Alright everyone! Final Chapter of this, for now. I might do little one shots like after Trunks is born maybe, I dunno. But for now this is it!
A big thank you to everyone who's been with me on this long journey, its years in the making and this will be the first fic that I've ever actually finished! Big accomplishment for me!
Anyway! I hope you all enjoy!
Early morning light strewed through the curtains and along the covered toddler, who was beginning to stir beneath the polka dotted sheets. Kumi's eyes blinked open, staring up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to clear her groggy mind. She sat up with a yawn, thinking about that weird dream she had. Her pink blanket fell from her chest and her blue night shirt slipped off a shoulder; it wasn't a dream.
Meanwhile, Vegeta landed in the backyard, folders stuffed with papers in hand. He made his way to Bulma's lab, where she was pouring over all the research that he and Kakarot had brought back.
He tossed the folders onto her desk, "This should be the last of it." Before he could leave the room, she grabbed his arm and he let her hold onto him, "Did you destroy it?" He looked back at her, but she wasn't look at him, her eyes were still glued to the pages.
"I did." Her tight grip relaxed at his answer and she let him go, "Did you find anything about the serum she was injected with?" He asked softly, ignoring how cold his arm had gotten.
Bulma nodded and shifted through the stacks of papers until she found what she was looking for. She then rolled her chair over to her computer, "Yea, it looks like-"
"Hey Bulma, did you find anything in all those papers?" Kakarot shouted as he entered the lab, making Vegeta cringe. The scientist laughed despite herself, "As I was just about to say, I found a lot. It looks like the good doctor wasn't lying about Kumi being a miracle. She was created in the lab with human dna and saiyan dna."
Goku scratched his head, "How's that possible?" Bulma sighed, "Doctor Redford and his team found Raditz's body after your battle, and they decided to experiment with the dna from his blood. From what I can get from their reports, Kumi was the 2156th experiment and the first to survive all of their 'treatments'."
Vegeta's blood boiled, "That's why he called her a miracle. Disgusting." The scientist nodded, "According to his records, he injected her with adrenaline when you found her, enough to make her transform. She'll be fine."
It felt like a weight had been taken off their shoulders and they breathed a sigh of relief. But it was short-lived.
Bulma cleared her throat, "But there was a scientist with the Codename 'Mother', she oversaw the development of Kumi's social skills. There is a report by Dr. Redford about her escape…" she trailed off, the paper in her hands shook slightly and Vegeta gently took it from her.
"'Subject is no longer responding to experimentation methods; results include stronger endurance and strength after near death. However, number 2156 has become too dependent on Dr. Quinn, 'Mother'. In order for experimentation to continue, a new caregiver must be appointed- else subject be terminated.'" The prince read, his heart feeling heavy.
Bulma cleared her throat, her eyes glassy, "There's more." He nodded and continued,
"'In light of the escape of number 2156 and upon reviewing the security footage, we have found Dr. Quinn solely responsible for the subject's escape. Therefore, she will be terminated promptly…'" He trailed off and looked up to meet Kakarot's eye. He looked as angry and defeated as Vegeta did.
"Is there any chance-" Goku began but Bulma stopped him, "This is dated two days ago, after you found Kumi." Vegeta nodded, "And I found no trace of any other scientist when I went back for these," he gestured to the papers in his hand.
It was silent for a moment, all of them mulling over the new information. Then Bulma took a deep breath, "What are we going to tell her?" The main question on all their minds. It was always highly unlikely that the girls' mother was alive, but now that it was more than just a thought in his head, worried him. He didn't have much time to dwell on the thought or hash out a plan, however.
"Veggie, I'm hungry." A small voice called from the doorway, making them turn. Kumi stood in Vegeta's shirt, the collar hanging off her shoulder. She rubbed at her eye and walked towards the group, her tail dragging on the tiled floor behind her. Vegeta, who was still without a shirt, turned to Bulma, "We'll discuss this later." He muttered and leaned down to pick up the toddler, who was already pulling on his pant leg to get his attention.
Bulma watched as a shirtless Vegeta walked out of her lab with a child on his hip and couldn't stop the blush that flitted across her cheeks. She was so busy pouring over the information the guys had brought back and worry about Kumi's health, that she hadn't gotten much chance to react to the shirtless prince.
Goku had noticed, but rather than point it out, he kept it to himself and wondered how long it would take the two of them to finally get together.
Vegeta walked down the hall with the girl, who was being oddly quiet. However, when he went towards the stairs instead of the kitchen, she whined and pulled at his hair gently. He growled lowly, "We'll find food once you get dressed, you can't stay in my shirt all day." His lips turned up at the edges so Kumi knew he wasn't really upset with her and she giggled, "But I like it Veggie!" she pulled on the edge of the shirt.
Vegeta chuckled as he walked up the steps, "But I like you in your own clothes." Once they reached the landing, he turned down the hall and opened the door to her room. He sat her down on the bed and ruffled her hair, "Get dressed, I'll find someone to make you something." She grinned up at him from behind her mass of black hair and nodded, "Okay!"
He left the room and shut the door behind him, heading to his room to grab a shirt; he didn't miss the way Bulma looked at him without one.
Kumi was waiting for him in the kitchen when he entered, munching on an apple at the table. She was dressed in a pink shirt and pale blue overalls, but her hair was in a tangled mess that tumbled down her shoulders. Kakarot was also in the kitchen, looking through the refrigerator for food.
"I think there's some leftovers from last night, Kumi." The girl clapped her hands happily at the announcement and kicked her feet to a rhythm Vegeta didn't know as he sat down heavily in the seat next to her.
Kakarot began dishing out a plate for the girl and himself as Vegeta ran a hand over his face, pausing to rub at the bridge of his nose; he was beyond exhausted. Since they'd brought Kumi back from the base, he'd been going back and forth bringing research notes and destroying the facility; he hadn't slept since the night before and was beginning to feel it.
A small finger poked at his cheek and he turned his head, his tired dark eyes met curious green ones. Kumi looked at him with concern, "Are you tired, Veggie?" He just nodded, watching as she pursed her lips, her little brows knitting in a pout.
She stood on her chair, small fists on her hips and leveled her gaze with his, "Go to bed, Veggie." She said, her small voice about as intimidating and deep as a toddler's voice could get, "Carrot will take care of me while you rest!" She gave him a lopsided grin, her eyes crinkling at the edges.
Vegeta closed his eyes with a smirk and chuckled lowly, "If that's what you want, this idiot taking care of you…" he said, watching said idiot continue to pile food on plate after plate, quickly running out of counter space and panicking.
Kumi pushed at his arm and he let himself be pushed out of his chair and into a standing position. She hopped down from her seat and continued to push at his legs until he was out of the kitchen, "Go sleep, Veggie!" she demanded, and he held his hands up in surrender with a sigh, "Alright, alright, I'm going."
He turned to her, barley holding back a laugh at her crossed arms and tapping foot. He ruffled her hair and turned towards the stairs, "Be good, kid."
Kumi watched Veggie trudge up the stairs before turning to the table where Carrot was putting down the last few plates, piled high with leftovers from the night before. Her stomach growled loudly, and he laughed, waving her over to eat.
After stuffing their faces, Carrot left to go back to his own home, promising Kumi that he'd be back later with Gohan so they could train again. Kumi watched from the sliding glass door and yawned, knuckling her eyes. Her stomach was stuffed, and she felt sleepy.
She padded her way up the stairs and down the hall to her room. As she passed the many doors that lined the hall, she saw one that was cracked open slightly. Curious, Kumi pushed it open further and peeked inside.
It was Veggie's room, and he was sprawled on the bed in the middle of the room, an arm slung over his eyes and the other hung uselessly to the side. It was dark and the blinds on the windows were drawn shut, the tiniest bit of sunlight peeking in through the sides. Satisfied with her search, Kumi turned to leave, when a small noise made her freeze, her hand tightening on the knob.
It was the smallest noise, one that she almost didn't hear; it sounded like a whimper, sharp but quiet. She turned to look back at the man on the bed. The hand that was limply hanging off the bed a moment ago was now clutching at the sheets as he tossed and turned. Nightmare, she thought, closing the door with a small kick.
Slowly, she made her way to the bed, careful not to scare him awake; she knew how scary nightmares were and she didn't want to make it any worse. Once it had looked like he had finished tossing himself around, Kumi carefully got on the bed and knelt next to him. She gently ran the back of her hand down his sweaty cheek, shushing him like her momma used to do when she had nightmares. Her gut twisted at the thought of her mother, but she pushed it aside and focused on helping Veggie.
He stopped whimpering, but his chest still heaved with heavy breaths, and Kumi took this as a good sign. She gently tugged the hand clutching the sheets to her, holding on to his thumb in a fist. Then she curled up to him, laying her head on his chest, and began to hum quietly. She stayed like that until her eyelids began to droop and she fell asleep to the sound of his racing heartbeat slow to soft booms in her ears.
This was how Bulma found them a few hours later, when she ventured out of her lab to find a quiet and empty house. She knocked quietly before she opened the door to Vegeta's room. The soft sound of snores greeted her ears and she remembered his long night. Just as she began to leave, she saw Kumi's tail flick up above her before wrapping itself around Vegeta's arm. She was tucked into his chest, her head resting in the place between his chest and his shoulder. His arm engulfed her, coming up to cradle her to him tightly as if he was afraid that she would slip through his fingers.
If Bulma looked closer, she would see that Kumi held the mans' finger in her small fist, and her heart fluttered. They looked so cute just laying there, that she raised her phone to snap a cute picture of them; after making sure the flash was off, of course.
She leaned against the door frame, just watching them sleep for another moment or two, before closing the door quietly and heading back down the hall. She decided two things as she made her way down the stairs to greet the fighter that had arrived.
1. That maybe Vegeta wasn't so bad and she should shoot her shot before the androids destroyed everything in the coming years.
And 2. That he would make a wonderful father.
Sorry its so short, but I thought this was the perfect ending and didn't want to hurt Kumi again, ya know?
Lemme know what you guys think!
Until Next Time Lovelies,
~Shikamaru'sLove