Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Place Within Strangers ❯ Part One: Heart ( Chapter 1 )

*Author's Note: I've been wanting to write this story for a while now, and I've finally had the chance to do it. It's basically how Bra came to be, but it's unique. I hope you guys enjoy this, it's one of my last. Any comments, good or bad, are welcome. BVtBear

Disclaimer: I do not own or make a profit of the DBZ franchise. I do believe that the honor of creating such a show, manga, etc. is of Akira Toriyama. DBZ is a trademark of TOEI Animation (says on the label of DBZ videos) and licensed by FUNimation. So from all that legal stuff, you can conclude that I DO NOT own this stuff....I just get a kick of out using their characters for entertainment purposes. So please, do not sue.

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~ To those who are always there and to those who aren't.

And to Fusion, who has mastered both. ~

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* Ye took me in, but I was not naked.

I took you in, because you were foolish.

Ye never knew me, but I knew you.

Mistakes of the Past

She knew him, at least more than everyone else did. She could tell when he was angry or confused and she had learned to read his eyes instead of his face.

He liked to hide things. He didn't always mean to; it's just the way he was. And she knew his potential, sometimes even feared it. When she was scared or pensive, she thought of the years before, wondering if he'd ever return to the way he used to be and re-embrace his darkness. Wondering if she'd see that carnal look in his eyes when he has thoughtlessly destroyed lives. It's been burned into her mind, and she will forever fear it.

But...time has passed, and although she feels like she knows him again, she realizes that she really doesn't. And never will.

_____

She stood outside, withstanding the cold air beating against her skin. She was too deep in thought to notice as her vision focused solely on the metal dome across the yard.

She told him the cowards' way; knocked on his door- which he begrudgingly opened- stood nervously by the control panel, and then blurted it out. She didn't even give him a chance to react; she simply ran away afterwards.

He didn't follow her and she knew he wouldn't. They both needed time to think. But it was the best thing to do, giving him time to...adjust. She didn't believe Vegeta to be irrational. No, he was always in control. She just believed that if he was alone, he could consider what he wanted to say- if he said anything at all.

She heard the door snap shut and cursed herself for being lost in thought again. She was so deep in her own dread that she didn't even notice the GR's lights had disappeared and he had since entered the house.

`I will not show my fear. I will look him in the eye and have a serious discussion with this man.'

But as he stood before her, her resolution dissolved.

He eyed her steadily, his dark orbs unwavering. He looked impatient- or maybe a little bothered- and his imprinted scowl did not bring her any hope.

She swallowed audibly but refused to look away. Instead, she stared back, wishing someone would run through the room screaming in agony so they would be distracted from this uneasy dilemma. It was now or never, and with Vegeta, never can be a long, long time.

"I'm having this baby, Vegeta."

He stiffened and his eyes widened just a little.

"What makes you think you have a choice?"

It was her turn to act surprised, and unknowingly, she began to shake.

"It's-it's our... child."

He nodded briefly before opening his mouth to speak. He paused to consider before reopening his mouth to give his verdict.

One word:

"Fine."

Her body became rigid and she stood there gaping. He said nothing more and turned away to shower.

___________

`What made her think I wanted to kill my own flesh and blood? During Frieza's rule, I might have given it consideration but there's no reason for it now. The woman wants more children, fine, let her take care of them. Besides Trunks' training, that woman has given the boy everything he needed, and he has turned out... alright.'

What exactly did she expect from him? A bloody murder, where he would just storm in and rip the child from her gut? He was surprised it hadn't cross his mind....but in a manner, relieved. He wasn't who he used to be.

Yes, times had changed. They had changed her, changed him, and he had noticed a change in everyone, from his own son to his rival. But she was uneasy, perhaps unsure, of what he would do.

And that bothered him.

Didn't she know him after all these years? Didn't she know him enough to not be afraid? All those years should at least count for something, and yet the woman still trembled to hear him speak. It sickened him. But most of all, it made him sad. The woman had lost trust in him and it had yet to be regained. He did not want to think that all those years were a waste of time.

_____

She was curled up in bed with sheets draped barely over her legs. He knew she wasn't asleep- her breathing was too labored.

What was he to her, an animal? Was he that terrifying that she had to play dead so he could come, sniff her, and then find fresher prey? He had to believe it was only because she was bearing and the current situation between them was obviously new to him.

"I know you're not sleeping." He grunted out as he pulled back the covers and climbed into the bed.

"I know."

They lay in awkward silence for what seemed like hours. Eventually, she spoke, although she did not turn to face him.

"Do you want this child?" She whispered.

"It wouldn't exist if I hadn't allowed it."

She turned to face him, trying to read his eyes. She knew he was telling the truth.

"How?"

"I can smell when you're in season. I knew when you were viable to conceive."

He knew she wanted to know why. But not just why he allowed this to happen, but why he did what he did so long ago. She wanted to know why he allowed himself to fall under control of the wizard, and later killed himself when Majin Buu opposed the existence of the Earth.

They never spoke of it. He knew she was scared of the answer- the skepticism made it obvious she didn't believe what he had just told her- and she probably thought it was all a carefully thought-out plan; to get her pregnant just to prove he was still a decent man.

But he didn't need to prove anything. The solution was simple:

He fell under control because he wanted something he no longer needed and then killed himself because what he needed was in danger.

So why couldn't he just tell her that?

But nothing was simple to Vegeta, except battle, where his pride was still strong and burned permanently in his heart. It was one of the fundamental structures of his being, and if he allowed that structure to become weak, he would collapse like an old building that never belonged in this time. He would simply fall and become buried under the rubble. And it seemed that no matter how much the woman dug, she would never find him, and if she happened to find him, he would never be the same anyway.

But the woman wanted to know and he knew it was important that she did. He remembered, his return from demise, and how she treated him- she still wanted him and was happy with his return, she just wasn't comfortable with it. How do you return to normality when the person you thought you could trust broke away and did the unexpected? When they no longer accepted the rules?

But it was simply that he grew tired of running his cycle- to train so he could beat a fool and prove to himself he deserved the title of Saiyan no Ouji. He grew tired of being called the strongest on Earth, only because the clown was in Other World. It was false, unreal, and frustrating, and the only way to give truth to those fraudulent words was to have Kakarrot's blood spill over the Earth herself. But retribution crashed as always and this time, he knew it sooner than usual- he figured it out before they even fought- as he witnessed Kakarrot's fights with others and saw how powerful that fool had really become.

It taunted him. The idea of defeat, facing loss once again, and having to live with it. Maybe he could have lived with it, if he had been alone. But he wasn't anymore and he wasn't dealing with only himself. He was surrounded with people, with a family, and the idea of having to face them was unbearable, the ultimate humiliation, and it had to be prevented at all costs.

So in turn, he broke the rules, destroyed anything that connected him to anyone, and fell into the taste of power that felt so old....like victories of the past.

_____

He was thinking to himself again. She noticed the faraway look in his eyes- indicating that he was no longer in this reality. She wondered if this had been well thought-out, if he had articulately planned everything with every single detail accounted for. He was a tactician in battle, who said those talents couldn't be used elsewhere?

She wanted this child. But she wanted to know that he wanted it too. A child shouldn't be an action of battle; it shouldn't exist if its only purpose is to convince her of his nobility. And it couldn't be an accident either. There were no slip ups in his life, everything happened because it was supposed to...except for failure. And maybe he considered this one of his failures...but, she didn't want to think that. She didn't want to think that what he felt for this child could be the same as what he first felt for Trunks.

She knew he was different, but he gradually changed. It took years in which good crept into him inch by inch- and she was the one who led him. But he broke off and ran away, only to return a changed man. Some things were the alike, but she was no longer as accustomed with the core of his being. Like your old childhood home, it's familiar, but it's not the same.

She realized the stillness had gone on long enough and decided to ask one question before the night ended in silence. Hopefully, if she found an answer to anything, it would be this.

"Who are you?"

He was jolted back from his thoughts by a trivial question. But as the meaning dawned on him, he couldn't help but to give a bitter laugh.

"I wouldn't be here if I knew."

Tears jumped to her eyes and she looked away.

He hadn't meant to say that. Perhaps, in a way, he did. But he hadn't meant to hurt her. At least that he was sure of. But who was he?

"What I use to be no longer exists."

She looked back with damp cheeks, hastily brushing tears away with the back of her hand. "We're all someone, Vegeta....we all mean something to somebody." The words came out softly, as if to save him from having to respond.

"Who am I? I am the ruler of a non-existing race, bettered by a man who grew up with none of the hardships I endured. Hardships I suffered and fought through to someday reclaim my race and take my place amongst the Legendary Super Saiyans, and instead had to watch him take what was mine. And I am the man who stupidly thought he would learn the secret to a fool's success and found out that the answer was one he did not want to learn. And why?"

He laughed cynically, the torment evident in his eyes. "Because the answer is love! Love! The fool loved everyone and therefore knew his enemy and could defeat them...and so he knew and... loved me!" He exclaimed furiously.

He had realized such a thing long ago; it was an epiphany he had locked away in his mind. That last thing he wanted to do was to discuss it, but he found no other way to inform the woman of the misery of his past.

"He found my weakness, twisted it to what he wanted it, and defeated me!" He looked down, griping the bed-sheets through his fingers. "I loathed him, I detested him, I wanted his blood to soak the ground and seep to the bowels of hell, where he could rot for eternity." His face grew sour, and he closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. "And when Buu came along...I knew- I knew of the danger. And I would not allow Kakarrot take what was rightfully mine. I would win that battle and prove that my method could bring victory as well. So I took the challenge and fought that stupid thing. But it slowly became clear that I was no match, and if it got past me this world would be destroyed."

He opened his eyes and stared ahead, almost losing himself in memories.

"...And I knew he would get you."

He closed his eyes again, his breathing difficult, but subdued. "I realized Kakarrot was right, I had been fighting the wrong way the entire time. And because of my ignorance and refusal to accept the truth, I was the one to blame when Buu went on a killing spree. Do you know what that makes me?"

He turned to her with sullen eyes and a tired face. "A failure."

She sobbed loudly, muffling her tears when she buried her face in her hands.

`Oh, Vegeta. Please do not tell me this is the way you've felt for years. Tell me you haven't suffered this for years. I thought there was some peace within you. Something...'

"Vegeta," She cried, squeezing her eyes shut. "Is there something I'm supposed to say? I just-I don't know what to do! Why didn't you say anything?!"

He wanted to leave, walk right out that door and let her cry herself to sleep. He had let this go too far, but....he couldn't avoid it. He was tired of talking and dwelling in the past. She was pregnant. That was it. He no longer cared. He should just let her know the truth and get it over with. He wanted to let her know in his own cryptic way that he wanted this child as much as she did. Once she understood that, then he could store this memory far, far back where he wouldn't have the need to retrieve it. Until then, he had to wait this out, until she was satisfied with his answers and could bring peace to herself.

He looked over to her. To his surprise, she was staring right back. She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing more tears to escape, and sighed.

She shifted, moving toward the weary Saiyan. He didn't retreat or prevent her from getting closer, he simply sat there and waited for her to do whatever she wanted to do. If she wanted to slap him, fine. If she wanted to embrace him tightly, that was fine too. Just as long as she did something.

She kissed him.

One small, tender, embarrassing kiss, forehead resting against his heavily, thumb tracing lightly along his jaw. She pulled back with a small sniff, her blue eyes staring at him sadly, giving him a jaded smile.

"Vegeta, how long will you live a life that you weren't meant to live? I tried to live a life that wasn't meant for me. I wanted something from a fairytale, along with the perfect man. Why do you think Goku is so happy?" She sniffed again, wiping her eyes. "He lives for others. And no one else."

He stared at her. Stared deeply at her saddened face, how she looked so depressed yet more at peace than ever. He wondered if it was the face of acceptance or resignation. He decided it was neither.

"It's time," she continued quietly. "that we no longer live our separate, but overlapping lives. I think- I think we need to create our own. Together. As it should have been before." She gazed at him. "Our existence is one. And whatever happened before we were together.... That is in the past. And the past just prepared us to be who we needed to be for each other." She leaned back in, placing a simple kiss on his cheek. She lingered and whispered into his ear: "So when will you let me be there for you?"

He didn't feel like talking anymore. Instead, he placed her back down on the bed and pulled the sheets up to her body. With a quick tap, she was asleep, never noticing that he had hit a pressure point.

He sighed. "I don't know."

___________

The first time, she had been alone, but it hadn't been his fault. It had been a mutual understanding, and neither had expected it to happen in the first place. Their relationship back then had been passionate and frenzied- they hadn't paid attention to their actions or the consequences. And with Earth at stake yet again, she had known that her feelings could not stand in the way. Besides, he had been the borderline factor- if anything had happened to Goku, he would have had to be ready to step in.

Of course, he hadn't seen it that way. He had seen it as the opportunity to show up her best friend and find a formidable challenge. He had cared only for his strength, constantly pushing himself to the limit where she would only see him emerge sporadically. But that had been fine. They had only happened because once in a while she would see him and at one time, she had understood his purpose. Once she was no longer confused at the way he functioned, she could see past his outer self. He started out as curiosity, and increased into an obsession.

He had been as fervent for battle as he had been for her; although to her, he had been much more brusque and calculated. Never were his defenses breached, and at times, she had believed that all that really existed between them had been the occasional good fuck. Oh, he was callous- consistently reminding her that they weren't together and they never would be. She had wondered why she put up with him. Her independence had taught her that she couldn't last with a man who constantly reminded her that she was worthless and inferior, especially when she knew she wasn't.

He liked domination. He liked power. He hated remembering defeats, and above all, he detested being controlled. So they had silently agreed he would leave to train until he met his goal of becoming a Super Saiyan, and she would go her own way. After Cell, they would figure out everything else.

She just hadn't counted on being pregnant.

He hadn't been there, so the only option she gave herself was to do it alone. In truth, she hadn't wanted any help- the child was hers and she hadn't needed anyone's money. Her mother and father had been there for any support they could lend, so it had been needless to have anyone know she was pregnant at all- especially because of the father.

Those months had been long, and at times, painful. She learned many things about herself, and in the end, she felt stronger than ever.

But he had returned.

Two months before she had been due, her body had been noticeable- there had been no way to hide it- and had he already known it was alright for him to stay at Capsule Corp. She hadn't bothered to hide it, and when she had found him devouring the contents of the fridge, she had let him know.

Indifferent, reserved, unattached, annoyed.

She remembered his first words clearly:

"That is none of my concern."

They had then lived in different sides of the house.