Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Wherever You Will Go ❯ Ch 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8

So lately, been wondering

Who will be there to take my place?

When I'm gone, you'll need love to light the shadows on your face.

If a great wave shall fall and fall upon us all

Then between the sand and stone, could you make it on your own?

The ki blast ripped through the demon-like monster and sent gore and bat-like body parts flying everywhere.

When the various liquids and solids had settled, a widowed-peaked form stepped through the gore to confront the demon behind the one he had just dispatched. His lips curled in disgust. This one was supposed to be female judging by the over-exaggerated features.

The she-demon screeched at him and used its bat-like wings to project itself forward in a speed that outdid its now dead predecessor.

However, it did not outdo the Prince of the Saiyans. Vegeta suddenly flipped backwards onto his hands and kicked his legs straight out. They connected solidly with the she-demon's jaw and she was sent back the way she had come, landing in an ungraceful heap on what could have been the floor, if it hadn't been as black as the rest of the surroundings. It gave the feeling of floating with solid ground beneath one's feet. However, if one forgot there was solid ground there, it would cease to be.

The demon got up by flipping itself upwards. It sneered at Vegeta and folded its wings around its body like a blanket.

A stab of pain went through Vegeta's mind as the demon probed it, gone before Vegeta could do anything about it. Word was obviously getting around about his abilities to catch a telepaths 'signal' and paralyze them while he wrecked havoc on their physical body, thereby killing their telepathic one. The last two had gotten out too quick for him to catch them.

The demon was shifting its form and Vegeta wondered with a sense of despair who it was going to be this time.

Vegeta's mind froze as Bulma was suddenly in front of them. They had never tried this form before. They'd shied away from that part of his mind. It was too bright for them to come near. This demon was strong to have stood up to that.

Bulma walked toward him, an uncharacteristic sneer on her face. She held her arms out as if pleading for him to hold her. He felt as if he'd have to physically restrain himself from doing just that.

"My love, come to me." It was those words that snapped him out of his trance to realize that the demon was much too close to him. The voice had been so unlike Bulma's, hissing and cruel.

He growled and the demon leapt at him, trying to slash him with hands that were in actuality claws, and had a much longer reach than Bulma's hands.

It was because of this that the she-demon's claws managed to rake Vegeta's arms as he dived to one side. He hissed in pain at the searing pain those claws had inflicted despite the shallow cut of them.

He let out a scream of primal rage as he turned in midair and let out a Gallic Gun straight at the demon, catching it as it turned to hit him again and sending it shrieking into death.

Vegeta landed and bent his knees to absorb the shock. He was shaking from all the energy he had put out and the sudden fear that had gripped him along with the demon's claws. He inspected the cut. It no longer hurt but he could make a guess as to why that was so. Putting his fingers tentatively on where the fours parallel lines were, he grimaced as his hand went through as far as the cuts were deep; as if that part of his arm was not there, though it was clearly visible.

If it had severed his arm, it would have made the rest of his arm non-existent. As if it had fallen off even though it would still be there. Vegeta still couldn't grasp the concept. He only cared that he would no longer have an arm. If a demon struck a vital area, or did anything that would kill him, he himself would cease to be, floating through Hell without purpose or reason. Then, Vegeta would truly be dead.

He had lost all concept of time as soon as he had entered this world. He could have spent two weeks here or twenty months, he didn't know and he didn't care. This world was about living through the next attack, marking your territory and defending it savagely from all others, not knowing who was friend and who foe. Vegeta doubted there were any friends down here, if there were, he'd never see them. That was not permitted for the happiness it might bring. Even fighting did not bring pleasure.

He grinned. He must make the authorities baffled. He did have happiness, although it was bittersweet enough to fit nicely in this place. He figured she was why he kept fighting.

As he waited, senses alert and ready for the next attacker, victim, he felt a sudden pang in his heart, soft yet insistent. He stopped and frowned. What was that?

A sudden howl made his head whip around and curse as a dog-like demon burst from the shadows and pounced on him.

* * *

If I could, then I would

I'll go wherever you will go

Way up high, or down low,

I'll go wherever you will go

Bulma blinked as she found herself in front of a huge, heavy-set man whose size rivaled that of the ox-king.

The man looked down and laughed heartily at seeing her, "Ah, Bulma Briefs. Yes, you're quite known up here."

"Up here?" Bulma looked around but found nothing that could tell her where she was or how she'd gotten here.

"Um, hate to be the one to inform you of this, my dear, but you're dead."

Bulma squeaked, "Dead? But how? I was just cooking lunch for Trunks and-Trunks! Oh my Kami! He'll be so heartbroken!"

The man shook his head, "Now, now dear. Worrying about the living is no way to start your new life. He'll be just fine I'm sure. From all I've heard he's quite a strong individual."

Bulma found it easy to do as the man said. Heaven wasn't a place for such thoughts. "You said that I was 'well known'. How come?"

The man chuckled, "It's not every woman that can get through to Prince Vegeta."

Bulma's face lit up, "Vegeta's here? I get to see him?" She was so happy she wanted to bounce up and down.

The man's face fell, "I thought you'd know."

Bulma felt a surge of fear, "Know what?"

The man sighed and Bulma wanted to throttle him to get him to hurry up and tell her, "He killed too many people. Did too much evil. He's in Hell."

Bulma looked shocked, "How can you say such a thing? He wasn't evil, not really. Besides, I killed someone, why am I here and not him?"

The man shook his head, "You did not delight in the death. He knew the delight of pain and death all too well."

Bulma's mind raced, "You mean-I'll never get to see him?"

The man's face softened. Even he had been sorry to send Prince Vegeta to Hell. Although his whole life had been filled with anger and hate, when Enma had looked deep inside, he'd seen this woman's face. It had been the only light in the man's black heart. He couldn't imagine the pain both must have been going through, separated from each other for all eternity.

As the man before her suddenly smiled Bulma wanted again to throttle him. Was he laughing at her pain? That didn't make sense.

"Maybe not 'never'. I'm not supposed to allow this, but sometimes, in extreme cases, I make an exception. But," his tone became very strict, "You will only have an hour with him. You must come back after that time or there will be dire consequences. Heaven and Hell are not allowed to mix."

Only an hour? She knew how fast an hour could go, but-she'd get to see him, after so many years she'd get to see him. She readily agreed to Enma's terms and he smiled. She smiled back.

A few minutes later they had arrived at a gate. Bulma looked up, trying to see the top of it, but failing. The gate was black and looked as if it was trying to twist in on itself. It reminded Bulma of a black hole.

"This is the Gate to Hell. Remember, you'll only have an hour. If you don't come back in time, the gate will close to you."

Bulma nodded as the door creaked open. She winced as the creaking rose to a shrill pitch, sounding like someone screaming in agony.

She turned to Enma, "How will I find him?"

Enma chuckled, "At the risk of sounding entirely too clichéd, 'follow your heart'."

Hell was the last place Bulma would have wanted to go, but hearing Trunks talk about the other timeline's Vegeta had made her so envious. She was glad her son had gotten to meet his father, but she wished she could have seen him too. If Vegeta was in Hell, then to Hell she would go, even if she was scared to death.

With that thought she turned and entered the gate.

After her first few steps into the other realm, she noticed that whatever had been beneath her feet, floor, clouds, whatever, it was now replaced by an inky blackness that was slowly matching the rest of the landscape. She looked around with an awed gaze. This was where Vegeta was? She shuddered and continued on, her feet seeming to guide her without needed thought.

Soon she heard sounds ahead of her. Guttural growls and grunts as if two people were struggling against each other.

Slowly the black mist cleared as she walked, and she saw that it wasn't two people, but a man and a dog.

The dog was like no dog she'd ever seen. It was as big as a horse and as black as it's surroundings. It most closely resembled a pit bull, but two fangs hanging down past it's lower lip gave it a much more fearsome appearance. At the moment it was trying to sink those teeth into the man's neck. The man was at a complete disadvantage with the dog on top of him. Bulma could see the man's arm muscles strain to keep the dog's mouth away from said throat.

With a great cry he flung the beast up and away from him and jumped up himself. He held his left arm and Bulma saw his fingers reach down to a wound only to pass right through his entire arm.

She suddenly gasped as the man moved closer to where she stood and the black mist completely dissolved around him. As she reached the realization that this was Vegeta, the beast charged again.

* * *

Vegeta grimaced as his hand met empty air where the dog had chewed on his arm. The entire arm was gone. He didn't think he could fight this beast with one arm, and the many other wounds the monstrosity had already inflicted were adding up.

Luckily these demon-dogs were not intelligent creatures, meaning they couldn't probe the mind and shapeshift to try to gain an advantage. However, their stupidity was a danger all its own. Such a stupid animal attacked without thought or warning, with no strategy. And it continued to attack until it was destroyed.

Vegeta chuckled low in his throat. Killed by a dog. How many humiliations must he endure?

He stood his ground as the animal again charged. His eyes widened as the creature phased out and cursed, trying to spin around in time. So much for no strategy.

He felt a heavy weight hit him in the back and struggled with all his might to keep the animal from his throat. An impossible task with one arm.

"Vegeta!"

As the cry echoed in the nothingness both man and animal stopped all movement and turned to the sound. The dog let out a whimper and Vegeta knew why. This was Bulma, the real Bulma. No demon could ever emulate that light, that otherworldly glow that did not belong in this dark place. While to Vegeta it was a glow, to the dog it must have been blinding.

The dog growled and suddenly jumped off him, charging the suddenly frozen with fear Bulma. Vegeta cursed and pushed himself off the ground. To the dog, Bulma would be a delicacy he would feast on for weeks.

With that in mind, Vegeta put on speed as he never had before. Even so, he only arrived in front Bulma in time to hurl himself at the dog and knock him off his intended course.

Both man and dog went down in a twisted heap.

Vegeta grappled with the dog, trying to get a good grip on its jaw. The beast nipped at him and clawed every part of Vegeta he could in an attempt to free himself and get to Bulma, who still stood in shock.

Vegeta could feel the various parts that were scratched and bitten de-solidifying and redoubled his efforts, finally getting a firm grip in the dog's lower and upper jaw. With a mighty grunt of effort he slowly forced the jaws of the slavering dog apart. At first the dog growled and struggled. Then, as its jaw was pushed back farther than it was made to go, it began to whimper and back away from Vegeta in an effort to get away, no longer have any thoughts of getting Bulma.

Vegeta, however, was not that merciful, and, with a sickening crunch, he wrenched the monster's mouth open. The dog was now dead weight on top of a very tired Vegeta.

Vegeta levered himself up, throwing the carcass to the side. He remembered that there was another person there. He stood and looked at her for a long moment.

"Vegeta?" Bulma took a step toward him.

Vegeta backpedaled, getting into a low crouch.

Bulma stopped and looked confused, "Vegeta? It's me-Bulma."

Vegeta looked at the pleading woman in confusion. No one he'd ever seen in Hell had ever tried to talk to him. It was always attack first ask questions later. So why wasn't he attacking? Who was this woman?

Bulma put a hand to her mouth. As Vegeta had known immediately upon arriving that a demon's touch was dangerous, so Bulma now knew. Looking him over, she could see that the wounds on him were many. They had caused him to forget her.

She also knew that if she could just touch him, he would remember everything; be whole again. But how to get close enough? She decided she'd just have to risk everything.

Vegeta's eyes widened as the woman began walking toward him, a calm expression on her face. What kind of demon was this?

He started backing up, meeting every one of her steps forward with a step of his own backwards. He growled and stopped. He was Vegeta. He didn't know why that was important, but he knew he didn't like backing up from this woman.

He held up a hand toward her and a ball of some glowing light and heat formed in his hand. He wondered briefly how he'd done that. Upon seeing the ball of light, the woman's steps faltered and she winced but she kept walking. Vegeta knew he could throw the ball at her and kill her instantly. Something wouldn't let him though.

He watched in part horror, part wonderment as her lithe, graceful hand reached out and touched his outstretched arm.

With a cry of pain Vegeta jerked his hand back, the ki ball dissipating. All the wounds that had been inflicted on him since he had come here were gone. He was a physical, solid being. He blinked at Bulma a few times, "Woman?"

Bulma gave a great sob and flung herself at him. Vegeta gladly caught her and ran his hands through her hair, across her body, as she did the same to him.

Vegeta found her beauty to be more than he remembered it. Her smell was much more intoxicating than he'd ever imagined it could be. He knew that he held the most perfect being in the world in his arms. And he wanted her now.

His lips found hers and urgently demanded more. He was already working on the white garment she wore and she seemed quite eager to get his off as well.

He gently lowered them to the ground, neither noticing the hardness or coldness of the surface that was not there.

As they explored each other's bodies as if for the first time, Vegeta wanted nothing more than to satisfy his need right then.

Bulma sensed this and stopped her attentions to whisper in his ear, "No, not like that." So saying, she continued her ministrations in a slow, more relaxed manner. Vegeta followed suit well aware that she wanted this to last long. He had a feeling that she couldn't stay here. Angel's had no place in Hell.

* * *

Many hours later, they lay together quietly, simply taking in the pleasure of being in other's company once again. Bulma knew that the doors back to heaven had already closed. She felt guilty for lying to the man who had allowed her such a blessing and wondered if she'd gotten him in trouble.

She snuggled closer to Vegeta and laid her head on his chest. His arm closed tighter around her protectively as he fell into a sleep he hadn't had since he'd gotten here.

She did not regret her decision. She felt sure the man she'd known and loved would've died if she hadn't been there. She remembered when she had killed for the first and only time. He'd been there for her. What more could she do then to be here for him now?

She'd known that she'd stay from the moment she saw him.

She fell to sleep with a smile on her face, happy for the first time in thirty-five years.

AN: Whoops, got it done sooner than expected. Yes, that is a song with this fic. It only lasts so long as the 2nd part, if that tells you of the second part's length….

I hope you liked this chapter. They are coming out so easy. I'm truly shocked.

Yes, I did pass a lot of years. You know what happened though. Everyone else died, Gohan trained Trunks, Gohan died, Trunks 'ascended', Bulma built a time machine, Trunks went back to the past and created a parallel timeline, Androids and Cell were defeated, Trunks came back and defeated them in his timeline. So, after that, Bulma died. She was old in all those flashbacks Trunks had.