The Crystal in The Night
Kakarot, Bardock, the Queen and a medic came running. They all looked at Vegeta holding Bulma's lifeless body. "Has the fighting ended?" Vegeta asked not looking at the group.
"They all saw you finish Frieza, once his troops saw his body fall they began to flee." Bardock said. "We did not let them leave with their lives." His voice became low. "Raditz made that call and Nappa used his rank to make sure it was followed through with." He said.
Vegeta nodded his head. "Good" He began to stand to his feet still holding Bulma. "Get someone to bring my father down, my mother has seen enough." His back was still to the group. "And send for a preservation tank." Vegeta finally turned, showing his blood and tear stained face. His eyes were dark and intense like he could rage out and transform into that beautiful being he was only a few short minutes ago.
Everyone, including Oonyan, bowed as he walked past.
Vegeta had gone to his chambers with Bulma. He set her on the bed and began to clean the blood from her body. He stroked her face softly as he cleaned the dirt and blood from it. "I will get you back." He said softly as he cleaned around her death wound. Vegeta looked down at her and stared for what felt like ages until he was interrupted with a knock to the door. "Enter!" He yelled.
Bardock, Kakarot, Raditz and Nappa came in carrying the preservation tank. "We assumed you wanted it in here." Kakarot said, holding his side of the tank with his good arm. They set the tank down then all looked back to Vegeta.
Vegeta looked at the tank then to all of the giant Saiyan's who stood in his room. "All four of you needed to carry that?" He asked glaring at them.
"No, they needed to see you but didn't have a better plan." Oonyan came into the room wrists and ankles finally free of the power draining shackles. "We wanted to see Bulma." She smiled at her son who she could tell was fighting back tears. He nodded his head and turned to his mate's lifeless body. His mother came up and gave him white shorts and a matching white top. "So she's clothed while in the preservation water." Vegeta took the clothes with a nod silently thanking her. "Do you want me to change her?" She asked putting a small hand on his arm. He shook his head, too scared of what his voice would sound like if he decided to speak. "Call us when you're ready to put her in." She patted his arm and turned, shoeing the four males out of the room.
Vegeta finished cleaning and dressing the wound. He knew dressing it was pointless but he didn't want any blood to get in the water or on the clothes. He gently removed her clothes and continued to clean more dirt and blood from her. Vegeta finished cleaning her whole body and re-dressed her. He called for everyone to come back in.
His mother walked up to them and looked down at Bulma. She touched Bulma's cold hand as tears fell from her eyes. Oonyan wiped her eyes then looked away. She removed a ring attached to a small silver chain from around her neck and turned back to give it to Vegeta. "This was your grandmothers, it's been passed down from generation to generation." She smiled up at her son. "Your father gave it to me the night before our wedding, and now I'm giving it to you." She looked down at Bulma. "I always knew you two would end up together, I just wish you had more time." Vegeta's eyes widened a little as she took his hand and placed it in the center of it.
Vegeta held tight then looked back to Bulma. She looked like a sleeping angel, he had the urge to tap on her shoulder, to wake her from whatever dream she was having. He put the chain around his neck and shook his head. "I will only give this to her when she's alive in my arms." The Queen smiled and stepped back. "Open the tank." He said, lifting Bulma's body off the bed. She hung limply in his arms as he walked over to the tank. He silently gestured for them to push it over to the wall. Nappa lifted it and placed it where Vegeta wanted it.
He gently placed her body inside the tank, he stroked her hair before backing up and closing the door. He nodded over to Bardock who pressed a series of buttons then looked up at Vegeta. "How long do you want to keep her preserved for?" Bardock asked.
Vegeta never tore his eyes away from Bulma, he reached up and grabbed the ring around his neck. "A year." Was all he said.
Six months later Vegeta was walking through a barren desert with Kakarot and Raditz. "It's so fucking hot." Raditz complained, he had been doing that for the last hour.
"You could've stayed on the ship." Kakarot rolled his eyes. "Nobody told you to come." He chuckled as he dodged a punch from Raditz.
"Hey idiot brothers, we're getting closer." Vegeta pulled the dragon radar from his pocket and turned the dial to zero in closer to their location.
Raditz looked around not seeing anything. "Closer to what, more desert?" He asked, earning a punch from Kakarot and a glare from Vegeta.
"It's probably underground." Vegeta pulled out a small case. He opened it revealing capsules tucked into the pockets inside. He skimmed his fingers over them pulling out a green one, he clicked then tossed it. The contents of it were 3 shovels, some water and a few food items. "Start digging." He said as they went to go pick up the shovels..
They had been digging for what felt like hours. "Is this the correct spot?" Raditz asked, shoveling more dirt away.
"You asked the same thing when we were in the ocean, on that mountain and in that one village and every time we found it." Vegeta glared over at Raditz. Raditz tossed his hair out of his face with a huff and started digging again. "Maybe if you got a haircut you wouldn't feel like this." Vegeta and Kakarot chuckled.
They dug for a few more minutes till a faint glow started to show through the dirt. Vegeta tossed the shovel aside and dug the rest of the way with his hands. Vegeta grabbed the ball looking into it to count the stars. "Two star." He said, jumping out of the hole. Vegeta placed the ball into his bag.
"One left." Kakarot said as he pulled Raditz out of the hole.
Vegeta paused at the realization. It had been six months since Bulma's death, half a year from when he placed her in that chamber and gave himself a countdown, half a year since he left Vegetasi and came to earth to find these balls.
After Vegeta had put Bulma in that chamber he did exactly what she told him. He looked in the bottom of the trunk, other then that ball and the scouter there was a notebook. In it contained where to find the four balls Dr. Briefs took from Frieza, it also told him he would have to go to earth to find the last 3. Bulma's handwriting was in the book as well, instructions on how to use the dragon radar and where he could go on ear to get supplies.
Bulma had also written to Vegeta directly. 'If you're reading this I'm probably dead. I know what you're going to say, why would I write this, because I didn't know what the future would hold. I love you Vegeta. I don't know when it started but I noticed something happening when I got excited when you came to bother me while I was working, or when we'd bicker about stupid stuff. The day we danced and you lifted us up in the air was the day I knew. You're going to make a great King Vegeta and hopefully this gives you the push to let me see that happen.' Vegeta had read that note so much he could recite it by heart. He gathered his things and was preparing to leave for earth within the day, that was until he was caught by Kakarot and Raditz.
"I told you he was going to try and leave on his own." Raditz held out his hand and smiled when Kakarot slapped money into it. "Are we leaving now?" He said pocketing the money and grabbing his bag from the floor.
Kakarot pulled his bag on his shoulder and smiled at Vegeta. "Who knows?" He looked between the brothers.
"Oh, everyone knows they just don't know when." Kakarot said. "Chichi knew first and almost killed me because I couldn't sense it." He rubbed the back of his head. "She wanted me to tell you to hurry up." Vegeta rolled his eyes and grabbed his own bag.
"Well tell her I don't need help, I can do this on my own." He pushed past the brothers as he walked out of the room.
Raditz snorted. "Who said we were coming to help?" Raditz followed behind Vegeta. "I heard the food and the women on earth were very delicious, I'm coming for the trip." He nudged his brother who gave him a look of disgust.
"You don't want our help, that's fine but you're not going to stop me from coming." Kakarot said catching up with Vegeta. "Plus if I go home now my wife will kill me." Vegeta stopped and turned to look at his two friends.
"Fine" He snapped. "If either of you get in my way…" Vegeta was quickly cut off.
"Then I'll kill you." Both brothers said in unison. "We know." Raditz said, rolling his eyes along with Kakarot.
And now here they were six months later six Dragon Balls acquired and one left to find. "Okay we're going to rest here for the night and then start up again at dawn.
Vegeta grabbed another capsule and out popped a small house. It was a three bedroom 2 bath fully furnished house. Raditz kneeled down, hands clasped together looking to the sky. "Thank kami, we haven't slept or eaten in days." Kakarot and Vegeta looked at each other rolling their eyes.
"We slept 13 hours ago." Kakarot looked at his watch. "And we literally ate before we got to the desert 4 hours ago." Vegeta pushed past Raditz and entered the house.
They had showered, eaten and gone to bed. Well Kakarot and Raditz went to bed, Vegeta hadn't gotten a full night's rest since Bulma died. The first few months he'd toss and turn all night praying for sleep, when he eventually fell asleep his dreams, more like nightmares, were riddled with Bulma's lifeless face and Frieza taunting him on how he could've saved her. He'd eventually give up and study the notebook that was in the trunk. Like every night he'd reread Bulma's letter and the book; he's read that notebook countless times, he knows it's pages like the back of his hand.
Dawn came and all three Saiyan's were ready for their last hunt. "Where are we going now?" Kakarot asked, checking the straps on his bag.
Vegeta pulled out his holo-map. "It's a small floating lookout."