I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just copies of merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.
Chapter 29: Persona
Up on the second floor of the Capsule Corporation home building, a figure stirred from slumber. A whole twelve hours had gone by since he had passed out, and that had been a long ways away.
"Man, how long was I out?" Verto muttered as he held his head. His hand found a sensor attached at the temple on the right side. He glanced around, seeing that he was indeed in his room, but his bed had been replaced with one that would be more suited to a hospital. Also more suited to a hospital was the IV plugged into his wrist. He immediately checked below the sheets, sighing in slight relief to see that he had pants on, though they were blue pajama pants instead of his normal green. His shirt had been removed though, and there were more sensors attached all over his chest. He yanked the sensors off, which made the heart monitor go crazy as he sat up in bed. He double checked the IV, but saw that it was only saline fluid being pumped into his system. He considered ripping that out, but figured that it might have been there for a reason. He attempted to get out of the bed, but his legs buckled immediately and he fell to his knees in surprise. The door flew open and a beautiful girl with violet hair and a blue dress was at his side right away. Verto glanced over her attire briefly before letting her help him to his feet.
"Nice look. Were they out of nurse outfits this time?" he asked.
Lenz ignored him, "You shouldn't be out of bed yet!"
"How long have I been out?"
"The rest of yesterday and all night. About twelve hours I think," Lenz shrugged.
Verto shook his small head slightly, "I've slept enough then. Where's Bulma?"
"She's probably busy. She said she'd come by later, after you've rested some more! Back to bed with you!" Lenz said sternly, pushing Verto to a sitting position.
"Lenz, you can't make me lie in bed all day to play one of your games. Bulma and I need to talk right now! It's bad enough that I didn't get a chance to after fighting that robot! This seriously can't wait!" Verto claimed.
Lenz didn't budge, "Back in bed little brother. Now!"
Verto folded his arms, "No. I'm not staying in here all day and you can't make me!" Lenz became a bit flustered by this reaction. She wasn't sure about his Psionic power, but she knew his Ki level was depleted. If current events held true and steady, he was about as strong as a normal human, maybe more. Lenz put her hand on top of his head and shut her eyes for a minute as he stared up, trying to figure out what she was up to.
"Dare I ask what you're doing?" Verto pondered.
"Sorry," Lenz said, clocking him in the side of his head before he could blink. Verto blacked out immediately, and Lenz carefully repositioned him back in bed and tucked him back in. This time though, she placed his arms in the restraints that were installed on the sides. They were only leather, so it wouldn't take a fraction of his true strength to break out, if he had it in him.
A single tear ran out of Lenz's eye, "It's for your own good; I'm sure you'll understand." She then went to work putting the sensors back on his body and double-checking his saline bag before sitting down in a nearby chair.
Bulma entered the room a few minutes later, "The alarms went off downstairs, is everything alright? Let me guess, he only got out of bed?" Lenz nodded but said nothing.
"He just can't avoid running himself into the ground can he? Oh well, if you want to go train or eat, I can keep watch for a little while until he settles down again. Or we can just give him something to help him rest," Bulma suggested. Lenz stared at her for a moment before nodding again.
"Try not to worry Lenz; I'm sure he'll get better and pull through. Even Super Saiyans can fall under the weather if they don't take care of themselves," Bulma pointed out. A loud screech from downstairs got their attention, and it kept going for several minutes.
"Oh shoot. Lenz, can you go feed Bulla while I administer this. Since he's Saiyan, I probably need to give him enough sedative to knock out an elephant just to start with!" Bulma said. Lenz didn't say anything and left the room as Bulma pulled out a very large bottle of blue colored fluid.
"I don't know what she sees in you kid, or what you see in her for that matter. Probably just as brainless as any other. Oh well," Bulma mused. Verto stirred just as Bulma was injecting the blue into his IV.
"Where's Lenz?" he barely managed to whisper.
"Tending to the baby for me while I do this. You're going to take a nice long nap," Bulma said with a warm smile.
"Why would you send Lenz to calm Bulla down? You know she can't settle a baby down, unless…" Verto paused. Bulma noted that his heart rate increased by an impressive amount suddenly.
"Unless what sweetie?" she asked.
"Uh, nothing. Hey, did your contact ever get here?" he asked.
"What contact?"
"The one you've been talking to, the reporter from North City. The one you didn't tell me about! Her name was uh, Sullivan I think!" Verto explained.
"I don't know who you're talking about kid. Maybe she hit your poor little head too hard and you're imagining things!" Bulma said with a frown.
Verto promptly changed the subject, "What the hell are you giving me?"
"Just a little something that should keep you nice and docile for a few days," she grinned.
"A few days? But we've got things to do, a mystery to…solve!" Verto murmured as the sedative reached his brain.
"Too late for that I'm afraid. Now be a good boy and sleep for me. I have a lot of work to do and I don't have time to baby-sit a sick boy! Bye bye!" Bulma waved as Verto's eyelids drooped shut and he slumped down. Once he was out, Bulma injected his IV two more times with sedative just to be sure. She grimaced when she saw his heart rate had barely dropped to a normal level, and his eyes flickered rapidly.
"Tough kid," she commented as she opened the bag of saline, which was nearly empty. She glanced towards the hallways for a moment before taking her bottle of blue and dumping it all into the IV bag. She waited until it started dripping into his wrist before she relaxed any at all. Verto's heart rate slowed way down, and the rest of the monitors also lowered significantly in activity.
"That should take care of you for awhile," she said before leaving the room and heading for her lab.
Back downstairs, Lenz was trying to feed Bulla, who wouldn't stop screaming.
"She just won't stop! I thought she was done teething!" Lenz cringed as the noise was becoming unbearable.
"Sometimes it can last awhile. I'll take it from here," Bulma said. Bulla's crying got even louder and more intense than before, and it wasn't long before Vegeta showed up, holding his ears.
"Damnit woman! Can't you calm that brat down yet?"
"I'm working on it!" Bulma said as calmly as possible.
"Well, work harder! You're paying too much attention to your silly projects and not enough to the brat! We'll all be deaf if this keeps up!"
"Well then smart-ass, how about you try? You're her daddy after all, take some responsibility!" Bulma shouted as she handed Bulla over to her father. Bulla's tantrum subsided within seconds, mellowing down to a mild whimper. Vegeta's eyes weren't quite as wide as Lenz's, but they were pretty close.
"There now, that wasn't hard was it? She just wanted her daddy! Now if you'll excuse me, I've got things to do!" Bulma exclaimed as she sat down at her desk. Vegeta's eyes narrowed to normal again for a brief moment while he stared at his wife.
She felt the stare and turned around, "What?" Vegeta passed Bulla over to Lenz, who took her nervously.
"Where's my food woman?" he asked.
"You'll get your precious meal when I fucking cook it! Otherwise you can just have the dry rations again!" she screeched.
"Then get on it woman!" Vegeta barked.
"Fine!"
"Come on girl, we've got training to do!" Vegeta ordered. Lenz moved to put Bulla in her laboratory crib, but Vegeta stopped her.
"The woman doesn't need any distractions; you can bring the brat along!"
"So now you finally spend some time with your daughter? What's the occasion?" Bulma snorted.
"If she can walk, she can train!" Vegeta said with a smirk as he and Lenz left with Bulla.
"Figures." Bulma scoffed as she turned around. Unknowingly to her, Vegeta's smirk flipped upside down and he briefly bared his teeth before leaving the area.
The phone rang a few minutes later, to which Bulma picked up angrily, "What?"
"Is now a bad time Bulma?" Chichi asked.
Bulma sighed with relief, "No, just the usual."
"Another round with Vegeta eh? I'm still wondering how you two hooked up," she admitted.
"Yeah, me too. What did you need?" Bulma asked impatiently.
"Would it be alright if Goten stays over there for a few days? Gohan is staying with Videl anyway. Me and Goku kind of want some time to ourselves."
Bulma rolled her eyes just slightly, "Yeah that's fine I guess. It would keep Trunks and Vegeta out of my hair!"
"Thanks. So how's Verto?" Chichi asked next.
"Sleeping soundly. Had to force some sleep aid into him this time!"
"Well, hopefully he gets better soon. So what has Vegeta been bugging you about?"
Bulma frowned at the spree of questions, but let it slide, "Nothing major. Bulla was just having another tantrum. You know how he hates that noise. I thought her teething phase was over but maybe not. Can you believe this; Vegeta is actually spending time with her as we speak!"
"Wow, that's a change. Can't imagine what he would do to stay interested." Chichi said with genuine surprise.
"Probably just train train train, just like usual! He hit me with the 'if she can walk, she can train' routine!"
Chichi gasped, "She's already walking? Wow, that was really fast! Gohan and Goten were barely crawling at that age! Wasn't it just last week that you mentioned she was starting to crawl? I'll bet you'll have another Super Saiyan by the time she's four!" Bulma's eyes shot open and she dropped the phone in surprise. She whirled around to her desk and brought up her array of security cameras throughout the compound.
"Bulma? What was that noise?" Chichi asked faintly. The video feed cycled through several locations before stopping at the old gravity room. Inside, Vegeta was punching at the air and Lenz was helping Bulla take unsteady steps. Bulma sighed with relief and picked the phone back up.
"Sorry, I slipped and dropped the phone. I should let you go; I imagine the walking appetites need to be fed soon. Talk to ya later!" Bulma said as she hung up. She took a deep breath as she leaned back in her chair, holding a vial of unmarked black fluid. She grimaced as she swished it back and forth; this is a lot harder than I thought it would be.
Interlude 29.1: Mental Turmoil
My eyes snapped open almost as fast as I had closed them. Something literally felt different about the room I was in, but everything looked normal enough. I scratched at my wrist by instinct, but noticed that the IV plugs were gone. Maybe I'm better now. When I looked again though, I saw that there wasn't even a scar or band-aid there. Saiyan or not, it still had to heal like any other wound. My clothes were also back on, normal teal-green and everything. I got out of bed slowly, just in case, but my legs felt as sure and steady as ever. The first odd thing I noticed though was that the entire room was various shades of gray, the carpet, the bed, everything. Okay…I shrugged it off and left my room, seeing the same thing in the hallways. I knew that Capsule Corp had been painted primarily blue and gold on the inside just like the original, so unless there had been a new paintjob while I was out, something wasn't right. When I came up to the lobby, I spotted a large red pool of blood with a trail leading away. Uh oh. I searched the nearby area before following the blood trail to a broom closet. Opening it, I found Trunks lying there, battered and bloody, and the only source of color around.
"Man, this really sucks! Not enough power, can't face him!" he mumbled.
"Face who Trunks?" I asked. Trunks didn't answer, and slumped to the floor a moment later. What the hell is going on? Is this another crisis, or am I only dreaming again? I heard sounds coming from further down the halls and moved that way cautiously. I broke into a run when I heard some commotion coming from the old gravity room. There I found Vegeta, training hard like he had a fight coming up.
"Hey! Your son has been attacked and he's out cold! Lots of blood," I hinted.
Vegeta stopped punching his shadow and looked over briefly, "Keep it down. I have to train everyday! Tomorrow might be the end!"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I shouted at him.
"I'm too weak, must get stronger! Those scumbag losers must be defeated!" he claimed before continuing his routine.
"Argh!" I growled in frustration as I left. I heard more sounds coming from the kitchen this time and went that way next. This time it was Goku and Goten, ripping apart plate after plate of food. Well at least that's normal. I saw Chichi over by the stove, cooking more of their dinner. When I saw the food though, it looked incredibly bland and lacking of any color or taste. It didn't look like Goku cared, nor did his son.
"Remember son, we have to eat to keep up our strength!" Goku reminded Goten.
"Yay! I love food!" Goten claimed.
"If only I could cook good food, this is barely edible!" Chichi said in disgust.
"Maybe another bad guy will show up and cause trouble! Oh boy, I can't wait!" Goku pronounced. I stood there and stared, stupefied while they carried on like I wasn't there. Has everyone gone bonkers, or is it just me? I left the kitchen and headed back to the lobby to see if I could do something about Trunks, but not only was he gone, so was all the blood! Instead, I spotted Gohan and Krillin chatting away on the sofa. I couldn't quite tell what they were saying yet, but it seemed normal enough with the rate of laughter coming from both of them, especially Krillin. Just as I got within a few feet, Gohan's watch beeped.
"Great, there's another one!" he said with a frown.
"What is with our luck? Is there some villain manufacturing plant that just spits them out one by one?" Krillin asked.
"Maybe we're just a testing ground to make sure they all work. Hopefully I'll be back soon!" Gohan replied as he opened the door to a world of gray.
"Try not to die out there! You might have some angry women on your hands if you don't come back!" Krillin remarked with a grin.
"No promises, just keep everyone inside. They probably aren't strong enough to survive this one either!" Gohan said as he closed the door.
"I swear, the guy needs to settle down and live life for once. I wonder how he manages this with little to no enjoyment. Must be rough not getting any!" Krillin shook his head and sat back down. I turned and spotted Lenz on the other side of the room, and she looked timid to be honest. She didn't have on anything flashy or revealing either, just a normal enough blue outfit.
"It's so hard to tell people how I really feel! I don't want to hurt them or give them the wrong idea though. I want them not to bother me, but I don't want to be alone either!" she said out of nowhere.
Krillin popped up at this, "I told ya that you needed to get some action! Just tell her you love her; she'll probably do the rest. Sounds like a fun night!"
"I don't need that kind of attention, I'm not that kind of person!" Lenz exclaimed.
Krillin scoffed at this, "We all know that isn't true. Deep down somewhere, there's a ready and willing side of you waiting to come out again. Get past that shyness and guess what? Bow chicka bow wow!" Krillin had clearly been speaking to Lenz, but he was staring at me when he finished. He sat down again without another word, and I chose to leave the area and go elsewhere. Someone please cue the twilight zone music. I didn't hear anything going on from the other direction, but that didn't mean much right now, so I headed for Bulma's lab. On the way, I passed by a single open door with a light on inside. I found Videl there, standing in front of a mirror.
"Alright, this is it! I've got you this time! Bring it on; I'll crush you with one finger! I don't need any help!" she said to the mirror. I stood at the door for a moment to see if she'd notice me at all, and she didn't.
"I don't need a stupid disguise; what's the point? It's uncomfortable, it gets in the way, and they'll figure it out eventually!" she declared. Okay, back away now, proceed to another crazy location. I continued down to the lab, where I spotted Bulma in a white lab coat and glasses on. She appeared to be testing different chemicals at her lab table. Around the room were all kinds of papers hanging up, many of them just simple sticky notes. I even recognized some of them to be formulas that I knew from basic math class. Most of them I didn't though, and a lot of them had danger signs stapled to instructions.
Bulma quite suddenly shrieked with delight, "Yes, I've done it! Finally I've created a formula that stimulates hair growth in older, bald men!" I wanted to just faint and get it over with, but the sheer shock kept me from doing it.
"Isn't that called Hair club for men?" I asked.
Bulma turned and looked down at me in surprise, but it didn't last long, "Yeah, but this one actually works! You look a little lost; can I help you find something? Or maybe someone?"
I glanced around carefully, "Why is everyone acting so strange?"
"How so? This is how everyone around here is. What you see is what you get!" she said simply.
"That's wrong in ten different ways. Everyone is acting completely different from normal! Something has to be off here!" I claimed.
"Well, I don't feel any different. Are you seeing something different with me?" she asked as she bent down. I gulped slightly when her shirt dropped slightly at the neckline, giving me quite a view. I forced my eyes up to look into hers.
"Well, the glasses for starters," I stammered.
"A lot of smart people wear glasses. What's so strange about that?" Bulma asked.
"That's just a stereotype though. I know for a fact that your eyesight is just fine!" I said with a slight grin. Got her, no way to counter that one!
"How can you be sure just by looking at me? You don't know without being my eye doctor. And even if he says I'm fine or not fine, he could be lying!" she countered. I blinked sharply as she gave me the same curious stare I had a moment ago.
"Yeah, never mind." I muttered.
Bulma stood back up in slight pride, "Wanna help me figure out cold fusion?"
"I'll pass on that," I said, dazed from what I just heard.
Krillin suddenly ran into the room, "Did you hear? Lenz wants a Halloween costume! She should go as a blonde! Get it?" he laughed.
"That was so bad that I'll let her slap you upside the head when she is a blonde!" I replied with a scowl.
"Maybe you'd have better luck if it were actually funny," Bulma suggested.
"Come on! Give a guy a break! You think you can do better?" Krillin dared me.
I snorted slightly, "For certain."
"I should hope so! I'm as smart as you are and look at me now!" Bulma exclaimed.
"How can that be right?" I asked back.
"Just by paying attention. It's what you always say isn't it?"
"In this case, I doubt it's that simple. And as far as being at the same level of intelligence as you, well it's not a debate I'm gonna win!" I replied.
"I was just about to say that! Wow, you're good! Teach me sometime!" Krillin begged.
I stepped carefully past him, "Maybe later. Right now, I'm going to go this way." Holy crap, what the hell was all that? I kept going down the same hallway in the same direction, trying to distance myself from the craziness. I spotted Piccolo floating halfway to the backdoor.
"Hey Piccolo, have you noticed anything weird going on?" I started.
Piccolo's left eye popped open, but promptly shut, "Shhh! I must maintain focus, mustn't be distracted!"
"Never mind," I said as I walked on by. Maybe I just need some air before I deal with whatever this is.
I opened the door to the back of the grounds and stepped out into a field of light green this time. The sky was about as blue as it could get with a few spotty clouds. I heard a dog barking close by, and spotted it sitting with a small boy under a tree. Something was off with the ground around them though; it was totally white in color in a perfect circle surrounding the tree. The kid didn't notice me as I walked up; he was too busy hugging and kissing the small dog, which only wagged its tail happily. The dog had mottled fur of mostly black with trims of brown and white on its legs. The kid had slightly chubby cheeks and an underdeveloped body for his age, which looked to be about seven or eight years old. His shoulders looked a little lopsided, the result of what was likely a neck injury when he was younger. When he looked up though, I froze completely when I saw his face.
"Hi! My name is David!" he said cheerfully. Um…how do I answer this one.
"Don't you mean Dave?" I asked.
"Nah, I don't like that name much," he said. You have got to be kidding me. If I'm not dreaming, just fucking shoot me now!
"Uh, nice dog," I said, still dazed at all this.
"Yeah, she's real sweet. I got her away from an abusive family. They were really mean to her and stuff. I want to take her over to Granny's, she'll love her!" David said. I bit my lip just slightly, because it all sounded too familiar.
"Yeah, I'm sure she will," I replied.
"You're one of those really strong fighter guys aren't you?" he asked.
"Yeah, you could say that."
"I wish I was that strong! I could fly around all day, fight the bad guys, save the world and stuff. I'd be super strong and wouldn't ever have to worry about anything!" he declared. Except being incredibly naïve. I can't believe I was ever like that.
"You can look at it that way, but you really have a lot more to worry about. Bigger things, not just when dinner is," I said with a slight frown.
"Oh, I didn't think it was that hard. You make it look so easy!" David claimed.
"Nothing is ever easy or simple for me anymore."
"What makes it so hard? Do the bad guys give you that much trouble?" he asked.
"On occasion they do. They might not be as strong, but strength is not everything like some people believe. Some have special powers that make things difficult, others are just very crafty and smart. Some are both," I explained.
"Like that lady in black, the one with the red hair and sounds like she's from England? I don't really like her!" David said with a stern face.
"Believe me, I know how you feel. I haven't had many reasons to trust her, never mind like her."
"I think she's really a very bad person." David retorted.
"She might be. It's tough to tell, but she's certainly not on my favorites list," I said with a very slight smile as I sat down next to him. The dog sniffed my leg in wonder and then settled down and let me pet her. The younger me looked like he had a question or two in him; he had narrowed eyes pointed elsewhere while appearing to be deep in thought.
"Why do people hurt other people so much? Why can't they all be friends?" he asked.
"Probably makes too much sense; can't do it that way," I blurted out.
"That's what the bald guy says. I just don't understand it sometimes," he said with his head down.
"If only things were that easy. Sometimes different people have different opinions. Various ways of doing things and such," I explained.
"Even if they know it's a bad thing to do?" David asked. The innocence poured off him like a powerful aura; there was definitely a reason I was here.
"Unfortunately, it's just the nature of things. We all have good and bad inside. It's which one we choose to use that matters," I answered.
"But what if you meant to do a good thing and it ended up bad later on?" he asked next.
"That's always a potential problem because we can't see the future. We can't see what will happen with each individual choice. I choose to deal with problems as they arise, not what may or may not happen."
"So what do you do if you have to do a bad thing that actually helps everyone?" This gives new meaning to taking a test that you aren't prepared for. The series of questions is hitting pretty close to home though.
"I try to hope for the best," I replied hesitantly.
His frown was immediate, "You didn't answer my question."
"It's tough to do something that you feel is wrong, knowing that it could hurt someone or worse. It's like scolding a puppy when she chews something up or craps on the floor. You don't want to hurt her or shout at her, but then she may never learn," I explained. Judging by the confusion on his face, that didn't do much.
"Okay, bad analogy. Imagine she's getting old and she's not so playful or even active anymore. At that point, she's like an old person. Add to that some sort of problem she has, like a bad hip or a brain tumor that can't be fixed. Would you let her suffer with it, or would you have her put down?" I asked.
David looked horrified, "You mean kill her? No! I couldn't be so mean to a dog, I love her!"
"So you wouldn't. Then you let her suffer in pain all the time until she finally passes naturally?" I didn't want to put that particular scenario in front of him, but it felt necessary. He wasn't sure how to answer that one either, but he did threaten to cry about it as he held the dog snugly.
"See why it's tough to do the right thing? Even if it's for the wrong reasons. It's okay to feel bad about it, actually that's probably a normal thing; means you aren't a bad person on the inside," I explained further.
"I guess so," he said. Did I seriously just teach myself a life lesson? I thought as I shook my head slightly. David looked like he was on the verge of a subject change anyway.
"Hey, did you meet that pretty girl with the purple hair?" he asked suddenly.
"Who, Lenz?"
"Yeah her, I like her a lot. She's really nice. I wish she would come around more often. I like talking to her. I think she is kind of like having a big sister around," he said.
"Or a little one," I muttered.
"Not really, I don't think she likes dolls and stuff," David claimed.
"Well, they all like different things. And sometimes, well actually a lot of the time, they change their minds. Just when you have them figured out, they throw you a curve ball!" I said.
"I think I like her enough that I'll ask her to marry me when I'm older!" David said. I promptly face faulted, though it was long overdue by now.
"It's a little too soon to consider that don't you think? Plus, do you even know what marriage truly is, all in all?" I asked, a little unsure of the answer I might get.
"Yeah, you and your wife live together, have kids, kiss and hug a lot. And argue about money I think!" he said thoughtfully. Surprisingly accurate.
"Maybe you should wait and make sure she's the one for you. You can't have known her that long anyway," I suggested.
"How come she looks at me so weird sometimes? Like she's hungry or something. She's not going to turn into a nasty witch and try to eat me, is she? I don't want to be a meal!" David wailed.
I sighed loudly, catching even the dog's attention, "I'm sure it isn't that."
"Maybe she just wants my sweater then. She'll catch a cold if she doesn't put more clothes on; at least that's what my aunt always says to me. It hasn't been very nice outside lately anyway," he said.
"She might stay warm just fine, maybe she's just warm blooded and gets too hot in clothes," I said as I smacked my forehead. Oh god, I can't believe I just said that. To myself no less!
"I don't know. It's like she's about to go swimming all the time," David said.
"Yeah, in a manner of speaking," I replied carefully. He paid more attention to the dog for the next several seconds, allowing me some relief time before he struck again.
"Maybe you should marry her," he suggested.
My eyes shot open even wider than before, "No, that's okay."
"Well, she loves you a lot, I can tell. You're kind of mean to her but not all the time; I know you really like having her around too!" he claimed.
"Do you even understand the concept of love?" I asked.
"I think so, but I still don't see how babies are made from it. I mean, I never see any storks flying around anywhere and I know that new mommies get sick for a while before the baby shows up. Mom and Dad didn't have any other kids so I don't really know. Do you know how it works?" Oh no, I'm not discussing the birds and the bees with myself, no way!
"I'm sure you'll find out when you're older," I said. His face scrunched up slightly, but not up to crying level. I wasn't sure what he was going to ask next, but whatever it was, it couldn't have been good.
"I don't get it. How is it you know this stuff and I don't? I'm a part of you aren't I?" he asked.
"Wha…well in a manner or speaking," I replied. Okay, this just took another wacky turn.
"That's what the smart lady in there says. We're all a part of you, like sometimes you're her, sometimes you're me, and sometimes you're other people!" he claimed. I've heard of split personalities, hell I've gone through it, but this shit is just crazy! Is this seriously how I see the others? No it couldn't be, must be something else.
"Do you happen to know how I got here? How I'm interacting with you?" I asked.
"No, I bet the smart lady knows though, or she'll tell you to figure it out by yourself, it's what she tells me a lot!" he said.
"Let me rephrase that, how do you only know certain details about my life and nothing about others?" I asked again.
"The smart lady thinks it's only when you are us that we can remember stuff. I don't really understand it, but I know I can remember what you were doing anytime you were being nice to someone, or anytime you were very sad because someone went away. Like that girl who needed help and you had to kill her. I've been thinking about that a lot lately. You don't want to be bad like that, just like I don't. I think that's why the pretty girl likes you so much. You can be so strong and so tough, but nice at the same time. I don't like feeling sad though, please don't make me feel that way!" he said. Goddamn he's long winded, just like I was and still am sometimes. So all these people are manifestations of my personality, in several smaller pieces. None of them have been overly negative though. I glanced around and saw that the grayed area only extended to a certain point before it turned all black and slightly red.
"What is over there?" I asked as I stood up.
"The bad people live out there. They are really mean to everyone, please don't go there!" David begged.
"What are they gonna do, kill me?" I snorted slightly. When I turned away from him though, I was literally looking into a mirror.
"If you know what's good for you, you won't cross the line," my double said. His clothes were all light blue with hints of gray, and he bared a very concerned expression with lightly glowing blue eyes.
"I'm obviously here for a reason, and I doubt it's to meet everyone and say hello," I replied.
"Fine, but you may only go as far as the border; I won't let you cross the line, not now!" he said. I nodded at this and walked towards the edge of the compound, where the gray ended and the black began. There, standing on the other side of the line, was another version of me. This one clearly had a different taste for things, as he was wearing a crimson colored gi with a black undershirt. He was a lot bigger though, in full adult form, but his eyes were red.
"Finally. We need to talk," he said as I walked up.
"I'd say so," I replied.
A/n: Is it too obvious to say that writing this chapter felt a little odd?
WDG: I dare guess it'll get even stranger later. Long live inner turmoil, neh? You put yourself in quite a spot; good luck writing the next one, or two, depending on how far you want to take it. :p
VB: Conflicting thoughts for the win!
Next time on DBV: Verto confronts both his good and dark sides, forcing them into a compromise when they realize that someone is trying to kill him in his sleep. Meanwhile, Vegeta corners Bulma about her erratic behavior, but things take a turn for the worse when it becomes obvious that Bulma is not who she says she is. Vegeta is forced into a hopeful gambit when she springs her trap.