Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ At Odds ❯ Conflict of Interest ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ and I am extremely disappointed about it.

Chapter Three

Conflict of Interest

Bulma rubbed her hand across her sleep encrusted eyes. She blinked slowly, trying to clear her blurry vision and make out the dimly lit room. After a few minutes she realized that she was alone in the bed she had shared with Vegeta for the last few months while they journeyed to retrieve their son.

Trunks

The heavy ache in her heart resurfaced and the silent tears began to flow down her face once again. Her baby was gone. Missing. Someone had snatched him away in the dead of night like a ruthless viper that slithered into the cradle. Who could be so cruel? How could this be happening? After so much pain and suffering all she wanted was to live as a family, to have a moment of happiness. Absently she brushed her fingertips across the mark on her chest. Was happiness too much to ask?

She dragged her naked body from the silken draped bed, ignoring the scream of her sore muscles. She hobbled into the adjacent bath, bracing her hands on the counter as she grimly stared into the mirror.

She looked terrible. Her eyes were red rimmed and her dull, lifeless hair straggled down to brush against her unnaturally pale cheeks. Her skin was so white it was almost translucent, like the finest alabaster china. Her normally sparkling blue eyes were dark with shadows and her lips were cracked and swollen where she had bitten them raw. She turned on the tap and leaned down until her hair hung into the basin. She cupped her hands, pooling water in her palms so she could immerse her face in the cool wetness. She held her breath, until the water leaked out between her fingers, washing away her tears.

Why does life have to be so hard?

She pushed her head completely under the running water, allowing it to soak her hair, attempting to revitalize herself. She drew back, flipping the drenched strands onto her bare shoulders, shuddering as the icy rivers rolled down her naked back. She stared hard at her image, her shadowed eyes going from empty bleakness to burning damnation.

Why did life have to be so unfair?

Every thing she had to endure, her entire pained existence clamored in a crescendo inside her pounding skull. Her world was purged, her family slaughtered and her race destroyed. She had been a slave to the sadistic monster who pillaged it all, including her body, for most of her life. Finally, in her headlong quest for freedom she had been murdered by the hand of her mate all in the name of love. Love of Vegeta and love of Trunks.

She reached into a nearby drawer pulling out a shaving razor, a hard line of hate forming on her usually soft lips. She brought the blade close to her face, watching the gleam of light on the thin edge.

To protect the child of her womb she was willing to do anything. She would beg, steal, lie, and kill. She would wallow in regret for the rest of her miserable life, all for him. Her baby boy. He was everything that she never had a chance to be. Innocent.

With merciless intent she held the razor close to her heart, watching her reflection in the mirror.

Why did life have to be filled with so much pain?

The sharp edge cut deeply into her delicate skin and she watched with fascination as her crimson blood welled up, streaming down between her breasts and into her thatch of feminine fur. She bit her lip as the pain radiated through her, reminding her of her sorrowful existence.

A thin slice of her mutilated flesh fluttered into the sink, staining the basin scarlet. Her blade quickly followed, the clatter of metal against porcelain echoing in the marbled bath.

Why do I live?

The door to the bathroom burst open, slamming against the wall violently, but the woman remained still. Vegeta stood in the doorway his dark eyes scraping over his naked mate. He could see rivulets of blood pouring from her chest contrasting sharply with her pale skin as she stared at her image in the mirror. He strode over to her, grasping her arms and turning her to face him. He was stunned by her gray pallor and emotionless eyes. He shook her slightly, finally gaining her attention.

"What the fuck are you doing, woman?" He yelled into her unflinching face.

"Cutting away a promise I made." Her words echoed eerily and Vegeta felt something vile crawl down his spine. He glanced down at her chest and he noticed with a vague sense of horror that she had cut away the mark that graced her chest. The rune that had appeared after her death.

"Have you gone mad?" He glared at her, unable to decipher the montage of emotions that galloped through her head. She blinked up at him as though seeing him for the first time. She frowned subtly before shaking him off and moving over to the cabinet to retrieve some bandages and salve.

"Of course not. Don't be ridicules, Vegeta." Her haughty tones grated his nerves, but it reassured him. This was the woman that he knew.

"How long have I been sleeping?" She busied herself cleaning her wound and dressing it, while Vegeta stepped back, resting his hip on the counter. He crossed his arms over his chest, his narrowed gaze watching his mate closely. He had known the moment she had awakened and he had slowly made his way to their rooms, his steps gaining weight with every stride he took. Her helplessness and despair had filtered through their connection, infecting him with their gloom. Her pain burned him and he had rushed to her aid, fearing that one of the more untrustworthy men had attacked her. What disturbed him the most was the feeling of detachment that assailed him while she cut herself, almost as if she wasn't really there.

He didn't like her irrational behavior, but he supposed that it was normal under the circumstances. He shifted restlessly, uncertainty swamping him. He didn't know what to do. These sort of emotional outbursts were beyond him. He decided to let the incident slide, but he would be sure to keep a closer eye on her and he would remove all sharp objects from her grasp.

"Three days," was his gruff reply. After she had collapsed on the planet's surface he had taken her back to their rooms and laid her in the bed. She had slept fitfully and he dared not wake her. She grimaced at his words as she rinsed the blood out of the sink.

"Where are we now?" She moved into the bedroom, standing before the closet. They had stopped at a starbase some weeks back and she had been able to buy some clothing that were better suited to her.

"We are on our way back to Capital World." Vegeta crossed the room to the table that was endowed with bowls of ripe fruit. He picked a juicy tidbit up and bit deeply into it, but at his mate's enraged shriek he nearly choked on his food.

"WHAT!? Why aren't we going after those monsters who stole our baby, Vegeta! We have to save him." She rounded on him, dropping her clothing and fisting her hands on her hips. He coughed up his food, glaring murderously at his woman.

"And where would you have us go woman? We have no idea who has him or where they have taken him." He growled at her. The anger he felt at someone daring to steal his flesh and blood away was equal to her venom, but he had other responsibilities that needed tending too. Since she had been asleep, fifty more planets had broken away from the empire and the Shari and Reaves had successfully forged an alliance. The universe was turning its vicious jaws towards its new lord and master and if he didn't move quickly he would be swallowed whole. He had to get back to Capital World. He had no choice in the matter.

"There has to be some clue back on the planet. We have to turn around and look." She advanced on her mate, shaking her fist in the air as fire shot from her eyes.

"We can not. I have to return to Capital World immediately and claim my throne. The universe is in chaos and I am in danger of losing everything!" He shouted with equal vigor. Once he had the reins of power firmly within his grasp once again, then they could look for their son. His child was strong. He would survive.

Bulma gaped at him. She couldn't believe that he was going to abandon his own child in favor of his thirst for power. What was she talking about? This was Vegeta. The fact he suggested they retrieve their son in the first place had come as a surprise to her. It was about time the real man surfaced to face her. She closed her eyes, her brilliant mind racing for solutions.

Vegeta had fought his entire life to achieve one goal. The death of Frieza. Now that he had succeeded the next natural step was the assimilation of his throne. When they had first made their compact, she had promised him the crown. She could not deny him his rightful prize, but she couldn't push away the lingering feeling of betrayal that took seed inside of her heart.

"You're right of course." She agreed and Vegeta blinked at her. He felt his rage drain away as he looked at his helpless mate. She looked so fragile standing there with a blood-stained bandage taped to her chest. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and hold her against his heart. She was always so willing to compromise with him. To accept him in every way.

"You go on to Capital World and I will take a Galaxy Runner and look for Trunks."

She understood him like no other, she was the perfect mate. Wait, what did she say?

"Fuck no!" He shouted, startling her with his vehemence. The panic that swept across his barren soul was instantaneous. He could not, would not, let her leave him! Ever! Did she understand what he had gone through to have her? Did she realize how close he had been to losing his mind? There was no way he was letting his mate run off in a short range battle cruiser, to search for their child on her own. He would cut off his own tail first.

Bulma glared at her lover. His aggressive feelings of fear puzzled her. Vegeta was skilled at hiding his emotions from her, but the strongest ones always leaked through. She had yet to master that particular technique and the spurts of rage she was transmitting was proof enough. It drifted through their link, sparking in his mind like firecrackers.

This was the perfect solution to their problem. He could go to claim his throne and while he was putting the universe to rights she could find their son. What was his problem now? Didn't he have faith in her abilities? She had managed to stay alive a long time before he had come into her life. He had no idea the amount of adversity she had overcome while serving their vile lord. She was a very capable woman. She had given him the tools to defeat Frieza, not the other way around. Without her, he would still be licking that lizard's proverbial boots.

"And why not?" She snapped dangerously.

Vegeta stalked up to her, his obsidian eyes burning into her. "There is no way I am letting you out of my sight, woman. You are staying by my side where you belong. You are my female and you will obey me." He growled softly. Bulma seethed at his chauvinistic statement. Her entire body puffed like a hissing kitten and she spit her words through bared teeth.

"I'm not a possession Vegeta. I'm a grown woman who can take care of herself and I am going to go find Trunks." She stood her ground, but she couldn't stop the shiver of uncertainty that was born in the base of her stomach.

"You are mine." His words were a silken rope, binding her to him for eternity, a velvet box meant to entrap her. She stared up at him, lost in the dark depths of his eyes. He captured her attention completely and she had to fight against the urge to acquiesce. Valiantly, she struggled to form her reply. If she couldn't convince him with logic then she would have to arouse his parental instincts, dormant that they may be.

"I have to save my son, Vegeta. I can't sit around and do nothing while he is in danger. I can't wait for you to get your empire in order. That could take months. What if something horrible were to happen to him? What if he were to die? I could never survive that." Tears rolled down her face and her already red eyes became even more swollen. Vegeta brushed her tears from her cheeks, his newly awakened heart aching at her pain. He could feel her strong need to protect her cub beating at her and he was filled with pride at his mate's solid determination, but he could not allow her to endanger herself needlessly.

She was thinking like a human. A female of her species. She was not considering the fact that Trunks was half Saiyan. The cubs of his race did not need protecting. There was very little that could harm them, she just didn't seem to realize that.

"Trunks is a Saiyan Prince. He is more resilient than anything you could ever imagine. He will be fine, my mate. He is strong and he is a fighter. I will claim my throne and then we will find him together. Do not fear so." His words were meant to be reassuring but they just angered Bulma even more and he could feel it thrumming inside of her. Her eyes flashed and he felt resentment boiling up inside of him for her stubbornness.

"He's just a boy, Vegeta. He needs his mother and father to protect him. That's what parents do. You can't abandon him." She cried, desperate to force him to see her way. They could not leave their son to an uncertain fate while they busied themselves with more important matters. The most important thing in the universe should be the welfare of their child. He shouldn't be put on hold because it was inconvenient.

Vegeta growled deeply in his throat. He couldn't comprehend her irrational display of so much emotion. He had suffered far worse as a child and he survived just fine. His son could handle a small amount of discomfort in the name of the throne. As a prince he had to learn sacrifice. He would be stronger for it.

"It is his place to fight for survival. It is a right of passage. I did it and so shall he." Vegeta hissed down at her, frustrated with her lack of understanding.

Bulma could feel Vegeta's thoughts and her heart became chilled. The damage his father had done to him was nearly irreparable. She didn't even think he knew exactly what he was doing. He was willing to desert his own son in the name of power, just as his father had done to him. The thought of Vegeta standing alone as a child in Frieza's court made her stomach roll. What if something similar where to happen to Trunks? She could not allow it. Vegeta believed that a prince had to be strong and independent. Anything else would be an unsuitable heir. Bulma believed that it was her duty to shield her child from such an awful fate.

"You have to let me go, Vegeta." She rasped brokenly. He grabbed her too him, his fingers biting deeply into her arms.

"Never! I forbid you to leave. You will stay here even if I have to lock you up. Do you understand me, Bulma?" He shook her harshly for emphasis and her blue eyes widened. Every time she asked to leave him, it felt as though icy fingers were tearing into his heart. Why was she so eager to leave him? Was this just an excuse? Did she regret her decision to be his mate? She was the only anchor that he had to the rational world. She could not abandon him again.

She nodded silently, staring up at her lover. His obsessive need to have her near him frightened her deeply. She couldn't quite see into the shadows of his mind, but she knew that his fear stemmed from something that had happened on Namek. He told her very little of what had occurred there. Only that he had exacted his vengeance and that he had achieved the Legendary. Slowly, so he wouldn't notice her retreat, she began to wall up her mind against him. Though she wasn't able to admit it openly to herself, she already knew in her heart that only pain was in store for the both of them in the immediate future.

"I understand, Vegeta." And she did, but not the way he meant. She understood that she had to save her son, without the aid of her mate.