Goku

Gohan fazed out of his father’s hitting range. Goku turned just in time to block Gohan’s foot from connecting with his tailbone. He threw a punch at Gohan’s shoulder then kicked at his stomach before fazing out. Keeping his Ki low he watched from high above, as his son looked frantically left and right for him. Goku stifled his laugh. He was getting tired and hungry, Chichi would probably be worrying about them, so he decided to finish their sparring match quickly. He cupped both hands to his side and began to chant.

"KA-ME-HA-ME-HA!!!"

He threw the enormous energy blast at his only offspring. Gohan turned when he felt the Ki rush towards him. His eyes widened and he quickly put his arms up to protect his face. Unfortunately he was a second to slow. Gohan fell slowly to the ground, to exhausted to stay in the air any longer. Goku flew down to meet him.

"Hey Gohan! You did great today!" Goku gave his normal goofy Son grin, and Gohan smiled back weakly. "Thanks dad, can we go eat now?" Goku grinned again. "That’s cool Gohan! It was almost like you could hear my thoughts!" Suddenly there was a ground-shaking rumble. "Or maybe just my stomach, Here ya go!" He handed Gohan a senzu bean. After Gohan swallowed it both he and his dad jumped into the air on their way home.

***

Son Residence

***

"That’s weird. Chichi isn’t here. And she didn’t even leave us some food." Goku sniffled. Gohan rolled his eyes. His father seemed more concerned about the idea of no dinner than he did at the prospect of something happening to his mother! Gohan’s eyes fell on a neatly folded note. He walked over and picked it up. It read:

Dear Goku and Gohan,

If you’re back from training come over to Bulma’s. I didn’t feel like cooking for an army tonight. After dinner Bulma and I have to talk so you two can train with Vegeta. Hurry and get to Bulma’s!

Love,

Son Chichi

Gohan blinked and read the last two sentences again. "You two can train with Vegeta?" He murmured. "What Gohan? Hey do we have any left overs?" Gohan blinked again.

"Um…dad? Mom left us a note that says to go meet her at Capsule Corp. We can eat there and then train with Vegeta." Goku looked up from raiding the fridge. "That sounds great Gohan! " His face fell slightly. "But I don’t think your mom will let us train anymore today."

"But she said we could!" Gohan whined. He handed the note to his father as they walked back outside. His father read it with a slightly confused look on his face. He shrugged it off. "Well if Chichi said to hurry, we had better hurry faster!" He grinned and they both jumped into the air. They flew quickly but Goku couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

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Chichi

Chichi rang the doorbell impatiently. After he fourth ring Vegeta threw open the door cursing. "What do you want?" He shouted obviously annoyed. "Where’s Bulma?" She shouted back. "How the hell should I know? Do you think I keep tabs on what the onna does?" Chichi sighed and rolled her eyes. ‘This man is impossible!’ Chichi pushed past him and ran up the stairs in search of Bulma. She heard Vegeta stomp up the stairs behind her, cursing all the way up. Upon reaching the platform Bulma snuck out of her parents room quietly.

"Hey Chichi. Mom’s finally asleep." Bulma ran a hand through her hair. "What happened?" Vegeta said form behind Chichi. She jumped. "Yeah. You sounded pretty upset on the phone. What’s going on?" She placed her hands on her hips, ready for an argument. Bulma sighed and waved a hand in front of her face.

"I…nothing." Vegeta growled and Chichi filled her lungs ready to start screaming when they heard a shout from downstairs. "Bulma! Where the hell are you?" Bulma shivered as Dr. Briefs called to her. Chichi raised her eyebrows. ‘Something isn’t right here. Dr. Briefs sounds really…mad? He doesn’t usually act like that.’ Suddenly Vegeta spun on his heel and marched back downstairs, Bulma and Chichi followed. "Yes daddy?" Bulma said with a smile. A fake smile.

Dr. Briefs looked at the three of them. Bulma looked calm, but at the same time she was trembling slightly. Chichi stood next to her also looking calm, but her feelings of confusion were welling up inside of her. Vegeta stood in the doorway, his arms crossed. Chichi was surprised to see a look of pure hatred on his face. It sent shivers up her spine. ‘What’s his problem? What’s he even doing inside?’ She decided to ask Bulma about it when they were alone.

"I…just wanted to know where you were. Where’s your mother?" He looked pretty furious. Bulma gulped under his angry gaze. But at the mention of her mother, her eyes became hard as agates. "She’s upstairs sleeping dad. And don’t you go waking her! She’s had a hard enough day!" Bulma blinked at her own outrage. Simultaneously, her and Dr. Brief’s eyes widened. ‘Kuso!’ Bulma thought staring at her dad. ‘He’s going to kill me!’ Dr. Briefs blinked then turned and was gone. Bulma gulped.

"I’m dead. I’m dead. Oh Kuso! I’m dead!" She began trembling, on the edge of hysteria. Chichi stared at her friend. She was babbling. "I’m dead. My poor mama. I’m dead." Vegeta’s eyebrow raised. "Oh Kami." She whispered before collapsing on the floor in tears. Chichi rushed to her friend’s side. Vegeta felt his heart skip a beat.

Exept for the clothes she looked exactly like Mrs. Briefs had earlier that day. On the floor…crying. His hands clenched into fists. ‘Something is going on here and I won’t stand for it!’ He silently raged. ‘This is my house, and my onna! Nothing happens when I’m here!’ He growled then stalked from the room, leaving a confused Chichi and a distrot Bulma behind him. If he had been thinking clearer he would have realized he had just referred to Bulma as his onna. But since he wasn’t thinking clearly he continued marching out the door and to the Gravity Room to meditate.

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

Bulma

With her arms firmly around Bulma’s shoulders, Chichi led her upset friend to her bedroom. She closed the door with her foot then led Bulma gently till they were both sitting on her bed. Bulma cried brokenly onto Chichi’s shoulder, and her ever-sympathetic friend reached over and retrieved the tissues from Bulma’s nightstand. Bulma sat crying into the tissues for several minutes, while Chichi spoke words of friendship and shared memories of better times.

After gaining some semblance of control back, Bulma apologized. "I’m sorry Chichi. I…I don’t know what came over me." Chichi shrugged it off with a wave of her hand. "I did what any good friend would do. Now…" she turned to look Bulma right in the eye. "What’s going on?" Bulma winced.

This was just like Chichi. Straight, forward, and direct. "I…" Bulma licked her suddenly dry lips. ‘I’m going to do it. I’m going to defy my father and tell her.’ She took a deep breath and started to explain.

***

Half an hour later

***

Bulma timidly looked up into Chichi’s eyes. Her best friend hadn’t said a word since she had begun talking. Her fists were clenched, her jaw locked, and her eyes as distant as the moon. Bulma gulped. ‘What is she thinking? Is she disgusted with me because I didn’t do anything about this sooner? Oh Kami! Does she hate me now?’ Bulma tried to keep her fear inside but she had to know. "Chichi?" She whispered. "What…what are you thinking?" Chichi’s eyes suddenly came back into focused and she looked at Bulma.

"I’m going to kill him."

It was said with such certainty that Bulma couldn’t doubt the truth of her words. She panicked. "You can’t!" She croaked, petrified. Chichi blinked back her astonishment. "Why the hell not?! After what he’s done to you and you’re mom? How can a person let him live?" Bulma pushed back her tears, partially relived and partially afraid.

"You see Chichi I…" She stopped, searching for the right words. "Even after what he did…he…he’s my father and I love him. I want him to love mom and me back so that…so that we can be a family. I…I…" She couldn’t continue. She didn’t know how to explain.

She knew she was hoping for something in vain but…how could she not! Since she was a little girl this had been her life. Her father didn’t love her; not in the way she wanted or needed to be loved. He loved what he did or what he could make her do. At first…when it had all started he had been kind and sweet with her. She had been seven years old and hadn’t yet realized it was dangerous. She knew it was bad. How many times had her mother told her not to let people touch her? But it was her daddy. Not some stranger, but a man who loved and spoiled his only child.

After the first time she said she didn’t like it. He offered her candy and toys if he did. He was so sweet and caring back then. It hadn’t been until she was eleven or so before she realized her mother had been suffering through the same things. She had had to suffer all alone for four years, thinking she was terribly, dirty, not worthy to live.

She had discovered her mother crying once. Her clothes were a ripped mess, covered in blood. It had been bittersweet. She found she was not alone in the most horrible, disgusting way possible. She hated her father for what he did to her, for what he did to her mother, for his sick, perverted joy in what he did to them. ‘Why can’t things be the way they were before!’ But she knew.

Even if he hadn’t touched her when she was still six or even after she met Goku and the gang. He had still been hurting her mother her whole life. Before she was born, maybe right after they got married. ‘Why didn’t mom just leave him?’ She couldn’t now. She was stuck in the same predicament as Bulma now. It went like this.

Leave and I’ll kill your mother, Tell and I’ll kill your mother, Stop and I’ll kill your mother. He used the same sick plan on Mrs. Briefs that he used on their daughter. Leave and I’ll kill Bulma, Tell and I’ll kill Bulma, Stop and I’ll kill Bulma. They were trapped with no help in sight. But Bulma couldn’t kill him.

Her desire for a family rivaled with her hate of her father. This was the man who had raised her, taken her to movies and sweet shops, to the park, concerts, and plays. He educated her, she had gotten her genius from him and she knew it. She owed him so much, she felt so undeserving of what she had, like this was all she was ever meant to be. She sometimes wished that she could be poor so she wouldn’t feel guilty and could hate him without loving him. But how could she put that into words to tell Chichi? Unbidden a memory surfaced of a past conversation.

***

Flashback

***

"Why do you do this to me? Do you hate me?"

"What are you talking about? Do what? I’ve given you everything you have! Without me you would have no clothes, no food, no bed, no friends, no brains, HELL! You wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for me! What are you talking about," He growled at her.

"Why do you do this to me? Do you hate me?" He mimicked in her voice.

"You don’t know how good you’ve got it, Bitch! Don’t you ever forget what I do for you again! Got it?!" He began hitting her again and again. The memory faded

***

End Flashback

***

"Bulma? Bulma! You ok?" Chichi’s voice brought her crashing back to reality. "You just totally spaced out on me." Bulma’s eyes filled with tears again and she nodded. It was more than her want of a family that kept her from killing Dr. Briefs herself. It was…

"Chichi? Promise me you won’t kill daddy ok? " Chichi shook her head violently but Bulma grabbed her friends hands with her own. "Listen to me! It’s more than him being my dad, I hate him! I want him to die! But it just doesn’t feel right." Chichi opened her mouth to protest but Bulma beat her to it.

"NO! Not yet! It doesn’t feel right for him to die yet! If it weren’t for how strong this feeling is I would have taken my gun and blown his brains out at the age of sixteen. I have…the strangest but…strongest feeling that something needs to happen before he dies. I’m not sure what…but until I know…I don’t care what I’m forced to live through. He will live."

She sucked in a deep breath then turned to stare pleadingly into her best friend’s eyes. She wanted, no needed Chichi to understand this feeling. Chichi’s eyes filled with tears but she nodded. "Alright Bulma." She said dejectedly. "If that’s what you really want, fine." Her shoulders slumped in defeat. "You can’t tell anyone either." She whispered. Chichi nodded. "Promise?" "I promise."

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

Vegeta

It was several hours after his last confrontation with the onna and Vegeta felt it safe by now to come out of the Gravity Room. After he had come outside to meditate Kakkorot and his brat had shown up, they ate dinner to which neither women attended, then went out to spar. Eventually it came out to a tie and Kakkorot had taken his crazy mate back home.

He stalked into the kitchen, through the hall, to the stairs, where a clock on the wall told him it was 2:37 in the morning. ((No joke. I was writing this part and that’s what the clock said. I hope you people appreciate what I go through for you.)) He ‘hmphed’ and stalked up the stairs as silently as a shadow. He moved down the hall to the bathroom then emerged ready to go to his room for some much needed and well-deserved sleep.

As he was stalking past the onna’s room he again felt his heart skip and knew he would not get any sleep until he had checked to see if she was alright. Silently he opened her door and slid into the room. His breath caught in surprise.

The blue haired onna lay on her bed, her hair fanning the pillows, her face lifted to the moonlight coming from between the curtains. ((I think Piccolo once destroyed the moon sometime but since this is my story I say the moon is still there. Deal with it.)) She looked like a sleeping angel. Vegeta violently shook his head. Such thoughts were below him and he would not dwell on them any more.

Still…’Iie! Iie! Iie! I will not even consider her like that!’ He turned to leave in disgust but was stopped by the tenchi suddenly turning over in bed. He gulped and turned very red. She wore no nightgown…that was plain from her bare back. Her skin was pale as milk and just as creamy looking. His eyes roamed from her shoulders to her lower back were the blanket covered her.

He shook his head and prepared to exit again when he stopped, frowning. ‘What is that?’ Her back was covered in…something. Unconsciously he stepped toward the bed for a better look. Using the moonlight and his near perfect Saiyan eyesight he ran his eyes over her back again. He blinked.

She was covered in scratches. Some short, some long, some deep, others shallow. ‘Where did she…? What the hell is going on?’ He stepped closer and noticed not only scars but also bruises. Some were old and fading but others…others looked as new as a few days ago. Huge bruises to, she moved her arm slightly and a long one was revealed.

‘What happened?’ Was all he was able to think. What had happened to this poor tenchi? His hand reached out towards her sympathetically. She moaned slightly in her sleep and he heard a dry sob. ‘Kuso! She’s waking up!’ He turned away from her and slid back into the shadows and to the door. He gave one last look at her before slipping silently into the hall. He walked numbly to his room and crawled onto his bed. He felt his exhaustion catching up to his body and his last coherent thought was, ‘What happened to my tenchi?’



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Wella! I’m finally done with that chapter! Sorry it took so long! I found it was a lot harder to write about her past than I thought it would be, for personal reasons. Don’t worry though! Next chapter will be easier! ::thinking to herself:: I hope.

Next time: Bulma escapes Dr. Briefs, she goes back to face him, and Vegeta walks in on something important. Poor Saiyan no Ouji!

Love, Peace, and Bullet-proof Marshmallows! May the Gohan Vu-du doll live forever! Dude, where’s my car?! Well lookie here! I just found a Meatball! Sweet! Bulma4veggie ^. ~ (The insanity continues.)