The sounds of her refusal and suffering didn't even touch his ears let along his heart. He was completely unreachable. Whenever she summoned enough courage and strength to look at his face she became more and more convinced that the man bearing his teeth into her flesh, bruising and scratching her with every touch of his hands, tearing away at her womb with every agonising thrust was not her husband, was not her mate, was not her Vegeta. When unconsciousness finally came to claim her she welcomed it like a long lost brother and gratefully fell into the blackness. All the while a possessed Vegeta continued to wreak deleterious effects upon his mate as he decimated her body, mind and soul.
It would prove to be a deed that would have shattering repercussion for all, especially the Saiyajin no Ouji.
From the moment that perception began to return a sensation of discomfort so very near pain outwardly resonated from the core of his brain until it had spread like scarlet iodine through the capillary veins of a plant. In reaction he brought his a hand and a long drawn-out grunt, almost moan sounded from deep in his throat. Out of subconscious movement he used his other hand to press against the soft surface that he lay upon so that he could push himself up into a sitting position. Automatically, with his obsidian eyes still shielded by his lids, the part sentient man rose allowed his feet to lead him to an unknown destination. All other things were forgotten as the feeling equivalent to aftermath of a hangover pounded in his mind. The sufferer did not even acknowledge is own identity, and the fact that he would never allow himself to languish in such a state. However once revitalising, freezing cold water touched his face, everything that was usually one's to command during consciousness began to return.
Now able to open his eyes he lifted them and peered into bathroom mirror before him. It only took a few seconds for the blurred dark image he saw to change until it was a perfect reflection of his person. A black flame haired man with a prominent widow peak and eyes deeper than depthless voids stared back at him. He had the same confused mask that he wore on his face, which turned to a vexed scowl.
~ How dare I allow myself to awaken in this state? ~ His mind berated. ~ It's unbecoming for such a warrior prince as myself! If anyone had it in mind, I would have been made easy prey of! Fuck! ~
Vegeta then suddenly noticed the sounds of birds assaulting his ears and the blaze of the midday sun blazing on his side. He profoundly cursed himself at having just realised, and then his thought turned to the reason he had awoken in such a deplorable condition so that that too could be condemned.
~ What the fuck happened to me for me to awaken like this anyway?! ~ He fought through what remained of the cloud that fogged his head.
~ Something had happened last night…I arrived home…the onna had also and we argued. She cursed me, thefoul-mouthedbitch! ~ Even as he thought it a uncomfortably feeling seeped into his conscience. Though he immensely enjoyed the oral fights they engaged in, he disliked it when the squabbles would turn serious and the words, which he intended to hurt, were said causing the pangs she felt in her heart to also show in her beautiful face and fathomlessly blue eyes.
~ I had become angry. Maddeningly so, but it wasn't really because of her words…it was…something...something that just seem to reach in me…something that fuelled and expanded my anger…it twisted me it…~ Vegeta growled loudly in frustration. "I can see no fucking reason in any of this!"
Vegeta allowed himself to openly admit that though the issue that that been fought over had been serious it needn't had been a fight if he had acknowledge the truth that she spoke. Forcing the search of his memories onward Vegeta tried to recall what had happened next, and as the blanks slowly began to fill themselves in, he desperately wanted to believe that what his mind saw had been nothing more than a dark twisted dream.
The words he had spoken to her had been so awful. They had been words he had long since stopped believing in once he found them to be untrue. The next image he saw was his hand wrapped around her neck, and then he had struck her.
The grip Vegeta had on the basin tightened considerably when hen realised this. Never, never in his life had he ever raised a hand to her, but he had, just the night before, he had attacked his mate.
In succession, one disturbing scene after another played itself in Vegeta's mind, each following one worse then the one before it. He remembered throwing her onto the bed, ripping her clothes away, pinning her with his crushing weight, and placing his hand and mouth on her in ways that a mate never should have. He had behaved like a rabid wolf, biting, drinking, scratching, and bruising her tender, fragile body. And then he had…
"NO!" The basin shattered to pieces as his grip destroyed it, and Vegeta fell to the floor cradling his head.
~ I hurt her…I…Bulma ~ Vegeta violently shook his head. He could even her woeful screams ring in his ears as if she were suffering the excruciating pains right before him. ~ No, it was a dream! It had to be a dream! I would never do that to her,it isan outrageous impossibility! Anunpalatable and fictitious dream wasall it was!~
Vegeta leapt to his feet and headed to the shower. After turning the appliance on at the highest settings it had for temperature and force, he stepped in began to scrub at his skin in an inclement act. Vegeta closed his eyes in an attempt to banish the visions his mind had incurred and after a while of intense concentration his efforts were beginning to find success.
Suddenly he smelt it, a very strong sense of iron, like that found in blood. Vegeta opened his eyes and inhaled deeply, it was blood, but it was definite fact that it wasn't his own. His blood had been split far too many times for him to forget its scent. However the scent in the air was recognisable and though there had been very few instances he had smelt it, it too had been committed to his memory. A pale shade of red caught the outmost corner of his view and upon looking to the shower stall floor he saw the crimson trail running down into the drain. As the last of it disappeared he looked himself over. Though the blood had apparently come from him he hadn't a graze to speak of, and as the last trace of the scent of the blood completely faded from the air the identification of the possessor struck him.
~ Bulma… ~
Needing to have some physical or visual evidence to completely obliterate his dream Vegeta fled from the shower and bathroom to barge into his room.
The room was a mess. Items that were meant to be situated on Bulma's vanity desk were strewn all about the floor. When he caught sight of torn rags that use to be clothes, in particular those belonging to his mate, all that filled his hearing were the sounds of his thumping heart. Then ever so slowly, almost as if was against his will, Vegeta lifted his gaze to the area of the room that contained the bed he shared with his mate and began to drag his feet towards it.
The bed was in disarray. One of the sheets lay on the floor and Vegeta was able to spot several patches of dried fluids, the scents of which filled the air of the room, along with the strong emaanation of ferocious mating. When he observed further a considerable lump under a sheet on the bed came to his notice. It contained the largest of the fluids, especially the blood of his mate as was evident by the smell. Taking a deep breath Vegeta grasp the material in his hand and swiftly pulled it away. What he saw caused his heart to falter in its usually strong rhythm and literally pause altogether for several seconds before erratically resuming it purpose.
~ Bulma…? ~
Laying front down halfway on the mattress, halfway on the floor was the body of a human woman. The woman had enticingly pale smooth flesh. Her soft aquamarine hair was tousled and hung in damp clusters, and she simply appeared to be deep sleep. But Vegeta knew better, the visible bruising on her limbs and the large dark blood pool that had been mostly absorbed into the mattress that was situated under her groin left no misunderstanding of that.
At a snail's pace Vegeta moved on the bed and taking a gentle hold of a shoulder slowly turned her on her back. Vegeta to battle to keep the contents of his stomach where it was when he beheld the sight presented him.
Her face…her lovely face was sweat drenched and her lips were swollen. Several thin trails of dried blood obviously having come from her mouth had crusted down her chin. On the delicate column of her neck were concentrated bluish purple marks, and when Vegeta moved his hand to touch her, he whipped his hand away in shock when he realised that his hand perfectly fit the mould of the bruise that was there. Vegeta lowered his eyes further and the more he saw the shorter his breath became.
Bruising…more bruising covered her beautiful body, not an appendage or any part of her was spared. Even her waist and chest had been dealt damage as the numerous bloody wounds revealed. Vegeta raised a trembling hand to her body and wiped the top coat of red away with an unsteady palm so he could view the injuries more clearly. The puncture marks he saw had obviously been caused by sharp elongated teeth, such as his own. Then his vision came to rest on her lower region and all hopes that his recollection was false, or distorted or even a simple dark dream was painfully ripped away as if someone and reached in and tore his heart, his very life from him.
Vegeta frantically reached out to her with three of his senses and found a pulse beat, heard her breathing and felt her ki. It terrified him how the caesura between the beatings of heart was so large, how the breaths she took were so shallow and how low her energy was. If it wasn't for these tell tale signs he would have mistook her for dead, though the possibility of her actually dieing was not one he discounted. A thought sudden thought occurred to him that caused him to rush downstairs to the kitchen. Vegeta yanked open the draw that held plastic storage container with the senzu beans not only breaking it in the process but also dropping every item in side onto the kitchen floor. He scrambled to pick up the storage container and hastened to his bedroom, and more than once he fumbled in his panic almost dropping it. When he was once again by his mate's side he ripped off the container lid and was greeted with an empty box.
"Where the fuck are all the beans?!"
Of all the instances when the once rich supply had been depleted one bean and at a time, one particular occurrence stood out from the rest.
Flashback**********
After separating the syringe chamber from the plunger and needle, Vegeta stopped up the ends and headed up out of Bulma's lab to the kitchen. He opened the draw that he knew held the storage container with the senzu beans. When he removed the lid, he saw a single bean rattle alone in its airtight plastic box. Without thinking, he grabbed it, threw it in his mouth, replaced the lid and put the container back. Not even waiting for the remarkable vegetation to work its magic both he and Goku left through the kitchen backdoor and took to the skies.
Flashback Ends**********
~ There had been no need for me to used the fucking thing!!! ~ Vegeta raged to himself.
The sudden flutter and then dwindle of Bulma's ki brought back Vegeta's undivided attention. It almost drove him to the brink when he discovered just how much it waned, proving that she continued to slip away from him. Never in his life had he felt without his body having to suffer a single blow that he was dieing. From a void in the depths of his heart, he felt the weight of guilt and grief grow to almost crush his spirit, and the Saiyajin no Ouji released wailing anguished howl that no mortal even one with the power that he possessed should sound.
* * *
Vegeta disengaged himself from his memory of the past several months. If not for the facts he still would not accept what he had done to Bulma, but he was responsible for the lifeless condition that she now laid in. He knew how fragile she was in comparison to himself. He should have known by the previous incidents that something was wrong, but he didn't. He took it all as just a simple lapse in control and attempted to solve the problem with periods of solitary isolation and deep meditation. But despite all his efforts it had it had all been for nothing.
Sensing several people coming towards the private waiting room a nurse had taken him to; Vegeta braced himself for the barrage of queries that would immediately follow. A few seconds later Bulma's parents, along with his son, Chichi, Goten, Goku, and the Yamcha entered the room.
When Vegeta braved a look at Mrs Briefs she shivered slightly and learned into her husband. Vegeta knew that he was the onus for her reaction and his conscious reinforced the acknowledgement.
"Vegeta," Drawing on her resolved love for her daughter for strength, Mrs Briefs was able to enquire of her offspring. "What happened to my Bulma?"
From the question, Vegeta picked up on what he thought was indicting undertone.
"How did this happen?" Dr Briefs asked.
"Tell us, how badly was she hurt?" Goku demanded of the welfare of his childhood friend.
"Will she be alright? What did the doctors say?" Chi-chi enquired.
"Nothing." Vegeta was finally able to answer. "The medical personnel have yet to speak to me."
Just then, two knocks rapped on the waiting room door and a nurse entered the interview room. She addressed the couple and the husband having already met them.
"Excuse me, Dr and Mrs Briefs? Mr Vegeta?" She stared strangely at the rest of the group in pause, considering if she should ask them to leave.
"Please nurse," said Dr Briefs realising her small dilemma. Then he further implored her. "These people are friends and are considered very much like family. Please tell us what you have come to say."
Vegeta remained silent. He made no attempts to silence the nurse. They all would eventually find out what had happened, anyway.
The nurse looked at them hesitantly and then continued. "Ms Briefs, Bulma, is still unconscious…"
"What's wrong with my kaasan?" Trunks interrupted with a question stepping forward as he did so. Chi-chi held supportively onto the little boy, as to both comfort and signal him to allow the nurse to continue.
"She's seriously hurt. And I'm sure that went she wakes up she will be in great physical and especially emotionally pain, for a long time yet." The nurse heart became heavy when she looked at the child, having to deliver her news
"What are you talking about?" Yamcha spoke up; his voice was the perfect imitation of unawareness.
"Bulma has terrible bruises almost all over her body."
Vegeta remained in the corner he had drifted into the moment everyone's attention came upon the nurse. His arms automatically folded over his chests, he hung his head down while he closed his eyes as he listened to it all.
"She also has lacerations on her body, neck and lips."
"Lacerations?" Chi-chi questioned. "Were they caused by some sort of blade?"
"No." The nurse shook her head and blinked. "These marks were made by human teeth, we assume, some very sharp."
"Did she receive a blow to her head?" Asked Goten, and the nurse shook her head. "Then why is she unconscious?"
"I'm sure you know that when a person's body comes to its pain threshold it passes out to protect the sufferer." The nurse received nods from everyone. Goku and Yamchua especially knew that all too well, being warriors themselves.
"There was no trauma to her head, but rather the same happened to Bulma when she was…" The nurse swallowed hard and took a breath before she finished her sentence, "When she was brutally …raped…it's simply a miracle that she actually survived."
All in the room became silent. There was not even the sound of anyone breathing. Not a single soul, less one, could believe what they had heard.
"R…" Dr Briefs was unable to bring himself to pronounce the word. Mrs Briefs wailed into her husband's chest and his own lids squeezed shut pushing the silent tears out his eyes.
Goten looked at his best friend to see an expression that mirrored his own. Though neither boy fully understood all that was being said, they definitely did understand that what had happed to Bulma was very bad.
"How much was she…hurt?" Chi-chi further questioned the nurse refusing to reiterate the word already used.
"Her virginal tissues were quite literally torn apart, and her womb is practically none existent."
Goku still could believe it. Then suddenly his neck snapped in the direction of Vegeta, and realisation began to creep in. ~ Bulma raped?! The very notion was impossible! Vegeta would never allow it! Not unless he…No…It couldn't be Vegeta. It couldn't be! But there was no other explanation. ~
Goku gradually released a feral, savage growl from the depths of his throat, and though Vegeta heard and guessed Goku had figured it out, he remained in his position. However hearing such a terrible sound from the kind, good-hearted Saiyan unnerved the saijajin prince very much.
"Not only that, but further examinations showed she also was pregnant…"
Vegeta's eyes shot open and his head rose to look directly where the nurse stood. His arms dropped from their crossed position and flopped down to his side in pure shock. He didn't even acknowledge Goku's glare.
"Bulma's pregnant?!" Yamcha exclaimed.
"Is…is the rapist the father?" Chichi dared to ask, her voice shaking in fear at what the answer could be.
"Oh no!" The nurse was quick to correct the misconception. "She was pregnant for some time…"
Unknown to everyone with the exception of Yamchua and Chichi, due to giving birth to her firstborn, Bulma's weaker human body faired very badly with the complication of the birth, due to it being that of an alien, especially a Saiyan, infant. She had so very nearly died and the doctors said then that she would never have children again, with the toil her body had endured. In all adamancy they had even added that if it wasn't the case, that even if she tried for another child and succeeded, she would most likely die during delivery. Nevertheless, it seemed that the doctors had been wrong and Chichi had some hope for her friend as was clearly shown on her face. That was until the nurse continued.
"No, I'm afraid you don't understand. She…was pregnant, by about two months, more or less." The nurse took in all the shocked and disbelieving she saw before continuing with her difficult task. "She was going to have twins," the nurse added sadly. "But her womb was so traumatised, so decimated, that it was no longer able to support the lives it was carrying. The damage was very severe and quite possibly her womb will never do so again."
~ Bulma…! Two months…?! ~ The full enormity of Vegeta's own actions was just beginning to hit him. Then he began to realise how he should have known. As he recalled the words, Bulma's mother had practically told him.
"That poor girl's been sick almost everyday since you left and moody to match; though she says that she's still suffering from the after-effects from her air-car accident last month…"
The sudden regular sickness and the quick mood swings had nothing to do with after-effects of her air car accident at all. It was the symptoms of her pregnancy.
"Two of them…she never told me…Bulma…" Vegeta was so lost in the disclosure that he hadn't even noticed that he had said her name out loud, or that Yamcha had called his name three times.
"Otousan!" Trunks almost shrieked, and suddenly Vegeta realised that everyone was looking at him. Then Trunks asked his father more calmly. "How did this happen?"
Vegeta looked at them all in turn. He saw how even Mrs Briefs held her tear stained face in his direction, awaiting him to give the identity of the culprit.
"Vegeta." Yamcha's voice oozed with distaste. "Who did this to Bulma?"
Yet Vegeta's lips still remained closed.
"Godmamit! Answer me!" Yamcha demanded. "How could you have let anyone touch her in that way?! You bastard!"
Vegeta fists squeezed shut and he glared at Yamcha with all the hatred that was directed at himself.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Even Dr Briefs was beginning to lose patients with Vegeta muteness.
"I can tell you what's wrong with him…" Goku spoke barely above a whisper but the venom was clear for all to hear. "The reason why he is so silent is because no one attacked Bulma."
"NANI?!" Everyone cried simultaneously.
"It's a living fact that no one would be able to hurt Bulma in the way she's been harmed. Vegeta would never allow it in his own home. Such a person wouldn't even be able to get within five metres of her." Goku slowly explained. "So then, that leads only one possible explanation, doesn't it?"
All looked at Goku with uncomprehending looks.
"What explanation are you talking about?!" Mrs Briefs cried. "Goku, who hurt my baby?!"
"It WAS Vegeta…"
All the hate that Yamcha had held for Vegeta compounded and magnified at that same moment. As expected, the drug had completely caused Vegeta to lose control and the result now lay, just barely hanging on, in the intensive care ward of the hospital after having the two lives she once carried murdered by the very same saiyajin who had helped to create them.
"You TRULY are the worse kind of monster…" he grinded out and then yelled. "You fucking animal!!!"
"Otousan…it's not true. Goku-san has to be wrong." Spoke little Trunks with fast gathering tears brimming. His unusually calm voiced changed to screaming. "TELL ME IT'S NOT TRUE!!!"
Vegeta wordlessly looked at his son. He beheld the heartbreaking desperation on his young face that all that he heard would be turn out to be nothing more that a horrifying life-like, but not real nightmare. A nightmare that that would be shattered into a million pieces, never to be assembled again to haunt or hurt him, just by the power of one simple word that only he, his father, could say…`No'…Just and only, all the boy wanted to hear was `No'.
Again, Vegeta found himself wishing with all his heart, praying to Kami Dende himself that `it' hadn't happened. That he indeed could say, the simple but powerful `No' that both he and his son needed to hear. But like life, there were some needs that were just never met, and he would not lie to his son about this, he would not lie to himself.
Chi-chi, the Briefs, and the two small boys looked at Vegeta in shock, horror and disbelief. Vegeta's silence spoke devastating volumes.
Vegeta for the second time that day felt as if he was dieing when he saw the tears in his son's eyes over spill over his soft young cheeks.
However, he wasn't permitted to feel that emotion for very long, he suddenly found himself flying through the ten story private interview room wall and then landing painfully on the concrete floor outside of the hospital building, courtesy of a raging Yamchua, who immediately leapt out after him. Yamchua picked up the shorter man by the neck and place his other hand, open palmed against his chest. He channelled his ki through that one limb and blasted the no Ouji at point blank range.
