I don't really know what to say... Obviously I can't control certain things that happen in life, whether for better or worse. I can only say thank you to all who have taken the time to read this and who have given me the graces of their prayers. I am doing alright now, for the most part anyway (I can still breathe), though still going through quite a bit. I am not overly fond of the idea of having my personal life on the internet, and my dear friend has had a stern talking to.
I won't beg for foregiveness for my long absence, understandably. My vision hasn't returned 100%, so please excuse any little typos there nmight be. I did try to find them all.
Again, I wish to thank you all for your contributions. It means a great deal to me.
Chapter 21- The REAL Chapter
Bulma could never withstand the heavy winds that plowed in her face whenever she flew with someone. No matter how many times she had been carried by her friends or Vegeta, the winds still blew in her face and lashed at her sensitive eyes, forcing them to remain shut the majority of the flight to avoid the stinging burn that accompanied it. Luckily, the space suit Recoome had given her was very thermal, and protected her against the cold she would normally feel. In the back of her mind she absently wondered over the alien fabric. She knew it could also stretch to fit beings hundreds of feet tall and not lose form. She couldn't wait to actually begin experimenting with the fabric and find out all its intricacies.
The flight didn't last very long, and before Bulma could properly focus on the landing, they were already in a clearing. Her feet touched the cracked earth and the silence was carried like a coat over her. No one moved, no one made any sounds; only the winds whispered to her, giving her a silent prayer as it whistled by. Taking a deep breath, Bulma finally let go of Vegeta and took a step back. Hesitantly she looked behind her and prepared herself for the sights before her. Her friends were there, she knew, but she didn't know their condition. The sight of them made her want to gasp. Instead, she stood rooted on the spot and let her eyes grow wide; swallowing the gasp she desperately wanted to give out.
They were alive at least, or so she hoped. Kuririn was the only one standing. His orange gi was ripped and bloodied. His face was swollen and beaten. She could see his knees through the torn fabric, and noticed their raw bloodied stumps. With a wave of panic she scoured the area for her friend's son, and found the young boy not a long distance away. He was lying on his stomach and barely moving. How had this happened so fast? They had only just found their power levels, and must have only been fighting mere minutes. Such brutal strength and unrelenting powers was no match for her friends.
It was only then did she pay attention to Kuririn's face. His eye was still swollen, but the other good eye was staring at her with wide-eyed shock.
"Bulma?" He asked sounding disbelieving.
Her heart clenched at the rough, labored breath of Kuririn. He sounded terribly weak, and she knew it took much out of him to even bring out a voice from his injured form. From behind him, she could see Gohan struggling to look up at her mention.
Without thinking about anyone else in the area, Bulma ran towards her friends, kneeling slightly so she could look over Kuririn.
"I'm sorry…" She began, not knowing what to say. "We should have been here sooner."
She avoided touching him for fear of aggravating a sensitive wound. He was not answering her, and it was only then did she realize that he was staring at her company. She had completely forgotten about Vegeta in her haste to meet with her friends. Kuririn's good eye stared at the Saiyan with unbridled hate and fear - an odd mixture she was becoming progressively familiar with. She could tell Kuririn was trembling inside, lost as to how to respond to yet another hostile. To him, he only saw him as another evil being out to kill them.
Vegeta didn't seem to notice Kuririn's numbing stare. He instead had his visage fixed on the two Ginyu members before them. He had probably been staring at them since the moment they landed. Bulma took this time to chance a glance over at their adversaries. Yes, there were only two of them, and mentally congratulated herself for assuming correctly that their leader would stay behind. All that stood before them was the remainder of the Ginyu force, minus their captain. Guldo she had seen in his last moments before being decapitated, and Recoome, the large burly giant, she realized with a wave of sorrow, was probably also dead. This left Jeice and Burter behind, smirking away with large, arrogant leers directed solely at Vegeta.
"Well, what do we have here?" The silky words of Burter slithered its way into the air and disrupted the silence. "I knew Vegeta really was helping out these aliens after all."
"Tch," Vegeta huffed and shifted his weight to his back leg, disregarding the massive blue alien's declaration. "These puny earthlings can only get in my way. I'm just surprised it has taken you so long to kill them. What's the matter? Having trouble with a shrimp and a toddler barely out of diapers?"
This made them growl, dropping their humored glances and clenching their fists.
"Of course not!" Came the outraged yell of Jeice, who- in Bulma's opinion- was the exact opposite of his companion in every way. Burter was roughly nine feet tall, skin scaly and blue, and his voice was raspy and smooth; like a snake's hiss. Jeice was about Kuririn's size in height, skin as red as a cooked lobster with a flowing crest of white hair and a voice that was thick with accent and sharp.
"We only wanted to prolong the fun until we found you," He snarled as his eyes met with Bulma. She blanched at his gaze and unconsciously took a step back. "And I see you brought your little bitch with you."
"Bulma, what are you doing here?" Finally came Kuririn in the conversation. Turning back to her friend she looked pleadingly at him. Then, in a hushed voice he inclined towards Vegeta, "And why did you bring him here?"
Bulma took a deep breath before answering. Taking a look behind her, she could see the Ginyu Force had focused in on Vegeta as they continued to banter each other.
"Kuririn look, I know he's a bad guy but we need all the help we can get."
"But you can't trust him!" Kuririn gasped in exasperation.
She bit her lip nervously, not sure how to tell him the next part. "I made a deal with him – don't look at me like that –I saw Freeza's power first hand and it's… it's ten time worse than anything Vegeta's got. If we have any hope of defeating him, we need to stick together."
Kuririn kept his face in a stone expression, staring at Bulma with a gaze she had never seen on his face. She had never felt threatened by Kuririn, who always acted meek and harmless, despite being one of the strongest humans she knew. Now however, she felt intimidated by his stare as he saw something on her face she didn't.
"Something happened while you were with him, didn't it?" He didn't sound overly accusing, but his tone was harsh and it was stated more like a fact than a question.
Bulma felt the tingling in her spine and gulped. "Don't be stupid; nothing happened."
She knew Kuririn could see through her lie, but before he could press on, Bulma walked over to Gohan's prone form.
"Gohan?" She asked meekly. She was afraid to touch him, and was half afraid he was dead, despite what her scouter said. When he grunted and moved slightly, Bulma's heart relaxed somewhat. Tentatively he picked up his head and stared at her. Bulma gulped back her shock at his beaten face. How can any child be exposed to such brutality? She could hardly recognize the boy, yet he stared up at her like not a thing bothered him, a smile of innocence on his face that made her heart melt.
"Bulma…" It came out cracked, and as he used his mouth, a small stream of blood fell off his lips.
"Shh… there, there; don't strain yourself." She hushed in a motherly way she was not known for. Hesitantly she took the boy into her arms and rested his head on her lap. "Are you alright?"
He cleared his throat somewhat. "Yeah," He groaned when he tried to move his arm. "I just got knocked over by the big one… I think my arm's broken."
Bulma looked over at the guilty limb and noticed without touching that it was in fact broken. The skin was bruising already and had swollen to twice its size. "Hmm, where's a senzu bean when you need one?" Bulma murmured.
"They're stronger than us…" He continued. Suddenly he looked down sadly. "I wish dad was here…"
"He's on his way Gohan, don't you worry. Your dad will get here and kick their butts."
Gohan gave a cracked smile and she knew if he didn't hurt so much, he would have laughed. "Yeah…"
His eyes trailed passed her as if he only then realized who else was there. When his eyes found Vegeta she saw his mouth curve into a frown and he slowly sat up and out of her arms. Cradling his broken limb he addressed her, without looking away from Vegeta.
"What is he doing here?"
Bulma sighed at the familiar question. "Don't worry about him. I convinced him to help us."
At these words, Gohan gasped. "How did you do that?"
Giving a small playful smirk, Bulma fluffed her hair. "With my charming feminine wiles, that's how." She teased.
Gohan, being too young to truly understand her joking comment, only stare confused at her; which she knew he would. "Listen; don't worry about how I managed to do it, just trust me on this. Right now he's our best asset next to your dad and it's better to have him on our side."
Gohan sat in silence for a bit, thinking over her words with a mind above that of his years. After a long bit, he nodded his head, still not losing focus on the Saiyan. "Alright," He finally said. "I may not like him, but I trust you Bulma. You're smart, and I know you're right about this. We do need all the help we can get. These guys are powerful, and I'd rather fight with Vegeta then against him."
Bulma was pleased to see that Gohan agreed with her, somewhat surprised that he trusted her words faster than Kuririn seemed to. Gohan was still very young however, and went to his elders for guidance. Hopefully with time she can get Kuririn to see it the same way.
"Enough!" The sharp tone of Jeice pierced through any further conversation and all eyes seemed to suddenly focus on him. His face was a contorted assembly of fury and embarrassment, fists clenched into tight balls and teeth grinding against each other. Vegeta on the other hand, was still standing in the same area, arms crossed regally over his chest, and a large, arrogant smirk on his lips. He looked very pleased about something, and Bulma didn't have to think hard to realize Vegeta's goading had worked up the smaller warrior.
"I will not take this any longer! Prepare to meet your doom, Saiyan!" Jeice crouched into a fighting stance, and Vegeta followed in suit, his jarring sneer never once taking flight from his expression.
Just like Bulma had expected, their bodies vanished in a blur of color. Vegeta's blue suited form and Jeice's vivid scarlet tone leaving afterimages that seemed to linger for no more than a few seconds. The beeping of her scouter pin-pointed their locations, and glancing at her scouter, focused her attention in the area in which it told her the warriors were fighting. She still couldn't see a thing, but Bulma was relieved that she could at least locate their general area. The smacking of fists and grunts seemed to burst from thin air, and it was because of the scouter, she was able to tell when to back up, which turned out to be more than helpful.
A split second was all Bulma had, and she was thankful for Gohan. The young child had grabbed her and flew into the air, just in time for her to see a streaking red creature plummet in the spot they once occupied. Dust picked up and Bulma had to cover her face from the small storm of particles.
"It's not safe here. Stay back, Bulma." Gohan told her sternly.
Never one to ever get over the shock, Bulma nodded her head and the moment he touched them back down onto solid earth, her feet back-pedaled to a jutting rock in the distance. There she surveyed the battle over the stone. Jeice picked himself up out of the crevice and sneered at Vegeta, who landed and began mocking the red skinned alien. It didn't look like Vegeta had even broken a sweat, while Jeice looked out of breath.
"Im-impossible! How did you get so strong?" He gasped out.
"Do you see now?" Vegeta's voice rang with mirth and arrogance. "You are no match for a Saiyan elite. Kneel before me and kiss my boots and I may consider letting you live."
Jeice growled, wiping his lip. "Never, you Saiyan scum! There is no way an underdog like you can ever beat the powerful Ginyu Force!"
"Underdog?" Vegeta repeated with a raise of a brow. "My, that means a lot coming from Freeza's pet lapdog. So tell me, are you going to fight, or just bark at me some more?"
Jeice growled again, and Bulma watched closely as his eyes skirted over to his comrade. She couldn't tell if Burter was looking back, for the alien had no pupils, but it seemed like they locked eyes.
"You won't last, Vegeta!" Jeice charged at Vegeta head on, not even bothering to fly. Instead, he raised a fist and came stampeding towards him. Bulma felt the ground rumble underneath her from the force and grabbed the rock tighter.
'What a fool,' Bulma thought. Vegeta was clearly the stronger of the two; her scouter said as much. Yet, Jeice was running blindly at Vegeta like a mad man with no strategy or form. 'Sloppy.' She reasoned. Anger your opponent, and they lose their cool and become careless. She wondered if that was Vegeta's plan all along. She wouldn't put it past him.
As predicted, Vegeta saw the obvious attack and easily made to dodge it, however, the minute Jeice appeared in front of him, the red man came to a sudden and startling halt. Vegeta's eyes went wide in surprise by his sudden vaulting stop.
In that split second, a blue blur crossed into the mix and Bulma watched as Burter appeared behind Vegeta and slammed his foot in the back of Vegeta's head.
The Saiyan cried out in shock and stumbled forward, correcting himself just in time to have Jeice coming behind him. Easily he blocked the first three punches, but the sudden blue fist that pounded into his back had him careening again. As Vegeta swayed and finally stood, he glared at the two who were standing backs facing each other, arms crossed. Both smiled disdainfully.
"There is no way you can defeat us, Vegeta." Burter mocked, "I am the fasted in the entire Universe, and together we are an unstoppable force!"
"Feh," Vegeta grunted and went at them again.
Bulma, who had been messing with her scouter, didn't see what was going on, and couldn' teven if she tried, but she perceived that he was going after Burter first. However, the blurs of colors allowed her to see that Vegeta was obviously losing. Every time Vegeta turned to dodge one attack, the other would come around and nail him with a powerful blow. This went on for ten painful minutes with little difference. It was obvious that Vegeta was stronger than the two, but combined and with Burter's speed, they had the upper hand. It was a cruel battle. Bulma watched with concerned eyes as Vegeta slowly began to become exhausted, and was swatted back and forth like a fly between the two Ginyu members.
"It isn't fair…" Bulma muttered, looking at Vegeta being bounced to and fro. "They are double teaming him…" She knew the Ginyu Force didn't play fair, and obviously had no sense of honor, but it was painful for Bulma to watch. She couldn't help the trace of concern she felt for the Saiyan. Vegeta had grown on her slowly during the events, and while she knew nothing could come of it, she felt connected. Two survivors working together for a common goal; it was hard not to feel something. She had seen pieces of him she never thought she would see in someone like Vegeta. Originally thinking he was nothing but a mindless killer, she was forced to observe him in weakness and depravity. She saw a man who still had his humanity buried deep. He had a sense of honor and even respect, and she knew now more than ever, that she couldn't ignore the emotions she felt for him anymore.
"Vegeta…"
Kuririn knew something wasn't right the minute he noted the Saiyan standing next to his old friend. He knew of Vegeta's dangerous ways and of Bulma's lust for "bad men," and he honestly didn't like where he saw this going. Vegeta had held her a little too tightly to him when they landed, and he knew that look in her eyes she held now. Bulma was staring at Vegeta with a look he knew all too well. She looked worried about him, worried about that insane, egomaniacal villain they fought so hard to defeat on Earth. What had he done to her? Why was Bulma falling into his trap? She was always falling for all the wrong people, but Vegeta was different.
Oolong was a pig who disguised himself as a handsome man to capture women for his own enjoyment. General Blue worked as one of the strongest soldiers for the red Ribbon army in search of the Dragonballs. Yamcha was a desert bandit, isolated from the world and stole for his own leisure. Vegeta was a killer of entire races, committing acts of genocide for personal gain, destroyed entire planets and had not one shred of compassion in him. Having crushes was one thing, but he simply couldn't believe Bulma was getting herself involved with Vegeta.
He heard her whisper the Saiyan's name and all hope was lost. He knew by that look she was giving him and the whimsical sound of his name off her lips. She was already lost. No matter what she said or did, he knew Bulma had grown feelings for the dangerous Saiyan, and he prayed something could be done before she got hurt.
The continued sounds of the battle stole his attention away from Bulma. Turning his head, he watched as the Burter and Jeice continued to knock Vegeta around. It was rather painful to watch; Vegeta was a mighty warrior, and his strength outnumbered both of these. He could feel the ever-climbing strength of the Saiyan every time he met him. However, strength wasn't everything. The battle was far from fair. Burter was wickedly fast; Kuririn himself was having a bit of trouble following his movements. They were playing dirty, and Kuririn didn't think Vegeta would survive if this went on.
He was rather torn. What was he to do? Let the Ginyu Force kill off the mighty Vegeta, or come to the Saiyan's aid? Both were remarkably powerful and deadly, and both were evil and wanted the Dragonballs for wicked purposes. However, Bulma had insisted that Vegeta was –temporarily at least– on their side. Could this be true? Kuririn didn't trust Vegeta one bit. He knew that Bulma's infatuation with the Saiyan was most likely her reasoning for trusting him. She still had a point however, the Ginyu Force were working for a force much more powerful than Vegeta, and letting such a powerful allying force like Vegeta die would be a waste.
He didn't doubt that Vegeta would probably turn on them the second the Dragonballs were in his possession, but he realized that he was going to have to make a choice. Would he help the Saiyan and pray that they all lived through it? He felt he had to; there was no other logical choice. He saw this Freeza character, and although he looked far from menacing, he knew how deadly he truly was.
Another crash was heard and Kuririn was jarred from his thoughts. Looking into the distance, he saw the rocks of a cliff slowly fall forward and crash unto the ground. Kuririn cringed, knowing who was under the wreckage. This must stop. They had a better chance of getting their wish and stopping Freeza with Vegeta still alive. Once that was accomplished, they could deal with the Saiyan.
There was loud laughter ringing around the clearing. Jeice and Burter were standing arrogantly a ways away, staring at the rock pile that buried their enemy.
"Poor bloke," Jeice chuckled, "He was always so proud. I knew he never had anything to back it up."
His partner snickered in agreement. "Yes, the poor fool always did that…I'm surprised he survived this long."
"Do you think he'll be coming out of there this time?"
"Maybe, want to place a bet?"
Jeice thought for a moment, and then his eyes lit up. "Alright, if he's dead; drinks are on you tonight."
"And if he's not?" Burter inquired.
A slow grin grew on Jeice's face. "Then I want to be the one who kills him."