Chapter Two
Dende and Mr. Popo both took several steps back and threw each other identical looks of budding panic. The time for explanations was over, and now that everything was out in the open, one thing was clear. Never had either of them seen the Saiyajin Prince so completely and utterly enraged as he was at that moment.
"Let me get this straight," the slighter Saiyajin seethed as energy crackled around him. "You knew how the woman felt. You knew, and instead of handling the situation, you chose to remain dead rather than let her resurrect you so that it could be dealt with."
Goku powered up instinctively even as he threw a pleading gaze to his prince. "Attacking me won't bring Bulma back any faster..."
"Perhaps not, but bashing your skull in would undoubtedly make me feel better," Vegeta snarled in reply.
"Vegeta, please calm down..."
"No, bastard! Do you have any idea what you have done?" Vegeta spat at him, his normally disinterested visage now twisted in barely checked fury. "Of course you don't, you fucking low-class idiot! Do not ever presume to accuse me of being selfish and arrogant again, Kakarotto, for you have gone far above anything I've done. You are a coward, Kakarotto, and I vow to you now, if anything happens to her, I will make damned sure to hunt you to the ends of Otherworld and when I'm finished there will be no deity in existence that will be able to salvage your body."
"I'll get her back, Vegeta," Goku stated in grim determination even as his heart almost burst within his chest at the sting of Vegeta's words. He had been a coward, and now Bulma might be paying the price for it. "I swear to you, I will find her." Goku sighed heavily. The truth was that he wasn't sure if he could save Bulma, especially since there were the small issues of her unknown whereabouts coupled with the small detail of him being dead to complicate a rescue operation. Hell, he didn't even know with certainty if she needed help... though something deep within him told him that it was imperative that she be found, and soon.
Vegeta regarded him coldly, though he seemed slightly calmer than before. "How?"
"Well, the first thing is to go back to Kaio-sama's planet..."
"How the hell are you going to do anything there?" Vegeta questioned harshly.
Goku gritted his teeth. "Look, Vegeta, I'm dead, remember? I can't just stay here on the physical plane while we look for her. Besides," he reasoned with a furrowed brow, "I can see and sense a lot more from up there. Because I belong in that realm, my abilities are the most powerful there."
Vegeta seemed to consider the statement for a moment before nodding negligibly. "Fine, then let's go."
Goku blinked several times before he could make his mouth work. "Wha... what do you mean?"
"As in you and me." Goku's shocked expression made Vegeta smirk despite his anger. "Do you really think I'm going to trust you to take care of anything? Unlike you, I am no fool, Kakarotto."
"But... but what about Trunks...?"
Vegeta snorted. "The brat is taken care of. Now quit stalling and let's go. We're wasting time talking!"
After another moment of indecision, Goku finally shrugged. "Alright." With that, he placed a hand on Vegeta's shoulder, put his fingers to his forehead, and the pair phased out.
Dende and Mr. Popo both sighed loudly. "Mr. Popo, do me a favor?"
"Of course..."
"The next time Vegeta-san shows up unexpectedly, take a message."
Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep...
Bulma winced as the annoying sound assaulted her ears before she let out a relieved breath. Thank God... it was just a dream... Without opening her eyes or moving any more of her body from the warmth she was surrounded by than necessary, she reached over to slam her hand on the snooze button of the alarm clock only to have her hand collide against something painfully. Her eyes shot open even as the noise finally stopped and a friendly smile came into her line of sight.
"I'm glad to see you're awake, Bulma-san," the woman stated through the glass as she began looking Bulma over and jotting notes on a clipboard.
Bulma's eyes widened slightly as she realized the barrier she hit had been the glass that surrounded her, and the warmth she was enveloped in was fluid. Memories flooded her consciousness even as the solution began draining from her nude form, making her shiver slightly. A regenerative tank...
Once it had gone below her mouth, Bulma began coughing vigorously as her lungs fought to remove the rest of the foreign substance from her body and replace it with fresh oxygen. By the time the tank was empty, Bulma was able to take in a normal breath without choking, though her throat and lungs were still slightly irritated. The door slid open suddenly, and Bulma trembled again as the cooler air from the room hit her dripping flesh. Then she was wrapped in a thick robe and lifted effortlessly out by a man who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Bulma instinctively tensed as the man held onto her, but she fought back the urge to struggle against him. It was quite obvious it would have had little effect, anyway. Instead, she let the man carry her to what appeared to be a medical pallet where she was placed gently before the man once again disappeared. Then the woman was there once again and began hooking up small pads in varying places on her body. The small sensors were connected to a large machine next to the bed, so Bulma assumed it was a monitor of some sort, though she knew for a fact she had never seen such a device before, confusing the blue-haired woman even more.
"How do you feel?"
The question caught Bulma off guard, so it took her a minute to do a mental inventory. "Uh... Actually, I feel fine," she answered in quiet amazement. Indeed, she didn't even have a muscle ache to show for her earlier condition. Deciding that was one less worry to bother with, she instead focused on another. "Where am I, and how did you know my name?" she asked, surveying the rest of the room. She eyed her surrounding warily, sure that there was no such place as this on Earth, and knowing without a doubt that she didn't know the tall violet-hued woman who had addressed her when she woke. Or maybe not... she thought as the woman visibly blanched.
Bright platinum eyes widened. "You don't recognize me, Bulma-san?"
"No, and I'm pretty sure I would if I'd met you before," Bulma snapped irritably, her patience exhausted. "Now where the hell am I?" Bulma almost screamed in indignation when the woman shook her head frantically and ran from the room as if trying to escape. Bulma stared after her for a moment before clenching her jaw. "Fine, if no one will tell me anything, I'll find out for myself," she declared as she began ripping the sticky circles off of her body. A few tugs later, Bulma slid off the bed and squeaked when her bare feet hit the chilly tile floor, making her toes curl. Ignoring her immodest discomfort and tightening her robe around her, she took a few cautious steps before strengthening her resolve and moving to the doorway. She peered out and, seeing no one in sight, stepped tentatively in the hallway, determined to get some answers.
One way or another.
A thin man stood timidly outside the ornate double doors leading to the chamber within. His dread deepened as the sounds of ki blasts ricocheting off the walls met his ears. Of course, he has to be sparring... Taking a deep breath, the man knocked on the door, wincing at the echo it caused.
All sound ceased and after several moments, the door opened. Narrowed eyes landed on the man and he was motioned inside with a jerk of the guard's head. The man walked in briskly, making sure not to look up until he was within a few feet of the pair who both stood rigid in the center of the room. Once there, he dropped to one knee and prayed.
"This had better be good, Laresk," the elder's voice growled sharply.
"You wanted to know as soon as we confirmed the woman's identity..."
A sharp intake of breath cut the man off and before he even realized the man had moved, he was hoisted into the air by a powerful arm as energy flickered around them both. Intense onyx eyes burned into the man, and it took every ounce of self-control Laresk had not to whimper under the scrutiny. "And?"
"It... it's her," the man stammered fearfully. "All of our genetic tests confirmed it. The woman is Bulma Brief."
The grip loosened, and the man fell heavily to the floor, only to be grabbed by the shoulders by the younger of the pair, hope blossoming within the penetrating blue gaze of the boy that held him. "You mean it? And she's okay, right?"
Before Laresk could answer, the other man cut him off. "You speak out of turn, boy..."
"But, Dad!" the boy pleaded before his father's glare stopped him cold. The excitement bled out of the cerulean eyes of the child, and the boy hung his head. "Sorry."
The scowl softened, and the taller moved to his son's side, placing a firm hand on his shoulder before looking at the doctor before him once again. "Laresk!"
"Yes, Kakarotto-sama?"
"What is her condition, and why am I still not able to sense her?"
Laresk let out a relieved breath. Thank God for the boy... It was still amazing to Laresk how much the child calmed his father down by his very presence, as he remembered a time when nothing could accomplish such a task. "Well, physically she will be fine," he recited quickly. "We have yet to determine her mental condition, though it should be forthcoming... as a matter of fact," the man added as he glanced at his watch, "she should be out of the regeneration tank by now."
"Acceptable. What of the contraption that was found with her?"
"The engineers are working on it, but from what can be seen so far, I'm told it does not appear to be space-worthy," the man accounted quickly.
This time the blazing eyes narrowed dangerously. "Then someone isn't looking closely enough," Kakarotto stated softly. "She didn't just appear out of thin air, Laresk. She had to have gotten back to this planet using that pod."
Laresk immediately took a step back as his face drained of all color. "I... I will tell them to redouble their efforts!"
Kakarotto let his gaze unnerve the man for another moment before smirking. "Very good."
Laresk assumed it was time to take his leave when the taller man's back suddenly met him, but his attention was brought elsewhere as his ear communicator beeped.
Kakarotto and his son both turned to regard the dismissed man. Kakarotto was about to snap at the man, but stopped short when he noticed the man's dreadful expression. "What is it, Laresk?"
"She... she's gone, sire..." Laresk answered timidly, not daring to look at the man before him.
Kakarotto closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before speaking even as he stretched out his mind to feel the woman out. Then, for the first time since her disappearance, he smiled despite the confusion tugging at his thoughts. He still didn't know why he couldn't feel her in his mind, but it didn't change the fact that her ki was there, and now that her health was restored, he could pinpoint it easily. "I will take care of it. You have a chat with the engineers." And with that, Kakarotto walked briskly out of the room without another word, leaving Laresk and the boy alone.
"Laresk-san?"
The man looked down at the child tugging on his sleeve and smiled gently, as it always amazed him just how identical father and son looked. "Yes, Isaka-sama?"
"I don't understand," the boy stated softly even as his eyes, the only difference, for they were the eyes of his mother, questioned openly. "Where did Mom go?"
"I'm not sure," Laresk answered honestly, "but your father will find her."
End Chapter Two