Chapter 2: Respect
"And do you remember what happened next, Vegeta?"
"The White Goddess hid her message as a silver hair of moonlight and tied it to the smallest bird on the full moon to hide it from the Guardian's eyes. When the smallest bird landed on the window of the prince, it turned back into energy and sang love songs to him. Then he hid his message as a black tread of night to hide in the bird's shadow as he flew up to heaven before dawn."
"Yes, that's right. You know if you keep this up you will be telling me bedtime stories instead."
"But only the secret ones right, Mama?"
"Yes, always remember these are only between you and me."
"Mama, I figured out how the Goddess talked with the prince."
*Giggles* "Oh really? Then tell me."
"Like this, Mama!"
(Iiiii eeLoeeeVa uOeee)
"How Long Have You Done This?! Has Anyone Else Seen You?! DOES YOUR FATHER KNOW?!"
"Mama! You're hurting my arm! Mama! MAMA!"
Vegeta gasped awake.
He sat up moaning, his left hand on his temple. He grunts putting it in his lap. "Fucking nightmares. That's what I get for messing with that instrument. What was I thinking…"
Vegeta then noticed a line of light across his bed. He followed the line to the window were the curtains were cracked open. He got out of bed and headed to the window. He pulled them back and saw the full moon proud in the sky. The skin on his lower back started to crawl.
"Goddess, no wonder I'm hallucinating." He closes his eyes and sneers, "Hmph... The Goddess…" He looks back at the moon and gripped the curtains, "Leave me alone, you lifeless rock! I've destroyed thousands of rocks with more meaning than you!"
Vegeta slammed the curtains shut, but they again cracked open letting in the beam of moonlight. After several cycles of Vegeta cursing and the curtains drifting apart again, he accidently pulled the curtain rod out of the wall.
"Fucking damn it!" Vegeta glared at the broken curtains in his fists then turned it to the moon. "Fine! Be that way! I'll go sleep in a room where you can't get to me!"
He grabbed his pillow, blanket and a pair of shorts, then slammed the door as he left.
Vegeta closed his eyes and took a deep breath letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. After several moments, he opened them and looked around the hallway.
"The entertainment room should be my best bet, with that soft furniture and no foreign light sources." Vegeta kicked himself, "Soft furniture, damn this planet! I'll sleep on the fucking floor! The kitchen should be bitter cold tile."
Vegeta dropped his pillow and blanket at the door and walked off.
Vegeta passed the sunroom, rounded the corner heading to the kitchen. He suddenly stopped just past the piano after noticing the light was on in the kitchen. Moments later he also noticed the sparkle of broken glass on the floor and a wet stain on the wall.
"Fucking retarded fuckers! No one does this to Fucking Bulma Brief!"
A glass bottle flew into the hallway, smashed into the wall, and added to the pile. Vegeta now smelled the fresh sent of alcohol from the glass shards.
"Shit…" Vegeta thought, "Guess it's the media room after all…"
Vegeta turned around but tripped into the piano. His right arm fell on the exposed keys before the fallboard landed on his hand.
"Who's there?!"
Hearing Bulma loudly knock things over trying to escape the kitchen, Vegeta quickly pulled his hand out and vanished.
Vegeta put his left hand over his eyes as he flipped on the light in the media room. He quickly grabbed the adjoining knob and dimmed the lights to almost nothing. He walked down the short ramp to the oversized sectional and stretched out on the black leather covering himself with the throw blanket and quickly zoned out.
For about five minutes.
Vegeta heard the door open and the dimmed lights began blinking on and off several times before someone turned the knock up.
"Who's in here?" Bulma asked leaning against the curtained walls walking down the ramp.
Vegeta put his hands over either side of his face. "Why won't the women in my life let me SLEEP?!"
"Vegeta? What you doing here?"
He put his hands across his chest, "I was trying to sleep…" "Oh, Goddess don't sit — too late…"
Bulma sat down near Vegeta's head. He sat up and swung his feet on the floor.
"What's wrong with your bed?" she asked.
"Nothing, it's the curtains. They're not blocking out the full moon light."
Bulma twisted her head diagonally, "But you don't have a tail?"
"If I still had my tail, you wouldn't have a house. But that doesn't mean the moonlight doesn't have other effects. If I had my choice, I'd be asleep right now instead of talking to you."
"Hey! Don't you know who I am?!" Bulma tried to stand but quickly fell forward. Vegeta grabbed her before she smashed through the glass coffee table and sat her back down.
He folded his arms glaring down at her, "You're Fucking Bulma Brief. I think everyone on the damn planet heard you barking like a rabid hound earlier."
Bulma's head wobbled slightly. Then she leaned forward and puked.
Vegeta launched into the air to save his feet. "Did you just try to vomit on me?!" he said hovering over the table.
Bulma answered by puking again.
Vegeta landed on the opposite side of the table. He ran his right hand down his face in disbelief at the situation.
"You're lucky I need you alive, woman," Vegeta muttered as he moved the glass table against the wall. He also moved the side tables and anything else he thought could injure her in this state.
"You sit right there until I get back," he ordered before walking out of the room.
Vegeta shut the door behind him. He growled a sigh before shutting his eyes and concentrating.
"There they are," he thought opening them, looking up and to the left at the ceiling. "Time to find some bloody stairs."
Vegeta walked through hallways he had never been in before, keeping a bead on the two energies he needed.
"This better be the right door," he said under his breath. He tapped the door a few times testing its strength before bagging on it loudly. "Dr. Brief!"
The loud bagging stirred Mrs. Brief first.
*Doctor! Misses! Your daughter requires medical assistance!*
"Doghter… Doghter assistance…" her sleeping brain garbled together. "Doghter assistance… Doghter… Doctor assistance… Doctor…Doghter assistance… Doctor… Dogther assist… Dogther… Doter? Dao-er? Dao-ter? Doctor… Dao-ter assistance… Doctor… daughter assistance… Daughter… Doctor assistance… Daughter… DAUGHTER?!"
Mrs. Brief snapped awake.
*Doctor! Mrs. Brief! Wake up, damn you!*
"Sweetie! Sweetie, wake up!" Mrs. Brief shook her husband.
"Mmmwha…?" he moaned.
"Bulma needs help. Wake up," she said rolling out of bed. She put her slippers on and grabbed her house robe.
*Doctor! …*
She opened the door.
"It's about damn time…" Vegeta glared at her.
"What's wrong with Bulma?"
Vegeta pointed down the hall. "Your daughter is a violent drunk who could have toppled over and bled out on all the shit she's smashed by now because you took your damn time!"
Mrs. Brief blinked, then put her right hand to her cheek. "Oh! She's drunk and you don't know how to handle her. I was worried for a moment."
Vegeta's arm and face dropped, "This is a frequent occurrence… ?"
"Watch the broken glass," Vegeta warned sidestepping the pile.
"Oh, dear," Mrs. Brief said as the couple looked in the kitchen.
"Good God…" Dr. Brief turned to Vegeta, "What did you do to piss her off?"
"I had nothing to do with this, Old Man!"
"Now. Now. No fighting," Mrs. Brief intervened, "Let's just get Bulma taken care of and we can all get back to sleep."
"I haven't even slept yet…" Vegeta thought.
They came to the proper hallway. The door is opened.
"Oh crap…" Vegeta ran over, put his hands on the door frame, and stuck his head in. "And she's gone…" Vegeta stepped away from the door, "Shit."
"We'll," Dr. Brief yawned pointing down the hall, "I say we follow the fallen pictures."
"…Vegeta you piece of shit…" Bulma's voice came from the distance.
Dr. Brief looked at Vegeta. "I thought you said this wasn't your fault?"
"Boys! No fighting. Come on," Mrs. Brief walked ahead.
They found Bulma in the guestrooms hallway. Three doors were opened, with Bulma beating and kicking on a fourth.
"Vegeta!" She slammed her shoulder into the door. "I know you're in this one! You can't hide from me! No one tells me what to do! No One! Not You! Not the Social Committee! No One!"
"Bulma! Sweetie!" Mrs. Brief ran forward, "You're hurting yourself!"
"Momma?" Bulma turned as Mrs. Brief grabbed her.
"Come on, Sweetie. Why don't we get you to bed. You're not doing any good here."
"Momma? Why are… YOU!"
"Shit…" he thinks.
"You!" Bulma stormed over and attempted to poke him in the chest, but only ended up simply punching him repeatedly over his heart.
"No one tells me to just to sit still and look pretty! I am Fucking Bulma Brief! I'm the most powerful bitch on this God damn planet! NO ONE TELLS ME WHAT TO DO!"
Vegeta blushed bright red and formed his fists at his sides, "I never called you pretty, Woman!" Vegeta then jumped backwards as Bulma barfed. "What is with your obsession with vomiting on me?!"
"Now, Bulma," Dr. Brief walked forward and rubbed her back as she was bent over still spitting up, "We all know how frustrating Vegeta can be…"
Vegeta's face twisted. "I didn't even do anything!"
"Shhh." Mrs. Brief put her right arm across him and placed her hand on his left arm. "Getting her to bed is the important thing now," she whispered almost reading his thoughts.
"But right now, it's close to 2 a.m. And the sooner you get to bed, the better your hangover will be. So, let's get to sleep and sort this whole thing out in the morning."
Bulma nodded and her father put her arm over his neck and began to walk her off. Mrs. Brief nodded to Vegeta, then put her index finger to her mouth. She turned and caught up with her family, taking the opposite side to her husband.
Vegeta silently rubbed his eyes waiting until they were far ahead to follow. He casually glanced at the door. It had a dent with a deep crack in it at shoulder height. Vegeta then inspected the others. All had broken knobs and jams. He finished breaking off the last few fibers of one chuck of wood with the warped metal plate still affixed by screws.
"That slender woman broke through three doors and damaged another?" He looked at the doors and frames. "I know these are laughably frail, but they must be more than adequate for her species. These are doors after all…"
A whiff of admiration poked holes through his frustration thinking of this and her punching him repeatedly earlier.
"Hmph. Nonsense," he dropped the piece of doorframe and followed.
Mrs. Brief lifts the toilet seat and helps Bulma onto the floor. Her husband stands in the bathroom door and Vegeta behind him mouth slightly ajar looking at the filth the woman lived in.
She filled a cup with water and hands it to her, "Now Sweetie. You drink lots of water and try and hit the toilet, ok?"
Bulma nods while swallowing. She then hands the cup back and her mother refills it again and leaves it on the edge of the counter. Mrs. Brief then leans over, kisses her daughter's head, then exits the room gently leaving the door slightly open to give her privacy.
Her parents then exited the room, to Vegeta's surprise.
"You're really trusting her to be alone?" he asked once the door closed.
Dr. Brief yawned, "She'll be fine."
Vegeta pointed towards the wall at the bathroom. "Excuse me for not trusting that woman not to drown in the feces receptacle after everything I just went through!" he said as loud as he dared.
"Vegeta," Mrs. Brief started, "I understand you care about —"
"All I care about is the gravity machine being fixed," Vegeta said crossing his arms.
"Then why are you blushing?" Mrs. Brief singsonged.
"Don't provoke him," Dr. Brief scolded.
"Oh, fine," she sighed. "But Vegeta, as long as you stay quiet you can stay. Just behave yourself, ok?" She winked.
Vegeta didn't know what she meant as she said it, but then she gave the same undeniable wink as her daughter.
"I AM NOT A RAPIST!" Vegeta howled as his energy exploded out around him.
Pictures ripped of the walls and Mrs. Brief's robe and night gown rippled violently as she put her hand up to shield her face. Her husband grabbed and shielded her.
"I have done more than enough to earn an eternity burning in Hell, but Rape is not one of them!"
Vegeta stalked forward, "Killing is completely natural, predator and prey. Rape is a perversion to all life!"
The door knob turned. "Mom, what was that?"
Vegeta vanished.
"That sounded like Veg—" Bulma opened the door and saw her parents in each other's arms with ruffled hair, clothes and her father with slightly crooked glasses. The picture directly behind them was also fallen off the hook and leaning against the wall.
Bulma blinked a few times. "Never mind…" she shut the door.
"Wait. Let me help you…" Mrs. Brief opened the door and went inside closing it behind her.
"That was close…"
Dr. Brief looked up and saw Vegeta flat against the ceiling. He hopped down, then looked himself over. "It's terrifying that the ceiling in the hallways are cleaner that the sleeping quarters your daughter utilizes."
He looks up at the doctor. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Dr. Brief walked up to him and extended his hand.
Vegeta looked down at it, then back up at his face. "What are you doing?"
"Offering to shake hands, Vegeta. It is a sign of respect on Earth."
Vegeta crosses his arms. "And what brings this about?"
"I don't know how things are out there in space, but on Earth a man who would consider taking advantage of a woman as drunk as my daughter is right now a rape is rarer than a blue moon."
"And?" he asked annoyed.
"I'm trying to say I trust you with my daughter, Vegeta."
"I could still kill her, you know."
Dr. Brief smiled to his surprise, "I thought you wanted the gravity machine fixed?"
Vegeta shook his head, but the door opened before he could open his mouth.
"Sweetie," Mrs. Brief pokes her head out, "Bulma's gone into the crying phase. I think I'll be sleeping here tonight."
Vegeta turned to her, "So she's deteriorating like I said she would?"
"Yes, Vegeta. You were right." She turned to her husband and moved her hand in a dismissive fashion, "Now you go to bed, Sweetie. Vegeta, I want to talk to you for a second."
"All right," Dr. Brief yawned, then pecked her on the cheek, "Good Night, Dear." He turned and walked away, "Good Night, Vegeta."
Mrs. Brief exited about half her body out the door to talk.
"If this is about showing respect, your husband already did. There is no need to 'shake hands' again."
"I see," she smiles, "Good for him. But thank you, Vegeta, for being a decent man if not a good one."
"Before you go," Vegeta stops her from reentering. "What is a 'blue moon'?"
"Oh? Did he use that to describe you?"
"Yes. He said, I was 'rarer than a blue moon'."
"Well, normally there are only 12 full moons in one year. But, sometimes, I'm not sure why, a 13th sneaks in. That is called a 'blue moon'."
"Isn't the number 13 considered unlucky on this planet?"
"Usually, but a blue moon is actually lucky. There's one in the next couple days, in fact."
Vegeta ignored the phantom pain that suddenly shot up his back. "I see. Good Night, Mrs. Brief."
"Good Night, Vegeta." She slipped in the room and shut the door.
Vegeta turned around, then stopped suddenly and put his right hand over his face growling. "Goddess damn it! I still need to find a place to sleep…"
