Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Obsession ❯ Wrong Decisions ( Chapter 13 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: HeartlessChild 
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Adventure | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.11.2006 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.8K | Visits: 520 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Adventure | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.11.2006 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.8K | Visits: 520 | Status: Completed
~*~
The city streets of Drizao were bustling with enthusiastic, deafening crowds of Draniens and foreigners from distant planets alike.Bulma tilted her head up to the sky, taking in the many astonishing buildings of Dran-sei’s capital city.The city she was currently in was like a vast metropolis of towering glass buildings, each one filled to the brim with people.
“This is every shopper’s paradise!”She muttered gleefully under her breath, her eyes darting back and forth to the many large department stores.Nearly all of which had been cleared out by the blue haired scientist.
“What?”Vegeta’s bitter voice cut through her thoughts like a poisoned knife.
Bulma turned her head to the Saiyan Prince that had suddenly deemed it worthy to speak out.He had been silent for the better part of two hours, observing her interactions with the Dranien Prince, fuming from afar whenever they showed the slightest interest in one another.She could feel his daggered eyes pierce her back, each time she innocently spoke to Drano.Now Vegeta stood beside her, a deadly glare set into his statuesque features, whilst Drano was walking ahead of the couple, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
She coughed ambiguously before she spoke, “I said, this planet is every shopper’s paradise!”Her voice held no sweetness as she pronounced each syllable clearly and slowly with a hint of resentment.
Vegeta sneered, rolling his eyes in disgust.“This entire day has been a waste of my training time, my patience is wearing thin woman.”He snapped, highly irritated by the gaping commoners of Dran that were backing away from him in fear.It was as though they were expecting him to attack.Unfortunately for them, he was just in the right mood to attack someone or something.If any one of the civilians dared to venture close to him, he’s fry their brains for lunch.A growl escaped his mouth as he thought of the different ways in which he could torture the poor innocents around him.
It was Bulma’s turn to roll her eyes.“It’s barely been a few hours Vegeta!”She cried in disbelief.“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you don’t have any patience to wear thin in the first place!”
Vegeta was about to retort to the snide comment, when he was suddenly interrupted by Prince Drano who had stopped walking.“Bulma?”
The Saiyan Prince bristled with irritation.His fingers twitched to blast the lilac prince.But before he could take any action, Drano spoke once more.“I have been called to an urgent meeting by my father, I’m afraid I shall have to take my leave of you.”
Bulma frowned, turning her gaze from Vegeta’s glorified gaze to the Prince.She smiled, peering at his amber eyes, “That’s quite alright Drano.I think Vegeta and I can finish taking a tour of this city before we make our way back to the palace.”As she spoke, Bulma noticed two guards that now stood on either side of the Prince, their metallic armour glinting in the sun.She noticed how they glared at Vegeta.It was all extremely suspicious.
Drano looked back at the beautiful woman in relief at her understanding, “Thank you, I hope you enjoy the rest of your tour.”He gently unclasped the clip on his cape, handing it to her.She took it with a bemused expression on her face.“Keep this with you at the port; it will be less hassle for you to get into the palace that way.”
Bulma nodded eagerly, smiling.
Drano bowed once at her before casting a stiff glare in Vegeta’s direction, “I assume you will cause no trouble, Saiyan.”He sneered in disdain, knowing perfectly well what Saiyan monkeys were capable of.
The blue haired scientist frowned at the tone of his voice.She looked at Vegeta questionably, but found that his gaze was locked with that of Drano’s.A murderous look stormed into the Saiyan Prince’s eyes, chilling her to the bone.How far could Vegeta be pushed before he reacted?It was fascinating for her to debate over the Saiyan Prince’s temperament, however now was not the time to test it out.She knew his response would only cause further damage, and so she spoke out,“Don’t worry Drano; I’ll make sure he doesn’t!”She flashed a bright but forced smile in his direction before casting a warning glance at Vegeta.
The tension in the Dranien Prince’s shoulders fell as he once again looked upon the fragile woman.He smiled softly, “Very well, but I must warn you to keep away from the slums that surround the city.Do not go there, you’ll only find unwanted trouble.”
Bulma froze at his ominous warning, she nodded, ever more curious as to how the slums of the city looked.She couldn’t imagine that a city such as Drizao had slums.The entire concept was mind boggling for the scientist.“As you wish,” she replied.Drano bowed, departing from their company.Bulma silently looked down at the clip that had been handed to her, staring at the intricate silver swirls that were woven into an oval shape around a glittering amethyst jewel.It looked expensive.
“Now what is it?”Vegeta’s cold voice cut through her frazzled thoughts.
She looked at him in bewilderment, but a smile soon shone through her features as she gazed past the Saiyan Prince’s shoulder.“I’ve got it!”Brushing past him, she hustled over to the building on the opposite side of the road.
Vegeta sneered, staring after her.She could be such an odd creature at times, almost baffling.One minute her thoughts would be morbid, the next she would be vibrant with life.He on the other hand, was simple in his ways.He did not bounce back and forth between moods; he stayed in his angry disposition ultimately and was all the more satisfied.Shaking his head resignedly, he followed her.Whatever she had in mind, it had better be more entertaining than the hours of torturous shopping she had put him through.
~*~
Bulma grinned gleefully, wandering the streets of Drizao alone.
She had finally rid herself of Vegeta’s annoying presence, by convincing him to work out in one of Drizao’s training facilities.Of course her Saiyan Prince grumbled that he could have easily trained back at the palace and that she had done nothing but waste his time, but all of his shortcomings fell upon deaf ears as Bulma victoriously strode away from him, leaving him to battle with the training facilities the city had to offer.
“Care to try one of our healing potions?”
Bulma looked up to find a Dranien street merchant or more likely a beggar, standing in front of her. His lilac hair hung in gentle curls around the curve of his tinted blue cheeks.The merchant’s amber eyes stared at her intently.His ragged clothing greatly contrasted the beauty of his face, which surprised Bulma.Drano had warned her to ignore these street people that marred the beauty of the city metropolis, but Bulma couldn’t help but stop to converse.She always pitied the poor and had always been reprimanded by her father when she stopped to aid them.But she couldn’t help it.
She almost gagged at the stench of garbage permeating from the man, but held back the urge to cover her nose, thinking it rude to do so.“And what would this potion heal?”She asked mischievously, blue eyes twinkling in delight.She might as well humour the poor man and see if he had anything interesting to buy.
He was shocked that she had stopped to answer him.Most other people would have held their nose, mumbled rudely and walked away from him brusquely, yet this woman stood in his company, as though it were perfectly normal.He noted that she chose to ignore the smell that surrounded him, and for once he was ashamed to stand in another’s presence in such a manner.The ache to have a bath returned full force for the merchant.He promised to give this woman a true healing potion; she deserved such an act for acknowledging him so kindly.
“It can heal anything one’s heart desires.The mind, body, heart and soul can be healed with a sip of this potion.”He replied with equal mirth, producing a tiny bottle from the satchel by his side.Most customers he lied to, but this one seemed different to the man.She deserved to receive a true potion in his opinion, and so refrained from lying.
She looked at the small cylindrical bottle, so simple looking and tempting with a red liquid inside.If she hadn’t been with her wits, she could have sworn that tiny diamonds sparkled within the red liquid.It was quite bizarre.
Bulma smiled at the man and nodded, “Well, I see no harm in buying it.”She said lightly, having no intention to do anything with the potion.Her face fell for a moment, “But I have no extra credits to buy the potion, I’m sorry.”It dawned on her that she had spent most of her cash credits in the main department stores she had been to with Drano.
The merchant smiled back happily, uncaring of the minor detail.For this woman he was willing to give one of his best potions to aid her.“Then I shall have to simply give it to you as a gift for your kindness.But this red healing potion will not do for you…You need something that compliments your personality.”
“Oh, and what’s that?”She asked, thoroughly amused by his revelations.
“A blue should suit you perfectly,” he remarked as he looked at her hair and eyes.Yes, the blue would suit her completely.He looked away to rummage in his satchel for the blue potion.
“Thank you, sir.What do you call this healing potion in your language?”She questioned as he continued to search his satchel.
He looked up briefly in surprise but smiled gently, “We call it Porani in our language.”He uttered a sigh of frustration as he removed his hand from his satchel.“I’m afraid the blue Porani is not in my possession, but if you follow me to my stall then I can give it to you.”
Bulma paused apprehensively before answering, “It’s alright, I can just take the red one.”
The merchant shook his head in exasperation at her silliness, “No, no, the red will not do for you.You must have the blue!”He smiled then, “It is not away from the city, in fact it is right through there,” he pointed to the alley way between the towering glass buildings across from them.
Bulma noted the many people that entered the lightly lit alley way.It seemed as though there were many hidden stalls there that most Draniens chose to go to.She took a deep breath and answered, “Alright, if you’re sure that it’s no trouble for you…”She trailed off, a feeling of uneasiness settling in her stomach.Under normal circumstances, she would have never dared to follow the merchant, yet this man exuded persuasion and he seemed to be friendly enough.
Besides that, she was curious about the city slums Drano had warned her about.It seemed so unreal that Dran had slums just like Earth, and it was an aspect of life that fascinated Bulma.She found it so strange that some people could be the richest in the world, have everything at their beck and call, whilst others were starving for a morsel of food.Of course, it was safe to say that she was a very blessed young woman.Sighing wearily, she followed the merchant through the alley way between to the two tall glass buildings, unaware as to what was about to happen to her.
~*~
“You have entered Dran-sei’s atmosphere.You will not be allowed to land until you have stated your business.”
It was apparent that the Draniens had forgotten about the Nikora fleets visit.
The young soldier of the Nikora fleet rolled his eyes in resignation as a regal voice filtered from the communicator.He looked at the control panel in irritation.Formalities such as this were lost upon this exuberant warrior and he admired his older brother for dealing with the tiresome negotiations that came when entering a new planet.Of course, Dran was not a new planet to their empire, and they had a lost alliance with the technologically evolved planet.But it had all been forgotten when the empire had fallen at the hands of Frieza…
“Rhuba?”
The young soldier was taken from his thoughts as his older brother spoke.“What is it, Radt?”He looked over to see his brother engrossed in the satellite readings before him.
“Answer that statement from Dran’s Minister of Defence for me.”Radt replied wearily.
Rhuba smirked slightly.It seemed even his brother’s patience was wearing thin.Unwillingly, he pressed the button to reply to the voice at the other end.“This is Commander Rhuba of the Nikora fleet; we demand that you let us land.”He tried to speak politely, through gritted teeth.Why couldn’t they blast their way into the planet?It was all very tiresome for the warrior.
There was a pause on the other end.It seemed as though the Minister of Defence knew exactly who was on the other end.A stuttered reply came through the communicator.“The King will be informed of your arrival immediately.Y-you’ll be escorted by one of our men to the palace.”Not giving any room for reply, the link was severed.
It seemed as though the word had spread of their empire’s revival.
Rhuba looked up at his brother and smirked, “It looks like we still hold a place of terror in peoples’ hearts, brother.”
The older warrior looked up, mirroring his sibling’s expression, “Is that such a bad thing?”He asked in amusement.
“No not really,” was the dry reply that came from the younger brother.
They stared at each other before breaking into a round of sadistic laughter together, sharing in their new found amusement.
~*~
Bulma unconsciously scratched her arm as the people of the market stared at her immaculate complexion.Compared to them, she seemed to glow with cleanliness which was more than could be said of the grimy people that were staring at her.A pang of guilt flashed through her and she forced away the bashfulness she felt as the people continued to gaze in her direction.Desperately trying to keep up with the merchant, she stumbled clumsily on a jutting piece of rock.
As she regained her balance, she felt a rush of mutterings explode in the crowd.
Her brows furrowed in annoyance.She was getting really irritated by the constant whisperings around her; it was as if these people had never seen a foreigner before.Well, perhaps they hadn’t…
She sighed in contempt at the situation she had been forced in to.She hadn’t really wanted to follow the merchant, but she didn’t want to be rude either in refusing his unusual offer.Besides, she was getting a free healing potion, even though she knew it would never work or even dare to try it.After what seemed like eons of walking through the slurry of dirt in the street, they finally reached the merchant’s stall.
It was a small stall, merely a table with a red velvet cloth covering it.It was nothing to boast about but Bulma couldn’t help but find it a quaint little stall.She stifled a chuckle as the merchant began to bustle around the stall, muttering to himself about certain private dealings.
“Is something wrong?”She asked in amusement, standing in front of the stall with her arms folded.The awkwardness was slowly fading as she stood before the stall.The people around her had resumed their own duties, making it much easier for Bulma to concentrate on the merchant.
“No my dear, I’m just feeling the usual stress of a business man.”The merchant chuckled wryly at his own comment, “My stall keeper seems to have run away, leaving the stall unattended.”He cried, flailing his arms about in a comical manner.“No wonder I never get any trading done in my business!”
Bulma laughed at the sweet expression of frustration that crossed his dirty, elderly face.His smell no longer seemed to affect her.“Maybe you should fire him?”She suggested.
A shocked expression crossed the merchant’s face, “No, no, can’t do that!!”
She frowned, “Why not?”
“I couldn’t let the poor boy go; he’s been through a terrible time, poor, poor boy.He’s like a son to me, almost my own family.Couldn’t let him go, just couldn’t.”He was muttering under his breath as he searched the cluttered stall for the right Porani.
Bulma was now intrigued by the revelations and had opened her mouth to ask more questions, when she saw a large shadow loom over her from behind. froze, looking at the merchant yet feeling the strange presence behind her.
The merchant looked up from his rummaging and grinned delightfully at the figure behind her.“Ah, Zar, my dear boy!Where have you been?”His prior annoyance was now completely gone as he laid eyes upon his stall keeper with joy.
Bulma stood frozen to the spot, not daring to turn around as an uneasy feeling settled over her.
“I had to fetch the little one, Kor.Ran away again,” the figure replied sparsely in a smooth and familiar voice.
Kor chuckled and shook his head, “That one’s trouble!Zar, this is our newest customer, Miss...?” trailed off waiting for Bulma to fill the gap.
A silence stretched before she could find it in herself to answer. knew the stranger’s voice very well and was now completely terrified to turn around.
“Bulma. Briefs.” whispered.
Kor didn’t seem to notice her fear, and smiled once again, “Miss Briefs!” repeated to his stall keeper.Although in his eyes, Kor saw him as the son he never had.
Bulma resisted the urge to tremble as the figure stepped around her, and walked to the opposite side of the stall where Kor, the merchant, stood.As the tall figure stood before her, she wrenched her eyes away from the interesting velvet cloth, to look into the eyes of Kor’s stall keeper.Her pulse quickened at the sight in front of her and she almost found herself shrinking away from the stall.
Kor continued to ramble on about not being able to find the blue Porani, and continued to express his desire to make her a completely new potion.
But all of this was drowned out by the thundering beat of her heart.
Her gut feeling had been right as she stared into a pair of hauntingly dangerous, glittering amber eyes.
~*~
Vegeta sneered as he side kicked a robotic sparring partner.The excess force caused the machine to split into two, causing it to be the twenty-fifth training bot he had destroyed in the training centre.It would seem that Bulma would soon have to deal with an extremely large bill on her head for all the damage he had caused.He almost sighed, but instead opted to growl.“Damn robots,” he muttered uncharacteristically under his breath.It was the woman’s fault in the first place.
After Bulma had placed him in one of the training facilities of the city, he had been incredibly pissed off at everyone and everything.Although, he had been annoyed when she had insisted on going into every shop in the city, thus wasting his time even more.He could have trained in the ship, with the internal GR that Dr. Briefs had created for him!
But he had to be a complete moron and agree to Bulma’s inane idea of spending the day with her.If he didn’t watch his temper, Vegeta was certain he would blast the entire city to a cinder in the next moment.The stupid witch hadn’t even a few hours with him, when she decided she had enough of his ‘whining’ and dumped him in the nearest training ‘gym’.
Snarling, he walked towards the snack bar in the corner of the arena and snatched a large container of water from behind the counter.Before the attendant could complain, he sent the man an evil glare and raised the container to his lips, draining the contents in a split second.As he drank, different thoughts began to enter his mind.
He was going to have to teach the woman some manners.
Throwing the container of water back at the trembling attendant, he sauntered back towards the main area of the arena, his thoughts still on Bulma.She was taking up too much of his thoughts and he wasn’t sure if he felt comfortable with that…
However, a smirk formed on his lips as he counted the many ways he could perform his punishment.
It disappeared when a giggle came from the arena above.Frowning, he looked up and almost raised his hand to shoot at a poor Dranien woman that had been ogling him for the past hour.At the last minute, he diverted the ki beam to graze the metal barrier that she was leaning on.The woman shrieked and looked at him with mingled fear and disgust.He shrugged with the reasoning that he was growing tired of her ogling.All casualties would be blamed on the blue haired scientist; it was of no consequence to him.Once again, she had entered his thoughts…
The woman backed away from the balcony with wide eyes, returning into the thick crowd that was in the other gymnasium above him.
He walked at a leisurely pace to the centre of the large arena floor, deciding that meditation would have to suffice as part of his training for now.Or at least until he could get back to the GR, that was currently at the underwater palace.
As soon as he closed his eyes and had settled into a meditative trance, he felt it.
He felt panic.
Terror.
Blinding, paralysing fear.
The sensation was strange for the Saiyan Prince; he had never felt such a flurry of emotions before.They were daunting and worrying, causing a sick feeling to form in the pit of his stomach.He didn’t like it one bit.Grinding his teeth, he allowed the onslaught of emotions wash over him like waves crashing upon the shore.Where were they coming from?Confusion swept into his mind, but he wasn’t sure if the feeling of bewilderment was his, or coming from another source.
The emotions gradually ebbed away from his psyche
He slowly forced his eyes to open, a rush of air passing from his lips.Realization came thundering down as he recognised the emotions to be someone else’s.
They were coming from Bulma.
~*~
Bulma opened her mouth as she stared at the large man in front of her, but no sound would come out except for a squeak of fear that had been lodged in her throat.
“Hello love.”
Minutes passed as she looked upon him with such terror, that she could have sworn she had almost urinated in her pants.
She almost passed out with fear as she braved herself to answer his greeting, “Z-Zarbon?!”She stuttered, recognizing the man that had tried to kill Vegeta in front of her.Had she not been completely encompassed with fear, she would have notice the small bundle tucked away under his arm.“I thought you were dead!Vegeta killed you!”She blurted out carelessly.
Kor had stopped his rambling to observe the interaction with interest.It seemed that Zarbon had once known this kindly woman, yet he didn’t know how they were acquainted.He knew of the young man’s antics, but didn’t know the full details of his life.
No malice showed on Zarbon’s face as he chuckled at her.She looked light a deer trapped by the headlights of an oncoming vehicle.“It seems that he left the job unfinished.”He remarked quietly, remembering of his defeat a little over two years ago.He had narrowly escaped Vegeta’s final killing blow, and landed in the lake of Namek-sei, undetected by the Saiyan Prince.
His power level must have been incredibly low for Vegeta to not have sensed him in the lake.He had stayed in the lake for a long period of time, as people of his race could breathe under water for up to ten hours at a time.Only when he had regained enough strength and felt the world of the Namekiens crumble, did he venture out of his hiding place.
He knew that Frieza was set on destroying the planet, and so he decided to find the nearest pod left by the one of the Ginyu Force, and escaped in it unnoticed to the planet Dran.At the time, he had not been ashamed for running away, because he knew that if he stayed, he would not have survived.And survival was the only thing on his mind at the time.
Many reasons had contributed to his hasty exit of the planet, but it was safe to say that he merely wished to live.He was no soldier of Frieza’s nor was he a warrior.Yet he had killed mercilessly, with brutal force and conscience.He had been forced to become a killer, just like the other soldiers of Frieza’s empire.He had no remorse for his past actions; it was to kill or be killed in the days of Frieza.
He forced away the memories that threatened to overcome him.As he looked into the cerulean eyes of the girl he had seen on Namek-sei, he saw the fear melt away into confusion.He cleared his throat before speaking softly, “You can relax.If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it by now.”
Another chuckle threatened to escape from his lips as she sent him an accusing and irritating glare.character had not changed since the days of Namek-sei, yet he could see that in her eyes she had matured a great deal from the experience of Namek-sei.She was more of a woman, than the girl he had seen on Namek-sei.
Bulma couldn’t believe her ears.Zarbon was actually acting civilized towards her.Zarbon!She couldn’t comprehend that this was the same alien that had tried to kill not only herself, but Vegeta too.She shook her head in amazement, the initial fear now beginning to leave her.“What are you doing here?”She asked in quiet amazement, still aware that he could kill her if he wanted to.She was actually having a conversation with Zarbon…It felt as though she had just been dropped into a parallel dimension.It was too eerie for words.
The elderly merchant, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.“He lives here, with me!”He said with pride.
Bulma looked at Kor in surprise.A thousand questions entered her mind.How had Zarbon come to know this street merchant?How were they connected? did he choose to live such a life, when his strength alone could get him anything he wanted? was too surreal for the genius to evaluate.
Her gaze drifted to Zarbon’s tattered street clothing.Even though he was in such torn clothes, he still looked as beautiful and immaculate as the day she had met him on Namek-sei… Well, when he wasn’t transformed into the hideous warrior beast.
The tiny bundle under his arm stirred, and wiggled its way up, sputtering in the process.Bulma stared at the ‘package’ in astonishment.“Oh my…”The whispered words escaped her lips as she looked into a beautiful pair of emerald eyes.
Zarbon saw her shock and almost smiled at the look of pure confusion on the attractive woman’s face.“Bulma this is my daughter, Zora, she’s also Kor’s grand-daughter.”He informed her quietly and calmly.
The little girl smiled shyly at Bulma, extending her arms.
Bulma could only stat helplessly at the outstretched arms.Her eyes danced over the tiny delicate features of the little girl that slightly resembled Zarbon.Her skin was a pale shade of lilac and her hair came down to her shoulders in emerald waves.Zarbon looked at his daughter wistfully.She was truly a beautiful child.Zora made a small noise of affection as she kept her arms stretched out in front of her towards Bulma.In his opinion, she was a very loveable child who was so easy going with every single person she came across.She was so much like her mother…
The news was too much for the blue haired scientist to digest.There was a limit to how many shocks a person should receive in a day.Nevertheless, Bulma reached out to take the little girl in her arms.
Kor was watching the scene unfold with amazement for his grand-daughter as she reminded him so much of his own daughter.Zarbon merely watched the two interact.He had certainly changed in the past two years.He had almost become a different person, all because of his own little girl.She had changed him.
“Hey,” Bulma said tentatively as she bounced the little girl in her arms.
Zora smiled at the pretty blue haired woman that was bouncing her.“I like your hair,” she said softly.
Bulma laughed in delight at the comment, “I like yours too, sweetie.”She replied with mirth.“How old are you?”
“I’ll be six soon,” Zora replied confidently.
Bulma grinned at the reply.Zora seemed like such a confident little girl that it warmed her heart.“Six?That means you’re a big girl, right?”
“Not really,” she whispered conspiratorially, “Daddy still thinks I’m too young to go off by myself.”
“Oh really?”Bulma chuckled, directing her gaze to Zarbon.
He shook his head, “You are too young Zora,” he reinforced confidently.
Bulma looked at the alien man with admiration.He had certainly seemed to have changed since their last meeting.Perhaps it was the little girl’s doing…It seemed like she did hold a soft spot in the warrior’s heart.
Kor chuckled, “If only Khaya was here to see them now!”He commented wistfully.
Bulma frowned slightly, “Khaya?Who’s that?”
There was a pause, and no reply was made to her question.It was as if a heavy cloud had rolled forth and settled over the quartet.
Then, just as Bulma was beginning to put the pieces together, there was a sudden flash of blinding light.The people of the market street cried out in fear as the light began to fade.As Bulma held Zora closely to her side, she blinked away the dazzling ray of light, before the stench of burnt flesh hit her nostrils.looked around in alarm and gasped as she saw Zarbon fall to the ground, with a gaping hole in his stomach.
“Daddy?”Zora whispered fearfully from her position in Bulma’s arms.
Kor was shouting at something, or someone, but nothing was registering in her mind.
Bulma blinked.
It was all happening too fast!
She held Zora to her closely.She seemed so small for a six year old child…
When no reply came from Zarbon’s fallen body behind the stall, Zora began to struggle in her arms.Bulma let her down gently, not wanting to hurt her, as she herself rushed over to Zarbon’s side.“Zarbon?!”She cried out, falling to her knees beside the dying man…The man that had changed so much, the man that had redeemed himself in every way possible.
In the background she could still hear Kor shouting, but all she could see was Zora staring noiselessly at her fallen father, silent tears rolling down her pale lilac cheeks.She seemed frozen with fear and grief.Zora had witnessed something that a young child should never have to experience.
Bulma was finally able to regain her wits and she looked up towards Kor, only to see him screaming at…Vegeta.
The Saiyan Prince looked in her direction with no remorse at his actions.He merely stared at her blankly, unfeeling of the situation he had caused.
“Vegeta?How could you..?”She whispered quietly to herself, although she knew he could hear her clearly.
A single tear traversed its way heavily down her cheek.
~*~
The city streets of Drizao were bustling with enthusiastic, deafening crowds of Draniens and foreigners from distant planets alike.Bulma tilted her head up to the sky, taking in the many astonishing buildings of Dran-sei’s capital city.The city she was currently in was like a vast metropolis of towering glass buildings, each one filled to the brim with people.
“This is every shopper’s paradise!”She muttered gleefully under her breath, her eyes darting back and forth to the many large department stores.Nearly all of which had been cleared out by the blue haired scientist.
“What?”Vegeta’s bitter voice cut through her thoughts like a poisoned knife.
Bulma turned her head to the Saiyan Prince that had suddenly deemed it worthy to speak out.He had been silent for the better part of two hours, observing her interactions with the Dranien Prince, fuming from afar whenever they showed the slightest interest in one another.She could feel his daggered eyes pierce her back, each time she innocently spoke to Drano.Now Vegeta stood beside her, a deadly glare set into his statuesque features, whilst Drano was walking ahead of the couple, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
She coughed ambiguously before she spoke, “I said, this planet is every shopper’s paradise!”Her voice held no sweetness as she pronounced each syllable clearly and slowly with a hint of resentment.
Vegeta sneered, rolling his eyes in disgust.“This entire day has been a waste of my training time, my patience is wearing thin woman.”He snapped, highly irritated by the gaping commoners of Dran that were backing away from him in fear.It was as though they were expecting him to attack.Unfortunately for them, he was just in the right mood to attack someone or something.If any one of the civilians dared to venture close to him, he’s fry their brains for lunch.A growl escaped his mouth as he thought of the different ways in which he could torture the poor innocents around him.
It was Bulma’s turn to roll her eyes.“It’s barely been a few hours Vegeta!”She cried in disbelief.“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you don’t have any patience to wear thin in the first place!”
Vegeta was about to retort to the snide comment, when he was suddenly interrupted by Prince Drano who had stopped walking.“Bulma?”
The Saiyan Prince bristled with irritation.His fingers twitched to blast the lilac prince.But before he could take any action, Drano spoke once more.“I have been called to an urgent meeting by my father, I’m afraid I shall have to take my leave of you.”
Bulma frowned, turning her gaze from Vegeta’s glorified gaze to the Prince.She smiled, peering at his amber eyes, “That’s quite alright Drano.I think Vegeta and I can finish taking a tour of this city before we make our way back to the palace.”As she spoke, Bulma noticed two guards that now stood on either side of the Prince, their metallic armour glinting in the sun.She noticed how they glared at Vegeta.It was all extremely suspicious.
Drano looked back at the beautiful woman in relief at her understanding, “Thank you, I hope you enjoy the rest of your tour.”He gently unclasped the clip on his cape, handing it to her.She took it with a bemused expression on her face.“Keep this with you at the port; it will be less hassle for you to get into the palace that way.”
Bulma nodded eagerly, smiling.
Drano bowed once at her before casting a stiff glare in Vegeta’s direction, “I assume you will cause no trouble, Saiyan.”He sneered in disdain, knowing perfectly well what Saiyan monkeys were capable of.
The blue haired scientist frowned at the tone of his voice.She looked at Vegeta questionably, but found that his gaze was locked with that of Drano’s.A murderous look stormed into the Saiyan Prince’s eyes, chilling her to the bone.How far could Vegeta be pushed before he reacted?It was fascinating for her to debate over the Saiyan Prince’s temperament, however now was not the time to test it out.She knew his response would only cause further damage, and so she spoke out,“Don’t worry Drano; I’ll make sure he doesn’t!”She flashed a bright but forced smile in his direction before casting a warning glance at Vegeta.
The tension in the Dranien Prince’s shoulders fell as he once again looked upon the fragile woman.He smiled softly, “Very well, but I must warn you to keep away from the slums that surround the city.Do not go there, you’ll only find unwanted trouble.”
Bulma froze at his ominous warning, she nodded, ever more curious as to how the slums of the city looked.She couldn’t imagine that a city such as Drizao had slums.The entire concept was mind boggling for the scientist.“As you wish,” she replied.Drano bowed, departing from their company.Bulma silently looked down at the clip that had been handed to her, staring at the intricate silver swirls that were woven into an oval shape around a glittering amethyst jewel.It looked expensive.
“Now what is it?”Vegeta’s cold voice cut through her frazzled thoughts.
She looked at him in bewilderment, but a smile soon shone through her features as she gazed past the Saiyan Prince’s shoulder.“I’ve got it!”Brushing past him, she hustled over to the building on the opposite side of the road.
Vegeta sneered, staring after her.She could be such an odd creature at times, almost baffling.One minute her thoughts would be morbid, the next she would be vibrant with life.He on the other hand, was simple in his ways.He did not bounce back and forth between moods; he stayed in his angry disposition ultimately and was all the more satisfied.Shaking his head resignedly, he followed her.Whatever she had in mind, it had better be more entertaining than the hours of torturous shopping she had put him through.
~*~
Bulma grinned gleefully, wandering the streets of Drizao alone.
She had finally rid herself of Vegeta’s annoying presence, by convincing him to work out in one of Drizao’s training facilities.Of course her Saiyan Prince grumbled that he could have easily trained back at the palace and that she had done nothing but waste his time, but all of his shortcomings fell upon deaf ears as Bulma victoriously strode away from him, leaving him to battle with the training facilities the city had to offer.
“Care to try one of our healing potions?”
Bulma looked up to find a Dranien street merchant or more likely a beggar, standing in front of her. His lilac hair hung in gentle curls around the curve of his tinted blue cheeks.The merchant’s amber eyes stared at her intently.His ragged clothing greatly contrasted the beauty of his face, which surprised Bulma.Drano had warned her to ignore these street people that marred the beauty of the city metropolis, but Bulma couldn’t help but stop to converse.She always pitied the poor and had always been reprimanded by her father when she stopped to aid them.But she couldn’t help it.
She almost gagged at the stench of garbage permeating from the man, but held back the urge to cover her nose, thinking it rude to do so.“And what would this potion heal?”She asked mischievously, blue eyes twinkling in delight.She might as well humour the poor man and see if he had anything interesting to buy.
He was shocked that she had stopped to answer him.Most other people would have held their nose, mumbled rudely and walked away from him brusquely, yet this woman stood in his company, as though it were perfectly normal.He noted that she chose to ignore the smell that surrounded him, and for once he was ashamed to stand in another’s presence in such a manner.The ache to have a bath returned full force for the merchant.He promised to give this woman a true healing potion; she deserved such an act for acknowledging him so kindly.
“It can heal anything one’s heart desires.The mind, body, heart and soul can be healed with a sip of this potion.”He replied with equal mirth, producing a tiny bottle from the satchel by his side.Most customers he lied to, but this one seemed different to the man.She deserved to receive a true potion in his opinion, and so refrained from lying.
She looked at the small cylindrical bottle, so simple looking and tempting with a red liquid inside.If she hadn’t been with her wits, she could have sworn that tiny diamonds sparkled within the red liquid.It was quite bizarre.
Bulma smiled at the man and nodded, “Well, I see no harm in buying it.”She said lightly, having no intention to do anything with the potion.Her face fell for a moment, “But I have no extra credits to buy the potion, I’m sorry.”It dawned on her that she had spent most of her cash credits in the main department stores she had been to with Drano.
The merchant smiled back happily, uncaring of the minor detail.For this woman he was willing to give one of his best potions to aid her.“Then I shall have to simply give it to you as a gift for your kindness.But this red healing potion will not do for you…You need something that compliments your personality.”
“Oh, and what’s that?”She asked, thoroughly amused by his revelations.
“A blue should suit you perfectly,” he remarked as he looked at her hair and eyes.Yes, the blue would suit her completely.He looked away to rummage in his satchel for the blue potion.
“Thank you, sir.What do you call this healing potion in your language?”She questioned as he continued to search his satchel.
He looked up briefly in surprise but smiled gently, “We call it Porani in our language.”He uttered a sigh of frustration as he removed his hand from his satchel.“I’m afraid the blue Porani is not in my possession, but if you follow me to my stall then I can give it to you.”
Bulma paused apprehensively before answering, “It’s alright, I can just take the red one.”
The merchant shook his head in exasperation at her silliness, “No, no, the red will not do for you.You must have the blue!”He smiled then, “It is not away from the city, in fact it is right through there,” he pointed to the alley way between the towering glass buildings across from them.
Bulma noted the many people that entered the lightly lit alley way.It seemed as though there were many hidden stalls there that most Draniens chose to go to.She took a deep breath and answered, “Alright, if you’re sure that it’s no trouble for you…”She trailed off, a feeling of uneasiness settling in her stomach.Under normal circumstances, she would have never dared to follow the merchant, yet this man exuded persuasion and he seemed to be friendly enough.
Besides that, she was curious about the city slums Drano had warned her about.It seemed so unreal that Dran had slums just like Earth, and it was an aspect of life that fascinated Bulma.She found it so strange that some people could be the richest in the world, have everything at their beck and call, whilst others were starving for a morsel of food.Of course, it was safe to say that she was a very blessed young woman.Sighing wearily, she followed the merchant through the alley way between to the two tall glass buildings, unaware as to what was about to happen to her.
~*~
“You have entered Dran-sei’s atmosphere.You will not be allowed to land until you have stated your business.”
It was apparent that the Draniens had forgotten about the Nikora fleets visit.
The young soldier of the Nikora fleet rolled his eyes in resignation as a regal voice filtered from the communicator.He looked at the control panel in irritation.Formalities such as this were lost upon this exuberant warrior and he admired his older brother for dealing with the tiresome negotiations that came when entering a new planet.Of course, Dran was not a new planet to their empire, and they had a lost alliance with the technologically evolved planet.But it had all been forgotten when the empire had fallen at the hands of Frieza…
“Rhuba?”
The young soldier was taken from his thoughts as his older brother spoke.“What is it, Radt?”He looked over to see his brother engrossed in the satellite readings before him.
“Answer that statement from Dran’s Minister of Defence for me.”Radt replied wearily.
Rhuba smirked slightly.It seemed even his brother’s patience was wearing thin.Unwillingly, he pressed the button to reply to the voice at the other end.“This is Commander Rhuba of the Nikora fleet; we demand that you let us land.”He tried to speak politely, through gritted teeth.Why couldn’t they blast their way into the planet?It was all very tiresome for the warrior.
There was a pause on the other end.It seemed as though the Minister of Defence knew exactly who was on the other end.A stuttered reply came through the communicator.“The King will be informed of your arrival immediately.Y-you’ll be escorted by one of our men to the palace.”Not giving any room for reply, the link was severed.
It seemed as though the word had spread of their empire’s revival.
Rhuba looked up at his brother and smirked, “It looks like we still hold a place of terror in peoples’ hearts, brother.”
The older warrior looked up, mirroring his sibling’s expression, “Is that such a bad thing?”He asked in amusement.
“No not really,” was the dry reply that came from the younger brother.
They stared at each other before breaking into a round of sadistic laughter together, sharing in their new found amusement.
~*~
Bulma unconsciously scratched her arm as the people of the market stared at her immaculate complexion.Compared to them, she seemed to glow with cleanliness which was more than could be said of the grimy people that were staring at her.A pang of guilt flashed through her and she forced away the bashfulness she felt as the people continued to gaze in her direction.Desperately trying to keep up with the merchant, she stumbled clumsily on a jutting piece of rock.
As she regained her balance, she felt a rush of mutterings explode in the crowd.
Her brows furrowed in annoyance.She was getting really irritated by the constant whisperings around her; it was as if these people had never seen a foreigner before.Well, perhaps they hadn’t…
She sighed in contempt at the situation she had been forced in to.She hadn’t really wanted to follow the merchant, but she didn’t want to be rude either in refusing his unusual offer.Besides, she was getting a free healing potion, even though she knew it would never work or even dare to try it.After what seemed like eons of walking through the slurry of dirt in the street, they finally reached the merchant’s stall.
It was a small stall, merely a table with a red velvet cloth covering it.It was nothing to boast about but Bulma couldn’t help but find it a quaint little stall.She stifled a chuckle as the merchant began to bustle around the stall, muttering to himself about certain private dealings.
“Is something wrong?”She asked in amusement, standing in front of the stall with her arms folded.The awkwardness was slowly fading as she stood before the stall.The people around her had resumed their own duties, making it much easier for Bulma to concentrate on the merchant.
“No my dear, I’m just feeling the usual stress of a business man.”The merchant chuckled wryly at his own comment, “My stall keeper seems to have run away, leaving the stall unattended.”He cried, flailing his arms about in a comical manner.“No wonder I never get any trading done in my business!”
Bulma laughed at the sweet expression of frustration that crossed his dirty, elderly face.His smell no longer seemed to affect her.“Maybe you should fire him?”She suggested.
A shocked expression crossed the merchant’s face, “No, no, can’t do that!!”
She frowned, “Why not?”
“I couldn’t let the poor boy go; he’s been through a terrible time, poor, poor boy.He’s like a son to me, almost my own family.Couldn’t let him go, just couldn’t.”He was muttering under his breath as he searched the cluttered stall for the right Porani.
Bulma was now intrigued by the revelations and had opened her mouth to ask more questions, when she saw a large shadow loom over her from behind. froze, looking at the merchant yet feeling the strange presence behind her.
The merchant looked up from his rummaging and grinned delightfully at the figure behind her.“Ah, Zar, my dear boy!Where have you been?”His prior annoyance was now completely gone as he laid eyes upon his stall keeper with joy.
Bulma stood frozen to the spot, not daring to turn around as an uneasy feeling settled over her.
“I had to fetch the little one, Kor.Ran away again,” the figure replied sparsely in a smooth and familiar voice.
Kor chuckled and shook his head, “That one’s trouble!Zar, this is our newest customer, Miss...?” trailed off waiting for Bulma to fill the gap.
A silence stretched before she could find it in herself to answer. knew the stranger’s voice very well and was now completely terrified to turn around.
“Bulma. Briefs.” whispered.
Kor didn’t seem to notice her fear, and smiled once again, “Miss Briefs!” repeated to his stall keeper.Although in his eyes, Kor saw him as the son he never had.
Bulma resisted the urge to tremble as the figure stepped around her, and walked to the opposite side of the stall where Kor, the merchant, stood.As the tall figure stood before her, she wrenched her eyes away from the interesting velvet cloth, to look into the eyes of Kor’s stall keeper.Her pulse quickened at the sight in front of her and she almost found herself shrinking away from the stall.
Kor continued to ramble on about not being able to find the blue Porani, and continued to express his desire to make her a completely new potion.
But all of this was drowned out by the thundering beat of her heart.
Her gut feeling had been right as she stared into a pair of hauntingly dangerous, glittering amber eyes.
~*~
Vegeta sneered as he side kicked a robotic sparring partner.The excess force caused the machine to split into two, causing it to be the twenty-fifth training bot he had destroyed in the training centre.It would seem that Bulma would soon have to deal with an extremely large bill on her head for all the damage he had caused.He almost sighed, but instead opted to growl.“Damn robots,” he muttered uncharacteristically under his breath.It was the woman’s fault in the first place.
After Bulma had placed him in one of the training facilities of the city, he had been incredibly pissed off at everyone and everything.Although, he had been annoyed when she had insisted on going into every shop in the city, thus wasting his time even more.He could have trained in the ship, with the internal GR that Dr. Briefs had created for him!
But he had to be a complete moron and agree to Bulma’s inane idea of spending the day with her.If he didn’t watch his temper, Vegeta was certain he would blast the entire city to a cinder in the next moment.The stupid witch hadn’t even a few hours with him, when she decided she had enough of his ‘whining’ and dumped him in the nearest training ‘gym’.
Snarling, he walked towards the snack bar in the corner of the arena and snatched a large container of water from behind the counter.Before the attendant could complain, he sent the man an evil glare and raised the container to his lips, draining the contents in a split second.As he drank, different thoughts began to enter his mind.
He was going to have to teach the woman some manners.
Throwing the container of water back at the trembling attendant, he sauntered back towards the main area of the arena, his thoughts still on Bulma.She was taking up too much of his thoughts and he wasn’t sure if he felt comfortable with that…
However, a smirk formed on his lips as he counted the many ways he could perform his punishment.
It disappeared when a giggle came from the arena above.Frowning, he looked up and almost raised his hand to shoot at a poor Dranien woman that had been ogling him for the past hour.At the last minute, he diverted the ki beam to graze the metal barrier that she was leaning on.The woman shrieked and looked at him with mingled fear and disgust.He shrugged with the reasoning that he was growing tired of her ogling.All casualties would be blamed on the blue haired scientist; it was of no consequence to him.Once again, she had entered his thoughts…
The woman backed away from the balcony with wide eyes, returning into the thick crowd that was in the other gymnasium above him.
He walked at a leisurely pace to the centre of the large arena floor, deciding that meditation would have to suffice as part of his training for now.Or at least until he could get back to the GR, that was currently at the underwater palace.
As soon as he closed his eyes and had settled into a meditative trance, he felt it.
He felt panic.
Terror.
Blinding, paralysing fear.
The sensation was strange for the Saiyan Prince; he had never felt such a flurry of emotions before.They were daunting and worrying, causing a sick feeling to form in the pit of his stomach.He didn’t like it one bit.Grinding his teeth, he allowed the onslaught of emotions wash over him like waves crashing upon the shore.Where were they coming from?Confusion swept into his mind, but he wasn’t sure if the feeling of bewilderment was his, or coming from another source.
The emotions gradually ebbed away from his psyche
He slowly forced his eyes to open, a rush of air passing from his lips.Realization came thundering down as he recognised the emotions to be someone else’s.
They were coming from Bulma.
~*~
Bulma opened her mouth as she stared at the large man in front of her, but no sound would come out except for a squeak of fear that had been lodged in her throat.
“Hello love.”
Minutes passed as she looked upon him with such terror, that she could have sworn she had almost urinated in her pants.
She almost passed out with fear as she braved herself to answer his greeting, “Z-Zarbon?!”She stuttered, recognizing the man that had tried to kill Vegeta in front of her.Had she not been completely encompassed with fear, she would have notice the small bundle tucked away under his arm.“I thought you were dead!Vegeta killed you!”She blurted out carelessly.
Kor had stopped his rambling to observe the interaction with interest.It seemed that Zarbon had once known this kindly woman, yet he didn’t know how they were acquainted.He knew of the young man’s antics, but didn’t know the full details of his life.
No malice showed on Zarbon’s face as he chuckled at her.She looked light a deer trapped by the headlights of an oncoming vehicle.“It seems that he left the job unfinished.”He remarked quietly, remembering of his defeat a little over two years ago.He had narrowly escaped Vegeta’s final killing blow, and landed in the lake of Namek-sei, undetected by the Saiyan Prince.
His power level must have been incredibly low for Vegeta to not have sensed him in the lake.He had stayed in the lake for a long period of time, as people of his race could breathe under water for up to ten hours at a time.Only when he had regained enough strength and felt the world of the Namekiens crumble, did he venture out of his hiding place.
He knew that Frieza was set on destroying the planet, and so he decided to find the nearest pod left by the one of the Ginyu Force, and escaped in it unnoticed to the planet Dran.At the time, he had not been ashamed for running away, because he knew that if he stayed, he would not have survived.And survival was the only thing on his mind at the time.
Many reasons had contributed to his hasty exit of the planet, but it was safe to say that he merely wished to live.He was no soldier of Frieza’s nor was he a warrior.Yet he had killed mercilessly, with brutal force and conscience.He had been forced to become a killer, just like the other soldiers of Frieza’s empire.He had no remorse for his past actions; it was to kill or be killed in the days of Frieza.
He forced away the memories that threatened to overcome him.As he looked into the cerulean eyes of the girl he had seen on Namek-sei, he saw the fear melt away into confusion.He cleared his throat before speaking softly, “You can relax.If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it by now.”
Another chuckle threatened to escape from his lips as she sent him an accusing and irritating glare.character had not changed since the days of Namek-sei, yet he could see that in her eyes she had matured a great deal from the experience of Namek-sei.She was more of a woman, than the girl he had seen on Namek-sei.
Bulma couldn’t believe her ears.Zarbon was actually acting civilized towards her.Zarbon!She couldn’t comprehend that this was the same alien that had tried to kill not only herself, but Vegeta too.She shook her head in amazement, the initial fear now beginning to leave her.“What are you doing here?”She asked in quiet amazement, still aware that he could kill her if he wanted to.She was actually having a conversation with Zarbon…It felt as though she had just been dropped into a parallel dimension.It was too eerie for words.
The elderly merchant, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.“He lives here, with me!”He said with pride.
Bulma looked at Kor in surprise.A thousand questions entered her mind.How had Zarbon come to know this street merchant?How were they connected? did he choose to live such a life, when his strength alone could get him anything he wanted? was too surreal for the genius to evaluate.
Her gaze drifted to Zarbon’s tattered street clothing.Even though he was in such torn clothes, he still looked as beautiful and immaculate as the day she had met him on Namek-sei… Well, when he wasn’t transformed into the hideous warrior beast.
The tiny bundle under his arm stirred, and wiggled its way up, sputtering in the process.Bulma stared at the ‘package’ in astonishment.“Oh my…”The whispered words escaped her lips as she looked into a beautiful pair of emerald eyes.
Zarbon saw her shock and almost smiled at the look of pure confusion on the attractive woman’s face.“Bulma this is my daughter, Zora, she’s also Kor’s grand-daughter.”He informed her quietly and calmly.
The little girl smiled shyly at Bulma, extending her arms.
Bulma could only stat helplessly at the outstretched arms.Her eyes danced over the tiny delicate features of the little girl that slightly resembled Zarbon.Her skin was a pale shade of lilac and her hair came down to her shoulders in emerald waves.Zarbon looked at his daughter wistfully.She was truly a beautiful child.Zora made a small noise of affection as she kept her arms stretched out in front of her towards Bulma.In his opinion, she was a very loveable child who was so easy going with every single person she came across.She was so much like her mother…
The news was too much for the blue haired scientist to digest.There was a limit to how many shocks a person should receive in a day.Nevertheless, Bulma reached out to take the little girl in her arms.
Kor was watching the scene unfold with amazement for his grand-daughter as she reminded him so much of his own daughter.Zarbon merely watched the two interact.He had certainly changed in the past two years.He had almost become a different person, all because of his own little girl.She had changed him.
“Hey,” Bulma said tentatively as she bounced the little girl in her arms.
Zora smiled at the pretty blue haired woman that was bouncing her.“I like your hair,” she said softly.
Bulma laughed in delight at the comment, “I like yours too, sweetie.”She replied with mirth.“How old are you?”
“I’ll be six soon,” Zora replied confidently.
Bulma grinned at the reply.Zora seemed like such a confident little girl that it warmed her heart.“Six?That means you’re a big girl, right?”
“Not really,” she whispered conspiratorially, “Daddy still thinks I’m too young to go off by myself.”
“Oh really?”Bulma chuckled, directing her gaze to Zarbon.
He shook his head, “You are too young Zora,” he reinforced confidently.
Bulma looked at the alien man with admiration.He had certainly seemed to have changed since their last meeting.Perhaps it was the little girl’s doing…It seemed like she did hold a soft spot in the warrior’s heart.
Kor chuckled, “If only Khaya was here to see them now!”He commented wistfully.
Bulma frowned slightly, “Khaya?Who’s that?”
There was a pause, and no reply was made to her question.It was as if a heavy cloud had rolled forth and settled over the quartet.
Then, just as Bulma was beginning to put the pieces together, there was a sudden flash of blinding light.The people of the market street cried out in fear as the light began to fade.As Bulma held Zora closely to her side, she blinked away the dazzling ray of light, before the stench of burnt flesh hit her nostrils.looked around in alarm and gasped as she saw Zarbon fall to the ground, with a gaping hole in his stomach.
“Daddy?”Zora whispered fearfully from her position in Bulma’s arms.
Kor was shouting at something, or someone, but nothing was registering in her mind.
Bulma blinked.
It was all happening too fast!
She held Zora to her closely.She seemed so small for a six year old child…
When no reply came from Zarbon’s fallen body behind the stall, Zora began to struggle in her arms.Bulma let her down gently, not wanting to hurt her, as she herself rushed over to Zarbon’s side.“Zarbon?!”She cried out, falling to her knees beside the dying man…The man that had changed so much, the man that had redeemed himself in every way possible.
In the background she could still hear Kor shouting, but all she could see was Zora staring noiselessly at her fallen father, silent tears rolling down her pale lilac cheeks.She seemed frozen with fear and grief.Zora had witnessed something that a young child should never have to experience.
Bulma was finally able to regain her wits and she looked up towards Kor, only to see him screaming at…Vegeta.
The Saiyan Prince looked in her direction with no remorse at his actions.He merely stared at her blankly, unfeeling of the situation he had caused.
“Vegeta?How could you..?”She whispered quietly to herself, although she knew he could hear her clearly.
A single tear traversed its way heavily down her cheek.
~*~