Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Friends ❯ 17 - Awakening ( Chapter 17 )

Friends - an AU Vegebul Highschool Fanfic by LadyVegeets

Ch.17 - Awakening

When she drifted awake, it was with a dawning realization that not everything was okay. She could feel the wrongness in her body, detachment, like she floated an inch above herself, there, but not there. It was similar to being drunk, her body sluggish and numb. She forced her eyes open, and the room she lay in was harsh, white and sterile.

A hospital.

She frowned and looked around, getting her bearings. Vegeta sat in a chair in the far corner of the room, his gameboy forgotten in his hand, staring pensively out the window. He looked terrible - dark circles hung under his eyes and on his jaw he sported a scruffy five o'clock shadow that she found appealing, but knew he didn't usually tolerate. His clothes were a mess, torn and covered in something, mud perhaps. They were the same clothes he'd been camping in, but they looked much worse for wear.

Camping. Right, they had been camping. And she'd been talking with Vegeta and then she went to find a place to pee and … and…

Something happened, and she'd fallen.

Panicking a little, Bulma tried to sit up, wanting to make sure she was in one piece. As soon as she did her head pounded and the room spun. She collapsed back in the bed with a pained moan.

Her movement snapped Vegeta out of his reprieve. He looked over to her, his eyes going wide seeing her awake. He threw his gameboy aside and came over, his expression intense. “How many fingers do you see?” He asked her without preamble, holding up his hand.

“Hello to you too,” she croaked back with a tired smile.

Vegeta scowled at her, unamused. “How many?” he pressed, his tone strained.

Bulma focused on his hand, seeing three fingers held before her face. “Hmm… Six.”

Vegeta's brows rose with alarm. Bulma laughed at his reaction but instantly regretted it when it caused her more pain. Seeing she joked with him, Vegeta scowled harder. “This isn't a game, damnit!”

Bulma sighed and gave in. “I see three fingers, grumpy pants.”

Vegeta lowered his hand, looking slightly less tense by her correct answer, but only marginally so. “Do you know who you are?” he asked, his tone still strained. He sounded worried.

“I'm Bulma Briefs,” she replied confidently. “And you're.. the new guy, Vegeta something, right?” she said, still teasing. Vegeta's face instantly changed, looking hurt, and Bulma instantly regret her joke. “I'm kidding,” she quickly amended, feeling guilty. “You're Vegeta Saiyan. You live with me and you're a jerk but I put up with you anyway because I'm a saint.”

S3he could see Vegeta's shoulders relax in relief. “You remember…”

“How could I forget?” she smiled softly at him. She didn't expect him to bow his head, his hands fisting on the bed, supporting himself as he leant over her, as if he suddenly struggled to stay standing. She tilted her head, trying to get a look at his face. “Vegeta…?” He didn't say anything, keeping his face hidden from her, remaining hunched. She started to worry and reached out, trying to touch his hand. “Vegeta?” she asked again, her voice a whisper. She was scared now, this behavior was so unlike him.

“…You looked dead,” he said suddenly, his voice hoarse. Bulma froze, his words chilling her. She could see he was trembling, his arms corded, rigid. “There was so much blood from where you hit your head and… You looked dead. I thought…” He trailed off, unable to speak more.

Bulma moved her hand further and was finally able to press her fingertips to his wrist. Her gentle touch undid him. Vegeta raised a hand to his face, sucking in a hard breath, then made a choking sound as he tried to fight back tears.

Bulma was stunned, dismayed, not knowing how to respond. He's just a boy, she thought, feeling her own eyes start to burn in sympathy. It was easy to forget, with how grown up Vegeta acted, that he was still just a teenager like her, a teen forced to take on more responsibility than anyone their age should have to shoulder. Bulma didn't know what had happened after she'd fallen, but whatever it had been it had clearly taken it's toll and shaken Vegeta deeply. Seeing him come apart devastated her. Bulma grabbed his wrist and tugged him in. Vegeta didn't resist, falling against her compliantly. He wrapped his arms around her as he fought back tears, pressing his face against her chest, clinging to her as if he was afraid she'd disappear. Bulma held him, feeling a pain burn in her heart she'd never experienced before, an ache that she knew could only be fixed by easing Vegeta's pain. His pain was hers. It was clear to her now that she didn't just love him, or care for him. He was everything to her. She'd give anything for him, unquestionably undeniably. The depth of her feelings should have scared her, but it didn't. It was as if a final piece of a puzzle had at last fallen into place. She was doomed to love him, but she was okay with that.

Bulma held him and rubbed his back, stroking the nape of his neck, giving Vegeta all the time he needed. She felt his hands suddenly fist tighter in her gown, and he pulled back, glaring at her furiously, his eyes swam but his face was twisted in his fiercest scowl yet. “Don't you ever fucking do that again,” he growled at her.

Bulma's eyes went wide, stunned. “Do what?”

He bared his teeth in a silent snarl, infuriated, like she should have known what he was talking about. “Try to kill yourself, idiot!”

“I… I didn't?” she said hesitantly, unsure what he meant.

He gave her a little shake. “You walked off a goddamn cliff!”

Bulma blinked at him, stunned. “Oh… I did?” She tried to piece together her fuzzy memories, walking in the woods, being unable to see well, the ground dropping out from beneath her feet… and she felt herself flush hot with embarrassment when she realized what he said was true. She'd fallen off a cliff; what an idiot. “Well… It was an accident,” she stuttered stubbornly.

Vegeta didn't seem pleased with her answer. “It had better've been! Do you've any idea what I've-… Don't ever do it again, you hear me? Promise me right now.”

“It's not like I meant to fall!” she said defensively.

“Promise me, Bulma!” he shouted, his hands gripping her arms tightly.

She could feel her heart hammer hard in her chest, alarmed by his fury. “Okay, I promise!” she shouted. Then she took in a breath, calming herself. “I promise,” she repeated more calmly, hoping to imbue some of her calmness into him.

Vegeta stared at her suspiciously as though trying to find a flaw in her promise, but when he couldn't, he relaxed, the coil of tension inside him easing, and he leant forward to rest his brow against hers. He sighed, clearly relieved, and closed his eyes. “Good. I can only protect you so much. I can't protect you from your own stupidity too.”

Bulma scowled at him. He opened an eye to peek at her, then closed it, a weak smile curling his lips. That jerk, he was making fun her. Despite herself, Bulma found her own lips turning up in response. There was something contagious about Vegeta's boyish smiles.

She took the opportunity to admire him from up close, only an inch away from him. He looked so worn, and it was all because of her. It broke her heart. As if sensing her gaze, his eyes opened and she was caught, locked in his dark, intense stare. If his face was worn, his eyes were not, powerful and captivating, like a storm. Bulma found herself unable to breathe as she lost herself in his eyes. She felt so safe with him, especially now as she lay sheltered under Vegeta, his body shielded her, his brow bunted against hers. He was so close she could smell the sweat and dirt on him, and feel his breath on her cheek. “I don't know why you need to protect me at all,” she said softly.

“Tch, clearly I do,” he murmured, his tone softer than before. He raised a hand and stroked her cheek. His eyes flitted down to watch his thumb caress her skin, and he brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. Bulma felt her breath hitch at the feather light touch on her mouth, and heat rose to her face.

“Why?” she stammered, barely able to speak.

Vegeta titled his head ever so slightly and leaned in. He moved his hand to the back of her head and pulled her closer, tipping her face up to his own. Bulma's eyes widened, her breath shortened and mingled with his, their lips almost touching, but not quite. She felt her face flush further.

“Do you still hate me?” he asked, his words husking against her mouth.

“Wh-what?”

“Before you fell, you said you hated me,” Vegeta reminded her, his eyes once more staring into hers, demanding all of her attention, captivating her.

Bulma's mind shorted out, and she shook her head dumbly. “No, never.”

“Good,” he said, accepting her response, and he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her ever so softly.

Bulma's eyes fluttered closed, a tiny moan escaping her lips. She sank against the hospital bed, melting under him as he kissed her with a care she hardly thought possible from him. The whole world faded away until all that remained was him, his hand cradling her head as he tenderly kissed her lips, over and over again.

Bulma brought her hands up, curling her fingers in his dirty shirt, feeling his hard, broad chest beneath. The contact spurned him on and his mouth grew more insistent. He started kissing her with a growing hunger and he pushed her further back against her pillow, climbing on top of her. Bulma's fingers tightened, tugging him closer, enjoying the weight of his powerful body over hers. He was dominating, overpowering her body, mouth and mind, and she willingly let him.

They finally broke apart for air, panting against each other's mouths. Bulma's lips felt swollen and tingly. She wasn't ready for it to be over, to analyze what it all meant. She tugged him back towards her mouth. “More,” she breathed insistently.

Vegeta chuckled, a low, rumbling bedroom sound that sent shivers of pleasure right through her. He looked at her, his eyes alight with a dark fire, his mouth curling up in a cocky grin. Bulma blushed hard and yanked him down to kiss him. He kissed her back eagerly, taking the lead until she was nothing but a helpless, trembling thing of pleasure beneath him, letting him do as he pleased with her mouth and his wandering hands.

It came to an abrupt end when Vegeta's hand came in contact with something painful on her scalp.

“Ow,” she hissed, breaking the kiss as a strong pain bloomed at the back of her head.

“Fuck, sorry,” he said, panting against her lips, struggling to get himself under control.

Bulma raised her hand to touch her head, feeling a bandage. “Are these stitches?” she asked, a little alarmed to realize she was injured.

Vegeta nodded, watching her closely. “Yes, you hit your head when you fell,” he explained. “Which ironically saved you, since you fell limp and didn't seriously injure yourself.” Vegeta frowned, getting lost in unpleasant thoughts. “But the doctors were worried about your head, about memory loss… that you might not even wake up…”

Bulma felt her heart beat pick up at the news. She'd rather lose a leg than suffer a brain injury. Her smarts meant everything to her. “But I'll be okay, won't I?”

“I think so, but you'll need to ask the doctor to be sure.” He climbed off her and helped her to sit up, lifting her upright in one smooth, easy maneuver as if she weighed nothing. It had her heart beating fast all over again, and she ducked her head to hide her blushing cheeks as he tucked the blanket about her. “I'll get the doctor,” he informed her, and he turned and left without looking back.

Bulma sat there, waiting, trying to process everything. She was a little worried about her head injury, but more prominent on her mind was what had just happened between her and Vegeta. She could still feel him on her lips, and her body already missed his closeness. She bit her lip, blushing, and tried to calm herself down before the doctor came to see her.

Vegeta returned shortly with a doctor to look her over. The doctor ran through a series of exercises to check her memory and her vision. After the tests were complete the man finally smiled and filled out her chart. “Well, you're lucky. It seems you survived a hefty fall with only some minor injuries. We'll keep you here for observations one more day, but I think you should be good to go home tomorrow, Mrs Briefs.”

Bulma relaxed into the bed, relieved. “Thanks, doctor.” She paused, then frowned. “Mrs Briefs?” she asked, wondering if there'd been a mistake.

The doctor gave her a sharp look, then glanced at Vegeta. “Yes, your husband…” he started to say, indicating Vegeta, who shuffled awkwardly in the back of the room, glancing out the window. The doctor's eyes then darted to Bulma's hand. She followed his gaze and was surprised to see an elaborate ring on her finger. She certainly hadn't been wearing that when she went camping.

Her eyes widened. She looked at Vegeta again, who was still avoiding her gaze, but Bulma put two and two together. Vegeta had lied about their relationship to be omitted to see her outside of normal visiting hours. Where he'd gotten the ring from she had no idea. She gave the doctor an embarrassed smile. “Uh, right… We're newly married. I'm… still getting used to the idea, haha…”

The doctor gave her a worried look, then glanced back at Vegeta. Vegeta shrugged nonchalantly at him as if to say it was typical behavior of his `wife'. “Well… Keep a close eye on her,” the doctor advised Vegeta meaningfully, patting Vegeta's shoulder and then with a last concerned look at Bulma, left the room.

Vegeta watched him leave. He gave Bulma a quick glance before looking down at his feet. Bulma cocked a brow. “So I guess I hit my head harder than I thought, because I don't remember a thing about our wedding.”

Vegeta clenched his jaw. “They weren't going to let me in if I wasn't immediate family. Morons,” he muttered under his breath.

“So it didn't occur to you to say you were my `brother'?” she asked. Vegeta scowled and didn't reply, looking uncomfortable. Bulma smirked. “I guess I didn't take on your name?” she teased further.

He glanced at her, shrugging a shoulder. “Your family is the one with health insurance.”

Fair point, she conceded. She looked back at her hand, examining the ring. It was vintage, beautifully carved and jeweled. Bulma knew expensive, quality jewelry when she saw it. She held up her hand. “Where in the world did you get this?”

Vegeta looked at the ring, then away. He shrugged again, and Bulma thought he might not say, but then he shoved his hands into his pockets and finally confessed, “It was my mother's.”

Bulma couldn't hide her surprise. She looked at the ring again, appreciating it in a whole new light. “Oh… It's beautiful.”

Vegeta nodded in agreement. “It's the last thing of hers I have. My father sold or threw out most of her possessions. I was able to… re-acquire this,” he admitted without meeting her gaze, and Bulma chose not to ask what underhanded methods Vegeta had used to get his mother's back.

Bulma admired it for a while longer, before regretfully pulling the ring off her finger. She offered it back to Vegeta. “Here.”

He glanced at the ring, then looked away, out at the window. “You keep it.”

Bulma felt her mouth drop open. She shook her head. “No, Vegeta, I couldn't. It's too precious.”

He scowled at the scenery. “That's why you should have it,” he insisted softly. He gave her an embarrassed sidelong look, then glanced away. “If you want it.”

Bulma couldn't believe what he was saying. He wanted her to have it, because it was precious to him? On top of which, he'd just kissed her. A lot. Bulma didn't know how to reconcile that with what he'd said, or not said, at the campsite. Every time she thought she had Vegeta figured out, he'd do something else to confound her and twist her feelings all about. “I…” she started to say, but she didn't know how to finish her sentence.

Vegeta made an agitated sound and suddenly came over to the bed. He snatched the ring from her and picked up her hand, slipping the jewelry back onto her finger. “You should at least wear it until we're out of here,” he grumbled, a faint blush on his cheeks. “Besides, it's a better gift than a stupid plastic sports drink.”

Bulma felt herself blush as he slipped the ring on. She looked up at him and they locked eyes. Vegeta scowled at her. “It's just a ring. Don't get any funny ideas.”

She smirked at him. “Like what, Mr. Briefs?”

Vegeta grimaced. “Like that.”

“Hey, you started the whole `married' thing, not me.”

“Tch.”

Bulma laughed and Vegeta looked away from her, embarrassed. She ran her fingers over the ring, treasuring it. “I'll take good care of it, until you want it back,” she said. Vegeta didn't argue the point any further, so she figured he was happy with that compromise. “I can't believe you were just carrying this around with you. That doesn't seem very safe.”

“I wasn't,” he replied testily.

“Wasn't what?”

“Just carrying it around. I was going to gi-…” he cut himself off with a frown, looking embarrassed.

Bulma raised a brow. “Give it to someone?” she suggested.

“Are you hungry?” he asked gruffly, trying to change the subject.

Bulma smirked and shook her head, lying down. “No. Just sleepy.”

He nodded. “Rest,” he told her.

Bulma nodded, getting comfortable in the bed. She curled up on her side, watching Vegeta as he stood over her. “Are you going to stay?” she asked.

He gave her a guarded look. “Do you want me to?”

Feeling brave, Bulma nodded.

Vegeta pulled up the chair he'd been sitting in when she'd first come to. He sat right next to her. “I'll be here.”

Bulma smiled and closed her eyes. Under the covers, she toyed with the ring on her finger, clutching her hand close to her chest. She drifted off almost instantly, utterly exhausted.

She woke after a short nap to find Vegeta had slumped over, resting his top half on the side of her bed. She watched him sleep next to her, the soft rise and fall of his chest comforting. He must have been exhausted, poor thing; Bulma suspected it was the first sleep he'd gotten since her fall, however long ago that was now - hours, days? She didn't even know what day it was, but she didn't really care, so long as he was with her.

Boldly, she reached out and put her hand over Vegeta's. His eyes fluttered open, and he looked at her, his face tired, washed out. She gave him a small, shy smile. He closed his eyes, but entwined their fingers together, gently squeezing her hand.

Bulma squeezed back and let her own eyes close and fell back asleep, happy.

~___X___~___X___~___X___~___X___~___X___~___X___~___X___~___X___ ~___X___~___X___~

The next time she awoke it was to the sound of Chi-Chi bossing Vegeta around.

“ -nd your clothes! You need to go home and clean up. How do you expect to take care of her if you can't take care of yourself?”

“No one asked for your opinion,” Vegeta snapped back. “And I've been doing just fine without any of you.”

“Hey, she's just trying to help,” Goku's voice piped in defensively.

Bulma opened her eyes and peered around the room. It was empty, but the door to the hallway was open and she could see her friends arguing outside her hospital room.

“Have you even slept?” Chi-Chi accused. “You look like hell.”

“I was trying to sleep when you lot showed up and started criticizing,” Vegeta snarked back.

“Well…” Chi-Chi said, sounding contrite. “You should still go and shower and change, maybe get the house set up for her return. I'll take care of her while you're gone. She'll probably be grateful for the female companionship, there's some things a guy just can't help with, you understand, right?”

Bulma couldn't see Vegeta's face, but she could imagine his appalled look by his flustered silence. She smirked, knowing Chi-Chi had won. All a girl had to do was hint at `feminine issues' and boys would run the other way.

“Fine!” Vegeta spluttered, and she saw him stomp off. A moment later Chi-Chi and Goku entered the room. Bulma felt bad that Vegeta had been chased off, but Chi-Chi was right, Vegeta did need to take some time out for himself, he had looked pretty haggard.

“Oh, did we wake you?” Chi-Chi asked when she spotted Bulma. “You were asleep a moment ago.”

Bulma smiled and shakily pushed herself up into a sitting position. She was surprised to find she felt worse than the last time she'd woken, but she supposed the pain killers were wearing off, and she was feeling every little ache and pain from her tumble down the mountain side. “Thanks for visiting.”

“Oh honey, I'm so glad to see you're okay!” Chi-Chi declared and gave Bulma a huge hug. “We were all so scared! We saw the flare and came running over and Vegeta was screaming at us to get help and screaming at you to wake up and you weren't responding and it was all so stressful!”

Bulma felt the air get squeezed out of her as Chi-Chi hugged her tightly and rambled on. “Chi-Chi, you're suffocating me!” Bulma wheezed.

Chi-Chi let her go with a guilty look. “Right, sorry, I just got carried away. It's just… so amazing to see you in one piece!” Chi-Chi finished with a wet, trembling smile.

Bulma looked at Goku who also nodded in agreement. He was smiling, but she could see the worried creases around his eyes. It appeared she'd given everyone a pretty big scare. “Was it really that bad?” she asked.

“Did Vegeta not tell you?” Chi-Chi asked, her eyes widening in shock.

Bulma shook her head slowly. Vegeta had only mentioned that she'd fallen and hit her head, and… “Just that he thought I was dead.”

Chi-Chi glanced at Goku and the two exchanged a look, then Chi-Chi looked back at Bulma, her expression somber. “Honestly, we all did. You fell a really long way, a few stories I'd say. You hit your head while falling and…” Chi Chi went pale. “There was a lot of blood, and you weren't moving. The doctor told us that head wounds tend to bleed a lot, but really, you should have seen it. Vegeta was covered in it.”

Bulma let the news soak in, feeling a chill at what Chi-Chi was telling her. Her mind went back to Vegeta's disheveled state. She thought he'd been covered in mud, but she now it would seem the dark stains on his clothing had been her blood. Bulma's mouth felt dry. “But, how?” she asked, confused. “How did he even reach me if I fell? What happened, I don't remember any of it.”

Chi-Chi nodded, happy to oblige. “Well, you remember running off after Vegeta, right? You two were gone a while. I was just about to send Goku after you when suddenly someone - Vegeta - shot a flare in the sky. Goku and I got the others and we hurried over. At first we thought it might have been the coach signaling us, but then we heard Vegeta yelling to be careful because there was a cliffside and that you'd fallen down it, and that we needed to get help.”

Goku nodded and took over. “Vegeta was already climbing down the cliff to get you when we reached your location. Man, he sure is brave,” he laughed, sounding impressed. “If he'd fallen or lost his grip, he could have killed himself, but he didn't hesitate, he just climbed right on down to your position. We watched as he slipped and cut himself up trying to navigate the cliff in the dark. When he finally got down to you he tried to rouse you, but you weren't moving or responding, just bleeding everywhere…”

“That's when the Coach came back,” Chi-Chi picked up the story again. “He was close and saw the flare and came to our location. Thank GOD he'd brought a radio with him this time, so we called for an emergency evacuation. Oh, and Chiaotzu is fine too, he just ate some bad berries and got his stomach pumped. Anyway, Vegeta stayed with you and helped get you into the rescue helicopter and somehow convinced the hospital staff to let him stay by your side while the rest of us had to wait until visiting hours,” Chi-Chi finished, glancing at Bulma's ring finger not so subtly. Bulma blushed, knowing that her friends had probably heard from one of the hospital staff that she was with her `husband'.

Bulma didn't know what to say after such an incredible story. She felt terrible she'd caused everyone to worry so much about her because she'd made such a dumb mistake. She felt even worse that it had put Vegeta's life in jeopardy too.

Chi-Chi and Goku must have seen the worry on her face, because Chi-Chi gave her a hug and Goku patted her on the shoulder. “We're just glad you're okay and everyone is safe,” Chi-Chi said warmly. “We can talk details when you're recovered,” she whispered conspiringly into Bulma's ear.

Bulma blushed and nodded, glad Chi-Chi wasn't going to press her for information just yet. She wasn't even sure she could explain what was going on between her and Vegeta as she didn't really know herself. It seemed like her near death experience had awoken something in Vegeta, but what, and how long would it last until he shut her out again?

Chi-Chi helped Bulma to the bathroom, and helped her clean up a little. It was the first time Bulma saw herself in the mirror, and she was alarmed to see how pale face her was, and how bruised her body was, her skin covered in blue and green splotches. After she'd freshened up, Bulma lay back down as Chi-Chi and Goku made small talk, discussing how amazed they were with Vegeta's fearless and devoted efforts towards her. Bulma tried not to blush as she listened, and soon drifted off, her mind conjuring up memories - real or imagined - of falling down the cliff, Vegeta finding her frail, broken body, and he clung to her, screaming in anguish as she bled out all over him…

~___X___~___X___~___X___~___X___~___X___~___X___~___X___~___X___ ~___X___~___X___~

A/N: have you forgiven me for the last chapter yet? >:) It was great to read all your reactions and theories about what had happened. ^_^

Also I just saw, that in little over a month we've broken well over 200 reviews for this fic on FFnet, and it's been viewed over 10,000 times as well. I've nothing to compare this to, but that seems pretty fucking awesome. Thanks to all of you who have read and favorited/followed/reviewed this story. It's totally rad of you ^_^ I super appreciate and feed off your pain, I mean praise, I mean… comments. ;)

However, it appears FFnet is having issues with reviews right now. Please still send them, I get emailed with your lovely reviews and that makes me super happy, but your reviews aren't appearing on the website at the moment. Any other writers experiencing this? I tried tweeting them but haven't heard anything yet. Hopefully it'll be fixed and then your reviews will magically re-appear; the system -is- showing that they're there, they're just not available to be viewed, or some crap. :/ So I might not be able to reply to all of you until it's sorted, sorry :( Where's Bulma to fix this shit when you need her? Or right, sucking Vegeta's face. That's fair I guess, I would too, lol.