Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Surviving Together ❯ How It Must Be ( Chapter 11 )

Surviving Together

Chapter 11 - How It Must Be

Bulma's stomach was tied in knots as she slowly entered Zarbon's room. She could hardly fathom what was in store for her, but she tried to brace herself as she was suddenly face to face with the green nightmare of a man. "Well, well, well, it seems our time has finally come," he smirked as he stepped out of the shadows to stalk closer to her. "You must be so excited you do not have to be touched by as hideous a creature as Vegeta anymore," he purred as he slid his hand up her hips to the seam of her shirt. "Shall we begin?" Bulma glared back at him with pure hate in her eyes. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear. Zarbon, however, only found her strong defensive manner even more appealing, making it nearly impossible for him to wait any longer. Slowly pulling her shirt over her head, he was very careful to feel every curve of her body on the way up. He smirked in triumph as he allowed his hands to slither back down her chest, stopping to place one hand on each breast. "Very nice," he praised while giving them each a gentle squeeze.

Bulma, meanwhile, found a blank spot on the wall and continued to stare at it, completely emotionless as Zarbon degraded her. Unfortunately, her silence only increased the beast's anticipation, knowing soon enough the room would be filled with her hoarse screams. Deciding he would start off slowly with the weak creature before moving on to the real fun, Zarbon glided his hand down her tight stomach until reaching her pants where he began to undo the buttons that bound them.

Feeling him begin to pull the garment off, Bulma closed her eyes to withhold her tears. But they were not to remain shut for long as the abrupt removal of Zarbon's hands startled her. In alarm, she brought her stunned eyes to look upon the bastard in front of her, who was taking labored steps away from her as he grabbed his throat as though he was being choked. Bulma gasped as she observed the blood running from his mouth and nose as stepped away from him to watch as he fell to the ground helplessly. The next thing Bulma saw was Zarra standing over the body of her brother with a single tear falling from her eye.

"Mier eian!" The man grunted in a language Bulma did not understand, as he looked up at his sister with a mix of hurt and fury.

Zarra knelt down next to her brother and held his head in her hands. "Mier hius ie wetusaesom iex oe inaiasn akiea, kie las mier evebteh imaie ie wetusaesom jsuak." She spoke with anger dripping in her voice as she then pulled out a weapon that looked like a dragon shaped dagger.

Watching in disbelief, Bulma observed tears rolling down the cold-hearted man's eyes as his sister brought the dagger to his throat. Unable to do anything but look away as the blade slash through his neck, Bulma tried to control the bile that was threatening to rise from her throat at the gory sight. But her attention was soon stolen as she felt Zarra's hand on her shoulder.

"Here," she said quickly as she handed Bulma her shirt. "We need to get out of here."

Bulma turned back to her friend with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry Zarra. I know, he was your brother," she tried to pull the loathing note from her voice. She was sick with hate for the man, but indebted for her friend's defense.

Zarra stood emotionlessly as she looked back at Bulma who was putting her shirt on. "He was a monster," Zarra said coldly as she looked down at the corpse, and then to the dagger in her hand. "He deserved to die the death of a traitor."

"But how?" Bulma asked as she buttoned her pants. "Your ki is almost as weak as mine."

"It is. I used pressure points. It's how the woman of my planet survived. We all know how to paralyze our men with only the mere touch of a finger. And once their ki is brought to nothing, a dagger to him is as lethal as one would be to you or I. That is the death of a traitor. To die powerless without honor, that is what he deserves for his life of atrocities, along with his crimes against you." Zarra looked back at the shaking woman and frowned as she glanced one final time to her brother's dead body. "I shouldn't have waited so long," she took a long breath to allow the reality to sink into both of them before she remembered that they could spare no more time. "We have to get out of here."

"And go where?" Bulma asked as she snapped back into reality as well. "How can we get out of here without being caught?"

"I have access to my brothers personal transport, no one will ask twice when we take off. And by the time anyone realizes he's dead we will be long gone. So we need to get out of here now." Zarra explained briskly as she placed her dragger back in her pouch and walked towards the door.

"Right," Bulma nodded as she began to follow her friend out. "But wait," the young woman stopped suddenly, "we can't leave yet, I have to find Vegeta, and tell him wh-"

Before Bulma could finish her sentence Zarra was practically pulling her out of the room. "There is no time, Bulma." The elder female warned in a rush as they began to hurry down the corridors.

"But Zarra, I won't leave without him!" Bulma protested as she stopped completely.

"Bulma," Zarra grew angry, "you don't have a choice here. We must leave now!"

"But-" Bulma tried to protest once more, but she was once again being dragged towards the docking bay.

"Lady Zarra," a guard bowed with respect as the pair arrived. "What can I do for you?"

Bulma decided to postpone her argument temporarily as she watched Zarra beautifully spin her lies. "I would like to use my brother's transport. I have been in desperate need of some relaxation, and so Zarbon has offered his ship for my use. My friend and I would like to leave immediately."

The man, without dispute, immediately nodded in acceptance of this as he guided the two into a hanger. "It is all yours, my lady," he bowed as he opened the entrance to the ship.

"Thank you," Zarra smiled flirtatiously before she and Bulma calmly boarded the ship. As soon as the door was closed Zarra got into the pilot seat and started the engine in a mad rush.

"Zarra," Bulma cried her friend's name, unable to bite her tongue a moment longer. "I am really grateful you killed your bastard of a brother and saved my life but, I can not leave without Vegeta!"

"Wrong Bulma," Zarra sighed as she continued to start the ship. "If Vegeta joined us Freeza would get word of it, and we would not make it more than a mile off ship before we were shot down or worse," she paused as the ships engine began, giving her a chance to look back at her disheartened friend. "We have to leave now." She insisted with certainty, allowing the bleak reality to sink into Bulma's mind.

After being ordered to buckle into her seat, Bulma felt the ship begin to move. The transport lifted off of the launch pad with record speed as Zarra set a course for a planet that was approximately one month away from where they left. She never felt so grateful for the care the soldier's that maintained the ship put into it. Fully fueled and in perfect shape she estimated they could make the trip without problem. But, how impressive the ship seemed, was irrelevant as she looked over at her utterly depressed companion. "Bulma," she started slowly as she turned to the heart broken woman.

Bulma looked at her friend with the image of pain and loss in her eyes. "He won't know what happened to me, Zarra. He is probably tearing himself apart right now just thinking about what is happening to me!"

"He already knows, Bulma," Zarra began slowly as she looked at the sudden glimmer of hope that shot across her friend's eyes. "How do you think I found out what my brother was going to do to you?" Zarra asked hoping the little human would pull the pieces together.

"He came to you?" Bulma asked with tears welling up in her eyes, "But he hates you!"

"I know," Zarra chuckled upon reflecting on the interaction. "You have one hell of a man there. For him to 'lower' himself to asking the sister of his mortal enemy for help was a leap the size of Freeza's ego for a man like him. You really broke him."

Bulma had never wanted to wrap her arms around him in thanks as she did at that moment. "Then… Then if he knows, we're going to meet him or something, right?" She asked with hope beating in her heart.

Zarra grew very quiet as she took her friends hands in hers. "Listen to me child," she started, trying to steady the shaking woman. "You need to understand what this means, Bulma. I may have saved you from my brother, but that's all I can do. I know of a planet I can take us to, out of Freeza's range. We can settle down in a place where we won't be found. We can start knew lives but… But Bulma you have to understand that Vegeta can't be a part of that. He asked me to take care of you. He does not know where we are going and he does not intend to find us. It is the only way to keep you safe."

Bulma felt more tears racing down her face as her temper overpowered her. "So that's it?! We're done! Have a nice life!?!" she hissed as she jumped up, beginning to frantically pace back and forth while running her hands though her hair in distress.

"I'm sorry," Zarra whispered, "but this is how it must be."

Bulma froze as she turned back to her friend. 'How it must be.' She closed her eyes a moment as she came back to sit down. She looked into her friend's eyes and felt compelled to admit what she had never spoken. "I love him Zarra," she said the words in a quiet sheepish sort of tone, though blatantly full of regret. "I never told him."

"He knew," Zarra tried to comfort as she pulled the young woman into her arms, "and there's not a doubt in my mind that he felt the same for you."

"I don't want to live without him. I don't know if I can." Bulma moaned, utterly depressed as she buried her head in her friend's shoulder.

"You have to," Zarra whispered regretfully. "You have survived too much to give up now."

'I've survived because of him,' Bulma thought completely crushed as she lifted her swollen eyelids and looked out into the stars. Every part of her broke at the thought of this being the end, her moving on with a new life, him forgetting her existence. Was this how her life was meant to be? She finally achieves peace and then must lose it? She learns to feel, and love again, and then she loses it? She did not want to believe that. She wanted to believe this was not the end, that she would instead see him again. She felt a smile cross her lips. Somehow she knew she would.

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Vegeta stood gazing out of the window he had watched Bulma stare out of so many times. He wondered where she was by now. He hoped light years away, or at least well beyond Freeza's territory. He had never swallowed his pride as he did when he asked Zarra to help him. However what pride he lost in asking her was little compared to what he would have lost if he had not. He would have lost her. He smiled at how noble she was. She was willing to die just to say him. He closed his eyes at the thought. No one in his life had ever been willing to do that for him. He knew that was why he did this. He knew no matter how this ended he would have to lose her, but knowing she was alive somewhere was survivable. Knowing she was dead at the force of Zarbon was more extricating than a thousand beatings from Freeza.

He did not know what would happen now. He imaged Freeza would appear on his doorstep soon enough, but somehow he was not worried. He could survive whatever awaited him because he knew she was safe. And that would keep him alive, because he somehow knew he would someday see his little azure minx again.

The End

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Author's Note: Ok, don't start cursing at me. This is only the end of the first part of the trilogy. So, the second part will pick up almost ten years later. I'll be posting it under the title Surviving Together: A New Legacy. So do read and review. It will follow in the same angsty, dramatic, romantic vein as this one. But in the mean time review and let me know what you think!