Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Unwanted ❯ Family Reunions ( Chapter 16 )

Unwanted

Chapter 16 - Family Reunions

"He's Bulma's son."

The statement echoed through Vegeta's mind for what felt like hours before the king concluded he must have heard wrong. "What did you just say?" His voice was low and menacing, almost daring the man to try and repeat the ridiculous assertion Vegeta had without a doubt imagined hearing.

Guiding the two astounded men to a far corner of the room, where Radditz hoped the sleeping child would be less disturbed, he began to explain, "After I left here I began tracking Bulma's horse prints for some time. They ultimately led to a secluded homestead on the far reaches of what was the Tomabatsu territory. The house was empty, save for the dead bodies of short man and a blonde woman. Neither Bulma, nor her horse's tracks were anywhere to be found. Finding fresh carriage markings just outside of the location, I followed them on a trail that led in the direction of Seripa's palace. I assumed Bulma must have departed with whoever had murdered the innocents I had found."

"Then you caught up with the carriage; was it Nexus?" Kakarrot was quick to ask.

"I believe so," Radditz continued to explain, "At least, according to the boy you see lying there. His name is Trunks," he nodded over to the small child. "He had been running away from the direction I was traveling towards in a mild panic when I found him. I jumped off my mount and grabbed the child, hoping he might have seen something that could be of use to me. It turned out he had seen more than he should have."

Radditz went into a brief retelling of what he had learned from Trunks. The monster that had killed the two people the boy called his parents, and abducted the woman he called "aunt" Bulma, fit the appearance of Nexus. And what little dialogue the boy had overheard set logically with what Nexus would plan. "He was planning to blackmail her," Radditz concluded. "The boy was his leverage until the carriage accident. Trunks did not know what happened exactly, but Nexus was knocked unconscious, allowing him a chance to escape."

"Why did Bulma not escape with him?" Kakarrot demanded.

"Trunks said he found her unconscious once he awoke.  The carriage had apparently plummeted over a ravine. Trunks had been sitting in Bulma's lap at the time; she must have shielded him from much of the crash."

"Was she all right?" Kakarrot managed to voice all questions for him and his brother. Vegeta's mind had barely time to move past Radditz's declaration about the boy's identity.

"Trunks said he managed to shake her awake after a few minutes. Once she realized the blessing the accident had been, she ordered Trunks to run. He begged her to come with him, but the boy said she was slipping in an out of consciousness; she was too injured to escape." Radditz took a breath, frowning as he admitted, "Once I met up with the boy, he guided me back to where the carriage had plummeted. When we arrived, the carriage was still there, but there was no trace of Bulma or Nexus. I would have stayed, continued looking, but the boy was hurt. I knew Bulma would never forgive me if I did not see him attended to first."

"Because he is her son," Vegeta's ominous voiced echoed through the room. "Now that is certainly an interesting assumption considering nothing you just said in the least bit implies that." Upon completing his harsh comment, he noticed Trunks had begun twisting and turning in his sleep. Seeing the effect his rage was having, Vegeta tempered his tone, "You had better be damn well able to substantiate that ridiculous accusation."

"It makes sense," Radditz admitted softly, deducing the news would be a hard blow to his king, "The boy believes Bulma is his aunt, but we all know she has no siblings."

"A term of affection the boy uses for her," Vegeta immediately rebuked.

"During the ride back, the child informed me that Bulma, since as long as he can remember, has come to visit him every other month. A timeline coinciding with the two days of freedom you have given her since your marriage. The personal time she wanted was to spend with this boy."

"So she bears an affection for him as well-that does not equate a mother and son correspondence." Another denial, Vegeta refused to believe what his conscience already was telling him was very likely true.

"Vegeta is right," Kakarrot chimed in, "That boy looks about five years old."

"Six," Radditz corrected.

"Alright, six," The younger soldier continued, "For Bulma to have a six year old son, she would have had to conceive him while she was only sixteen. Now besides the fact that it would have been damn near impossible for her to hide a pregnancy at her age, there were no male prospects for her back then. In fact, besides myself and Vegeta, no man on the premises was within ten years of her age bracket."

Vegeta felt as though a fist had just landed in his stomach.

"You never bedded her?" Radditz asked boldly. Clearly it had been his first assumption.

"No," Kakarrot's arms crossed firmly over his chest in offense, "She was sixteen. I cared about her too much to take advantage of her like that."

This time it felt like a kick.

"Look, if it was not you, then I have no idea who fathered Bulma's child, but it is her child," Radditz insisted positively. "All you have to do is look into his eyes to see the truth."

Before Vegeta realized it, his legs had carried him to the boy's side. Sitting down carefully next to him, he reached out and touched the sleeping child's hair. It was soft, but thick, the same consistency of Bulma's.

Vegeta slid his hand down over the boy's forehead. His skin was too tan to be a match for Bulma's. It matched his own though.

Vegeta continued down the child's face: thick eyebrows, sharp eyes, sharp nose, tight mouth-all akin to his own.

The boy blinked after Vegeta's fingertips slid past his chin. Opening his eyes, whatever little doubt the king had left dissipated. Radditz was right; the truth was in the boy's eyes. They are exact replicas of hers. "My god," so this was why she hated him. After two years of marriage to her, he had no idea how deep her resentment resided until this very moment.

With one selfish act he took the innocence of a young woman, impregnated her, and forced her to hide the humiliation from even her closest friends. He left her to hand the child over to be raised by non-relations while she sat back and took the distant title of aunt. No wonder she hated him. He robbed her of precious years with her son, how fitting the symmetry that she had done the same to him.

After rubbing his eyes, Trunks focused his view on the man before him before asking the obvious, "Who are you?"

Several answers came to mind, but Vegeta simply answered with, "My name is Vegeta. You are in my kingdom, which places you under my protection. Consider yourself safe."

The boy's bottom lip trembled, same as Bulma's always does right before she begins to cry. Not allowing Vegeta enough time to react, the boy lunged at him, throwing his arms around his neck as he cried, "Aunt Bulma told me you would help me. She never lies."

Stunned by the admission, Vegeta pulled the boy away so he could ask, "Bulma told you about me? What has she told you?"

For a moment Trunks appeared confused before he confessed, "Aunt Bulma told me, ever since I was a little kid," little for him was two years ago, "if I was ever in any trouble and she or my parents could not help me, I was to go to you. She said I could trust you." Vegeta suddenly felt like laughing. How interesting she would tell the child to trust a man she had gone out of her way to keep in ignorance of the boy's existence. "But I didn't think you knew who I was, though. That's why she gave me proof," Trunks reached into his shirt and displayed a silver chain that had been adorning his neck. Pulling it over his head, he handed it to Vegeta, "She said you would know I wasn't lying when you saw it."

Radditz and Kakarrot circled behind the object, both curious as to what it was. "Her wedding ring?" Radditz tried to withhold a laugh of his own. "I wonder which copy it is."

"The first," Vegeta realized suddenly. "It's inscribed. I had only the first inscribed." He saw no point in having future ones commemorated the same way. He was not even certain why he bothered having their names placed together in each of their original rings. It was never as if their marriage was meant to last. He did not waste the money the second time. He thought she had desecrated the first. Had he known she had given it to her…to their child, he might have felt differently about the matter.

"There were more?" Kakarrot asked offhandedly as he too observed the young boy. "Trunks," he walked over to kneel down on the floor next to the edge of the bed, "My name is Kakarrot. I am Vegeta's brother and a close friend of your mo-of Bulma's. Radditz just told us that you are six. Is that right?"

The boy nodded, "Six and a half. My half-birthday just passed."

It took Vegeta a moment to do the math in his head. It fit. Of course it did. He was a father. Or perhaps, more correctly, he had fathered a child. A child he was never supposed to meet. "Enough questions," Vegeta knew where Kakarrot was going. There was no need. "Radditz, have this room guarded as if your life depended on it, because I promise you, it does." He rose to his feet and hit Kakarrot on the shoulder to do the same, "Assemble a band of elites," he ordered his brother, "we need to go get my wife back." And then she had a hell of a lot of explaining to do.

"But don't you have more questions?" Vegeta could understand why his brother would make such an inquiry, but he did not intend to explain why. In fact he could not even begin to imagine the kind of fallout that would result from his most private indiscretion being made public. But he could not think of that now. Right now he had to focus on the consequences of his most recent actions. Nexus had attacked his family, he needed to pay.

"You have your orders," the statement was followed by Kakarrot's and Radditz's humbled departure from the medical room to see their tasks completed. Once Vegeta was alone with the boy, he turned to him in an awkward mix of discomfort and sincerity. "I will bring Bulma back to you," he promised the young boy. Yes, he would bring his wife back, and then put an end to all the secrets between them.

She will curse him, no doubt, when he informs her that the 'death do us part' she originally pledged was now going to be without fail. She will fight him when he informs her that he is going to be very active in the rearing of their child from now on. And she will most likely reject his insistence that their marriage no longer abide by the laissez-faire mentality they had established for the last two years, but it did not matter. He would demand she succumb to them all.

For too long he had been flaccid in his pursuit of her. He had been too cautious around her, too afraid of opening old wounds. He would be no more. He could not change the past, but the future was his to see done as he willed. He had made the mistake of not seeking the truth, learning whether she had had a child after their one night together. He had lost years with his son as a result. He would not lose a minute more with Trunks or Bulma because of his passivity.

With a partial smile the child slowly nodded, "Please. She is the only family I have left." Correction, Vegeta mentally altered as he exited the room, she is the only the family he has currently been made aware of. But once this feud with Nexus was over, Vegeta intended to change that. 

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It seemed like hours had passed before the room finally stopped spinning. Releasing her throbbing head, Bulma blinked several times as she regarded her surroundings, "It can not be." She recognized the small room: stonewalls, small single window with bars across it, modest dresser and petite nightstand situated adjacent to the bed. It all registered in her mind.

Jumping off the bed, she continued to cradle her head as she wondered what sick joke Nexus was playing on her. "Vegeta's bedroom," she whispered as if admitting it would make it disappear. Nothing about it had changed since the night they slept together. Walking thoughtlessly over to the dresser, she opened the top draw, battle suits. 

She pulled one out. Wrapping her arms around it, she inhaled the faint scent, his scent. It slid through her fingertips, "Oh gods, he knows." It was the only explanation for her place of confinement. How had he learned the truth? Her mother did not know; Trunks did not-Trunks! Had he gotten away? Did Nexus catch up with him? Was he being detained as well? Was he injured?? "Nexus!"

Bulma screamed as she rushed to the locked door. Pounding her flat palm against it, she continued to scream his name several more times before her head began to spin again. Stepping back from the door, she tried to hold herself steady, "What's wrong with-" she wobbled, almost falling to the ground. Something stopped her.

"Now, now, my most honored guest," the sarcastic voice could only belong to one person. "I can not have you dieing on me…yet." Nexus placed her back on the bed; she felt him press something soft against her forehead, "You took a nasty hit when the wagon wheel broke off of my carriage. But never fear; the doctor assures me you shall live long enough to fulfill my purposes."

"Trunks?" Bulma twisted her head, concerned with nothing more than hearing of her son's safety. 

She heard her captor grumble, then he admitted, "I am sure you will be happy to know the brat got away-but, if you think that nixes your chances of aiding me, then you best remember that it will take minimal effort to hunt down the lost boy. Do not make me send out the order."

Bulma closed her eyes again. Yes, her son was out of imminent harm. She could only hope he would find his way to Vegeta before Nexus changed his mind about pursuing him. "What good am I to you, Nexus?" she strained to complete her sentence. "As long as I am married to Vegeta, my father's people will follow him. I am of no use to you."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Nexus chided as he finished bandaging Bulma's head, "Think bigger, my dear." The weight next to her disappeared and Nexus' voice began to sound more distant. "All this time I have been worrying about claiming your father's army to tip the odds in my favor, but never did it once occur to me to attack this matter in reverse. Why acquire the Tomabatsu army when I could have the power of the Vegetabatsu at my side?"

Bulma's eyes flew open, "You are insane. Vegeta would sooner die than see his legacy in your hands."

"Too true," the burly man conceded, "But I am not wagering his life on that decision, I am wagering yours."

Her eyes slid shut again. A few days ago she would have laughed, told him he was out of his mind to believe Vegeta would put her before his heritage, but now she was not so sure. After the night they spent together, the allowances he left for her in the annulment agreement and his general irritation with his brother's return-it took everything she believed about him and threw it all in a tailspin. "He won't play into your hands. He doesn't love me. If you try to make him choose between me and his empire he won't choose me." Nexus did not need to know of her doubts.

"I would not be so sure of that," a voice Bulma had not heard in two years echoed through her ears, "If you have done half the number on Vegeta that I did on your father it will be smooth sailing for all of us from now on."

"Mother?" Bulma's bottom lip trembled at the sight of the woman that had betrayed her.

"I shall leave you two alone to catch up. My dear," Nexus leaned in to plant a passionate kiss on his lover's lips. After awarding her with a firm smack on the behind, he locked the mother and daughter pair in the room to hash out their problems.

And they did, being with Bulma lunging at the woman in a mild fury, "How could you tell him of my son?!" Bulma's assault fell short as she collapsed in her mother's arms, her head still weak from injury.

"How could you leave me, to marry Vegeta's mongrel of a son?" her mother was referring to the late King Vegeta, one of the few men who had never succumbed to her charms. She had always held much animosity toward him for that. "Besides," she justified, "Nexus swore not to hurt my grandson. And he did not."

"He killed Krillin and Juuhachigou," Bulma sobbed, her arms unconsciously wrapping around her mother. Old habits seemed to die-hard.

"All the better," Seripa rebuffed insensitively, "Those peasants were unworthy to raise a royal heir."

"They were the only parents he knew," the dazed woman continued. Her mother helped her to lie back down.

"So now you shall have to take your rightful place as his mother. Once Nexus and I destroy the monopoly your husband has built, you will have your son to raise, free from fear that his father will ever claim a right to him." For a moment the drowsiness wore off. "Did you truly think I would never find out, Bulma? My daughter at age sixteen is with child and I do not become curious about the bastard that caused it?"

"You had Nexus put me here?" Tears gathered in Bulma's eyes, "How did-"

"A servant," Seripa confessed. "After I learned of your condition, I interrogated the chambermaid. On the morning after a date, which aligned with your stage of pregnancy, she informed me that she removed sex and blood stained sheets from this very room. Imagine my shock when I learned it was Vegeta's." She paused, clearing her throat before finishing. "I killed the girl so no one else would learn the truth."

Liquid pain continued to drip from Bulma's eyes as she mourned the mounting lives that were expended for the sake of protecting her son. "If you knew, why did you not tell Nexus?"

"Because he would have killed Trunks for being Vegeta's heir," Seripa spoke as if it were common sense. "I am not about to have my only grandson murdered because of his paternity. You should know me better than that, Bulma." The depressing part was that Bulma knew her mother was telling the truth. Only someone who understood her mother's warped logic would. "Besides, we will need a male heir once I kill Nexus and we are left to rule the planet."

"Oh, mother," Bulma turned her head away, not wanting to hear any more of her impossible plans.

"I have done this all for you, Bulma. If only you had not left me two years ago, we could have been together sooner. You, Trunks, and I are family; we should be the ruling family of this planet. All that is left is to kill Nappa's bastard son and the son of a bitch who raped you-"

"Vegeta didn't-"

"It must have been awful to marry that man. Had I known when he was taking you to Kakarrot's wake that he would force you to marry him…"

"He didn't force me," Bulma, insisted adamantly, uncertain why her blood was boiling at the sound of her mother verbally tearing down her husband. "I chose to marry him to stop you from forcing me to marry the man who murdered one that I loved."

Seripa's eyes narrowed, as if she finally heard what her daughter was saying, "You would rather marry the man who forced himself on you than the one who was our ticket to global domination? Where is your head, girl?"

"I do not want to be a part of your bloody rise to the top, mother. I am standing by my husband."

A hand sliced across Bulma's face. Fortunately it was on the opposite side to the inch long gash on her forehead. "Ungrateful, you are! After all I have done for you!" Seripa turned on her heel and pounded on the door, signaling to the guard to allow her to leave. "I shall chalk this moment of insanity up to your head injury, Bulma. However, when I come back, if your tune has not changed, you had better be fully prepared to face the consequences for both you and your son."

The door slammed behind her, and after a few moments Bulma felt the ensuing breeze of wind glide over her. Taking a labored breath, she closed her eyes, praying that when they opened again, she would be anywhere but her current location.

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