Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Redemption ❯ Breaking Away ( Chapter 4 )

Love? Love?! It couldn't stand love, so it melted away from me?! This doesn't make any sense!

He's rocking back and forth, and in doing so rocks me as well. I suddenly get an image of the two of us; him sitting on the floor, curled in a protective posture around me and rocking slowly back and forth, him with his face buried in my hair and purring, and I with a shocked and confused look on my face, half buried in his gi top.

I look like a child.

And now I'm laughing hysterically, even as I hiccup through left-over tears, and I can't stop it! It's just so funny! I must look like an infant, being crooned and rocked back to sleep after waking from a nightmare. That's what this feels like. Trying to die in order to rid myself of a poisonous voice in my head, going into fits of insanity… that was all just a bad dream, wasn't it? Everything before? Coming to Earth, living with Bulma, coming back after training to find that I had a son? Cell, the androids, letting Babidi take my mind over and beating the crap out of Kakarrotto? Wasn't it all just a really long, detailed dream? Had I always been in his arms, being purred to like a frightened child?

I whimper.

"I want to see Bulma."

The purring stops. For a brief instant, he curls around even more tightly, but then he relaxes and releases me from his hold. Picking me up, he makes me stand (still treating me like a child!) and stands himself.

He looks disappointed.

Grabbing onto my arm, he raises two fingers to his forehead.

Suddenly, we're in the kitchen of Capsule Corporation. Bulma's mother is directing one of the robotic maids on how to properly prepare some dish of some sort. Not bothering to say hello, Kakarrotto drags me out of the room and in the direction of one of the many office complexes housed in the building. Passing the gossiping workers in the hallways, he continues until we come to a door that, as far as I can make out from my limited knowledge of this planet's written language, says "President".

He knocks on the door politely and waits. If he feels anything about the staring and whispering of the people around us, he does not show it.

A voice from behind the thick wooden door invites us in. Pushing the door open, Kakarrotto leads me in. The door clicks shut behind me.

And there's Bulma, sitting behind a desk, completely engrossed in some papers. She finally looks up after Kakarrotto coughs. He's still holding onto my wrist.

"Goku!" she exclaims joyfully, standing up to rush over and hug him like she normally does. But she pauses when she sees me.

"Vegeta…" she breathes. I can smell the nervousness radiating off of her, and I can't look her in the eye. I stare at the corner of her desk.

From the corner of my eye I see her smile weakly and walk towards Kakarrotto and embrace him. She whispers a "thank you" into his ear. Maybe she thinks I would not have heard it?

My stomach turns again at the image presented to my mind. Again.

I start seeing this as a play. Bulma is the mother. Kakarrotto is the father. And I'm the misbehaving child who has been dragged unwillingly to his mother for punishment. I almost expect her to stalk up to me, one hand on her hips, the other wagging a scolding finger in my face and telling me what a bad child I am.

`Ungrateful. Selfish. Don't know when to knock it off. Can't stop getting in trouble. I'm always having to bail you out. Can't take care of yourself. Mistake.'

As it is, she stands in front of me. Glancing at his grip on me, then back to my face.

"Are you through now Vegeta?" she asks softly. I shiver. Her voice seems cold to me right now. I don't know how to answer. I shrug noncommittally.

Kakarrotto's grip tightens.

Bulma frowns, but nods, as if I confirmed something in her mind. It makes me nervous, what could be going on in her mind. Truthfully, the woman scares me.

She walks back over to her desk and sits behind it again. Folding her hands in front of her, she sighs. I can feel my legs threatening to shake. I have this sudden urge to hide behind Kakarrotto's larger body.

"Vegeta… I think, it would be best…"

No. No no no. Please don't say it Bulma, please don't say it. Please. I'm begging! Please don't say what I know you're going to say!

"If…"

His hand slips from my wrist to entwine with my hand. My legs are shaking and small tremors are going down my arms. My eyes are wide and it's all I can do to keep shining tears from springing to them. STOP IT!!

"… you were to live somewhere else. And… not be alone with… Trunks…"

Jolts race up and down my spine and I quiver. I can hear Kakarrotto arguing with her.

"…not a danger… another chance… Trunks… listen to me!"

I want my eyes to roll back into my head. I want to faint and not have to deal with this. This isn't happening either. I just fell back to sleep within Kakarrotto's arms. I'm just dreaming again. The room's spinning and I swear that I'll wake up momentarily. Please, somebody make it stop! This is worse! I wish that I still had that dark thing in my mind, because this is too much for me to take! I want to give in to it, but it's not there! The one day I break, and it's not there to laugh and rip me to pieces! It's not here to kill them for me, so I can make this stop! I want this to stop! Help! I'm drowning!

Someone help me!