Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Project: Vegeta ❯ Have a Nice Trip ( Chapter 6 )

 

 

A/N: Okay people, work with me here. This chapter make confuse some of you, but just go with me on this, it'll all make sense in time. More cussing and some nudity and dirty thoughts. And drug usage. What every good fic needs, right?

 

Disclaimer: Things I'm thankful for: Cookie dough, Matt Damon, fabric softener, free anit-spyware downloads, TP, my roommates pug Mocha, and Akira Toriyama for creating these wonderful characters that I don't own but take many liberties in twisting to my will. Oh, and for my faithful readers, especially those of you that review. (Cough cough) ;) Happy T-Day!

 

 

Chapter 6:

Have a

 

For the next couple of months Vegeta worked even harder. It seemed he was punishing himself, although if he'd been asked why, he would never have been able to explain. Part of his new found passion came from the fact that anytime he stopped moving and stopped hurting, he started thinking. And thinking was so not what he wanted to be doing. He refused to think about that night, about what that damnedable Woman had said. Every time his mind wandered to it against his will he found himself swarmed by a hundred conflicting emotions. Since he had neither the desire nor the ability to deal with those feelings he shut himself off and became a walking, fighting, eating zombie. He ignored any attempt at contact made by Dr. Briefs or his wife. After a little time his mind stopped trying to slip into unwanted territory.

Nine weeks into this mind-numbing routine, Vegeta felt himself growing... bored. He had reached a plateau in his training. 750 g's seemed to be his maximum, despite his many attempts to go higher. Every time he did he nearly found himself eating ki-absorbing sheet metal. It was such a damned inconvenience, this waiting. As soon as the woman returned and fixed him he would be able to ascend and reach the next level of his training.

He believed her attempts to cure him were genuine. He hadn't been able to figure out a motivation she might have had to the contrary. It was just too much hassle for something other then what she said it was. It didn't make him wrong about her being delusional and incredibly naive, but he wasn't going to refuse her assistance in this matter. He'd come to deal with the fact that the chances of him figuring out how to fix himself were dismally minimal. He had no choice. There was only one thing that mattered above all and he wasn't going to let some insignificant Earth woman stand between him and his goal.

An insignificant and still absent Earth woman. As they neared the end of the third month he began to wonder if maybe she hadn't just wised up and taken off. Not that he couldn't hunt her down if he wanted to, but he still had a certain amount of pride when it came to seeking out help. If it came to him, fine, otherwise, forget it. He didn't need anyone, didn't depend on anyway. From time to time he did catch himself wishing he had someone to argue with. Not that blasted woman, of course, but someone. Nappa maybe, or Radditz. Even when he'd been out in the middle of nowhere on a purging mission, he'd never been alone. There had always been someone to bully around and pick at. Each time those thoughts started up, he'd follow them immediately with thoughts of how this despicable planet was making him soft in the head. It was beneath him to require the company of others. It only renewed his determination to get on with the plan so he could leave.

Step one of Vegeta's Plan: Fix the problem with his fucking Ki.

Step two of Vegeta's Plan: Become a Super Saiyan.

Step three: Defeat the androids.

Step four: Kill that scumbag, Kakarrot

Step five: Get the hell off this disgusting hunk of space waste (and possibly blast it into oblivion...?)

And after that... he wasn't sure. Now that he actually had time to think about it, he realized he wasn't sure what came next. He'd spent his whole life following orders. After his five step plan was accomplished his future held a vast void. Well, he wasn't going to think about that now. He was sure when the time arrived he would be able to come up with something.

And then, just like that, the Woman was back.

 

 

The three months it had taken Bulma to hunt down the “ingredients” crucial to her plan had been both exhausting and renewing. Time away from the prideful, arrogant prince had been refreshing. And the fun she'd had! Whether she'd admit it herself or not, Bulma was a bonafide thrill-seeker at heart. She liked a challenge and she like them to be dangerous. That was probably why she'd grown bored with Yamcha. She'd tamed him utterly and completely and he held no interest for her any longer. If she'd stopped to think about it she might have even discovered that it was the reason behind her little Vegeta project.

After she'd claimed the final item she had reluctantly headed for home. As tired and dirty and battered and bruised as she was, she'd been thoroughly enjoying herself. She didn't want this time to end. Sure she'd been a bit lonely, racing from one end of the globe to the other by herself, but... Well, it wasn't like she had anyone to share it with anyway. No boyfriend to drag along and all her friends were busy training for the androids.

As she neared the Capsule Corps compound she decided to swing by one last stop. She'd been in communication with a very helpful Dr. Regina Tashaito. The good doctor had helped Bulma fine tune her latest creation and work out some of the kinks in the best approach to dealing with a formerly homicidal maniac. Most importantly she'd provided Bulma with a custom prescription to help ease through the process. In return, Bulma had given Dr. Tashaito access to limitless research funding at the University or hospital of her choice. It seemed money really could buy anything.

With one last stop at the Capsule Corps Pharmaceuticals plant Bulma headed home. She pulled into the driveway on her motorbike and climbed off slowly. It seemed things were just as she'd left them. Her mother's garden was blooming, her father's lab had smoke pouring from the windows, probably from some failed experiment, and the Gravity Simulator was running at full power. She smiled and grabbed her brown paper wrapped package from the back of the bike. Her boots crunched as she strode across the gravel and fell silent when she hit the grass. She walked inside, calling out that she was home as she entered. Only quiet greeted her from inside the house. Her parents must be out. Dad was probably in his lab working on damage control and her mother was likely scooping out a new bakery of pastry shop.

Bulma moved into the kitchen where she got herself a nice, cool glass of filtered water and sliced an apple to eat with peanut butter. Taking her treat to the table she sketched out her legs on the chair across the way, sighed with pleasure, and proceeded to relax. At which point she looked up and found Vegeta scowling in the doorway. `So much for that moment of peace...' she thought, dipping into the peanut butter with her first apple slice.

“It's about time,” Vegeta growled quietly.

Bulma smiled as she chewed. “What's the matter Vegeta? Did you miss me or something?” she said after she'd swallowed.

“As if...” he grunted refusing to respond to her nonsense. He stepped into the room and picked up the package she'd set on the counter.

“Careful, Vegeta. That right there is the key to restoring you to all your natural glory. If you damage it, it would be a while before I could get a replacement. And I think we both know you'd really rather not wait any longer.” She was fibbing a little about the replacement. It might take hours to get a new batch of juice ready now that they had the formula worked out. But she wasn't about to tell him that.

“I take it you found what you were looking for?” he raised his eyebrow in question. Bulma noticed that he also set the package down, slowly and carefully.

“Of course! Where there ever any doubts?” she was in such a good mood, she wasn't sure even grouchy Vegeta could bring her down. Vegeta narrowed his eyes and ignored her question. “We can get started as soon as I check out the mechanical half of this endeavor. Oh, and take a shower.”

“Well, I'd tell you just to get on with it, but I think you're right about that shower. How do you think I knew you were back? I could smell you coming a mile away.” Vegeta smirked. And no, he wasn't going to admit he was glad to have someone to harass again.

“No doubt!” Bulma laughed. “I'm almost as bad as you were when you got back from space.” Emphasis on almost. She'd forgotten how much fun it was to verbally joust with someone who was as witty and creative as herself. She had finished her apples and downed her water. Standing, she reached around Vegeta for the pharmaceuticals package. “I'll call you when I'm ready,” she said cordially. “Run along and go play now.”

Vegeta smirked. “Unlike some weakling females, the Prince of all Saiyans has better things to do then “play”. Some of us actually spend the majority of our time working and being productive, but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?” he followed her out into the hallway. “I certainly hope you enjoyed your little vacation. Now it's back to business. Hurry up, Woman. I've already been more then patient with you and your antics.”

“Chill out, Vegeta. You'll be better in no time. Trust me!” and with one last wink in his direction she sprinted up the stairs to shower and change. And make a couple quick phone calls.

 

 

 

“You want me to WHAT?!” Vegeta roared starting at the open doors to the woman's now ready machine.

“Don't make a big thing of this, Vegeta. Do you want to get better or don't you?” Bulma had one hand on her hip and the other was pointing to his training shorts. “There can't be anything that might interfere with the reharmonization process.” When Vegeta further hesitated she threw up her hands. “Look, it's not like you've got anything I haven't seen before.”

“I wouldn't be so sure about that, Woman,” Vegeta said with a cocky smirk, hoping to throw the woman off and gain the upper hand.

Bulma just laughed and rolled her eyes. “Oh puh-lez! You mean you've got a superiority complex about that, too? What a shocker!” she said sarcastically. “Look, it's not as if I WANT to see you in all your birthday suit glory, but there's really no point in arguing this. There's no way around it, I'm afraid.”

“I'm sure that a vulgar woman such as yourself has put all possible thought into this situation,” he was not going to let her win this one.

“Whatever, Vegeta. I'll turn around while you finish disrobing if it will make you feel better.” She laughed as she turned her back on him. “You're a lot of things, Vegeta, but I never figured that modest would be one of them.”

“I just don't relish the thought of being ogled by you, Woman. Not all of us are voyeurs of the basest kind.” Bulma was pleased to hear the quiet rustle of clothing, despite his protests. “Just because you enjoy showing off every inch of your pasty flesh doesn't mean that everyone feels the same way.”

“Are you done yet?” she asked impatiently.

“Yes,” Vegeta said, keeping his voice firm and confident. “What now?”

Bulma resisted the urge to turn around, but only because she wanted to screw with him. But not screw with him, screw with him, just... because she enjoyed giving him a hard time. No, that didn't sound right. She just liked teasing him. Or... oh, fuck it, never mind.

“Just climb into the water,” she finally said out loud. The faint sounds of splashing were followed by a few choice curses and finally she figured it was okay for her to turn around. For a fraction of a second the sight before her made her pause. He was standing in a large tank set about four feet into the ground. There were steps leading into the water and a set of doors that closed like cellar doors over the top of the steps. The bottom of the tank held three and a half feet of salt water that sloshed back and forth with Vegetga's movement. Fully naked, Vegeta was standing in the waist high water, his backside to her. She let herself appraise the image for another second , tilting her head and raising an appreciative eyebrow. Then she shook her head and went back to work.

“So, next I'm going to have to give you a shot.” She grabbed the pharmaceuticals package off the table and unwrapped it slowly. Inside was a small box. She flipped open the lid carefully and revealed the ready made syringe tucked neatly into black foam padding. The liquid inside was mostly clear with a slightly blue tinge of color and an iridescence that increased when held up to the light.

“What is that for?” Vegeta turned around slowly, but stayed out of reach. Bulma was surprised she actually had to force herself to look at his face.

“It's just a sedative,” with a few bonus extras, she added in her head. “To help you relax and make the treatment more effective.” She indicated that he should come closer. “After I give this to you, you're going to want to lie back pretty quickly. The salt in the water will help you float. Then I'm going to close the doors. Now, just so you know, it will be completely dark, and silent. After I turn on the machine you may feel some vibrations, then again you might not. I'm going to start transmitting at the level your ki is currently at. After a few minutes the machine is set to slow the vibrations just a tiny bit. Now, I'll be monitoring your vitals with the diodes that I already attached to your chest and back. If anything goes wrong, I'll raise the frequency again and give it some more time. If my calculations are correct, slowly lowering the broadcast frequency SHOULD cause yours to adjust as well.” She finished explaining.

“If? Should?” Vegeta sneered. “It sounds like you aren't a hundred percent positive. This whole thing wouldn't be dangerous to my health, would it? Cause if you're wrong... I'd hate for things to go badly for us both.” No veil on that threat.

“To answer your question,” Bulma started, pointedly ignoring his manly posturing, “no, I'm not a one hundred percent on this, but I'm still, like... ninety eight point seven percent sure. And is it risky? Sure, you bet. Anything worth it has to be, right?” When Vegeta refused to come closer she rolled her eyes and kicked off her shoes. She stepped down into the water a couple of steps getting close enough to reach Vegeta. Holding out the syringe she looked him in the eyes one last time. “If you aren't sure about this, Vegeta, then we can stop right now. Is that what you want?” Her voice was soft. She waited patiently as the water lapped around her thighs. Thank goodness she'd had enough foresight to wear a pair or shorts. One more step and she'd be waist deep in the water with Vegeta... she was hoping she didn't have to take that last step.

After what seemed like several minutes, Vegeta took a step towards her and held out his arm. “Do it.” He watched her face every second as she nodded and then put the needle up to his skin. He hissed as the solution entered his veins. It burned just a bit, and as such he could feel it's progress as it started to spread into his body. Bulma stepped back and nodded to him. “What am I supposed to do while I'm waiting for my frequency to adjust?” He was pumping his fist slightly, the burning moved into his shoulder and back.

The smallest of smiles touched one side of Bulma's mouth. “I don't know, Vegeta.” she turned and walked up the steps, water running down her smooth legs in tiny rivets. “Try some meditation.” She turned to close the doors. “You're going to want to lay down now.” She smiled at him slyly.

“Meditation?” Vegeta asked, ignoring her recommendation. “How will that be produ...uuh!” His words slurred and he felt his knees buckle. The burning had just hit his spine and was quickly shooting into his brain and lower extremities. A weakness like none he'd ever felt overtook him and he fell backwards. He was suddenly on his back, whether he wanted to be or not, only the water's buoyancy kept him above the surface. He was so much dead weight. His vision was starting to haze around the edges. As he forced his eyes towards the doorway he saw Bulma, her face surrounded by a rainbow colored halo.

“Good night, Vegeta. Sweet Dreams...” she blew him a kiss and closed the doors.

Plunged into darkness Vegeta floated, suspended and completely at the blue-haired Woman's mercy.

 

 

Bulma walked through the lower levels of the house, her capsule belt in her hand. Moving swiftly she walked to the other side of the house, away from Vegeta's souped up sensory deprivation tank and into the yard on the far side of the compound. According to their calculations she had about an hour before the sedative wore off. The carefully planned cocktail of ketamine, etorphine hydrochloride, and a number of other animal tranquilizers in that syringe to put under a dozen gorillias, that mixed carefully with a healthy dose of lysergic acid diethylamide, should keep Vegeta not only busy for the time being, but give him and experience he would be able to believe had fixed him.

Pulling out one of the smaller capsules very carefully she pressed the button and set it on the ground. She stepped back an instant before it disappeared in a puff of smoke. When the air cleared she smiled down at the seven small orbs.

 

 

Vegeta felt very heavy, and yet, at the same time, weightless. Floating in 300 g's. He knew he should be feeling something. Rage at his helplessness, fear for his life, betrayal that the Woman had put him here and vengeance towards her for doing so. But instead he felt NOTHING. Any attempt to conjure up the emotions he logically knew he should be feeling all resulted in a spastic mental fog. He tried to adjust his eyes to the darkness, tried to listen for any sound. After the door had shut and the water had stilled there had been nothing. His mind tried to fill in the void with strange shadows and buzzing static, but even those didn't last. As the burning in his veins faded into numbness he stopped attempting to make sense of his surroundings. He just didn't care anymore. His eyes drifted shut and he gave in to the nothingness.

For a while he seemed to drift in and out of consciousness, although both in and out were essentially the same. And then time stopped meaning anything either.

He rolled onto his side, the silk of the sheets sliding along his body in a very pleasant way. The light from the window danced through the blinds and created a pseudo-mosaic pattern on her soft, pale back. He reached out and touched it gently, brushing his fingers across the underlying valley of her spine. He felt her shiver lightly under his caress. He watched in wonder as she turned her face, looking over her shoulder at him. The slow curve of her smile made his heartbeat accelerate. Raising his hand in a smooth controlled arc he lightly pressed the back of his hand to her cheek. The softness of her skin was almost liquid.

As the vibrations began he felt the water climb a bit higher on his body. He felt elation overcome him as the sensation of the water running into his left ear canal sent a jolt of FEELING something. It was a treasure in the midst of so much nothing. He clung to it. His mind focused on that one very ordinary sensation, that tickling filling tingle. But slowly he adjusted to it. The vibrations had an even further numbing sensation, they sedated his nervous system into nothingness again.

He could have been falling. Falling forever through the vacuum of space. No light, no warmth, no cold, no color.

Sliding his hand around to cup her jaw he moved closer. His body soon pressed to hers from his collar bone to his toes. He was mesmerized by the pink of her lips. His thumb moved over it as if it could pick up some of that color, like transfer. And indeed the pink seemed to be catching. It slid over his thumb, across his palm, down his arm. He lowered his hand, brushing her shoulder and her hip. And the pink continued to spread.

“But my hand...” He looked down at the chunk of glass protruding from his palm. That had been such a pain to remove. It had bled everywhere. After fighting with the woman he'd almost left the mess for her to clean up out of spite. He'd bandaged it quickly and then cleaned the mess up with one of her mother's decorative towels instead. It had made him feel better. A little, anyway.

His foot brushed against the side of the tank. His mind, again, grabbed onto the sensory input like a greedy, starving child. It was cold And hard. He could almost summon the energy to push against it, but he didn't want to loose it. He was so very tired. Then the selfish water claimed him again, pulling him from his newly discovered friend.

“You have to wake up now, Prince Vegeta.”

Vegeta rolled over in his bunk and sat up slowly. Dedoria's form stood outlined against the doorway. “Lights on,” Vegeta growled. And they had come on. Only Vegeta sill couldn't see. Which was not the way it had happened. “What is it?” He asked, just like he had the first time this happened.

“We just got word that Vagetasei was destroyed by a meteor shower. Even though Vegeta couldn't see his face now, he remembered the look on Dedoria's face. It had been mocking him. Telling him that it was all a lie and he didn't care if Vegeta knew it.

(And he didn't care if his skin felt crusty, either. Nobody cared about salty skin.)

“Frieza said you are supposed to take Nappa and Radditz out. Planet Mochar, Quadrant 12. It's a level 3 Purge. You report for deployment in 20 minutes. Have a nice trip!”

He licked the delicate place where her shoulder a neck joined. There was only the lightest trace of sweat. (He wasn't sure why he'd be so concerned about the SALT.)

His chest vibrated lightly from her moan. Her pink and red moan. It swam across the room and played with the yellow from the sunlight. Soon he was surrounded by tones of orange and salmon. But he liked the pink of her lips the most. The way it now touched them both. He slid his arm around her stomach and pulled her closer. She smelled like blue and green.

(And SALT.)

So much salt. It stung. And burned. Filling his veins with fire.

He fought the pain. He wanted the nothing.

He held her tight. He would lose her soon. The sun would rise higher and melt them both. He buried his face in her hair.

“Why can't I stay?” she whispered, her voice hollow and distant. Vegeta's arms pulled her tighter against him, squeezing her, trying to make her a part of him. And she screamed. His arms tightened harder. He heard her breaking.

“It could never work,” he whimpered into her hair. She exploded in his arms turning to

(SALT)

ash right before his eyes.

The burning. He wondered how long it would take for him to

(explode)

simply die from the pain. It consumed him, drawing him deeper into himself.

Everything fell back into place.