DISCLAIMER: DBZ I do not own.
A/N - Okay we have some more Goku/Bulma
angst in this chapter, and Bulma finally finds out what kind of person Turles
really was.
Thanks to Ane S. Thesia for beat reading for
me!
~*~
~*~ O, confound the rest! ~*~
~*~ Such love must needs be treason in my breast: ~*~
~*~ In second husband let me be accurst! ~*~
~*~ None wed the second but who killed the first. ~*~
-
Player
Queen from ‘Hamlet’
-
~*~
Bulma
glared at Goku, then turned it to Vegeta. “How could you let him do this? I’d
rather have been stuck with you than with him!”
Goku
flinched as Bulma’s presence in his mind took on a wrathful feel. “You would
have died…”
“What
made you think I wanted to live? Dying would have been heaven compared to
this!” Bulma spat angrily, her blue eyes glowing with an inner anger that was
all too obvious.
“Well
maybe we couldn’t stand to see you wasting away.” Vegeta glared back at
Bulma. “And what do you think Turles would think of us if we let his mate die?”
“Turles
wouldn’t think anything. He’s dead.” Bulma directed her hateful eyes back to
Goku. “This is all your fault.”
“I
know, I’m sorry.” Goku reached out to touch Bulma and she moved away, scowling
at him.
“You
know, Bulma, there isn’t really any point in hating Goku. No matter how
stubborn you are, within a few weeks your bond will strengthen and you’ll
become just as attached to him as you were to Turles.” Vegeta crossed his arms
over his chest and stood up.
“Never!”
Bulma breathed in outrage. “I would never come to love…” She stared at Goku and
something flashed through her eyes that she quickly hid. “I’m never going to
love anyone as much as I do Turles!”
“You
know, I bet you said that to Turles about Yamcha, didn’t you?” Goku stood up
and left the room, ignoring Bulma’s splutters behind him. “I’ll be back later
to check up on you.”
Vegeta
watched Goku go before turning back to Bulma. “He didn’t mean to kill Turles,
Bulma, he really didn’t. You should have seen the state he was in when you passed
out in my arms after Turles died. He was…he was really surprised at himself. I
know that both Turles and Kakarot were fighting to the best of their abilities,
and that meant that they both understood the risks they were taking, but even
still I don’t think either one of them meant to harm the other too much.”
“You’re
wrong!” Bulma clutched the blanket to her. “Once they started fighting they
couldn’t stop! They both knew exactly what they were doing the entire time!
They didn’t lose control at all!” Bulma let go of her blanket and flopped back
on the bed. “I don’t…I don’t want to hate Goku. I really don’t.” Bulma looked
up at Vegeta with tears in her eyes. “He’s my best friend…or at least he was.”
“If you
really want to find out the truth about what happened, Bulma, then I suggest
you go and ask Goku if he’ll share his memories with you.” Vegeta walked out of
the room, leaving Bulma to stare up at the ceiling.
~*~
“Goku?”
Bulma tapped him on the shoulder even though she already knew that he’d
sensed her through the bond. It was amazing how much of Goku’s feelings and
emotions she could feel…not to mention his memories. Unlike Turles, who had
bottled everything up inside and hadn’t shared them with her…was this a true
bond? This sharing? No…Turles had had his reasons for not wanting Bulma to see
his past, he hadn’t been trying to hide himself from her through the bond. He’d
loved her too much to do that.
“Goku?”
Bulma tapped him again and he slowly turned around.
“What
is it? Have you come to tell me what a horrible, murdering scum-bag I am?” Goku
looked incredibly downtrodden, and now that Bulma could see his sad looking
eyes, she could feel depression radiating off him in waves. If Turles had felt
like wolf inside of her head Goku felt like a sad beaten puppy. He felt just as
strong as Turles…but there was none of that primal fierceness.
“I…”
Bulma looked away from those sad, sad eyes and steeled herself. “I want to see
your memories of the fight with Turles.”
Goku
was silent for several minutes. “I don’t think you should see them.”
“Well,
I do.” Bulma looked back into his eyes. “I…I trusted you once. Turles and I
wanted to trust you, but after everything you did…” Bulma trailed off as Goku
stepped closer to her.
“You
still don’t believe that I love you, do you?” Goku shook his head and then
raised a hand to Bulma’s cheek.
As soon
as his skin touched hers, Bulma felt his love for her…but it wasn’t love like
she knew it. Turles had loved her, too, but his love hadn’t felt anything like
this. Goku’s love was thick and warm and surrounded her until she couldn’t
breathe. She felt how much he needed her, she felt just how far his love
ran…and she suddenly realized that she was Goku’s obsession. Turles’ love for
her had sprouted from passion, but Goku’s had grown from an obsession and it
was love as Bulma had never known it.
The thought shifted through Bulma’s mind like
quicksilver and she knew by the widening of Goku’s eyes that he too had heard
the thought. He instantly pulled his hand away form her cheek and the intensity
of the bond dropped away until all Bulma could feel was Goku’s depression
again.
“You
finally understand.” Goku nodded to himself. “But if you wish to see the memory
of your first love die, then I’ll show it to you.” Goku held up his hand again.
“Take my hand and you’ll be able to see everything you wish. I won’t stop you.”
Bulma
stared at his hand then reached forward and grabbed it, a low moan escaping her
as blackness crowded her vision and she felt herself falling down…down…down…
~*~*~*~
Goku
tried to punch Turles, but he dodged underneath. A flash of annoyance sped
through Goku as he saw Turles preparing to hit him. Quickly he dodged under his
punch and kicked him viciously. Turles’ grunt of pain was music to Goku’s ears.
Turles leapt at Goku and hit him twice in the face before Goku defended himself
by kicking him again in the stomach.
~This
isn’t as easy as I thought...~
The
thought was loud and clear, and Bulma started as she realized she was re-living
Goku’s memory of the fight with Turles…
Pain.
Red, searing pain flashed across Goku’s vision as Turles slipped under his
punch and punched him roughly in the chest. As Goku flew backwards and hit the
compound wall, he heard a sickening crack and knew his ribs were broken…It
hurt…but he couldn’t give up…he wouldn’t lose Bulma to the same man who had
stolen his family.
Goku
tried to stand, but Turles appeared in front of him and kicked him back to the
ground. He tasted blood and coughed some up as he tried to stand once more,
only to have Turles kick him back down again. This time, Goku had to orientate
himself before he could try to move again…the pain was making it hard to think…
“What’s
wrong, little brother? Can’t take the heat?”
Bulma
felt a spasm of anger shoot through Goku at the comment, and felt him growl…
“You
should never have even bothered to fight me for her. Bulma is mine; she belongs
to me and she always will. Someone as weak as you doesn’t deserve to have her,
anyway.” Turles was staring down at Goku with malice…
Bulma
felt something crawl through her at the sound of Turles’ voice. She’d never
heard him sound so…evil before. Not since the first time he’d taken her…
Turles was laughing at him now. “Why, if
you’d only stood up to Raditz when he came to Earth to get you, then maybe you
could have stopped me before I grew this powerful and you could have saved
everyone on that pathetic planet of yours.”
Goku
gritted his teeth and began to muster his strength…how could Bulma love this?
He heard Turles speaking again and listened with growing rage.
“Why,
if you’d still been on Earth, your wife would be alive. Your son would be
alive, and all of your friends would be alive instead of being nothing but
rotting corpses.”
Bulma
felt a wave of revulsion wash over her. She’d known Turles was cruel…but to say
something like that…
Goku
leapt to his feet and charged Turles even though he knew he wasn’t strong
enough. Sure enough, Turles dodged him and sent a ki blast at him. Pain ripped
through Goku as he fell to the ground yet again, struggling to keep a clear
head.
“Weakling.”
Turles' voice was distant but clear.
Through
the dust billowing around him, Goku could see the shape of his brother waiting
for him. “I’m not going to let you beat me, someone as evil as you doesn’t
deserve to have Bulma,”
“You
can’t stop me, Goku.” Turles began to gather his ki again.
Goku
swallowed and began to gather his own…He didn’t want to kill Turles…but he was
out of control, if he didn’t stop him, Turles was going to kill him!
“Kaaaaa
Meeeeeee Haaaaaaa Meeeee…” Goku began his Kamehameha attack, praying in the
back of his mind that Turles' ki blast wouldn’t be strong enough to counter it.
Turles’
power began to glow and frazzle around him, the energy peaked and with a growl
Turles leapt at him, hurling the ki ball.
“Haaaaaa!”
Then
world flashed a brilliant bright white around them and they both realized that
they had underestimated the others attack…
~*~*~*~
With a
jerk, Bulma was brought back to her own body. She was slumped in Goku’s arms on
the floor, tears streaming down her face. How could she have misjudged Turles
so badly? It hadn’t been Goku’s fault at all…it had been Turles' fault!
“He
loved you, Bulma. You didn’t misjudge Turles at all; he loved you just as much
as I do.” Goku looked sadly down at her. “I didn’t want to show you that. I
didn’t want to ruin your memories of Turles.”
Bulma
sobbed louder. “I…I didn’t want to believe he was a bad person, but I knew…I
knew he was like that underneath it all. He’d changed so much since I’d first
met him…I thought he was different.”
Goku
didn’t know how to answer that, so he just held her as she sobbed her heart
out.
~*~
A/N - I know this chapter was shorter then I promised, but I’ve got a job now so I can’t spend all day working on chapters like I used too. Anyhow, please review. I have a feeling this fic will end soon…probably not the next chapter, but soon.