Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ What Exactly Is Involved In A Saiyan Mating Ritual? ❯ So Much For 'Happily Ever After' ( Chapter 26 )

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ.

A/N - Special thanks go to Phantomscribe72 for beta-ing this for me! Thank you!

So Much For `Happily Ever After.'

Chapter Twenty-Six

Bulma wandered through the twisted amalgamation of trees, which bordered the oasis of her fathers land, and saved it from the clutter and mayhem of such an industrial sector of Western Capital City. The last of the autumn leaves had forsaken their respective trees weeks ago, and the picture they painted now was stark and cold. The remnants of a harsh frost stung at their branches, and the murky afternoon sky did little to relieve them of their torture.

To be plainly honest Bulma preferred them that way. Things had been so weird the last two months she had almost forgotten the danger that loomed ominously on the horizon. Somehow the distance to the event didn't seem as far away as it should. It was frightening how time could play around with perspective with just as much skill as the most accomplished artist. The danger her life had been in now seemed like nothing more than a hiccup in the memory of time, and the future, the one that had been predicted one and a half years ago, was now represent of everything that was dark and foreboding.

It was at times like this that she thought of Kandai. He had been so fundamental to her survival and she didn't even have the chance to say goodbye to him properly. She felt sad when she thought about it. Even though she had only seen the real him for less than three hours, there was all the time in the link to contemplate. His general benevolence seemed to radiate respect and the strong desire to love as one would a life-long friend. She shook her head. Perhaps this was the defining affect on her current sadness.

How many times in her life had she been saved from one ordeal, only for it to be followed by something equally monumental and soul-destroying? Well, far too many to count that was for sure. Ordinarily it wouldn't have had such a traumatizing effect on her reality but now… well now it was the world. She could feel the tears sliding down the smoothness of her cheeks, and for once in her life she would not smother them, would not try and will them away.

Her short try at happiness had failed. The one thing she had craved from childhood, her prince charming… well he was all too apt at forgetting the charming part, and now everything about her situation was made all the more cataclysmic because of his actions.

As she walked along the damp ground, tugging her scarf so it was even closer round her neck, she remembered Kandai's words, `Despite everything he may protest to the opposite he needs you, remember that for the trials ahead.' It gave her some comfort, but not the degree she was looking for right now. Why the hell did everything have to be so damned complicated when thrown at the whirlwind of the Saiyan no Ouji? Why couldn't he just once in his self-obsessed life, give her a straight answer, rather than tangling his meaning up in a complication of riddles, making it completely indecipherable and handing him the time to escape any repercussions? It was so Kami damned infuriating at the best of times, making it completely insufferable right now.

The wind had picked up blowing her hair out from the tie that held it back and making choppy aquamarine strands whip angrily at her face. Bulma had no wish to hide from the ferocity it pelted her skin. In fact she leant into its force, letting the dominant air currents fling the droplets of her tears dramatically from her face. Her current situation was one that was supposed to offer delight, and the prospect of so many years of happiness, and yet ever since it had come about she felt as though the only thing she could do was fall even more into the pits of despair.

She was pregnant. Expecting her first child. It was supposed to be the embodiment of everything that she had spent the last few months extracting from her relationship with Vegeta. It was the one gift she could give him to show him how much he really meant to her. To give his life and her own direction, to cement the bonds they had so tightly wrapped through each others bodies, and symbolize their commitment to each other. It was everything she could have ever wished for! Unfortunately it was that realization which had scared her more than anything. It had been what she wanted, but whether or not it had been what Vegeta wanted was a matter that had weighed heavily on her shoulders.

It had been several weeks since she had found out, and it had been put on the back-shelf for all that time, as her mind screamed at her conscience. She couldn't do it. She didn't know if she could cope with the rejection. Fatherhood was definitely something Vegeta had not contemplated before. It was only now as the full enormity hit her that she wasn't going to be able to hide it from him for long that she had at last relented. This very morning she had finally plucked up the courage to tell him.

It was painful how quickly things had changed between them after they returned from the desert. It was as though Vegeta had planned his time with pinpoint precision. He delighted in the thrill that her body afforded him during a honeymoon period of conjunctional bliss, but as soon as Bulma had decided to return to work, and his gravity room was functioning as normal, it was as though the time in the link had never taken place. His demeanour was just as distant, cold and volatile as it had always been before. It was as though he was trying to recoil from the comfort they had found in each other, as though he regretted his decision to choose her as a mate. It made her heart ache just thinking about it. She had never thought she held any expectations from him, and yet his disinterestedness managed to crush her after only a few short weeks? What in HFIL had she gotten herself into?

She couldn't believe how difficult it had been speaking openly with him this morning. They were like two distant warriors, meeting on the battlefield of forgotten emotions. She had timed her approach to the gravity room well. Vegeta was very strict in his daily routines. It wasn't hard to manage to coincide with the end of his warm up session, and to time her morning walk to the precise second he strode down the steps to the kitchen for his breakfast.

Really she didn't need to make the pretence, because Vegeta had seen through it straight away. He glowered angrily at her as she interrupted his tightly regulated regime. "What do you want?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Nothing! Can't a lady take the same route into the house as the Saiyan no baka without raising suspicion?"

"A lady might!" he snarled, as he walked haughtily in front of her, not even giving distinction by wanting to be next to her, "but you on the other hand are no lady. So I'll ask you again. What do you want?"

"We have to talk." Bulma could still remember how the repressed emotion in her words had clogged their path to the throat.

"What do you think we are doing now?"

Bulma sighed. He wasn't going to make this easy. "Ok, but we need to talk somewhere less open to interruption."

She felt a hint of triumph as he relented from his detachment to turn and face her with one eyebrow hoisted slightly as though he was considering her request.

"Please Vegeta. Its important, otherwise believe me, I wouldn't have bothered you."

"Very well."

He made sure to put enough emphasis on the words to make her understand that he wasn't thrilled at the prospect, but silently changed his course from the breakfast room. They walked down the side of the main buildings. The alley they took was flanked on either side by large factories. The whir of heavy-duty machinery made any form of conversation during the journey impossible, and both were thankful for it. Each was too caught up in their own thoughts for more.

Eventually the alley widened. Interlinking walkways meant that the huge laboratory units were easily traversed, and soon they were free from prying eyes, walking at a fast pace along the private gardens and to the small pagoda at the end. Water flowed gently around the base that was cut away from the moss and rockery behind, with the occasional Koi carp, elegantly breaking the surface.

Bulma cautiously followed Vegeta under the protection of the large stone pillars that supported the traditional sloping roof, and not a minute too soon. They had walked no more than two steps under its protection when the heavens opened and blankets of rain fell to the earth, hitting the exposed masonry with relentless force. At least they wouldn't have to worry about the conversation being overheard.

"Speak!" Demanded Vegeta as though he didn't notice the maelstrom now surrounding them. "I do not have all day!"

"I'm…" Bulma looked at the floor, not knowing quite what to say. There was no way to tiptoe lightly onto the subject. She would have to come straight out with it.

"You're what?"

"I'm pregnant!"

There! She had said it! It wasn't eloquently or graciously divulged, but it would do. A part of her had felt satisfaction of having so aggressively thrust the news onto him. It would make him pay from making her feel so guilty about such a tiny miracle. The truth of the matter was that she couldn't accurately say how Vegeta had taken the news, because her eyes were trained on anything but his face. She couldn't bear to look at him. Perhaps if she had, then she might have seen the initial shock turn to the slightest of contorted smirks, which was as close to a real smile as he had yet to master.

The emotion was quickly controlled though, lost to the wind as it went unnoticed. "And why is this news so important that you have to drag me away from my breakfast?"

The words were spoken so calmly that Bulma was at a loss to a reply. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting. Rage? Contempt? Affectionate acceptance? She certainly hadn't been prepared for cold unconcern. She had at least hoped to stir emotion in him one way or another, whether it be good or bad, but his words stopped her dead in her tracks, making the beginnings of tears brim dangerously close to overflowing.

She looked to the floor, desperately trying to control her emotions, "Is that all you have to say?"

"I'm not sure what you want from me Bulma. Did you think I was going to be happy about this, to fling my arms around you and admit that it's all I've ever wanted, or did you want me to go into a blind rage and let you know that it's a catastrophe and should never have been? Each digression is as laughable and improbable as the other."

Bulma could feel her anger swelling with the lack of emotion his words offered, "I don't know what the hell I expected from you Vegeta. Perhaps I felt that this!" She concentrated on the mental bond, pulling at his mind through the power manifesting it to glow against the darkness the storm clouds created. "Would make you actually acknowledge that I exist and show me some sort of emotion, but all I feel right now is your emptiness. What's wrong with you?"

Vegeta looked unsure if he wanted to answer. His fists clenched momentarily at his sides as the effect of her power washed over him. "There is nothing wrong with me. Not now. I am just the same as I have always been. Now comes cold hard acceptance Onna. I told you, but you would not believe me! You forget whom you have taken this path with. I am not Yamcha. Not some little puppy dog to run around your ankles, blindly giving you affection. I am not capable of it. I cannot be held accountable for your emotions."

"I can take care of my own emotions Vegeta, but what about yours? What do you feel?"

"I do not feel anything. I will not allow myself to, not now."

Bulma felt as though she had been winded by the import of those words, "Why not?"

"Because I have other things to think about. This is merely a distraction right now. I am still not Super Saiyan, I cannot let trivial matters such as this deter me from my main goals."

"How can you call having a child trivial?"

Vegeta physically baulked at her words, but did not backtrack from his own. "You mistake my meaning." He walked forward and Bulma remained motionless as he let a gloved hand glide millimetres from her stomach, "Life is not trivial, but it will be if I cannot change the future."

The rain that had once cascaded down in rivulets from the roof, now calmed as the storm passed, and as the diffusive light that followed it reflected mini rainbows in the small room, Bulma at once understood.

"I see. You don't want to care, because, ultimately, it might all count for nothing anyway right? So why bother?"

His voice was unsteady as his eyes met with hers, his hand nervously running across her check as if he knew what his answer would do.

"Precisely."

Bulma was choking back the tears now, her chin twitching as she fought for control. She wouldn't let him destroy her happiness this way! The mental bond had failed. She only had one way left open to her - the emotional bond.

Vegeta's hand now cupped her face and she could feel it contract as she made the power surge between them, a few select tears escaping her eyes to spite him. "Don't do it Bulma!" he pleaded.

"Why? You gave the power to me Vegeta. You wanted me to have it. I don't want to hide from feeling it anymore! I've shunned it for so long, and so have you!" She chanced a look up at him and his head lowered to her shoulder, his arms entwining around her waist. "Please don't do this to me!"

"I have to!" he breathed, as every muscle in his body tried to resist. His hand trailed down her face, his lips capturing hers, all but for a brief second, making Bulma hope his objectives had changed. "I won't allow myself anything else! I have already told you that the power is amazing. Are you doing this to trap me?"

"No! I just want you to show some emotion. I want you to understand what this child means to me, and for you to be the father of it!"

His hands relaxed from hers, and a swathe of blue energy, rebuffed the power the bond held over them both, allowing Vegeta to turn away. His arms crossed determinedly over his chest and stayed that way. At length he spoke, "You do not need the bond to tell me as much. I already know and if I were in a different situation…" His head had dropped as he spoke, but now it was resolutely snapped back to position. "…but we are not. Do you remember when I first started training after the gravity room exploded all those months ago?"

"Yes."

"I asked you if you wanted to die in three years time."

"You did." Bulma replied reluctantly.

"Has your answer changed?"

She knew where he was heading with this. She wanted so badly to turn it around, to find some loop in his logic to exploit, but found none. "No!" Her heart clenched violently under the confession.

"Then I have to train to my maximum. I cannot let anything deter me from it. I spent too long with you as it is. I had not planned to gift you with so much attention. Now I have to find control and make achieving Super Saiyan my only concern. Surely you are intelligent enough to understand this!"

"I…" Bulma almost chocked on the word, "I understand. I just wish it could be different."

"I once wanted to wish for immortality, how would things be now if I had succeeded?"

"So what does this mean Vegeta?"

He turned to face her, the resolution of his actions shining in the depths of his eyes, making her feel even more desperate. "I'm leaving."

Bulma closed her eyes and rocked her head slowly from side to side, even as she knew the decision was not going to be waylaid by her emotion.

"You know that it's the right thing to do Bulma. I will be back before the androids appear of that much you can be certain. I would not miss out on the opportunity it presents to test myself."

She approached him from behind and he allowed her to put her arms around him, even though his posture was as cold as marble. He turned his head slightly to look at her, and she gazed back through the moisture her eyes afforded. "Be careful!" she admonished, "The Z senshi need you. I need you." Whilst her courage was strong she continued, pulling at his mind and whispering into his head, "Reach your goal and return to us a Super Saiyan. I know you can do it my Ouji!"

Those words were all it took, to tear down the barrier of his compose and he turned in her embrace, forcing his lips to meet violently with her own. "Whatever happens!" he ordered into her thoughts, "Do not forget this!" his kissed her with a passionate violence that had been denied her for two months too many. "Remember Bulma. Stay strong!"

In a heartbeat he had wrenched himself from her grip and was practically flying away from the pagoda and back to the main buildings, in his haste to leave any emotion he had let slip far enough behind so as not to cloud his mission.

That had been the morning. When she had eventually returned to the house she was astonished to see that preparations for his departure from Chikyu were already well under way. She had bumped into her father as he raced from the private family laboratories under the main building and he had confirmed that Vegeta wanted the ship fuelled for departure that very afternoon. After squeezing the precise time he wished to leave from her father, she had resolved to be as far as possible from the launch site at that time.

Dejectedly she now pulled the suede of her gloves from over her watch, and sat down on the stump of the tree that couldn't be saved by the tree-surgeon after Vegeta had chosen that spot to train in whilst he waited for his gravity room to be built all that time ago. How much had changed since then?

Unnoticed the minute hand flicked up one notch to the hour, and the accuracy of Vegeta's time keeping was made proud, as a blanket of smoke billowed up from the other side of the property, and the Capsule Corp. spacepod took to the sky in a magnificent explosion of power. The tiny amount of light that seeped below the cloud line glinted once around the curved structure, before it broke through the great culmination of cumulous cloud and out of sight altogether.

Bulma stayed looking up to the sky for much longer than was needed. Indeed over twenty minutes had past before she looked back down. The tears were still there. Whether they were a result of the hormones from her pregnancy was debatable, but they just would not go away. Wiping them angrily from her cheeks she got up, a new wave of determination driving her on. In a rare moment of passion Vegeta had told her to be strong and she would Kami damned prove to him that she was. She was Bulma Briefs, the beautiful genius, multi-billionaire, and soon to be mom. Some things were worth fighting for. Her future was one of them and there was no way she was going to let Vegeta escape being a part of it!

*************************

In another dimension two well-aged figures stood in King Yemma's grand palace watching the events of one Chikyu-jin female being played out on a large screen in front of them.

"Do you think she will be OK Kandai?"

"Yes. She is as strong emotionally as Vegeta is physically. I think all will turn out well. At least I hope it will. I failed to save my own planet, lets pray that I have secured this one."

Kami laid a withered hand on his fellow guardians shoulder. "Are you ready to leave now?"

He turned grudgingly away from the screen and smiled, "Yes." He replied saying a silent prayer, "Yes I am!"

Kami nodded to King Yemma and Slowly Kandai's figure faded from sight. His body returned to the control of the southern quadrant, his last words of "Take care my friend." Left floating long after his body had vanished.

The End

************************

A/N- *Cries* I can't believe its all over! It feels like I have been writing this story forever! One part of me is proud that I finished when there were times it sent me positively loopy, and the other is going to miss writing it so much that it hurts. One thing has been a constant throughout it all; the boundless support of those whom have either reviewed or emailed me about this story. I don't know how I can ever repay you for your kindness. To glomp each and every one of you, would hardly be enough, because it was at those time when I felt just about ready to quit that you guys gave me the confidence to continue.

*Infinite hugs*

Ember