Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ And We Were Angels ❯ Rock in the Storm ( Chapter 4 )

And We Were Angels

By: AMCM74

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 4 - Rock in the Storm

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was cancer. Bulma leaned against the wall and covered her face with her hands. It was in his lungs. She felt a trembling. Fear was snaking it's way through her being. The thought of losing her father now had her almost chocking on the emotion.

It was cancer, it echoed again in her mind once again. Dr. Ogata said it was treatable. They would get the best specialists in the world to West City to aid them in Dr. Briefs' treatments. Her father had skipped his yearly screening when her mother died. It had slipped her mind to reschedule the appointment for him as well. The worse part was they had no idea how far along the disease had progressed.

Bulma tried to calm herself. She would be going home alone tonight, and for the next several, until they had a firm hand on the monster that was ravaging her father's body. She really didn't want to be alone like this. Not at the Capsule compound anyway. It was too large for one person. She knew her cell phone wouldn't transmit in the hospital, and standing in the dark and in her present state to make a call, didn't seem very sensible.

Looking down the hall she saw the public phone. She made her way to it and lifted the receiver. She began pressing the numbers of her calling card, and waited for the one person she could always count on to answer.

"Hi, this is Yamcha."

"Yamcha, it's Bulma. Something bad has …" She started to explain.

"I'm not in right now, but if you leave a message I will get back to you when I return."

She hung her head and replaced the receiver. So it was official. She was truly and utterly alone. There was no one in this world to confide in, to hold her up during her time of anguish. A feeling of dread swept over her. She felt so small, like a child lost in the woods crying out for help. Sadly, the ones that seemed to hear her were the wolves.

As if drawn by some magical force she made her way down the hall. Coming around the corner she stopped in her tracks. It was the hospital chapel. She looked around but no one seemed to be in sight. A deep sigh escaped her and she stepped inside. It was not that she had ever been overly religious. She hadn't even attended church since she was a young girl. Sunday school was more of a gathering of friends than anything else. She walked a few more steps in and frowned. This was pathetic. She had never asked God for anything in her entire life, and she was not going to start now. Turning around to leave she bumped into someone.

Bulma stumbled back and almost fell over, but warm firm hands reached out to steady her. She began to mutter her apology as she looked up but stopped. "You!"

The mugger from the street looked at her with darkened eyes. He frowned. "Leaving so soon? You just entered this place."

"I am done with what I have to do here." She looked at his hands that still gripped her arms lightly. "You can let go of me now, unless you're low enough to rob me in a holy place."

He let go of her instantly. "I am not here to rob you. I never was." He walked past her toward the cross that stood at the head of the room. "You're the one who came here to do something. I just didn't think you should leave without doing it."

Bulma looked him over. He seemed so comfortable there, as if he belonged, and yet the aura of arrogance said the opposite. "Are you a priest?" She blinked. The thought that she had pummeled a man of God left her cold. "If that's the case I am so sorry… I didn't…"

Vegeta laughed. The sound was loud and rich, and a genuine smile could not keep from dancing on his lips. "No, I am not a priest, although it's an honor to be confused with one." Vegeta felt the joy of her presence. It was like the feeling he had known over a thousand years ago. A time when he had every hope and belief that mankind was a true and noble race. A time when he believed that they were truly deserving of inheriting the kingdom of Heaven. "People don't just accidentally find themselves in places like this. They come to look or ask for something that they feel is beyond their power of attaining."

Bulma frowned. "I have never done anything for him. Why would he do anything for me?"

"It never hurts to ask." Vegeta walked past her to the chapel doors.

"I guess you're right," Bulma watched him carefully. "So if you're not a priest, then who are you? I mean, it's the middle of the night. Why would you be here?"

Vegeta felt the restlessness of his nature eating at him. He cocked his head to the side and tried to fight it. In the end his own amusement won out. He turned to face her, his long coat flowing around him as he turned. "Would you believe, dear child of God, that your prayers have already been answered before you even spoke them?" Vegeta watched her step back questionably. "That you are so loved and so valued, that He has sent you this humble angel to see you through these hard times?"

Bulma rolled her eyes and looked up in exasperation. "I get it now. You're some crackpot loony who escaped from a…" she stopped as the fluttering of wings and a slight burst of wind hit her face. She looked to where he stood, but there was no one there. Not a trace of the dark man that had stood before her moments ago.

She ran to the door and looked down both corridors. She saw nothing. Man, he was fast. She turned and pondered for a moment. "That tricky little sneak… if he thinks for one moment that I am going to buy his load of crap, he has another thing coming," she spat. Bulma dug her heel into the plush carpet of the chapel floor. "Angel my ass. He was too handsome to be an angel. More like a deviant devil."

Vegeta hovered invisibly above her. She was very amusing, this fiery little charge of his. He reached over, pulled one of his snowy white feathers from his wing and tossed it out in front of him.

Bulma watched as the feather floated down before her face until it hit the ground. Shivers ran over her arms, neck and then the rest of her followed suit and she ran.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A jogger ran past Vegeta as he sat on the bench watching the sunrise. He had decided not to return to heaven just yet. More than likely, Goku would be there waiting for him, ready to give a huge lecture on conduct. Taking a deep breath, he settled back. It was not like he needed sleep. In fact, to his knowledge he had never slept in all of his existence. True, Bardock was prone to it, but he was a lazy angel who basked in his position as the Angle of War. A menacing title that matched the owner. Vegeta knew all too well that Bardock only tried to put the rest of them at ease. Vegeta had seen him in action during the old days. It was the type of treatment that any being, mortal or not, would welcome.

"Hiding out amongst the mortals I see." Radditz walked over with two lovely women, one on each arm.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and looked away. "If you're trying to bait me it will take more than really cheap hookers and fancy talk Radditz."

"I know that well enough or I would have tried it already, my friend." Radditz whispered to his companions to take the car and go home. He tossed them a set of keys and sent them on their way. He then sat down next to Vegeta and looked at the breaking of day. "Lovely, isn't it?"

Vegeta refused to answer. Since he had been told that Radditz was after him and not Bulma, there really wasn't much use debating with the fallen one. They might be old friends, and civil to each other in passing, but Vegeta had no intention of joining Lucifer's ranks.

"Although, I believe you like it later in the day." Radditz continued smoothly. "When the sky is at it's bluest, and white clouds drift past. Sort of like the coloring of your new charge, wouldn't you say?"

"Don't try to tempt me with my charge. It's a cut and dry case, Radditz. I guide her though her father's illness, her business turns around on it's own from there and she'll be fine."

"Aren't you forgetting the boyfriend?" Radditz smirked evilly and pulled out a cigarette. Snapping his fingers a small flame appeared.

"I can handle that as well." Vegeta shifted.

"Why don't you just admit that she is driving you crazy, Vegeta." Radditz took a long draw, and exhaled slowly. "You know you can have her. In Hell we can make it so you own her."

"Last time I checked, Radditz," Vegeta sneered with annoyance, "I was the one in charge of making sure she doesn't go to hell, and I never fail. So I don't think you've really thought this out." He came to his feet. "Now, do both of us a favor and find some other poor sap to pester. I have work to do."

As Vegeta walked off Radditz smiled evilly. "If you only knew, Vegeta. You're just one small step away to attaining my ultimate goal." He knew Vegeta was weakening. What was Goku thinking making him in charge of a woman like that? Radditz shrugged and decided not to brood over his good fortune.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Capsule's main office was the last place Bulma wanted to be in. She wished with all her heart that she could be with her father this morning, while they were running the diagnostic tests. It didn't seem fair, but if she returned to the hospital, then news of her father's failing health would sink the company. What was needed now was for her to do something brilliant on her own, without her father's influence. If she could come up with some device that could rival her father's invention of the original capsule design, then it would no longer matter what her father's condition was.

The share holders would look to her for their bread and butter, and she wouldn't have to worry about any of them ever again. She flipped through old reports and industry developments. There had to be something there that would make them sit up and take notice of her own creative genius. She pressed her lips together and admitted that genius and pressure seldom go hand in hand. If she pushed too hard, she would most likely overlook the answer to her problem without noticing it.

Leaning forward, Bulma took a sip of her coffee. "AAAAA FFFUCCCKK!!!" She jumped back.

She spat the scolding hot coffee all over her papers, and she looked up to see her father's ever faithful secretary looking around the corner. The woman nodded, got up and hurried down the hall for some paper towels.

"Damn shit." Bulma muttered. "If it didn't give me the power to run all day on nothing I would stop drinking it."

"That may be true." The older woman appeared and handed Bulma half her napkins. Then with the other hand she began cleaning up the papers. "But as your father always said, `If I could invent something half as strong to power the city, we would be set!"

"Yes, that would be a great invention, but we don't have the resources to do it cleanly enough." Bulma nodded shuffling papers.

"Well, actually that Marico Company came up with a way to do it cleanly. Their scientists just couldn't find a way to harness the power, without incinerating the generators with the counter flow of excess energy. They handed it over to your father three years ago hoping he could figure something out, but sadly he never did."

"What…" Bulma lifted her head, her blue eyes widened with revelation.

"Oh, I have seen that look on your father's face before dear. Let me get you the Marico Energy Plans out of the folder for you."