Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Whispers of a Banshee ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

I can't believe you must constantly remind me of this. I do not own it. I do hope to own manga # 9 and Legacy of Goku in September though…. See, I'll take little Goku, go up to Vegeta, and let him kill me as the Saiyan no Ouji should do…. So what if the Earth's sold and all its people killed. My Vegeta-sama will be immortal! *_* Warning: This will get dark! BTW, this is dedicated to my now five-year-old brother. He insisted I write a story with one parameter in it. You shall find out what that is later….

Special thanks to Kichi http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=15672 and Ana S. Thesia http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=80638 for beta-ing this for me! You guys are great! Yeah, go check them out!

Chapter 1

Preserving the human body is impossible. Despite our best efforts, wrinkles form, hair falls out or goes gray, and our bodies slowly but surely weaken toward the grave. These were the thoughts that surrounded Bulma Briefs as she stared in the mirror, calmly brushing her hair.

Once, when she was younger, she would have mourned the loss of her looks. She was hardly the attractive woman she had been so long ago. Her hair was completely white, like her grandfather's had been, wrinkles folded her face, showing where it would crease when she smiled, frowned, or became angry. She even found it hard to get out of bed in the morning; her knees not wanting to respond to her mind's desire to get up.

Vegeta stood in the doorway, watching silently and unnoticed as his mate stared blankly into the mirror. He too felt the weight of age-her own. His own body, being Saiyan, was holding up quite well to the rigors of time. He still trained as vigorously as ever, though he preferred to spend more time with his wife, feeling helpless as he watched her weaken day by day to the point where the climb down the stairs to get breakfast had her wheezing and panting, barely able to stand.

Finally, Bulma's blue eyes, rheumy and red-rimmed, met his own dark and bright ones in the mirror and she turned with a smile, earlier mentioned wrinkles causing her face to prune up. Her voice wavered slightly and Vegeta had to struggle to keep a frown from marring her apparent happiness, though it seemed strained. "Vegeta. Is it time for dinner already?"

Vegeta silently shook his head and pushed himself off the doorframe, tail swaying behind him, pleased when his woman's eyes raked his form, glad she was still delighted with his body. Her own form still pleased him, though Bulma professed that she had no idea why. It was the hint of spirit that would not be quashed by time; it was no longer the lust of his youth. He was finally able to see what he liked inside her, not just outside.

Vegeta approached her until she had to crane her neck to look him in the eye. He offered her a hand, face set seriously, and she graciously took it, one side of her smile turning up more than the other, as she used it to steady her rising. Even though she was now standing, she still had to look up at him. That was the only thing he liked about her growing older, she'd shrunk. "What's this about?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes, "Can't I do anything without being questioned? You simply looked tired. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

Bulma sighed and grinned mockingly. "Yes, mother. I was just thinking."

Vegeta scowled. "I am not your mother!" His scowl softened slightly, "What were you thinking of?"

Bulma's eyebrow rose. "Why, Vegeta! Did you just lower yourself enough to ask about my common, peasant thoughts?"

Vegeta abruptly let go of Bulma's hand, huffing and crossing his arms before his chest. "You're impossible! The moment I try to act as civilized and 'nice' as you're always telling me to, I get mocked!" He leaned in close to her face so that his breath hit her, smirking. "No one mocks the Saiyan no Ouji without paying the price."

Bulma's other eyebrow rose to meet its match. Was he implying what she thought he was implying? "Price, hmm? Well, I suppose I owe you a great debt then, oh Prince. And how exactly can I pay up?"

Vegeta's eyes went up and down her still petite and shapely form. "I think you know, woman. Unless you've lost your mind along with your age."

Bulma was sincerely flattered that Vegeta would still want her. "Vegeta, I can't…I mean, I'm not as young as I used to be and-"

Vegeta hushed her with one finger on her lips. "I realize that, woman, but I am the Prince of all Saiyans and your mate, therefore I am obligated to make sure you are pleasured no matter your or my own age. I fail to see why you wouldn't want to continue our 'activities' despite the attentions of time and age."

Bulma was still feminine enough to blush, the color deepening as Vegeta suggestively rubbed against her, tail following through with the massage. "Um, don't you want to eat first?"

Vegeta chuckled deep in his chest, causing a shiver to travel up Bulma's spine. He could still affect her, and by the widening of his smirk, he knew it too. "Afraid dessert would ruin my dinner? You know I have a sweet tooth. I think I can manage."

Just as it seemed she would cave in to his requests, the doorbell rang. Vegeta cursed the invention of such an annoying contraption as Bulma mumbled something and went to go see who it was. Vegeta followed close after, slowing down to meet her pace, vowing he would smash in the face of whoever was at the door.

Bulma opened the door, trying to hide her breathlessness from Vegeta unsuccessfully if his sharp-eyed gaze was any indication. "Goku!"

Vegeta's glare fell upon the third-class Saiyan, and Goku shifted, wondering if he'd once again interrupted something. "Hi, Bulma! I was bored cause Goten's at a party and Gohan and Videl are busy. I wanted to know if Vegeta would spar with me." Bulma turned back to Vegeta with a smile, watching the need to pound Goku war with the need to-pound him. He met her gaze, let out a growl of frustration, and looked back at Goku. "We too would be busy if you hadn't interrupted us. Have you ever heard of a telephone?"

Goku chuckled and rubbed the back of his head in that irritating fashion that put Vegeta's teeth on edge. "Jeez. I tried that, but I didn't get any answer."

Vegeta bit back a curse as Bulma's eyes narrowed at him. He had turned off the ringer just so they wouldn't be interrupted. "Idiot."

He had mumbled the word, but Goku managed to hear him. He ignored him, as he always did, chalking it up to Vegeta-grumpiness. "So, you wanna spar?"

Vegeta growled, knowing he'd never get Bulma back upstairs now. "Of course I do now, you third-class bas-"

Bulma's whack to the backside of his head kept the full word of the insult from coming out and he glared at her. "You'd better have food cooked by the time I'm back from beating him into the ground, woman!"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Of course, your highness." She turned back to Goku and smiled. "Why don't you join us? I'm sure you're craving some home cooking."

Goku's answering smile took on a sad note. ChiChi had died not four years ago and the loss was still with him, though surely it was not as strong as it had been. "Sure! I'd love that."

Vegeta stalked past both of them, grumbling something about sentimentality and being sick. Bulma chuckled. "Good luck with him. Let him bruise you at least a little. I'd like him in a good mood when he comes back."

Goku winced. "Oh, I don't think I'll have to 'let' him bruise me. He's been improving. I think he still uses that injuring-himself technique in his Gravity Room."

Bulma nodded. "Making that regeneration tank probably didn't help."

Goku opened his mouth to voice a sudden inspirational thought, when Vegeta's deep voice cut through his gathered thoughts, scattering them. "Are you coming, Kakarott? Or do you want to stand there trying to look intelligent, which, I might add, isn't working?"

Goku grimaced. "The General calls." As he turned to follow Vegeta out to the wilderness where they fought, he was quite pleased to hear Bulma giggle behind him. She hadn't been doing that often enough.

* * *

Vegeta shook his head, trying to brush off the Kamehameha Wave Goku had managed to strike him with. He growled and threw back his own ki blast, smirking as he phased out exactly to where he knew Goku would dodge to and landed a couple punches into his just-turning back, ending with a roundhouse that sent the other smacking into the ground.

He chuckled at the thought of a flat Kakarott and found himself flying upwards, head cracking back, as Goku sent a hook right under his chin. He growled and tried to stop his forward advance, only to find himself aiding his downward one as Goku phased out to hit him, smacking him into the same ground Goku had just climbed out of.

Vegeta stood and growled loudly as the only other full-blooded Saiyan landed in front of him, wearing a smirk as if to emulate Vegeta. "Baka! I will teach you to respect your Prince!" He turned into a blue and black blur that Goku could not block.

Vegeta was amused as Kakarott's face went slack. He picked himself out of the rock he had impressed his body into, looking with gaping mouth at the Prince who was haughtily smirking at him. "I didn't even see you move!"

Vegeta huffed, "Of course you didn't! I believe I've been doing something called training, baka. I reached one thousand G's today. A new record." His smirk widened. "I'm going for fifteen hundred tomorrow."

Goku shook his head. "I told Bulma you'd improved, but I never thought you'd gotten this good! I think you could actually beat me!"

Vegeta's face darkened and Goku had enough time to realize that he'd stuck his foot in his mouth before Vegeta snapped, "Improved? I 'could' beat you?" Suddenly he was in Goku's face, jumping straight to Super Saiyan 4 and going back on their agreement not to do any transforming. "You have just crossed the line you pathetic excuse for a Saiyan and a man! I will give you such a beating you'll wish you were with your harpy of a wife!"

Of course, Vegeta's comment was no better, and Goku winced before his own face hardened and he joined Vegeta at his level. Vegeta smirked; satisfied he had finally hit a sore spot in the other. He certainly had never been able to before. "What's wrong? You actually miss that wench you mated with?" He barked a laugh. "You're so pathetic your own brats won't spend any time with you anymore. Inevitably, the conversation always turns to her and 'how much you miss her'." The last was said in a mockingly sappy way.

Goku let out a roar of rage and tackled the surprised Prince, sending both of them hurtling back to hit and go through a cliff face, unearthing a very old cavern. As the dust cleared from their impromptu landing, Vegeta picked himself up from the ground, reminded by his surroundings of another fight long ago when some kind of evil had actually threatened them. It had gotten so boring lately. This was certainly a change of pace.

Goku slid into a fighting stance, face set in a mask of barely controlled fury. Vegeta himself smirked, knowing he had goaded the man into protecting his dead mate's honor. A little voice inside said he would do no less and he quickly quashed it. This was about some excitement, some thrill in his mundane life.

"So, the Saiyan-turned-human has some spine? You're still holding back, Kakarott. Let go of that anger, baka. It's the only way you can shut me up. Otherwise, I'll have to go on about how much of an inadequate mate you were to her, leaving her to train some kid. No wonder she left you."

Goku screamed and again lunged at Vegeta, doing exactly as the Prince wanted. It was about time the man showed something other than despair and strained contentment. He was as bad as the woman with faking emotions. Vegeta's head cracked back with the force of Goku's front snap kick and he came back smirking as he landed a sidekick, ducking under a punch to do so. "That's more like it! Now allow me to show you how to get beaten."

Goku regained his breath slowly and painfully. The man had gotten stronger too. He had time to raise a hand and bat away the ki blast only to find a second following after. He gritted his teeth and began to dodge the Renzoku Energy Dan, cursing the fate that had made that Vegeta's trademark attack.

The last two hit him full-on and Vegeta casually walked toward his downed opponent to gloat over his victory when a sudden pang in his chest made him double over, eyes wide. Goku rose slowly, wincing, to see Vegeta heaving and stumbling as he gripped his chest with both hands. "Vegeta?"

Vegeta shook his head in a mute reply. It was not his pain he was feeling. The pain finally abated and he was able to straighten slightly, red tail lashing behind him, and glare at the other Saiyan. "Get me to Capsule! Now!"

Goku complied with no questions, sending them both back to Capsule using Bulma's ki with a hand on Vegeta's shoulder and a simple two-fingered gesture. Vegeta stumbled as they reappeared in the kitchen and looked around frantically. "WOMAN?"

A weak reply sent him running around the table which had blocked his view, where he gasped at the sight of Bulma lying on the floor, looking quite surprised as she tried to lever herself up, clutching her chest with one hand as he had been just earlier. "I'm okay." Her tremulous voice did nothing to soothe the panic that Vegeta was in.

Despite her protests, he cradled her frail form and again spoke to Goku, "Get us to a hospital!"

Goku shrugged. "I don't know any ki signatures there, I can't lock on one."

Vegeta growled and, still in SS4 mode, rocketed out of the house, leaving a broken door and a worried Goku to follow after.

* * *

"Mrs. Briefs suffered from a heart attack. And unfortunately, it was quite a big one. The fact that she recovered so quickly from it is quite miraculous. However, I would still like to go in and do immediate surgery to remove the obstruction." The doctor pushed his small, gold-framed glasses back onto his nose, looking at Vegeta myopically.

Vegeta, in his normal form, scowled viciously at the white lab-coat attired, middle-aged man who had introduced himself as Dr. Yuro. "What is a heart attack?" He looked like he wanted to take the doctor and physically shake him; demand he make his mate better. The presence of Kakarott to his left stilled him, as the man would probably prevent him from injuring anyone.

The doctor stared at him for a few moments before shaking his head. "Yes. A heart attack is when arteries that direct the flow of blood in the heart become clogged. Mrs. Briefs is old and therefore, has become susceptible to something she normally wouldn't be susceptible to. We need to go in and unclog the arteries."

Vegeta absorbed all this information, cursing humans for having such weak bodies. "And this problem won't reoccur?"

The doctor shifted nervously under the man's stare. "There's no guarantee that it won't happen again. The surgery itself is dangerous. There's really not much we can do. It will slow down the process."

He added the last as his reasoning and Vegeta scoffed at the man, "No."

A little put off by the abrupt manner, Dr. Yuro cleared his throat and removed his glasses to clean off invisible dirt. "Yes. Then I recommend bed rest and plenty of care within the next week. In fact, I'd start limiting her movements and activities as much as possible. She's putting too much stress on her body and it just can't handle it with her age."

He looked Vegeta over. "You're her son?"

Vegeta growled, looking off to the side. "No. Husband."

As the receptionist at the front desk had done, the doctor cleared his throat uncomfortably and glanced away before locking eyes with the less angry-looking man. Vegeta looked almost half Mrs. Briefs' age. "I'd like to keep her overnight and run some tests, just to make sure."

It was Vegeta who answered him, forestalling Goku's calm and polite answer. "Is there anything that can be done beyond what you already haven't done?" His tone caused the doctor to puff out indignantly, but he calmed himself as he had been taught. He supposed he would be anxious if this had happened to his wife, and this man just became snappish when he was anxious. Thank Kami for psychology classes.

"Unfortunately no, but-"

"Then you will not be prodding and sticking my wife any longer. I'm taking her home." The man walked right past him, arms folded across his chest, scowling straight ahead as he made a beeline for Bulma's room.

The other man smiled apologetically and patted the smaller man's shoulder. "Thanks so much, Dr. Yuro! We really appreciate it."

The doctor smiled and nodded. It wasn't often he got thanked for his job. People just took it for granted that he was trained to try to heal them. He supposed the stereotype came from all those quacks out there. In reality, he was just happy to do the job he'd wanted to do since he was a child.

He put a hand on the orange-attired man's arm. "Her husband seems a bit edgy, but that's to be understood. What Mrs. Briefs really needs right now is that rest."

Goku grimaced. "I can probably convince Bulma to a least get that rest."

The doctor nodded and looked up as one of the nurses called to him, taking his leave and following where the nurse indicated he was needed next.

Goku hurriedly followed Vegeta to Bulma's room, stopping outside when he heard hushed voices. He tried not to listen, but really his curiosity was peaked, and he was within hearing range of them with the door being open.

"Really, Vegeta, I'm fine. The doctor said it was a small heart attack. Now can we go home? I have to fix dinner yet."

"Small? He certainly didn't tell me that! And he also said for you to be in bed for at least a week, and I'm pushing for a month frankly. Gods…. Do you realize I felt that, woman? That was no 'small' heart attack!"

"Vegeta-"

"No. I will not hear of it! You can whine and complain all you want, but you are staying in bed until I see fit, even if I have to tie you down! I can and will order out. I've done it before."

"I bet you'd enjoy tying me down, wouldn't you?" Goku turned an interesting shade of red.

He clearly heard a rumbling sound and blushed deeper as he realized it was a purr. Clearing his throat loudly, he stepped into the room. At least he didn't have to push the week's rest. "Well, she's clear to leave. Now, can we take the front door like normal people instead of scaring half the hospital like when we flew in?"

Vegeta jumped back from the bed, breaking the hold Bulma had on his tail. His voice came out a little unsteady, but became its gruff, natural self by the end. "I don't see why it should freak them out. Their little crime-fighting duo and their daughter can fly and all they do is 'aw' and 'oh'."

"Yeah, but they're wearing those costumes too. We weren't. In fact, if you hadn't powered down before you entered, you would've sent a lot more people into these beds seeing a red-furred man burst through the doors."

Vegeta merely smirked, aiding Bulma in standing on her own two feet. "At least they'd be in the right place."

Bulma sighed. "Okay, children! Take me home already! I hate hospitals!"

Vegeta nodded as he swooped her up into his arms and carried her shrieking and hitting form out the door; smirk widening. "You and me both, woman."

* * *

Bulma sighed. It was quite boring just staying in the bed with no one next to her. Vegeta was downstairs trying to fix breakfast, which she could smell burning; he was a worse cook than her. At the same time he was trying to get a hold of Trunks and Bra and fix the busted door. She really hadn't thought it necessary to worry the kids over nothing, but Vegeta had clearly insisted, asking her if she'd want to know if one of them even got the common cold. For some reason, she wasn't winning the arguments lately. Must have been a byproduct of getting old, along with all the other things.

Grinning evilly, Bulma considered the bell that was on their nightstand and picked it up, ringing it as loudly and frantically as she could. Vegeta showed up with regular predictability, acting as if the house was on fire. She rolled her eyes. "Really, Vegeta. If you would just calm down you'd find all those chores you've decided to take on much easier."

Vegeta folded his arms across his chest. "You'd better have called me up here for more than just that. I'm trying to cook."

"'Trying' being the operative word. It's burning, Vegeta." Bulma couldn't have hid her grin if she tried.

He glanced off to the side, looking none too happy with either her look or his cooking skills. "I took it off the burner. I only burnt one side."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Order something from that breakfast place." She patted the bed next to her. "Come here and sit down for now. You'll run yourself into this bed if you don't take a breather. Besides, I'm bored."

Vegeta sighed and moved to the bed, lying down beside his mate and wrapping his arms around her. "Trunks said he had only to pack the kids and tell his wife once she gets off work and he'll start over. Bra was a bit harder to contact. She turned off her cell phone; was at some kind of party. She said she could call her teachers and be here by tomorrow."

Bulma nodded, wriggling deeper into the warmth and comfort provided by Vegeta's body. "It'll be good to see them. Sometimes I think they've forgotten us."

Vegeta scoffed, "Nonsense. They have lives of their own, just as we do. The phones work both ways."

She looked up at him to see him raising an eyebrow at her. She grinned sheepishly. "I suppose we have been neglecting them as much as they have us, eh?"

Vegeta nodded silently, looking off into nothing as he held her. She had given him quite a scare, and that in itself frightened him. When he had first arrived on Earth, he would've laughed if he'd been told he would feel this much for one human female.

"Vegeta, what are you going to do once I'm gone?"

The unexpected question being hauntingly not too far from his own thoughts, Vegeta flinched and remained tense as he looked at her again. She was staring at him with all seriousness. He placed his chin on top of her still-soft hair and scowled into the distance. "Don't speak of such things."

Bulma squirmed under him. "I'm serious, Vegeta. I'm not going to live forever. So what will you do? Stay here? Leave for space? Take another mate?"

He stopped her questions with a growl. "How in the world should I know what I'd do? I certainly cannot see myself taking any of these weak ningen females. It's bad enough I already took one. I don't want to end up like that depressed third-class, but what's the point in conquering the galaxy? No one knows me anymore and I'd just spend all my time trying to remind people why they should fear me. By the time I'd be done I would be joining you in the afterlife."

Bulma beamed at him, wrinkles creasing the side of her smile. "You'll join me? That's romantic."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Forgive me, woman, but for some reason an eternity with Frieza just doesn't appeal to me."

Bulma giggled. "But this time you could kick his butt. Again and again and again and again-"

"I get your point, woman. However, it would become quite boring. You're the only one that even comes close to challenging me. Trying to keep up with your constant mood swings and temper tantrums is almost as good as a battle."

He smirked as her face turned livid. "Mood swings? Look whose talking Mr. PMS."

He huffed indignantly and squeezed her until she squeaked. "You know, I could always make you eat what I fixed. You did it to me all the time."

Bulma rubbed the arms that held her. "You really want me in that hospital again, don't you?"

Vegeta shivered at the contact. "Woman, I never want to see you in one of those places again."

"I think everybody my age ends up there. It's just something that happens."

Vegeta took her chin and gently raised it so that she was forced to look into black eyes that carried the same intensity they'd always had. "I will not see you in one of those things again. Ever."

She shook her head, breaking his grip momentarily. "You can't make such promises, Vegeta. You can't stop time."

He gazed into blue orbs, mourning the loss of the once bright color, now dimmed by that self-same time. "I could make you immortal."

Bulma's eyes widened and she leaned back out of Vegeta's arms to see he was quite serious. "Vegeta!" The words stuck in her throat, such was her complete and total shock.

She blinked several times and opened her mouth to speak when Vegeta spoke first. "Nevermind. That was a bad idea. Forget I said anything." The way he said the words was far from sincere, but Bulma was much too disturbed to think on it right now.

She leaned back into his arms. "Please Vegeta, just hold me."

Vegeta complied, resting his chin back on her head and holding in the sigh that wanted to escape, thoughts whirling around the conversation they had just had.

A/N: Well, took me awhile to find out what to actually give Bulma…. I had decided on a stroke, but that's the brain and I didn't want to mar her genius as well as her looks. So, I decided on a heart attack. Then I had to go look it up…. (rolls eyes) O.o; Vegeta's so-chivalric here….

Japanese Dictionary:

Baka: Idiot

Ningen: Human

Saiyan no Ouji: Saiyan Prince