Chapter One

Excruciating pain.

It permeated through her entire being, from the ends of her hair to the very tips of her manicured toenails. It pulsed through her frame like a second heartbeat, lancing and searing from within and without. Bulma was certain she had never in her life experience agony such as this, and for a brief moment she wondered if this was the hell that Vegeta had feared to the point of seeking immortality through the dragon balls. Unable to scream, Bulma simply embraced the blackness that threatened her consciousness, falling into the welcomed void.

"Kaio-sama, what's happening?" Goku demanded impatiently. "Bulma's ki is gone! It vanished just like that!"

After searching, the small being simply shook his head. "I'm not sure, Goku..."

"Then find out, damn it!"

The northern kai could only watch in utter shock as Goku began alternating between pacing like a caged animal and stopping to put two fingers to his forehead, letting it furrow in desperate concentration. "She's not on Earth anymore... but she's not dead, either..." he muttered during a round of pacing. "She couldn't have gotten off planet and far enough away so fast that I wouldn't be able to sense her..."

"Uh... maybe you should... I don't know... see if Vegeta knows anything?" came the tentative and extremely soft suggestion from behind the raging Saiyajin.

"Vegeta! Of course!" Goku exclaimed. "If anything's happening, he'll know what it is..." Then Goku made himself take several cleansing breaths, forcing all outside distractions and internal fears away so that he could send his consciousness down to find the proud prince. Once he realized exactly where Vegeta was, as well as felt the bombarding sensation of the man's unusually active emotions, Goku's insides went cold.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," he offered quickly before phasing out, leaving his companion to stare in confusion at empty space.

The small blue man blinked a few times before letting out a defeated sigh and deciding that he better do some serious investigating. He couldn't afford the risk of the destruction of yet another planet he lived on... and an enraged Goku was as destructive as you could get.

"What do you mean you can't find her?" Vegeta demanded from the trembling form before him. "You're the guardian of the planet, and you're telling me that you are unable to locate one stupid female?"

Dende's shrank back as he looked to Mr. Popo. He may have been God, but Vegeta was still Vegeta, and a furious Vegeta was enough to make anyone, God or otherwise, go running for the nearest rock to hide under.

Vegeta stalked past the small child, suppressing the urge to growl at the boy. "Damn it to hell!" he cursed to the four winds, his mind immediately running through his options. Then came the feeling that registered a fraction of a second before the voice did. Vegeta froze.

"It's not Dende's fault, Vegeta. Kaio-sama can't find her, either."

"No," Vegeta managed between clenched teeth. "No, it's not the Namek's fault," Vegeta agreed, liquid menace oozing off of his tongue as he turned to regard the dead man who had materialized only a few feet away. "It's yours, Kakarotto, so now you're going to tell me something." Vegeta's orbs of burning onyx bore into those of the man before him. "You are going to tell me exactly what you plan to do about it, and how you are going to get her back."

Goku returned the gaze of steel with a very rare one of his own, matching the intensity of the Saiyajin Prince and swallowing it defiantly. "I don't have much time, Vegeta, so you're going to first tell me exactly what happened. And I mean everything."

An undeterminable amount of time passed before Bulma was roused by a continuous cooling sensation on her burning cheek. It took several more minutes of simply lying still and allowing her brain time to perform the slow and steady process of functioning properly again before she could determine what the feeling was. Her hypothesis was confirmed as she heard the soft sound of the droplets of water that would leave their haven before landing on her face. Realizing that this, along with the absence of the previous torture, more than likely meant she indeed was not dead and in hell, she braved opening one heavy eyelid. The gesture did little good as she could only vaguely see outlines and shadows in the dimness of what appeared to be nightfall by her best estimate. One thing did strike her, though her still swimming head did not entertain the random thought that passed through it for very long. The room, or what was left of it, carried a strong familiarity to the woman. Of course it was quickly forgotten as a new sound drifted towards her from some distance away.

She heard voices.

"...over here somewhere..."

"... think you're crazy..."

"...can feel a small ki in there..."

"...probably an animal..."

Oh God... Bulma didn't know who these people were, or if they would be friend or foe. Unfortunately her body made her choice for her, for as much as she struggled, her wasted limbs refused to cooperate with her brain's command to move, leaving her sprawled out on her stomach on the chilled surface beneath her. Sighing in defeat, she came to quick decision. If they were friend, then the quicker they found her, the better off she would be as she had no idea what the extent of her injuries were. If they were foe, perhaps they would save her the trouble and simply kill her on sight. Her forehead furrowed in pained concentration as her throat fought to comply with her wish.

"He... help me..." The voices stopped immediately, indicating to her that, despite the low volume, they had heard something. Gritting her teeth in unfailing stubbornness, Bulma ignored the fire that grated her vocal cords as she put all of the wind she could muster through them. "Help me!"

Heavy footsteps thundered towards her, and she took in a lungful of air and immediately coughing. All sound stopped save for the hacking that was issuing itself from her, but she still knew without a doubt that the two were now standing over her.

"Who are you?" came the command from above.

Bulma tried to answer, but her throat was now completely useless. Instead, she allowed her chest to heave up and down to indicate that she was alive. Perhaps they would get the hint...

A booted toe nudged her in the side none too gently, eliciting a groan from her as white-hot agony assaulted her body once again. "She's human," the other voice observed disinterestedly, and, too her slight dismay, with barely masked disgust.

"Humans are not allowed in this area," the first voice called from above. A silent moment, then an irritated sigh. "This one's damn near dead. Roll her over and put her out of her misery."

Bulma set her jaw. She would not be weak. She would not cry. Looks like I'll be seeing you again after all, Goku...

The same silver-tipped boot that had nudged moments before now wedged under her stomach and with a fluid motion, had her turned onto her back, a very thin stream of light illuminating her agony-ridden features. Her eyes snapped open and she bit her lip to the point of drawing blood to avoid screaming at the rapid movement of her apparently broken body. I will not cry... I will be with Goku... I will not cry...

The sharp intake of breath from her executioners forced her to open her eyes once again. This time confusion filled her. It appeared that the men above were in a similar situation, though for what reason she could not possibly fathom.

"What the...?" came the first panicked response.

The second man simply stared. Then, after what seemed like an eternity of indecision, the man knelt down to look over Bulma more thoroughly, and Bulma was unable to believe the change. His fathomless eyes that had moments before held disdain and disgust were now tinted slightly with worry as he seemed to be taking a mental inventory of what he could see before him. "She needs a regen tank now," he stated simply. "Get a transport."

Regeneration tank... but why? Then the pain won against thought, and Bulma allowed her mind once again to shut down in exhaustion and exertion, and she embraced the enclosing blackness once again.