Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Epiphany ❯ Epiphany ( Chapter 1 )

Epiphany

 

By Dark Hope Assassin

 

A long sigh escaped her tight lips as she stared somewhere outside her window. She was not looking at the tremendous progress that her company was making in rebuilding the world that had been not so long ago been tattered in chaos, wreaked by the two androids Dr. Gero had created. She wasn't looking at the joy and careless glee that had once again settled upon the world after the treat was out of the way. No… She was looking in a spot, a space that opened a gap in time and dimensions; it was a spot where her mind went blank to her surroundings and she was engulfed with her own thoughts, completely oblivious of what happened around…

 

Her world was safe once again. There were no androids to make a living heck out of the Earth, to occasionally scorch it out of having nothing better to do or killing thousands of innocents out of sheer boredom. There were no brooding threats that heaved upon the planet, fixated on demolishing it and beginning their reign over the whole Universe starting with that particular planet. No more power-thirsty lizards, no more of their relatives searching for vengeance for their siblings.

 

To summarize it all in just a few words, life was peaceful. Had it not been so painful it would've been boring… Why was life painful?

 

The answer to that question was surprisingly simple. Even though that Bulma had her son, fully healthy, alive and still kicking, she had her company too, her `race'…

 

But she hadn't her soul mate…

 

The thought made her eyes water. She shook her head furiously, cursing herself for her weakness. If Vegeta had been there now, he surely would've scorned her for being so weak… Despite herself, she cracked a sad smile, looking at the side of her desk. Life had been so simple before too… When they didn't know of Freeza's cloned self, when they thought Goku had died on planet Namek. And, what was more; she had so much company at her spacious home back at Capsule Corporation. Her parents, the namekians, the workers, her friends… Vegeta…

 

Of course, she could build Capsule Corporation again. It was not a problem for her still growing treasure to raise the tall compound, proud and high in the backyard of her yet small, modest house. But, even if she did, even if she put all her efforts into it… it wouldn't be the same…

 

Her parents had deceased long ago. They had not even managed to see Trunks' seventh birthday. The boy would have never been able to recognize his grandparents had it not been for his trip in the past. Her workers, well… Since she didn't remember faces so well, that could be easily arranged. Since her son had saved the Earth, they were now famous again, people loved them both… Capsule Corporation had the chance to rise again, like a phoenix from the ashes.

 

Her friends… Oh, her dear friends, that had suffered such brutal deaths by the hands of those over-grown tin cans. It was just… It was all so awful… She had been reassuring herself that once it was over, once she woke up from that nightmare, ChiChi would be right next to her, yelling at her for being so careless in the house when she had been weary after another night of running around, fretting over little baby Trunks' condition. Gohan would laugh heartily at her story about his deceased father and would motion for her to look outside and to see that Goku was well and fishing just in the nearby lake… Krillin would drop by as usual, bringing in some more of his inspiriting cheerfulness, his jokes that hung strangely tense in the air before everyone broke out in laughter and would just mock Krillin for being so poor at joking…

 

No matter how much she loved her friends, at first Goku's death had been the most tragic event in her life until then… How could it be any other way? The two had shared so much history! The search for the dragon balls, how the small and - not to mention - short boy with frisky tail who had turned into her unvoiced bodyguard, their adventures, Namek… Everything had been so cheerful back then, the old days, when they would all gather around and laugh their hearts out at something Oolong said or did, at something Krillin attempted poorly to show off with… Or just enjoying the fact they were all together, spending time…

 

Those days were now long gone for the lavender haired aging woman… Her life was also slipping out of her grasp. She had a perpetual feeling of exhaust, as if her power was drained from her body every day she opened her eyes to face the dawning sun. She wanted to feel young again. She wanted to not have to brood over the past anymore, not to think about past mistakes…

 

She just wanted to stop thinking of him and connecting everything that happened around her with the likes of him… But she simply could not… And she would not ever be able to extract him from her thoughts again… She was feeling immense guilt and sorrow inside of her, ever since the day her mate passed away… She had wanted to say so much after that, she wished she had not been so brisk with him before, that she would have the chance to know more about him, to gain more of him, to save more of him in her memory before she lost him completely to the afterlife. She wished she could make a different time machine, which would actually be able to skip time and not create different timelines… Her wish was so plain… She wanted to go back to those days and kick herself into apologizing about everything to Vegeta, everything she had ever said and done wrong and to make him understand, to help him survive…

 

But it was a useless thought to begin with. Vegeta had never really wanted her. All he wanted of her was the comfort her body provided him. The comfort she represented when she would let herself used by her Saiya-jin house-guest, completely selfless in her own blindness. Back then, she had been immensely curious about her house-mate; she wanted to know more about his culture, about the customs of his planet, what it had been like, what it had looked like, whether it had looked anything like Earth and whether he liked Earth to begin with. She wanted to know the answers to so many questions; these and also many, many more, most of which related to a certain Saiyan prince. When asked why she was so keen on learning all of those things, she had stared at him for a couple of moments before she had answered. Because she cared, had been her answer.

 

That was probably the time she could pinpoint when the change in her guest began. He was acting even more distant and detached. He wanted nothing to do with her or her parents. He would simply stare off into nothingness when not training. Then again, she could understand his confusion. All his life he had been taught that care, compassion and affection were emotions that only weakened a person, which made him plastic in another's hand. He had been told that power was the only thing that could please him and save him from the pain of being slaughtered, that there was nothing else guarding him. No one would ever care for him, whether he had liked it or not, had been said to him, and that he should better get used to it.

 

And it was perhaps that precise fact why the Saiya-jin no Ouji would have so little trust in her at first. He could not understand how she could mess up his head so much and make him think that she could possibly be correct in her brainless mutterings of love and care. No, he - by no means - had believed her. But he had been attracted to her physically; she had seen it in his eyes ever since he first laid his onyx orbs on her form and shamelessly ravished her with his protruding gaze. He was just what she had ever wanted, too. Macho, but not as huge and tall as Yamcha had been; both of them were short people, but both not lacking any kind of their gender's particular features that would made them attractive to one another. Both were strong-willed and thick-headed, stubborn and proud, which often resulted in their personalities clashing.

 

On several occasions, Bulma had been able to see a different side to Vegeta; a side that he had never before shown anyone else in fear of having it used against him, of having his weakness exposed to the world so he would be an easy prey. She should've understood his intentions since then… She should've seen through the act… But, even now, she wasn't sure if it had been an act at all… Had he just played with her feelings, throwing both her and Trunks aside after he had grown tired of them? Had he survived, would he have come back to the compound, proud and narcissistic as ever? Would he have thought different of death if he had known how much he meant to her?

 

The lavender haired woman let out another deep sigh, which echoed eerily in the stock-still empty room. No movement but the slow heaving of her chest could be detected. The faint noises outside did little to distract the genius mechanic from her thoughts that continued to trail up and down the road of her life, her most intimate experiences and feelings; things that she had not managed to share with anyone until now; things that she would probably keep to herself to the grave, as she wanted no one else but her Vegeta to hear those words; they were meant for him and him only.

 

Stretching her hand out towards a picture by the edge of her desk, Bulma looked down at it with grief throbbing hard in her chest as she did so. It was a picture of Vegeta leaning against the wall outside on a Capsule Corporation balcony, his left leg dropped over the edge, his other knee bent, an arm put to rest on it as his eyes were closed and a serene expression was taking place on his face. It had been the first and only time she had managed to catch him off-guard and take a picture of him where he wasn't scowling or frowning. She felt her eyes watering up again. No, she had to stop! She shouldn't cry anymore! That would earn her nothing! What was the use of wasting her tears on someone who could care less whether she cried for them or not?

 

The thought only made the try to restrain the moisture futile. Accepting defeat, the lavender haired genius sniffed, stroking Vegeta's head on the picture. Why did he have to leave so early? Why did he leave her? Why had he never said a nice word to her, or their newborn son? He hadn't even been with her when she had given birth to the baby… It had been a very painful delivery. But she gave it her best and could probably be labeled the first woman to have screamed so little with such a tiresome and hurting labour. She had promised herself that she would prove to him, even if he was not where he should've been at the moment, -right there, with her - that she was strong, and that her body could handle a little pain.

 

At some point she thought that the spawn would rip her open in two in order to materialize and start demonizing the world. But, right after relief shot through her and baby cries bounced off the walls of the sterile white room, Bulma was given to hold her son, and… She couldn't believe she could've thought such a beautiful little cherub a spawn of the devil. He was simply… gorgeous. From the very moment his unseeing sapphire eyes met her matching cobalt ones, she knew that this very child would mean everything to her from now on. No matter what happened, she would do everything in her power to protect him. She would never abandon her offspring alone in the cold rain, an abortion to the world. No. The moment she saw him, her love for the small creature flared sky-high… It was her very own piece of Vegeta, which the proud prince would never be able to take from her.

 

Bulma could understand next to nothing about the Trunks issue and the impact it had on Vegeta. Why had the full-blooded Saiyan dreaded parenthood so much? Why were it that he thought so little of himself, or probably so little of Bulma and her kind that he refused to recognize the baby as his own flesh and blood? Why had he stabbed a stake through her heart when declaring that he would not take any part of raising the child, or even witness the birth? Had he felt repulsed by her at that moment? Was the thought of having an heir so despicable?

 

Before Vegeta had gone off to battle, a few days before it, the two of then had had a very… strange conversation. She could not even remember where it had started from - probably some stupid unimportant issue as ever. But, in the heat of an argument, Vegeta had shared with her that all meaning to his life was lost: he could not take revenge for his race, as `Kakarotto' had destroyed Freeza; he had no planet nor people to rule over - he was the Prince of a deceased race, that was never to be brought back; he had no home, he had no one to relate to after Goku's death; even though the goof had been a laughable excuse for a warrior to the Prince, at least he had been the same species as him, and could understand him in many ways Bulma would probably only wish she would ever be able to, even if she spent an eternity with her lover.

 

He had told her dying would most certainly not be a painful process for him. And, when finally having his life stolen from his willing corpse, he would be able to go to Hell, where he belonged, with all of his people, his father and mother, his race, and where he would be able to torment Freeza for the rest of eternity, in the burning pits of Hell.

 

The words coming out of his mouth had been anything but bitter. He had meant every word and not a single one of them wounded him in any way, or at least he hid it very well if they did. He simply didn't care. But Bulma did. She could not understand how he could speak so freely and relaxed about being sentenced to Hell for an eternity. When she had voiced her stupor, he had laughed coldly and said,

 

“I am Saiya-jin, woman. My blood has been tainted since birth. It is more likely for Hell to freeze over before I am permitted to do as much as set foot on Heaven grounds. I have killed worlds; millions, billions of innocents. And I enjoyed it. I am no better than Freeza or Cooler.”

 

She let the subject rest, but the simple fact him realizing those things meant that he was a great lot better than both of fore-mentioned tyrants. He had a heart, Bulma knew. It was buried inside of him, for fear of having it beaten out of him by that bastard that had mutilated him into what he had been then, but she knew he possessed one; she knew he was not emotionless, feeling-dead.

 

There was a knock on the door and someone made a quick entrance without even waiting for her to answer. Feeling numb from the thoughts that were cascading through her mind, she slowly looked up to meet a matching pair of eyes staring at her, and a smile planted into her son's face.

 

“Hey, mom! I just got back from the building site! They say the new sky-scraper will be ready in less than a month! Ain't that great? We're making such great progress already! I feel so powerful right now, ha-ha!” The boy grinned evilly, but his enthusiasm faded into a gentle smile as he looked back at his mother.

 

“That's wonderful, honey…” The woman said wistfully, a strange smile gracing her lips. “I trust you will make a great restoration out of Western city. You would really hate to disappoint your dear old mother, would you not?”

 

The boy frowned at her. Boy? She shook her head to herself. He was no boy any longer… He was twenty-three now, a fully grown man, capable of looking after himself. She smiled proudly as she looked him up and down. He had his father's building, his facial features, his nose and chin; all the sharp features and curves of his body… But the eyes and hair were hers. He was a wonderful mix of both of his parents' intellects, looks and - dare she say - stubbornness, at rare occasions, though.

 

Every time when thinking of the impact his stay in the past had upon him, she would smile widely. He and his past father had spent quite some time, he had told her. She couldn't help but feel that the past Vegeta had grown quite devoted to her son, and, she could only hope, had made him feel a little fonder of his own offspring.

 

“Stop saying it as if you're old and wrinkly! You look just great to me! Besides, you still have a few decades to live before you'll be able to surrender, you quitter!” He smiled playfully at her, doing his best at raising her spirits. It had not passed unnoticed by him that she had been lost in thought at first when he had entered. By her distant expression and the faint trails of moisture on her cheeks he could guess who she had been thinking of as well…

 

The youth was worrying about his mother tremendously. The more often she was left alone, the more she began to dig into the past, starting to blame her self for probably existing! It was all so wrong… If it had not been for her, both Trunks and Gohan would've probably never been able to manage what they have. If the three of them had not clung together in most awful of times, things would've stood different for this world. Could she not understand that?

 

Sometimes he wished he would just take some time off of all the work around him, build a nice spacecraft whose velocity would be able to compete with the speed of light so he would be able to go to new Namek without a worry in the world, get his father back and come back with him. He had never shared that simple idea with his mother, it seemed too easy and as if it would be able to fix everything up! Everyone would be happy, living together in a new, better world! Some of those days he would just drop it off and make his mother see things his way, and make her understand that masochism was not the way to it all.

 

“But, Trunks,” the woman began, her slightly skinny face twisting into a gentle smile; oh how he loved it when she smiled that way at him… it just made his heart warm. “I am old and I am definitely not getting any younger. Those wrinkles are not just a product of your imagination, they are really there… Unlike you, I age quite faster… By body is running out of energy quite faster than it did back those days…” She coughed a bit, as if for effect.

 

“If you're trying to scare me, you're doing a damn good job at it.” He said gravely.

 

Standing up and walking towards him, the woman hugged her son. The last remaining part of Vegeta that she had managed to maintain. Pain rippled through her. Vegeta… Her eyes welled up again, and she hid it by burying her face in the back of his Capsule Corporation light shirt.

 

“Trunks… You know that some day I am going to die…”

 

“Well, I don't plan on letting go of you any time soon! So, you can just forget about those things right now. Just take a nap while I make the schemes for the next building! I intend to make a new mall, where you will be able to waste some time instead of sulking in this dusty murky… closed room. You need some sunshine, mom, because you're certainly losing your own. Cheer up! Summer's coming!” He grinned and ushered her out of the premise. She laughed heartily. He was so cheerful… His gentle, yet underlined forcefulness and determination on having her do as he said, reminded her of his father yet again… A pain ran through her heart at the mere thought. Why? Why did Trunks have to remind her so much of his paternal side?

 

“You know what? I think you're absolutely right! A nap is exactly what I need now!” She tried to reflect her son's ecstasy, but failing miserably. She didn't feel the least bit cheerful, but he didn't need to know that now, did he?

 

“You see? Things happen quite faster and easier when you just listen to me. After all, I am Earth's hero!” He laughed. In spite of her mood, Bulma joined with him with a hearty cackle. She missed Gohan too… His obvious influence was so visible in everything Trunks did.

 

 

Minutes, hours, days and weeks were all blurring together in the haze of her life. Bulma Briefs, the richest and smartest woman in the Universe, had been living her recent life as if mesmerized by some magician that just refused to set her free of his dark magic. The world around her worked in such a fastened speed, as if there would be no tomorrow. And she, on the contrary, did everything slowly, cautiously.

 

After her encounter with Trunks the other day and speaking with him about the topic of her early deprival of life compared to his century-long such, she began thinking of his visit in the past and how many times she, herself, had been tempted to take a trip of her own. But, even with such silly thoughts in her head, she could never really commit such a thing. Her presence would only disturb the inhabitants of that time line. Trunks would go nuts if she went missing. He was already paranoid about his time-machine missing too after finding out about Cell and how he had managed to get a fully grown version of himself at the time when he should've been just an embryo.

 

She wondered what kind of mark on her son's memory had the Vegeta of that timeline left. How much time did the two spend together? Have they shared conversations occasionally? How was Vegeta accepting the boy? Did he think as her mate had thought? Was the past Bulma thankful for her Vegeta's survival?

 

A frown tugged on the corners of her mouth. Probably not, she guessed. After the fights and arguments that have ricocheted off the white walls of Capsule Corp before the Z force had been completely demolished, she was sure that her past self was quite angry with the Vegeta of her timeline, too stubborn to realize how happy she actually was to have the man who fathered her child, and stolen her heart nonetheless, by her side, very much alive. She could relate her feelings to her alternative self's ones. She could also tell that, no matter how mad she was with Vegeta, she could never hide the fact she was relieved to have him back in the house, causing chaos and wreaking destruction all over the place.

 

Another smile pulled on the corners of her mouth. She missed the verbal spars with the hardheaded Saiya-jin Prince dearly… They set a fire in her that Yamcha had never before even seen in action. He could set her whole being on fire with so much as a specific glance, or a smirk, a word or a quarrel. It was exactly one of the things that had drawn her so much to him the first place. The passion that he had in him. The passion he had once used for killing and purging, now channeled into the daily fits between the two of them whether the Gravity chamber of Capsule 3 should be updated or not, whether it should be fixed or not. The passion that he had gifted her with…

 

It was clear as a day to all inhabitants of Capsule Corporation that Vegeta was not the same person that most Z fighters saw him as. Yes, true, he was untrusting. Yes, true, he was plain with words and acted more than he spoke. Yes, true, he was still violent by default, ruthless and painfully frank. But another truth was that he was a man of his word. And, even though he had never voiced such a statement, he subtly promised not to hurt a single soul after he had gotten himself in the inside of CC. It was probably the only way he knew he could thank his hosts for their kindness.

 

All thoughts of Vegeta usually led her to that day, that very day when she had seen them all, lying motionlessly on the ground, blood splattered all around them, embracing her dear friends in a firm grip of death… Something wrenched in her heart when she thought back to that moment… It had been a horrible sight for her eyes to absorb… She felt physically ill just by looking at them, how such powerful warriors, fully grown men had fallen from grace, how they had themselves mercilessly slaughtered…

 

It was a day she could never forget, even if she tried her best…

 

 

After some time had passed, the lavender haired woman decided to let her projects rest as it was clearer than a cloudless sky that she would not get any work done today. She was much too distracted about her son's welfare (she didn't know if she could trust her mother; true, her title spoke for itself, but the cyan eyed female found it hard to believe that her ditz of a mother had been a terrific parent when Bulma had been little), her friends who had raised alarm a couple of hours ago for they felt a huge energy destroying a city on the other side of the globe, but the strange thing had been that before that, they couldn't spot a ki-source… Where had that energy come from? It was an enigma to her as much as it was to them…

 

If everything had gone as smooth as it should have, wouldn't they already be there? For the umpteenth time Bulma felt sick of her own weakness. She wished she could use and monitor ki. That way her suspicions would cease, and, if anything, she would know things for certain! What good was just staying there, doing absolutely nothing to aid her friends!? She had asked them about helping them for their battles. She was not entitled genius for nothing! She could build many useful things that could quite come in handy if the fight began to get ugly.

 

But not a single one of them had taken her offer. They said that a fight is a fight and that they could not disgrace the sacredness of a battle with gadgets and tools. She had frowned at that. If the sake of the world was at stake, what did it matter how victory was attained? But Vegeta's crude remark on the topic made her drop the idea. She knew that if they said they didn't want her to help, they meant it. And that only brought her back to starting position - helplessness. All she could do was rock her child back and forth in her arms and stare out the window in the direction Yamcha had gone well over two hours ago. What was happening there? Were they all okay?

 

Finally having enough of lying around and doing nothing, she took a jacket, put on some boots (ones that actually fitted her feet for most were made Vegeta's size) and took a capsule containing her favourite air car. They didn't honestly think that she would be a good little puppy and stay `safe' in the house while they refused to provide her any information about the way the battle was developing, did they? No, really; if they did she would have to seriously reconsider how well her best friends knew her.

 

Hopping in and closing the hatch, she waved at her son who let out a wail of distress. The baby had been restless ever since Yamcha had taken off. There was something about his crying that set Bulma's senses on fire with worry. It was obvious to her that her son was no ordinary boy. He had Saiya-jin blood running in his veins just as much as he had human such. Even if subconsciously, the boy probably knew if something bad had happened with her friends. He could feel well, even if they were far, far away if there was a sudden drop in their ki signatures. She hoped with all her heart that it had been false alarm and that they were all in a bar now, laughing and joking, making fun of whoever villain had been stupid enough to dare and threaten Earth.

 

She traveled further until she took note of the surroundings below her. Her eyes widened as she stared numbly at the steaming ground, scorched from the intense force of the combatants. Even if all of them were alive and well, they have caused huge damage to the earth, and it would take weeks - months even! - to restore what had once been. The green areas would take even longer to be brought back.

 

Her heart clenched. She was thinking of trivial matters when actually, if they had failed to stop whoever it was that was intimidating them, soon there would be no Earth to worry about. She stepped on the gas pedal, suddenly feeling very sick with her stomach in a tight knot that pulled tighter and tighter together the closer she got to the point where her radars said her friends had last been. There was a huge pressure against her throat that choked her and made her eyes water. Please, God… Let them all be alive and well…

 

But as she set foot upon the ground, all it served her was assure her suspicions. She felt as if a bucket of ice-cold water was thrown over her.

 

Her feet were shaky beneath her. She was barely keeping her balance as she took pained step after pained step towards a huge crater in the ground. The tightening in her throat rocketed. She could barely keep her panic at bay as her eyes slowly traveled down the sides of the fried ground to the center of the huge hole. Gasping and fetching her hand to her mouth to keep from screaming, the woman laid azure eyes over the most grotesque picture she had ever seen…

 

“Ya-Yamcha…” She barely managed to squeeze out the name of the fallen warrior in the weakest voice she had, but it was clearly the best she could muster at that moment. Her body instantly wrenched with sobs that escaped her with difficulty. She took a step towards the edge, intending to slide down slowly, to be careful, but in the last moment she lost her balance and rolled in the dirt down to the body of her ex-lover. Pulling herself up, she cradled his head in her lap. How… How had this all happened?

 

She looked around. The lifeless bodies of Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, Chaozu and Yajirobe all surrounded her in a hectic pandemonium. Her body collapsed forward, making her steady herself with her hands. She let out a choked wail. How did it all happen? Who could've done this? Why was there no foretelling of such a horrible fate? Why had it all come out of the blue like that? She had thought that with Freeza gone, they would have an eternity to share together - her and her friends. She thought that with the lizard and his whole family gone, the world would be able to sigh in relief and let it all be. How could she have been so naïve? So naively stupid… She should've seen it coming; she should've pushed them all not to slack on training so much…

 

There was a sudden explosion somewhere to her left, sending her and Yamcha's body back, having the heavy warrior collapse atop of her as if a shield from any harm that threatened her. Bulma lifted her tear-streaked face up to see the source of the noise and her heart froze. Two teenage-looking figures were approaching her and the blonde had her mate caught by the back of his neck dragged against the ground. He looked dead.

 

“Oh, no…” The heiress whimpered and collected her knees to her chest. Why? Why did they have to take Vegeta too? Why did he have to go too? He had been so unsure of dying! He was so young by Saiya-jin standards. He had probably just entered his maturity… Her breath caught up in her throat, blurring her vision again. “No…” She moaned again as the two approached her.

 

“You must be Bulma Briefs.” The boy said. He had a shoulder-length black hair, piercing azure eyes… His outfit looked quite strange. He had a white long-sleeved shirt coming out from beneath the black t-shirt he wore; blue jeans that had a sheath of a sorts hanging loosely by the side of his waist and some odd green socks that encircled the rim of his trouser legs. His visage completed with a pair of white-and-blue sneakers and an orange bandana tied around his neck. His whole outfit was splattered with huge amounts of blood, clearly none of which his.

 

“It is a pleasure to be finally meeting you in person, Miss Briefs.” The other one said, making Bulma's head whip around to look at her. Both individuals were short, with matching pair of eyes and their resemblance obvious. The girl's hair was a golden colour as opposed to her brother's dark tresses. She had a light bluish striped long-sleeved shirt, a jean skirt and sleeveless jacket. Both figures before her were more than just intimidating, as Bulma could guess after the Z fighters her neck would be a piece of cake to snap. She inhaled a shaky breath and backed up against the wall of the created crater. “I'm sorry to have to deliver this news to you, but your husband clearly didn't stand a chance against us.” The blonde chuckled coldly and threw Vegeta's lifeless body in Bulma lap, making the other woman whimper and cradle her lover.

 

“How do you prefer to die? Slowly and painfully or fast and merciful? Not that I really know how to perform the latter…” The boy said while rubbing his knuckles threateningly with a humorless chuckle.

 

The woman below them, however, was not paying any attention to them. She seemed completely absorbed by her sorrow, mourning her mate whose body was tightly clutched in her arms, protectively refusing them to cause any more damage to his wretched corpse. She was mumbling something incoherent that the two androids could not comprehend, but they didn't even care to begin with. They were chuckling to each other, sharing knowing looks before they decided exactly how they wanted the Capsule Corporation heiress to die. After all, they have been created to take vengeance on her and the whole Z troop.

 

“Why did you have to leave me, Vegeta…? I thought that with Goku gone, you were the strongest being on Earth… You told me that I wouldn't even feel it as if Goku was gone… That you would destroy anyone that came within my reach, invading your territory… You said you were strong enough… You said you were invincible now that you are Super Saiya-jin… Where did all of that go, Vegeta, where!? Weakling… How could you be so weak…? You have a son to take care of, a family to look after… You bastard… Why are you always such a quitter? Why did you have to say you have no home? Of course you have one… Capsule Corporation will always be your home, always Vegeta… Because your home is where your heart lies… And your heart… It lies with me, silly… It should have… It could have been different…” Her head buried in the crook of his neck, oblivious of the blood that soaked her form. She couldn't let go of his motionless frame. She wanted to take him and wander off, into a direction unimportant. She had no one to protect her now. She would eventually die by the hands of those filthy androids. They would destroy her.

 

But it was for the better. That way she wouldn't be forced to endure the torture of living without her mate. She would soon join him in the line before King Yemma's desk. She would be there with him; she would be able to feel his touch again… She was anxious already. The only thing she felt sorry about was that her child wouldn't have the chance to grow up, to know love the way she had known about it, to know friendship and betrayal… He was so young, so fragile…

 

“Trunks… Forgive me, sweetie… But mommy is weak… She's so weak that she couldn't protect the ones she loved… She couldn't even tell her loved ones all she wanted to… She couldn't tell your daddy how much he actually meant to her, how she would do anything for him… I'm sorry, Trunks, I'm so sorry… I'm such a dreadful mother… I am a disappointment to the whole planet… I was a disappointment to Vegeta… I am so weak…” She wept her body feverish with the shivers that shook her whole frame.

 

What was worth any longer? Vegeta was gone… He was her heart, her soul, her passion, her trust. He was everything to her. And he was wrenched out of her grasp. One violent stroke and he was gone, out of her reach, out of her grip. She had failed to show him what emotion felt like. He would go to Hell, bitter and lonely… He would still dread the moment he would have to explain to his parents and people why a third-rate warrior had managed to kill Freeza when he had not been able; the moment when he would have to explain why he was not the legendary… He would have to meet people he had not seen since birth; people, that he wasn't sure he cared for anymore; people, that he wasn't sure accepted him any longer… His soul would never find peace… And it was all her fault. Her and her stupid stubbornness… She just wanted to curl into a ball and die… Instantly… Painlessly… All she wanted was to join him in the afterlife…

 

Her eyes closed. Any moment now, it would come. The tin cans would destroy her, rip her life out of her body the same way they had done with him, and send her to oblivion… Send her to the place Vegeta's soul lingered, silently calling for her, and waiting. Her heart clenched in a tight knot and her stomach twisted painfully. Her sobs and tears were endless. She had lost everyone. She had lost all of her friends… She was losing her son and she lost her husband. What was it worth it then? What did she care about the Universe when her home had been devastated, her life completely turned into ashes? She couldn't give a flying fuck about the idiotic Universe! Her soul mate had been brutally slaughtered! And she didn't even have the chance to say good-bye… She didn't have time to mend his bleeding soul… She never got the chance to tell him that he was not as alone as he thought he was. She never got the chance to tell him that no matter what, her soul would always find its way to his, be by his side forever. She wouldn't see him again… What worth was the fucking Universe then!? A world without Vegeta… Without her Prince… What was it possibly worth? She'd rather die than live and go insane…

 

 

But she did live, indeed. The even more painful fact was that she was not even allowed to mourn her husband anymore. She was so busy taking care of little Trunks and raising him, so busy with feeding both him and Gohan, giving them places to train during the night, building various machinery to help them in their ascension in higher circles of power, making all effort to help the survivors of the android attacks all over the world, busy hiding herself disgracefully in the dirt and ashes that were left everywhere after the ruthless duo had finished off with a city…

 

She felt tainted… She felt violated… At least Vegeta and her friends had the chance to die with dignity, in the heat of the fight. They all fought to save Earth. They had given their lives to protect her and her son, as well as the whole nation of Earth. They had the right to die with grace…

 

And her? She was degraded to a low servant to the androids, keeping humans' lives so they could get killed later, out of having nothing better to do at the moment, or feeling immensely bored. Her eyes had welled up back then every time she thought of it. What worth was such a life? How could she continue living, disgracing herself further? She was weak and she knew it. She didn't need to have those robots remind her that every time they encountered each other. She needed peace… She needed to be left alone and to drift off towards the peaceful afterlife… Such a luxury had been denied to her those years ago when in the last possible moment Gohan had come out of his hideout and saved her hide. He hadn't even asked if she wanted to be saved!

 

But she couldn't just leave her son to fate. She had to live… She was living for him. She needed to know that he would be alright. She could not allow to be killed too before she saw the end of those androids with her own very eyes. Bulma Briefs had to pull herself together, and raise her child, who was the only person capable of saving the Universe after Gohan's tragic death.

 

The thought had given her might back then. Her son… Bulma and Vegeta's offspring, the savior of the Universe… Her smile stretched on her face once again. He was such a beautiful youth now… She had lived up to all her duties… She had raised a gorgeous and strong son. A person who would surely protect the Universe if the time came to that again. She would make sure that once the cities were rebuilt he would get back to intense training. She wouldn't let the same thing happen again. She could allow herself for it to happen again! She wanted him to live to his fullest, even after she died. She wanted him to fall in love, get married, and know the blessing of having children and a fully potent family.

 

She… Well… She had to cope with the thought that… Well, that at least she had known love… Even if not mutual, or if her husband had not been human. He had been all she ever wanted, and probably even more… A counterpart, a rival, a lover… She loved everything about him. She knew about all of his flaws and accepted them, and loved him even though of them. He was the only one she could ever give her heart to, even if Trunks said she should look for a husband if she was that lonely. The boy merely did not understand the prospect of love, or just couldn't imagine how important it was all to her. But it was all right… She always just shook her head at him and smiled kindly. He didn't understand… He would never understand probably. Even another one in love would fail to see how she could even begin loving such a proud, selfish, egocentric and narcissistic creature such as her mate. There was just no one else to her but his father. There would never again be anyone else but his father… The bastard left a trace behind himself, whether he was aware of it or not… He thought he had been a lone wolf, all alone in this cruel world… But he had been wrong… She just hoped he knew it now.

 

 

Her sad smile returned to her features. Life hadn't been simple or merciful to her and her son. But their little family was still whole and that was all she could thank God for. If she had lost him too, she had no idea if she could have continued to live. It would've been pointless though… She would've eventually had herself killed anyway. She could've just gone ahead of time and beat them into stealing her life.

 

As usual, her thoughts drifted back to a different conversation she had led with Vegeta… After finding out a bit more about his past and the awful way he had been treated as a child from the computer on Freeza's space craft, she had asked him in all seriousness if he had tried to suicide, or if the thought had crossed his mind.

 

At first he had acted stubbornly, and refused to provide her information of such sort, declared that it was none of her business. But after a few sharp remarks whose goal was to tick the Saiya-jin off into spilling the beans, she had succeeded and caused him to explode and yell at her that she had no idea who she was talking to. She could remember it clearly… So clearly as if it was just yesterday that she had last talked to him…

 

`I have been born a proud Prince of a warrior race and I will die as such, idiot woman! Such a cowardice act such as suicide will never even cross my mind! I would never disgrace my people, my father, my royal heritage or myself by performing such an act! I have been born for battle and that is how I shall die!'

 

His words had only made Bulma swell with pride of her Saiya-jin house-guest. After hearing facts of his brutal childhood that she would not wish to her worst enemies, a boyhood that had been anything but enjoyable and an early maturity that was tainted with bloodshed and terror, he probably thought she would pity him for his fate. She guessed that was the main reason he had denied her that information before.

 

But she had not pitied him even for a moment during the whole time. No. She had been proud of him. She admired him for his strength. She had been labeled strong-willed herself, but she knew if it had been her, she would've given up long ago and would've intended to suicide a few times already. But his pride, his honor… They were obviously principles strong enough to help him live through most repulsing of times. His rage, channeled into his training the purpose to which lay in his goal of destroying the tyrant that was tormenting him, had driven him further down the road of his life, making every other emotion but anger unneeded and unwanted. To Saiya-jins anger was a devise, a tool which could bring them to a higher state of power - Super Saiya-jin form.

 

Even though killing Freeza had turned into Chibi Vegeta's life's purpose, he had failed. He had failed to avenge his people, which had been his duty as the last remaining of the Royal House of Vegeta-sei. He had failed to avenge his father who had been ruthlessly killed without as much as a coherent reason for that. He had failed himself in having vengeance for all the mutilation that the lizard had put him under for all those years. It was all over in a flick when Goku had killed the tyrant… A life's worth of training, killing and purging innocents… Gone before his very eyes…

 

“Mom?” Trunks' hand touched her shoulder lightly, bringing her out of her daydream. She looked up and found him towering above her seat in the garden, looking worried. She smiled lightly and looked back up at the sky. She wondered how much time she had spent thinking…

 

“Hey, darling…” She muttered quietly. The youth's face twisted into a frown, but it soon recovered as he called to someone over the fence. Bulma was too busy spacing out to notice the dark haired girl that was approaching them slowly.

 

“Mom, is it a problem that I will have a guest for tonight? I need her to help me with a plan.” He said politely as the girl joined them. Finally he had managed to grab his mother's attention as her eyes shifted back to him, then to his companion when a smile graced her lips. A sheepish, almost sleepy, smile. He could tell by the way she looked at them that she was tired.

 

“Why, Trunks, the last time I checked you were over twenty years. I do not think you require my approval to have guests.” She stood up slowly, facing the new arrival. The girl had a slim form, petite young woman, with over-shoulder length raven hair and lively onyx eyes. The features of her face were soft and womanly, but it was obvious that she was still enduring aftermath of her puberty. Her radiant smile beamed at the elder female. “Who do I have the pleasure meeting?”

 

“Oh, sorry.” The girl said in perfect English. Oh, how Bulma despised people with weird accents. Not that it mattered. She was beginning to think she was just adding more points to this girl since she appeared nice. Besides, she was probably the first female that had ever grabbed her son's attention. After all, Bulma was getting quite worried about her son's love life and that he would have to live as a monk till the rest of his days if he kept that pace up. She laughed mentally at the bare thought. Such a breathtaking young man such as himself would never be able to stay single with all that fame about his self. “I absolutely forgot my manners here. My name is Pan Satan.” The two shook hands lightly. “Main architect of most of Capsule Corp buildings. I was just a bit nervous about meeting you…” She explained, smiling sheepishly. Bulma mirrored her expression.

 

“Now, now… That's not really a problem! As long as you're not too shy to help me see some of them grand-children running around everything's quite alright. I'm losing my patience here, you know.” She laughed. “Really, we need some more spirit in this house. It starts looking utterly gloomy…” She laughed heartily again and made the girl flush with embarrassment. “Oh my, I'm sorry about that. I start sounding disturbingly much like my mother used to! So… What are you two up to? Share some of those fresh ideas with the old woman.”

 

By the time, Trunks had managed to regain his composure (he had blushed profusely after his mother's little outburst; after all, he didn't want her to ruin anything as he was still getting to know Pan) and said,

 

“She's helping me with that Mall I promised you, remember? We plan on making it as soon as possible. I plan on personally helping the building with my own two hands instead of that slow way of cranes and such junk.” Bulma looked at Pan expecting the girl to goggle her eyes at the lavender haired boy, but nothing came. Bulma looked quite puzzled by her reaction (or lack thereof such). Trunks noticed this and added, “We're acquainted and she knows about the androids.”

 

“I see.” Bulma said, not really looking like she was seeing anything at all.

 

“Are you okay, Miss Briefs?” Pan offered politely. The paleness of the elder woman's hands and face worried the girl beyond belief. She had heard a lot of good things about this woman from her son and she felt her close, in a strange way. The hair with long lavender tresses shook slowly and the pair of cyan eyes bore into the two of them, a new sense of melancholy and pain swelling into them.

 

“Yes, I… I am just a bit dizzy. Excuse, I think I'll go for a nap…”

 

And with that the woman retreated to her refuge slowly, dragging her feet, leaving the couple to share a worried look between one another.

 

 

There was nothing left of the world she remembered. She looked around herself. All she could see was darkness… Darkness so thick and heavy that it almost made her knees give out from beneath her. Where was she? What was that place? What was going on? Why did her head hurt so badly? Her ears were ringing… The silence was deafening her mercilessly… Have you ever listened to the silence? Have you ever listened to the soundlessness? Do you know how smothering it actually can be?

 

“Woman.”

 

Her ears perked up by the sound of that voice resounding in the invisible walls of the premise she found herself in. She looked frantically around herself to catch a glimpse at the source of the voice. But there was nothing but darkness around her. Everything that she could see was the thick obscurity inside what seemed like her mind…

 

“Woman.”

 

There it was again! It wasn't a trick of her imagination! Where was he? Why was he hiding? What was going on in here?

 

“Behind you, woman.” He chuckled, and her body wheeled around almost by itself and she came face-to-face with a very pale Vegeta. Her heart skipped a beat when it took an instant-long journey to her throat, choking her and making her eyes well up with unshed tears as she looked at the source of all her thoughts recently. She smiled despite herself.

 

“Vegeta…” She voiced his name fearfully, actually afraid that saying it would cause him to disappear. But he did not disappear. He stood right there, in front of her, just as she remembered him. His proud frame was the same, his jet-black mane as unruly as ever, yet his armor and spandex were different. He smirked after she finished her inspection.

 

“I see you haven't completely forgotten me.” He said slowly. Her watery smile returned. She shook her head slowly.

 

“How could I ever forget you, even for a second, you idiot? I have been thinking a lot about you recently.” She explained.

 

“So I've noticed.”

 

“You have?”

 

“Let's just say being dead has its pros.” He chuckled again as he circled her for a moment, taking in her appearance. “You look old.” His remark made his mate cross her hands over her chest protectively.

 

“Well, unlike some, my life is quite shorter which results in my faster aging.”

 

“Don't be so defensive, I just stated a fact.” He said amusedly.

 

“Go state facts somewhere else, jerk.” Vegeta chuckled heartily at that too. Oh, how he had missed the bickering.“What?”

 

“You haven't changed a bit…” He said softly.

 

“You're wrong…” Her gaze dimmed some, clouded by grief and sorrow.Years of loneliness and striving for life washed over her and veiled her with painful memories over the initial euphoria of seeing her husband again. “I changed a lot.”

 

“To me, you haven't.” He reasoned.

 

“What are you?”

 

“A Saiya-jin?” He offered sarcastically.

 

“You're dead and by your words, you are aware of that. So what are you? Where am I? Why am I here?” She shot her questions one after another.

 

“Patience is a virtue, woman.” Vegeta chuckled at her as he shook an accusatory index finger at her.

 

“One that neither of us possesses. Now would you care to explain yourself?” He tisk-ed at her.

 

“I amdead, true. But I decided to pay you a little visit now that you are vulnerable. This place is… well, your mind, if I may call it that. I always knew it's empty.” He chuckled, meaning to the perpetual darkness that was surrounding them. Her eye brows narrowed.

 

“You find everything so amusing now, don't you?” She commented coldly. It was her genius mind he was insulting! The nerve!

 

“I have a damn good reason to.” He explained smugly. She decided to let the subject rest. Her patience had piqued at a certain part of his explanation.

 

“What do you mean I am vulnerable? Vulnerable in what way?”

 

“I am forbidden to tell you that.” He said slowly, sitting down on the… ground? There was nothing below… She attempted to do the same and surprisingly found herself succeeding in it.

 

“You are forbidden? By whom?”

 

“The afterlife is nothing of what I imagined it…” He began, clearly not in the mood to explain to her to circles of hierarchy in his present residence. “Instead of lying around bored out of my mind for all eternity having to sustain the stupidity of both Radditz and Nappa, as well as a hundred more Saiya-jins I have fights with the most powerful warriors in the Universe in various tournaments held in the Eastern Kai's realm. If anywhere, at least there I have managed to become closer to Kakarotto. Soon I will probably even surpass him. He thinks he can actually exceed me in anything with such ease! But he seems to forget that I was the better in the first fight we had!”

 

Bulma smiled fondly at her mate. It had been so long since they have talked to each other like that. It was the same as it had been before Trunks was conceived. They would enjoy each other's company, yet… Now the air was filled with anxiety… Anxiety that was bred by the fact that both missed each other for so long…

 

For the rest of the time they spent together, they continued to tell stories of their lives after they have been separated. Bulma found out that the little sneak had the chance to watch her and their son both all this time, that he had witnessed the death of the androids (he had cursed Juuhachigou in every language he could speak a few times over and over when she mentioned her) and that he thought the boy was already slacking and that she was turning him to mush.

 

All in all, it was a really weird exchange. Bulma came to know so many things. He didn't really behave like the Vegeta she knew. He would've never talked to her and waste so much time with trivial matters like it. But then again, she knewthis was his way of saying he missed her so much… His words of Trunks' upbringing made her even prouder. In his language, it meant that he was proud of the power his son had attained and that she did a fine job at raising him.

 

She couldn't have felt happier…

 

 

The creamy pair of lids slid open to reveal a cobalt pair of eyes. Her vision was blurred and her temples throbbed painfully as her sight adjusted. She noticed two figures by her bed. The two youths looked extremely pale themselves as they were watching her intently. She grinned widely, feeling the cold sweat running down the side of her forehead as she did so. She didn't pay any attention to the fact her whole body was profusely sweating.

 

“Trunks, you'll never guess what a wonderful dream I had! And just why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“Are you okay, mother?”

 

“Never better! Why do you ask? What happened? What's the time?” She sat up abruptly and instantly felt sorry she did. The pain shot right through her head and made her collapse back down on the mattress with a pained moan. “Oh, my head!” She groaned and rolled on the side of the bed, clutching her head with her hands.

 

“We tried to wake you for half an hour before you started sweating. We called a doctor and he said you fell in some kind of deep slumber that resembled coma. Mom, we were so scared about you!” Trunks raised his voice. The woman didn't say anything. She was too busy regaining her composure and easing her labored breath to provide an answer to her offspring's rant.

 

“I'm alright now, Trunks. And, besides, it doesn't matter what happened while I was asleep. I met your father in my dream and we talked on and on for so much time and -“

 

“Mother, you're sick! How can you say it doesn't matter? And I know you are not alright, I could see it. Have you any idea what it is to be unable to wake someone for thirty minutes straight? And this has got to end! I and Pan are going to make an improved craft that will be intended to travel to New Namek and we will collect the Dragon Balls there. We will revive all of your friends, family! We will all be together again!” He finished off enthusiastically. Bulma's eyes clouded in a familiar fashion yet again.

 

“Trunks, you don't need to do that…”

 

“But I want to!”

 

“What if they don't really want to come back?”

 

“Of course they want to! How could they possible prefer to stay dead instead of living here with us?” He didn't understand what she meant. Didn't she want all of them back? Wasn't she the one mourning all her ill-fated friends that had not been given the chance to protect themselves? Didn't she just say she was so happy to have talked with his father in her dream? Didn't she want to talk to him for real?

 

“Trunks…” Bulma sighed as she sat up and collected her son's hand. “They lived, they fought and they died honorably. Without any threats, they will have to die of natural causes if we bring them back. Most of them are fighters, men of pride and honour. True, they will be happy we are all together. But they have given their lives for the planet, and even if it was futile, let them have their fifteen minutes of fame. Let them rest…” She smiles sympathetically at him. “I appreciate it that you are worried about me, but we will all join them eventually. Vegeta told me they are all quite having the time of their lives there… Maybe they don't want to be brought back… We can't just do as we wish without asking them…”

 

“What are you trying to say?” He asked suspiciously. She wasn't serious! Her sigh indicated that she probably was after all.

 

“Let it rest, Trunks. Just let it be.”

 

He didn't say anything. He just exited the room, having Pan following closely behind. The door closed behind her, making Bulma release another pained sigh. It had been so real… She felt awfully betrayed that it probably was just a product of her wacky imagination… She shook her head and pulled herself to her feet. She felt hungry… And she was sticky. All that sweat was really fishy but she didn't pay any heed to it. She was much too absorbed about the topics she had spoken to Vegeta about to even remember her son's distress.

 

 

The young man stormed outside of Capsule Corporation and seated himself on the veranda. Without a sound, Pan did so as well and both of them stared somewhere forward, into the busy traffic of the growing city, the cars racing each other on the road…

 

“What is wrong with her? How can she possibly say she prefers to have ChiChi, Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin and Dad and all the others dead rather than around us? She's gone completely insane! Insane I tell you!” He chanted over and over in utter fury. Pan stayed silent over it. She appeared deep in thought. “What? Why aren't you saying anything? You don't possibly think she's right, do you?” She didn't answer. He scoffed. “You traitor…” He muttered.

 

“Did you even listen to the doctor?”

 

“What did I have to hear exactly?” He scowled.

 

“He said that your mother is suffering from some disease, probably. We have to get her to the brain scan department.”

 

“She'll never submit to such a thing. She hates hospitals.”

 

“It's not as if she doesn't want to have her friends back, Trunks… I think she just senses it's a bit too late now…” She said gravely. Trunks paled, his anger evaporating in thin air in a matter of seconds.

 

“Too late… What do you mean too late?” He began with new valour. Pan looked slowly at him.

 

“Maybe she won't be able to survive the two years you'll need to travel in space to bring all her friends back… And even if she does, she might not live much longer after that.”

 

All colour drained from the youth's face instantaneously.

 

 

The remaining time of the day Bulma had spent doing nothing but sulking again. The enthusiasm of having a talk with her mate had long since gone and she was greedy to fall asleep again. Yet the dangerous headache hanging over her made her a little aware and made her rethink her decision before she came even close to the object of her desire. She wanted to lie down and rest, but was afraid that the comatose would reach her in her vulnerable state again and that this time, she just might be unable to wake up ever again.

 

It wasn't as if she minded spending a whole eternity with her lover in the darkness. She hadn't been so happy and fulfilled in years. If she could just add Trunks to her happiness it would've been perfect and just too good to be true.

 

Still, she had a really bad feeling about all of this… A feeling of distress was hanging over her constantly… A feeling that hinted her that something was going terribly wrong in her mind…

 

 

The man in the white coat looked at a scan picture against the nearest source of light and then wheeled around to face the two distressed youngsters. He sighed and sat on his wheeled chair, pulling it to his desk.

 

“So you say you were unable to wake her again?”

 

“She had been sleeping for the past day, Dr. Narutawa… I… I'm afraid I might never see her again with that pace up…” Trunks said and felt Pan squeezing his hand in hers lightly. The action did little to comfort him, but he still appreciated it highly. The doctor let out another long exhale and sat up from his desk, unable to stay in the same place more than a few seconds worth. He had been Bulma Briefs' doctor since she had turned five and caught her first cold. She had basically grown up in that cabinet, as had her son. The pained expression on his young face made the doctor fidget with worry himself. What could he possibly do to make it better? It was a disease out of their reach now…

 

“I don't have an idea what to tell you, Trunks…” The man took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “The brain tumor has developed beyond operational intervention. If we operate now, we might just make it all worse… All I can say is…” He looked slowly into the youth's eyes. “Try to make her remaining time to the fullest. She should feel content before she goes…”

 

The two teens spared a glance between each other before Trunks looked away, his eyes welling up with tears. How was he going to survive through this? His mother, his only support for so many years, dying by some ridiculous human sickness? Another squeeze of his hand made him look up at the girl by his side. He smiled through his tears at her. Now he knew how he would survive…

 

 

“Vegeta?”

 

“Hm?”

 

She took a moment to think about her words and how she should say it. She had been talking to her deceased husband for some time now, each time taking more and more time for her body to recover from her little fits of unconsciousness. Trunks had been getting more and more worried. She felt guilty for enjoying herself while her son was probably ready to jump her already once she opened her eyes.

 

“When you said I'm vulnerable… You meant that I was dying, didn't you?” He didn't answer. He didn't even look at her. Neither did she. “That's why you are able to come and talk to me… Because I am on the border between my world and yours, isn't it?”

 

“Why does it always have to be `my world' and `yours'?” He answered a little too briskly.

 

“You told me yourself. We have lived in two separate worlds. We arefrom two separate worlds, as we will forever be. Those were your words, weren't they?”

 

“I know what I said…” He muttered.

 

“But?” She urged him. He shook his head.

 

“Nothing. You should go now. The brat is probably over himself with worry.”

 

“No, I—“

 

But she didn't get the chance to finish as her eyes snapped open.

 

 

When Bulma woke up, she found out she and both Trunks and Pan were going out for a picnic of sorts. They wouldn't tell her where they were going. Trunks just took the two of them and a picnic basket and shot out of Capsule Corporation grounds.

 

They flew past trees, grass and cars. No one noticed them up in the sky, no one noticed the intruders in the clouds.

 

A few minutes later they settled upon a large lawn on the verge of a cliff, which faced an extremely beautiful waterfall. Bulma smiled warmly at the scenery. It was plainly beautiful… The breathtaking beauty of nature had always fascinated her, though she had little time to admire it with all the work she had been buried in.

 

“Why are we here? What's with the sudden outburst?” She question impatiently. As we know, Bulma Briefs was not quite famous for her patience.

 

“Do we have to have a reason to be together?” Trunks questioned a little too icily. She looked strangely at him, blinking her confusion. She shrugged and held onto him tighter. She was a little afraid of being let go of. Pan decided to take the opportunity and mend the small wound that had been inflicted in the two's communication.

 

“Besides, that way we will have a little bit more time to each other. We'll have time to get a little bit closer, right?” She smiled kindly. Bulma reflected her expression.

 

“That's quite correct…”

 

The rest of the trip down they were silent, as they were while they settled the cloth upon the grass.

 

The day was clear and nice… There was a light breeze that gently ruffled their clothes as they settled down and stared forward… The whole time Trunks appeared a little awkward and distant, but Pan made quite up for the two of them. It was such a great time to feel some young spirit in her veins…

 

By sun down, Bulma stood by a huge tree, looking down at the water fondly. She remembered her adventures with Goku and the Red Ribbon Army, and that cave underwater. It had really been a hilarious thought after it had all been over. She recalled Namek and how one of the Dragon Balls was beneath the surface of a poisoned lake of some sort or what was it… So many beautiful memories…

 

“I'm sorry…” She heard a voice say faintly behind her. She blinked and turned around. Her head cocked to the side as she looked at her son's solemn expression.

 

“You're sorry for what?”

 

“For being such a jerk the entire day… and for not being really understanding lately…” Her tears welled up again as she collected him in her hands, pulling him into a tight hug. He buried his head in the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply as a sob escaped him. He had fought hard not to cry in her presence today, but he had enough of resistance. He couldn't put it up any longer.

 

“Oh, baby…” Bulma cooed. “I should be the one apologizing for worrying the two of you so much… I'm so sorry, really… I don't do it on purpose you know.” She laughed.

 

“I know…” He muttered and sniffed as he pulled away. She brushed his tears away lightly and smiled encouragingly at him.

 

“I see that you and that girl Pan are getting quite closer really. I am glad that you have finally found someone that suits you, darling…” He didn't say anything. He just stared at her. She was about to question him when he hugged her again and told her sternly,

 

“I love you…” And with that he mumbled something about going to collect the things they brought or something like it. She watched his back as he retreated and felt her knees coming out from under her. She collapsed on her back, looking up at the sky. She felt a presence sitting next to her on the grass and she hoisted herself on her elbows, noticing that a very ghostly Vegeta had joined her.

 

In the darkness of her mind, she had not understood that her prince had been a ghost actually. Now she was fully aware of that as she saw him compared to everything else.

 

“What are you doing here?” She said slowly, feeling the pain in her forehead coming again.

 

“You had less time than I thought…” He explained. Her eyes softened. She smiled sadly and nodded.

 

“I understand…”

 

“Woman.” She looked up. “Do you remember what you thought, about my scare of fatherhood? You wanted to know why I dreaded being a parent.” She nodded her affirmation. “You heard and saw in Freeza's computer what my example of a father had been - a traitor to me and the whole race. I never knew the compassion of another… I have just grasped the essence of freedom and began getting used to you and you already wanted a child…” He stopped talking abruptly. But she didn't need him to say more. She understood.

 

He was afraid that he wouldn't live up to his duties as a father, that his child would finish hating him as much as he hated his father. He was afraid of his freedom being taken from him by the small bundle that Trunks had represented back then.

 

“I know you would've been a great father.” She announced. He looked sternly at her. She stared back.

 

“And back then… Over my dead body, when you said you're a disappointment to both me and the boy…”

 

“You heard that?”

 

“My spirit was still lingering in the body when you did.” That's right. She could've sworn that she felt as if he was just slipping in her fingers. She had cried so hard for being so helpless about keeping him there with her… “I just wanted to tell you… Look at the boy. Do you honestly think that's the expression of someone disappointed?” Bulma smiled. She knew that back then she was just overtaken by suicidal urge. He came closer to her. “And… You have never been a disappointment to me, Bulma.” He whispered against her lips. “One more thing, woman.” She stared longingly at him, already desperate to feel him against her, even though doubting she would succeed.

 

“What is it?”

 

“I was in the delivery room that day.”

 

Her eyes grew wide open before her husband bent over her, dissolving the last of the distance between them, claiming her mouth with his in a gentle kiss.

 

How she had missed that… How she had wanted to feel him again… But, most of all, her heart was bouncing with glee. In his language, Vegeta just told her he loved her back.

 

Her eyes slid shut as she enjoyed being in her mate's arms. She didn't remember whether she had outstretched her hands out and snaked them around his neck as she usually did…

 

… But the dreamland she had slipped into after closing her eyes was one that she would never escape…

 

 

A/N: There we have it! I know what I promised. (See Bio for info). But I was so overwhelmed with this idea that I didn't even sleep properly before school one of those days. So, yeah… Tell me what you think.