried out as his eyes were focused on the rice dishes and soups.
"These look so good I just want to do nothing but stare at them!" Beerus yelled and he could feel his mouth water.
"A meal fit for a God," Lemo said, smiling.
"I suppose we won't know until we have a taste then, won't we?" Whis said and tried one of the seafood dishes and his eyes sparkled, an audible moan coming from his throat after he swallowed. Beerus tried a piece of the same dish and he cried out cheerfully.
"I can't believe we didn't know about you sooner, mortal! Your concoctions have exceeded our expectations!"
"Enjoy, your Lordships," Lemo said and calmly went back to his grill and finished up what he had started. When Goku and Broly were finished, they noticed that there was more food in front of Beerus and Whis and Goku was the first to walk over.
"Back off Saiyan, you already had your food!" Beerus yelled at Goku as he saw him approach their table and Goku couldn't help but stare intently at the plate full of Tempura. He went to reach for it but Whis caught his hand in between his chopsticks and shook his head.
"Aw, just a tiny bite? Please?" Goku asked and Beerus glared at him.
"You stay at your table and don't move a muscle until we're done, you got that?" Beerus said and Goku sighed, disappointed he couldn't sample Lemo's cooking again and he sat down at his table, leaning forward on his arms, brooding.
After they finished, they both stood up and Whis bowed at Lemo.
"I wish Bulma had introduced me to you sooner, your skills are exemplary," Whis said.
"We only just met yesterday when we brought Broly in to the medical facility after he was critically injured. She's spending the day with my friend Cheelai at some far away island resort."
"Ah yes, the one who wished Broly be relocated back to Vampa if I recall?" Whis inquired.
"Vampa? Why would you want to live there, of all places?" Beerus asked. Whis hadn't quite filled him in on the details, since Beerus had only felt the intense energy of the battle between Goku, Vegeta, Broly, and Freeza while he was forced to look after Bulla.
"Vampa was where we found Broly and his father originally and brought them here to Earth to help Lord Freeza secure the Dragonballs. Goku and Vegeta were there to stop Freeza but then the whole fight happened with Broly, and Cheelai and myself were left to guard the Dragonballs. We went back to Vampa after the wish had been made and Goku helped us out with some capsules Bulma gave to him to pass along. We're back here because Goku had to bring him to the medical facility to help him since he had been bit by one of the giant worms during a sparring session."
"A giant worm?" Beerus asked.
"A Vampa Cavern Serpent to be more accurate," Whis interjected. "They're gargantuan creatures that crawl under the ground so they are often confused for worms due to their lack of eyes. Because they are born blind, they use the barbs located along their bodies to navigate underground. The beetle herds migrate often enough that their vibrations force the serpents to emerge from underground to devour them and if given enough time, they can devour the entire herd. They are one of the most dangerous creatures in the universe and anyone foolish enough to encounter them will find themselves a tasty meal if swallowed whole, but that isn't the worst part about them. Their bite will inject a virus into the bloodstream that mask as a toxin. The pathogen is not easily traceable and often those unfortunate to be infected will die if not treated within a few hours. You have a remarkable constitution for someone your size, Broly. You're quite fortunate to have survived your ordeal."
"You can thank Bulma for her quick work in creating an anti-virus," Lemo said. Broly didn't say anything but his hand went to Bah's ear tied around his waist and he held onto it. Beerus yawned and stretched his arms out, backing away from the table.
"I'll have to personally request you cook for us the next time we're here," Beerus said. Lemo bowed at him.
"It was an honor to cook for you, Lord Beerus. I don't know how long I'll be staying on earth for since we need to find a new planet to live on," Lemo said and Whis pondered that for a moment, putting a finger to his chin. He examined his staff for a moment, then smiled.
"Ah, here we go. The sixth planet of the Bloss system has a habitable ecosystem and the fauna are relatively harmless. Your large Saiyan friend may not find much to help him train, but I'm certain Goku should have no trouble locating his energy to pay him a visit."
Broly turned to Whis, confused. He glanced over at Lemo.
"Are we not returning to Vampa?" Broly asked. Lemo frowned for a moment. He had switched his usual toque for a chef's hat and removed it from his head to hold it against his chest.
"Look, Broly. No one's forcing you to leave Vampa. We want you to make up your own mind regarding that. But for Cheelai and myself, it's too dangerous for us to continue living there. If you want Goku to take you there and help train with you, I won't object. We'll give you as much time as you need to make your decision. Okay, bud?"
"Just let me know when you want to get in some more training and I'll take you back to Vampa if you want," Goku said, putting a hand on Broly's shoulder. Broly breathed a heavy sigh and then nodded.
"This is difficult for me. I wish to remain on Vampa, but I also want to spend time with you and Cheelai. I do not want to see you in grave danger."
"That's why we want you to make the final decision. If you want to stay on Vampa, we'll work through it somehow," Lemo said. He knew full well that Vampa was the only world Broly knew and that this wasn't a decision to be taken lightly. He didn't want to do a disservice to his new friend by taking him away from his home and he chose not to speak any further about it. He'd also have to talk this over with Cheelai when she came back.
"Then with that settled, I bid you all farewell until our next meeting," Whis said with a bow before he stood beside Beerus and tapped his staff to send the two of them flying rapidly through the air out of orbit in a flash of prismatic light. Broly stared at them as they left and was a little awestruck by the sight.
"Pretty," he said to himself.
"Hey Broly, let's go find Vegeta and see if he'll want to train with us," Goku said and Broly paused for a moment.
"Uh, that's if he wants to train with Vegeta," Lemo said. He could tell by Broly's expression that there was still a great deal of resentment on his face when it came to Vegeta. Goku stood in front of Broly with his arms crossed.
"Vegeta's a great sparring partner, trust me," Goku said.
"I am not sure if Vegeta is the same as his father or not," Broly said. "Father has always said that the Vegeta lineage was awful for not acknowledging Saiyan potential and the king had me discarded to Vampa as a throwaway."
"But that was Vegeta's papa who did that, not this Vegeta," Goku said and Broly clenched his fists even tighter, the anger showing more on his face.
"It doesn't matter!" Broly yelled and Goku felt a sharp rise in energy. He raised his hands in a calming down motion.
"Maybe it doesn't to you, but to me Vegeta has grown a lot since I first met him. I used to hate him too for what he did to my friends, but because he's a Saiyan like myself, I knew he can still be a great challenge because of how strong he is. He's grown into a powerful ally even though he doesn't see it sometimes, but he knows how valuable the life of others can be and he'll protect them, just like I have. I know he'll want to fight you again, just like you want to fight us again, right?"
Broly turned away from Goku, sighing.
"I'm…not ready, yet."
"Alright. Whenever you're ready, Vegeta and I will be here," Goku said and Broly looked back at him. Goku extended his hand in a fist and Broly brought up his hand in a fist as well. Goku bumped his fist with Broly's and he waved at him.
"I'm going to train a bit with Vegeta in the gravity room. If you decide to change your mind, they'll help you find us," Goku said and he ran back inside the building. Lemo untied his apron and draped it over a chair.
"So what do you think, big guy?" Lemo asked, arms crossed. He knew Goku had a point but given the bond Broly has had with his father, this was a hard decision to make. Broly was now faced with the daunting task of making hard choices about where he wanted his life to go and he could only wait and see how things developed from now on.
Lemo thought about Cheelai for a moment and wondered if she would eventually come to terms with her feelings for Broly or if she was still going to hide from them.
Miles away, Cheelai was sitting at a fancy open bar, overlooking the beach. She was sipping a fruit cocktail while wearing a red string bikini that she packed with her, a see-through robe draped around her. Bulma provided her with an extra pair of sunglasses when they arrived and she was currently using the facilities while Cheelai was hanging out by herself. She and Bulma had just finished a session that involved a full body scrub, a mud bath, and a full-body massage that Cheelai described as heavenly. The two decided to get a couple of drinks at the bar before getting a bit of a tan at the beach. She also had a small purse slung around her shoulder that had her essentials and a couple of credit sticks, and her blaster pistol slung around her waist on her utility belt. Despite her being on vacation, she was still wary of other people around her she's never seen before and made sure they saw her weapon so they knew not to mess around with her.
She was still waiting on Bulma when she finished her cocktail and signaled for another one. A short lanky man approached from behind her and sat down beside her.
"One of the usual, my good man," the stranger said and Cheelai's eyes narrowed behind her sunglasses. That voice…
"Well hello there, you must be new here," he said behind Cheelai, tapping on her shoulder. Cheelai removed her sunglasses and turned to face the stranger. When the two locked eyes, they both shot looks of surprise. They quickly jumped out of their seats and screamed at each other, pointing fingers. The few patrons that were hanging around stopped to see what the commotion was about.
"It's you! The thief!" the stranger said.
"What the hell are you doing here, Jackhole?" Cheelai yelled and the stranger clenched his fists, gritting his teeth.
"Stop calling me that! It's Jaco, JACO!" Jaco screamed, pointing an accusatory finger at Cheelai.
"Have you been stalking me, you little shit?!" Cheelai asked, hand at her pistol. Jaco had his hand on his own pistol and the two were just about ready to draw their weapons.
"Y-you're under arrest for theft of a patrolman's vehicle, resisting arrest, and several parking violations across three star systems!" Jaco said with as much of a confident voice as he could. He wasn't expecting to stumble upon a wanted criminal during his shore leave from the Galactic Patrol. Cheelai chuckled a bit as she stared defiantly at Jaco, arms crossed beneath her chest.
"You got a warrant on ya, Jackhole?" Cheelai said and Jaco growled again.
"I'm warning you, criminal! You're in deep trouble!" Jaco said but Cheelai rolled his eyes. She walked over to him and stared him down, her nose almost touching his.
"Go ahead, toothpick, I dare ya," she said, grinning at him. Jaco stared back, uncomfortable now. He wasn't expecting this situation to arise at all and he knew without a warrant, this could backfire on him considerably. He saw a familiar face walk up to the group of onlookers and his face brightened.
"Ah, Miss Bulma! What good timing!" Jaco said, rushing to her. Bulma looked back at him, confused.
"Jaco? What are you doing here?" she asked.
"The chief ordered me to take a few days off. I didn't want to take a break but he insisted since I needed some stress relief and I thought of your sister's place for a good vacation spot. But then I just so happened to fall upon this wanted criminal fugitive and I know I can bring her to custody if the chief issues a warrant right now. Will you please contact him for me? I left my communicator back at the hotel."
Bulma blinked for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders and walked over to Cheelai. Jaco stared back, dumbfounded.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing? Don't tell me you're harboring this fugitive!" Jaco spat and Bulma sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"She's my friend and my guest here. She's not done anyone any harm, or committed any crimes since she's been here, so I don't know what you're going on about. If she's not doing anything illegal, you don't get a say in the matter, got it?" Bulma said and she started walking away with Cheelai, who gave Jaco a couple dirty looks, flipping him off with her middle finger. Jaco groaned as he sat down while the onlookers went back to their own conversations.
He checked his pockets and realized he didn't have his wallet or his hotel room key on him and he started to panic. His first instinct was to suspect that Cheelai stole it from him and he searched frantically for her and Bulma, but they were already out of sight among the tourists and he darted forth to search for them. After a few minutes went by, it clicked in his head that he left them on the dresser beside the hotel bed and he hung his head in shame.
Some time later, the sun was setting over the horizon. Bulma and Cheelai were walking along the sand in a more secluded area and the warm breeze blew against their hair and translucent robes. They both felt the waves crash against their feet and legs as Cheelai stopped for a moment to stare out into the sea.
"Of all the places for that pipsqueak to show his face," Cheelai said, crossing her arms. Bulma wrapped her arms casually around herself and sighed.
"If you're worried about me turning you over to the Galactic Patrol, don't be. All I want is for you to have a good time here and so far you have. Worst case scenario, I'll fight the charges against you or pay whatever fine to bail you out. You're not spending the rest of your life in jail, I promise you."
"You'd really do that for me?" Cheelai said, glancing at Bulma. Her eyes lit up a bit as the sparkle of the sun's reflection off the water bounced off her eyes. Bulma nodded, smiling.
"You're the first woman I've got to know in a while that I can relate to in some way, and that I can consider calling her a friend," Bulma said and Cheelai blushed.
"Thank you, Bulma," Cheelai said and Bulma smiled.
"Anytime."
They let the waves continue to sweep around their legs and Bulma stared out into the sea.
"Sometimes I joke to myself that I should trade places with Tights and spend the rest of my life here while she looks after Bulla, Trunks, and Vegeta," Bulma said, chuckling to herself. Cheelai smirked as she glanced at her.
"But I wouldn't give up my family for the world. They're my life and I wouldn't know what to do without them."
Cheelai looked down and stared at her pendant. She decided to bring it with her to wear around her neck while she was here. As she looked at it some more, her expression grew more serious. She unhooked it from around her neck and carefully placed it in her hand. She then glanced at the sea and Bulma seemed to have an idea what Cheelai might be up to.
"Are you sure about this?" Bulma asked.
"Yes," Cheelai said, clutching the pendant in her hand. She opened the pendant and looked down at the picture of herself and Durien and Bulma caught a glimpse of him.
"Wow, you weren't kidding about his looks," Bulma said and Cheelai smiled.
"Yeah. He was handsome. But so is Broly, too."
Cheelai couldn't deny that about Broly to herself. She still spent some of the day thinking about Broly lying there in that hospital bed and she began to miss him. As much as she was enjoying her time at this resort, she wanted to go back to the medical facility and spend more time with him. She sighed and closed the pendant in her hand.
"If the roles were reversed, I'd want Durien to move on and find someone new in his life to love just as much as he loved me. We trusted each other with our lives that I knew he'd want me to eventually move on should the worst happen. I think being able to finally cry it all out was my way of saying goodbye, and spending time here gave me a chance to renew myself emotionally and prepare myself to let him go and finally move on with my life. If I kept denying my feelings for other people and dwelled on what could've been with Durien, not only would I dishonor the bond we shared, but I'd be hurting myself and the new friends I have in my life now. I don't want to put that kind of burden on Broly's shoulders, not when he has a lot of new things to learn and a new lease on life he can experience for the first time. I want to be there every single step of the way to make sure he can live that life."
She brought the pendant to her lips and she kissed it for a few seconds, smiling.
"Goodbye Durien," she said and she threw the pendant far into the air. She drew her pistol and aimed it, firing a shot that vaporized the pendant as it came down. She holstered her weapon and breathed a sigh, still smiling. Bulma put her arm around Cheelai's shoulder and brought her in close. Cheelai responded with an arm around the small of Bulma's back and they both stared at the sea, listening to the breeze and the crashing waves.
"Did I ever tell you how great your ass looks?" Bulma said after a few minutes passed by, glancing behind her at Cheelai's backside.
"No, you haven't."
"You have no idea how many years it's taken me to make my ass look like that and you show up out of the blue and it looks so natural and tight. What's your secret?"
Cheelai giggled. "Nothing much really, just a lot of physical activity."
"Ah, I'm so jealous!" Bulma cried and they started walking and chatting their way back to the hotel room as the sun disappeared.