Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Facing it Together ❯ Empty Room, Full Decisions ( Chapter 19 )

Disclaimer: DBZ is not mine.

Quick Note: I'm sorry that this took so long to get out, but if you read my previous note, then you know why. I wrote this chapter and went to the library to update it. It sucks because I have a new computer (that part doesn't suck. I now have a properly working computer!), so I don't have everything that I previously wrote, and I can't exactly look it up, since my dorm doesn't have the internet. So PLEASE bear with me if you catch any mistakes in this chapter, if I speed up anything or leave anything out, you'll know why.

Also, I've wanted to answer a reviewer's question. Here's their quote (skip if you don't care):

I only have one question: why would Bulma run to the king with the knowledge of the planned insurrection considering that at the time she was just as pissed at him as were any of the conspirators?

Well, Demetz, Bulma is not a bad person in this fic (or in the actual show, for that matter), so regardless of if she's pissed at him, she would still help because she doesn't want to see him dead. I didn't make her that malicious! I mean, if your little brother annoyed the hell out of you, you wouldn't actually want to kill him, right? (Note: this is true in most cases) I hope that clears that up. And by the way, I love the villains too! (Why do you think that I'm obsessed with Vegeta?)

Anyway enough said…I hope I haven't gotten too rusty!

Facing it Together

Chapter Twenty: Empty Room, Full Decisions

Chi Chi headed towards her best friend's room, practically whistling.

She just had to tell Bulma what she had done. Bulma would no doubt be happy for her and her new decision that changed her life so completely. After all, she had been the one who had suggested it. Chi Chi could just imagine her friend's subtle smile and a cocky, I- told-you-so attitude.

She reached Bulma's door and knocked twice. "Bulma?" Frowning at the lack of response, she rapped again, this time harder. "Bulma, it's me." After there was no answer the second time, she decided to enter the room.

Chi Chi gasped. The room had been cleared out; the bed was made and everything was put in place, as if no one had actually stayed there. She was almost about to leave and check the next room, in case she had made a mistake, but a slip of paper on the desk at the corner of the room caught her eye.

She crossed the room and picked up the sheet and scanned it, then read it again.

Chi Chi,

Chi Chi raised her eyebrows at the letter and smiled warmly. Her friend was returning home. She wished she had known how she was able to slip past the Saiyan king. That would have been something to see.

She folded the paper and slid it in her pocket. Perhaps, when things settled down, she could visit her on Chikyuu. She had no doubt that King Vegeta would be on Bulma's heels, trying to figure out how she had managed to slip out from right under his nose. Chi Chi knew that he and her best friend had something remotely similar to hers and Kakarrot's relationship. Probably not as strong, but still something. Something with power, something with passion. The king wouldn't give that up, not when she was sure that he had never felt something like that before. He wouldn't give Bulma up that easily.

And that meant that Chi Chi would most likely be bombarded with visits from King Vegeta…

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Bulma stared at the panel, slowly becoming used to the foreign controls.

It wasn't as if she was not able to read the language on the screen, but the syntax and the organization of the menus on the screen puzzled even her brilliant mind. She could follow the basic controls--steering, acceleration, boosting--but there were other ones that she could not decipher, weird symbols that she had never seen before in her lifetime, much less learned about when she learned the language of the Saiyans.

She sighed and placed one hand under her chin and sighed. She would be safe and not touch anything that was unfamiliar. It wouldn't surprise her if she accidentally executed the self-destruct mechanism--assuming this ship even had one. At this rate, she would reach Chikyuu in only a matter of days. She wondered vaguely if she would receive a warm welcome when she arrived from the people she cared about and missed while she was away. Her father and mother would no doubt be thrilled to see her.

Chi Chi wouldn't be there, she realized as her eyes shut briefly to reflect. Bulma was certain that she had already made the choice to live a content life with Kakarrot, a man who she had fallen for in only a short matter of time. She didn't blame her, couldn't blame her for her decision, nothing else mattered when it came to love. Kakarrot was a good man, and Bulma had no suspicions about him. He would make her very happy. If she, at any time, doubted that, she would have dragged her away, bound and gagged, with her back to her home planet.

She watched as the stars seemed to part when she passed through the dark realm of space.

Vegeta…

What could have bloomed if she had stayed put? A smile broke her stern expression. Something that she would never know, she supposed. It was too much, her wondering, her longing. Funny, she didn't even consider it when she left.

But now, in the empty region of space she couldn't help but wonder what could have happened had she stayed. Would she have eventually given Vegeta the real radar? Would she and Vegeta ever clear things up about their relationship? Would Chi Chi and Kakarrot have children in only a year of being together? It wasn't as if Chi Chi could send her a postcard.

Why, exactly, did you leave again?

Bulma blinked. Where did that thought come from?

From your head, dumbass. Where else? Now, answer the question.

She sighed again. Because…it was right. It was safe. It was…

--Going to be pretty lonely, huh?

"Shut up," she told herself. She wouldn't be lonely. She had her parents there, a variety of friends that she could rely on, and eventually she could find another man to be with--

Yeah, right. As if you could find another man like him!

Hmm…now that was true. She didn't think that she could ever meet a man as arrogant as Vegeta. He was entirely too sure of himself, constantly throwing his intelligence in her face, missing no opportunity to call her inferior--

--strong-willed, incredibly sexy, and obviously cares somewhat for you. Now tell me again, why did you leave? He's there, your best friend is there, if you can smooth things over with him, then I'm sure that you could at least visit your parents from time to time…

But, what about it? Could she actually stay there, in a place full of aliens that were clearly stronger than her? Could she stay there, with him? …could she actually begin to love him?

Hah! Like you aren't falling already! If you weren't, Bulma, then you wouldn't be considering the situation like this!

That may be so, but that didn't guarantee that Vegeta had feelings for her. And that was important to her. He might just think that she was just a plaything, a little weakling that he liked to fuck.

Hmm…I think he has a little more honor than that, don't you?

God, how she hated her mind right now. It was too rational, too…correct. Bulma stared at the panel for a few minutes. Then her hand inched, almost by itself to the panel in front of her and pressed a series of buttons. She jerked in her chair as the ship did a 180° and sighed yet again, but this time out of satisfaction.

This, she decided, felt right.

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As soon as he opened the door, he could hear the loud shouts.

His brow wrinkled in confusion as he headed towards a familiar face through the sea of bodies. "Limato, what is this?"

The man in question turned his head and nodded to the crowd. "These are the men that you requested. I, Radditz, Nappa, and Taya have recruited them here."

Turles frowned. "If they don't become quiet, then they might get our plan to a difficult start. I think we could all do without King Vegeta's men barging in here and questioning us about all of this commotion."

Limato's brow rose. "And you think that they'll be able to take all of us on?"

At that statement, the leader smiled. "Not at all. It would give the king time to flee."

"Humph. I think both you and I know that the king would never do that. If that were the case, then we wouldn't need to scout out new recruits."

"It doesn't matter. In only a couple of hours, King Vegeta will be six feet in the ground and I will be on the throne ruling Vegeta-sei as it should be ruled." Turles made his way to the center of the room, his form and posture demanding silence from the inhabitants of the room. He cleared his throat. "I assume that each of you have the same idea in mind: Getting rid of the current king. The king who would rather use technology to win wars. We're going to take him down." With a smirk, he added, "And here is what we're going to do…"

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The light made his eyes snap open, however even though the sunlight was familiar, he sensed that something was amiss. His hand shot out and connected with a cool indentation, indicating that the previous occupant was now gone.

Vegeta's head turned to allow his eyes to confirm this information. There was no trace of the blue-haired woman other than the wrinkles in the bedclothes. He smiled, knowing that she had probably fled to her room before he awoke, avoiding any half-hearted insults that he might throw at her. He dressed quickly and headed out of his bedchamber to Bulma's room.

He didn't knock. Even if she wasn't dressed it wasn't anything that he hadn't seen before, felt before or tasted before. He hurled open the door with only a flick of his wrist and Vegeta's eyes widened only a fraction at the sight.

She's gone? What happened?

He turned around to the direction of the solarium and began his journey until he was stopped by a pair of guards.

"Vegeta-ou! The head technician was attacked! He said that Bulma-sama knocked him unconscious and stole a ship from the hangar!"

The king's fist clenched in anger. So that was it, she fled from him altogether, was that right? She wasn't going to get away from him that easily. "If it is one of our ships, then there should be a tracer on it."

"We have already tried to determine her location using that method, but it seems that she had cut off the connections to the main computer."

That's right, she is a mechanical genius. "Prepare a ship for me. I will be leaving soon," Vegeta said turning away from them.

"B-but--"

The king turned around, one brow arched in disbelief.

"I apologize, Ou-sama. I'll have one prepared in a short while." And with that, the guards scampered off, leaving him to his own thoughts. Bulma decided to run, and that was a grave mistake on her part. He would get her back, even if he had to bind her and gag her to do so. And besides…

He hadn't been hunting in a long time.

Author's Note: Now, I know that my audience has been cut in half as a result from the long wait. I had half of this chapter written…except that it was on my old piece of crap computer at home, which meant that I had to do it all over again! That sucked. Originally, I was going to update this in a few weeks, but decided to get it out sooner. Yea for me!

Also, I wanted to say something more on a bit of a dark note. I have every intention of finishing Facing it Together…but after that, I think I'm going to hang up both titles of SaiyaTrunks and Blue Sword for a while. The inspiration train has malfunctioned and derailed. I don't think I have it in me to continue writing anymore. It's such a pain to try to update these chapters. I've lost my motivation and muse, and because of this I've decided to take a break. But Facing it Together will be finished before I take my vacation. I promise you that.

Anyway, I would press for reviews, but since it was a rather long wait for this installment, I don't expect many. So thanks for reading and I hope I can get the next one out soon. I could estimate, but as you know, that always doesn't work out. So, hope to see you soon!