Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Hybrid ❯ Enlightenment isn't always a good thing ( Chapter 12 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. Blah, blah, blah. Yada, yada, yada.

Chapter 12

Planet Lycondra

He stepped off of his ship and glanced at the shivering mutant native that'd been sent as an escort. Runt. The one that bowed and gestured toward the rest of the base. "Welcome milord, if you will come this way."

Vegeta totally ignored him and cocked his head to signal Raditz to come down as well. The two larger Saiyans dropped from the ship and stood beside him. He nodded toward Raditz. "Go mingle with the natives." Nappa grinned and started off. "Raditz, go check the arrivals and departures at the Portmaster's Office." Vegeta closed his eyes wearily. "And keep him out of trouble."

Raditz held back his groan and just sauntered off to follow his pain-in-the-ass shipmate. "If I don't return with him, you'll know why."

Vegeta chuckled and watched him go. I'd kill Nappa too. Quiet sniveling turned him around to face his so-called escort. "Is there something bothering you because I'll be more than happy to relieve it for you." His deep gravelly voice was devoid of emotion as he stared daggers at scrawny rat-like servant.

Displaying more bravado than he seemed to possess, the servant wrung his hands. "Milord, we must get to work. Lord-"

"If you want to see tomorrow then I suggest you don't attempt to give me orders." Vegeta's hands tightened at his sides as he rounded on the servant and glared down at him. "I've killed millions for a lot less, so get out of my face before I burn yours off."

The servant's adam's apple bobbed a few times before he nodded. "Of course." His voice was a high-pitched squeak as he backed up and scuttled out of view.

Vegeta's gazed stayed fixed on the door the servant slipped through. What just happened? He held up his hands and just stared at them. Why did I let him go? He wracked his brain for an answer to why he'd used a threat instead of actually just killing the insolent creature, but he found nothing to back it up. It was bewildering and he shrugged off his feeling of unease. Must be lack of sleep. Shutting off any more inquiries into his psyche, he strode to the exit. He had things to do and milling around in his own mind wasn't one of them.

Planet's Lycondra's metropolis greeting him from the other side of the double doors of the dock and he made a visual sweep of the area. Most of the buildings were primitively built, the materials used had been chiseled out of the various quarries scattered over the surface. The pale grey stone-faced structures varied in size and shape, but that did little to stop them from blending together into a plain grey mass. The only noticeable color came from the assortment of merchant's tents setup along the main streets. They sold anything from food to weapons and did it with such a zeal it bordered on harassment. Vegeta could see the natives, a race not all that dissimilar to humans, going about their business, while being able to seemingly ignore the presense of Frieza's soldiers. His lip lifted in a silent snarl. If there's anything I hate more than the freak himself, it's one of his mindless minions. He levitated slowly and took to the sky to avoid the hassle of dealing with any and all the things going on below him.

Lycondra's base was located on the opposite side of the city, nestled between two of the planet's highest peaks. It had entrances on the north, south, and west sides. Decelerating to a hover, his gaze narrowed on the west entrance, the one that butted up against the city's back alleys. One guard isn't enough, the vulnerability of the position is astounding. Whoever runs the security here is a baka. His long tail twitched loose from his waist as he dropped to the ground and strode for the door. The thick stench of decay reached his nose and he noticed the crumpled body of the guard laying beside the door. It had taken him two days to get the Lycondra, but still the bodies remained. They deserve to die from disease then, the fools. The door opened by itself when he approached and he slipped inside. It didn't take him long to find the bodies. All he had to do was follow the corridor and there they were. The bodies lay piled on top of one another, their mixed blood congealed on the floor surrounding them. Kneeling, he examined their bodies.

Most of the wounds were precise slices to vital organs or ateries and severed limbs. Exsanguination was the result. A most agonizing way to die. His brow furrowed as he stood up and took a deep breath. She has changed. Seeing mutilated bodies normally didn't bother him, but for a reason he couldn't pinpoint, the massacre before him left him feeling restless. Turning away, he left as undetected as he'd come.

On a nearby cruiser

"You were supposed to get in and out undetected! Now they have your face on tape!"

Bulma calmly laid down her katana on the table in front of her. "Oh well. Kuso happens. What would you like me to do about it?"

Bardock glared at her. "That's exactly what I'm talking about! You're careless and carelessness will not only get you killed, but others as well!"

Bulma tuned him out and focused on polishing the blade in front of her. Why does he always do this? It was the same after every mission- she'd return successful, but there was always something she'd done wrong. And he wonders why I stay with Turles. Even after twelve years, they hadn't been able to repair the gulf between them. She'd never been able to forgive him for leaving Vegeta behind and he just wouldn't tolerate her stubborness on the issue. The weeks they'd spent on that ship before Toma had intercepted them had been the worst of her life. The tension had been so palatable, she'd sworn she could have grabbed it with her hands. Celipa's bitching was easier to deal with then him. She thought back to all the times he'd berated her about one thing or another, and something dawned on her. He always talks about how I put everyone else in danger. He's afraid!

"Bulma!"

She jumped out of her thoughts to glance up at his raging face. "I..."

"Are you even listening to me!?" He asked incredulously.

Her teeth gritted. "Truth be told, I'm not." She stood up and took her sword in her hand. "You not saying anything different than before, so I'll tell you what I always say." Her tail flicked back and forth carelessly. "Sorry sir. It won't happen again." Sliding the blade into it's sheath, she strode to the door. Her face had lost it's sarcasm and now had a melancholy expression. "You're one of the strongest Saiyans I know. Stop being afraid."

Bardock recoiled and blinked. What? He stared at the empty doorway where his mind projected her wistful expression as she'd spoken the words. The regret hit him hard and he had to take a step back so he could slump into the pilot's chair. They were so soft I could barely hear them, but now they're ringing in my ears! The veiled emotion in her voice pulled away the sheet that had been covering his mind and he realized that she was right. He sighed. "I never could get anything past her."

"Did you really think you could?"

Bardock lifted the hand he'd rested over his face. "I don't know anymore, Turles. I really don't know."

His nearly identical sibling stepped out of the shadows and stood with his arms crossed. "She's right. You're afraid."

"I don't need a lecture." He turned his chair around to face the control panel.

"Ha! Me? Give a lecture? You must have really lost your mind, Nichan." His sarcasm wasn't given a response, so he dropped it. "You know as well as I do that what happened was beyond her control. Blaming her for being caught on tape is just your idiosyncracies trying to find a scapegoat." He waited a beat before continuing. "I know you feel guilty about what happened to Raditz, but that was out of your control. It's the same thing." Turles walked over to the door. "Besides, did you really think you could control three young adult Saiyans?"

Bardock sighed. "If that wasn't a lecture, I don't know what was." He heard his younger nichan by ten years snort before leaving.

Turles followed the metallic hall of the cruiser to the room he shared with Bulma. He gave the steel door a soft rap with his knuckles before he went in. He found her sitting at the end of the bed, her shoulders stiff as she stared at the shimmering gem in her hand. "You okay?"

She smiled fleetingly. "I'm not sure anymore."

He frowned at the sad confusion in her voice. I hate it when she's like this. He walked over to stand beside her, his big hands reaching out to knead the tension out of her shoulders. "Just ignore Bardock and his issues."

She shrugged off his hands. "What if he's right? What if I do end up getting the others killed?" She got to her feet and turned toward him. "Celipa got captured the last time I led a raid."

Turles' eyes narrowed. Maybe I should just kill Bardock and get it over with. "This is a direct quote- 'Kuso happens.'."

The lost look in her cerulean eyes hardened into distaste. "Oh right, I forgot. That's your motto." Her tail cricked angrly. "There are very few Saiyans left in the galaxy and I'll be damned if I'll let my own carelessness result in their deaths." She turned and stalked over to the window, gazing at the stars scattered across the black blanket of space. "Or Bardock's. Or Toma's." The anger left her body and her frame started shivering. "Or yours. Just because I don't trust him doesn't mean I don't know where he's coming from. If I want to free my Tousan or the price on our heads, I have to reevaluate my priorities."

Turles smirked. Always thinking like a scientist. Well, it's time to start analyzing. "And what about him?"

She whipped around, brow raised suspiciously. "Who?"

Turles yawned and laid back on the bed. "You know who."

She snorted. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I think you do." He reached his hands up to prop up his head. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be denying it." When she just glared daggers at him, he got to the point. "Why are you so possessive of that rock?"

Bulma's brilliant blue eyes dropped to the equally brilliant stone hanging above her breasts. "This?" She twirled it between her fingers. I don't know. She told him so. "I know it's important, but I have no recollection of how I got it." She sighed. "I have this feeling that it belongs to someone else, but I don't know who."

So Bardock didn't tell her. "Okay, now to come at it from a different angle. Is that someone else the one person you vehemently deny thinking about, even though I've heard you say his name in your sleep?" The bloom of red on her smooth cheeks clinched it for him.

Bulma's eyes dropped to the floor in embarassment. Oh Kami, I'll never live this down. Her voice was a barely audible whisper as she met his heavy gaze. "Yes." The twinge of hurt that flashed through his dark eyes finally answered a question she'd never been able to ask. "That's why you stopped asking me."

It took a moment for him to respond. "What?" He sat up to stare at her.

Bulma smiled as she ran over to sit beside him. "You stopped asking to sleep with me after you heard me say Vegeta's name." She dropped her eyes to the hands curled in her lap. "I was curious why you suddenly stopped after you would ask me almost every day since my eighteenth birthday." She'd known since she'd met him at sixteen that he'd wanted her, but he refrained from almost every thing except a few words until she'd turned of age. At first she'd been a little scared of him- I mean, he barely spoke to me. All I got were glares from him.- but the longer she denied him, the better their relationship got. Even with the thirteen year age gap. He was a strong, attractive male, but nothing he did ever seemed to make her feel anything but a deep friendship with him. Simply put, I'm defective. "I'm sorry."

He snorted and flopped back down. "There's nothing for you to be sorry about. I told you before that Saiyan females are fickle like that. I've put it behind me, and I'm content to just be what I am."

She laid down beside him. "I just feel that you got the crap end of the deal." At some point he'd designated himself her protector, always accompanying her in public to keep other males at bay. He even insists on staying in my room.

He smirked at her. "No I didn't." He waggled his eyebrows.

She slapped his shoulder playfully. "Pervert!" She laughed and then yawned. "You just like taking advantage of a beautiful young girl." Lying down beside him suddenly made her feel exhausted.

Her mumbled words signaled the end of her conscious brain function and he pulled her to his side like he did every night to help her sleep. "I can't deny that." He inhaled the sweet smell of her hair and waited for the nightmares.

Elsewhere on the Cruiser

Toma checked the monitors. "Well, her body's healed. Now we just have to wait for her to wake up." He glanced over his shoulder to where Kakarrot sat watching his daughter's pale face. "Why don't you get some sleep. She'll be fine."

The eighteen year old Saiyan shook his head. "I want to be here when she wakes up." Seeing her so pale and still made the strong, defiant female he knew seem weak. "I need to talk to her."

Toma frowned as he finished up. "Are you sure you want to do that?" Celipa's volatile temper was known to keep the other occupants of the ship ducking into corners.

"Yes." The boy nodded solemnly. I have to.

"Alright. Wait at your own risk." He shrugged and left the infirmiry.

Kakarrot sat for only a few hours before the object of his attention finally stirred. "Are you okay?"

Celipa pryed her tired eyes open and focused on the tentative questioner beside her bed. "What do you think?" She rolled those eyes when the younger Saiyan smiled. She groaned as she sat up. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you here?"

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened." He didn't let her waspish attitude deter him.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I don't, so you can just run along." She held up one of her hands and waggled her fingers in a 'walking' motion.

"I'm serious. What happened to you-"

"What happened to me is none of you Kami-damned business!" Celipa was growling now, the shame from knowing what he'd seen curdling in her stomach. I'm so sick of this pathetic doting. "Look, I know what it looked like when you found me, but nothing happened. I'm fine." She slipped off the bed and to her feet, holding onto the bed to steady herself.

He frowned. "I just want to make sure you're alright." Why does she have to do this? He reached out to help her.

She slapped his hands away. "What do I have to do to get it through your thick skull?! I don't want to talk!" She took a deep breath. "I'm sick of all your love-struck puppy bull-kuso, so why don't you take your sappy worries and stick them up your ass! I'm tired of being your little boy crush!"

Kakarrot blinked and felt his chest tighten. I should have known. His eyes ripped away from her blazing black eyes and fixated on his feet. "I'm sorry I ever cared. Consider me gone."

Celipa's heart dropped out of her chest at the raw pain in his voice. Oh Kami! What have I done?! "Kakarrot, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

Enough! He couldn't take it anymore. "Yes you did!" He whirled around, fists clenched tightly at his sides. I'm such a fool. Bulma's going to enjoy saying 'I told you so'. "Don't try to lie to me. You've made your point. I won't bother you anymore." He exited the room swiftly, leaving Celipa gasping.

She watched him saunter out of the room, his tail hanging limp with defeat. The strength left her body and she slid to knees on the cold infirmiry floor. Tears blurred her vision and spilled down her cheeks. "Why am I like this? Why do I always chase everyone away?" She sobbed brokenly, growing angrier by the second. "Why, why, why, why, why, why?!" She slammed her fist into the machine beside the bed and watched the smoke puff out of the mangulated circuits. "He'll never forgive me..."


A/N: I know there wasn't much action in this chapter, but I wanted to explain the relationships between characters a bit more before jumping into the action. And there'll be plenty of it^_^! A lot more of Vegeta too. I'm trying to fit in writing around school, training my project horse, and working, so I'm really, really, really sorry in advance for slow updating.

Thanx to my reviewers!:

artchic- I love your reviews- really insightful- and the fact that you've stuck with me from the beginning. I always thought that if she had the power that Bulma would be a fierce fighter, so I indulged myself^_^. I'm not a big fan of OOCness, so I try real hard to keep them true to form. I look forward to seeing what you have to say b/c it gives me ideas. Thanks sssoooo very much!

Required Name- <-- Haha, I like that. There's nothing wrong with liking violence- I've been told on occasion that I can be quite morbid...hehe. I hate boring Vegetas too. There's a whole lot more to him then what I've seen a lot of people write and I've found that they also forget his great sense of warped humor. He always cracks me up. Oh, and that Chapter 13 was supposed to be 12. Oops..hehe..typo. 13 really is coming next. Love your reviews!

kim_carpe_diem_nter- I'm glad you decided to come read my fic. Bunches and bunches of thanks!

Props for awesome reviews ^_^! I can't wait to hear more! Ciao!