Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Finding Peace ❯ Barely Breathing ( Chapter 17 )

~~~~~``` Chapter. 16 Barely Breathing

There's not much to examine
There's nothing left to hide
You really can't be serious
If you have to ask me why---Duncan Sheik

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Bulma sat drinking her coffee staring at the large dome in her backyard that Vegeta had locked himself in since he had come home over four hours ago. The artificial moon shined brightly in the high heavens, along with the stars dotted across the black sky. She sighed heavily, leaning her head back against her chair and snuggling in her blankets.

It appeared that the ki blast dug deeper into Trunks abdomen then originally thought. After numerous tests upon him, they realized that the blast had taken part of Trunks' stomach lining, causing internal bleeding resulting in serious blood loss, hence the fact that Trunks was not healed in his abdomen. Surgery immediately followed and while the doctors worked on that, Bulma worked on her Regeneration Tank.

A few weeks prior, Vegeta had gone in there for broken ribs only to figure out after an hour of staying in the liquid filled tank that it wasn't doing anything. He had pulled himself out, instantly calling her to fix it, and that's when the problems started.

Something had ruined the cellular reconstruction pores enabling the healing to the body to activate. After several tests upon the liquid and tank, Bulma had come up with no reason as to why it wasn't working properly. Her father couldn't even figure it out. Unfortunately, right after they realized there was a problem with the tank, Bulma was swamped with the new invention plan they had put on the list of approval for the Board of Authorities Nation. They received grant to continue with the project and that is where they are now. Obviously the main reason Bulma hadn't had time to work on the Tank.

This afternoon during Trunks surgery, Bulma had hooked the machine up to the computer receptor and retraced the steps that were taken prior to Vegeta's use of the machine seeing if any thing had upset the process of correction and found nothing. Next she tried to reboot the Tank to see if that had anything to do with it. But still it showed nothing. After two aggravating hours, she was informed Trunks was out and in the hospital dorm.

It was seven by the time she got over to her son, another hour till he awoke. The part of his stomach was replaced by synthetic tissue, which will be replaced by his real skin as soon as his body starts to heal. Bulma had stayed with the sleeping child until nine, leaving the boy in his hospital room but placing a communicator next to his bed in case at any time he needed her to be there.

Bulma lifted her hand to the side of her left breast pressing down on the soft tissue to feel the lump that has now permanently situated itself inside her. She didn't think about it much with the past events of everything but now that she was alone, Bulma allowed herself. What could it be? She had done some research while Trunks and Bra were still asleep this morning only finding information she didn't want to think about. It wasn't a big deal. When things calm down, she'll go see the doctor. No reason for anyone to know about it, it will just cause worry.

Bulma sat up as the GR shut down, the generator decreasing with a hiss. She hauled herself from the chair, letting the blankets dropped to her seat and set her cup down on the stand before slipping to the rail to catch her lover leaving the room.

His skin glistened in the artificial light from his sweat, which he was wiping free of his face with a towel as he stepped down. His spandex pants were ripped at the thigh and his shirt was no where to be seen, which was just fine by Bulma as she gawked at how beautiful her husband truly was.

Vegeta must have felt her eyes burn into his body because his eyes seemed to make a path up to her balcony and connect with hers so intensely it made Bulma flush. She smiled, knowing that he could see it even with such little light.

He strutted across the yard and up the twenty steps that belonged to the deck, eyes never once faltering in connection. His arms were cross, towel draped over the back of his neck before he stopped right below her and tilted his head back to keep staring at her.

Bulma smiled and nodded before turning away from the balcony.

Vegeta watched as her body flung over the rail. The woman sure had spirit and so much trust in him it was sickening. He joggled the thought of not catching her, smirking at the thought of the woman screaming and howling at him about how badly her butt hurt from the fall. He knew it wouldn't kill her. It would definitely cause damage, maybe break her butt bone, but nothing serious. As much amusement he would have gotten out of it, Vegeta couldn't allow harm to befall on her. Call it a weakness if you will, but to Vegeta it was just protection to his very sensitive ears.

At the last second, he let his arms fall from their crossed position. She dropped heavily in his arms but to him, if felt like a pillow that was now cradled in his embrace. Her arms wrapped around his neck, "My hero." She giggled, kissing his cheek. He dropped one arm letting her bare feet touch the ground only to have her jump back up with a yelp, "It's freezing!" At the moment her body shook at the cold.

Vegeta could see her breath in the night, knowing that it must be pretty cold out. He heightened his ki even more to engulf her, instantly having her snuggled and wiggle further into his arms, resting her head in the crook of his neck and kissing his skin softly.

With an idea in mind, Vegeta walked across the porch to the large, glass square that reached out thirty feet from their house to the end of their porch and was twenty feet wide. The doors slid open when Vegeta stepped in the motion sensor. He entered the room being greeted instantly by the heat. His eyes scanned the room. The moon lit the glass room, revealing a twenty-five foot pool with a huge swirling slide and a diving board at the far end. A bar covered the wall with stools and an entertainment system sat right next to it, far from the pool. On each side of the pool were beach chairs and small bar tables. And in the far corner was the Jacuzzi, which Vegeta thought with a smirk, knew very well.

He set the female down to her feet catching her smile, "I didn't bring a bathing suit." She teased.

"You've never needed one before." And that was the end of that discussion as Vegeta pushed her into the heated pool, smirking in satisfaction as she pushed herself to the top of the water, coughing and choking, wiping her wet hair from her face before she screamed vulgar words. He just chuckled in reaction, ripping the rest of his ruined shorts off and diving in without a single splash of water.

The warm water hit his form like a bliss from heaven, relaxing all of his joints but stinging all of his cuts. Instead of rising out of the water and receiving the usually berating words the woman would make him listen to for going in the pool without showering first, Vegeta sat upon the bottom of the pool and watched the woman rise from the water. She hurried over to the button on the wall making the glass walls now non-transparent, before stripping herself of her own clothes and diving in.

Darkness surrounded their forms, making Bulma blind to all that surrounded her. She pulled herself above water and waited for her lover to find her. She smiled and laughed as she felt his hand grace her calf, Bulma flung her self away, swimming quickly to the opposite side of the pool, eyes searching the darkness sightlessly. She concentrated on sound, on the waves of the water to try and find him, her breath panting in anticipation at being caught.

She yelped as a beam of ki hit her toe, not enough to cause any damage what so ever but enough to make it tingle as if it were asleep. Bulma immediately pushed herself from the wall and ducked under the water, swimming away, her hands out in front of her so she wouldn't run into a wall.

Vegeta stood in five feet of water with his arms cross, his eyes shifting along with the woman's body as she swam right in front of him. The darkness was nothing to him, his sight was a hundred times better then humans allowing him to see even in complete black. He smirked before lowering in the water and grazing her breast with his hand before he appeared all the way on the opposite side of the pool just as she reacted to his touch. She flew her head out of the water, panting for air. She tried to calm herself enough to hear for him anywhere but it was a failed attempt since Vegeta made no move or sound.

Bulma backed herself against the wall once again, eyes darting this way and that pointlessly. She gasped though as something hard suddenly pushed against her own chest, instantly wrapping her arms around her lover's neck, "You found me." She giggled, kissing up his throat.

Bulma sighed contently as Vegeta's arms wrapped around her waist while they floated in the middle of the pool just basking in each other's embrace. His hands gently rubbed her smooth back while her fingertips lightly stroked along his biceps up his shoulder and down his bulging peck. "We should have connected you to a modeling agency when you first started staying here, then I would have made some money off of you instead having you suck all of it up."

Vegeta smirked into her skin, "Couldn't stay quiet for five minutes could you, Onna?"

"I can stay quiet."

"Oh, really?"

"Yep."

"Highly doubtable."

"I can too."

"Then prove it."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Vegeta sighed grateful that he had tricked her into shutting up, soaking in the silence of the night beside the pump to the pool going which was a quiet hum that didn't bother him much. She would come soon to realize he tricked her and at that she shouted, "Hey!" But was quickly hushed up by water flowing in her lungs as he dropped her from his arms causing her to fall below the water level.

Once her feet touched the twelve foot deep bottom, Bulma pushed up, rising sputtering and coughing water from her throat. Vegeta grasped her in his arms, so she wouldn't drop again, letting her gain breath back in her lungs. A proud smirk was obviously upon his features. "Jerk." She muttered resting her head on his shoulder.

Only a few minutes past before they spoke again, allowing the warm water to soak them to the bone, and silence their thoughts of today away. "The boy." Vegeta asked against her neck.

Bulma sighed on his shoulder, "They operated on his stomach, that was where the internal bleeding took place at. It appeared the blast tore away a hole in his stomach. They put fake tissue to patch it up. The doctors said he would be fine. But, they found another problem. Bacteria got into the burn and seeped into his blood system. With the Sayian blood it's not really a problem, if he was human he would have died from it. But what this means for a Sayian is that he's going to get sick. He's thrown up five times while I was with him. The doctors gave him a sedative to knock him out for ten hours to let the medicine work without the effects. From what I gathered, he's in series pain. But because of his origins, he should be out of the hospital by tomorrow afternoon."

Vegeta unconsciously shook his head against her at the hatred he felt for himself. Memories of what his father had done to him when he was little showed up in the most pain filled ways. Was it true that children grow up to be like their sires? Could it really be true? No matter how many things Vegeta had gone through in his life, and no matter how hard he had tried not to be abusive and neglectful, had he become what he hated most, and not even noticed it? Was he his father?

He felt the woman shift, pulling her head from his chest and gazing at him sadly, "I can feel it." She whispered as if in pain. She breathed through her mouth as she stared at him with squinted eyes.

"Feel what?"

"Sadness." Her fingers graced his cheek, his eyes closing in reaction. "What's wrong? Why do you feel like that?"

Vegeta mentally shook his head. He was angry with himself for feeling it. But he was even more upset that she felt it. He never understood how she could do that. How she could feel him at times, or think what he was thinking. She had explained to him that when a human 'loves' someone so much, they can sometimes sense what the other one is feeling. Vegeta had ignored that since what she was describing was a Sayian bond. And only Sayians can have bonds, which is the reason he could feel her emotions and hear her thoughts at times. Certainly humans do not have such abilities. But maybe, maybe Bulma did. Let's face it, she wasn't the average human being. No, she was far from it. Which is what had attracted him from the beginning.

He gently pulled away, "Let's go."

Bulma only latched herself on tighter, hugging his neck with her arms as she faced him. "No. Talk to me."

"Woman," He warned only to be cut off as she made sure his eyes did not stray from hers by grabbing his cheeks in her hands.

"Your mate. Your wife. Your Lover. That is what I am. And because that is what I am, I have a duty to keep you happy. But I cannot do that if you won't let me. Do not push me away. I love you, I care for you, and I'm loyal to you. And all I ask in return is that you trust me. Tell me, show me, but don't deny me."

Vegeta gazed hard into her piercing gaze, amazed at those words she had just spoken. Why did she care so much? Why did she love him endlessly? Hadn't he done nothing to receive her attentions? Hadn't he done nothing to deserve her? So why? Why was she still here? Why did she accept everything he had done and loves him more then anyone could ever?

He swallowed hard before he spoke, "Why…" he questioned reluctantly, "Why do you love me?"

Her brows knitted in sadness, "Vegeta…"

"Why do you stay when you know so much? Are you not disgusted with me? With what I did to those females or what was done to me? Why do you stay when you know all of that?"

She let a small smile come to her lips before she stroked his cheek, tracing his cheekbone, "Because I don't care." She giggled as his brows knitted. "Vegeta, what went on is the past. It doesn't matter now. I am not disgusted because that wasn't you. It was what someone made you be."

"But it is who I really am."

"No, Vegeta, it's not. This is though. The person in my arms right now who loves his children and cares for his mate. Who loves chocolate and sex. Who always needs to fight with Goku because of the jealousy that he is pure and you aren't." She watched his eyes lower but was quick to catch them with her own. "The person that I love not because of what he had done, but because of how he is now."

Vegeta rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and slowly shaking his head, "I do not understand."

"I know. And I know why you don't understand too."

"Why?"

"Because you still think that the past matters. No matter how much you deny it. You have said numerous times how you could careless about what your father or what Frieza did to you because it's in the past, but the truth is, if it really was in the past you would never think of it again. Just because it happened a long time ago, Vegeta, does not mean it doesn't effect you now. And I think that's why you have so many nightmares. You may push it away consciously, but then your subconscious remembers it all and wants you to see it. Your soul is asking for help, Vegeta. Don't reject it. It just might abandon you like it did all those years you ago. And I don't think I could handle it if I lost you again, Vegeta. I nearly died the last time."

Vegeta stared hard into her eyes, trying to find something. Bulma didn't know what but allowed him access with no walls, nothing to hold him back from getting what ever information he needed. She was his, heart, body, mind, and soul. Now he just needed to realize that maybe the paranoia of her leaving him because of his past would start to fade. "I'm not going to leave you, Vegeta. If that's what you're so afraid of. I can feel it. Today, when you were talking to those people, I could feel your fear in your words. I don't want you to be afraid to tell me anything. No matter how hard it might be at times for me, I will always stay. Just accept that."

Not having any words to rebut, Vegeta pressed his lips tightly, and roughly against hers, needing her right now more then he ever had before. She allowed his touches, holding him tight against her as she kissed him back, widening his mouth for his wild tongue. His hands slid down her back over her rump and gripped her thighs. He lifted them to wrap her legs around his waist before guiding his hands up her backside.

With the help of his ki, he pushed them over to the side of the pool, almost slamming her back against the wall in his haste. His Sayian instincts to purge the unnamed emotions inside of him raked through his pores, causing him to be careless but he didn't think of it. Something inside of him was burning for her, driving him crazy with need, and anger. Anger that he couldn't control his need. A need of something that he hadn't the clue what, only that he needed to one with her, in her, touching her, feeling her.

Bulma felt him against her, hard and ready. Her breath came in pants of nervousness. She needed to stop him for his hands were bruising and burning causing steam to rise from her flesh. She groaned in pain as she yanked her lips from his bloody ones, her blood. "Vegeta, please." She whispered, wrapping her arms hard around him, trying to stop him from continuing his harsh treatment. She clang to him, shaking only slightly. Not entirely scared, but not without fear and worry. Worry that something was wrong with him. Worried that he'll end up hurting her and in effect hurting himself.

It seemed as if every time he had hurt her in his caresses, his nightmares became unbearable. It was after those few times where he would stop sleeping and just train the entire night through, never coming from the cell he locked himself in, as if, punishing himself for dreaming.

If that happened now, he ended up hurting her more, would something break inside of him? Something that was as fragile as glass, more breakable then any bone, any blade of grass, or twig: His sanity.

Her weak whimper was all he heard and instantly he roughly yanked his body away, denying the primal chanting voices inside of his head, the secret words of his native language begging for silence. Vegeta panted heavily gazing upon her, not being able to tell if he had harmed her with such little light. He could feel his power heating his hands and immediately lowered his ki, not wanting her to touch him when he had that much ki rotating in his body.

He kept his mouth closed, chest heaving as he breathed through his nose. His teeth ground against each other, jaw clenching in reaction as he stared at his mate who gazed unyielding into his own. "I'm fine." She whispered, calming his worry and fear. "You didn't hurt me. It's ok." She took a step toward him but he flew out of the water and out of the doors.

Bulma dropped her head in disappointment. Why couldn't he ever stay and face it? Why did he always run? But then again, that sentence didn't justify Vegeta. For his pride is too important for him to just run away from his problems. So what would one call what he had just done? Did he leave to not cause her grief? Or did he leave so he wouldn't cause himself grief?

Shaking her head clear, she realized she was alone in the darkness in a pool. Something that didn't suit well with her. She climbed out, gently stepping, hoping to remember where the end of the pool was. But as she got to the bar, picking up her soaked clothes, she growled. "Oh, great. Now I have nothing to wear." She rested her fists on her naked hips.

Bulma looked around in the dark, growling to herself about her wicked husband and how he just left her there cold and wet, not to mention naked. She snapped her head to the door as it slid open, and smiled as Vegeta stood there with a robe in arm, all ready dressed.

She squinted her eyes though when he flicked on the lights, One by one the lanterns on each support pillar lit up before the light flicked on in the pool. Bulma watched as his brows knitted and sadness reflected in his eyes only for a second while the rest of his features remained stagnate. If she hadn't known him so well, she would have never caught that.

Vegeta stared at his beautiful mate, her bottom lip cut by his own fangs, her body red from his burning heat of ki. He hadn't wanted to come back. He had wanted to lock himself in the GR and hate himself privately for causing her fear. But he realized she was left without dry clothes or towels and wouldn't allow one single person to see his mate undressed including their daughter should she wake up.

He also hadn't wanted to leave her. He had wanted to stay with her all night, feel her rest in his arms just like every night prior. And, deep down he knew he shouldn't be running from her. He had done that too often and look were it got him: Dead. It just wasn't worth it. No matter if he did hide his emotions, the woman would always know what he's feeling. It was like a gifted curse.

Vegeta silently stepped up to her, walking around the female wanting to see her back, cringing at the sight of a few first degree burn marks running a path up her entire back to her shoulders. She may not feel them now, only because her adrenaline was rushing but by the morning, she will be screaming at him for his carelessness. But he wouldn't mind.

He draped the cloth over her shoulders, wrapping it around her before lifting the female back in his arms. He walked out of the room, shutting the lights off and flying up to their balcony. No words were said, there was nothing left to speak of. And if they were, they will be spoken tomorrow. But right now, it was silent.

With no words, Vegeta slowly set her down to her feet, quickly grabbing her silk undergarment, slipping it up her long legs and letting it rest on her hips. Bulma smiled nipping his nose, stroking his cheek with her thumb. His hand gripped hers, pulling from his cheek and gently kissing her fingers.

With reluctance, he stepped away and grabbed her a large shirt and carefully put it over her head, slipping her arms through, watching it fall to her thighs. The clothing represented a barrier to him, telling him that tonight there will be no mating, no matter how much he wanted to perform those secret actions with her, and in the process getting her forgiveness. But not tonight.

Vegeta lifted her in his arms again and gently laid her down in the bed, keeping his body the long length of his as he pulled the blankets over them and burying his head in the side of her neck. Her fingertips gently ran up and down his biceps, both had their eyes closed but neither sleeping, neither wanting to.