Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Stormy Bond ❯ Act V ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

I don’t own them! Bah humbug.


"This is strange a maze as e’er men trod, and there is in this business more then nature was ever conduct of. Some oracle must rectify our knowledge." – Alonso (5.1)
"Sir, I’m picking up several blips on the radar screen. It appears to be four life forms, and two mechanical entities. They are headed this way." Geedg-yar said from his position at the scanner panel.
Dr. Briefs, who had been standing next to his chair and chewing nervously on a fingernail, dropped his hand to his side and stepped up to the railing between his command chair and the operations deck.
"Is there any word from Yamcha, yet?" he asked without hope in his voice.
"No, sir. I'll stay on the monitors and let you know."
"Okay, I'm going out side to greet our guests. Keep the command center locked down as soon as you evacuate everyone we don't need. I want minimum personal only."
"Understood, sir." Geedge-yar said as his boss turned and walked to the door. "Sir, can I just say, that it has been an honor working with you," the small Yardrat said as he turned back to his duties.
"Thank you, Geedge-yar." He paused. "Ditto." And with that the doctor walked from the room to face his fate.
***
"You have to speak to me sooner or later, woman." Vegeta said, Bulma was across his arms, her eyes tight shut and her arms folded across her chest. 'You can't ignore me forever…' he finished in her head.
"Stop that!" she hisses, opening her eyes and glaring at him with a look that would have physically hurt a weaker man. "Stay out of my head. I plan on doing just that. Ignoring you and your stupid bond and… eventually… I won't have to try to keep you out of my head anymore. It will just come naturally."
Vegeta shook his head.
"You are going away, and I'm going away, and we are certainly not going away together. I plan on putting several galaxies between us, if not a universe. You said this bond is weak. We can out distance it…" Bulma kept searching for answers, her voice getting weaker and less sure as Vegeta continued to shake his head patiently.
"It would drive us both mad," he explained.
"Well, you're already mad, and being around you is making me insane… so I guess either way I'm…" she was cut off by Vegeta's lips covering hers.
Bulma's first kiss was awkward and quick and 50 feet in the air… but it took her breath away anyway. Vegeta's lips on her own were not only a shock, but an amazing sensation as well.
'Soft…' was all she could think, her anger gone, and Vegeta smiled against her lips. Not a smirk or a greedy grin of victory, but a real smile.
'Is that all you have to say, woman?' he thought back at her, letting her know he'd been privy to her thoughts.
Bulma blushed.
"You get kissed by a prince an all you can think is… soft?" there was only the slightest hint of mockery in his voice. "That's not what I call…"
It was Vegeta's turn to be cut off. Bulma threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. Vegeta tightened his grip on her, pulling her closer inside the circle of his arms.
'I don't know if it's the bond, or if I felt this before, but there is something about you, woman. Something that…' His thoughts insider her head as they kissed stopped suddenly as the began to fall.
Bulma pulled away. Looking down at the ground rushing towards them. 'Vegeta?' she asked inside her head, her fear and panic seeping through the bond they shared.
Vegeta glanced towards the ground before looking her calmly in the eye. 'I won't let you get hurt,' he thought in the last few seconds before they would hit the hard, green Yardratin soil below.
***
"Do you think could possibly be more gentle?" Gero asked 17 with venom in his voice. The android had been carrying Gero by the back of his clothing, and had dropped him rather unceremoniously on the ground a hundred feet or so from the large white complex.
"Sorry, master," 17 said with half a smirk. 18 landed, King Vegeta, Frieza and Bardock next to her.
"Now, that was fun," the Icejin said sarcastically.
"Where is this Dr. Briefs?" The king said, surveying their surroundings with a careful eye required for all top-notch warriors.
"Here!" A firm baritone called from the entrance to the compound. "I hope your stay here hasn't been inconvenienced too much."
Gero snorted and the king stepped forward. "I expect you have an explanation for all of this," he said, his face creased with displeasure. "Crash landings, hostile robots…"
"Ah! I'm sure 17 and 18 explained things to you, did they not? Although for the life of me I can't figure out why they brought you here. I've almost finished making some arrangements, and I expected them to keep you in the desert until we could afford to retrieve you."
"Arrangements?" The Saiyan no Ou said skeptically.
"Yes, the repair of your ship and healing of it's crew. I expected you would want to leave this planet as soon as possible, was I wrong in that assumption?"
The king's eyes widened, Frieza gasped, Bardock chuckled and Gero let a sickly grin slid up his wrinkled face.
"I don't think I understand. Didn't you sabotage my ship? Why strand us here only to fix our ship and send us on our way. It seems rather unnecessary to me. If were suicidal you could have just haled us… Why all the trouble?" The king asked, feeling more at ease around the small human man, but more uneasy in general.
"Unless he's lying, which is more then probable," Frieza said quickly.
"Ah, you see, that all comes out of a little misunderstanding," Briefs started, ignoring Frieza completely. "I was not responsible for the malfunction of your ship. As I thought the androids explained to you…" he frowned disapprovingly at 17 and 18, who only smiled contentedly at him. "I was informed by the mechanics working on fixing your ship that the explosions were caused from the inside." He took a second to look past the king at Gero and Frieza. "It seems you have a traitor in your midst. One at least…"
The king looked at his company with a shrewd understanding in his gaze. "Yes, I think things are starting to make sense now…"
"Oh, please!" Frieza started. "Don't tell me your going to believe this off-worlder loony and his lies. He has no proof. He's just trying to throw the blame aside. We are you're most trusted servants, he is a crazy scientist with cause for revenge. Don't be a fool your majesty…"
Vegeta considered that, his diplomatic experience scanning all the details and trying to make sense of everything. Even with all his experience as a king could not put his mind to rest, and the recent loss of his son was weighing on him heavily.
"If it's proof you want…" Briefs said, drawing the king out of his deep concentration, "There's someone I think you'll trust more then I that can tell you the traitors identity. I was under the impression that he knew exactly who was responsible for this unfortunate… episode."
"And that would be?" Frieza said unbelieving. He didn't notice the look on the kings face.
"Why my son, of course. You haven't forgotten about him, have you Frieza?" Vegeta said, turning slowly to face the Icejin. "I sure hope you haven't given up on him. Unless you had a reason to think him dead…"
Frieza froze. "Surely not, your majesty…" he stuttered after regaining his composure. "What reason would I have to think him dead, I just assumed, since we haven't seen nor heard from the prince that… Well, I admit I had forgotten about him, but…" he continued trying to find excuses, watching the king's face harden in understanding and anger.
"You…" Bardock said from his stance at his king's side.
Frieza bolted, taking off and flying away as fast as his ki could carry him.
The king turned with calm anger to 17. "Retrieve him," he said coldly.
In a flash Frieza was locked in 17 grip and gaping in shock before the king. "You're highness… I can explain.. I…"
"Save it, Frieza. You're just lucky you failed. Otherwise I wouldn't be allowing you a humiliating trial before all the empire before you're put to death for treason on the palace steps. If my son was dead, I'd kill you right here."
Bardock grunted. "Lucky you." He sneered at the traitor.
The king turned his back on Frieza, who had bowed his head in defeat and was shaking with rage, and looked again on the slightly frowning Dr. Briefs. "If it was in my nature to I apologize, I might say I owed you one…" he started, sticking out his hand for the doctor to shake.
"None is due, King Vegeta, I assure you. Had I been in your place…" he accepted the hand, and understanding passing between them. "But maybe, my daughter and I might be returned the things we lost when we were forced to flee for our lives…"
The king frowned. He knew the conflict between Briefs and Gero… Sure he trusted Briefs more, after knowing him only a few minutes, and Gero less after knowing him for so many years… but a king's word was his bond, and he had made an arrangement with Gero…
"I think not…" Gero said stepping forward. "You were supposed to be out of my hair thirteen years ago…" Gero glared at Briefs, "but I guess better late then never… as the saying goes…"
"Gero, what are you doing?" the king asked his frown deepening.
"Ridding myself of a long-time thorn, your highness," Gero spit, mockery on his tongue. "18, rid us of the doctor if you would…"
"Android…" the king warned, "disregard that."
18 just smiled at the king and fired a bright blast at the doctor, catching him unaware and throwing him back several feet. He slid along the ground, his body limp and singed and came to a halt several feet away.
"FATHER!"
***
Bulma let the name fly from her lips as Vegeta set her down, and she sprinted towards her father's prone body. "No, no, no," she kept saying again and again. "Daddy, no…" The eyes of all the survivors were on the Prince and the stunningly beautiful girl he had suddenly arrived with. Both of them looked like they'd been through a great deal, clothes in tatters, burns, cuts, green dirt smugdges…
She was crying as she knelt next to her father and picked up his head to cradle it in her lap. She ignored the surprised group of strange men that watched her in shock and dismay.
"Gero!" the king shouted. "What is the meaning of this?" The Saiyan king turned on the small human and stepped towards him menacingly.
"18…" Gero said jerking his head towards the Prince, who was watching Bulma with a frown on his face. In less than the blink of an eye, 18 was restraining Vegeta the younger, just as 17 was the white icejin.
"Take another step and your son dies," Gero threatened.
"Gero…" The Vegeta no Ou growled, but stayed where he was.
"Gero!' Frieza called. "Tell this twisted piece of sheet metal to set me free."
Gero got a sickly smile on his face. "Yes, 17, set our flawed accomplice free… of all his worldly cares…"
"With pleasure…" 17 said and ripped Frieza's head from his shoulders. Frieza didn't even have time to blink, but the really amazing thing was that 17 was so fast, he managed to not get a spot of blood on his clothing. Blood was, however, just starting to pour out all over the green ground, like some kind of twisted Christmas montage. Vegeta growled, feeling his revenge ripped from his fingers in a blur of carnage.
"Bravo, 17," Android 18 said. Vegeta was sneering and struggling to get free, but to no avail.
"Yes, bravo indeed," Gero agreed and stepped back from the rapidly spreading blood puddle.
"Two down… four to go… But who to choose next?" Gero scanned the remaining survivors. Vegeta, locked in 18 arms, still struggling slightly, Bulma sobbing over the broken form of her father, Bardock, standing with his fists clenched, afraid to move, the king at his side, watching with deadly intent on his features, "Eeny, meeny, minny… mo…" Gero's grin widened. "I think the Saiyan king will be next to go…17!"
Seventeen raised his hand.
Vegeta started to shout and squirm.
Bulma just stared in horror at Gero and his minions.
Bardock stepped in front of his king, but, was promptly pushed aside, by the king himself.
"I think that is quite enough…" Dr. Briefs said as he sat up. "I think we've proven our point, don't you?"
"Certainly," 17 said and lowered his hand, "but are you sure I can't kill him?"
"Yes!" Briefs said as he sat up.
"Daddy?" Bulma said softly and threw her arms around her father's shoulders.
Dr. Briefs caughed. "Careful dear. Android 18's blast may have been fake, but it still hurt like…"
"What is the meaning of this!" Gero shouted. "17, I said kill King Vegeta!"
"Yes, I heard you. I do have amazing auditory sensory, as you well know."
"But… I activated my failsafe voice command chip. How…?"
"That was the first thing I removed…" Dr. Briefs said as Bulma helped him stand. "The thing you activated was a generic look-a-like chip that I installed this morning. The androids were under my direction to pretend to be under your direction, just long enough to show to the king what a disgusting traitor you really are, Gero."
Bardock started to chuckle. "Clever…" he said and stepped closer to Gero. Gero shrank away in fear, tripping backwards and cowering behind his raised arm.
"Mercy!" he cried, crawling back and shaking in his boots. "Please, My Lord!"
"How is it that the really evil guys always think the good guys will suddenly forget that they were about to be killed by said evil guy and forgive him and let him go so he can be stabbed in the back later?" Bulma said.
Most everyone just looked at her with blank stares.
"Huh?" her father asked.
"I'm sure that somewhere… there's an idiot that would just let him go… but unfortunately for the crazy doctor here, we aren't him," Vegeta said.
"Oh, and speaking of letting go…" Bulma said, giving 18 the evil eye. "Would you mind?"
18 grunted and dropped her hold on Vegeta.
"Thank you," Bulma said sweetly, a kind of terrifying promise of pain under her eyes that made Vegeta shiver. 18 read the 'get away from my man' look and stepped back, bowing her head slightly. It was obvious that Bulma hadn't yet forgiven her for blasting her father.
Bardock and the king watched the exchange with curiosity.
"What are you going to do with him, King Vegeta?" Briefs asked, turning their attention back to the still quaking Gero.
"About the same thing I promised Frieza before Gero had his head removed, only his death will be much slower… for sure," the Saiyan no Ou said with a tight frown. "And just for your information, Gero, you don't make a very good villain. Most of the time you just sound like an idiot…"
Gero looked like he wanted to be insulted, but was too afraid to change his expression.
"Take him and secure him in the ship at Manklar-drat," Briefs said. "That is, if that’s all right with you, your majesty…" Briefs said.
"Fine…" The ruler of the Saiyan Empire growled.
"And if you would be so kind as to bring the ship back here, as soon as it’s ready…" he suggested to the Androids. They both nodded and took off, fast as lightning. Everyone watched them go as long as they could, (only a few seconds for even the keen sighted Saiyan king), and paused in awe.
The king turned to his son after a second of silence. "I’m glad you decided to join us. We had almost decided to leave you."
Vegeta smirked. Both of them. And an understanding passed between them that was built upon years of little or no emotional display and harsh physical punishments.
"Shall we head inside?" Dr. Briefs interrupted the silence and motioned towards the large white structure.
"Certainly," the king said, following the small human as he walked, leaning on his daughters shoulder. "I think we have much to discuss."
"Even more then you think,,," Briefs explained. "You and your crew aren’t the only ones that have found it necessary to leave. My daughter and I have decided to depart as well…"
"I see… " The king said glancing between his son and Briefs’ blue hared daughter.
"I was hoping we could reach an agreement…"
"I’m sure something can be arranged…"
Briefs nodded and turned to Bulma. "Did you finish your task?"
"Yes, well, nearly. "The Yardrats said they would take care of Manklar-drat, because the compound was still needed for the repairs on the Saiyan ship, and Slather-drat… well, it was already in ruins…" she stared at the ground sadly.
Dr. Briefs passed a fleeting though for Yamcha, but let it go quickly. He had more pressing issues at hand.
And then his hands were empty, and he was sprawling on the ground again. Bulma was ripped from his hands before even she knew what was happening. Once again she found herself in the air, in the arms of a dark hared Saiyan. Only this time, the hands were clumsy… and greedy.
"Bring her here!" the doctor heard a familiar voice command and turned to watch as Yamcha, who was being carried by a large, bald Saiyan, landed on the ground nearby.
"Yamcha!" Dr. Briefs yelled, standing quickly despite his old age and his injuries. He didn’t like the hungry look on the scarred human’s face.
Radditz growled at having to take orders from the weaker human, but complied anyway. Years of obedience school paying off. He nearly threw Bulma into Yamcha’s arms, and she screamed as she fell several feet towards the man that she could barely stand to look at.
The King, Bardock, and Gero just looked confused, and Prince Vegeta looked furious. Bulma squirmed against Yamcha’s chest, but found his arms stronger then they looked. One was twisted slightly with scars and the other was smooth and strong. He pulled her tight against him and ground his hips into her suggestively. She only shuddered and pushed away from him.
When Dr. Briefs began to step forward, Radditz stood in his way. "Yamcha what is the meaning of this?" he demanded crossly.
"It seems that I’m the one with the power now. For years I’ve put up with your family treating me like an inferior and ordering me around. Well, now it’s my turn to rule and make the orders."
It was right about then that the King and Bardock noticed the keg that had been in Nappa’s other arm.
"Radditz, Nappa!" He barked angrily. "What the HELL is going on?"
Both the Saiyan warrior’s eyes fell on their king and then say him for the first time since going into hyper sleep. Both of them dropped to their knees instantly and began babbling excuses. Nappa let the keg fall to the ground with a thud and s slosh.
"Drunk while in the midst of a crisis?" Bardock said, looking at his oldest son with disapproval. "I could have sworn I’d taught you better then that…"
"My chief security officer, and the trainer of my son and heir… " Vegeta no Ou said, shaking his head.
"We beg forgiveness, your majesty. "Radditz began.
"Please have mercy. We were confused, and took up with this weakling human as means of preservation. We had no idea if you had survived or not. No way of knowing…"
"And the…" the king sniffed the air, "Lamastra wine?"
They had no answer.
"I have lost too many subjects today as it is. You will be dealt with later, but only as foolish soldiers, and not as traitors, like these others… I can’t waste good help just because then have a taste for wine…"
Radditz and Nappa muttered their sincerest thanks and saluted their great and wise king. As Yamcha watched he felt his empire crumbling beneath his feet. Vegeta had never taken his eyes off Bulma, and the man holding her too closely.
"Let her go…" he growled. "Now."
"No!" Yamcha shouted turning Bulma around in his arms and pulling a sharpened piece of scrap metal from his pants. "Step back or I’ll…" he placed the makeshift knife at Bulma’s throat, "I’ll kill her!"
The doctor and Vegeta both froze.
"Where are you going to go, Yamcha? You can’t get out of this one. Just let her go…:" Dr. Briefs stepped forward.
Yamcha pressed the shiv closer into Bulma’s flesh. Vegeta saw her flinch and felt a twinge of pain at his own throat. He watched, his anger building as a trickle of blood ran down her throat and under her collar.
Dr. Briefs stopped. "This can only end badly, Yamcha. Let her go now before someone gets hurt."
"You don’t’ believe me?" Yamcha yelled. "I’ll kill the little bitch, I will!"
Bulma winced at the loud voice in her ear. Her eyes moved rapidly from Vegeta to her father, to the King and Bardock, and back to Vegeta. His face was consciously blank, but his eyes… were a light with the rage that she could also feel shifting inside her chest like liquid mercury, cold and burning and shimmering inside her. "… never gave me a chance… couldn’t see me as a man… always thought you were so much better…" Yamcha was ranting quietly under his breath as he retreated slowly.
Vegeta’ mind began cycling through all the possible strategies to get Bulma away form the crazy man without getting her hurt as Yamcha began backing away, taking Bulma with him.
It was such a simple task, but the anger in Vegeta’s brain was making his thinking slower. And he failed to notice Frieza. Or what was left of him…
In his moment’s hesitation, Yamcha took another step back, and got his foot tangled in the cold heavy limbs of the dead Icejin. He tumbled backwards, pulling Bulma with him, his arms flailing to gain some balance. There was a slick swish as Yamcha landed in the mud made by Frieza’s blood and Yardrat’s green dirt, and a sick thud as Bulma twisted and fell on top of Yamcha. A few gasps, and a silent pause.
Bulma recovered from the stun and looked beneath her. Right below her she could see Yamcha’s half deformed face. ‘He might have been handsome…’ she thought briefly and then looked past him at the dirt below.
Frieza’s blood had darkened to a purple as it soaked up oxygen from the air and now contrasted with the green dirt in such a way that Bulma found herself fighting the urge to laugh., and never stop. The urge faded, however as she saw another color moving among the green and purple. A red brighter then Frieza’s blood ever wanted to be. She coughed slightly as she felt strong hands pull her off of Yamcha and turn her on her back.
Vegeta laid Bulma down and then picked up Yamcha and threw him several hundred yards where he slammed against the side of a Yardratin dwelling.
His previous insanity had shifted from anger to confusion in the midst of the shock of falling and he looked down. The front of his clothes were splattered with blood, and his hand. His good hand that had been holding his knife…
‘Where is my knife?’ he wondered vaguely as he snapped let the dark waters of insanity engulf him.
***
Dr. Briefs watched as Vegeta tossed Yamcha aside like a rag doll, and then turned to kneel beside his last remaining family. Bulma slowly raised a hand and looked at it, covered in the sticky red substance. That’s when his eyes moved lower, and beheld the shiv protruding from her chest, just about where her heart had been.
"Bulma…" he muttered and dashed forward.
***
Vegeta could feel her going. The blade in her chest had opened a flow of blood, like a babbling brook or silent fountain and she was bleeding to death. The part of his mind where he’d felt her for the last 24 hours was slowly emptying, draining through some crack he couldn’t stop.
"Woman…" he choked, feeling her fear and panic sharply as it began to fade. "Don’t…"
‘Don’t what?’ he heard faintly in his head. ‘Don’t die? Ok, sure. I’ll stay here with you then, shall I?" Her voice in his mind was soft as a whisper and drifting away like fog in the wind. Before it was gone he felt the pain as it surged past the initial shock, and took hold of her for the first time.
Bulma winced and clenched her fist on Vegeta’s collar. After a second she opened her eyes and gazed at the deep, intense dark eyes above her.
~~~ ‘I won’t let you get hurt.’ he thought in the last few seconds before they would hit the hard, green Yardratin soil below.
Bulma had never though you could feel peace and panic at the same time, but at that moment she did. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact. Inside her mind she suddenly knew. Her ki disrupting field… Her father had probably had it set up in the desert, over Vegeta’s father and the others, and they had just flown into it.
In her mind she saw the large sphere, invisible, but solid… She calculated… 50 + feet… a mile radius, brings the curvature to… and Vegeta’s height, measuring the curvature of the sphere…
Luckily for them, Vegeta was also getting her thoughts and calculations, although he barely understood them. The last part, however, he got loud and clear… other wise there wouldn’t have been time.
‘Fly, Vegteta! The field should be clear closer to the ground…!’
There had been a flicker of gold, and they’d stopped barely two feet from the ground, hovering in mid air.
"No more close calls, Vegeta." She’s said as he’d set her down to catch her breath, "I don’t think my heart can take anymore of them…"
~~~
"You’re heart…" he whispered…
"I love you…" she whispered quietly for almost no reason, coughing again and tasting blood in her mouth. It just suddenly seemed true. Vegeta leaned forward and kissed the blood from he lips.
"Woman… Bulma… I…" he started, stammering. Vegeta, the Prince of the mighty Saiyans, stammering. If she hadn’t been dying from the piece of metal protruding from her chest, she might have died from laugher.
"I know," she said, placing her hand on his face. And then she was gone… leaving only a bloodied hand print on his cheek.
***
The professor, a creator of many good things, helper of many good people, and father to one amazing daughter, knelt slowly and reached for her.
"Don’t touch her," Vegeta growled, his eyes still locked on her face.
Trunks Briefs pulled his hand away and watched the strange prince hold his only child as her body started to cool. It as in that second that he felt the most foolish.
The king placed a consoling hand on his son’s shoulder. Probably the only affectionate gesture of both their life times, and in that second, Vegeta the younger felt all the power inside him unless to get him the thing he wanted most. A chance to know this gorgeous young woman. And opportunity to spend a lifetime arguing with her and challenging her wit. The occasion to fill her with his seed and give her a child, an heir of his own.
"Son, I…"
Vegeta’s ki flared, knocking both Bulma’s father and his own away from them both. A roar of grief and loss ripped from his throat. Pain… in it’s purest emotional form pulsed in his veins, and filled that empty space in his head, expanding and glowing, shifting from evil black… to gold…
***
Bardock’s breath caught in his throat. "The legendary…" he muttered and raised his arms to protect his eyes from the amazing power, the awesome light that was emitting from Vegeta. He listened to the prince yell in agony of soul, for what seemed like an eternity, before he began to notice the others gathering.
The small blue creatures, their eyes so large with trust and love for everything, everyone, were forming a circle around the turbulent sphere of energy that Vegeta was putting off. In the roar of all his princes grief he could not make out the words, and thought he probably wouldn’t have understood them anyway, but they were all saying something. The same thing, chanting together.
He had just started to wonder what purpose this might have when the strange vision before him went from amazing to a miracle. Vegeta’s light began to surround Bulma’s body making her glow as he did, team with power and… life… as he was.
Seeming to run in reverse, the flow of her life force moved over the ground and her clothes and back under the blade and into her body. Slow at first, and then faster, until the ground was left only muddled green and purple. Vegeta having also noticed the amazing change, placed his hand on the knife and yanked it bitterly from her chest. Like a needle it seemed to pull a thread of breath into Bulma and she gasped for air an opened her eyes.
Vegeta dropped the knife clumsily at their side and took her in his arms, kissing her firmly and passionately.
‘He will be a good king..’ Bardock thought as the lights started to dim.
***
"Bulma…" Dr. Briefs said, not believing his eyes. At first, the blast of energy and the intense light had left him feeling clobbered and defeated, and he’d lain, sprawled on the ground waiting for the end to come… the darkness. But there was only light, bright and unwavering.
Slowly he sat up and tried to peer into the source. Vegeta, he could see had stopped crying out, and was, instead, using his mouth to claim the mouth of his daughter. His very much a live daughter. And that’s when he heard the chanting.
13 years on Yardrat working closely among the people, and he still knew relatively little about them. He had managed to pick up a bit of their language, and could make out some of the words.
"Gift of life something power to bestow life something something joining something love…" he blocked it out and tried to stand. It was becoming easier. The light surrounding the kissing couple was starting to fade. Slowly the electric feel of ki saturated air faded and the light dimmed.
Vegteta’s hair, which had been glowing golden blond, resumed it’s black flame and the air ceased to buzz. Bulma pulled away and looked into Vegeta’s eyes.
"I think I like them better black then teal…" she said, so that he could barely hear. He wondered at that… but dismissed it as the urge to hold his daughter tight and sing her sweet lullabies over came him.
***
"Have you got everything?" Dr. Briefs asked Bulma for the twelfth time.
"Yes, dad," she responded patiently, for the twelfth time. "It’s all capsulated and waiting in the briefcase in the launching bay. I just wanted to say good bye to some friends before those androids get here with the ship. Ten minutes you said?"
"Eight!" he corrected.
"Ok, eight, don’t leave with out me…" she left the room leaving the men to watch in wonder at her being up and moving around.
"What happened out there?" Dr. Briefs wondered aloud.
"The legendary…" he heard Bardock say.
"A mating bond…" The king said cryptically. There was only the slightest hint of disapproval in his tone, and that was mostly attributed to insecurity. Vegeta the king had spoken in private to Vegeta the prince and his "bride" shortly after the "resurrection incident". Vegeta had explained about the accidental bond, and the king had had only one question.
"But what of the sexual endorphins required to release the blood compound after the blood exchange?"
Bulma had blushed. Vegeta hadn’t told her about that part…
"Surely that couldn’t happen by accident?"
"You’d… be surprised…" Vegeta had said and left it at that.
Now, the androids were due to arrive with the repaired ship at any moment and they would be on their way. Final arrangements were completed. When they launched, the evacuated compound would self destruct leaving almost no trace of the Briefs presence on the planets surface. Once in space they would destroy the de-activated satellites and surveillance probes scattered throughout the solar system. And the Yardratin councils last request would be filled. The planet would be left defensless… technically, but King Vegeta had promised that he would personally have it removed from all purging lists, and have a ban placed on the system. As long as his royal line controlled a good part of the universe, the Yardrats would be safe to live out their lives in peace.
"Now, when this place goes it’ll take out the planetary core gravitational system I had to install so that we could all walk around without a grav-bubble out side our home. You can’t imagine the trouble we had keeping Bulma inside. Her mother was always so worried she would slip out and get squished flat…" Briefs chuckled at the memory. The Saiyans stared at him blankly. He guessed they wouldn’t understand…
"The gravity on Yardrat is 100 times stronger the Chikyuu’s." he explained. "Vegetasei is only 10 times Chikyuu’s gravity."
"Oh…" all the Saiyans said.
"That is why they were all so strong…" Vegeta mused under his breath.
The entrance way was filled with the roar of engines and the silhouette of a large ship entered the doorway. "They’re here!" he called out above the noise.
They all gathered their assigned loads and waited for the transport to land. Nappa was assigned to carry the babbling Yamcha, lost forever in a sea of madness, while the others had cases of capsulated equipment and supplies.
The ship landed, and the ramp lowered. Several of the crew ran to see whether tales of the King and the Prince’s survival were really true, (most Saiyans were not trusting by nature), and smirked with racial pride to see their royalty pull through such an ordeal with nary a scratch… well… too many scratches. And none were too sad about the death of Frieza or the report that Gero was shackled in the brig. Neither of them had ever been very trusted or liked.
Everything was loaded aboard and Briefs made the final parting call to Geedge-yar outside the compound walls. The only thing missing…
Vegeta stood at the bottom of the ramp and waited, his arms crossed over his chest, not-so-patiently, and his toe tapping slightly. Finally, seconds before her father sent out a search team, she came walking slowly through the door and towards the ship. She had something in her hand. Something she wouldn’t take her eyes off of. Vegeta put an arm protectively around her shoulder and led her on board.
"What is that?" Trunks asked his daughter. She was holding a small golden glowing ball in her hands and looking at it as if it was both fragile and magnificent.
"Vegeta’s son…" she said, softly.
"What!" everyone, including both Vegeta’s cried out. Everyone except Yamcha, who slid to the floor as Nappa rushed in inspect the object in the blue-hared woman’s hands.
"The Yardrat’s…" she began to explain. "Their offspring… they come from sampled life-forces of two prospective parents. The ritual… combines them, with blood and flesh and creates a whole new being… inside this little shell…" she paused staring at it with glowing eyes. "Teed-yar gave it to me. He said it was from the Headrma of this village. They could use it to pull my life back into me because of the amazing ki force that Vegeta was… and because of our bond. There was still enough of me left in him to…" she chocked up.
"Amazing isn’t it…?" Dr. Briefs said. Inside the translucent sphere he could see a purple glow forming around what looked suspiciously like a mini chicken… with a longer tail…
He reached back and absently pressed the "door close" button as he continued to watched the mixed expressions of the Saiyan crowd.
"Ready for launch?" 17’s voice came over the com.
"Yes…" Briefs said absently. He wanted to laugh at the looks of shock and pride… and disgust that were alternating across Vegeta no Ouji’s face.
Behind him Yamcha slipped unnoticed out the not quite closed door. Later he would be missed, but not really. The doctor imagined that he might have wondered, like a lost child until he found Gertty Briefs grave, which Bulma and he had decided would remain on Yardrat, where he might have laid down among her roses until gravity kicked in and smothered the life from him. It was a merciful way to go.
Bulma shed a tear for him, because he could have been a good man, but forgot about him almost instantly there after as she was caught up in the joy surrounding her new husband, and the small bauble that contained the fruits of their bond.