Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dimensions of You ❯ Chapter 16 ( Chapter 16 )

If it hadn’t been for the fact that Vegeta was scanning the ground, the bright flash of light that illuminated the sky would’ve blinded him. As it was, Dende cried out, veering sharply downward. He regained his altitude with a glare from the human assassin, who shifted the ball tighter under his arm and looked toward the globe of white light shining just to the left of him.

“What is that?” His gruff voice made the young Namek beside him jump. He had to suppress a sneer and was actually surprised to see the Namek glare at him. He must not have suppressed it well.

“I don’t know. A big ball of light?”

Vegeta couldn’t decide if he was being sarcastic or not and decided to ignore the green being in favor of inspecting the ball of light in the sky. “That’s a moon.”

Dende’s head shot up and back to the light at that. “What? We don’t have moons. Just suns.”

Snorting, Vegeta moved forward toward the light, Dende staring at the globe of white for a long moment before shaking his head and catching up to the elder man. “Where are we going?”

Vegeta shot him a glare over his shoulder that was purely annoyed. Dende stared back blankly for a bit before turning away from the dark gaze. The other man was still seething with that dark energy—

Making a downward motion with his hand, Vegeta silently swooped from the sky and down to the ground several feet from where the glowing orb was. His brows furrowed. Why was there a moon here? Where had it come from? Was it some kind of—?

Dende let out an ‘oof’ as he suddenly found himself on the ground and a glaring Vegeta looking down at him. “Idiot! Watch where you’re going.”

Dende stood, glowering at the other as he brushed off his robes. Vegeta ignored him and stalked forward, looking up at the orb and looking down to watch where he placed his feet. His care for quiet was useless. The boy behind him made enough noise to alert anyone with ears.

He stilled suddenly, looking at the form on the ground with narrowed eyes before they suddenly widened. He rushed forward, dropping the ball to pick up the unconscious form he recognized.

“Bulma? Bulma….” One of his hands trailed over her forehead and it furrowed. He breathed a sigh of relief, hearing Dende come up behind him. He turned to the Namekian. “You healed me?”

Dende nodded slowly.

“Heal her!”

His back stiffened and he opened his mouth to protest, but the woman in Vegeta’s arms let out a low moan. His eyeridges lowered and he looked at the girl before putting his hands over her. They glowed briefly and the glow slowly slid over to Bulma.

Vegeta watched, his hand moving on her shoulder, watched as wounds closed over, watched as her brow furrowed again and then her eyes snapped open.

They’re eyes met, and Bulma’s widened in surprise. “Vegeta?”

Vegeta snorted. “Don’t look surprised to see me. I have my ways….”

She suddenly lunged forward in his arms, wrapping her own tightly around him, her face burrowing into his shoulder. “I thought you were dead!”

Vegeta’s eyes widened this time as he sat there with a whirlwind of thoughts in his head, each one different. Finally his arms encircled her as well, and his shoulders rose with a quiet sigh. “I am not dead. I told you, I’m not that easy to kill.”

She nodded and then pulled back. “Do you—?” She stopped, noticing the green being beside them for the first time.

Vegeta smoothly stood, setting her on her feet, his hands lingering on her as he released her. “This is Dende. He’s a Namekian, a native here.”

He reached for the orange orb and it was handed over to him, Dende giving him a reproachful look he ignored.

Bulma’s eyes widened at the sight of the ball. “That’s—”

Vegeta raised a brow and noticed that Dende seemed to flinch slightly. He narrowed his eyes then. “It’s what?”

Bulma looked at him, blinking for a moment. “I was in the room with Frieza and….” She took a deep breath. “They spoke of magical orbs that could grant any wish. He’s looking for them to become immortal.”

Dende nodded and spoke up then. “We have to keep him from getting them.”

Bulma looked him over for a moment before nodding sharply. “We will.” She turned to Vegeta then. “I have to find….”

He nodded shortly. “I can feel his ki. He’s going that way.” He nodded and carefully floated upwards. “We have to leave. That will have attracted attention.” This time he pointed at the glowing orb still hanging above them.

Bulma turned to her head to look at it and then raised her hand into the air, opening her palm and them closing it. The moon winked out of existence. Turning to Vegeta, Bulma grinned, a strange elation filling her at the sight of him. “Let’s go.”

Vegeta nodded briefly and motioned Dende forward as he and Bulma took to the air and toward Zarbon and Saryl. *   *   *

Frieza’s tail moved liquidly behind him. Then it slammed into the ground, leaving a furrow as the pod before him slowly hissed open. What stepped out was not a member of the Ginyu Force. It seemed to be a man with blue eyes and blonde hair that was staring at him.

“Now how did you come into possession of one of my men’s pods?”

Goku blinked and walked toward Frieza. “Those were your men, huh? They came to Earth. We killed them.”

Frieza’s eyes narrowed, his tail again betraying his emotions, though Goku either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “You killed my men, stole their pods, and came here. Why?”

“Well you captured one of our friends. Plus you killed a lot of others. So I’m here to stop you. Then we’ll wish back our friends.”

“The wish is mine.”

Goku just shook his head. “Sorry, but we can’t let you do that.”

“We?”

“Yeah, someone else is here too.”

“He’s put a price on my head it seems.”

Goku grinned and rubbed the back of his head, laughing sheepishly. “Yeah, Vegeta’s a little harsh…. He didn’t like what you did to Bulma.

“Listen, why don’t you give me Bulma and leave Namek and promise never to hurt anyone again? I’ll let you go.”

Staring at Goku for a long moment, Frieza suddenly threw back his head and laughed. He’d never heard anything more ridiculous from anyone.

Goku stood there, feeling Gohan and Krillin sneak off. He was confused as to why Frieza was laughing, but it hardly mattered when he finally stopped and spoke.

“I think I will be doing no such thing.”

A part of Goku was glad. He wanted to fight this guy! So he was grinning as he nodded. “Okay!” Then he charged right at the other. *   *   *

It wasn’t hard for them to find Saryl. He didn’t know anything about masking or even sensing ki, just like all the others in Frieza’s army. Vegeta pulled Bulma back with a slight growl as she started to move forward. “Not this time.”

Bulma was confused at first and then her eyebrows lowered. “I didn’t know then….”

“And you didn’t want to believe. You would’ve just let him kill you.”

“He wasn’t going to kill me!” She looked over at where Saryl was and then lowered her voice to a hiss. “He’s my brother!”

“And he’s completely that lizard’s lapdog too. You can’t try to talk sense into him. Kakarott tried that and failed. He was willing to sell his own sister to a devil, not to mention kill his father and his people and destroy his entire planet.”

“I…I can’t.”

For just a moment, Vegeta felt a pang of sympathy for her. He didn’t have family, but the Briefs…. There would’ve been a time he would’ve killed them if they’d found out anything about his job. Now….

“Then I will. I’m stronger now. That green guy—”

“Guru!”

He turned to glare at Dende and the small Namek fell silent, though he still glared at Vegeta. “—gave me a power boost. He said I’d need it. This is likely what it’s for.”

Bulma looked at Vegeta for a long moment, and then slowly shook her head. “No…no I should take care of it.” She bit at her lower lip. “Just…let me talk to him. I can’t just….”

Vegeta nodded. “I’ll stay here. He won’t hesitate, Bulma. Neither will I.”

She nodded and started to rise. A hand clenched her shoulder and she turned surprised eyes on Vegeta. He squeezed her shoulder and then released her. That was all, but it said much more than words.

Saryl turned on his heels from his search and actually looked surprised before nodding to Bulma. “So you finally decided to serve our lord.”

Bulma shook her head, tail tightening around her waist. “No. I didn’t. I came here to make you see that you’re doing the wrong thing. Frieza’s been tricking you. He told me himself. He’s just using you!”

Saryl’s open expression quickly closed off, his lips pinching together. “I see. Well what you don’t understand, dear sister, is that I am more than happy to be used by Lord Frieza. That he has a place for me in his kingdom thrills me.”

Vegeta scowled and turned his head from the conversation, for he felt another ki encroaching on their position. “Zarbon….”

Dende shivered beside him at the way he said the word, and then jumped as Vegeta turned to him.

“Stay here!” Then the human was gone, sliding into the shadows surrounding them.

Zarbon grinned as his scouter finally picked up Saryl in close range and moved to land behind him, his eyebrow rising as he saw a flash of blue hair. Ah, two preys with one kill. That was always beneficial.

Of course, his feet didn’t even touch the ground before he was making a furrow in the ground that had both Bulma and Saryl turning to look.

Vegeta chuckled nastily as Zarbon rose to his feet. “Ready for round two?”

Wiping his mouth and watching as it came away bloody, Zarbon scowled. He turned around, his face set in a grimace. “You again?”

Vegeta shrugged in mock apology. “I’m not easy to kill.”

“Well not to worry then. I’ll just make sure I do the job this time.” With a cry and an outward bursting of his body, he turned into his more powerful form. His voice was a guttural growl now. “I think separating your head from your body will do.”

Vegeta chuckled. “Good advice.” With no more words he flickered out of sight of his opponent, reappearing at his backside. Even as Zarbon turned he was striking his chin. It was perhaps the thick, corded neck that kept the lizard’s head attached, but he was thrown to the side.

Flipping back upright, Zarbon growled and charged Vegeta. Wherever this power-up had come from, he knew it wouldn’t last long. This time there was no water the human could hide himself in either.

Vegeta caught the punch meant for his head, smirking at his enemy as his other hand fired off a ki blast into Zarbon’s gut. He enjoyed the blood that spat from the other’s mouth as he coughed, and then he let the momentum of the punch slide around him. He flipped him over his head and into the ground with a resounding smack.

Spinning into the air, Vegeta landed facing Zarbon as he rose again from the ground. “You seem slow suddenly. What’s the matter? Did running around the planet tire you out? Do you need an intermission?”

Zarbon spat to the side and stared at Vegeta hard. He was stronger. He was much stronger. “Where were you hiding this?”

“Nowhere. It was granted to me.” Vegeta raised a hand and motioned to Zarbon with it. “Come and get more of it.”

Zarbon growled lowly and charged at Vegeta.

“Well they look busy.”

Bulma turned back to Saryl. “Zarbon is here to bring you back to Frieza. He has no more use for you now that he has me.”

Saryl’s eyebrow rose. “Is that so? But you said you aren’t joining him. Are you certain you aren’t just confused?”

Bulma threw up her hands, aggravation written on her face. “Don’t you even care, Saryl? The brother I remembered would never allow himself to be—”

“The brother you remembered was abandoned long ago!”

Bulma stilled, staring at Saryl with wide eyes. For the first time real emotion was etched on Saryl’s face. It cried out in his voice. The whites of his eyes showed as his face set in a rictus. “One day my sister was comforting me, and the next she had disappeared! My father sold me off like livestock, and my sister ran away! I was betrayed on all sides, and do you know who was there for me?”

“No…you don’t—”

“Shut up! He was there for me! Lord Frieza was there for me when no one else was! I swear by his name, sister, you will be punished for your crimes against him! You will not touch him!”

As Saryl launched himself at a stricken Bulma, Vegeta gave a yell, breaking Zarbon’s spine over his knee. He chucked him right at the attacking Saiyan.

Saryl slid backwards, turning glaring eyes to the human as his charge was halted. “You should be dead.”

Zarbon’s body skidded across the ground behind him, coming to a groaning halt in the dirt. The lizard was still alive, albeit painfully.

Vegeta motioned toward Zarbon’s twitching body. “That’s what he said.”

Without a backward glance, Saryl sent a ki blast behind him that silenced the moaning Zarbon. “So you’ve escaped death twice.”

“I’ve escaped death more times than I can count.” Vegeta moved toward Saryl. “Again, I am your opponent.”

Saryl sniffed in disinterest. “You won’t be one for long. I’m not playing with you this time.”

“Vegeta—”

“Stay out of this, woman.”

“My sister has declared her rebellion to Lord Frieza and that warrants her death.” He turned to Vegeta, expressionless. “She will die. I just wanted you to know before you die.”

Vegeta snorted and gathered his ki around him in a rush. As Saryl charged toward him, he readied himself, remembering his agility. Still it did not prepare him for the barrage that met him.

Saryl had indeed been playing with him the last time he fought. Even with Vegeta’s power up he was no match for a Saiyan of Elite power. He was no match for someone who had been fighting galactic battles for twelve years.

He lost his breath as he was bent over a knee to his gut. Two locked hands hammered into his back, sending him to the ground. He felt those same hands grab him by his neck and one arm and jerk him upwards.

He gasped as his arm was twisted behind his back and yanked toward his head. Hissing, he stood on his toes, straining to relieve the pressure.

Saryl made a tsk-ing sound as Bulma moved toward them. “I wouldn’t interfere if I were you, sister. This is between him and I. He wants to die, you see.”

Vegeta’s hissing became a cry of pain as Saryl pulled up on his arm, the muscles screaming protest. With a sickening crack, he broke the bone and let Vegeta fall.

Rolling onto his good arm, Vegeta came back up on his feet. He crouched down and threw a ki blast at Saryl with his good arm, tucking the broken one into his body and trying to breathe regularly. It was hard when every movement sent a stab of pain up his shoulder.

“Stay back!” The words were sharp if not strained, and directed behind him, where he knew the woman was moving toward him.

Saryl batted away the ki blast and was suddenly in front of Vegeta, his foot connecting with the underside of his chin and sending him sailing into the air. Saryl met his body halfway and cracked an elbow into his spine, listening again to the other man yell.

He landed beside his body as it bounced off the ground. He was between Vegeta and Bulma, who was looking toward where Dende hid with desperation. If she could somehow distract Saryl, Dende could heal him as he’d healed her.

“Fight me!”

“Don’t worry, sister.” He backhanded Vegeta back to the ground, watching him struggle to rise with impassive eyes. “I’ll fight you in just a moment.”

Saryl threw out a hand in front of him, palm facing Vegeta. Rising to his knees, Vegeta glared at Saryl, staring at the growing energy in that hand and knowing he couldn’t block it. If he dodged, Saryl would meet him. He couldn’t run from this battle, and he couldn’t attack Saryl.

He clutched his broken arm with his good hand and knew there was only one way they could win. He just hoped that Saryl was right.

So he turned his eyes to Bulma, looking at her as he tried to get to his feet. He forced his arms in front of him in a crossblock, trying to brace himself for the oncoming hit. He was still straining to rise when the blast hit him.

Denial sprang from Bulma’s lips as she ran forward, hoping to deflect the blast, distract Saryl, or even push Vegeta out of the way. Instead she found herself grabbed around the waist by Saryl and whirled to watch as the ki blast enveloped Vegeta.

She could hear the man behind it, yelling as he fought to defend himself. Tears sprang to her eyes as the cry changed and an explosion rocked around them, flinging dust and smoke into her eyes. She closed them against the sting and the truth of what had occurred.

When she opened them, that truth had not changed. She felt herself spun around again and stared uncomprehendingly at Saryl. “There. Now he’s out of the way. You can fight me.”

She blinked at him, as if his words made no sense to her whatsoever. How could he show no emotion? He didn’t even seem to have any pride in what he’d just done. He had to have known he’d hurt her. She knew she was crying….

Saryl shoved her away. “I’m disappointed. You’re going to just let his death crush your instincts? Why not just roll over on the ground and let me kill you, hm? I promise you’ll feel better afterwards.”

Even those words didn’t hold any true malice. At least, not the way they should’ve. He was mad at her for her past, for his own past. He couldn’t see beyond it. He was still that five-year-old boy. No, her brother had died. The night she had left, he had died. She had already killed him.

Bulma felt her fingernails dig into her palms. She felt her power suddenly snap around her. “You…are not my brother….”

As Saryl raised a brow and opened his mouth to question that, Bulma’s ki exploded around her. *   *   *

Gohan’s head snapped up and he looked wide-eyed toward a new power source that was not his dad’s. “Krillin!”

“Yeah, I feel it. Man, she got pissed!”

Turning to his companion in confusion, Gohan felt out the ki and realized that it was Bulma. “Do you think Vegeta feels it too?”

Krillin looked at Gohan, feeling for Vegeta’s ki. He didn’t feel it, but knowing that man that didn’t mean he wasn’t around. “I bet he does….” He looked over at Gohan and grinned. “Come on! We’re only missing one. Bulma and Goku and even Vegeta can handle themselves.

Gohan grinned and thrust an arm into the air. “Yeah!” *   *   *

Saryl again picked himself off the ground, spitting off to the side and staring at his sister. The blonde hair was disconcerting, but the eyes were the things that struck him most. He’d never had anyone look as if they wanted to kill him…and actually have the power to do so.

He stood and then felt his broken leg fold on him. He gave a cry and then another as his knee hit the dirt. He could hear the crunch of dirt under Bulma’s feet as she walked toward him.

Looking up, he watched her walk toward him. “You won’t win. My lord will—”

“Kakarott is killing your lord.” She called Goku by his Saiyan name, just so Saryl would recognize it.

He did recognize it, but he couldn’t sense ki like Bulma could. “What bravado, sister—”

“You’re not my brother!”

Saryl grunted as a front snap connected with his chest, sending him flailing onto his back. His broken leg didn’t follow through with the change in direction and he screamed as bone tried to tear through his skin.

Bulma put a foot on Saryl’s chest, knocking him back to the ground as he tried to rise. He was trying to rise as Vegeta had, but unlike Vegeta he went still when she put weight on him. “I’m sorry I left Saryl. I wasn’t given a choice, but if I had been I would’ve taken him with me.”

Saryl stared up at Bulma, eyes wide as he registered what exactly Bulma was saying, and how she was saying it. He was already dead to her.

He rolled suddenly, the fight flooding back into him as he realized the full impact of what was happening. Bulma was going to kill him. She was infinitely stronger than him. She’d reached the birthright of Legendary Saiyan, and she was going to kill him with it.

His fingers tapped frantically on the side of his scouter. “Lord Frieza! Lord Frieza?”

Even as an answer came back to him, the voice sounding out of breath and distant, Saryl had to move. He barely dodged a kick to his head. In fact he didn’t quite dodge all of it. The tip of Bulma’s boot caught on his cheek, glancing off and sending him rolling to the side.

“I’m quite tied up right now, Saryl. Can this wait?”

“My lord, she’s going to kill me! Save me!” Saryl took to the sky, turning in the direction his scouter picked up Frieza’s own scouter signal. Trying to read Frieza’s ki would’ve just resulted in losing the instrument on his ear.

There was a pause from the other end, and then the voice spoke again. Saryl’s eyes widened at the amused sound, stopping to hover in the air in disbelief at the words themselves.

“Thank her for me, would you Saryl? She’s saved me the trouble.” The scouter clicked off.

When Bulma appeared before Saryl, one arm outstretched before her and palm facing her opponent, Saryl did not see her. His mind replayed a thousand words, a million actions, and all were set against this one moment, this one action. All of them were set against the words Frieza, his lord and master, one who had acted as a father to him, had just uttered.

So Saryl did not hear the words that named Bulma’s new attack. He did not see the ki blast leave her hand and fly toward him. He was just beginning to realize that he had been a fool and a tool as the ki blast hit him.

He certainly felt it, although it could hurt no more than the pain of this last betrayal did. The last words he screamed as his body evaporated around him were a curse to his former master, condemning him to a painful death as well. *   *   *

Frieza tapped the side of his scouter, sneering at his opponent. “Thank you for allowing me to take that call. I was saying goodbye to someone who was no longer useful to me.”

Goku frowned, sensing for kis and feelings Bulma’s high and strong, and then slowly tapering off as she let go of what Vegeta had called the Legendary. She was fine, and Saryl’s ki was nowhere to be found. Vegeta’s wasn’t either, but he was really good at hiding it. Gohan and Krillin were moving toward Bulma, which was okay. Goku knew who Frieza was talking about now.

His eyebrows lowered. “What you did to him, to Bulma, wasn’t right!”

Frieza covered his mouth and tittered, amused. “And who are you to tell me what is and isn’t right? I am emperor of the universe. There is no one stronger than I. You can shine as brightly yellow as you want. I’m going to crush you into the dirt, and then I’ll make Princess Bulma my very willing servant.”

Goku shook his head, eyes closed as he realized there was no saving this alien, just as in the end there had been no saving Saryl. “You’re weakening. We both know it. My power is staying steady and you’re weakening. You’re going to lose.”

Frieza snarled. “I don’t know who you are, but no simpering peasant from Earth is going to take down the Emperor of the Universe!”

As Frieza powered up and charged, Goku reflected that this fight was likely going to be a long one simply because the bad guy was being stubborn. *   *   *

Krillin hesitated even as he landed near Bulma. Gohan didn’t though. He simply walked up to her, staring at where she was kneeling. “Bulma?”

Even as Bulma looked up, Dende came out of his hiding place. There was no time to question why Bulma’s face was streaked with tears. “You have the rest of the dragonballs!”

Krillin nodded. “Yeah. Um, I’m Krillin, this is Gohan.”

“I’m Dende. I’ve been…um…well…I was helping Vegeta. He…um…Saryl killed him.”

Both Gohan’s and Krillin’s eyes widened, and they looked at Bulma with newfound understanding. She did not look back at them. In fact, her face seemed to take on a stony expression, mouth thin and eyebrows lowered.

Clearing his throat, Krillin glanced down at the dragonballs in his hands. “We can…we’ll wish everyone back. We’ll wish Vegeta back too.”

Bulma’s head snapped up. “You can…bring him back from the dead?”

Krillin nodded. “Yeah, the dragonballs can grant any wish.”

“Three wishes.”

“Three?” Krillin’s eyebrows rose as Dende nodded.

“I can call the dragon for you. You have to call him in Namekian.”

“Well then it’s a good thing we ran into you.”

“Piccolo?”

Krillin and Dende turned to Gohan, watching as he looked up and then looked around. “Gohan?”

“Piccolo’s talking to me! He says there’s a certain way we have to make the wishes. He says dad’s fighting Frieza, but we still have a lot of people to bring back and stuff.”

Krillin nodded. “Well if he’s got any ideas, we’re more than willing to listen.”

Bulma stared at the group almost blankly. First they were going to summon a dragon to bring people back to life, and now they were talking to a deceased Namek.

She really didn’t know what to think about any of this, but she figured everyone would forgive her if she didn’t try to think right now. She was still trying to absorb that Vegeta wasn’t going to dead forever.

After losing everything else, it was a comfort. It was just going to take a while to sink in. It might even take until he was actually in front of her. And she did wish they’d just hurry that up.

So she sat there, in a daze, as they consulted with not only Piccolo, but Goku as well. She stood when the planet beneath her trembled and heard them explain that it was Frieza, using his Death Ball technique.

When she only blinked and looked at them blandly, they went on with their planning.

It didn’t take them much longer to figure out what wishes would go where and how to word them properly. Then she found herself looking around, recognizing Earth and very glad to be back.

“We wish for all the people killed by Frieza and his men to be brought back to life.”

She heard the booming voice of the dragon and turned to scan the surrounding area. Suddenly the clearing they were in was filled with Nameks. She saw Yamcha, Tien, and Chaotzu, and even Piccolo, who was rushed by an overjoyed Gohan.

“Bulma! You’re okay!”

She turned. The voice wasn’t the one she wanted to hear as she smiled slightly at Chichi. Chichi waved to her and then moved toward her son, a mother with a purpose.

“Woman.”

She whirled around, feeling arms grasp her arms and hold her at their length. She stared into black eyes for a long moment before she felt herself being pulled into his arms. She went boneless, hands clenching into his wrists as she leaned into him.

There were no words. He knew what she had done. He just held her in his arms. They were the only two people in the crowd not celebrating. NEXT