CHAPTER FOUR: The Battle to Save Vegeta's Princess
YOU MUST! Goku yelled in his head.
I am! Dende answered cordially. But it isn't happening!
What? She's d-dead? No, not quite. But I need more energy to heal her and keep her child alive. Maybe you could help me.
Yeah, whatever it takes. How?
I need you and Vegeta to give up a little of your energy to me, so we can revive her.
As good as done, Goku answered.
"Vegeta," Goku bellowed, over the peaceful but loud noise of the healing. "We need to give Dende a little energy, or she will never awake. You ready?"
Vegeta shot up from his position on the ground like a rocket. "Ok, I'm ready when you are, Kakarott," Vegeta shouted.
Whoa, Goku thought, amazed. He just did something I asked him without any questions. He must really like Bulma.
They went Super Saiyan in a brilliant flash of deep gold, and allowed their powers to swirl around them effortlessly. Despite all the effort he was making to keep Bulma alive, Dende couldn't fail to be impressed by their astounding power.
"This energy is going to you, right?" Vegeta queried of Dende, his face set in a determined stance.
"Yes, I can moderate it and throw back anything I do not need. Go easy on me though!"
"Whatever," Vegeta said dismissively, reaching his maximum power level, just after Goku reached his. "Let's do this Kakarott."
Goku nodded, and created his own 'umbilical cord' to Dende, which he would feed him power through. Vegeta created his immediately afterwards, and they both began to feed their power through the small Namekian.
"Whoa, incredible," Dende breathed then became silent as all of their energy flooded through him and onto Bulma. Goku and Vegeta watched as the wound on Bulma became smaller and smaller, and eventually disappeared completely.
"Shouldn't she be awake now?" Vegeta said loudly, concerned that she was not yet opening her eyes.
"No, she is well but her child has suffered some shock and loss of blood to the placenta. This will take a minute or two to fully repair," Dende called out as his young green hands moved towards her stomach area. "Keep it up, guys!"
They did so, not wasting a second of their energy to speak. Even Vegeta knew that if Bulma awoke without a child inside of her she would probably kill herself. So he fed even more power through than Goku did, which was saying something.
"That should be plenty," Dende said and they retracted their collective energies and powered down, exhausted from the effort of staying at full power without releasing any energy as fighting for ten minutes or so.
"That was tough, Vegeta," Goku commented lightly, as he relaxed comfortably on the palace's tiled flooring.
"Not even an effort," Vegeta muttered, smiling at Kakarott and showing his gratefulness in his own unique manner.
Vegeta and Goku watched, transfixed, as Bulma opened her eyes and sat up, completely unaware of where she was.
"What the... What is this place?!" she asked, looking around and stopping when her eyes fell upon the nearby Dende.
"HOLY...!" she screeched and raced back nearly five feet from the guardian.
"Bulma!" Vegeta shouted in relief and they hugged more than they have ever done, and for the first (and probably last) time. He didn't even care when Bulma kissed him in front of Goku, who went into transports of stifled chuckles.
"So, er, what the hell..." she questioned, and he sighed happily. She was back and he felt like his heart could beat again without strain.
"Well, you remember when that guy shot you..."
"Yes, that one who probably died soon afterwards?"
"Yep, that's him," Vegeta said, amused. "Well, I, er, blasted them all to smithereens and then got Goku to come and give us a lift here."
"Whoa whoa whoa, too fast. Why did you just call him Goku?!" Bulma cried, worried about him. He had NEVER EVER called Goku Goku. He was always Kakarott, his real name, or at least the one he was born with Planet Vegeta.
"He saved your life," Vegeta said simply.
"Fair enough..." Bulma replied, to which they all laughed at her simplicity. "But, how did you attract him? I forgot my mobile."
"I raised my power level and he came running," Vegeta continued, grinning at Goku, to which Goku gaped, amazed.
"So, then, you both brought me here. This is the bit I'm stuck on!"
"Well, Dende is now the guardian of the Earth," Goku introduced, pointing out the small Namekian.
"You?! You saved my life?!" Bulma asked incredulously, looking at the little green man. "Thanks!"
Dende giggled. "Anytime," he put in sweetly.
"So, where the hell are we?" Bulma enquired, staring at the palace. "And why is this place floating?!"
"Don't worry about it," Goku told her with a stripe of wit running through his voice. "No one actually knows!"
"It better stay up here, that's all I care about," Bulma muttered, although everyone heard her and smiled at her classy wit.
All of a sudden, Bulma clutched her stomach, looking severely agonised. "What's up?" Vegeta asked anxiously, as the others looked on in horror.
"Nothing. Just a thought, were you able to save the baby?!" she asked, desperation in her voice and panic flowing through her veins.
"Yes. Took a little longer but he or she is fine," Vegeta answered her, as she instantly relaxed.
"GREAT!" she shouted, ecstatic.
They all laughed with each other, savouring their joy. Vegeta realised his expeditions with her would have to be planned more meticulously, and that he would have to pay more attention to her and her safety.
"Ok, well, I am STARVING after all that energy expenditure. Got any food, Popo?" Goku wondered of Dende's assistant, and he followed him him into the palace, with Dende at his side. "Coming lovebirds?" Vegeta shot daggers at Goku with his deep brown eyes. "Guess not then," Goku faltered, turning around and catching up to Dende and Popo.
"Well, now we are alone. Thank you," Bulma said gratefully, giving him more of her attention now they weren't being hindered.
"No problem. I am sorry for placing you in mortal danger twice in the same day," Vegeta added, serious.
"Hey, it wasn't exactly your fault either time was it?!" Bulma told him, giving him a hard stare, wondering why he was apologising for a sheer accident.
"I should have been more careful, especially with you in a more delicate state," Vegeta mused, softening her stare.
"Well, your apology is accepted, although you don't need to make one," she replied gently, as they laughed together, and cuddled for a while.
"So, how about that flying lesson?" Vegeta asked, to which Bulma went haywire with excitement.
FIVE MINUTES LATER
"OK, teach me!" Bulma said excitedly.
"Right. First, you must relax," Vegeta instructed as they sat facing each other, around a foot apart.
"Alright."
She closed her eyes, and sat quietly for a while. Vegeta took full advantage of this to look fondly at her. She really was pretty, and her eyes. Well, he could go on about them for days.
"I'm relaxed," Bulma told him, quiet and sublime. "Now what?"
"Er..." Vegeta stumbled, coming out of his reverie abruptly. "Sorry. Flight is first a sensation, then an action. Before anything, you must FEEL flight. You need to imagine what it feels like to fly, and particularly focus upon the liftoff and the landing."
"Fair enough," Bulma replied softly, calling upon the feelings of sharing the air with Vegeta, of effortlessly caressing the breezes as she floated up higher and higher, of landing at the front of the queue in the mall.
"You finished?"
"Yeah, almost," she answered. "Yep, I'm done now."
"Right. Keep it up for a bit longer. The feeling needs to be very strong at first," Vegeta informed her.
Not for the first time, Vegeta was taking full advantage of a situation. In this instance, however, he was using his spare time to feel out her emotions through their bond. He closed his eyes, and concentrated upon his heart, and he could feel her as though their vital organs were interwoven somehow. He saw in his head what she saw in hers and, somehow, Vegeta knew she was aware of his presence. It was heart-warming that she would allow him to pry her thoughts, unabashed of anything he may find. As wise as Vegeta was, he could find but two possibilities for this. Either she had done nothing embarassing, ever, or she felt truly comfortable with him, and even with someone as perfect as Bulma, Vegeta found it difficult to believe she had never done anything she would not want him to see. Not that the Saiyan prince was about to abuse this trust. He wasn't going to he wasn't going to make her regret her choice to share herself with him by prying into her deepest thoughts, no way.
"That's really good. I'd say that's plenty potent enough," Vegeta said aloud and he reached out of her thoughts gently.
"That was amazing," Bulma muttered, wanting to express herself but trying not to lose focus, "You were really in my head. It felt great, do it again."
Vegeta smiled with her. "I can't for a minute, this you must do alone."
"Damn. Ok."
"Now you need to try to lift yourself; concentrate solely upon the part where you take off from the ground. Got that?"
"Uh huh," she mumbled, concentrating hard. Vegeta watched her intently. "I am concentrating on take off. Tell me when to stop," she requested quietly.
"Will do."
He wanted to lose himself in her but he resisted. The more he helped her now, the ultimately more difficult she would find to do it alone. What an incredible woman and just a human, too. he thought to himself.
"That will be fine," Vegeta informed her and she relaxed, just a little. "Now, we need an incentive..." Vegeta wondered, quietly but still audibly. "Well, this could be odd, but I'm gonna have a go anyway."
"WHAT?!" Bulma demanded as she felt Vegeta lift her up with all the airs and graces of a prince, which, of course, he was.
"Sorry for this in advance!" Vegeta flung her three miles skywards with an acute sense of guilt.
"SHIT! VEGETA, WHAT THE FU-!?!" she screamed, as the Saiyan floated up to follow her down.
"What?" he yelled, winning the battle against gravity with tremendous ease unlike his partner, who was shrieking in terror. "Don't worry, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have to!"
"SAVE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" she screeched, getting closer and closer to the ground, or as it was, Dende's pad.
"I can't. Next part of your training! SAVE YOURSELF!"
"I swear to God, you are a bastard!" she screamed at him lividly.
"That's me!" Vegeta said sarcastically and Bulma glared daggers at him.
"SO, A LITTLE HELP WOULD BE GREAT!"
"Just visualise stopping, easy as pie."
"YEAH, EXCEPTIONALLY!"
"You're not trying!" he shouted as he swooped beneath her and caught her with a remarkable amount of grace.
"WHAT, DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME THREE TIMES IN ONE DAY?!?!?!" she boomed at him, staring angrily.
"You be the judge of that," Vegeta replied snappishly, glaring at her sharply and sardonically and appearing indignant that she would question his unconditional love.
"Well, I didn't think so. Before you threw me into the air without a second thought," she answered, equally as sour. Vegeta shot her an evil look. He placed her onto the lookout rather more roughly than he would perhaps have normally done.
"You confuse me, Woman." he muttered, seemingly saddened by what seemed to him like dejection on her part. "I TRY to help you by teaching you how to fly."
"YOU CANNOT JUST CASUALLY LOB SOMEONE SKYWARDS!" she cried, amazed at his lack of safety regarding her. "AND NOT JUST ANYONE, VEGETA...ME! THE ONE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO LOVE, THE MOTHER TO YOUR UNBORN CHILD WHO YOU HAVE NEARLY KILLED TWICE TODAY ALREADY."
"Do NOT throw that at me, don't you DARE," he snarled, fury infusing every millimetre of him.
"Well, it's bloody true! Truth hurts, does it, Vegeta?" Bulma taunted.
"YOU KNOW WHAT?" Vegeta roared, scaring the hell out of her as he marched over, looking like he was about to kill her. "FUCK YOU, BULMA! IT'S ALWAYS YOU, YOU, YOU! SCREW ME AND WHAT I WANT! SO, I TELL YOU WHAT... YOU CAN RAISE THAT BRAT ALONE. IF THAT IS YOUR DISGUSTING ATTITUDE TOWARDS ME, THEN I WISH YOU DEAD AND I HOPE YOU ROT, YOU BITCH!" He flew off the tower, before he did something he truly regretted.
"BULMA!!!" Goku shouted, and the vunerable woman kept back the tears long enough to see him come running from the palace. Then she collapsed into a heap on the tiles and cried hysterically.
"What's up?!" Goku cried, horror-struck at her uncontrollable weeping. "I heard what Vegeta said to you. I wasn't too concerned until he just bellowed at you. That bastard!"
The Saiyan hugged her tightly and she soaked his tango-coloured shirt within seconds. "I d-d-didn't mean what I s-said to him," Bulma sobbed, desperate to make Goku see her side of the story. "It, just, c-came out..."
"Yeah, I understand," Goku said quietly and soothingly, stroking her hair. "So would have anyone but Vegeta. Pregnancy messes with your hormones so much. It did with ChiChi, too. God, she never stopped screaming at me."
"B-b-but, he's GONE!" Bulma answered through hysterics, crying even harder now she had said the full implications of this aloud. The one person who she had loved so much, and who had equally loved her back, now hated her. She couldn't survive without him, it wasn't possible.
"Now, don't worry about that, I am sure he wasn't being serious," he replied, although he found it impossible to entirely mask the doubt his voice held; he knew as well as Bulma that he had meant every single word.