Yeah, I know the last chapter was kind of short...and kind of lame, but I'm really sorry about that :/ I promise this chapter will be a lot better and make more sense. It's been really hectic trying to get all this writing done and study for finals!
Thanks to all who reviewed and thanks to my beta lilpumpkingirl! Oh yeah, and I know some people may be wondering about the quotes I always put at the beginning of the chapters...they're for a reason or they are related to the theme of the chapters. This particular quote, I can tell you will be used again at some point further in the story. Well, enjoy!
"If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they're yours; if they don't they never were."
~Richard Bach
"So, you finally want to talk?" Bulma was sitting in her office. Her hands lied daintily in her lap, while her legs were delicately crossed. She was waiting to hear what her boyfriend had been dying to tell her for over two weeks now. She would be lying if she said she wasn't terrified. Bulma had no idea what exactly Yamcha wanted to tell her.
"Yeah, I do. Bulma, I love you...very much, and I really hate to tell you this. I need to leave for a while...to train." He said, letting out a huge sigh.
Her mood had promptly dampered a little bit, but she was also shocked. The only words her mind recognized were leave and train. "Wait a minute...what do you mean you're leaving? Why can't you train at the compound? Is it because of Vegeta?"
"B, Vegeta himself isn't the problem, it's just that I can't train around him because he irks my nerves just as much as I irk his. Plus, I believe that maybe if I leave, the solitude will help me focus. My everyday life is a bit distracting, and if I'm to protect you and help Goku then I have to do this." He explained, solemnly.
"But Yamcha...I'm going to miss you so badly." Bulma whispered, trying hard not to cry.
"Please, B. If you cry, then I know for a fact I'm not going to go. I want to protect you because I love you, and you mean the world to me," He admitted, not wanting to look into her eyes, due to the fear of seeing her tears.
What am I going to do? If he leaves...then..I don't know what I'd do. Literally. She wanted nothing more than for him to push himself to be the best he could be, and in a way, she was glad that he was taking initiative to help everyone, which had always been a rarity. However, it didn't mean that she wanted him to go. The only time they were separated was when Yamcha died, and that in itself was unbearable to her. Now they were going to be separated again, and she had no idea how she was going to cope. She held back her tears and looked him in his eyes.
"Well...if this is what you want, then who am I to tell you otherwise? I've always wanted you to push yourself more, and now that you are...I accept your decision. Just promise that when you leave, you make the best of your training and come back home safe." Bulma replied softly, letting out a small smile.
He smiled in return, with as much love as he could give. He embraced her one last time, smelling the lovely scent of her hair. "I appreciate it, B. I really do. So...I guess I'll see you in a year or so...,"
"Yup. Remember, make the best of it." She told him, before letting him go through the threshold.
xxx
He'd been gone for a month and a half now. To Bulma, it felt longer than a month and a half. She never knew what loneliness felt like, until Yamcha left. Her feelings of shame and ungratefulness gnawed at her like a beaver gnaws on wood. She took his presence for granted for a long time and now that he was gone she acknowledged it. Everything about him, she missed. Sure, before his departure he annoyed the hell out of her on a daily basis, but it was one of those things she grew accustomed to, oddly. The one person that held so much love and adoration for her, outside of her family was gone and for a year at that. It led her to think again. Had she taken his presence for granted? If she did, then to what degree? Was she part of the distractions that he mentioned to her a while ago? If things went well for him after a year, would things still be the same when he came back?
Lately, she'd been covering up her feelings to her parents, insisting that she was fine. Unfortunately, the cover up wasn't flying with her Saiyan house guest.
Vegeta seemed to be the only one who paid close enough attention to Bulma's change of mood, not only with her body language, but her ki was oddly lower than normal. The point at which he knew something was off was when she stopped bickering with him. For at least two weeks, he insulted her just like any other day, but she kept on going with her day as if he didn't exist. Now that a few more weeks progressed, he grew tired of her dull attitude.
"Woman! Damn it, where are you woman?" Vegeta shouted, approaching the lab.
As soon as she heard his yelling, she pretended to work on something so that she didn't have to be bothered with him and he wouldn't know she wasn't working. Why, she didn't know, but the only logical reason she had was that she didn't want to work on the gravity room...again.
"Did you not hear me addressing you, woman?" His voice echoed throughout the lab.
"I've been working...on improving my dragon ball radar." She lied, avoiding his eyes.
"Don't lie. You've been sulking for a month, so I seriously doubt you've even tried to keep yourself occupied." He growled, crossing his arms.
"Since when was my life any concern of yours? You're so self absorbed, I don't know how you manage to see daylight...since your head is shoved so far up your ass." She retorted, setting the radar aside.
"At least I'm not the one walking around depressed over a pathetic excuse of a warrior because he left to go train. Oh...too soon?" He teased, smirking.
"You know, that would have bothered me about three weeks ago. If you don't need anything, then I'm going to take a nap." She told him, fixing her oversized maroon sweater as she walked towards the door.
"Who said I didn't need anything?" He inquired, blocking her from leaving.
"Too late, my offer stood for two seconds and now it's gone. Now move." She replied, trying to push pass him, but to no avail.
"I need you to upgrade the simulation to a higher gravity." He said, bluntly.
"No! Now move out of my way!" Before she could say another word, he threw her over his shoulder while finding the box the old man kept all his tools in. "Vegeta! PUT ME DOWN NOW!"
He ignored her cries of protest and finally found the red, metal box. If asking her didn't work, he figured he'd go old school and force her to do it.
"VEGETA, I SAID I'M NOT FIXING THAT DAMN THING! SO HELP ME IF YOU DON'T PUT ME DOWN!" Bulma screamed, pounding her fists into his back.
"Or what, wench?" He asked, giving her butt a hard smack. She shrieked louder, feeling the sting from his hand.
Passing through the living room, he noticed Mrs. Briefs reading a book. She only looked up once she heard Bulma continuing to scream at him. "Oh, that's so adorable."
"What's adorable about being dragged out of the house by this egotistical motherfuc-?" Bulma started, before he slammed the door once they were outside, "Vegeta! It's cold! Let me go!"
"Fine." He murmured, dropping her on the grass, "Here's the tools the old man uses. Get to work."
"What part of I'm not fixing the gravity room didn't you understand?" She shouted, fixing her hair.
"All I seemed to hear was 'fixing' and 'gravity room'. Sorry for my lack of attention." He grinned, walking away from her.
Oh okay. I'll show you, Mr. I-Think-I-Can-Boss-All-Humans-Around! She began to tinker with the control panel on the outside. She aimed to get back at him, and she was certain he didn't want to know what she was 'fixing'.
He remembered hearing crashes and blasts in his room. The explosive impacts caused shattering quakes in the ground that rumbled through the palace. The young boy was frightened out of his mind. He couldn't sense anyone's ki. Where did everyone go? What was going on? He looked out the window of his room. Everything on the palace grounds and even outside the palace walls were set ablaze. Ear piercing screams were coming from all directions.
"Vegeta! There you are! Come now, darling, we have to go." He turned to see his mother, with worry and fear in her hazel eyes. She picked her son up and held him close as she began to sprint down the halls of the palace.
"Mother, what's going on? What's happening? Where's father?" The innocent, Saiyan prince questioned, frantically.
"Now is not the time for explanations! We have to get you somewhere safe!" She told him, in a hushed whisper. The Queen kept her power level near nothing, so that none of his minions could track her or her baby boy.
She quickly went down a secret path that she and her husband only knew of, careful to lock the door behind her. Breaking back into her sprint, she clung him to her chest with dear life. Whatever she did, Vegeta could not be allowed into that monster's hands.
"Your Majesty, you've finally arrived." The Queen's bodyguard, Cecelia seemed as if she were expecting her, "Come. I've been instructed by King Vegeta to get you two out of here."
"Thank you, but please, what matters is that he's safe more so than me." The Queen responded, gesturing towards Vegeta.
"As you wish. Let's get going." Cecelia muttered, quickly going down several hallways.
Vegeta didn't have the slightest clue what was happening. All he knew was that his home was being attacked and that they had to flee immediately.
"Where is father?" Vegeta asked, quietly.
"He's fighting alongside the army, darling. Please be calm, all will be well. I promise." The Queen whispered, gently stroking his hair.
"HALT! STOP WHERE YOU ARE!" A male's voice shouted, startling Cecelia and the Queen in that moment.
"Oh God, this way!" Cecelia exclaimed, as they bolted down another stone hallway.
"Don't let them get away! Frieza wants the boy!" Another voice yelled, as they chased after them.
What do they mean? Who's Frieza? Vegeta wondered, as his face turned up in horror. He heard the familiar name somewhere before, but he couldn't remember when.
"Okay, this isn't going to work. I'll fight them off and you take the prince and get out of here." Cecelia ordered, as she began her heroic fight.
"Mother...I'm scared...I don't want to go with him!" The young prince cried, shaking his head.
"I won't let him take you, even if it means sacrificing my life. I need you to remember something, darling. No matter what happens to me, run and flee. If I fall to these beasts, then I want you to flee and don't turn back. This is never to frighten you, but this is your only way of survival." Her bell like voice would be forever engraved in his young, pure mind.
The Queen's feet took her towards the open exit. She was so close to that bright light, but that very same light was becoming dim. She felt something burning come into contact with her back, while at the same time her baby boy was no longer in the embrace of her warm, loving arms. He was fulfilling her dying wish, as her eyes gazed at her little boy for the last time.
xxx
"Hmm. Planet Vegeta is no more. No more of those worthless monkeys to worry about. Long live the King." He laughed, with a glass of wine in his hand.
"Indeed, my lord. Though I must wonder, what are we going to do with the boy?" The blue man questioned, with curiosity.
"Since I'm being...merciful, I'll make him useful." He smirked, not knowing that the young boy was watching him from afar.
xxx
He could feel the tears penetrating his eyes. Why was this happening to him? He could feel the bile in the back of his throat waiting to be unleashed to the ground.
"It's a shame, truly. The look on your face pleases me, dear prince." The feminine like voice hissed, stroking the delicate skin around his manhood. He could see him lowering his face, and knew what was bound to happen.
"NO, STOP! STOP! STOOOOOOPPPPP!" He screamed, just before the bile appeared on the ground.
xxx
Vegeta shot straight up from his sleep. The sweat drenched his entire back along with his face. This wasn't the first time his dreams had haunted him. His mind couldn't comprehend why these dreams still occurred, even after Frieza was destroyed by that boy from the future. When he truly thought about what happened, he felt even more pissed. To this day, he resented his father for not being there for him and his mother. He always remembered his mother. The way she held onto him for dear life until she gave her last breath, so that he could get away.
Your death was not in vain, mother. I'm alive, but what became of myself isn't something you should be proud of. He closed his eyes, remembering her hazel eyes that deviated from a Saiyan's dominant brown eyes, her teaching him to fight alongside his father, but more importantly her will to protect him with all the love she could give him.
"Are you okay?" A soft voice asked, causing his eyes to flicker in the direction of his door. She was standing there, clad in a black tank top and grey shorts.
"What do you want, woman? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" He asked, letting out a snarl.
She smirked, not surprised by his grumpy attitude. "I was sleep, until I heard you screaming in your sleep. I guess I got a little...worried."
He scoffed at her statement. "Hn. As if anything could do any harm to me, the...,"
"Yeah, yeah, nothing could happen to the Prince of All Saiyans...you've mentioned it more than a couple times." She replied, sitting on the edge of his bed.
"Again, why are you here, woman?" He questioned, impatiently.
"Again, Vegeta, it's because I was worried. Is that so wrong?" She asked, curiously, "And besides, what are these horrid dreams about anyway? I mean, it's got to be something horrible if it's waking you up like that."
"Worrying is for the weak. Now, if you're done spouting nonsense, I'm going back to sleep." He grumbled, lying back down.
She sighed, as she headed for the threshold to return to her room for the rest of the night. There was no sense of getting him worked up at this hour of the night.
She was startled then to hear him softly say, "They're about Frieza."
She turned around, whipping her turquoise locks with her. "What?"
"The nightmares...are about Frieza. They're more like terrible memories happening over and over again in my head." He explained, tearing his eyes away from her gaze.
"It's how he destroyed Planet Vegeta...isn't it?" Bulma questioned, getting a short nod from him, "I know you hate sympathy and pity, especially coming from me, but nevertheless, at least you're alive."
"Like that matters. What's the point of living when you have nothing to live for? My life has been full of bloodshed and agony, if not dealt by my hand, then it's been dealt from that purple freak of nature." He snarled, darkly.
She'd never seen this kind of hatred coming off of him. She knew he had every right to be mad, given the circumstances of his life. However, it really did hurt her that he believed that there was nothing for him to live for.
"I know that I'll never understand the degree of torture you've been through, but from what Goku has told me, you're a hell of a lot stronger mentally than I could have imagined. Though you've tried to kill me over a dragon ball, I still can't help but admire your determination to strive for the better, even if it does involve your obsession to be better than Goku and you not giving a shit about anyone on Earth." She told him, sincerely.
This woman...wha..what is wrong with her? She should fear me...not admire me. It's like she said before, I tried to kill her not too long ago, and could change my mind...yet, she's treating me as if she doesn't remember any of that, He thought, feeling confused by the sincerity and pureness of her words.
"Well, being that I don't like to focus so much on the negative, I'm going back to my room. Good night, Vegeta. Oh, and if you need someone to talk to, I'm down the hall." Bulma said, shutting his door before he could utter another word. Though it went against nature in other's eyes, she refused to turn the other cheek. He needed her in his corner, and that was what she was going to do regardless of anyone's disapproval.
"Oh my Kami! There's nothing to do. Gah!" Bulma yelled, throwing the remote on the coffee table. It was getting very difficult to find anything to do around the compound since Yamcha wasn't around, and everyone she knew (except) for Chi-Chi was training.
"Hi, sweetie! I bought you lunch." Bunny said, handing Bulma wrapped deli sandwich and vitamin water.
"Thanks, Mom." Bulma responded, plainly.
Bunny looked concerned for just a moment. "What's the matter dear? You've been looking quite depressed for a while."
"Eh, it's just boredom. Yamcha left to go train, so I haven't had much to do." Bulma admitted, quietly. She figure she might as well get it off her chest, since bottling it up wasn't going to do much good.
"Oh, well did you want to go Christmas shopping with me later? I'm trying to get all of my shopping done early this year." Bunny offered, sipping her tea.
"Sure thing, Mom." Bulma smiled, feeling a little better. She hadn't remembered the last time she and her mother had a day to themselves.
"Oh, and if you're feeling lonely, sweetie, why don't you get together with that young man? He's always working so hard and is truly dedicated." Bunny mentioned, moving to a different subject.
Bulma immediately started choking on her water. "Mom! That's completely ridiculous! And keep your voice down! He has better hearing than a human!"
"How so? He's great husband material, and you two look so adorable together. He's perfect for you." Bunny told her, cheerfully. She had no clue as to why her daughter looked completely mortified at her suggestion.
"The day we ever hook up is the day pigs fly, and plus just because Yamcha left doesn't mean we broke up." Bulma added, trying to keep herself from blushing. The conversations she and her mother had never ceased to amaze her.
xxx
He didn't get it. Even when he tried to forget about it, his brain still tried to wrap itself around it. The woman was such an enigma to him. He was used to being feared by any being in the universe, but not her. She stood out like a sore thumb. What mostly bothered him was the fact that he opened up to her about his past. He never did that. Why did he feel vulnerable when he was around her?
Maybe it was because she was the only one who gave a shit about him. Possibly?
Why the hell should she care? It's not like I give a shit about any of her problems. Whatever, she's hindering me from my training. I don't have time for useless attachments. It'll get you killed on the battlefield.
Baring that thought in mind, he threw himself back into his training once again.
xxx
After six intense hours of Christmas shopping and working in her lab for two and a half more, Bulma decided to turn in for the night. Though she was sleepy, she walked through the halls of her house thinking about her current dilemma. She had to stop being so depressed because Yamcha left. He was going to be gone for another eight and a half months, so she had to put her mental strength to use and get over herself. She survived when Yamcha met his untimely death, so she should be able to handle him going away somewhere to train.
While walking back to her room, she noticed the door to the family library was cracked open. Her curiosity got the best of her and she quietly slipped in through the door. Inside she recognized the endless shelves full of books of all different types of genres. While walking through the aisles, she could feel that someone else was in the library as well. Bulma noticed her feet guiding her into the direction of where this prescence may be. After about two minutes, she found Vegeta looking up at the collection of old paintings that hung on the wall in the back. The particular painting he stared at was of Marie Louise, a far descendant of the Briefs family. Feeling her behind him, he turned around and glared at her. It wasn't full of malice or hate, it remained neutral.
"I see you found Marie Louise." Bulma said, softly.
"Hn. I didn't know you were royalty, woman." Vegeta responded, looking back at the painting.
She smiled to herself just a bit. "Of course you'd take an interest, but no, technically I'm not royalty. My mother and her side of my family are direct descendants. Marie Louise married the French Emperor, Napoleon until his death. All the other paintings are more people of royalty."
"I was merely looking around. There's nothing else here to entertain me...and I only enjoyed reading about the pathetic excuses of human royalty." He explained, shrugging.
"I don't think that's a fair comparison." Bulma mentioned, playfully rolling her eyes.
"Don't be absurd! Saiyan's are by far more superior to humans." He scoffed, with mild disgust.
"Okay, only because humans don't have abnormal fighting skills, can't fly, and most of us don't think about fighting every second of our lives like obnoxious barbarians." She countered, leaning against the wall.
He couldn't help but smirk. "Maybe you have a point, woman, except for the barbarian thing."
"Are you agreeing with me?" She questioned, shocked at the revelation.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, woman. It's coincidental that we agree on one thing." He spat, rolling his eyes.
"It's okay to just say we've found common ground. It's not going to hurt that overly insane Saiyan pride." She mildly teased, messing with her hair, "Well, as much as I enjoy this small debate, I'm turning in for the night."
He watched as she disappeared through the aisles of the library with the blink of his eyes. What was it about that woman that intrigued him in the slightest?
I have to be losing my mind the longer I stay on this mudball planet, He thought, rubbing his temples as he made his way to his bed for rest.
xxx
He'd been training, and well for the matter. He could feel all the muscles in his body growing with strength he couldn't have imagined. It made him overjoyed that he was gaining strength. The more power gained, the closer Yamcha grew to his goal. Now that nightfall arrived, he returned to his tent hidden in a cave by a nearby waterfall. The rushing water felt calm to his mind and soul as he landed on the ground. Once he settled and started a fire to keep warm, his mind wandered to his beloved girlfriend and best friend back home.
He knew that Master Roshi promised to take care of Puar while he was away, so he knew that Puar was out of harm's way. Bulma, however, was another story. The only thing he regretted about going away to train was that he was leaving her and her family with Vegeta. He'd done well keeping that fact out of his head so that he could focus better, but it still nagged at him just a bit. Nine times out of ten, she didn't stand a chance against Vegeta by a large margin, and he could kill her at any moment he wanted to.
Maybe I'm overreacting. Vegeta's so obsessed with training and beating Goku that he barely notices the Briefs. Hell, maybe Bulma and Vegeta managed to get along...BAHHHHAAAAAHHHAAAAAAA! Never mind, there's no way in hell that the two of them being themselves would ever get along.
The poor soul that Yamcha was couldn't even predict that his statement would be twisted and warped by the fates. Something in the future would be the ultimate catalyst for what was to come.
Well, another chapter done. I'm still working on the plot of the next couple chapters, but since I have more time, things will get done much sooner. Until then, have fun reading and if I don't have the next chapter up by the holidays...then Happy Holidays to you all!
Cherriez