A/N: This is some necessary filler. Murrrr
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.
-MalRev
The Ties That Bind
18
Capsule Corp was still bright as day when Goku and I arrived. He was still dejectedly hanging his head as I led him inside and nearly bumped into the wall. I would save chastising him for his behavior after the insanity with Scoria and Fiamme was settled. Until then, we had much more important things to worry about, like how we were going to curb the evil impulses Goku was getting. It all made such perfect sense—unite both realms into one person instead of letting them remain apart. Even the universe itself was against us on almost all counts.
We made our way to the laboratory where Bulma was sitting in a chair, typing away at a keyboard before a gigantic computer. She turned to peer at us and entered a command that turned the screen black. There was no surprise in her eyes to see us there, nor did she seem particularly excited. She probably hated me just as much as Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten. If the world was close to being destroyed we had to put all of that behind us until the crisis was averted.
Goku had to be forcibly pushed down in a chair. He covered his face with a hand to let us know he wasn't interested in the conversation. I waved away Bulma's inquiring look and took a seat beside Goku, hoping he would forget his guilt we could focus on what mattered. She shrugged and leaned against another keyboard with her arms folded, waiting for me to state my business. Nothing was harder than telling a woman I barely knew about my short, erratic sex life with Goku.
"We have reason to believe someone is playing with Goku's mind," I said.
Bulma nodded. "Tell me something I don't know."
"Okay, I'll give you that one. We also have reason to believe this person is doing it because they want Goku and I to make a baby that will shatter the barrier between our dimensions, thus freeing a demonic horde upon both our worlds. Don't know the fine details but that's the gist of it."
There was a minute pause as Bulma drank in my words, trying to piece it together in her mind. Her eyes flickered between Goku and me, gauging his oddly silent demeanor and my uncharacteristically talkative one. She drummed her fingers on the keyboard, creating a hollow echo throughout the lab. I knew I sounded insane but Bulma was clearly an intelligent scientist and I prayed she could see what was so obviously glaring us in the eye. More silence passed.
"You have a handprint on your neck," Bulma said.
"I know. There're more important things to worry about."
She smirked, reaching up to tug the collar of her turtle neck aside. There were some pretty ugly bruises covering her skin. "I'm surprised. Goku was never like that with Chi-Chi. They can't help themselves when they really want you."
Goku shuddered beside me.
"So do you believe me or not?" I asked, trying to avoid opening another can of worms.
"I'll admit it's a bit… strange, but yes, I believe you. That explains why you and Goku were bonded together in the first place and ties up a lot of loose ends. I'm wondering if your bond will be erased when the demons are gone. You can't keep fending Goku off forever, so you have to choke it off at the source. We need to find these people and make sure they don't open any portals."
"That's our issue right now. Goku can't sense their energy anywhere and obviously I have no clue where to start looking. And like you said, we're kind of tight on time here. A while ago I heard you guys talking about the Dragon Balls. Do you think those might be able to help us?"
"I doubt it. Shenron doesn't get involved in problems mortals have and any wish we make might sound a bit nefarious to him." Bulma rubbed the back of her neck, looking grim. "The only way we can lure them out of hiding is if they think they have a good reason to come out. Maybe we could bend the truth a bit and make a big deal over you getting pregnant. They'll come out and Goku can do what he does best: beat the hell out of bad guys."
There were suddenly signs of life in Goku. His hand moved away from his face and he sat up without so much as a glance in my direction. I knew he felt guilty but Jesus Christ, shouldn't I have been the one that was mad? He shook his head and gestured vaguely at me.
"We can't lie," he said. "They probably already know our plans. Our only real option is to make a wish on the Dragon Balls or hope I can take them when the barrier is broken." Goku's grey eyes finally turned to me, full of unfathomable sadness. "I can't resist forever. I'm trying but I think it'd be easier if we let Shenron solve our problems like he usually does."
"But what kind of wish could we make that he'd be willing to grant?" Bulma asked. "We might be better off going to Namek to see Porunga instead of hoping Shenron can help."
There were a few minutes of silence as we all ran over various options in our minds. I doubted we could simply wish people away so that was out of the question. We could wish for the dimensions to be sealed but I had a feeling it was beyond Shenron's power. It also meant I either had to stay with Goku or go back to my own world, which I wasn't prepared for. Another option was wishing for Scoria and Fiamme to appear before us, which still had no guarantee of victory. It had to be decisive.
The demons were the source of the problem and they needed to be destroyed or no wish would really make a difference. I felt a bit of selfish relief when I realized closing the portal between worlds wouldn't help anyone. Scoria could possibly tear it open again and someone else might wander through, creating twice the problems. I looked between Goku and Bulma occasionally, hoping they were gonna have an epiphany and fix everything. Bulma was a genius, after all.
"We need to wish them here," Goku said. His falsely cheery demeanor was completely gone. "I haven't had a big fight in a long time but every other option keeps us at their mercy. I'll have to train with Vegeta and the others for a week to make sure we're ready before we summon them. Hopefully they're the real leaders, not figure heads. Defeating them should send a message either way."
Bulma nodded in agreement and Goku rose from his chair to leave, still totally ignoring me. When he left the lab I sighed and got up to thank Bulma, who was now pensive. She stared at the seat where her friend had been and cleared her throat when I turned to leave.
"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into," she said. "In regards to Saiyans, not this demon nonsense. Goku can be two different people sometimes. His nature clashes with who he is."
"Aren't you more upset I ruined your friend's marriage?" I asked.
"No one can change fate."
When I left, she pulled out a cigarette.
Goku wasn't walking very fast but it still took me a minute to catch up with him. He had long legs that could cover more space than mine in a stride. I grabbed his arm to stop him and he stared at the floor when I turned him to face me. If he couldn't pull it together we had no chance of beating the demons, which literally meant the end of the world. It hurt that he had been capable of doing such a thing but it wasn't like I hadn't been going along with it at the start.
I took his face between my hands, secretly marveling at how smooth his skin was. "Goku, we have other things to worry about right now. I'm not mad at you. Don't be mad at yourself."
"Know what the worst part is?" he said, finally looking me straight in the eyes. "I think I liked it. The feeling of power and domination… it always brings out the Saiyan in me. I think it would be better if I stay away for a while to train with the others and you stay here at Bulma's. I don't want to do something I'll regret and you'll resent me for. Videl wanted to spend some time with you, anyway."
"You're part of a race that lived to conquer. I'm not blaming you for what's written in your DNA and you shouldn't blame yourself. Please stay with me for a while longer."
"No. I'm not risking it. When we see each other again this will all be over."
Suddenly he kissed me hard on the mouth, leaving me no room to talk. Then he pushed me back and disappeared, leaving me alone in Bulma's hallway.