Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Obsession ❯ Fatal Mistake ( Chapter 18 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

~*~

It was time.

She looked at the digital clock beside the door in which she had fabricated the 'Room of Spirit and Time.' The time read 10:02:46, she begun her countdown..47..48..49. Without a moment's hesitation, she lifted her nimble fingers to key in the unlocking code for the door to the chamber. She was nervous and excited in one breath. Soon, soon it would be time for her to return to her home above ground. For all its good purposes, she had grown sick of Ground Zero, despised it at times.

It had become the bane of her existence.

But not anymore.

With Gohan becoming far more stronger than before, she was certain that he would win the fight against the Androids. She was certain.

The door hissed and groaned open, as though an illusory pressure had been weighing upon it. She looked down as tiny balls of condensed clouds rolled out onto the sterile floor, chilling her feet. She hoped she had set the room temperature correctly, if not, then the entire room may have been freezing cold. Panic shot through her veins--What if? No... He would be fine, he was strong.

Stepping back, Bulma looked at the centre of the doorway and squinted as the bright light shone directly into her eyes, blinding her from the shadow that was slowly emerging from the room. A great, hulking mass of muscled shadow... Her eyes grew large as the light dimmed and the shadow faded from her vision. Starting from the feet, she traversed her amazed and shocked eyes along the toned and muscled body of the ... the man, not boy, that now stood in front of her.

"Oh my God.." She heard herself breathe out in complete wonderment. "Gohan?" The whispered name that escaped from her lips hung heavily in the air between herself and the implacable man that stood before her.

She received no reply.

~*~

He stood at the porthole. The exact same place where he had learned of the time differences that had taken place on Earth. He had been such a fool not think of such things as light years whilst travelling in space. He had foolishly taken it for granted in Frieza's legion, how could he have been so reckless? Now his chance for vengeance had dissolved away, his chance to show every last one the Z Senshi that he was the greatest fighter of them all--gone. There would be no Androids to fight. Just Kakarott and his band of circus freaks.

If Vegeta knew one thing, it was that Earth was safe from the Androids. After all, the third-class flea of a Saiyan had probably saved them all, as per usual.

It was sickening.

Thoughts of Goku had been eating away at him. He sneered at his reflection in the window. Soon, soon he would be upon the planet where his humiliation had taken its predestined course. With the threat of the Androids gone, he knew he could issue a formal challenge to the brain dead baka. From one warrior to another, albeit idiotic, warrior.

Amongst the feeling of hatred, there was also a sense of anticipation and apprehension. He would not only have to face Kakarott, but a certain blue-haired scientist as well. For the past month and a half, he had been secretly wondering what she was doing. Years had passed for her, not months. He had, of course, broken the promise he had uttered to her in the dark night, under the sea of Dran. Albeit a promise that he had unwittingly broken.

She would be angry, as always.

She would scream and curse and rave and throw a tantrum worthy enough to bring Frieza himself to his knees. But he was certain that her anger would fade. And then he would take her away to Bejiita-sei, where she would witness him in all his splendour. She was always so easy to persuade--so easy to please... A devilish smirk twitched at his lips. He would thoroughly enjoy persuading her. That is, after he had defeated her oldest and dearest friend.

The smirk that had formed twisted into a vicious snarl. If he had anything to do with it, he would never allow her to associate with her so-called friends. They were all a waste of space and oxygen in his mind.

No matter; he would deal with them in his own, sweet time. After all, he was the great Saiyan Prince...

"How long now?" He barked unconsciously, whilst staring out at the many stars flying past the porthole. They had entered Earth's solar system, he didn't think it would be long now.

Rhuba's familiar voice echoed to him from the corner of the room, "Two days, your highness."

Vegeta nodded to himself, ignoring the two Saiyan brothers that were staring at him.

It would finally be his chance to regain the honour and pride that had been stolen from him.

~*~

Bulma narrowed her eyes as she concentrated fully on bandaging the bloodied arm of the man that sat quietly on her bed. Her heart was pounding wildly, although she had no clue as to why that was happening. She had to admit that she had slightly doubted her ability to create an exact replica of Kami's 'Room of Spirit and Time' but the solid proof was sitting right before her; it had been a success, without any visible flaws.

The emotional aspect, well... She wasn't completely certain of that.

He hadn't said a word to her since exiting the chamber, and she was beginning to feel a sliver of concern creep into her mind. During the past hour, she had tried numerous times to engage him in a conversation, but it seemed that her words just rolled over him like the beads of perspiration that had stained his brow. Touching, but never sinking into his skin...

Instead, he simply stared at her every move. It unnerved her, but she was worried for him and so she stayed by his side. She found it strange that he had aged twelve years in the past day. Now he was only over a year or two younger than her; he was no longer the little boy she had held to her chest so desperately in the suffocating cave, six years ago. He was a man, a twenty-nine year old... Man.

A blanket of guilt smothered her. She had taken his adolescence away... She was to blame for the unmistakable change in his character. Bulma tried desperately to rip away the shroud of guilt, but she felt herself become consumed by it in his empowering, chocolate-eyed stare. She had finally finished bandaging and cleaning all of the visible wounds she could see from his torn, tattered orange training gi.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage and sat down softly beside him, distantly aware that Trunks was somewhere in Ground Zero with his grandfather. He had asked her about Gohan's transformation, but she had refused to answer, telling him that she would explain everything at a later time. What would she tell him? That she had ruined his Sensei's life by making him age twelve years in the span of a day?

Gohan turned to look at her silently, his intense deep brown eyes boring into her own. He made no move to speak.

Finally, she parted her lips to break the unbearable silence. "Gohan," she murmured softly, "Are you ok? Was everything fine in the chamber?" As she peered into his eyes, she caught a flicker of emotion. Something about his mannerisms and behaviour distinctly reminded her of a certain Saiyan Prince. The feeling was hauntingly familiar, and one that she immediately disliked. The silent intensity did not bode well for her, but it oddly seemed fitting for him.

As if to reassure herself that Gohan was still sitting beside her, she reached out her small, pale hand and delicately placed it over his. A jolt of surprise wracked through her. The soft boyish hands had disappeared and had been replaced with the rough and rugged calloused hands of a man. But what was she to expect?

Gently, she squeezed his hand, as if assuring him that everything was going to be fine. She noted that his stony eyes grew slightly dim with her touch upon his hand. Maybe she was getting through to him? Encouraged by this development, she twisted her body to take his other hand in hers. She held both of them tightly, bringing the silent man closer to her.

"Gohan, it's me, Bulma. Do you recognise me?" A pleading look crossed her face as she shuffled closer to him. Twelve years alone in complete isolation was an extremely taxing task for a person to endure, no matter how great their physical strength was. One could lose a sense of balance and lose sight of their communication skills. Once again, guilt spread through her. He would not answer her; but simply stare at her with his now blazing brown eyes.

Removing one of her hands, she reached up to cup his cheek softly. Slowly, she raised her head to look into his unfathomable eyes. "Sweetheart," she pleaded, unaware that the muscle in his jaw had twitched at the endearing term. "Talk to me, Gohan. It's over."

And with those words, she saw recognition gather into his conscious. She saw him blink slowly, as if to wash away his tortured time in Bulma's 'Room of Spirit and Time' and she knew, she knew that he would be all right.

At that moment Gohan found an incentive to reply, "I'm fine." His voice was hollow and deep; but he had spoken!

Bulma let out a rush of breath she didn't know she was holding. Choking on a sob, she launched herself at him and embraced him full force; showing her relief through the salted tears that streamed down her cheeks. "Thank Kami you're ok," she found herself murmuring against his neck. She felt his grip around her waist waver, before he firmly wrapped his large arms around her.

What she had not expected, was his slow inhalation at the scent of her hair. A peculiar sensation began bubbling in the pit of her stomach. She hadn't felt that since--since Vegeta. Inhaling sharply, she removed herself from his arms and abruptly stood up, wringing her hands as she slowly backed away from the quiet, gentle man that sat on her bed.

Bulma cleared her throat nervously before speaking again, "How was the chamber? Did you manage to get stronger?" She balked as his eyes narrowed at her, an odd expression crossing his face. With fascination, she watched as he slowly raised himself from the bed and began to walk towards her in the tiny room. Her face blanched as she felt his heavy hands rest on her shoulders. She wanted to move away from him, the close proximity was making her uncomfortable, but she found that her legs would not co-operate with her mind.

"Why is that every time I try to get closer to you, you turn your back on me?" His whispered words were uttered with such passion and desire, that Bulma felt her knees slightly buckle from the weight of their meaning. Why was he acting this way? It was... It was frightening.

"What are you talking about Gohan? I've never turned my back on you," she refused to acknowledge the true meaning behind his words.

Bulma watched him close his eyes for a moment, exhaling slowly as though he were banishing an inner demon that was clawing its way to the surface. He slowly opened his eyes again and focused on her face, but this time his gaze was unyielding.

"You have Bulma, you have. But not anymore. I won't allow you to turn away anymore." She quivered slightly as he ran his hand from her shoulder to her cheek, stroking her jaw lightly with his thumb.

His deep voice rumbled as he continued to speak, "I spent twelve years in that chamber and the only thing that kept me going was the thought of returning to you. Every day, every hour, every minute, you were by my side in that chamber. You don't realize it, but you helped me through my darkest times..." He trailed off, a haunted expression darting across his features before it was replaced by something else. Something she hadn't expected she would ever see on his face, directed towards her.

Love.

Love in the purest form.

Vegeta had not once glanced her way with such intensity as Gohan was doing right now. His eyes were filled to the brim with the emotion. He looked upon her with such devotion that it made Bulma cringe slightly. The comprehension of his emotions, left her feeling winded; caught off guard. How could he have fallen in love with her? It wasn't right, he was just a boy the day before! He was her best friend's son, he was--he was Gohan.

His next words, set everything into stone and caused the walls of the room to cave in upon her, "I love you Bulma. I have done for nearly thirteen years now."

Her heart thundered and the blood began rushing to her head, "Stop," she mumbled numbly. With what little strength she possessed, she tried to pull away from him, shaking at the revelation. Gohan loved her! What in the name of heaven had she done to draw out these feelings from him? As she tried to pull away, she felt his hands tighten on her shoulders, "Gohan, let go of me!" She commanded sternly.

To her relief, her plea was granted. The moment his hands fell from her shoulders, she started regain some semblance of balance. She looked at him, slowly bolting the adamantium walls that she had built around her heart, shut. She could feel her heart burning inside of her, yearning for the gentle caress of a lover. But--he wasn't what she wanted, even though at times she was reminded how familiar Gohan was compared to her previous lover.

He wasn't Vegeta.

And so, she schooled her face to become expressionless as she stared at the man who had aged twelve years. After almost eight years of Vegeta's absence, she still felt stinging regret that he had left her, that he had lied to her. But in the end;

It would always be Vegeta.

She didn't want to break Gohan's heart, but she couldn't reciprocate his feelings. It would only complicate matters. She knew Vegeta wasn't coming back, but that didn't matter. Maybe someday, she would be able to move on and take another lover. But it would never be Gohan. She had watched him grow up before her very eyes, it just wasn't--right.

And so, she voiced her feelings, praying that the Gods would forgive her for such a cruel denial. "I'm sorry you feel that way Gohan--"

"I'm not sorry," he interrupted fervently, "Look at me Bulma, not as the boy you raised, but as the man I have become. Look at me and tell me that you don't love me."

Bulma stared silently at him, shaking her head, "I'm looking at you Gohan," she whispered softly to the silent room as she pierced his eyes with her own, "And all can see is the scared little boy that I held in my arms six years ago." The adamantium walls around her heart throbbed and clenched in pain as his face crumpled slightly under the blow of her words. She took a deep breath and continued her revelation, "I love you as a mother would love her son, but nothing more. You have to understand that I can't love you the way you want me to."

With each passing word, she saw his face grow more and more blank, until all she saw was a face made from stone. The was no glimmer of intensity burning in his eyes as she had previously seen, there was only an empty and devastating blank canvas.

"Why not? It's because of him, isn't it?" His stony expression belied the pain his voice held.

She sighed sadly, trying to reach out to him through her comforting gaze, "Partly."

"He's gone," Gohan spat maliciously, "When will you come out of your deluded dreams and realize that he will never come back!"

Bulma stood stunned as the harsh words left Gohan's mouth. She didn't speak, but watched dumbfounded as he continued his ramblings on Vegeta's integrity and character.

"He's a bastard, he's not fit to be loved by you. He left you pregnant and alone and you are still faithful to him as though you're his servant bitch and he is your master--" Anymore words that he wished to say were stopped by the thundering slap that was brought down upon his cheek. It felt like a tap, but the meaning behind it stung even more.

Her eyes glittered with blind rage as the truth of Gohan's words pierced into her stomach like diamond bullets. "That's enough Gohan... That's enough," her hoarse voice trembled with anger and shock at what she had just done.

But she continued to speak, scolding him, unable to stop herself. "You had no right to say those things. Don't you think I know what a terrible man Vegeta is? Don't you think I realize that I made a monumental mistake in being with him? But with all of these things combined, Vegeta is more of a man than you will ever be. Did you think that by spending time in that chamber alone, you would gain easy access into becoming a man? Well listen to me Gohan, ageing by years without experiencing life, does not make you a man. Nor does it give you an authorization into believing that I could ever love you the way you want to be loved. There is nothing on this Earth that would ever make me change my mind. You are still an irresponsible, foolish, foolish little boy who would not know the first thing about what true desire and passion is, because you have never experienced it! And don't you dare presume to know anything about the relationship that Vegeta and I had, ever again. Are we clear?"

The rage she felt receded and she watched through her fogged eyes as he snarled at her, before whirling away and walking towards the door of the bedroom. Bulma paled as she processed the words that had tumbled from her mouth.

Before she could stop him, he was walking out of the door, face as implacable as ever.

"Where are you going Gohan?" She cried out, following behind him as he exited her room. How could she ever have thought that he had changed from a boy into a man? His body screamed manliness, and yet his behaviour still mirrored the stubbornness of a seventeen year old boy. She tried desperately to keep up as he thundered down the halls of Ground Zero, realizing that he was walking towards the main control room of the underground construction.

"I'm going to the surface. I'm going to destroy the Androids," his voice was like ice as he spoke quietly, not glancing in her direction and never breaking his stride.

Bulma gasped and shook her head desperately, almost running to keep up with him. "You have to rest Gohan! You just came out from the chamber, we don't know what side effects you may experience. It's dangerous!"

"You are not my mother," he snarled quietly, stopping his forward march to turn and face her, "So don't tell me what to do."

"And what would your mother say if she could see the way you are behaving right now? I'm not sure she would be very happy to see her son behave in such a careless manner, endangering the lives of others." Her retort was harsh and painful, but it had the desired effect. She watched in awe as the anger and bitterness drained away from his face, leaving him slightly deflated.

He heaved a heavy sigh as he looked at the cold floor of Ground Zero. She had rejected him and now he had to deal with his pain through the only way he knew how; violence and blood shed. He raised his eyes to hers and frowned, "You can't stop me Bulma..."

She opened her mouth to respond, but before she knew what was happening, Gohan had reached forward and tweaked a nerve in her neck. Her mouth hung open in a stupor as a black cloud slowly descended upon her, blanketing her softly in its embrace as it rendered her unconscious.

~*~

Bulma groaned as a sharp light pierced through her eyelids. She sat up groggily, blinking herself awake. What had just happened? One minute she had been speaking with Gohan, and after that, everything was blank. Her spine stiffened in fear as she sat up straight, taking in her surroundings.

It was the control room of Ground Zero.

But how had she ended up here?

She looked around for any sign that could indicate someone was with her in the large control room, but found that the walls echoed from the stillness of the room. The only sound that could be heard, was her slow and steady breathing. That's right, on this day there was no reason for the scientists or lab technicians to come into the control room, as it was a Sunday.

Her breathing hitched as she remembered Gohan's intentions. Surely he had not--?

She looked forward and found herself sitting on her father's chair, at the control panel that launched every mechanical order in Ground Zero. Her shoulder trembled slightly as she keyed in the command for the satellite screens above and beyond her to turn on. Bulma watched silently as the large screens came to life, each projecting pictures of the topographic landscape of the Earth's different countries. She punched in a well remembered equation that commanded the satellites to hone in on any living object in the world. Luckily, she had modified the equation so that it would focus on Gohan's larger ki, as a scouters would.

She frowned as the satellite scanned. Normally, it wouldn't take that long. What was going on?

This time, she typed Gohan's bimolecular statistics into the feeding device that commanded the satellite. She waited with bated breath as the satellite's camera zoomed in to the heart of Asia, focusing on an island on the outskirts of Japan.

Bulma gasped at the devastation that had been caused on the island. The topography was completely spoiled, with gaping craters.

She felt herself start to shake as the satellites video feed zoomed in once more to the center of one of the large craters. "SHIT!" She cried, standing up as the picture of Gohan's bloody body lay crushed into the side of the large crater. She watched in sick fascination as a blur of blue flashed before him, knocking him out of the crater.

It was the blonde Android.

And she was knocking him around senseless, while the other Android stood laughing himself to death. The bastard.

Bulma knew that if she didn't get Gohan back, he was going to die. This was all her fault! If she hadn't been to harsh to him, none of this would have happened! He wouldn't have been fighting to survive right now if she had just let him down gently. But as always, her temper had gotten the best of her and she had sent him crashing over the edge of the precarious mental cliff he had been standing on.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit and double SHIT!

She stepped towards the control panel again, this time keying in the co-ordinates to teleport him back into Ground Zero. Panic bloomed inside her heart as nothing happened. She keyed them in again, punching the buttons as though it would make them listen to her command.

But nothing happened.

She watched helplessly as Gohan's unconscious body was tossed to the male Android. It looked as though it was his turn. Dammit! Why wasn't the teleportation working?!

It was then that Bulma noticed that the teleportation system had been royally fucked by someone. Most probably Gohan. It seemed that he had thought he wouldn't need to return back to Ground Zero. She shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose as watched the black haired Android begin to execute swift and sharp kicks to Gohan's bloodied abdomen.

"Think Bulma, think!" She muttered desperately.

It was then that her eyes caught her father's locked drawer. He kept many things in there, mostly new projects. But there was one particular creation that Bulma's mind was now focused up.

A teleportation watch.

Her father had created it many, many years ago out of boredom.

She cracked open the drawer and found the desired object. The only problem was, was that the watch could only teleport one person at a time. She scanned the contents of the drawer and felt a shudder of relief course through her body as she spotted a second watch.

She wrapped on around her wrist and placed the other delicate invention into her jeans pocket.

Without thinking, she typed in the co-ordinates of the island that Gohan was on, and pressed the button. She was the only one around who could save him, and she didn't want to waste precious time getting other people involved the this dilemma. What she had forgotten to do, was to check that both of the teleportation watches were in working order.

If she had, she would have noticed that the one in her pocket, did not work.

~*~