.::TWO::.

Bulma had retreated into the living room to read while waiting for Goku to arrive for the medical kit. Unknown to most, she actually loved to read. It was one of her favorite pastimes that she rarely could do as of late, for she'd been cooped up down in the workrooms of Capsule Corp. Finally, tonight, she was delving again into Wuthering Heights—an English classic. It was a personal favorite that Bulma had read before, and the proof was in its ruined spine and permanently flappy dog-eared pages. She loved everything about the book. The twisted love triangle. The backstabbing and conniving. The forbidden love.

Bulma was curled up on the couch, snuggled underneath a throw blanket with the old book and a cup of hot cocoa on her lap. She sipped it happily as a soft breeze blew gently through the opened double doors. It was a lovely, quiet evening, and she was enjoying it immensely. It had been quite a while since she had savored time alone with a book without interruption. Her mother wasn't around breathing down her neck, and her father wasn't about to add additional commentary about work, which he tended to do often. Yamcha wasn't bombarding her phone regularly, either. Though, perhaps that was because she hadn't bothered to let him know she had finished with work in the first place.

Bulma cringed and immediately felt guilty at the thought of him. Why hadn't she touched base with him yet, she wondered. Did a part of her not want his company? His texts? His calls? His kiss? His... touch? Did she honestly just want to be alone? Bulma shook her head, dismissing the troubling thoughts. She did not want to dwell on them any longer and continued reading, hoping to distract herself.

After a while, it worked. Thoughts of Bulma's somewhat troubled love life filtered out of her mind and were replaced with images of Catherine's wild passion for Heathcliff as the two snuck around together right under Edgar's nose. An hour passed, and Bulma became so engrossed with her book that she didn't even notice when the hum of the Gravity Chamber shut off. Her eyes never left the tattered pages, so she didn't catch when danger stood menacingly on the back porch, staring at her through the opened double doors.

Until it was too late, and he was on her.

Vegeta crossed the living room floor in the blink of an eye, and his large hand wrapped around her slender neck. Bulma shrieked, dropped the book, and spilled the contents of the hot chocolate all over herself, the couch, and the floor. Vegeta pushed and pinned her hard against the back of the sofa, his towering body hovering over hers dominantly. Her heart bounced erratically within her chest as his penetrating gaze caught hers. She was suddenly transfixed and unable to look away from his dark stare. He smirked and bent his head toward hers, his warm breath brushing lightly against her flushed face. Bulma blinked slowly, fear coating every inch of her body. It was then she noticed the blood.

Thick scarlet blood coated most of Vegeta's left side and bare chest. Bulma watched with fright as some dripped down from him onto her. She attempted to scream, but it was cut short when Vegeta began to squeeze, quickly cutting off her air supply. She gasped and reached up, trying to pull his massive fingers away from her throat before he crushed it, but it was useless; Vegeta's hand was like a vice around her neck.

"Did you think that was going to be funny, woman?" he asked, his voice low and frightening, his stare never wavering from hers as he choked her.

She blinked back tears that began to form as the realization of what was happening made more sense. The bots! He must have used the bots. Bulma finally tore her eyes from his, and she saw a large and bloody gash on his left side, but she only saw it briefly before he tossed her to the other end of the couch. Bulma, terrified, attempted to scramble off the piece of furniture but was stopped when Vegeta forcefully grabbed her leg, pulling her back towards him. Trembling in his grasp, Bulma whimpered, attempting a quick apology, but no words were voiced. She was too frightened to make a coherent sentence. He wrapped his meaty fingers around her frail neck again, and tears immediately fell, blurring her vision.

Vegeta then slowly began lifting her off the couch. His grip tightened, and she coughed and sputtered, trying again to pry his fingers away from her neck. With a smirk on his bloodied face, Vegeta held her above him, her feet dangling precariously above the ground. She attempted to scream again, but as the last burst of air expelled from her lungs, they constricted tightly within her chest, burning her throat.

She tried kicking at him frantically, hoping to, at the very least, make him release his grip slightly, but the monster below her only chuckled viciously through his clenched teeth as he watched her struggle for air. Vegeta held a sadistic look in his eye, and a smirk stayed plastered upon his lips. He was enjoying himself and wasn't trying to hide it.

"That little surprise isn't so funny now, is it?" Vegeta spoke softly, his voice able to pierce through the fog that began to cloud her mind.

She opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, but the burn in her throat and the fuzziness within her mind wouldn't allow it. She was beginning to lose it. Comprehensive thought was becoming a more laborious task to complete as her mind jumbled.

"Oh? What's that? Squeeze tighter, you say? Ha! Well, if you insist."

And he did; his hold way tighter than before. After several last desperate attempts to kick him off, Bulma gave up. Her strength was depleting the longer he held her airway closed. It was no use. She wasn't even bothering him as he still held her firmly, his grip never wavering. Finally, her hands fell from around his wrist and hung limply at her sides, and her eyes slowly slid shut.

This is it, Bulma thought. This is how I die.

The next thing she knew, Bulma was lying on the floor staring at Vegeta's dirty shoes. She gasped, coughing as her lungs took in the precious air of life.

Oh, wonderful, beautiful oxygen!

Her throat was on fire, and each cough felt like a razor cutting deep gashes within her lungs. But she didn't care; Bulma was alive! That was the only rational thought her mind could cling to. Feeling the tears coming in full force, Bulma curled up into a ball at his feet, hugging her knees to her chest, needing desperately to hold onto something stable as she began to cry.

XxX

"What do you have to say for yourself, you pathetic excuse for a human?" Vegeta sneered.

A loud sob escaped the cowering woman before him as she began to cry on the floor. This wasn't the answer Vegeta had hoped she'd give him. He had expected to hear her beg for mercy. Beg for her life before he readily took it away!

"Shut up," he said flatly, annoyed.

Vegeta held his hand out, collecting a small amount of energy within. It was time to end this once and for all. He didn't have to put up with her or her family. Or anyone else on this planet, for that matter. Vegeta could train on his own. He didn't need this useless woman in front of him. He could prepare and grow stronger the old-fashioned way. The way his father had taught him when he was only a boy. He didn't need this woman or her father's cheaply made technologies.

Kakarot surely hadn't needed them when he ascended. But as that thought crossed his mind, Vegeta stopped himself and bristled. He hated to even think about it. He closed his eyes, shook the painful memories out of his head, and turned back to the sobbing woman before him. Her fate was already sealed the moment the blast hit his side. She had taken a cheap shot against him and needed to be taught a permanent lesson. And that lesson was death. No one took cheap shots at him and lived to tell the tale.

Vegeta would enjoy seeing the light disappear from within her bright blue eyes. He had wasted so much time on her, and for what? All she seemed to do was bring him machines that never held up against his blasts. And though when the bots did work correctly, Vegeta had noticed a slight improvement in himself, but that was beside the point. The ball of energy he held in his hand was enough to do the trick. He could end her in a second. It was just enough to mangle her tiny body and not deal too much damage to the house. He smiled. Yes, he was going to enjoy this.

"Vegeta, what are you doing?" a voice called from behind.

Snarling, Vegeta bristled and quickly turned to face this new intruder, the ball of ki in his hand growing exponentially. His blood boiled at the sight before him. It was none other than Kakarot. Vegeta's jaw snapped shut; he had had enough of people sneaking up on him for the day.

The lower-class Saiyan was outside on the back porch, standing there looking like a God in all his glory as the lights from the gravity chamber shone around his darkened silhouette. Vegeta's brow furrowed, and he looked back down at the woman by his feet, who had instantly stopped whimpering as soon his enemy had spoken. He watched as she quickly sat up and crawled away from his side over to Kakarot, who, in turn, bent down to help her to her feet. The lower-class Saiyan slowly lifted her chin with his hand, and she winced, her brow knitting together tightly as he accessed the damage at her throat.

Let him. What was Kakarot going to do? Teach him a lesson?

Though as much as he hated that his number one enemy was standing less than twenty feet away from him, Vegeta was more curious as to why he was there. Had the bitch silently contacted him somehow? He stared over at the injured woman. She had manipulated Vegeta with the tinkering with the bots and had deserved everything she got. Vegeta was only sorry he hadn't been able to finish what he had started. Vegeta dispersed the ki surrounding his hand and balled his hands into fists at his sides, attempting to control his anger. Her neck was already turning red, and he watched as Kakarot let go of her chin, shaking his head.

"How could you do this to her, Vegeta?" he questioned, his voice hard.

Kakarot then patted the woman on the shoulder, giving her a small smile and nod before he turned, finally giving Vegeta his full attention. Vegeta instantly went into defense mode. How dare Kakarot question his actions? Kakarot was beneath him! Vegeta's mind churned as his anger grew within.

"You see this?" Vegeta yelled, pointing to the bloody gash on his side. "That fucking woman did this to me! ME!"

The veins in his throat threatened to pop as he shouted at the top of his lungs. Under Kakarot's scrutinizing gaze, Vegeta felt cornered, his anger and blood pressure rising to the breaking point. Vegeta clenched his fists tighter, his nails digging into the skin of his palm.

"Now, how did she do such a thing?" Kakarot asked gently, placing his hands on his hips.

Vegeta could tell Kakarot held back a sneer, and that was when he finally snapped. Items within the room began to shake as his anger grew. Pictures trembled upon the walls while the floor beneath their feet began to buckle. Vegeta was about to take a step forward when a sharp pain shot through his wound and straight up his spine, stopping him and reminding him quickly of the state he was actually in.

Reality set in, and after a moment, the room around them finally stilled. Vegeta looked at the floor and was ashamed of himself. How could he have let this lower-class Saiyan get to him so effortlessly? Kakarot was like the dirt on the bottom of his boot. Vegeta had better control over himself and knew better than to try to pick a fight when he was in this condition.

"Now, how about we all calm down and take a breather, huh?" Kakarot smiled, speaking calmly with his hands raised in front of him as if he were surrendering. "I doubt Bulma could have done that to you."

Vegeta rolled his eyes and said nothing. He didn't need to explain himself to Kakarot. Vegeta straightened and crossed his arms over his chest. He pulled his gaze from Kakarot and turned to look out the window. The full moon shone brightly upon him, and he basked in its white grandeur for a moment, reminiscing when he still had his tail and all the glorious destruction that came with it. That was something else this filthy mud-ball of a planet had taken from him.

"Bulma has invited you into her home. Has fed you, clothed you, and given you a place to sleep at night. Much less all the training gear anyone could ever hope for! We're all here to help each other out."

Kakarot slowly closed the gap between them and placed a hand down on Vegeta's shoulder, slightly squeezing it.

"I don't need your sympathy, Kakarot." Vegeta brushed off his hand, not once taking his eyes off the brilliant moon. "I did what I had to do."

"I'm not giving you my sympathy. I'm trying to help you understand, Vegeta." He chuckled lightly, which did not help Vegeta's mood. "Can't you see that no one is your enemy here? No one is out to get you. We're all in this together. The androids that are coming in three years, yeah, those are the ones you need to be worrying about."

"Hn."

Hearing enough vomit spill from Kakarot's mouth, Vegeta turned and walked away from the younger Saiyan. He didn't want to be around Kakarot anymore. Vegeta wasn't in the mood to hear a life lesson about morals. Who was Kakarot? His mother? Growing up on Earth had been the worst thing that could have happened to him, and Vegeta slightly pitied him for it. Living around these beings had made him weak and venerable, stripping him of his true savage Saiyan heritage.

Vegeta held back a yawn that threatened to escape as he turned the corner and exited the living room, leaving the younger warrior behind to deal with the sniveling woman. His sleeping quarters were calling his name. After he had obtained a hot shower, dressed his wound, and slept, he would begin again the next day.

XxX

Goku stood watching Vegeta's back as he exited the living room. He wiped the sweat from his brow, thanking Kami for getting here when he had; otherwise...

Goku shuddered to even think about it. Vegeta, when will you ever learn?

Hearing soft sniffles behind him, Goku turned around and looked at Bulma. Sadness instantly swept through his body, and he frowned. Would these two ever get along? Blowing out air, Goku walked back over to Bulma. He placed one hand on her shoulder and used the other to lift her chin so she'd look him in the eyes. Tears still fell silently down her puffy, red face, and he wiped them away.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, eying the large red mark on her neck. Bulma nodded. "Here, let me carry you to your room."

"Okay," Bulma whispered.

He gave his friend a sweet smile, hopefully able to portray his sorrow for what happened tonight. Goku carefully scooped Bulma into his arms and retreated out of the living room toward the stairs.

Goku had known Bulma for as long as he could remember. She was his oldest friend and one he held dear to his heart. She was shaking and still held a hand clasped around her neck. How dare Vegeta treat her this way? And after everything everyone's been through together? Goku's brows furrowed in concentration as he took the stairs two at a time with his friend in tow. Once he reached her bedroom door, Goku gently set Bulma down.

"Thank you, Goku," Bulma whispered, placing a hand against his cheek. Her eyes held a sadness Goku almost couldn't handle. His throat closed up slightly, and his sinuses began to sting. He smiled, attempting not to let his emotions show through. The last thing Bulma needed was for someone like him to break down in front of her. Goku swallowed the dry lump in his throat, unable to speak.

"That... kit," she began.

"It's okay. I saw it downstairs. I'll pick it up on my way out. And I'll clean up down there before I go," he said a little too quickly.

There was a pause, and Bulma stared down at her feet, fidgeting slightly. "I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean for that to happen. I didn't think it would hurt him."

Goku was flabbergasted.

"Bulma, are you serious?" He almost chuckled but quickly thought better of it when large tears reappeared in the corners of her eyes. "Bulma... don't even think that. It's not your fault," he said gently. "Nothing's your fault!"

"But it is," she groaned, her bottom lip quivering. "It is my fault! The bots... They-"

Unable to stand to see her this way, Goku immediately reached for her and wrapped his arms around his friend. Bulma relaxed against him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Goku almost lost it when she began crying earnestly into his chest. He stared at the ceiling, his chin resting on the top of her head, willing his own tears not to spill from his eyes. He let her cry against him for as long as she needed to, and he soon lost track of time. But after a while, her sobs lessened, and Goku placed his hands on her shoulders, kissing the crown of her head.

"Listen..." he began, unsure how to continue but feeling as if he should. "Don't... Don't hold a grudge against Vegeta for what happened tonight."

Bulma instantly froze under his touch. She stepped back out of his embrace and stared up at him. "What?" she sniffed.

"Just, um..." Goku ran a hand through his hair and leaned back on the heels of his feet, attempting a light chuckle. "Just don't let him get to you, okay? There's, and I know no one believes me, but there is a real person underneath that hard exterior of his. We all just have to try and find it."

Bulma took another step back and placed a hand on the doorknob of her bedroom door, clearly wanting him to shut up.

He babbled then.

"You didn't see the side of him I did before Frieza took his life. You didn't see the actual tears he cried. You didn't see the human emotion that flowed from his eyes. I did, Bulma," Goku pleaded, his voice barely a whisper. "I did. And a man who supposedly has no heart cannot shed tears as he did. I know there's a good person inside. And I hope you and everyone else can see what I saw in him that day."

Bulma attempted a small smile, but Goku knew she only did it to appease him.

"I hope so, too," she said flatly, leaning in and kissing his cheek. "Goodnight, Goku. Thank you for everything."

Goku nodded once, and then Bulma retreated into her bedroom. Once she shut the door behind her, leaving Goku alone in the dark hallway, he sighed heavily and hung his head.

You, of all people, need to see that side of him.

Thinking back to when Goku first learned about the destruction the androids were going to cause, the boy from the future had also told him to try an attempt to keep the peace between Bulma and Vegeta. Goku had promised the kid that much, but already, it seemed like it would be way easier said than done.