Hi again, I'm back with another fun filled chapter! Things are heating up and it's up to Bulma and Vegetto to really step it up! Let's hope they can do it!

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Chapter 6: Mirrored Illusions

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or DBM. I am just writing pure fiction.
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"Take me to my son!" Bulma demanded loudly while placing her hands on her hips. Her brow's twitched with irritation when she was greeted with that same snickering grin as before. Almost immediately Bulma felt her teeth clench as a blatant blush appear on her cheeks.

She had certainly become the fool of the two.

Bulma inwardly cursed.

If only she hadn't let her feelings get the best of her.

Perhaps, perhaps then she wouldn't have given into him so easily. She wouldn't have fallen for Vegetto's devilish charms. Bulma however couldn't let Vegetto's sneaky prank get the best of her. Her son needed assistance.

"I told you Trunk's doesn't want me to—"

"I don't care!" Bulma interrupted.

Trunks was her responsibility with Vegeta gone. Besides Bulma couldn't let Trunks have way. She was the parent in all this. What's more Trunks wasn't like his father at all and while it was true that he did idolize Vegeta—they still weren't the same person.

Trunks was Trunks.

Bulma knew her son wouldn't go all out like Vegeta did. He hadn't the heart to commit to such things. Especially now more so than before because Bulma knew the truth behind the front Trunks tried so hard to put up before everyone.

He was afraid.

Trunks was terrified of this new hidden power that lied dormant deep inside him. In fact Bulma had a feeling that Trunks didn't want to risk losing himself. He didn't want to become someone who kills others in cold blood. It wasn't of his nature because after all…

'He takes after you woman.' Vegeta once told her as he appeared out of the GR after a training session with Trunks. 'Weak and increasingly annoying just like you.' Bulma couldn't help but grimace at Vegeta's words. She thought things would become different after the cell games but Vegeta's sudden change of attitude lately proved her wrong. In fact Vegeta started putting up a mental wall between them again and this made Bulma's worries increase.

However she couldn't ever tell him that.

Vegeta was never the one to talk relationship problems. Bulma simply let things go and hoped for the best. With this in mind Bulma crossed her hands over her chest and rolled her eyes at the usual, 'oh so grumpy Saiyan.'

'Well what do you expect Vegeta? He isn't like you. Trunks is half human remember?'

'Humph, clearly a flaw I wish not to remember.'

His words stung deep inside her heart but Bulma somehow managed to push it to the back of her mind. Vegeta must have just been putting up a front like he always did.

'If you feel that way perhaps you should not have mated with me then.' Bulma teased with a light chuckle.

'Perhaps…' Vegeta replied sounding awfully distant. This whole scenario between them caused her blood to run cold whenever he insulted her. She wasn't she what to think anymore. Sometimes she wondered if he'd just disappear…

Bulma lifted her right hand to grab hold of him but by now Trunks had stumbled out of the GR bruised and bloodied. Bulma dropped her hand in an instant as she gasped at the boy's appearance. He was laughing but she was burning with fury. Vegeta's harsh attitude was fine against her but to their son—No she couldn't stand for it! Bulma whipped around to give Vegeta a piece of her mind but by then he was already gone.

Gone…

"He needs me!" Bulma insisted glaring daggers at the Saiyan across from her. She just couldn't allow Trunks to slip away from her fingers like Vegeta did. Bulma knew that it would surely destroy her own mentality. Her son, without Vegeta, had really become her second backbone.

Thankfully it seemed as though Vegetto was paying attention to her needs for once as his playful grin had disappeared. Instead he now wore a facial expression that showed a certain level of seriousness that could match her own. A few minutes of silence brushed between them and then finally Vegetto's eyes slid shut.

"Stubborn woman..." She heard him say and Bulma couldn't help but smile. Vegeta would always say that when she was trying to get him to agree with something. "Come on." Vegetto commanded sounding a bit annoyed and appearing more and more like the old Vegeta she knew and loved by the second. She swore for a moment she saw her prince standing before her with that same grumpy look, arms crossed from pure irritation, and finally… "Bulma!" His overbearing impatience.

Bulma snickered to herself before shaking off the illusion of man she loved and replacing it with a man she was beginning to care for, even if she claimed to hate him. If only he hadn't been such a prick. Maybe then she might have not wanted to split him apart. However she did want this, and guaranteed to make it happen once the wish was upon her.

Trunks, Trunks, Trunks. Her brain chanted as if to remind her of what she should be pondering about. Bulma felt like whacking herself for being absent minded again but she understood now that she had to put her thoughts on hold for a bit. Trunks still needed her.

Thus Bulma approached the tall Saiyan wordlessly as she tied her hands around his neck and pressed herself close as if signaling she was ready to go. Vegetto's left hand wrapped around her side firmly and she shut her eyes waiting for the rushed feeling of being teleported from one side of the island to the other but it never came. Instead she squeaked when she felt herself be lifted up off the ground. Bulma opened her eyes to see Vegetto was carrying her bridal style and raised a brow in confusion.

"Wait, how come we aren't just, 'Instant Transmissioning,' over there?" Bulma questioned.

"Yes let's just instant transmission over to where they are shooting off Ki blasts blindly! What a wonderful idea! Idiot." Vegetto answered sarcastically causing her to gap at him.

'H-How rude!' Bulma thought as she snapped her mouth shut. 'What the hell is his problem so suddenly? It's almost like he really is Vegeta with that kind of attitude! B-But why now? Wait a minute! Didn't Gohan and Trunks say something about this earlier?" Bulma concentrated on the thought and sure enough the mental note snapped up in her brain. 'Yes that's right they did claim that Vegeta's persona came out when they fought him so does that mean now that we are going to head into battle that this person actually is…'

"Vegeta?" Bulma asked without thinking and quickly covered her mouth. Thankfully Vegetto hadn't heard her. In fact they were already off the ground and heading toward their destination. Bulma blushed cursing herself, but still she couldn't help but look up at Vegetto. Yes, she could see Vegeta in him as clearly as ever before.

Bulma could feel the tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Bulma hated feeling this way and she told herself over and over that she wouldn't let it get to her but still even now she felt the tears flow loosely down her cheeks. She could see Vegetto staring at her by now, eyeing her.

"What are you blubbering about now woman?"

'Always the romantic.' Her mind sneered sarcastically and Bulma found herself chuckling as the tears continued to fall. 'Yet that's something Vegeta would say alright!'

"Nothing!" Bulma answered sticking her tongue out at him while she wiped the tears away. This action caused her to receive an annoyed expression from a certain Saiyan.

"Stupid woman." He grumbled under his breath.

"Bulma," She corrected him while holding up right hand's index finger. "And here you're calling me the idiot yet you can't even remember my name. I thought you were supposed to be better than Vegeta." He growled and gave a quick, 'humph,' as she laughed his mumbling curses off.

Now the scores were tied!

It was funny how similar he was to Vegeta but at the same time she knew he would not be like this once the battle was over with. He would turn into a man that matched Goku's personality. It was strange, almost like he had a multi-personality disorder but did not prefer a certain side. He did not want to be Goku or Vegeta. He wanted to be Vegetto and that's exactly how she would treat him.

"Hey Vegetto?" Bulma called. She knew he was annoyed but he wouldn't flat out despise her like Vegeta did whenever she pissed him off.

"What now Bulma?"

"Well I was wondering…If, if there was a Saiyan female still alive…Would Vegeta have chosen her over me?" She had wanted to ask Vegeta before the tournament after all sometimes he was so difficult to read. It made her fret about it but whenever she did try to gather the courage to tell him, Vegeta was too busy training for the tournament.

After hearing her question Vegetto suddenly halted in midair and stared down at her with a bizarre look on his face.

"To whereby tell did this brilliant idea of yours sprout from?"

"B-before the tournament," She admitted twiddling her fingers. "I just thought Vegeta would have been happier to well have a pure blooded Saiyan family than a weak human one…"

"Don't be stupid. It's unfitting of you Bulma." He told her and she smiled.

"Right, right, forgive me." Bulma said as she now scratched the side of her cheek. It was amazing how easily she could get answers from him now.

It made her so happy!

She couldn't wait to tell Trunks that she had finally saw Vegeta like he did. "AH TRUNKS!" Bulma exclaimed nearly deafening Vegetto. "Is he still alright?" She questioned the ringing eared Saiyan. Vegetto however quickly recovered and settled his view back out over the sea.

As soon as he gave a humming noise Bulma began to freak out. "What's wrong?"

"Three of the Kis Trunks were fighting disappeared."

"WHAT? Does that mean that Trunks defeated them all by himself?"

"I don't think so." Bulma gave him an exasperated look.

"T-then what happened? Weren't you keeping tabs on them?" A light blush appeared on Vegetto's cheeks.

"I got distracted." A snap went off in Bulma's head and she too suddenly felt heat on her cheeks following.

"A-ah, sorry." Bulma whispered while lowering her gaze in embarrassment. Had she not been so childish, Vegetto would have been able to concentrate properly. "Is Trunks still—?"

"Yes, he's fine, but something is wrong with his ki."

"W-what do you mean?" Bulma asked, "I thought you just said he was fine?"

"He is but he's not fighting." Before Bulma could ask him anything more, the Saiyan lowered them back down on the ground before. Gently he placed her feet back onto the land and then with that now freed right hand, he placed two fingers to his forehead.

Bulma's eyes widened at the sight especially considering what he said to her earlier about being hit by ki blasts. However when she dared to blink already a new scene was setting in around her. Water was spurting out of the ground after being ripped apart by several blasts. Tree's torn straight out from its roots and houses where Nameks used to stay in blow to mere rubble.

'Terrible!' Bulma exclaimed within the depths of her mind. It really was like a repeating nightmare as the once blue skies were daring to mix with purple. Whoever did this, they were going to pay! Vegetto would make sure of it. Bulma gazed around a bit more and slowly her eyes caught onto a familiar form.

"Trunks!" Bulma cried out joyfully at seeing her son. He was back facing them, but he was on his feet, standing up completely straight forward signaling all her fears were for nothing. She quickly untangled herself from Vegetto and tried to run toward him, but a strong grip stopped her from doing such things.

Bulma shot him an annoyed look, but something in his eyes made her keep her mouth shut. He was looking so harshly at something beyond her. Bulma swallowed following his gaze and sure enough just past Trunks was some sort of green alien chick.

"I guess I was wrong." Vegetto suddenly said causing her eyes to drift back on him. "I always thought looking at Guldo was a disturbing sight but after seeing the female of his species, I can honestly say, he is the better of the two."

The tall Saiyan let out a deep chuckle followed by a grin after saying such things and Bulma merely tilted her head. She had no idea who Guldo was but she did have to agree, a tall four eyed female with a wrinkled up face like that was not a pleasant sight! Yet somehow on this alien woman's planet people probably thought of her beautiful. (A/N – Imagine Guldo, taller, dark green Mohawk, pink lipstick, and finally with boobs...Hah)

"Who, who is she?" Bulma questioned and Vegetto hummed.

"Perhaps this is King Cold's Ginyu force. I was actually beginning to wonder when we'd finally run into his group of mercenary clowns."

"If she really is a part of a mercenary…Where are her fellow team mates?"

"Good question." Bulma frowned. She had hoped since they were here now that Vegetto would have been able to pick up the three hidden warriors but apparently that was not the case.

"Trunks!" Bulma called toward her son once again. He still wouldn't face her. Bulma inwardly scowled, what was up with him?

Could it be perhaps he was worried about how upset she was for disobeying her orders? Bulma shook her head. No that wouldn't be the case, Trunks knew her much better than that. She wasn't that type of person.

"Vegetto let me go. I need to go see what's up with Trunks."

"No. It's too dangerous. Don't be a fool Bulma." Bulma rolled her eyes, the Goku personality was back again. With no one to fight, he must have relaxed.

"Oh please, if that alien chick dared to make a move to attack me, you'd blow her to death in a matter of seconds. I really have nothing to fear at all, right?" She questioned, smirking a bit.

"It's your choice Bulma." Vegetto said as to satisfy her needs as he let her slip out of his hands.

Bulma ran over to her son's position but slowed to a walk when she got closer and closer into the aliens chick's sights. However the alien woman was somewhat freaky. Her four eyed glare never left Trunks and it almost seemed like she was frozen in place.

"What a weirdo, huh Trunks?" Bulma joked as she settled besides her son. He didn't reply though. Hell he completely ignored her presence. "Trunks?" Bulma called once again, as she waved a hand before his eyes. Nothing still. Bulma began to get frustrated by this silent treatment. She hardly deserved any of it. "Trunks now you listen here young man, I know you are trying to act serious but this is ridiculous. Trunks!" Bulma shouted and reached out to grab him.

"Wait." Vegetto's firm voice appeared behind her once more causing her to jump up and back up into the taller Saiyan. Bulma balled up her hands into fists.

"What now?" She questioned sourly as she whirled around to face Vegetto.

"If I remember correctly Guldo had psychic abilities." A light bulb went off in Bulma's head then.

"So you think that Trunks," She glanced over her shoulder back toward her son, "is stuck in some kind of mental battle ground with that freak over there?"

Vegetto didn't even need to confirm it as Bulma could already see it was true. "Then what do we do now?"

"We wait." He told her flatly and she couldn't believe her ears. There was no way she could leave it up to fate alone. Trunks wouldn't win. He couldn't win. Not with how destructive his state of mind was recently! Trunks was going to lose!

"Is there any way we could possibly reach him?"

"He obviously can't hear us Bulma. This is Trunks's fight. He is fighting at his best so there is no doubt he will win."

"And that's what you don't understand!" Bulma shouted toward the ignorant Saiyan. "Trunks is not fighting at his best! He hasn't been his best ever since he discovered that you really still are his father!" Bulma screamed throwing her hands out as she stared at him with pure irritation.

"I don't understand. Isn't that what Trunks wanted?" Vegetto questioned and Bulma nodded, "Then what is the problem Bulma? What don't I understand?"

"His feelings!" Bulma quickly replied as she brushed a single strand of hair back behind her ear. "There was one major difference that held Goku and Vegeta apart from each other in Trunk's eyes!" She exclaimed hoping the Saiyan could pick up on it but he was dense as always. Bulma sighed, and tried her best to compose herself. Vegetto would never get it if she was yelling at him.

"To Trunks…Vegeta never left." Vegetto's eyes grow wide for a moment but subsided.

"But Vegeta did leave—"

"Err—Wrong! Well…It is true that Vegeta did leave once but back then you have to remember Trunks was just a baby. He didn't comprehend Vegeta's absence. For all we know Trunks just thought Vegeta was hanging out watching from afar protecting us as he should. So you see, in Trunks head Vegeta was always there. Yet you, Vegetto, you ruined that. You, who is his father, left us, left him, and left me…TWICE!"

"I," The Saiyan struggled for words as he seemed to be battling within himself, "I'm sorry." Vegetto said, and then glanced up at her. "I'm sorry Bulma."

Bulma felt like she had been hit with a wave of emotions after that. She still wasn't used to an apology and she felt the tears forming but she held them back with all her might. She had to be strong, she wasn't a weak mother who would always cry at the sound of trouble. She was different.

"G-Good," Bulma responded as she licked her lips as if to desperately find the words she needed to say, "I'm glad you understand that you haven't been the perfect father in the world but right now we can't afford to stand here and mess around all day. Trunks needs us, were his parents!"

"Your right." Vegetto replied and scanned his eyes over the frozen in time boy. "Bulma you should enter the mental battle field with Trunks. If I go in, Trunks will probably fight me besides there's a good chance that those missing mercenary lurking around have discovered us by now. I can't risk jumping in only to have you get attacked on the outside. Besides if anyone can snap Trunks out of something, it would be you Bulma." Vegetto said as he placed his hands on her shoulders. By now she was gapping at the idea of entering a full scale battle. "You are his mother after all Bulma. You can do it."

Bulma's first thought was to shake her head. She wasn't a warrior! She couldn't fight the fight like Chichi could! She sure as hell wasn't a Saiyan! Vegetto must have lost his marbles! She would get killed! He was the hero while she—she was the—"After all you are a genius." Vegetto added with a grin and Bulma's heart skipped all over the place. "That's why I choose you to be my mate." With that all her negative thoughts came to a hold as Vegetto had done something that Bulma only thought was possible by the hands of Vegeta. He had made her feel as if she could fly.

As if she finally had a place side by side with him. She was his equal and his mate. Come to think of it that was probably the closest thing she'd ever get to an, 'I love you,' but it was enough for her because she loved him unconditionally.

"'Choose to mate me only because I'm a genius,' huh? That's kind of harsh." Bulma said with a tease hidden within her words. Vegetto pulled his right hand away from her shoulder and scratched the back of his head.

"Ah, I didn't mean it like that."

"Right, right. I'm off, keep up safe!" Vegetto nodded, dropping his left hand back to his side, and giving her a thumbs up gesture with his right one.

"Roger!"

With that Bulma turned around and took a deep breath. It was now or never, she only hoped she wasn't too late. With a final swallow she took her sons right hand and felt herself be pulled in. Bulma gasped, the air pressure was huge, and Bulma was almost positive that she would die but then it vanished and she realized that she had finally arrived.

It was dark and the only thing she could really see was herself. In fact her body was illuminating and causing light to fill the area. Right now she was one her knees and staring up at the sky, but only darkness ensured. It was a world filled with hopelessness. Bulma went to stand but stopped feeling warmth at her fingertips and sure enough in a bloodied mess was her son.

Bulma gasped and called to him. He had scratches all over his body and he himself was trembling because of it. Slowly he lifted his head towards her and Bulma smiled a bit when she met his gaze. However the look in his eyes at seeing her caused Bulma to faultier. He looked petrified and almost immediately pulled away from her covering his arms and hands over his face.

"P-please!" She heard him call with a shaken tone, "Please don't hit me anymore! I don't want to fight you! I don't want to hurt you!"

"T-Trunks?" Bulma questioned as she tried to reach out for the boy but he managed to get back on his feet and flee away from her. His body of light getting further and further away. Bulma panicked getting onto her feet. "W-Wait TRUNKS!" Bulma called darting after him. "I don't understand, what's going on?"

She watched him power up into a Super Saiyan and she skid to a stop when he turned her way and shot of a ki blast. Now it was her turn to cover her face but the blast never hit her, it only caused a smog of darkness to rift between them making it impossible to see. Bulma coughed as the smoke cleared revealing her son had already vanished within the darkness. Bulma glanced around seeking the light, but nothing, nothing, nothing, NOTHING!

No sign of Trunks anywhere!

'Damn it! If only I could track Kis like the others! Maybe then I could find Trunks and what was with him anyways? Why did Trunks think I would attack him? This is a bit out of my element…Maybe I should have taken the risk on the outside instead…' Bulma let out a tiny chuckle and then allowed her lips to form a line as she began to really think about her situation. 'It's really too late to back down. All I can do is suck it up because when the going gets tough, the tough gets going! I can't let Trunk's attitude phase me. I must reach through this barrier, no matter what!'

"My what a determined mind you have…" A familiar voice appeared through the darkness sounding quite alluring. Bulma whipped around when she heard the faint noises of heels clicking towards her from behind. Bulma swallowed, she didn't know what was coming but she tried, to fake like she could fight them. Bulma had gotten into a fighting stance she had seen the others had go into many times before but if Bulma had to follow through with this stance, she was going to be swimming in deep water.

However as the light began to outline this person's body, Bulma felt herself shrink away.

"W-what…?" Bulma questioned as she stared at the unexpected guest. The person, now clearly seen as a woman grinned evilly at her. "B-but you're, you're…" By now Bulma wasn't sure what to say, she just kept on pointing at the woman with wide eyes.

"So you're the woman he calls, 'mom'?" The woman asked with light humor as she flipped back her a strand of her light blue hair.

Bulma continued to gap for a moment more and finally she somehow managed to accept the face of the woman before her. Bulma closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, and slowly reopened them as she crossed her hands over her chest.

"Yes, I am Trunks mother, but,"

"But…?" The other woman questioned tilting her head, and pursing her red lipstick lips.

"But just who are you?" The woman chuckled at this as she circled Bulma with a that same snickering grin.

"Me? I'm thee Bulma Briefs."

Bulma gritted her teeth.

"So, you must be the reason why Trunks is acting so strange. I will not forgive you for this! How dare you use my face against my son!"

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TBC

Next Chapter – Bulma versus…Bulma?

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Thank you again for all the reviews. I'm glad more and more people are enjoying this story as I enjoy writing it!

P.S, I know Trunks seems OCC here but I'm trying to push him into a moment where he has no choice but to let go of all his fears and ascend. Also the reason why Vegeta is being mean to Bulma in the flash back was to be like sort of a bad omen towards his changing in the Buu Saga. One more thing, Can you all let me know what you think of Vegetto so far? Am I doing okay? Please let me know!

Anyways see you again soon - hopefully!