Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ And We Were Angels ❯ Sacrifice ( Chapter 21 )

Sorry I have fallen behind. My husband has just returned from a 9 month deployment in Afghanistan, and I was to excited to write anything worth reading.

And We Were Angels

By: AMCM74

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Chapter 21 - Sacrifice

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Bulma sat behind her large desk at Capsule Corporation and twirled her pencil with her fingers. Things seemed too quiet now. The company had flooded the Briefs residence with flowers and get well wishes for her father.

Dr. Briefs was recuperating under Bellona's strict care and guidance. The nurse had finished moving in quickly. The first night Bulma caught her father in the backyard with a pack of cigarettes. He was not smoking them, but it had been enough of a scare for Bulma to rat him out.

A sly smile spread over her beautiful face as Bulma recalled the events of the past few days. Bellona was like a mother hen with her patient. The older woman was driving Briefs insane. At first he had taken to hiding out in the bathroom, which was the only place she didn't follow. Bellona nipped that in the bud by asking him if he needed to return to the hospital to have his bladder checked out. Then she continued to proudly explain that she was well trained on how to insert a catheter. Dr. Briefs' silent rebellion ended swiftly thereafter.

Bulma chuckled and focused on the pencil in her hand. She turned it over and sighed contently. Having her father out of harms way had certainly been the turning point of her stressful life lately.

She only had two things of any importance on her plate right now. The first was the Marico project, which was still being a major bitch. She still could not get it to work. Bulma knew she should finish up her paperwork at the office and quickly head down to the lab. The truth was Bulma would much rather handle the other task at hand.

Leaning forward she pressed button on the intercom and softly asked "Brenda, do I have anything extremely important on the agenda today?"

"I will check for you right away Miss Briefs." Papers were heard rustling in the background and then the secretary replied, "There are a few employee meetings and some contracts to go over. Aside from those, I don't see anything that is urgent or pressing at this time."

"Good," Bulma replied. "Reschedule the meetings and organize the contracts on my desk for me to go over tomorrow morning. I will be gone for the rest of the day."

"Very good, Miss Briefs."

Bulma put the papers away in her desk and grabbed her purse. Shopping for a dress to wear to Yamcha's wedding was far more important to her right now, not to mention a lot more fun. It was also going to take a while to find just the right one. After all she would be in the presence of her heavenly angel for the entire day.

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Vegeta had finally found some solace. It was in the most unlikely place as well. The neon lights of the bar glowed brightly in the pool hall. He looked away from them and down into the colorless drink in the glass before him. The smoke was thick and the music loud. The humans around him had to yell just to hear each other.

Vegeta studied them as they laughed and played. These were the kind souls he had watched over for countless eons, and yet he had never come to a place like this, where they relaxed and enjoyed themselves.

Taking a drink he looked away and wondered how they would react if he were to transform before them now. It would shock them to see a glowing angel of light and energy far from the confines of the church, or holding them during dark and lonely moments of despair.

Frowning, Vegeta admitted that most of these people would never see an angel until Goku stood before them. Poor unfortunate souls.

"Hey Gloomy," a girl slid onto the stool next to him. She was young with bright and pale blue eyes that were devoid of alcohol impairment. She had straight shoulder length blonde hair without bangs.

"I am not interested," Vegeta growled at her narrowing his eyes.

The girl laughed sarcastically. "Good, because neither am I." She motioned her head to one of the tables. "My boyfriend, brother and I want to play a round of pool, but I need a partner. I thought since you weren't doing anything you might want to join us."

"I don't know how to play," Vegeta looked over at the two men setting up the table.

"That's fine, I can teach you." She pulled Vegeta off the stool and walked over to the two men. "Let me introduce us. I am Evelyn and this is my brother Steven," she pointed to the black haired boy. His eyes the same color as his sister's.

Steven held out his hand and gave Vegeta a look that would have frozen a pond. "Hey" was all the young man uttered.

Vegeta looked over at the blonde who shrugged, "Ignore him, he is like that with everyone he meets for the first time. The other dashing fellow is my boyfriend Krillin."

"Krillin?" Vegeta looked through the smoke at the short man and realize it was Yamcha's friend.

"Yes?" Krillin stepped around the table and put out his hand, "Do I know you?"

"No, I am..." Vegeta struggled for a way to describe his situation. "I am a friend of Bulma Briefs."

"Oh so you must know Yamcha then!" Evelyn beamed looking from one man to the other.

"As a matter of fact I do." Vegeta shook Krillin's hand, "I am Vegeta."

"Vegeta!" Krillin broke into a huge grin. "Small world. Yamcha told me about you and Bulma. You sure got your work cut out for you with her. Don't get me wrong, she is a great person but she put Yamcha through hell."

"Krillin!" Evelyn snapped back at him and shook her head. "Can't you keep your mouth shut for once?"

"Sorry." Krillin returned to chalking up his pool stick, "So are you going to Yamcha's wedding?"

"Yes I am," Vegeta reached out and took a stick off the wall and looked it over suspiciously. "So how do you play?"

Evelyn pointed to the table, "Basically, we have to put all the balls in the pockets. It's not rocket science."

"Which would explain why Krillin is so good at it," Steven muttered, which earned him a slap on the head from his sister. He glared at her for a moment before laughing, "So I am a little jealous that he is a better player than I am. We are all allowed our little failings aren't we?"

That statement shook Vegeta to the core. Humans were allowed their failings. It was all part of being a mortal. He, on the other hand, has had to walk the thin line between right and wrong his entire existence. Perhaps that is why he had been losing his faith lately. Was it possible that it was not his lack of faith in the humans he looked after, but instead a failing deep within him? Was the stress of being an imperfect being forced into a perfect state making him buckle under the pressure of it all?

"That better not be another height joke Steven," Krillin leaned over the table, "Cause if it is I am going to let Evelyn and Vegeta win."

"Don't even think about it!" Evelyn and Steven shouted in unison.

Their voices drew Vegeta out of his deep thoughts. Looking at the others around him he nodded, "So are we going to play or what?"

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Goku rubbed his temples. "Not good, not good."

"What is wrong with you?" Bardock walked past him and then stopped. He looked at the expression on the younger angle's face and frowned. "Where is Vegeta?"

"I don't know," Goku wailed, "I lost him!"

Bardock tried to suppress his laughter as he patted Goku on the back. "There, there. I am sure he can take care of himself. He is a big boy after all."

Goku shrugged away from Bardock and glared. The look of utter malice on his normally calm features took Bardock by surprise. "You don't get it do you! I am responsible for him!"

"Perhaps you should explain." Bardock stepped back and watched his son as he paced. This was the most distraught he had ever seen the boy in his entire life. It was almost painful to watch the worry that poured out of him.

"I was told! I knew that Vegeta was slipping away from us, but I refused to accept it. I don't want to lose anyone else. It's too hard." Goku slumped over and sat on the green grass of the heavenly plane.

"Does this have anything to do with Radditz?" Bardock asked softly.

"NO!" Goku replied harshly and quickly. His dark eyes rose to look into Bardock's doubting ones. "Yes," a deep sigh escaped Goku. "You know I have never come to terms with his leaving heaven."

"Be truthful for once Goku," Bardock pressed on. "You have never forgiven him for leaving you. Heaven doesn't really factor into the equation."

"He is my brother, and all I had left of my parents went with him." Goku was so wrapped up in his own torment that he didn't see Bardock flinch. "I don't remember them, but he did. He used to comfort me with stories about them. I didn't know if they were true or not and I didn't care." After a long silence Goku added, "It doesn't really matter. I refused to accept that Vegeta would be lost to us. So I made a vow to personally see to it that he remains safe from the forces of evil. I was so sure he could be saved that I sealed this pact with God in exchange for my own immortal life."

A stunned Bardock paled as the realization of Goku's words sank in.