Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Falling in Love a Second Time ❯ Friends ( Chapter 4 )

Falling In Love A Second Time

Chapter 4 - Friends

When Vegeta arrived at the hospital he knew visiting hours were well over, so he decided instead to come through the window and avoid the irritating hospital staff. When he entered the room his eyes immediately landed on Bulma, sleeping peacefully, tightly wrapped in her covers. Walking slowly towards her, Vegeta took a seat quietly on the edge of the bed. He merely sat basking in her angelic figure a few minutes before he could no longer restrain himself.

Gently brushing Bulma's cerulean locks out of her face, Vegeta tenderly pressed his desperate lips atop hers. His movements were soft and deliberate so as not to wake her. He just needed to feel her warm lips against his. He received more than he had desired however, for after a matter of mere moments, Bulma began to stir.

Vegeta immediately pulled back from his mate, as he watched her begin to move. He had known, for many hours now, that Bulma had come out of her coma; but actually seeing her still figure move once again was almost too surreal an experience to accept.

Bulma shifted her head back and forth a few times before finally opening her eyes to look upon that which had disturbed her sleep.

Vegeta.

Fear and apprehension immediately flushed the confused woman's face and her eyes went wide in terror. Blinking multiple times to make sure what she was seeing was in fact real, Bulma began to back away, utterly intimidated as she concluded that Vegeta, the monster that had killed so many of her friends, including her lover, was in fact sitting before her. "You… You can't be here… Why aren't you dead?!" she stuttered utterly petrified as she tried to understand why, even after thirteen years, this murderer had not paid for his crimes.

Vegeta grabbed his chest as he could vividly feel the fear and hate running through her. Never had he felt her experience such feelings for him; the reality tore him up inside, begging him to stop the pain before it became any worse. "You do not need to fear me, Bulma," Vegeta started slowly as he raised a disarming hand. "I am your… friend." If there was one word he detested, it was that word, but he had no other choice under the circumstances.

"Friend?" Bulma shook in disbelief. "The hell you are! You and your bastard associates came and killed a bunch of my friends!" she hissed, while continuing to pull away from him, not for a minute believing she would ever befriend such a man.

Vegeta started to feel the pain in his chest turn from fear to anger as he tried to focus. He had to calm her down before things became any worse, for him of course. "Bulma… That was a long time ago," he said finally, as he looked at her intensely, his eyes silently pleaded for her understanding.

"What the hell gives you the right to invade my hospital room in the middle of the night anyway?!" she argued, still finding the situation too bizarre. If he planned to convince her of anything, he would have to start explaining.

"I had to see you," he whispered, careful to keep his voice calm and steady. The last impression he wanted to leave was one of intimidation.

"Well you have seen me, now get the hell out!" she suggested, hoping that would be enough to calm whatever sick interest he had in her.

Vegeta's teeth clenched as the light hand resting above his heart began to tense tightly over his shirt, a vain attempt to lessen the pain that was wreaking havoc on their bond. "You must trust me," he whispered barely. "I am of no danger to you. I would never do anything to hurt you," he admitted honestly as his eyes locked with her frightened ones. "You have my word."

"Do I?" Her fears began to calm as whatever physical threat she felt at first seemed to quickly be quelled. She was not certain why, but when he said he would never hurt her, she actually believed him. Of course, just because he is not a physical danger to her, does not mean he can be trusted. "And what good is your word? You have done nothing but cause all the people around me grief since the moment you came to this planet. Why would I believe anything different now?"

"Because it's true." He took a few long breaths, trying to quell his pain. "I am not the man you barely knew so many years ago. I have changed, just as you have."

"As if you could know me so well," she disagreed quickly. "If you have changed and are now 'my friend' and not a psychopathic murderer, then why weren't you here with the others when they came to see me? Why wait until the middle of the night when I am all alone to scare me half to death!? Why!" she demanded, she might have lost several years of her memories, but she was not one to be made a fool of.

"I was here," he confessed, still irritated he was prevented from seeing her sooner. "But you had just awakened, and your friends agreed it was best, considering your state of mind, that I not see you. Perhaps they were right," he admitted begrudgingly, he wanted to be with his mate again, but not under these circumstances, not at the cost of her suffering.

"So why come now?" Her tone had become slightly more civil as she relaxed her muscles a little.

"As I said, I needed to see you. I had to see for myself that you were all right. That is the only reason I came," he abbreviated the truth. He suddenly wished to flee the scene before bearing further witness to her harsh insults and ignorant questions. The veracity of this fate was quite literally too painful to bear. "But now I have seen you, so I shall take my leave before I cause you any further grief," he whispered rather diplomatically before rising from the edge of her bed and turning to leave.

"Well, wait," she halted his escape, very much to the Saiya-jin no ouji's surprise. "You can't just leave like this without telling my why you came in the first place."

"I thought I just did," he glanced over his shoulder to answer her before continuing back towards the window.

"No you didn't!" she halted him once again; this time she lifted herself off of the bed to follow a few steps after him. "Look, Vegeta," she allowed a hint of contempt as she whispered his name. He immediately turned around to face her as she continued to speak. "I have been told nothing but half truths and partial explanations since I came out of my coma. Now everyone seems to think I am in too fragile a state to be told everything that I fail to remember, but damn it, I won't take this anymore! I want to know why you came here, and don't tell me you are my 'friend' or that you wanted to see how I was doing. I want to know why you are still alive after the hell you put my friends and this planet through! I want to know why you would remain on this planet, and why Goku would allow you to! I mean my Kami, I was on Namek in the first place all because of you! Because you killed my friends, my boyfriend, to be even more precise! You are one of the most contemptible men I have ever met and you expect me to believe we have developed some sort of amity?! Well you couldn't possibly know me that well if you think I would fall for such a lame--" Bulma's tirade was suddenly cut off as she clasped her forehead before her body began to fall forward. Her last thought was to brace herself for when she hit the floor, but she never came close when a strong arm braced her back as another pulled her legs out from under her before they could collapse.

"You are not supposed to experience any stress, woman," Vegeta chastised her lightly, as he carried her weakened body back over to her bed. Stealing as much time as he could with her in his arms, he gently placed her upon the mattress, and pulled the thin covers over her disoriented body as she attempted to refocus. "You should go back to sleep. You need to regain your strength."

"Yes, doctor," she said with heavy sarcasm, as she looked back at the man who surprisingly seemed to care. Grabbing his hand as he finished tucking the blankets over her, she locked eyes once more with him, as if beseeching him to bestow upon her the truth. "Why?"

With a long sigh, Vegeta contemplated his options, considering what he could and could not tell her. Her near faint proved she was in no condition to be told the full truth, but her stubbornness would never settle for anything less. In other words, he seemed to be damned no matter what he told her. "Things changed for me not too long after your memories end. I was killed by Freeza, and then wished back by nothing more than sheer accident. I took my second chance and actually used it to do something worthwhile with my life, on my own terms, no longer ruled by another. It may have taken a while, a long while, but I stopped being the man you remember fearing. You played a large part in that change occurring, which puts you at the top of a very short list of people I learned not to dislike. That is why I am here. Not to cause you any more harm than you have already suffered."

Bulma blinked a few times to make certain the calm and collected articulate explanation she had just received was in fact from a "former" enemy. Unbelievably accepting his words to be genuine, she slowly nodded her head. She wasn't certain why, but she believed he was telling the truth. What he spoke of somehow seemed to make some sort of sense that she couldn't quite decipher. "All right," she whispered in agreement. "I suppose that could be possible." She failed to find any fault with his logic, but that didn't seem to make her any more comfortable. "So, we became friends, I guess I can accept that, but if you don't mind, this is still a little weird for me, so-"

"I'll go," he said briskly, he was certainly not about to impose himself any longer than she desired. That would only counter the meek understanding he had just brought her to.

Removing himself from the bed once again, he turned and walked back to the window from which he entered. He was not more than a moment from his exit before he heard his mate whisper her appreciation, "Thank you, for catching me." Her voice was unsure, but calm.

Feeling the confusion and apprehension flowing through her veins, Vegeta only quickly nodded before continuing on his way. He could stay no longer; the emptiness with which her absent feelings left him with was even more painful in her presence. He never wanted to know what life would be like without her, not just her physical being, but also the warmth she spread through his soul. She protected him from the pain of his past, of his fear of loneliness, of being uncared for. She was the first person he could ever admit to himself that he truly loved. And now it seemed he would have to suffer that void until her memories returned. A sentence he feared he could not withstand.

With a long sigh he shot off into the blackness of the night. Finally beginning to understand the depths to which his suffering could plummet.

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Bulma awoke very late the next morning to see her son already sitting at her bedside. "Hey, Trunks," she smiled as she slowly sat up, very much relieved not to be greeted by any other bizarre visitors.

"I have great news, Mom," the excited boy began quickly. "The doctors said you could go home this afternoon!"

"Really? I am being released so soon? Well, I must say that sounds wonderful, if it is true." She was a little startled by the news, but eager to sleep in her own bed once again.

"Yeah, well, to be honest some of the staff wanted you gone sooner than later. The company you keep can be a little... intimidating." Trunks suppressed a proud smirk knowing it was predominantly his father terrorizing the personnel.

Bulma just smiled, assuming he was referring to her friends' typical hyjinks. "It's fine with me. I have been ready to get out of here since yesterday."

Trunks leaned in to give his mother a hug, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "I can't believe you are finally coming home. Capsule Corp has been so lonely since you have been gone," he admitted thoughtlessly as his enthusiasm overpowered his sense of rational.

"You know that brings up an excellent point that you dodged yesterday." Bulma pulled away from her son's hug so she could ask him a question that had been weighing heavily upon her mind. "Exactly who have you been staying with these last few months?"

Trunks jaw opened slightly as he silently cursed himself for his slip-up. "Um…" Trunks tried quickly to think of something, but nothing came to him. 'Well I guess she is going to find out anyway as soon as she gets home. I may as well tell her now.' He decided that under the circumstances he had no other choice in the matter. "You see Mom, I ha---"

"Good Morning!" Chi-Chi interrupted the young man before he could finish his explanation as she entered the room. "I heard you were getting out today, congratulations," Chi-Chi rushed out before she noticed some awkwardness between mother and son.

"Thanks," Bulma smiled quickly before turning back to her son. "Trunks was just talking about how much less lonely Capsule Corp is going to be with me there."

"That sounds about right; he missed you terribly while you were gone." Chi-Chi patted the boy on the shoulder as she sat next to him upon Bulma's bed.

"Then, was he staying with you?" Bulma reverted to her original question. "Did you take care of Trunks while I was here?"

"No, I stayed at Capsule Corp," Trunks quickly offered, while Chi-Chi slowly seemed to gather where the conversation she had interrupted left off.

"Capsule Corp?" Bulma practically gasped in surprise. "But with who?"

Trunks took a long breath, briefly looking towards Chi-Chi who shook her head, clearly not wanting him to tell her the truth, but being the defiant child he was, he decided to do as he wished. "All right mom, I'll tell you, but you have to remain calm as I do. No stress, remember?"

"Um, ok." Bulma was beginning to worry her son had been under the care of some terrible monster, judging by the way he was attempting to calm her before he dropped the truth. "After last night I think I can take anything, so tell me."

"Last night?" Trunks raised a brow curiously, his sense of protection kicking in. "What happened last night?"

"Oh, it was nothing; I just had an unexpected visitor, that's all. Now you were about to tell me--"

"Who?" Trunks asked quickly. If someone has disturbed his mother, he would have to make certain it does not happen again.

"Well, um, I'm not sure if you're going to believe this, I mean I barely do." Bulma took a breath before unveiling the name of he who had nearly scared her to death the night prior. "Vegeta."

"Da-Vegeta!" Trunks covered his shriek as he and Chi-Chi both looked on in shock.

"Damn that man, he just doesn't listen!" Chi-Chi scolded, as she shook her head at Trunks as if he was just as guilty. Softening her glance, she looked over towards her confused friend. "I am so sorry Bulma, he had promised not to see you. Dende, you must have been petrified. I should have warned you."

"It's really all right." Bulma didn't want to worry her son by rehashing the meeting. "I was a little startled, but he was very civil, and he didn't attempt to hurt me, or impose himself upon me," she clarified, "but I was rather shocked. It's hard to believe that such a coldhearted fiend could change as drastically as he confessed."

"But he has," Trunks was quick to defend. "He is really a lot better now. You do not have to be afraid of him."

"Bulma, what exactly did he tell you," Chi-Chi cut right through the assurances, she wanted to know exactly the kind of damage Vegeta had done.

"Not much," Bulma shrugged lightly. "He said we were friends and that he had feared seeing me sooner would only exacerbate my condition, so he waited. That was pretty much it." She wanted to make light of the situation, her son didn't need to know how frightened she was, and certainly not that she had fainted.

"Well then he left a lot out," Trunks shook his head, he felt more confident telling her the whole truth now that she had met his dad. Though he wondered why his father had abstained from telling her everything, especially since he hates the word 'friend.'

"Like what?" Bulma raised a brow. What more could there possibly be?

"Nothing too terribly significant," Chi-Chi interrupted, before looking down at Trunks to halt him before he could say another word. "Why don't we go see how your mother's release papers are coming?" she asked in a tone Trunks recognized very well. She uses it with Goten when she doesn't want him to argue.

"All right." Trunks reminded himself to always respect his elders. "I'll be back in a little bit, all right Mom?" he asked as he gave her a quick kiss upon the cheek.

"Ok, don't be too long." She cautioned before watching the pair leave. She still had many questions she wanted answered, and she wanted them soon.

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Almost immediately after Trunks closed the door to his mother's room, he frowned, he immediately wanted to know why he was prevented from telling his mother the truth. "Why did you cut me off?"

"You were about to make a grand error. Your mother is still not ready for the truth."

"How can you say that?" Trunks quickly argued. "She already knows Dad exists, so she might as well know the whole story."

"Trunks," Chi-chi sighed, she tried to think of the best way to make this stubborn child understand. "Look, your Dad saw her last night, right? Well, if he felt she was in the right state of mind to be told the truth, don't you think he would have done so?"

Trunks' hopes instantly crumbled as he saw her point. If his father withheld the truth, then he must have had good reason. "Then what do you suggest?" he asked rather exasperatedly. "She is coming home this afternoon. It's not like she won't notice Dad!"

"You are right about that," Chi-Chi nodded in agreement as she paused to try and concoct an acceptable solution to this conundrum. After a few minutes a lighting bolt seemed to strike. "I've got it!" she said triumphantly as she snapped her fingers proudly. "We can just tell her the truth!"

Trunks almost fell over, wondering if this was a result of her living with Goten's father once again. "You just said we couldn't do that!"

"You didn't let me finish," Chi-Chi frowned. "We can tell her the truth as of eight or so years ago."

"Hun?" Trunks scratched his head, still thinking the woman had lost her mind.

"Look, you know your dad originally moved into Capsule Corp to train and prepare for the androids, right? And, then even after the threat was gone, he still stayed and lived at Capsule Corp, even though your parents still weren't technically together, remember? All we have to do is tell your Mom that she let Vegeta stay all this time after they became 'friends,' as your father so eloquently lied about earlier. Think about it for a second, it is not that farfetched, the compound is huge; the two of them hardly have to see each other."

"Well that may be true, but the years when my parents weren't technically together were the worst of my life! I don't want to go back to that, and I am certain Dad doesn't want to either!" Trunks voiced his protests very adamantly.

"It wouldn't be like back then," Chi-Chi tried to ease his worries. "And don't forget this is only temporary. I know it is tough for you, but right now we have no other options. You have to be strong for your mother, all right?"

"All right," Trunks nodded slowly. "I guess I should go tell her then."

"Wait," Chi-Chi stopped him, "why don't you let me. She will be released soon, and I can bring her to Capsule Corp after that. Why don't you head home and tell your father what has been decided."

Trunks agreed without question. He wanted to check on his father ever since his mother mentioned the visit. He knew how desperately Vegeta, no matter how well he tried to hide it, missed his wife. Seeing her now, oblivious to what they share, must have been devastating for the lonely man.

Racing down the hall, Trunks sped towards the exit. He needed to find his father and warn him of his mother's release. The last thing either of them needed was another discomfited interlude.

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Author's Note: Awe… I am noticing a trend in my stories; I like to make Vegeta suffer. But it's ok, it will all be better in the end, I promise. So, what's next? Well it's time for Bulma to be released, but how will she take finding out who her housemate is? And how will Vegeta handle living under the same roof with the woman he loves, but doesn't remember loving him back? Find out in the next chapter…