Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Price You Pay ❯ Chapter Fifty ( Chapter 50 )

Insert standard disclaimer here.

 

The Price You Pay: Chapter Fifty

 

Bulma waited until after hours to sneak into Vegeta's lab. No one would be there and she could finally get a good look at the machine he was designing. It was ingenious, really. Nothing like the vessel the boy from the future had used when he visited them and warned about the androids. That was more like something she'd design. She'd created too many hover cars, she thought. It was starting to affect the way she looked at new projects.

 

Bulma stared at the prototype through the case surrounding it. The device was hand-held, more portable than what she expected. Vegeta must have spent a long time working on it. The technology was complex, but didn't look like something Capsule Corp would typically endorse on its own. The Saiya-jin no Ou must have been the real brain power behind the whole thing, not her father. She was impressed, and she was rarely, if ever, impressed by anyone.

 

Not just another pretty face, afterall. Or at least not just another muscle-bound Saiya-jin warrior with the technological know-how of a brick.

 

She thought. And to think, he'd spent months convincing her he knew nothing about Saiya-jin armor. What a joke.

 

~~~~~~~<(((((|||)))))>~~~~~~~

 

Vegeta checked and rechecked the device. It was almost an exact copy of the original one he'd designed nearly a year ago. Thankfully, it was taking him less time to figure the damn thing out. Not that distorting space time was easy, many had failed before him. Dr. Briefs even thought it was completely theoretical before Vegeta enlightened him. How had the Chickyuu-jins ever doubted his superior intelligence?

 

Everything was set for their departure the next night. After a month of establishing a new hierarchy on Vegeta-sei, things were finally starting to look normal again. Now that the Cold Empire was no longer a threat, the Saiya-jins could go back to normal commerce. Almost all of their Associate Worlds had agreed to continue with peace talks. No Saiya-jin would be forced to purge a planet ever again. It gave him a strange sense of peace. At least, in this dimension, things were being set right.

 

They couldn't be completely certain, but Bulma reassured him that once they rejoined their dimension, the rightful Vegeta would regain consciousness here. Each incarnation could go back to his own world and fill the space to which he was physically entitled. The one thing of which they were truly certain was that the original Vegeta would make sure his father's failures were not his own.

 

Vegeta looked around the room, taking in everything he was giving up. Wasn't he supposed to feel more attached to this place? It'd been nothing more than a childhood memory for so long that it felt like something more from a dream than reality. Was that how he would feel after he left? Like it was all a dream? Everything already felt surreal. And had he really just used the word 'surreal'?

 

He muttered curses under his breath and directed his attention back to the remote device that would take them home. He'd rechecked it numerous times. If it wasn't functional now, it never would be.

 

~~~~~~~<(((((|||)))))>~~~~~~~

 

The Royal Guard stood watch as their King and his family entered engineering. Everyone was holding their breath. Since Bulma arrived, nearly a year had passed and the whole planet was in the middle of a monumental political shift. Even the Saiya-jins, a race seldom stunned by anything, thought it was amazing that during such a short period of time, so much had changed. A new King had been appointed, an invincible empire had been overthrown, and the Legendary had finally Ascended. Nothing would ever be the same.

 

Zarbon stood off to the side. He'd already said his goodbyes. Even though he knew the man walking toward him was not the same Vegeta he'd practically raised, he felt remarkably attached. Not only had this Vegeta defeated Freeza, he'd restored Vegeta-sei to what it always should have been—a free empire.

 

Bulma smiled at the green warrior as she walked by. She would forever be grateful that he'd saved her life as well as her son's. He would make an excellent Commander.

 

Bulma.

 

Came a voice from somewhere amidst the crowd. She looked up, recognizing the rough accent immediately.

 

Radditz's face was barely visible as he leaned against the wall at the far side of the room, partially hidden by one of the ships' shadow. He nodded his head at her in acknowledgment. With so many warriors gathered to see off their King, no one noticed the one additional Elite-level ki. Radditz was taking a potentially fatal risk in being there. The other Saiya-jins still considered him their number one persona non grata. She kept walking, not wanting Vegeta to notice where her attention had suddenly diverted. If Radditz were seen, he would be executed on the spot.

 

Though she could never completely trust him again, she had to admit she was thankful for everything he'd done. Without him, Freeza would have succeeded and Vegeta-sei would have eventually been destroyed. He was as much their savior as Vegeta.

 

The Saiya-jin King paused and helped Bulma up to the circular platform in the middle of the room. It was specially designed to broaden the interdimensional field so they could all transport at once. Afte Bulma was safely situated within the field range, Veget pressed a button on the contraption he held in his hand. They were instantly surrounded by a green light. Trunks shut his eyes and pressed his face against his mother's chest, unprepared for the sudden change.

 

Thank you.

 

Bulma directed her thoughts towards the hidden warrior. She'd gotten much better at controlling her mental abilities, especially after spending so much time in the regen tank.

 

She would be proud.

 

Radditz smiled sadly. He was lost now that he could never remain on Vegeta-sei. Bulma pitied him. Despite it all, he was a good man.

 

The lights on the platform began to blink as they were illuminated one by one in a series.

 

“It's time,” said Vegeta as he took her hand. Bulma looked away from Radditz and up at her mate. His eyes were glowing intensely, devoid of any hesitation. She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand reassuringly. She was ready.

 

The guards watched, transfixed, as their leaders were engulfed in a blue flame. Vegeta pressed another button. There was a great whooshing noise as if they were suddenly immersed in a large body of moving water. She held onto Vegeta's hand more tightly.

 

The pair looked out into the room as the figures surrounding them slowly faded. The last thing they saw was the Royal Guard, the warriors simultaneously raising fisted hands and pressing them against the opposite shoulder.

 

~~~~~~~<(((((|||)))))>~~~~~~~

 

The blue light faded away as Vegeta and Bulma's eyes adjusted to the dimness of their surroundings. From a distance, the faint twinkling of stars could barely be seen as the sky was slowly painted from orange to deep blue. The lights of the nearby city had always partially obscured the view of the night sky.

 

Bulma blinked and held Trunks closer to her. His tiny hands were buried in her hair. She couldn't imagine how terrifying their trip must have been for such a small baby.

 

Vegeta released her hand and stepped forward a few feet, taking in his surroundings. They were on the front lawn of the Briefs' large property, the dome of the house dark where it sat a hundred yards or so away. Everything was quiet. No one had noticed their return.

 

They looked at each other as if unable to believe they were finally back. Vegeta turned first and started walking towards the house, passing the GR and the Capsule Corp Headquarters building. Bulma had to hurry to catch up. He opened the door to the house (it was unlocked, as usual), and flung it impatiently against the wall. Vegeta narrowed his eyes as the security bots started beeping, scanning them with identification lasers. Bulma hoped he wouldn't fry them again, as was his habit. She was too tired to start yelling. When the bots returned to their charging location down the hall without being melted, Bulma released the breath she'd been holding. They stepped inside.

 

Vegeta better be happy.

 

She thought. She'd be highly surprised if he hadn't woken the entire household with his careless slamming about.

 

The lights were off and Bulma could hear the hum of the economy-sized refrigerator as she entered the large kitchen. It was nearly the size of a small house. They hadn't even bought the damn thing until Vegeta moved in. She smiled and shook her head.

 

Saiya-jins.

 

A clock on a nearby wall ticked steadily. If she'd calculated the time difference between the two dimensions correctly, only about a day had passed on Earth. Everything was just as they'd left it.

 

Bulma adjusted Trunks so he was resting more firmly on her hip. He was getting heavier by the day, already built like his father. The child looked around, his eyes bright. He'd never seen this place before. What an adventure he was having. Bulma reached out and took Vegeta's hand.

 

“Bulma Briefs!” came a sharp voice from the other side of the room. The two of them jumped as the light switch was angrily flipped on. “Where have you been? Yamcha won't stop calling and now you're coming home at all hours—“ her mother's voice cut off abruptly as she took in the scene before her. She stared, open mouthed, at the three of them.

 

“I—how—what?” she asked in a flurry, obviously confused about finding Bulma in the kitchen with Vegeta. Her face paled as her eyes lingered on Trunks. She glanced at the couple's intertwined fingers and then back up at their faces.

 

“Calm down, dear,” said Bulma's father as he appeared from down the hall, his cat perched happily on his shoulder, “you're going to give yourself a fit.” He patted his wife on the back. “I see you've finally returned,” he said to Bulma and Vegeta as he sat at the table. He casually removed a box of cigarettes from some unknown pocket and lit up.

 

“Dad...?” Bulma's voice trailed off. What did he mean?

 

She gave her mother a hasty look. She really hoped they weren't expecting to get an explanation from her tonight. She was too tired after their interdimensional ordeal. As if seconding the thought, Trunks yawned and then suddenly sneezed, giving the smoke that floated in the air a curious look.

 

“You will not smoke that noxious plant around our child,” said Vegeta, breaking the silence and snatching the narrow cylinder from between Dr. Briefs's lips. He threw it into the sink with a disgusted grunt.

 

Bulma's father raised his eyebrows and her mother swooned.

 

“Well, I guess that answers more than a few questions.”

 

Dr. Briefs considered the young couple for a few moments and motioned for his wife to sit down. He hadn't seen her this frazzled since she started having hot flashes. It was going to be a long night.

 

~~~~~~~<(((((|||)))))>~~~~~~~

 

“I can't believe he was tracking us the whole time,” said Bulma as she laid in Vegeta's bed. The black sheets felt comforting against her bare skin. They weren't as expensive as the ones she had on Vegeta-sei, but they felt like home. She glanced at the bedside clock. 4:31am. Kami, was it really that late?

 

Vegeta grunted. He wasn't surprised at all. The old man always seemed to have a trick up his sleeve.

 

Somehow he'd known Vegeta would try to use the device before it was ready. Contingency plans were something he and his daughter had in common. Allowing Vegeta to think that his model was the only prototype was just one of such precautions. With a second machine, the old man could easily track the quantum distortion Vegeta's remote device created upon activation, alerting him of their departure. As long as Dr. Briefs could track them, they were never truly lost.

 

Bulma ran her fingers mindlessly through her hair as she stared up at the white ceiling. When standing, the blue tresses stretched the length of her entire back. She hadn't had hair this long since she was sixteen. And there was a reason for that. She remembered how it stuck to her skin after being removed from the regen tank.

 

Yamcha was going to throw a fit when he saw her.

 

Abruptly, she started laughing.

 

“What?” asked Vegeta with annoyance.

 

Bulma just shook her head. She could sense a fit of mania coming on as the ridiculousness of everything that had happened hit her. Her life had gone through hell and back. And now what? She was worried about her hair. She pictured her mother standing in the kitchen, fuming, telling Bulma that she had to call Yamcha as if the fate of the universe depended on the fleeting emotions of her daughter's cheating ex-boyfriend. Ha. It was trivial, juvenile, alien. She would always love Yamcha, but she hadn't thought about him in months. He was no longer part of the world she'd built. He was no longer part of her.

 

She stopped laughing, wiped at her eyes, and backtracked.

 

Who the hell was she anymore? Did anything that happened on Vegeta-sei even matter now that they returned here?

 

It killed her knowing that all the struggles of the past year were reduced to little more than a 24-hour cosmic burp in this dimension. Someone with a higher authority must have really been enjoying himself.

 

Vegeta watched his mate as she struggled to contain herself. She was in hysterics again. He hated to admit it, but he was growing accustomed to these unexpected bouts of insanity. He'd stopped trying to understand years ago. Chickyuu-jin were just mad, the whole lot of them. He looked away, hoping the quantum radiation they were exposed to upon returning to Earth hadn't permanently damaged her brain. The woman was clearly emotionally unstable.

 

The makeshift baby monitor sitting on Vegeta's night stand clicked on as Trunks made happy gurgling noises in his sleep. His parents both turned and looked at the small speaker in unison. They'd put him in Bulma's old room so he could get some rest. Even though they were back on Earth, both of them were still cautious. A double abduction was hard to forget.

 

Bulma laid back down after a minute, convinced that their son was in no immediate danger. The course of adrenaline had sobered her considerably.

 

She glanced at the Saiya-jin lying beside her.

 

“Vegeta?”

 

“Yes?” he responded testily. Would she ever fall asleep?

 

“You never told me about what happened that night.” He growled. It was something he hoped she'd never bring up.

 

“Which night?” he asked, thinking that feigning ignorance would redirect their conversation. He turned away from her, laying on his side. She always got this reaction when Vegeta was pissed and didn't want to talk anymore. Bulma called it the 'butt treatment'.

 

“The night you fought Freeza.”

 

How could he have ever found her persistence an attractive trait?

 

“He's dead, onna, let his memory die with him,” he said with more venom than he'd intended.

 

Bulma snapped her teeth shut and clenched her jaw. Great. First night back and he was already creating a shit storm.

 

“I know, I know. I'm not asking for a play-by-play of the battle or anything, Vegeta. Jesus.” He was such a bastard sometimes. She faced the wall gruffly and they fell into a hostile silence.

 

“At first, I wasn't sure how to react to the news you'd been captured,” started Vegeta in an even tone, surprising Bulma. “There was no way I could beat Freeza with brute strength. I'd tried it before and failed. I knew my own limits. Without Ascending, there was only one option.”

 

He rolled onto his back, folding his hands over his head.

 

“You knew what I was going to do when I left you on his ship, I know you did. I could see it in your eyes. Your dreams were all too adumbrative,” he said and scoffed bitterly.

 

“But I didn't care. I didn't care if by dying I was damning myself to a thousand hells. My life meant nothing to me if Freeza survived. Somehow he knew about how we'd gotten to Vegeta-sei. I'd always intended to send you back, with or without me. He was going to follow you and destroy Earth. Our link was torn,” he closed his eyes, reliving the moment as it replayed in his head. “And something in me snapped.”

 

She inhaled and exhaled evenly, listening.

 

“Bulma,” he said as he placed his hand on her upper arm and shook her lightly. Had she fallen asleep?

 

Bulma took a deep breath, the electric current of their bond sliding through her body deliciously. She fought back the urge to respond. It was a losing battle.

 

“So you don't regret it? None of it at all?” she asked incredulously, breaking the poignant silence. Vegeta grunted. So she hadn't been sleeping. She'd just been pretending to ignore him. She was so god damned obstinate.

 

The Saiya-jin no Ou growled and rolled on top of her, pinning her to the bed with his weight. The defenseless Earthling stared up at him passively. She was completely unmoved by his monologue.

 

Vegeta slammed his hand against the mattress in frustration, permanently deforming some of its springs. Bulma wasn't expecting the sudden jolt. She yelped and blinked several times out of reflex.

 

“Woman! I am never saying this again, so listen carefully.”

 

Bulma attempted to refocus her vision. She'd never seen the Saiya-jin so angry.

 

“I could have stayed. I could have ruled as the Legendary. For fuck's sake, no one would have even opposed me—they wouldn't have been able to.” He shook her once, leaving red marks on her upper arms, and sat up, straddling the lower half of her body.

 

“You once asked me how it felt to Ascend. Do you still want to know?”

 

A golden light began to radiate from Vegeta's body as the ki energy escaped through his skin. He let all of his barriers drop, piercing Bulma's mental shields remorselessly. It was something he normally would have never done, but tonight he delighted in the feeling of tearing through every last wall, forcing her to see reality—forcing her to see him. He wanted her to experience it the way he did.

 

The energy spilled out of him and into the room as the vessel of his body overflowed with the incredible power he could access at will. The beast rose, bursting to the surface with little hindrance.

 

Bulma screamed and the room burned with a magnesium intensity.

 

“Stop, Vegeta, stop!” she begged, as the light faded. When she was brave enough to open her eyes, she peered at him through slitted lids. Her eyes widened.

 

Vegeta was only inches from her face, his blue eyes clear and unwavering.

 

“I could destroy you so easily. I could burn your mind away until there was nothing left but a husk of ash.” He leaned back and lifted his hand, turning it from side to side as it was consumed in a golden flame. “Or I could use this and destroy everything you held dear. So you tell me, Bulma, what does it feel like?” he asked her sadistically. “Does it feel like you thought it would? Does it feel like everything you thought I ever wanted? Does absolute power hold the same fascination now that you've seen it first hand?”

 

The flame died as Vegeta reabsorbed the energy. The light illuminating his skin slowly started to fade, and finally, his hair and eyes returned to their usual, more muted colors. He leaned in close, speaking into Bulma's face with an eerie calmness.

 

“I floated in space for days, wishing I had never Ascended—wishing I were dead. And do you know why? Do you have any idea?” He shook her again.

 

Bulma's eyes started to water.

 

“Because much as I denied it, hated myself for it, wished I'd die for allowing it, something in me had changed.” He screwed his eyes shut. “Everything that happened on Vegeta-sei was more than I could have ever wanted. I couldn't have come up with a better wish had I summoned the Dragon myself.” He snorted and reopened his eyes.

 

“But true self-knowledge doesn't give a fuck about what you think you want. I watched your body float lifelessly in the regen tank, and knew that everything I'd accomplished was bullshit. Even though I'd become the Legendary and killed that evil bastard, even though Vegeta-sei would never be destroyed again, the only thing that mattered was that you were gone, the only person I ever...” he caught himself, his face going hard. He looked away.

 

“Regardless of how much I resented it at first, if I could change anything about the events of the last year—if I could go back to that pivotal night you found me out on the balcony during the Khon'daia na—I would still leave my door unlocked.

 

“I would sacrifice it all for you, Bulma. I would trade my heritage, my power, my life. Not because we were forced together, not because this is inescapable, but because I choose to.”

 

He paused to let the words sink in, crossed his arms, and looked at her condescendingly.

 

“And if you ever tell any of this to that idiot Kakkarot—“

 

“Oh, shut up, Vegeta,” interrupted Bulma in irritation as she reached for him.

 

The Earth woman cried as she kissed her mate. She cried as she pulled the few remaining garments from his bronze skin. And she cried as the rhythmic movement of their bodies wove the last strands of their bond into something only possible between two people willingly and hopelessly entangled.

 

The third pillar was finally complete.