Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Light in the Darkness ❯ Consequences and Changes ( Chapter 46 )

 

A Light in the Darkness - Part 46: Consequences and Changes
by Mia Skywalker & Wataruo

 

PAIRING: Yamcha/Hakusai, Bulma/Vegeta
RATING: PG
WARNINGS: none
DISCLAIMER: Neither of us owns any of the DBZ characters or anything about DBZ, but we both wish we owned the Saiyans. All of them. At least all of the ones with hair. And yes, we're including Yamcha in that, now you know. These characters are owned by Toei, Viz, Akira Toriyama, and FUNimation. We do own what we've written here, and our specific storyline, just not Dragonball itself. We make no money off of any of these guys, nor off this fic. We just have fun writing it.
SUMMARY: Consequences from that phone call. Yamcha undergoes a few changes. Vegeta realizes something about Yamcha.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Thanks to saiyengerl and Two Moons for beta'ing!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Day 7

 

A loud bleeping noise caused Hakusai to open one eye and glare at the console. ::Damn it!:: she cursed. ::Why didn't I program this thing for sleep mode?::

 

She wondered how she could have forgotten. It was standard practice on long trips to program the computer to wake you up only when you arrived at your destination. What the hell had she been thinking? She leaned forward to program the computer to put her asleep for the trip but then changed her mind. It didn't matter; it wouldn't be that long. She wasn't considering the fact that it would be a long time before she could eat again. Nor did she realize how tired she would be, as well as cramped from being in the pod.

 

::I'll blow something up when I get there,:: she thought, suddenly irritated that the pod wasn't going fast enough. ::That's good exercise.::

 

Then she blinked, startled. It wasn't her nature to be so aggressive, so why was she getting so moody all of a sudden? In all her memory she could not remember ever being this cranky.

 

"Stop this," she commanded herself. "You can't talk to the ambassador if you are too angry to think straight. KAMI! Now I am talking to myself. I need a vacation."

 

She leaned back, and tried to relax, hoping she would figure out what her problem was before she got back to Chikyuu. "Can't let Yamcha think I'm bitchy," she muttered aloud and without realizing it fell asleep on her own.

 

~~~~~*~~~~~

 

Despite his restless sleep that night, Yamcha woke early the next morning. Far earlier, in fact, than he usually did. Pu'ar was shocked when he came out of his bedroom almost before the sun had settled into the sky. He didn't really give her a chance to say anything as he ran off with scarcely a morning greeting. It was then that she noticed the tail, but he was gone before she could say anything, and she was left confused, worried, and a little hurt.

 

He arrived at Capsule Corp to see Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta in the front yard discussing where they were going to spar. Yamcha's stomach growled rather noisily, and it was then that he realized that he hadn't stopped to eat before leaving home. He gave the other three Saiyans a sheepish look and went inside to see if there was anything for him to eat.

 

After he had assuaged his hunger he went outside and was not surprised to discover that the other three had already left. He concentrated on their ki and then followed where they went. It was no great shock when he found the three of them sparring in the place where they had originally fought Vegeta. It was a good spot, out of the way, where they would hurt neither people, property, nor wildlife.

 

The four of them sparred all morning, switching off partners occasionally, and teaching one another various techniques. All four of them, particularly Yamcha, were surprised at how much stronger he was than he had been before. They guessed that whatever his mother had done to him had indeed suppressed his ki, but the regeneration tank must have somehow reversed it. How that had happened, they had no idea, but it was welcome to all of them except for Vegeta.

 

At about noon, the four warriors realized they were hungry, so headed back to Capsule Corp.

 

Vegeta, who was somewhat worse for wear considering he had been sparring all morning, decided he was going to pay Bulma a little surprise visit in her lab. He was well aware that she hated to be interrupted when she was engrossed in some project, but he knew that if he did not distract her she would work the day through, not stopping to eat.

 

He didn't want her to get sick, now that she was carrying his unborn son. This thought filled him with an unexpected burst of pride. Finally, he would have someone to pass his knowledge on to. Someone who could carry on his family title. Not that it mattered much, he thought wryly as he entered Bulma's lab. Vegeta-sei was gone. But he still had Bulma to protect. And that was enough, though he was not going to tell her that.

 

Vegeta dropped his hands down on the unsuspecting woman's shoulders, causing her jump, a little startled. "Time to eat, woman," he informed her as he brought his mouth down to her ear. "You'll need your strength for the brat."

 

"Only for the baby?" Bulma asked him archly, giving him a slow smile. "Not for you?"

 

"For me too," he agreed, nuzzling her neck. "Which reminds me, we better hurry before Kakarotto and Yamcha eat everything."

 

"Oh, I see. Being ruled by your stomach again." She smiled, suddenly having the urge to tease him a little. She stood up, saving her data and turning off the computer, then pressed her body against his. "Wouldn't want you to starve to death," she said in a husky voice as she stroked his tail quickly. Then, before he could respond by grabbing her, she darted towards the door. "Remember! Have to keep my strength up!" she called back to him as she ran back to the house.

 

She giggled as she ran in the front door, and the others looked at her in surprise, noticing her face flushed from running and laughing at the same time. "My, this looks good!" she said, looking bemusedly at the food, and she sat down quickly.

 

"Brat." Vegeta smiled as he trailed off after her, following her into the kitchen at a slower pace. When he sat down he smirked at her. ::You'll pay for that later.::

 

Bulma looked at him with a wide-eyed expression. ::Why, whatever are you talking about, Veggie-chan?:: she thought at him with as innocent a mental voice as she could muster. ::Pay for what?::

 

::You know what I am talking about.:: He smirked back at her, ignoring the others at the table.

 

Yamcha stared numbly at his plate. He was hungry, he could feel it, but somehow he had no real appetite. He kept wishing Hakusai were there. He had been thinking about her all day and it had been distracting him. He suspected the others hadn't noticed. His unexpected increase in strength and stamina had surprised them, so they hadn't paid attention to much else about him.

 

He sighed wistfully, still staring down at his uneaten food, not really seeing it. He wondered how she was doing, and then realized she was probably still in her ship, on her way home.

 

'Home'. That word cut a sharp pain in his heart. She considered another planet home, and no doubt she would want to stay there for a while. Probably she had missed it, as well as her sister, and she wouldn't want to return to Chikyuu for a long time.

 

::She doesn't know how much I miss her.::

 

Goku looked over at Yamcha. He was going to ask the other man if he, too, had noticed a change in Vegeta, but he stopped when he noticed his friend staring at his plate. "Yamcha? Are you alright?"

 

Yamcha looked up at Goku, startled. "Uh... I guess so. There's just... so much for me to take in."

 

He didn't really want to tell the younger man that it was more than that. Somehow he suspected his feelings had gotten more involved with Hakusai than he had realized before. Damn it! Was he in love with her? This was hopeless. She would never possibly want anything to do with him. She was a princess, and he was just a common nobody. He had even been a criminal once. A princess couldn't get involved with a criminal!

 

"Oh, I guess you are right," Goku admitted. But he sensed there was something wrong with his friend. "Aren't you hungry?"

 

Yamcha finally looked up from his plate, and blinked at his friend. He put a hand behind his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I am," he admitted. "I guess I should eat." He ate slowly, his mind still on Hakusai, wondering how she was faring.

 

Vegeta, who had been ignoring the others at the table, frowned at Yamcha as he watched him eat. The other man seemed disoriented; even when they had been sparring earlier his mind had been elsewhere.

 

::Woman, what's wrong with him?::

 

::Who?:: Bulma asked Vegeta in confusion, then followed his gaze towards Yamcha. It surprised her that he was asking about the younger man, considering his dislike of Yamcha, but then she too noticed the large man's obvious distraction.

 

::I don't know.:: She was puzzled. ::Maybe he's sick? Maybe what's happened to his body is affecting him more than we thought? Maybe I should scan him, see if there's something wrong.::

 

She frowned, suddenly thinking that he might not let her do that.

 

::I don't know. If you wouldn't mind keeping an eye on him and let me know if you see anything... strange happen with him, I would appreciate it. I'll see what I can figure out from his mother's notes.::

 

Vegeta nodded, not taking his eyes off Yamcha. He wished he could figure out what was wrong with the younger man. It was as if his distraction was more than he was letting on.

 

"Come to think of it," Goku spoke up after a moment, "has anyone seen Hakusai? I thought she was going to fight in the tournament too."

 

Vegeta shrugged. "I have not sensed her ki since last night."

 

"I thought you were with her?" Goku asked, looking expectantly at Yamcha. "What happened, you weren't fighting again, were you?"

 

Yamcha blinked, and then suddenly realized none of the others knew she had left.

 

"Oh." He put a hand behind his head in embarrassment, smiling sheepishly. "She had to leave. Her little sister was in some sort of trouble, I think. She went home to fix it."

 

"Sister?" Vegeta asked, surprised. "What sister?" He leaned back and eyed Yamcha with a scowl. "So now I have two sisters? What kind of trouble is she in?"

 

Goku blinked at the rapidly fired questions that Vegeta shot off at Yamcha. "Oh that's right. She does have a half sister. Serori, right? Is everything ok?"

 

Yamcha blinked in surprise again. Vegeta's question had startled him; he hadn't really considered that Hakusai having a younger sister meant Vegeta had one, too.

 

"Yeah, she's just a kid. About Gohan's age, I guess." He seemed a little despondent, which everyone at the table was beginning to notice more obviously. "She's in trouble at school. Blew it up or something I guess. I dunno." Yamcha shrugged. "Sounded like it might take a while for her to fix everything. I don't think she's going to make the tournament."

 

::If she even wants to come back at all.::

 

"Oh, that's too bad," Goku said, sounding upset at the idea. "She is a really good fighter."

 

"Is she?" Vegeta asked, but he had his eyes on Yamcha. Now he was sure something was wrong. He had a feeling what it could be and he wasn't sure he liked it.

 

Goku nodded. "Yes, she is. Maybe she will get back in time."

 

"Possibly. She may be back sooner than you think," Vegeta said thoughtfully. Especially if she was going through what he thought Yamcha was. He directed his next thoughts towards Bulma. ::Woman, invite him to stay. He should not be alone right now.::

 

::Invite him to stay?:: Bulma was startled by Vegeta's request. ::Vegeta, you don't even like him! Why do you want him to stay with us?::

 

::I think he is suffering from bonding withdrawal.::

 

::WHAT?!? Is that possible?:: she asked, wonderingly. ::I guess it is. They're both Saiyans, aren't they?:: She blinked, trying to adjust herself to the fact that her ex-boyfriend was in love with someone else. Although she wasn't sure 'love' was always involved in this 'bonding' thing.

 

::You don't have to both be Saiyan to bond, woman. You are not Saiyan, yet you bonded with me,:: Vegeta replied.

 

::Yes, but I fell in love with you,:: Bulma couldn't help but point out. ::I think I've been in love with you for a long time, before we bonded.:: She hesitated a moment. ::Are you all right with this, Vegeta? I mean, she is your sister, and I know you don't like him very much....::

 

Vegeta snorted. ::As long as he is not interested in you anymore, I don't care who he is bonded to. Does it bother you?:: he asked.

 

She considered that carefully for several moments. ::A little,:: she answered truthfully. ::We were together for so long, it's hard for me to think of him with someone else. But if he's happy, then... well, then I'm happy for him. And I think your sister would be good for him. Somehow the two of them seem to be a good match.::

 

::I'll be related to a moron,:: he commented. He glanced over at Yamcha who was still poking at his food. ::But if she is bonded to him, his death will kill her. So because of this I have to watch out for the idiot.::

 

::He's not a moron,:: Bulma replied quietly. ::He's not very strong emotionally, and he's weak when it comes to making decisions or commitments, but he's not stupid. Don't underestimate him, Vegeta. I wouldn't have dated him for so long if he was an idiot.::

 

::I hope you're right about that,:: he replied. ::But if he is emotionally weak then even the thought of her rejection could kill him. We need to divert him as much as possible.::

 

::You're right about that.:: Bulma sighed. ::I'm sure you men can keep him busy with fighting most of the time. I guess you'll just have to get a lot of training in.:: She smiled wryly at him, knowing that wasn't something he would object to too strenuously. ::Teach him some 'techniques' as you guys call them, and get him to teach you his. Teaching and learning can be very engrossing.:: She frowned. ::And teach him how to control himself in ape form. I don't really like the idea of a rampaging were-ape around the city.::

 

::Oh, I don't know. This city could use the excitement. It's been too quiet around here recently.::

 

::Vegeta!:: Bulma retorted sharply. ::Behave!:: She glared at him, and he smirked back at her unrepentantly. ::I really don't feel like having all my work destroyed because he's berserk! And,:: she added pointedly, knowing this would get his attention, ::you don't want me and the baby in danger, do you?::

 

::Fine, I'll keep an eye on the twit,:: Vegeta replied. ::Are you going to invite him to stay? Or not?::

 

::I will,:: she snapped back at him impatiently. But still she hesitated. How could she come out and invite him, when to do so might make him suspicious? How to do it....

 

"Yamcha!" she said brightly. "I've been studying the databanks of your mother's, since I've installed the translation program. After you boys are done playing for the day I might have some results from it. Would you like to see?"

 

Yamcha looked up at her, slight interest on his face. She sensed, though, that it didn't completely sidetrack him. "Yeah, when you know what you've got," he replied.

 

"All right!" she said brightly, and she decided determinedly that she was going to find something that would be of interest to him, somehow. Anything that would keep him here. "But if you're going to be here late, you might as well stay for a while. You boys want to spend a lot of time training right now, right? You'll get much more training in if you stay here with us for a while!"

 

Yamcha looked at Bulma in confusion, and then shot a glance at Vegeta. "That's probably not a good idea," he muttered nervously.

 

Vegeta snorted. "It's better than waiting for you to show up every morning." Vegeta sat back in his seat and scowled at Yamcha intently, wondering if he even knew what was wrong with him. "So just stay here."

 

Yamcha blinked at Vegeta in surprise. Vegeta was inviting him to stay? He wasn't sure how to respond to that at first.

 

"Uh... all right," he finally replied. "I guess I'll stay then. Thanks. I better call Pu'ar and tell her where I'll be, though. She panicked this last time."

 

Yamcha had managed to pick his way through at least a partial meal, although not as much as even Bulma had eaten, and then he stood up impatiently. He looked over at where Gohan and Goku were still shoveling food - although Gohan was managing to do it with table manners, due to Chi-chi's patient instructions - and asked, "Are you guys ready yet? We should get as much training as possible."

 

Goku looked up, and nodded. "Yeah, come on Gohan. Let's get going. We still have a lot of light left."

 

Vegeta stood as well, but leaned over and kissed Bulma before he left. ::Don't worry about him, woman. I'll keep an eye on him.:: He wondered if training was a good way to divert Yamcha, considering that Vegeta had tried to use it as a way to kill himself earlier. But he did not think that Yamcha was at that point yet.

 

"Come on." He gestured to Yamcha to follow him.

 

Yamcha followed after the smaller man, unconsciously accepting Vegeta's position of authority. Once more they headed out to the mountains and continued training.

 

The four Saiyans split up into pairs again once they had reached their destination. This time Goku took Yamcha aside and tried to teach him the Instantaneous Movement technique, while Vegeta sparred with Gohan. Even while Vegeta was doing more actual fighting than instructing he found his gaze wandering over to Yamcha to see how he was faring. Though the work-out didn't seem to take Yamcha's mind completely off Hakusai, he didn't look so despondent. So it was working, at least while he was busy training with Goku.

 

The warriors were taking a break in their sparring session when Vegeta looked over at Yamcha and realized he was looking up at the sky, as if waiting for his mate to come back. He needed to think of something quickly.

 

"So, do you mind telling me about that attack you gave me a headache with yesterday?" Vegeta asked, causing the other man's head to swing in his direction. "It was impressive. I'd like to learn it myself."

 

Yamcha had to think for a moment, to figure out which one. "Which one? The Kikouhou or the Sou Ki Dan?"

 

"The Kikouhou," Vegeta said, not likely to forget the attack that had almost caused him to lose.

 

Yamcha frowned. "I don't think you want to learn that one."

 

"Oh? Why not?" Vegeta scowled in irritation.

 

"Because it drains your life energy," Yamcha muttered, sounding embarrassed. "If you use it too many times it will kill you."

 

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "Is that so?" Could Yamcha have been using that attack multiple times just because of that particular side effect? If so, then it would mean the other man had wanted to die. ::Not a good idea to learn it now,:: he decided.

 

"Then teach me the other," Vegeta commanded.

 

"All right." Yamcha was relieved Vegeta hadn't pursued that particular idea. If Vegeta realized that Yamcha had wanted to die that day.... He was so relieved it didn't even occur to him to pay attention to the fact that he was teaching techniques to his erstwhile enemy.

 

"The advantage of this blast is that although it isn't as powerful as another blast that might cost the same ki, it can never miss, since you can control where it goes. And sometimes that's more important than getting out a slightly bigger blast that probably will miss."

 

It didn't escape Vegeta's attention that Yamcha must have considered it crucial to hit him at that moment, probably because he had weakened himself with the other attack.

 

He continued to instruct Vegeta in how to hold the ki in his mind and control where it went before it exploded on contact. By the end of the day all four Saiyans had the beginnings of learning several new techniques, although it would be a while before any of those techniques would be perfected. Still, the training itself was not only strengthening them, but making them faster. All three of the others noticed that occasionally Yamcha would stretch in a funny way, as though his muscles were stiff. By the end of the day Goku noticed that Yamcha was even taller than he had been that morning, and if anything more muscular.

 

That was really odd, Goku thought as the four men headed back towards Capsule Corporation. Yamcha used to be a little shorter than Goku - at least, ever since both of them had grown to adulthood - but now he was at least two inches taller. Goku was sure of it.

 

"Yamcha are you sure you are ok?" he asked the other man. "You seem different. Doesn't he, Vegeta?"

 

Vegeta turned his head to look at Yamcha and then snorted. "He looks like he grew some."

 

"But why?" Goku asked studying one of his oldest friends with interest.

 

"Do I look like a biogeneticist, Kakarotto?" Vegeta mumbled.

 

"A what?"

 

"Never mind." Vegeta rolled his eyes in irritation. Sometimes the younger man's stupidity amazed him. "Ask the woman when we get back."

 

"Bulma? Sure. I will." Goku nodded. "Maybe you should have her check you over, Yamcha. I know she isn't a doctor but at least she could tell if something was wrong with you. She does have all those science gadgets of hers."

 

Yamcha frowned, not sure what they were talking about, but when they landed on the ground he stared at Goku in surprise. He was taller than the other man, and yet ever since Goku had grown up the younger man had always been slightly taller. Goku had been very small as a child, but had grown very abruptly. With a start, Yamcha realized that he was growing rather abruptly, as well.

 

"I think that's a good idea," he agreed thoughtfully.

 

The four warriors went into the house to eat and discovered that Bulma was already there. She had found something that she thought might divert Yamcha for a little while and was determined to use it, if he seemed as depressed as Vegeta seemed to fear. She studied him very closely when the four Saiyans walked in, but to her relief he didn't seem as rattled as before. Still, she would use it if she had to.

 

"Did you boys have fun today?" she asked them with a smile. "There's a lot to eat, so eat up!"

 

She sat down at the table next to Vegeta and slipped her hand under the table to squeeze his. Somehow sitting next to him felt comfortable, like a warm blanket wrapped around her.

 

Vegeta returned the squeeze briefly before he began to eat. ::You need to check Yamcha, he seems to be growing a bit.::

 

"Bulma, do you notice anything strange about Yamcha today?" Goku asked.

 

"Strange?" Bulma blinked. "You're the ones that have been with him all day." At Yamcha's bewildered expression, Bulma sighed. "It isn't really nice to talk about someone that way, especially right to their face." Then she studied Yamcha and her eyes widened. She could tell even seated that he was taller than before, but more noticeable was the fact that his shoulders were broader and he seemed more muscular. "He is changing! Yamcha, I need to get you into the infirmary to do some tests right after lunch."

 

Yamcha looked crestfallen at the thought. "Bulma, I feel fine...."

 

"I don't care how you 'feel'," she cut him off sharply. "Your body is going through some changes and we need to find out if they're normal or not. I wouldn't want whatever is happening to you to suddenly kill you because we weren't paying any attention." She frowned, studying him, then spoke more softly. "You're growing so fast, that has got to hurt!"

 

Yamcha lifted his shirt a little, exposing his stomach. They could all notice slight stretch marks on the skin where it was straining with the abrupt changes. "I guess. You think there's anything you can do?" He sounded doubtful.

 

"I don't know, Yamcha," said Bulma, shaking her head. "But if there is, we'll try it." She looked thoughtfully at him. "I have something to show you, anyway. If you'd like to see what your mother looks like...."

 

Yamcha looked up at her sharply. "Really? You have a picture of her?"

 

Bulma smiled mysteriously. "Better than that. But you'll find out!"

 

To be continued.....

 

~~~~~*~~~~~

 

And in the next exciting episode of DragonBall Z: A Light in the Darkness... Yamcha learns more about his past, and the others learn something about Vegeta.