Chapter 12
Disclaimer:
I don’t own DBZ…none of us fanfic writers do…unless Akira Toriyama is actually
one of us…
~*~
“Bulma dear, what’s wrong?” Bulma felt Cooler trail a hand
through her hair and gently massaged the back of her neck. “You’re not still
pining for the saiyan are you?”
“I told him I hated him…” Bulma’s voice sounded bored,
expressionless but it was all an act, inside she was screaming and tearing and
biting and crying. “But I love him.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself my dear, I was the one that
prevented you from remembering all you precious memories of him, you should
blame me.” Cooler sounded amused, almost pleased.
“I do.” Bulma’s voice hardened for a moment and her body tensed.
“Or I would if I had it in me, but caring about you enough to blame you or hate
you is too much work.” Her dull eyes lowered to the floor and she stared at the
carpet, then with a sigh she sat down on a chair.
Cooler quickly moved and sat down beside her. “Were you always
like this with Frieza or did I do this to you when I tried to force you to
share your memories?”
“You did it.” Bulma turned her head and looked at him, her eyes
were empty, devoid of emotion. “You ruined me, because of you I didn’t remember
that I loved Vegeta and I sent him away.”
“I know; that was my plan.” Cooler laughed. “What did you expect
me to do when I saw his ship approaching on the radar? Just hand you over to
him?” He tried to read Bulma’s mind but she had locked him out again, her mind
was sealed tight against him. “You have to admit my little vixen that I was
very clever in taking away your memories, I knew you had to have hated him
once, all it took was a little bit of searching through your memories…” He
stood up again. “Poor little human, beaten by her own memory.”
Bulma listened to him walk away, once she knew she would have
screamed and yelled at him or have thrown objects at him but it all seemed too
much work now. Things would have been easier if Vegeta still loved her, but
Bulma knew that after all the horrible things she’d said to him while she had
had no memories, Vegeta couldn’t possibly love her anymore.
Bulma turned her face back to the stars and slowly traced out
Vegeta’s name by connected the stars. She’d do it soon, she’d take that knife
and she’d cut herself until all the bad blood that was in her was gone. Then
she would be at peace and she wouldn’t have to worry about being hurt by people
anymore.
Bulma smiled.
~*~
Chichi floated in the darkness, too tired to bother holding onto
her memories she let them slide past her one by one.
She watched as she met Goku and they had their first date. She
watched as she fought Goku in the martial art tournament. She watched as she
married Goku, as they had their first child. She watched as Goku had kissed her
goodbye and had gone to fight the saiyans. She watched as she and Bulma and
Gohan had fled a dying Earth. She saw Bulma being taken away by the saiyan guard.
She saw her Gohan being killed. She saw Bulma rescue her again only to be
captured by Frieza…
Chichi saw everything again, she witnessed Piccolo’s death and
Bulma’s grief all over again and finally she witnessed her own beating at the
hands of Cooler.
Around Chichi the darkness lightened until she was floating in a
white space, her pain had faded and suddenly her grief didn’t seem so bad
anymore. A shape was making its way through the light, a familiar shadow…Goku! Chichi’s
heart leapt as Goku walked towards her, she ran to him and they embraced.
Chichi hugged him to her as tightly as she could.
“Chichi…” His voice interrupted and she felt him draw her away
from him. “Chichi!”
She looked up at him and smiled. “I missed you Goku!”
“I missed you too sweetie…but it isn’t your time yet.” Goku
looked a little sad. “You can’t be with me just yet.”
“Why…?” Chichi felt her eyes fill with tears. “Why can’t I
stay?”
“Because you have to live!” Goku ran a hand through her hair.
“You have to live for Raditz and for the baby…and most importantly you have to
live for Bulma.”
“Bulma…she’s still with Cooler?” Chichi frowned in confusion. She
knew that she was no longer with Cooler – she didn’t know how she knew but she did
know.
“Yes.” Goku looked worried. “You have to live so you can save
her Chichi, she’s dying but she’s not supposed too.”
“Not supposed too?” Chichi felt confused.
“There is a balance between life and death and when Cooler took
control of his brothers Empire he destroyed that balance, he killed many people
who shouldn’t have died and if you don’t live, then Bulma will die too.”
Chichi looked at Goku’s face and abruptly changed the topic.
“You don’t mind that I’m having a baby to another man?”
Goku raised an eyebrow. “I’m not thrilled by the prospect
but I’m not unhappy! Besides he’s my brother and he loves you.” Goku smiled.
“Plus anything that makes you happy makes me happy and I know that Raditz makes
you happy.”
Chichi hugged Goku again, “Thank you for understanding.” She
looked up into his ebony eyes. “How do I go back?”
“Just close your eyes.”
Chichi obediently shut her eyes, she felt Goku kiss he lips and
then like a cold wind she felt herself passing back into the other word. With a
gasp for air Chichi opened her eyes to dazzling sun light and Raditz face.
“Chichi?” He stared down at her with such joy that Chichi
suddenly realised that Raditz didn’t just love her; he loved her.
“Raditz.” She looked up at him. “How long did I sleep?”
“About a week.” He traced a finger down her face. “I thought you
were going to die.” Tears tricked down his cheek. “I thought I’d never hear
your voice again.”
Chichi tried to sit up but wasn’t strong enough. “Is our baby
okay?”
“Our baby’s doing just fine.” He helped Chichi sit up and gently
kissed her. “How are you doing?”
“I feel tired.” Chichi leant into Raditz embrace. “But I have to
talk to Vegeta, tired or not.”
“Vegeta?” Raditz looked confused. “Why do you need to talk to
the Prince?”
“It’s about Bulma, there something he needs to know before it’s
too late.” Chichi moved to the edge of the bed and tried to stand. Her legs
buckled under her and Raditz grabbed her quickly.
“You’re not going to anywhere.”
“I have to tell Vegeta this, it’s important!” Chichi wrapped her
arms around Raditz neck. “Carry me to him, now.” She ordered him.
“Chichi…”
“Now Raditz!” Her black eyes flashed and Raditz swallowed half
in fear.
Yes Chichi.” Raditz said meekly, obediently lifting her up in
his arms. “Can I ask what this is about?”
“Bulma’s sick, she’s dying and Vegeta has to help her.”
“Chichi…Bulma told Vegeta she hated him.” Raditz hurried past a
doctor and out into the outside air, he blasted off into the sky, holding
Chichi tightly against him as he flew towards Vegeta’s ki.
“It was Cooler.”
“What?” Raditz frowned at this apparently cryptic remark.
“It was Cooler, he took most of Bulma’s memories and she could
only remember the first time she’d met Vegeta, that’s why she said she hated
him.” Chichi elaborated for her mate.
“Oh shit.” Raditz sounded panicked. “Vegeta’s going to be upset.”
“Indeed.” Chichi muttered dryly.
~*~
“Prince Vegeta, you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.” Vegeta
ignored Grape as she circled around him. “The Bulma woman isn’t worth getting
upset over.” She purred in his ear seductively, attempting to make him look t
her.
“I think I can judge what upsets me or not.” Vegeta resisted the
urge to lash out and hit the insolent saiyan.
“Vegeta, so what if she doesn’t love you? From what I’ve heard
from the others she was just some piece of space trash that you picked up and
used as a whore…” Grape was abruptly choked off as Vegeta lunged towards her
and wrapped a hand around her throat.
“Don’t talk about her like that ever again, Grape!” Vegeta snarled
at her, his fury manifesting itself in his boiling eyes.
Grape tugged at his hand. “It’s the truth! I don’t know why you
think you love her, but you shouldn’t! It’s me you should love! Me!”
Vegeta’s eye twitched. “You just don’t get it do you? You’re the
space trash Grape, you’re the whore.” He growled the words heartlessly,
unable to take anymore of Grapes pitiless whining.
She pulled out of Vegeta’s grasp. “You’re wrong! I am a saiyan
of first class descent! I am the only person worthy of being your mate! Bulma
Briefs is a whore! I’m glad she hates you! Glad!”
Vegeta didn’t even hesitate as he punched Grape in the face, his
first connected with a crunching sound and her head twisted round at 180
degree’s, then with a gurgling sound Grape dropped to the floor and was still. Vegeta
stared down and tried to feel pity for her, he tried to feel sorry for what he
had done.
Vegeta smiled.
“Vegeta!”
”Your highness!”
The saiyan prince’s head snapped up as he registered Raditz
voice and the human’s voice. So Chichi had finally wakened, he hurried outside
to see what had them screaming his name. “What is it?” He stepped over Grapes
body, opened the door and hurried out.
Raditz landed, the woman in his arms, she began to talk at high
speed. “Bulma’s in trouble Vegeta, you have to help her!”
“She doesn’t want my help, she hates me.” Vegeta felt that sadness
well up in his again.
“No she doesn’t! Cooler had taken her memories…I don’t know how
but after the ceremony Bulma didn’t remember any of us!”
Vegeta didn’t look convinced. “She said she remembered me, she
said she remembered everything about me.”
“She was lying, Vegeta! Cooler only let her remember enough so
that she would remember the first time she met you! She doesn’t remember
falling in love with you!”
“She was lying?” Vegeta felt his heart stop.
“Yes! She does love you Vegeta! I know she does! She was just so
scared of loving you because she didn’t think you loved her back.” Chichi’s
eyes begged him to believe her.
“Oh God.” Vegeta fought the panic rising in his chest. “You said
she was in trouble?”
“She’s sick…Cooler did something to her and she’s dying Vegeta!
You’re the only one that can help her now!” Chichi reached out and grabbed
Vegeta’s gloved hand, “Please, go to her and save her Vegeta, you’re the only
one who can!”
Vegeta nodded. “I will, I just have to find a Yardratian.”
“Why?” Chichi’s eyebrows rose. “You can’t afford to waste time,
you know.”
“I know, that’s why I have to find a Yardratian, they have a
technique called instant transmission which I think it might help us…”
~*~
Bulma looked at knife, it was a beautiful object sleek and
silver, it was almost a pity to spoil its beauty with her horrible blood. “Such
is life.” Bulma whispered to herself as she raised the knife and kissed the
blade, “Please God, let me die this time.” She dragged the knife across her wrist, easily slicing through the
small veins, arteries and tendons.
The pain was a welcome relief from the numbness she had been
feeling and Bulma relished it as she watched the blood squirt out of her wrist
in time with each heartbeat. She put the knife down and didn’t bother to slice
the other wrist, she knew she would die soon enough, and besides she didn’t
think she could move her hand that had the cut wrist enough to get it to hold a
knife.
She curled up on the floor and watched, fascinated, as a pool of
blood spread around her hand, it grew bigger and bigger with each passing
second until she felt it touch the side of her body where she lay on the
carpet. Bulma raised her head; smiling when a wave of nausea and dizziness hit
her, she let her head fall back to the carpet. She suddenly felt so tired…did
that mean she was dying or was she just getting sleepy? She let her eyes drift
shut and she felt as if the ground beneath her was gently rocking.
Distantly she heard a sound, a strange sound that she had never heard
before. Bulma tried to open her eyes…but she was so sleepy…
Bulma frowned, for a second she though she’d heard Vegeta voice…
There it was again…he sounded frightened…no it wasn’t him, it
was just one of Cooler’s tricks, Vegeta didn’t get frightened. Bulma felt
herself being moved and she forced her eyes open, everything was wavy
looking…like being underwater…kind of blurry…
Bulma tried to focus on the shape above her but couldn’t, it
sounded like Vegeta…
“’Geta?” She mumbled, almost incoherent.
“I thought you left.” She blinked a few times but it dint help
her vision at all. “I didn’t mean what I said…”
“I know, don’t talk, just lie still, I’m going to get you some
help.”
“No…don’t go…I…love…you…” Bulma sighed and
closed her eyes and a final blackness swept over her that struggle as she
might, she couldn’t wake up from.
~*~
“Bulma? Bulma?” Vegeta desperately felt for a
pulse, he relaxed slightly when he felt one, but it was so faint and so fast! He
picked up the knife that she had cut herself with, a think line of her blood
lay along it and Vegeta closed his eyes as he lifted it to his own wrist and
quickly slashed it, wincing at the pain.
He swallowed hard as he lifted Bulma’s limp
wrist to his own and held it against it, letting his own saiyan blood mix in
with hers. Vegeta knew it was along shot, but the old saiyan legend about bonded
mates sharing blood to complete the bond had to be true…if it was true then
Bulma would be able to survive as long as he was alive…and if it wasn’t true,
well…he couldn’t afford for it not to be true.
Vegeta closed his eyes as he felt something
slip through his mind, something bright and blue and beautiful, with a start he
realised it was Bulma’s mind…he felt her slip through his mind like a cool
breeze, touching everything she could, seeing al his memories. He lay down on
the ground and pulled Bulma against him, letting his own mind wander through
hers, he felt her pain when he had made her leave, then he felt the strange
love she had felt for Frieza…and then the love she had felt for Piccolo, lastly
he felt her pain at what Cooler had done to her.
*It’s
ok now…I’m not going to let him hurt you again. *
*I hurt you…when I
said I hated you…it hurt you*
Vegeta felt Bulma’s regret at hurting him and
he let her see how happy he was now.
*See,
I’m not hurt anymore. *
Vegeta felt Bulma’s obscene happiness and
couldn’t help but smile himself, it was absurd being in the woman’s mind,
everything was twisted and strange…he felt Bulma retort by telling him that
everything in his mind was sharp and needily. Then he felt her confusion again
by what was happening to them, she was afraid that she was dead, Vegeta
realised.
*Not
dead. * He told her. *It’s a saiyan bond thing – mind reading. *
*The Ice-jins have
something similar, only…* She gave a little
wriggle of happiness in his mind. *Not
as nice. *
Vegeta laughed and the sound of it jolted him
out of her mind. He opened his eyes to find himself lying on the floor in
Bulma’s room, Bulma lying wrapped in his arms. Her eyes slowly opened and she
smiled at him.
“I didn’t die?”
“Nope.”
“You saved me?”
“Yep.”
“Thanks.” Bulma leant forward and kissed him tenderly,
her emotions jolting through him with a shock through the bond. “I was…sick.”
“You were depressed because of what Cooler had
done.” Vegeta lifted his wrist, the cut had healed, Bulma lifted hers and
showed it to him, there was a faint red line, but her wrist had healed as well.
“I love you Vegeta.” Bulma told him, her eyes
warming as human emotion once again flowed into her.
“I know.” Vegeta stood up rather shakily. “I
love you too, although Piccolo was right; you do attract raving psychotics.”
Bulma looked up at him and smirked. “There’s a
certain raving psychotic that I want dead.”
“How amazing.” Vegeta bent down and picked
Bulma up. “There’s a certain raving psychotic that I want dead too.”
Bulma grinned. “Well since were of one mind about it…”
“Lets go raving psychotic hunting.” Vegeta
finished, grinning fiendishly as he raised two fingers to his forehead and
concentrated.
*******ZZZZZZWING******** (A/N - That’s my clever teleportation sound ^_^)
Cooler never really had a chance.
One moment he’d been eating the last of his
dinner, the next Vegeta had materialised in front of him with Bulma in his
arms.
“Special delivery.” Vegeta kicked Cooler
across the room and sat Bulma in a chair. “I’ll only be a moment, love.” Bulma
smiled and waved as Vegeta had walked across the room and had proceeded kicking
Coolers ass.
Vegeta powered up to super saiyan in a golden
flash and with a flurry of punches sent Cooler flying back across the room, he
handed near him, got him in a headlock and twisted Coolers arm around until a
ominous snapping was heard, followed of course by Coolers not-so-ominous
screams of pain. “Say sorry for hurting Bulma.” Vegeta rammed Coolers head into
the table, “Say it or I’ll snap your other arm, and then both legs and probably
all your ribs followed by your neck.”
“S…s…sorry.” Cooler was shaking and Vegeta
glanced up at his mate and smiled, Bulma flashed him her own grin and promptly
kicked Cooler in the head.
“I don’t think he sounded sorry enough.” Bulma
caught Coolers eye and smiled. “Poor little Cooler, beaten by a saiyan, shunned
by a human and hated by everybody.” She lent down close. “Be thankful, we’re
saving you from being lynch mob fodder. Your not a very popular leader you
know.”
Cooler tried to speak but Vegeta tightened his
headlock and all that came out of Coolers throat was a strangling noise.
“Pity you weren't more like your brother.”
Vegeta told Cooler as he let his ruin arm drop and wrapped his hand around
Cooler’s neck. “I might have had a decent fight then.” Vegeta shrugged. “Oh
well.” With a grunt he wrenched Coolers head sideways and with a sickeningly
liquid popping sound he tore his head off and dropped it to the ground. He
turned to his blue haired mate and smiled. “Let’s go home.”
Bulma hooked her arms around Vegeta’s neck and
lent into him as he raised two fingers to his forehead. “You’d better fly
safely….”
*******ZZZZZZWING********
Vegeta blinked rapidly as his senses
readjusted, teleporting was perhaps the most disorientating thing he had ever
done. Bulma pulled back from him and gazed about her with wide eyes.
“Wow…I’m back.” She looked around with a
pleased expression on her face that made her seem younger. “This isn’t planet
Kanassa is it? Where are we exactly?”
“Planet Yardrat, it’s not so bad once you get
used to it!” Vegeta walked towards his house, he could sense Raditz and
Chichi’s ki still inside, how long had he actually been gone? Two hours? Three?
It felt more like days. Vegeta opened the door and swept inside with Bulma in
his wake, Raditz and Chichi were curled up on the couch; apparently deep in
conversation, when they saw Bulma both of them broke into grins.
“Your alive!” Chichi stood up weakly and took
a few wobbly steps towards Bulma, “You’ll have to forgive me,” She whispered in
Bulma’s ear as they embraced, “I’m still a little weak after Cooler knocked me
into a coma.”
Bulma let her friend go and nodded at Raditz.
“How are you doing?”
“I’m going be a father.” He looked at Chichi
proudly.
Bulma felt Vegeta move up behind her and a
moment later his arms closed around her, pulling her back into a hug. “I know,
Chichi told me. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” Raditz nodded happily.
“Speaking of babies, isn’t there a certain
lavender haired little boy you want to see?” Vegeta murmured, Bulma’s head
snapped up.
“Trunks! I can see Trunks!” She squealed
merrily. “I missed my baby so much! Where is he?”
“The nursery.” Vegeta took Bulma’s hand, “Come
on. I’ll take you there.”
“Thank you my little love monkey…”
“Bulma!”
“Sorry ‘Geta.”
Raditz and Chichi exchanged a look as the
newly re-united couple bounced out of the room, caught up in the excitement of
being together again. “So…what should we do now?” Raditz swept Chichi up into
his arms and gazed down to her with his eyebrow lifted at a quirky angle.
“Well there are one or two things…” Chichi
pulled Raditz down into a kiss, finally letting her true feelings show as she
kissed him with all the fiery passion she had feared to show him before.
Everything was going to be all right.
THE END