Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Surviving Together: A New Legacy ❯ Betrayal? ( Chapter 15 )

Surviving Together: A New Legacy

Chapter 15 - Betrayal?

Bulma sat on the couch in Durka's chambers, wrapped in his warm embrace. Since her parents died she had few people in her life she could go to for reassurance. Zarra had always been a rock for her in times of crisis. She felt fortunate that the woman she had loved like a sister had a son just as caring. Other than Durka, she had no one to turn to for comfort. Trunks was too young to offer that kind of emotional support. And her friends from the science department, though kind, could never understand the horrors she had witnessed throughout her life. Strangely, she felt the man holding her could comprehend.

"Is there anything I can do?" Durka asked after he noticed her tears calming.

"You're already doing it." Bulma forced a smile as she sat back to really look at the man. She was suddenly aware of his lack of clothing and felt her cheeks heat up. "Oh… I'm so sorry." She jumped off the couch, feeling like a complete fool for not noticing sooner. "I can't believe I was so--"

"It's ok." He quickly stopped her as he tried to hold a chuckle. "I know you weren't trying to seduce me."

Bulma blushed deeper. "Me? You're the one in the towel." She swallowed hard as she quickly turned to leave. "I should probably go."

"Bulma wait-" Durka rose to stop her, but his towel slid right off his hips.

Bulma's eyes widened as she eyed the man before he had a chance to pull his towel back up. She felt a strange shiver speed down her spine as she remembered the last man who stood naked before her.

It was Durka's turn to blush as he pulled the towel tightly around his waist. "Sorry." He coughed, rather embarrassed.

"Actually, it's only fair." Bulma let out a quick laugh. "You've already seen me naked."

Durka's blush deepened this time as he remembered seeing her after she had stepped out of the regen tank. "Yes, I guess you're right."

"Well." Bulma turned to leave again. "I should go before this gets any more awkward."

She didn't get more than a foot out of the door before she felt Durka's hand stop her. "Wait, you never said what was wrong."

Bulma frowned; she didn't think she was ready to talk about this with anyone. "I'm sorry Durka, but I don't think I can deal with this yet."

"Are you sure?" He asked softly as his hand founds its way to her cheek.

Bulma felt her eyes unconsciously close, the warmth emulating from his palm seemed to spread through her body. She slowly fell gently against the frame of the door as a strong arm supported her back. She felt her lips brushed by a soft surface, and then the warmth turn to heat. Her lips spread as a tender tongue invaded her mouth. Before Bulma knew what was happening her hands were lost in Durka's long green mane as her body was flush against his rock hard body. For a moment, everything seemed to drift away. Only for a moment.

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"Are you certain of this?" Vegeta asked Aphara; he found this new information intriguing.

"Yes, sir." Aphara nodded, very pleased by the man's belief in what she said. 'Let's see how you handle this one Captain.'

Vegeta was actually angered by the news more than anything. If this man knew something was going to happen he should have alerted him sooner. It could have prevented… Vegeta growled before he questioned her further. "You mentioned another vision. What is it?"

Aphara coughed quickly as she was a little nervous to answer. "Well sir, I know what he told me. I don't believe it is true per se, he could have been--"

"Spit it out!" Vegeta demanded.

"He said something about a giant ape on a rampage destroying everything in sight." Aphara spoke quickly. Her eyes squinted slightly, as she expected the Emperor to break out in a fit of laughter at the mere suggestion. Strangely, he had a very serious look upon his face.

"Was there more to this vision?" Vegeta asked knowing very well this could be possible. He wasn't sure how, he had full control of his Oozaru form, but considering what had happened in the last twenty-four hours he was beginning to think anything was possible.

"He didn't tell me anymore, though I do think there was more to the vision than he let on." Aphara was more than confused by the borderline worried look the man displayed.

"Where is Durka now?" Vegeta demanded quickly.

"His room, sir." Aphara slightly gulped. The man seemed a little too agitated for her liking.

"Show me." He ordered as Aphara left with the Emperor following. "Is there something wrong, sir?" She dared to ask, hoping to get an answer to her question.

"No." Vegeta answered promptly as he angrily followed her down the hall. As he passed through each corridor he noticed more than a few men jump out of his path in a horrified rush. Vegeta was enjoying the new smell of fear.

"His room is right around h--" Aphara stopped speaking, she froze dead in her tracks. Her lips parted slightly as an almost hurt look covered her face.

Vegeta turned to see what had captured the commander's attention. As he did, he felt his chest tighten. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight before him. His woman…with another man. No scene could be more sickening to his stomach or more agonizing to what was left of his heart. He had his answer. The reason she had called Durka's name when he put her into the tank. He was courting her. The disgusting display of groping, and the fact that the man was sporting only a towel around his waist made the truth clear to him. Vegeta didn't bother to take in more than a few seconds of the sickening sight before he spun around and stormed right back to his throne room.

Aphara was about ready to storm over and beat Bulma senseless for… Well she wasn't exactly sure what it was for, but she most definitely wanted to kill her, when she noticed the Emperor's about face. "Sir?" She called as she turned to follow him.

The entire walk back to the throne room Vegeta never once turned to acknowledge the commander. He was too engulfed in fury.

'What has him so angry?' Aphara was dying to know why Durka and the science woman would bother him when she couldn't exactly justify her own anger. "Sir!?" Aphara asked again when they finally arrived in the throne room.

This time Vegeta actually stopped as he slowly turned to look at the woman. Aphara immediately felt a strange vibe coming from him as his eyes ran up and down her body almost predatorily. "Sir?" She asked one last time, utterly confused by what had changed the man's disposition.

All that registered in Vegeta's mind was the sight of his mate in another man's arms. He had lived in abstinence for ten years because of her memory, and what of her? It was clear she had forgotten him and had obviously moved on quickly after. He was a fool to allow himself to waste so much time caring, dreaming, envisioning, and allowing her to control his thoughts. But now it was done, all of it. He would never let her hold him back from this day forth. She was now truly dead to him, and he was free to move on to whatever, or whoever he wanted.

People damn near revered him as a god; he was the ruler of the northern alliance and soon the southern alliances as well. He could have any woman he wanted, and it was time he took what he wanted, what he needed, back. He would not let a memory stand in his way any longer. He was going to free himself of her attachment once and for all. Vegeta finally responded to Ahpara's question in the form of a heated kiss. Moving in what seemed a blink of the eye, he had her roughly pressed against his chest with his tongue invading her mouth demandingly.

It took a few seconds for Aphara to respond, she was totally shocked by the Emperor's sudden interest. However, shocked as she was, she was far from disinterested. What woman would push away the strongest, most powerful, not to mention sexiest, man in the universe? Her hands immediately found their way down his back to his amazingly tight ass. If Durka could have fun, so could she. And she intended to do just that.

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"This is going perfectly!" Trunks cheered. "My Mom and Emps will be together before you even know it! Just wait and watch!" Trunks said confidently.

"If you think so." Garock sighed. "But I wouldn't be too optimistic. I certainly am not. A million things could go wrong."

"Don't be a pessimist!" Trunks shook his head at the man. "I mean what could possibly mess this up? They're having dinner tonight. What could cause problems in a matter of hours?"

"They could meet other people." Garock eerily offered the possibility.

Trunks only laughed. "Right, like that'll happen. Can you try to be serious? I want you to go make sure everything is perfect for the dinner. Got it?"

"Yes Master Trunks." Garock rolled his eyes as he could have sworn when the child was demanding like this he mirrored a certain chibi Saiya-jin prince he helped bring up.

Trunks smiled at the title. "I'm glad you agree, Rocky."

Garock cringed. It seemed the child was now addressing him in as informal manner as he does the Emperor. "I will see to the dinner, but you are to make sure that both parties are present. And, a word to the wise, make sure your mother is on time. The Emperor hates tardiness."

"Fine." Trunks nodded as he turned away from the man. "Just you wait and see Rock, this dinner will go off without a hitch!"

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Bulma moaned; she didn't want the moment to end. She thought the kiss offered some kind of refuge from all the pain and loss she was suffering. The death and violence she had witnessed and been subjected to the last week was suddenly being pushed from her mind as she focused on the gentle passion radiating from the man before her. She became so engrossed in the act, that the tears that had started to flow from her eyes went unnoticed. Unfortunately, only she missed them.

Durka felt the light drip of a salty tear fall upon his cheek. He opened his eyes as he noticed the woman crying. "Bulma?" He breathed heavily as he quickly pulled away from her. He fought to figure out what he had done to make her cry. She was responding to him, very passionately in fact. Why the tears?

Bulma blinked in confusion as he pulled away from her. "Wh… Why did you stop?" She asked not realizing that she spoke in a broken whimper.

Durka frowned as he placed his hands on her cheeks as he began to wipe her tears away with his thumbs. "You are crying." He whispered, saddened by her reaction. "What did I do?"

Bulma sniffled as she lifted her hands to cover his. "I'm sorry." She whispered tearfully.

"Don't be sorry." He forced her to look at him. "Tell me, what is it?"

Bulma swallowed the knot in her throat as she pulled her eyes away from him. "I'm never going to feel that way again." She whispered softly, realizing all too painfully what caused her misery.

"Feel what way?" Durka asked, completely lost at this point. "Was it something I did?"

"No." Bulma shook her head. "This is my fault. I… I should never have kissed you… I can't ever give you what you want."

"Bulma, it was just a kiss." Durka tried calming the almost grieving woman. "I'm not asking for a life long commitment here."

Bulma forced a smile as she looked up into his unknowing eyes. "I'm so sorry Durka." She repeated. "You deserve better than this."

"Bulma." Durka whispered slowly as he brought her eyes to his. "It was just a kiss." He reverberated, her startling reaction to a simple kiss made him cringe at the thought of what might have happened if they had slept together.

"No, Durka." Bulma shook her head. "It's not just a kiss… It's proof."

"Proof?" Durka repeated. "Proof of what?"

Bulma shook her head as she stepped away from him. "Do you know how many men I've kissed in the last ten years?"

Durka blinked at the question. "No, but I don't understand why--"

"Two." She sniffled. "Including you."

Durka raised an eyebrow; he had no idea what this had to do with anything that was happening between them. "So you don't like to see a lot of men. That is nothing to be ashamed o--"

"Do you know what both of these men had in common?" She asked, as it was all too clear to her that he was lost in her insanity. "They were both wonderful men! Everything a woman could want! And do you know what happened the one time I kissed each of them?" She only paused briefly as the question was more rhetorical than anything else. "I thought of another man! Do you believe that?! Two wonderful men, better in some ways than the one I was envisioning, but more than I could have ever asked for and they each meant nothing to me!"

Bulma paused again as she saw the frown cross Durka's face. "That's why I cry." She whispered as she stroked his cheek. "I'm bound to a dead man for the rest of my life and not even an amazing man like you can fix that for me. I wish you could." She wiped a tear from her cheek. "I really wish you could, but I'd end up hurting you, and I couldn't live with myself for that."

Durka took a long breath as he watched the woman's beautiful blue eyes speak the truth. "I understand." He whispered. "Believe it or not, I actually know what it's like to try and get over someone you can't ever have. Unsuccessfully, of course."

Bulma smiled, the man was being kinder than she probably deserved. "Thank you for understanding."

"May I ask?" He whispered softly. "The man you… are bound to… He is Trunks father?" He asked, not completely sure why he wanted to know, but curious nonetheless.

Bulma nodded slowly. "Yes, he was my first and only."

"But… You had to be young." He asked with the slightest sound of disbelief. "How could you be so sure?"

Bulma felt her lips curl into a smile, she suddenly felt free for the first time ever to speak of the love she had lost. "He was all I could think of." She whispered softly. "The way he kissed me, touched me, held me, laid with me, it was as if he could chase all the demons away, leaving only us. For all of his flaws, which let me make crystal clear there were many, all I could see when I looked in his eyes were the perfections. He could bring out my greatest strengths and take away my most damaging weaknesses all at once. He could be gentle and rough at the same time, cruel and kind, dangerous and protective, but always honorable. He saved my life on more than one occasion." She paused to bite her trembling bottom lip as though to hold her tears. "He suffered for me, and I did little for him in return." She stopped again as her attempt to hide her sorrow failed. "I couldn't even tell him I love him before he died."

Durka remained quiet as the woman spoke so fondly of the deceased man keeping her from happiness. "Do you think a man of the caliber you speak of would want you alone?" He asked a question that, judging by her reaction, she had never considered.

After giving it a brief thought Bulma let out a quick laugh. "Actually, he probably would have preferred that I spent the rest of my life pining over him. To be honest, I think I would have expected the same from him. When you love someone that deeply, no one can stop the pain their loss causes."

Durka cracked a smile as he wondered what that would be like. To have a woman love him so deeply that she would rather suffer an existence alone than be with another. "Then you are truly lucky. I doubt many people can say they have felt so deeply for someone."

"I try to hold on to that thought." Bulma shook her head as she finally felt some relief. It's strange; after all of these years of silence she had never felt so free in speaking about what she had suppressed. "I really thank you for putting up with my insanities, but I do have some things I need to deal with on my own. If you don't mind I think I'd better be going."

"Oh… Of course, I suppose I should get dressed anyway." Durka cleared his throat as he remembered once again he still had no clothing on. He gave a quick nod to Bulma before he turned and left her to contemplate all that she was to deal with.

She attempted the task of sorting out her thoughts and feelings as she disappeared down the hall, but her success was minimal and interrupted. Not more than five minutes into her journey she felt a fist come across her left cheek with startling speed that sent her flying through a wall to land roughly in the middle of the training grounds. Bulma slowly rebounded as she looked up in shock to see her attacker.

"I should have done this sooner." A furious voice hissed, granting Bulma only a few seconds to defend herself before another attack came at her. 'Why me?' Was the last thought she had before she prepared for yet another battle.

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"Oh, my king." Aphara moaned as Vegeta moved his way from her lips to her neck. He already had her armor off and was going for her shirt as he felt her groping for his spandex after successfully removing his cape and armor.

Vegeta held little interest in what he was devouring; he just wanted a distraction from the pain, the fury, and the anger. The anger of knowing that the only woman he had ever cared for was mating another. The anger of knowing that while he slept in an empty bed for ten years hers had been warmed every night. And now, the most infuriating of all, the realization that even the attractive body before him couldn't come close to filling even the smallest space in the void the woman had torn from his pathetic soul.

After his thoughts had cleared enough, he looked down at the body that had moved his spandex to his waist and was already worshiping his perfect chest. The work she had done to his nipples was impressive, but failed to do much for his nearly numb libido. 'Damn little minx.' He thought how cruel it was that he couldn't even move on when all he could think of was her soft fingers against his rough body.

Vegeta helplessly closed his eyes as he focused on the image of the woman he wished to be touching, worshiping, and entering her perfect body. He imagined the second and final time they lay together. It was all he could do to get himself aroused as the being below him was failing miserably.

Little did the Emperor know, Aphara believed his sudden reaction was her doing. She licked her way up the Emperor's chest as she moved to attach his neck. "Like that?" She purred into his ear.

Vegeta felt a smirk cross his lips. He was tempted to tell her he had to envision another woman to arouse him even in the slightest, but he thought that would defeat the purpose. He gnawed at the woman's shoulder after disposing of her shirt. He bit down on her bra strap as he was moving to slip the article off her shoulder when he felt the woman slide her hand over the spandex that covered his less than enthralled manhood. Vegeta growled; he knew he had to try harder. He closed his eyes and his mind once again slipped back to what it felt like when Bulma had been experimenting with his throbbing erection. Her soft hand caging his sweltering member, the slow strokes she used as she caressed him from base to tip, the agonizingly pleasurable feel of her wet tongue following the same path her fingers had, and then the pressing need he felt as she took him completely into her mouth. He moaned louder as he could remember the agonizingly seductive look she gave him as he came into her mouth, drinking all of his seed greedily. "Bulma…" He panted, as his erection had grown fully hardened for the first time in ten years. However, the moment the sensations grew to full need the woman who had started to remove the rest of his spandex suit stopped and jumped away from him as though he was poisonous.

"BULMA!" Aphara screamed as she snapped the man right out of his dazed flashback. "The science wench!" Aphara screamed with indignation as she remembered how Durka had used that name for the woman with such tenderness. "You're hung up on her too?! What the hell is wrong with you men?" She hissed; she couldn't believe this one woman seemed to be blocking her pleasure. "At first I thought the woman was just a bitch, but now she most be some kind of spell casting witch for a creature as pathetic as she to actually attract--"

"That's enough!" Vegeta roared as he grabbed the shirt and armor the woman had lost. He quickly threw them at her as he grabbed his own cape and armor. "We're finished here." He said venomously as he turned to leave.

"The hell we are!" Aphara shrieked as she ran in front of him, seemingly forgetting how powerful the man before her actually was. "You can't just use me and throw me aside when you don't want me anymore!"

"Why not?" He asked smugly. "You don't want me anymore than I want you. I saw your reaction to that little scene in the hall. Or will you deny your jealousy?"

"Jealousy!" She screamed. "You're the one who moaned another woman's name! What the hell is the 'supreme ruler' of the universe doing pining over a woman who isn't fit to lick my combat boots?!"

Vegeta growled as he quickly wrapped his fingers around the woman's neck. "Watch your tongue." He hissed dangerously. "You have no idea what that woman is and isn't fit for. Don't ever speak of her in such a way again. Is that clear?!" Vegeta demanded, unconsciously defending a woman he had just vowed to forget for an eternity.

Aphara coughed out a 'yes,' and Vegeta released her. The woman suddenly felt as though tears were going to start flooding down her face if she stayed any longer. "Go to hell." She growled before she quickly turned and ran out of the throne room.

Once she was gone Vegeta let his body sink to the floor. He ran his fingers through his hair a few times before his hand lingered over his eyes. What had happened to turn him into such a weak fool? A woman! A mere woman?! Vegeta propped his elbows on his knees as he massaged his temples. "What is wrong with me?"

"I was about to ask you that myself." A voice suddenly echoed across the room. "Because you need to figure that out, and soon."

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Author's Note: I bet I had some of you sweating back there, with who was going to do what with whom. But never fear, I wouldn't dare cross those lines… yet… j/k… Anyway… In the next chapter we find out who dropped in on Vegeta, and who decided to send Bulma through a castle wall. Expect some excitement when fists are flying and the past is admitted next time. Until next time…