Fallen – Chapter 4
Vegeta followed the tracks a short distance and then he smelled it, blood, and it was fresh. Fresh blood meant he was close. His nose picked up the scent of cigarette smoke intermingled with the blood and the faintest hints of perfume, her perfume. His temper flared. Kami help anyone if this blood belonged to his woman! He continued to track up the hills in the snow covered forest before him. He was lost in his thoughts, his mind playing out scenarios of what could possibly have happened and seeing how this is Vegeta, they were the 'worst case scenarios'. Those that dared followed silently behind him, praying to Kami they find Bulma and end this quickly.
The tracks became a mess as he crowned the hill and the smell of her perfume became stronger here. His momentary confusion was eased when he spotted an old, seemingly abandoned, hunting lodge adorned with horns and skins on the porch. He stretched out his ki and felt, nothing. He was really getting tired of finding nothing. The adrenaline from the whole situation was going to need an outlet and need one soon. However disappointed he had been that she was not here it was even more of an aggravation that no one was here at all and so he took it out on the door as he busted it in.
There was a loud crash as the door splintered into a million pieces. He sniffed the air. She was definitely here and not long ago. On the coffee table in the living room there was a letter and a picture. He glanced down and confirmed his suspicions that the photo was indeed of a battered Bulma. As the others tentatively made their way around the room the photo turned to ash in Vegeta's hand, It would do her no honor for them to see her like this, he thought. He levitated and headed for the second story rooms. Gohan saw him and flew to intercept him from entering the room while the others assumed their watch at the door.
"She's not here, let's continue down the slopes." Gohan offered with a shrug. The truth was the smell of death was coming from that room and he was afraid they would find Bulma in there and would have to contend with an enraged Vegeta.
"Out of my way, BOY!" Vegeta threatened glaring at Gohan he raised the palm of his hand to him and forming a ki blast. "You may be the only one here I can tolerate, but I will not hesitate to send you to the next dimension if you interfere with me again!" Gohan's eyes drifted downward. There was much unspoken truth to that statement. He knew Vegeta would kill anyone who stood between him and Bulma and he would kill whoever had been responsible for her kidnapping. They hurt her and for Vegeta the penalty for harming his Queen could be nothing else than a slow and painful death.
Gohan moved aside and Vegeta released the ki blast he had been holding and the door turned to ash. Vegeta stalked into the room. The room smelled of her perfume, it was strong in here; this must have been where they held her. The single lamp in the room gave off an eerie glow.
He glanced at the bed; there was some more dried blood on the pillow. As he continued to search the room for clues as to what happened and where the woman now was Gohan returned to the others. The thought occurred to him that this was a personal matter of pride for Vegeta and it was possible that when they did find Bulma that it would not be honorable for the others to see her in whatever state she was in. He had to send the others away to a safer distance.
"I think you should all head up the mountain to the Lodge and see if there are any clues there." Gohan proclaimed. Krillen and Yamcha exchanged glances and were about to protest but unbeknownst to them Gohan and Piccolo had a silent conversation and Piccolo agreed with Gohan's decision. Piccolo grabbed both men by the collar and flew off. Gohan himself withdrew from the house to allow Vegeta his privacy with whatever he found in that room.
Vegeta's felt the others retreat up the mountain and felt a fleeting moment of relief. Unfortunately it was short lived when he approached the bed and smelled sweat and fear. Although he would not admit it, he was grateful Gohan was near but not invading his space. He followed the scent of death to the balcony. The smell was wafting up from the balcony. He levitated over its railing and found a large man hanging by his neck with his lifeless eyes staring into the wild. His noose was a drape from the doors to the balcony. The dead man was wearing a black t-shirt and a flannel. For the slightest of moments, satisfaction ran across his eyes, that is until he realized the man was naked from the waist down. His temper flared and he blasted the lifeless corpse until it hung there on fired creaking in the wind.
Vegeta turned his eyes downward to a rather large imprint in the snow speckled with bright red blood. He descended to investigate. The tracks were a mess but he followed the small footprints down the hillside. She is still moving, that's good. A small smirked appeared as he thought that perhaps she killed her captors and was on the move. The sun was fading and the cold wind bellowed. His smirk faded, she will not last long in this cold. He quickened his pace and followed the tracks.
Approximately twenty yards down the way he noted a second set of prints following the first. They initially came from another direction. She's being followed! His heart began to pound as he worried the other person would find her before he did. Vegeta suddenly was filled with panic and it wasn't his. "Shit!" he yelled out. Gohan, who was still following at a distance, sped up to see what Vegeta was cursing about. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Vegeta turned slightly in his direction and offered one word, "Bulma." Vegeta realized the other person, who judging by the imprint in the snow was a man, must have caught up to Bulma. Vegeta did his best to stay his anxieties and focus on her. Her ki was unusually weak and fluctuating wildly. He opened his eyes and narrowed them to the southeast, "There." He declared.
Both Gohan and Vegeta took off with Super Saiyan speed in the direction they last felt Bulma. There, in a small clearing, was a man in blue jeans and a sweater with struggling to force Bulma to go with him. All Vegeta had to see was a stranger had his hands on His Woman. Gohan saw Vegeta's reaction and surveyed the scene in front of him and realized not only was this stranger carrying knife but he had a pistol in his back pocket.
Vegeta noticed the knife, of course it was pointed at Bulma but failed to see the danger of the gun as he swept in. "He has a gun!" Gohan cried out after him hoping Vegeta heard him. Vegeta came to sweeping halt knocking the assailant down. Vegeta positioned himself in between Bulma and the man to protector should he actually be stupid enough to use the gun. He stood proud, Bulma was alive and fighting, this was surely a good sign. Vegeta meant it when he told himself he would rip this man limb from limb and this made him smirk. Gohan maintained his distance. He was there if Vegeta needed him but her would not interfere, this was Vegeta's fight.
Bulma was startled by the arrival of this new man. Why can't I catch a break! She thought. She began to back away from the pair slowly. It looked as though they were going to fight and she planned on using this to her advantage to get as far away as possible. Her head was still swimming and felt as though it would crack open at any moment. Her limbs were getting heavy and her vision was continuing to worsen and blur.
Vegeta felt Bulma backing away, this was good he thought, out of the blast zone. Plus, he wasn't sure he really wanted her to see what he was about to do to the man in front of him. When he was finished there would be no need for lawyers or police. Hell, there would be no corpse left when he got through. He was about to motion for Gohan to collect Bulma up and see to her medical needs when he felt her ki drop dangerously low. He turned as she began to slump and put his arms around her waist. She stiffened and pulled away, screaming at him "No!" over and over.
As she frenzied to get away Vegeta heard a metallic click and he whirled around in time to stop a bullet from hitting him in the back. "Coward!" he yelled as he lunged at the other man, temporarily forgetting Bulma in her delirium as she ran in the opposite direction. Gohan, with his bird's eye view saw it before Vegeta did, but yelling failed to get his attention. He swooped down to warn him of the oncoming wall of snow headed for all of them, set off by the lone gun shot.
Vegeta sensed Gohan's approach and was about to chide him for interfering again when he heard the rumble of the snow. His eyes shot out in search of Bulma's fleeting form. He had to get to her before the snow covered her. He dropped the man in jeans and bolted in Bulma's direction and as he snatched her up by her waist he realized he was too late and they both fell under the snow and slid.
He held on to her as tight as he could, gripped with fear that if he lost her he would not be able to find her again. When the snow finally stopped he surged his ki enough to light up his surroundings. Somehow they were washed into a cave. She was pressed against him, her head cradled to his chest. Her breathing was slow and shallow. He turned her over on her back and surveyed the damage that these strangers had inflicted upon her. Her face was bruised, several bones were definitely broken. Her head dripped with blood. He felt the wetness of her blood on his chest. Her skull was at least fractured. He looked at her face and his chest became heavy with fear he would never again see her blue eyes looking back at him.
He stole a glance at the entrance and it was blocked with stones and snow. He had no way of knowing how far down they were. If she were not there lying next to him he would simply turn super saiyan and blast his way out. Unfortunately the structural durability of the cave had to be taken into consideration lest he bring the whole thing down on her.
He forced himself to leave her where she lay and walk to the opening. Carefully he tested pulsing hi ki into the debris that blocked their path. He eased his way, ever so carefully, meting the snow and ice, praying to Kami the exit was not too deep down. She was not going to last much longer like this.
On the surface Gohan lost track of where everyone went and was now franticly searching for Vegeta's signature. He found a series of boulders peaking through the snow and figured they must have found shelter beneath it. One he zeroed in on it he began melting the snow and ice to find him. Inside Vegeta felt Bulma's ki waver and he returned to her. She began to look pale and grey. He used his ki to warm some rocks he placed near her to keep her from freezing to death.
He heard the dripping of water and returned to melting his way out. Suddenly the wall of ice collapsed and the cave filled with light and cold air. Gohan stood at the entrance silently waiting for Vegeta to tell him what to do. "Can you perform instant transmission like your father?" he asked. Gohan nodded, "Dad was teaching me, before. . ." Gohan let the statement fade, no need repeating what everyone already knew in a time like this. He walked over the Vegeta who was cradling Bulma in his arms and placed his hand on the older Saiyans shoulder. "Where to?" he asked. "Her father" Vegeta replied.
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