CHAPTER FIFTEEN

It was the morning of the dreaded Cell Games, and possibly the last day of Earth. Bulma leaned back into the sofa, trying to push away the constant worried thoughts that were running through her head. It had been days since she had seen the older Trunks and his father, and she had almost debating flying up to Kami's Lookout just to check that they were both okay, and possibly see them for the last time.

Bulma knew that her friends were strong, she had seen them all do some amazing things over the years. But from what she had gathered, the monster Cell was practically unbeatable, and much stronger than any foe they had faced before. It seemed that Goku was their last hope, having finally recovered from his heart disease and being able to train at his full capacity.

Standing up, Bulma made her way upstairs, quickly peeking into her son's room that was illuminated dimly by the sunlight that filtered through the blinds covering his window. Walking quietly up to the crib, Bulma looked down at the sleeping Trunks with love, softly running a hand through his silky lavender hair before leaning over and giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead, glad that he did not stir from her touch.

Bulma left Trunks' room and entered her own, shutting the door behind her and sighing. It was the worst time to be alone, when the day ahead was possibly the end of the world. She desperately wished to have someone with her, to wrap strong arms around her petite frame and tell her that everything was going to be alright. But there was only one person that Bulma wanted, and he didn't seem to have any affection for her in return, and if there was any it was certainly limited.

Her mind returned to a few days previous, when both she and Vegeta had been in the bathroom, left to themselves. Bulma could still remember the warmth from Vegeta's body on her back as he stood behind her, unmoving and silent as always. What on earth had caused him to act in such a way? Bulma knew that if she tried to figure out anything that Vegeta did, she'd just end up with a very painful headache.

Silently, Bulma pulled off the large oversized night-shirt she had been sleeping in, leaving her in nothing but an old pair of undergarments that she only wore when she was having an off-day. She sauntered over to the wardrobe and picked out a pair of old jeans and a maroon top, slipping it on over her head before pulling on the jeans. At least she felt comfortable, she knew that the day would be a restless one for her. The night had been even worse, Bulma had not been able to have one wink of sleep.

Bulma walked over to her large bed and settled back down into it, cursing her hungry stomach for dragging her out of it earlier. Even though she was fully dressed, it wouldn't hurt to get at least an hour sleep to prepare her for the day. It was a slightly cool morning, and her bed was beginning to get nice and warm. She lifted out one hand from the covers and grabbed the remote from her bedside table, pressing a button that closed all her blinds simultaneously, rendering the room in darkness. But even as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself, Bulma was still too restless to go to sleep.

Suddenly she heard a shuffling noise, her eyes opening wide as she tried to locate the source of it. The noise occurred again, this time coming from her balcony. Slowly and silently, Bulma manoeuvred herself from out of her bed, finding the baseball bat by the bedside table that Yamcha had given her years ago. She stalked towards the sliding doors opposite her bed, her heart beginning to beat faster and fear seeped in.

Quickly, she pulled open the blinds and thrust open the door, jumping out onto the balcony and holding the bat over her head. "Don't move, intruder, or you'll receive a nasty blow to the head!"

The figure paused, before turning around, revealing his face in the morning's sunlight. Bulma gasped, the bat dropping out of her hands and to the tiles with a loud thud. "Vegeta?" Bulma whispered, unable to believe her own eyes at Vegeta moved closer to her, obviously unhappy that he had been caught. He crossed his arms before her, and she followed suite. "What on earth are you doing here?"

Vegeta took in a deep breath. He honestly had no idea what had possessed him to fly all the way to the woman's residence, although he heard a small voice in the back of his head blaming his son's constant presence that had driven Vegeta to get as far away from him as possible. He had left early to make his way to where the Cell games were being held, too impatient to wait for Kakarott, when suddenly the city had come into his view, the large yellow dome almost beckoning him.

He had glanced in the window briefly at his son, before making his way onto the female's balcony, peering through the glass in time to see her undress, and reveal undergarments that were nowhere near as nice in others that he had seen her adorn previously. And yet, she still held some power over him, it had taken everything in Vegeta not to smash through the window and have her.

Then he saw her face, and all sexual thoughts thankfully left his mind. She looked sad, worried, and there was a hint of emotion that Vegeta was well accustomed with – loneliness. That's when he had realised what the day had meant to the woman – it was possibly the last few hours on earth, and this could have been the last time that he would ever see her.

And now she stood in front of him, obviously bewildered by his presence, and still waiting for a response to her question. "Enjoying the view." he rasped in reply, turning away from her slightly to look out over the city as the sunrise filtered orange light through the many buildings, leaning over the railing. Bulma joined him, and he noticed that she moved closer, he could almost feel the heat emitting from her body.

"I see. So how is everyone? I bet they've all been training hard, preparing for today." Bulma exclaimed, trying to converse with Vegeta, and keep him with her for as long as possible. Vegeta merely shrugged, and Bulma tried her best to contain the chuckle that developed in the back of her throat. How typical of Vegeta, to be so wrapped up in himself and not even be aware of how the people around him were faring. Or care.

"Well, what about you? How has your training been? You certainly look a lot stronger." she marvelled, looking up and down at her companion. Vegeta threw her a look. "I am currently in my normal state, it is only when I power up that you can properly analyse my true strength." he mused, before stepping away from the railing and moving to the other end of the balcony away from Bulma, obviously preparing to take off.

Bulma chased after him, determined not to let him go without a word. "Wait, Vegeta!" she called out after him, and he turned around, his face stoic, almost like that of a marble statue. He said nothing, but watched as Bulma approached him, moving closer than he normally would have allowed, but he made no movement to push her away, instead basking in the warmth she was radiating from her soft, pale skin.

She looked at him, her blue eyes full of an intense worry that startled Vegeta, but he did his best not to let that show on his face. "You're going there now, aren't you? To face Cell." Vegeta gave no answer, but it was obvious that he was indeed heading there. "Come back to me." she whispered, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. Vegeta's resolve dropped, her words bringing forth many emotions he had long since buried since he had made his trip into the deep realms of space.

Silently, he took her hand off his shoulder with his own, squeezing it gently, the only sign of reassurance he could give her. With his other hand, he lifted it up to her face, stroking her soft cheek with the back of it, before dropping both hands to his side. Bulma knew what was coming, and he stepped backwards, as Vegeta's intense ki emitted from his body, and he shot up into the sky, before disappearing in a blue streak.

She lifted one hand up to feel the same cheek that Vegeta had touched, it began to tingle, a pleasant sensation. Bulma was elated that she had seen him, and that he had actually conversed with her, and then not flinched away from her closeness. It was a sign of hope, that maybe there was more there when it came to Vegeta, but there was still a small part of my mind that reminded her that it could have been the last time they saw each other, and perhaps Vegeta was just being sentimental. The best thing Bulma could do was try to push it out of her mind, and concentrate on other things.

Bulma stayed out on the balcony, watching the sky become lighter as the sun rose higher and higher into it, and a loud cry coming from the room next to hers reminded her of her duties. Moving back inside, Bulma closed the balcony door and locked it behind her, before making her way into Trunk's room, her son sitting up in the crib, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Good morning my little ray of sunshine!" Bulma cooed as she leant over to pick Trunks up, a huge beaming smile appearing on his face as he eagerly accepted his mother's arms.

Holding her son in her arms, Bulma made her way down to the kitchen, where she was not surprised to find her own mother, eating pancakes and reading the newspaper. Bunny's face broke into a smile as they entered the room, and Bulma could not help but it return it. "Good morning my darlings! And how are we today?" she asked, getting up from her chair and approaching them. Trunks clapped his hands together happily, but Bulma merely yawned.

"Hey mom, could you fix Trunks up with breakfast? I need to go and check up on Dad." Bulma asked Bunny, holding out Trunks to her. "Sure thing honey!" the blonde woman exclaimed, taking her grandson before setting him down in his high-chair, Bulma leaving the room and making her way down to her father's laboratory.

She knew that he had pulled an all-nighter, she had gone in there and regularly checked up on him throughout her sleepless night. Now as she entered the room, she was surprised to see Dr. Briefs lounging in his favourite chair, indulging in a cigarette, another being sitting down on the table before him, flexing his fingers repeatedly before realising that Bulma was in the room.

"Wow Dad, you've done a great job." Bulma marvelled as she approached her father's companion, looking over him intently. "Sixteen, how do you feel?"

The red-headed android smiled, and laid his hands to rest at his sides. "I feel much more powerful than before. I must thank the both of you for such great work." Sixteen replied, his mechanical voice in one tone. Bulma looked over on the left side of his green chest-plate, pleased to see that her father had covered up the Red Ribbon emblem with a Capsule Corporation one instead. "Nice touch." she complimented Dr. Briefs, who grinned in response.

"I am sorry but I must go now, the fighting will commence soon." Sixteen announced, moving off the table and onto the floor, standing up straight and towering over Bulma. "Alright Sixteen, but please, be careful. And kick some butt while you're at it too!" She winked at the android, and she was sure that if he had the capacity to have any proper facial movements, he would have given her a confused look. "Yes, I will try my best to defeat Cell. And kick... butt."

Bulma and her father couldn't help but let out a chuckle in unison, before they led Sixteen out of the laboratory and outside to where he could take off. "Goodbye Bulma. Goodbye Doctor Briefs." Sixteen waved as he hovered up further into the air, father and daughter returning the gesture enthusiastically. Then Sixteen streaked through the air, disappearing before their eyes at a great speed, and Bulma was instantly reminded of seeing Vegeta leave not too long before then.

Dr. Briefs turned to his daughter, a questioning look adorning his features. "So Bulma, what are your plans for the day?" he asked, obviously trying to make light conversation out of the perilous events of the day. Bulma cocked her head to the side in thought. "Well I know that some of the stations are planning to broadcast the Cell games, and so I was going to watch it. But I reckon it might be better to go to Kame House and watch it with Master Roshi, seeming as he can give me proper commentary as to what's really happening, being a martial artist and all."

The truth was, Bulma had been constantly fighting with her thoughts for the past week, trying to decide whether or not she would go with Goku and the others to the Cell Games. But a small voice of reason kept piping up, telling her that it would be much too dangerous. The best option would be to go to Master Roshi's, he would be able to tell from sensing ki who was fighting and how there were faring. And the last thing she wanted was to be alone while it all happened.

Her father merely nodded in response as they headed back inside the house. "And what about you Dad? No drastic plans for you and Mom?" Dr. Briefs merely shook his head. "I have some other inventions that I've been meaning to work on and I believe your mother is determined to fix up the gardens." Bulma shook her head slightly. Trust her parents not to be freaking out about the last day on earth.

They both entered the kitchen, smiling at it's two occupants. Dr. Briefs moved over to his wife to give her a quick kiss, and Bulma made her way to Trunks and wiped the gunk away from his mouth, which she guessed to be porridge by the look of it. Picking her son up from his chair, she made her way up to his room and placed him down on the change table, finding his day outfit and proceeding to change his diaper and clothe him too.

Once done, Trunks was in a cheerful mood, and it was infectious for Bulma. She couldn't help but beam at her son every time she looked at him, he was the single most important and wonderful thing in her life, and the joy of motherhood filled her every time her eyes landed on his chubby face. She even felt the same bond with the future Trunks, amazed at just how wonderful and amazing a man her son had turned out to be. But for now, she wanted to enjoy Trunks' youth with him, there was plenty of time for him to grow into the warrior she had become accustomed to.

Making her way back into the kitchen with her son in her arms, Bulma stood before her parents, feeling an overwhelming sense of awkwardness wash over her. What did you say to your parents when you unsure you would see them again? Bulma didn't know. She turned to her mother, who cocked her head to the side. "Take care Mom." she said softly, giving Bunny a hug with one arm.

She turned to her father next, not knowing what to say to him. Although Bulma loved both her parents, she had always shared an amazing bond with her father, spending hours in his laboratory with him in her youth, learning so many great things that she still marvelled at today. Dr. Briefs just watched her, raising one eyebrow slightly. "Be safe, Dad." Bulma finally managed to blurt out, also giving her father a one-armed hug before stepping back from them.

"Just remember, I love you both, very much." Bulma added, giving a sad wave with her free hand, Trunks waving as well, before they left the kitchen, leaving Dr. Briefs and Bunny to themselves. "Oh my, that was very odd." Bunny commented, and Dr. Briefs just sighed. His daughter was always one for drama, motherhood had not changed that one bit. But he could understand slightly where she was coming from, but did not share her overwhelming worry.

He turned to his wife, giving her another quick kiss on the cheek, which made her giggle as his thick moustache tickled her skin. "Well hun, I'm off to do some work. You enjoy your gardening!"

+-+

Meanwhile, Bulma had made her way outside to the grounds, pulling out her capsule box and picking an aircraft, pulling the capsule out and clicking it before throwing it away from her. With a puff of smoke and a loud exploding noise the aircraft appeared, Bulma opening up the hatch and setting Trunks down in the baby seat she had specially added just for him. Trunks gurgled happily, Bulma knew how much her son like to travel. Closing the hatch up Bulma ignited the engines, and within minutes they were up in the air, heading towards a small island that Bulma knew well.

As she flew, she could not help but wonder if Vegeta had arrived at the 'tournament' yet. Knowing his impatience and his incredulous speed, she wouldn't have been surprised if he had. All she could do now was hope and pray that he and the other would be okay, and that the day would not result in any fatalities. The last thing she wanted was for one of her friends to die, especially as most of them had already been brought back to life once, and would not be able to be revived again.

Quickly flipping on the mini television that had been installed into the dashboard, Bulma quickly found the channel that were airing a live broadcast of the Cell Games. She was surprised to see that someone had already turned up, and that he was no-one that she knew. Hercule Satan, the man claimed himself to be. He was busy boasting about defeating Cell single-handedly, making Bulma roll her eyes, and Trunks beside her raise an eyebrow. Her son certainly wasn't an idiot, he could tell that the man was clearly a moron.

Suddenly there were exclamations from the presenter and the camera man, and the camera panned up to a shot of the sky. Bulma tried to keep her own eyes focused on the sky before her but her gaze kept returning to the small screen as a flash of blue light appeared, getting closer and closer. Bulma grinned.

Vegeta.

The Saiyan Prince landed on the ground, arms crossed in his usual stance as he did. His face wore it's trademark scowl, and Trunks clapped happily at the sight of his father. The presenter and idiotic Hercule began to discuss how Vegeta had travelled there, obviously flying, but the so-called 'fighter' dismissed it simply as a trick of Cell's. The presenter decided to approach Vegeta, and Bulma instantly feared for the man's life.

"So, who are you and what are you doing here? And, if you've just come to watch, back away from the ring before you get hurt!"

"Quiet. I've had enough of your insolence. Get out of my face."

Bulma couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter at Vegeta's remarks. Nothing had changed there. The presenter did as he was told, muttering something about Vegeta's sanity, or supposed lack of it. The camera remained at the Saiyan warrior though, and Bulma's grin faded as she noted the serious determination that was on Vegeta's features. He had come to defeat Cell, there was no doubt about that.

Her last words to Vegeta echoed in her thoughts.

"Come back to me."