Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Danger in the horizon ❯ The Scorched Mind. ( Chapter 37 )

Chapter 37 - The scorched mind.

Note: I don't own DBZ

{} means characters thoughts

Firstly, I want to apologise for the slow update this time around. I promised to have this chapter up by the 24th but it seems I did not fulfil my mission.

Secondly, I want to thank all of the following people who have patiently waited for this update and I hope you guys like it. (Sorry no lemon this time around, wait until next chapter……)

Thirdly, I have decided to plug a wonderful AU fic out there that is very much worthwhile reading. Here's the link http://www.geocities.com/bluefinalflash/ It's a fantastic epic centring around my favourite couple Vegeta and Bulma.

Also, please read these fics on FFN, Someone to watch over me, by PowerGoddess, Surviving Together: A New Legacy, by LavenderGoddessV Two Sides to a Story, the sequel to From Bad to Worse by Darke Angelus at MMO.

So thanks to: The wonderful Jadedbest and the Queen of Reviewers, Susan.

Whew!!!

He had failed.

Failed himself, his bonded mate, and his father.

Failed to reach the pinnacle to which he had long aspired. The two days in the Hyperbolic Time chamber had increased his strength; speed and technique but the transformation to Super Saiyan had once again eluded him.

Vegeta watched Bulma as she slept, seemingly blissfully unaware of his shortcomings, face relaxed, her skin still flushed from the hours of lovemaking they had both craved after being separated from one another for 2 days. At times they had almost been violent with each other, as if trying to take more than was there, and then just before Bulma finally succumbed to sleep, the lovemaking had been slow and gentle, causing Bulma to cry out not just in passion, but also with love, an emotion that Vegeta still did not understand, but it was something that was beginning to emerge in his previously dead heart.

The bond was strong indeed between them both.

When Vegeta had first emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber his first instinct was to leave as soon as possible and avoid Bulma, not willing to expose himself to what he imagined would be her extreme disappointment in his failure, but the bond drew him to her, like a moth to a flame, unable to escape. Her face when she had seen him the night before had registered not disappointment, but joy at his safe return. Bulma's appearance had shocked Vegeta somewhat, her formerly flowing blue locks hacked away to expose her fine bone structure and slender neck, but he realised that Bulma had done it for a reason and besides, she appeared even more glorious than before, no longer hidden away under a mass of unruly hair.

He shifted uncomfortably in the narrow bed which had really only been designed for one occupant, and carefully extracted himself Bulma's loose embrace, so as not to wake her. He smirked knowingly. The overriding lust he had felt upon emerging from the chamber had been almost totally sated, but in the process he had worn his mate out. Vegeta swung his legs out onto the floor, grimacing at the coolness of the stone floor on his bare feet as they made contact. Shaking his head to override the urge to nestle himself within Bulma again, Vegeta focussed his mind on his goal. Sleeping and being locked in passionate embraces with his mate was not going to help him ascend. "I must find the key to unlock this power." He muttered softly to himself, pacing the small room irritably, unaware that his exit from the bed had caused Bulma to rouse, whimpering softly at the loss of his body heat. "The key, what is the key to my power?"

He continued as Bulma watched him, a small grin present on her face as she heard the words uttered from his mouth. Not for the first time, his animal beauty struck her, his muscles alternately flexing and relaxing as he paced, the early morning suns rays highlighting his tawny skin and glossy black hair. Bulma knew that now was not the time to let him in on her carefully hidden secret, her training with Kami needed to be complete before revealing all to Vegeta. {Soon Vegeta, you will have what you want, be patient…}

"So you are finally awake, woman." Vegeta snapped, as if suddenly aware of Bulma's conscious thoughts.

The grin disappeared from her face to be replaced by a frown of annoyance at Vegeta's harsh tone. "No thanks to you." She retorted as she extracted herself from the tangle of sheets. Vegeta merely raised an eyebrow at her angry tone, amused at her flashing eyes. "It appears that this training that you have undertaken has not increased your stamina at all woman. Just what kind of instruction is that 2nd rate deity giving you?"

Bulma breathed deeply to calm herself so that she would not reveal all before the time was right. "Kami is not a 2nd rate god, and the training is not the physical kind, it's for the mind." Vegeta's expression changed from faintly amused to angry in an instant, revealing his deep-seated desire to know all, she was hiding more than just her training purpose to him.

"You are hiding something from me, Bulma." Vegeta replied accusingly, folding his arms across his chest, his obsidian eyes boring into her. "With the bond we know each others thoughts, but you are successfully blocking me." Bulma did not answer, dropping her gaze from his. Vegeta turned away to gaze out at the rising sun from the small window, not understanding Bulma's reticence in the matter being discussed, his tail thrashing in anger behind him. "What are you hiding from me!?" He growled, wanting it all out in the open, here and now.

Bulma continued to stare at the floor, her face drained of its colour. Vegeta was completely right of course, but that would only serve to make the explanation when it finally came all the more difficult, as his pride was going to be in the way, every step of the way. "I, I can't tell you what it is, not yet." There was no way that she could explain Kami's plan or the fact that she had fallen prey to that most human of emotions, love. She gathered up the confidence to look up again as Vegeta turned back to her, and met his glare. "Besides, you have not answered my question."

"What question is that woman?" He huffed, clearly growing more irritated by the moment.

Bulma rose from the bed and walked towards Vegeta's stiff form, reaching out to place her hands on his chest, almost weeping as he flinched at her light touch. It hurt her more than she ever wanted to say when he recoiled from her touch. "You are blocking me as well Vegeta. You never told me how the training went in the time chamber, how you trained for two years. I can't access your mind either." Bulma whispered hoarsely.

"That is not the point, woman," Vegeta replied. "I'm not leaving until I get an answer."

"Don't be such a hypocrite, Vegeta. We can't afford to waste time on this now. There are more important issues at hand, namely the arrival of Freeza." Bulma moved her hands from his bare chest to his bonding scar and rubbed it, eliciting an involuntary purr from Vegeta's throat. "Go and train, Vegeta. I will reveal everything to you; it will only be a few days until I am finished. Please?" She looked into his eyes beseechingly.

"I am not a pet to be controlled, Bulma." Vegeta grunted, but his facial expression softened slightly. "Fine. I will train during the day, but will return here each night until you have finished." His tone then became authorative. "You will tell me everything, is that clear?"

"Agreed." Bulma murmured, releasing her grasp on Vegeta's neck. She didn't like the fact that he was to all intents and purposes ordering her around, but as she was well aware, it was his way, his arrogance at times knew no bounds. However, Bulma was pleased that he would be coming back each night to see her. "Did I say that you could go?" He growled, placing a gentle hand under her chin and raising her lips to his. Bulma moaned and leaned into the kiss, remembering the sublimely erotic experience of the previous night, part of her wishing that she and Vegeta could be taken back in time to that exact moment, the heat building up between them once again, the tense words between them forgotten momentarily.

Suddenly she flushed, realising that hers and Vegeta's clothing was most likely still scattered about in the courtyard of the lookout. With supreme effort, Bulma pushed away from Vegeta and gathered up a sheet and wrapped herself in it, then opened the door by an inch or so, cautiously looking around for any signs of Mr Popo or Kami. To her relief neither of them was; but when Bulma looked down, she saw hers and Vegeta's clothing, cleaned and folded neatly by the door, causing her to flush even more deeply.

Embarrassed beyond belief, Bulma snatched up the clothing and slammed the door shut, not noticing Vegeta's amused expression as she threw the clothes on the bed and stalked into the tiny bathroom, desiring to clean away not only the sweat that had built up over the hours of lovemaking, but also the embarrassment. "Damn you Vegeta." She hissed between clenched teeth.

Vegeta chuckled despite himself and picked up his clothing and donned it quickly, not seeing any need for a shower himself, as he would only be sparring for the day anyway and besides, he wanted to keep Bulmas scent on his skin, in anticipation of another interlude with her that night. He had no reason to feel shame in his actions, and if the Namek or his strange assistant had decided to watch his and Bulmas heated and frenzied mating in the courtyard, it was no bother to him.

"Until tonight, woman." Vegeta grunted half to himself as he left the room, leaping off the lookout and flying steadily towards the high domes of Capsule Corporation, ready to try once more for that elusive transformation.

Amanda woke and felt the warm embrace of the still drowsing Radditz around her, making her think twice about getting out of bed. She rolled around in his arms and studied his handsome face, softly tracing a hand along his strong jaw line, and wishing that she could stay there, in his arms, forever. The previous day and night had been something of a heavenly blur, and she was reluctant to pull away but as she was still employed by Capsule Corporation Amanda understood it was time to return to work and face the music. Her non-appearance at work the day before was sure to have raised some questions and then there was the situation surrounding Victor, her ex husband. She would have to explain what was going on to him, it was the worst kept secret in Capsule Corporation that he still loved her and was still vainly hoping for the impossible, that she would return to him.

That was over now.

Now she was permanently involved with another man, an alien no less. She and Radditz were now both marked as each other's bonded mates, a fact that was not going to go over too well with Victor, if he even tried to understand it. Then there was the obvious problem of where they were both going to live. Her apartment or here, in the Briefs home? There were so many things that she had not considered in leaping headfirst into this relationship, but being the pragmatic type Amanda would work through each problem as it arose.

Amanda raised one hand and ran it over the still tender wound on the back of her neck, remembering the pain and pleasure that had been the last part of the ritual as Radditz first marked her with his family's crest, then she with a carving knife marked him. Reluctantly, Amanda pulled herself out of Radditz's arms to get out of bed and face the days obstacles head on, or she would have it a long muscular arm had not reached out and pulled her back. "Where do you think you are going?" Rumbled Radditz contentedly; dropping a light kiss on her bare shoulder, and dragging her not so unwilling body back to press against his, enjoying her half-hearted struggle.

"Radditz, I have to go," Amanda replied lightly, trying extracting herself from the bed. "There is work to be done, and I have to explain my absence of yesterday." Radditz shot her a semi hurt look, but he understood her predicament and so let her rise from the bed and with lust filled eyes watched as her nude form stepped towards the bathroom, involuntarily licking his lips as he did so. As the water was turned on and Amanda immersed herself under the warm flow of water, Radditz took his chance, leaping from the tangled bed sheets and almost racing into the bathroom to share a shower with her. Over the day and night Radditz had spent with Amanda, all the pain of his abortive attempt to convince Bulma she was the one for him had disappeared from his heart and mind, and had been replaced by the feeling of joy, joy that he had finally found what he had been looking for.

Radditz was somewhat of an anomaly in the Saiyan race as was Goku in that they both felt real emotions. He had never been schooled in the art of keeping his emotions to himself, as was the case with the royal family and the elite of Vegetasei. These very emotions had marked him as being weak and would never amount to anything more than a simple foot soldier, regardless of how much his power increased. But fate had brought him to this point in his life, with a position of high honour as a royal guard conferred upon him when Vegetasei had been destroyed and now, a life mate.

As he had lay there for a few seconds before leaping up, the very thought of touching Amanda's wet, warm and naked body had been a little too much for him to resist.

{She is driving me crazy…}

In all truth, Amanda had secretly hoped that he would join her, even if it was cramped with the both of them in there together. It was going to take a little longer than normal to get ready for work with a lusty Saiyan on the prowl, but Amanda didn't mind in the least. "Hello my lover." She whispered as Radditz's large hands lightly stroked her hips, pushing his hardened state of arousal against her. This was going to be a lengthy shower indeed.

Victor arrived at work earlier than normal, wincing as he spotted Amanda's lone car still parked in the Capsule Corporation parking lot, covered in early morning dew. It was obvious that she had never gone home, instead staying the night with her new lover, one of the mysterious guests of Dr and Mrs Briefs. He had tortured himself all night with images of Amanda making love to another, the full realisation that she had moved on in her life and he had not, showing Victor the harsh reality he was now facing. As a result he had not slept, staying awake all night, but he had a plan in mind, one that would ensure that Amanda would return to him forever. In his mind, only he was able to love Amanda the way that she deserved.

Upon entering the scientific wing, Victor located Amanda's workstation and left her a quickly scribbled note, requesting that her presence was required in his office as soon as she arrived. Then he would have it out with her and try to convince Amanda of her folly before putting his plan into effect. He then proceeded to his office, sat down and waited for her arrival.

After a prolonged shower Amanda finally emerged from the shower, and after a frenzied search for her capsule with a spare set of clothing for emergencies or just if she had to work through the night, was finally ready to face the day.

With a passionate kiss, she farewelled Radditz and made her way to work, teeth clenched with the tension. Amanda did not want to leave, but she had obligations and the first obstacle for her to overcome was waiting for her at work. Victor.

Vegeta arrived just as Amanda was exiting the main house and as he passed he noticed the faint scent surrounding the blonde woman and recognised immediately Radditz's mark peeping through her curtain of thick blonde hair. In any other circumstance Vegeta would probably have blasted Radditz directly to the next dimension for his foolishness, but realised the hypocrisy of such an action. He had a mate, why should Radditz not claim a woman of his own? If the Saiyan race was to survive, then such extreme measures were necessary, even if it meant that any children born would be only half-breeds. Such a thing in his father's time would have been impossible, but with the destruction of Vegetasei, there really was no other option.

Stalking somewhat wearily into the house, Vegeta located Radditz on the 2nd level, leisurely eating a huge breakfast, to regain some of the energy he lost the previous night when pleasuring his new mate. At Vegeta's entrance he rose from his chair and bowed low, respecting Vegeta's royal status. "Get up Radditz." Grunted Vegeta, sliding himself into a spare seat and helping himself to the food on offer. Radditz did not enquire as to how his training had gone or if Vegeta had transformed, finally. This raised him in Vegeta's estimations because for all that he thought that Radditz was a weak fool, he did have some brains. "So, Radditz, I see that you have claimed a woman for yourself." He continued calmly.

"Yes highness." Radditz replied nervously, bracing himself for the inevitable onslaught of abuse or fists.

Vegeta laughed harshly at his soldier's expression. "You may keep her, if that is what you wish, Radditz. But be warned, do not allow her to become a distraction to what lies ahead, or I may have to dispose of her."

Radditz stiffened at the threat, but chose not to push it, it was after all the usual warning given to any newly mated warrior just before any big campaign was coming up. All he had to do is read between the lines. What Vegeta was saying was that training was more important than lustful desires. He was becoming stronger with each session with Piccolo, but he was still not strong enough to take on Freeza or even Vegeta for that matter. "She will not become a distraction, your highness." He finally replied.

Vegeta chewed thoughtfully on the food, then spoke again. "Excellent. I assume that Kakkarot and the Namek will be here presently to spar with us, so keep what little remaining common sense you have on that."

Both Saiyans continued eating in silence as Goku and Piccolo arrived, ready to train once more. Piccolo sensed that Vegeta had come very close to ascension, mostly due to his 2 years in the time chamber, but had not yet found the key with which to unlock his power. Inwardly he grumbled, Kami was right after all. He hated it when Kami's instincts were well founded; it made the Guardian of Earth even more pompous in his eyes. "Ready?" He queried of Vegeta.

Vegeta merely grunted his agreement and gestured Radditz to follow him as the four warriors exited the house and by an unspoken agreement, flew leisurely towards the badlands for a day of extensive training.

Vegeta glanced out of the corner of his eyes at Goku, knowing that the younger Saiyan was just as determined to ascend as he, but Vegeta could not allow that to happen. The prize of being first was to be his and his alone. No third class Saiyan was going to wrest it from his mighty grasp.

If Mr Popo was aware of the previous nights activities which Bulma was damn sure he was, he was not showing any outward signs, but Bulma was still discomfited by the fact that others may have been privy to what had been a wonderful, but private experience. After Bulma had finished her shower, he had arrived to bring her some breakfast and then lead her once more towards Kami's training area.

"Good morning, Bulma. I trust you slept well." Kami welcomed her in his usual fashion, but with somewhat of a gleam in his eyes. It was patently clear that he and Mr Popo were aware of what had transpired in the courtyard. When Kami had arisen for his regular nocturnal meditation, he had discovered the clothing strewn about haphazardly; denoting a interlude of the romantic kind had taken place. His face then took on a more serious expression as he continued. "I understand Vegeta emerged from the time chamber last evening. Unfortunately he was not successful in his attempt to break the barrier."

Bulma raised her chin and tried to maintain her composure in the face of what Kami knew. "He would not tell me that, but I ……knew it anyway. Vegeta is so bloody stubborn and prideful, he is never going to allow me to help him!" Bulma's outburst was one borne of frustration for the man she loved, causing a brief smile to flicker across Kami's thin lips.

"It will work Bulma, just wait and see. Vegeta's heart and mind are opening up, he is experiencing so much turmoil and emotion I am surprised at his outward calmness at what is to come." Stiffly he held out a wrinkled hand and clutched Bulma's arm, drawing her towards the mat in the centre, ready to start another day of training. "Come, its time to build on your accomplishment of yesterday."

Bulma gracefully sat down and waited while Kami lowered himself also, however due to his extreme age, the ground was a long way down below to him now and needed the support of his ever present cane to get up again. "We will start where we left off, Bulma, to see if you are strong enough mentally for the next step." Kami closed his eyes and concentrated on clearing his mind, making Bulma's task a little more difficult. Breathing calmly, Bulma stretched out with her senses, pushing into Kami's mind, seeking out a recent memory. As she had suspected the wily guardian had cleared his mind so as to test her abilities to the limit. As she strained to latch onto anything, Bulma's ki erupted in it's by now familiar white glow, her eyes drained of all colour as she pulled a memory from Kami's mind.

As she did so, Bulma realised that something was terribly wrong.

In her eagerness to demonstrate her talent to her teacher, Bulma had gone past Kami's conscious mind, diving perilously deep into his subconscious. The memory she had grasped hold of was one of his most traumatic, that of leaving his home planet hundreds of years ago as cataclysmic climate changes forced his people to send him far from his home, making him the future Guardian of Earth. She could feel every second of terror and emotional pain as he was dragged away forcibly and locked into an immense spaceship, then ejected from the planets surface, his tiny voice screaming out as Namek disappeared from sight.

Bulmas ki increased in power, her body shuddering with the effort as she attempted to let go of the memory, her own pain and Kami's pain merging into one, searing her mind. With a piercing scream, she channelled it back but she was unable to force it back into his sub consciousness, the images being dropped into his conscious mind causing Kami to shriek as he was forced to relive one of the most agonizing moments in his long life. Kami continued to cry and moan aloud as Bulma struggled to sever the link between them, the excruciating pain almost too much for her to bear. After several torturous seconds the link was broken with a loud boom and sudden flash of light, then both teacher and student slumped to the dusty floor, panting and sweating as the hurt subsided, a trickle of deep red blood slowly making its way down Bulma's chin as she slipped into a coma.

Vegeta hovered around Goku, seeking out a weak point in his opponent, but was annoyed to discover the younger man seemed to have none. Growling impatiently, Vegeta launched himself at Goku, his fists appearing as a blur of white as he threw punch after punch, changing the combination each time in an attempt to injure Goku. Goku blocked each punch and kick, so in desperation and anger Vegeta fired a small energy ball at him, forcing Goku to block the energy attack and draw his attention away from the leg that swiftly made contact with his gut, causing Goku to grunt in pain and loose his cool, wildly throwing punches at the nimble Prince Vegeta.

"Had enough yet Kakkarot? Or does your thick head want some more punishment." Vegeta gloated, easily landing a blow on Goku's jaw as he tried to compose himself.

"Dammit Vegeta! Fight fair!" Goku yelled back, clearly showing his relative inexperience in a dirty fight.

Vegeta ducked and weaved around Goku's attacks and with two hands belted the back of his opponents head, sending Goku plummeting down to the ground, watching as the Earth Saiyan righted himself before making contact with the dusty earth below. "Freeza doesn't fight fair, Kakkarot!" He grunted in reply, "Freeza will try every dirty trick he can to win, he's not the type to follow your rules in fighting!"

"Fine! You want it dirty, you'll get it!" Goku howled, shooting upward at speed to engage Vegeta once again. As he approached however, Vegeta suddenly let out an anguished howl of pain and clutched at his head, madly twisting in the air as if trying to shake off whatever was torturing him. "Vegeta!" Goku called out, well aware that this time Vegeta was not trying to divert his attention, rather the seemingly invincible Saiyan Prince was in real pain.

"Get …out… of… my… mind!" Vegeta grunted between heaving breaths trying desperately to regain control and resist the torment. Goku moved in closer, but was totally unsure of what to do. He decided to hang back and wait, if Vegeta needed help he would be there. As he watched Vegeta struggle, he heard another howl of pain, this time not coming from Vegeta, but rather Piccolo, who was having a great deal less success in resisting the pain, his shouting echoing through the vast arid valley. "No! I don't want to see this! Leave me alone!" Piccolo clutched his head as had Vegeta, but his mouth was bloody, his fangs having torn through his lip as he tried to defer some of the pain. Radditz was doing the same as Goku, watching, waiting almost hypnotised by the somewhat grotesque sight of the two warriors twisting like leaves in the wind, blood and spittle flying from their mouths.

Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped, with both Vegeta and Piccolo blacking out at the same moment, falling like stones to the ground, or would have if the Saiyan brothers had not been there to break their fall.

Surprisingly, it was Piccolo who regained his senses first, choking out words incoherently, words which neither Goku or Radditz understood. "Don't make me look there, I don't want to see this….." He rambled, causing the brothers to look at the stricken Namek with great concern. Had he been subjected to some kind of physic attack? "Not attacked." Piccolo finally forced out, "it was a memory, one that I share with Kami, one that he has made himself forget."

Goku knelt down and pulled Piccolo's unresisting body into his arms partly so that he was able to hear him more clearly. "What do you mean Piccolo?" He frowned at the state of his friend, so easily brought down.

"I feel like a pig shat in my head." He groaned as the throbbing slowly subsided. Piccolo looked up at Goku's face, his brows knitted in distress. "Kami is training Bulma to reach into the mind, pluck out hidden fears and memories to bring them to the surface. He, he thinks that it will help Vegeta," Piccolo coughed up more blood and glanced at the fallen prince several meters away from him. "Ascend. It seems that Bulma has accessed one of Kami's most traumatic memories, that of being sent from his home." He paused once more and tried to extract himself from Gokus firm grip. "Because we are the same being, I felt his pain. Vegeta, because he is linked to Bulma, felt hers." Irritably Piccolo struggled to rise to his feet, slapping away Goku's gentle helping hands. "Let me up, I will be fine. We need to go to the lookout straight away. Bulma is in serious trouble."

Goku relented and glanced across at Vegeta, still out cold, blood and spittle flecked around his mouth and chin. "Pick him up Radditz, we have to go, now!" He commanded his brother harshly as he and Piccolo rose into the air, heading towards the lookout. Radditz complied and hefted Vegeta's dead weight onto his brawny shoulder and followed them both, a grim look on his face. Not only was Bulma in serious trouble but it appeared that Vegeta was quite possibly too.

Vegeta still had not woken up by the time they reached the lookout, and saw the frantic figure of Mr Popo rushing madly about like a chicken that had lost its head. "Goku!" He panted, "I thank the Supreme Kai that you are here!"

"Calm yourself, Mr Popo," growled Piccolo irritated at the large mans anxiety, "Where is Kami?"

"I am here." Kami appeared before his counterpart, looking weary and extremely old all of a sudden. He gestured to them all to follow him into the palace, Radditz still carrying the prone figure of Vegeta.

As they all walked behind him, Kami explained the situation. "As you are by now aware, I have been instructing Bulma. She had been making excellent progress, but today, something went terribly wrong." He led them into a room where Bulma lay quite motionless on a large white bed, blood still present on her face, her skin almost translucent, barely breathing. "Bulma holds great mind power within herself, and as with the other days, I had been testing her. But today," He stopped for a few seconds, the seriousness of the situation sinking in, watching the worried expressions of the men in front of him. "Today, she went further than I had anticipated. She accessed a memory I had forced myself to forget and brought it to the surface. It was too much for her and she tried to let it go, let it drift back to where it belonged. Her skill is not yet great enough for such an undertaking and so I was subjected to the memory again, but as our minds were linked, my pain became hers and vice versa. The rest you know."

"You stupid old fool!" Thundered Piccolo. "I know that time is running short, but to try and ……….." He was cut off by the more reasonable voice of Goku. "Kami, is Bulma alright? Will Vegeta be alright?"

Kami wrinkled his brow in consternation before answering quietly. "Vegeta, he will recover, it will not take too long. But Bulma. She has been very badly burned mentally. Her recovery will take much longer."

As if he had heard Bulma's name, Vegeta slowly roused from his semi comatose state and Radditz gently lay him on the floor. "What the fuck happened?" Vegeta rasped as he sat up, holding his head. He looked around wildly at the scene in front of him. "Where the hell am I?" He grunted loudly, scowling. Vegeta could have sworn he had been in the badlands, sparring. Now it seemed he was back at Kami's lookout, but could not fathom why every one else was there as well, looking at him like a death had occurred. Slowly realisation dawned on him, his bond snapping into action. It was not him they were all concerned with, it was……………Bulma. "Bulma…" Vegeta choked out as finally saw her motionless body on the bed. "What….have…you…done.. to ….her?"

His expression was so fierce, not one of the men standing above him wanted to answer, for they were too afraid of this wrath to do so.

After all what could they say?