Mirai Bulma waited for death to come; waited with terrified expectation as she ducked down low in her seat and covered her face with arms. There was no way to escape the blast, no way to avoid the coming of the explosion and the resulting aspect of death. She didn’t like it, but in the split second that she had to think about the situation, she accepted it. She might have cursed aloud, might have made a quick plea to whatever force was watching over her. In that split second, she realized nothing that she did. She couldn’t feel her body anymore, didn’t even know if her heart was still beating in her chest. All she saw, all she knew, was that blue light that was hurtling at her in the review mirror.

It was strange how death affected people; funny what they thought of right before they died. Instead of flashbacks of her happy times with friends and family, her moments of childhood simplicity and joy, or her moments of passion and love --- she only saw her ‘bitch’ coffee mug and a pack of cigarettes. She had no idea where that vision came from or why it chose to appear in her mind at that very moment, but she felt jilted. If she was going to die, then she wanted to at least have a classy flashback. If fate was going to take her life, then it at least owed her a fucking normal vision for her last memory of this Earth. She had no time to think it through any further though, because the blue light had already descended upon them.

There was a quake, a power so strong that it shook the air, and Bulma gritted her teeth, preparing herself for the pain that was to come. The Capsule Car was jostled, and then she was blinded by a burst of hot, white light. The light filled the interior of the car and hurt her eyes so badly that she cried out in pain, ducking her head down and burying her eyes in her arms. She heard a quaking boom, so loud that her teeth chattered with the frequency of it.

But there was no explosion. There was no excruciating pain.

Instead, the Capsule Car was tittering back and forth precariously on something, in absolutely perfect condition. She looked out the side window and down towards the ground, only to find that the car was sitting on top of a large concrete block, completely grounded and safe. Incredibly confused and shocked, she twisted around in her seat and looked out the back window, trying to decide what had happened. Behind them on the ground was a path of freshly charred pavement and a line of fire, where two attacks had met and collided. Smoke floated above the battlefield, gray and filmy, rolling away as the wind picked up.

And amidst all of the fire and smoke stood a proud warrior, his hands still outstretched from his attack, his body still tense and locked. Then he straightened up, lifted his chin and turned to look over his shoulder, back at the Capsule Car. One dark eye stared straight back at Bulma as her mouth dropped open in amazement. A scowl formed on the handsome face, wind and smoke blew through the flame of black hair on his head. His arms came back up from the fighting position and crossed tightly over his chest; he was proud and intimidating, strong and tense, and undoubtedly angry.

Vejiita.

Stupid, stupid woman. He cursed silently. Perhaps he had been wrong; this Mirai Bulma and his own Bulma weren’t so different after all. She was still the same stupid woman, rushing out and into the fighting, thinking that she was invincible. She had come out here with no protection at all; no weapon, no shield, no guard, nothing. It was just her and the brat in a thin metal Capsule Car. He knew without a doubt that that tiny little mind of hers had actually thought that she would be safe here. She had actually flown out here with brat, thinking that she could save the day. He also knew that she probably would have died if he had not gotten there in time to take on Juuhachi-gou’s blast and toss the flimsy car aside and into safety.

Stupid, stupid woman!

She had always done things like this --- always seemed to be placing herself in unnecessary danger. If she wasn’t pulling some idiotic stunt like this, she was starving herself with some ridiculous woman diet, or nearly getting herself blown up in some foolish new invention of hers. To top it all off, she even assumed that this behavior of hers was normal. She thought it was perfectly acceptable to drive out into the middle of a full-blown fight and cruise around in a damn Capsule Car! It was as if she were constantly testing him, perpetually trying to force him into showing that he cared. Did she honestly expect him to be there for her every time she got herself into a bit of trouble? Did she really think that he was going to come running every time she was in danger?

Yes. He knew. Yes, she did. She expected it because he was her mate, her lifelong partner, bound to protect her. And through all of their time together, he had tried to honor that. He had honored it without pushing the boundaries of his pride and showing more emotion than he cared to show. He knew when it was necessary for him to jump in and play hero, and he knew when someone else could handle it. This had not been one of the times that he could let someone else take on the responsibility of saving Bulma’s ass. No one had been close enough; and those that were even remotely close had not seen the attack coming until it was too late. That had left it up to him; he had to be the hero this time. And he had saved her. So, why did he still feel like killing someone? Like killing himself?

Because you couldn’t save her before. A voice in his head taunted. You might have been able to save this future version of your mate, but yours died while you stood by and watched. Your Bulma died and this one lived --- you couldn’t save them both. It had to be one or the other, and you picked the wrong one.

Had he? Had he picked the wrong one? He turned back to scowl at the woman as she sat shaking in the Capsule Car. Her startled deep blue eyes locked onto his for a moment, holding his furious gaze until she had to look away. She was ashamed. He could see that now; it was written plainly all over her face that she had made a mistake and was willing to admit it. That had been the hardest thing in the world for his Bulma to do: admit that she was wrong, that she had messed up. This Bulma was no different in that area, but he could sense that she felt horrible and stupid for her actions. Rightfully so. It had been an idiotic thing to do and she was a stupid, stupid woman for doing it. Her deep blue eyes found his again, and this time they shimmered with gratefulness. She hadn’t expected him to show up; had expected him to save her this time. Though he struggled to fight it, his heart tugged down and began to ache with need as he stared at her. It seemed like it had been so long ago since he had last let himself get lost in those eyes.

It had been during a snowstorm, and he had barely been able to see her then, through the world of white. But he had lost himself just the same, his heart falling at her lowly human feet. She had some sort of power over him, a kind of strength that was far more powerful than any attack that he could ever build. She was the only one that had this power; the only one that he would let have this power. And just like all of the other times before, she had expected him to save her, to protect her. But when it was all over with, all that remained of her was a pool of fresh blood in the snow and an empty body. And those deep blue eyes, those eyes that he had lost himself so many times in, had stared out into nothing --- never to see again. He hadn’t saved her. She had died. She had died and he did nothing to stop it.

Had he redeemed himself now, then? Had he made up for his sin by saving the woman’s future counterpart from certain death? He considered it as he continued to stare into Mirai Bulma’s eyes. It seemed as though it were the same thing; in the balance of life and death, the two were equal. A life for a life. According to the guardians of fate and destiny, he had been through his atonement --- he had paid for his sin. But according to his heart, he still had a long way to go. In fact, he was certain that he would never forgive himself for letting her die.

No. Saving Mirai Bulma did not make up for the death of his mate. Nothing could.

He turned away from her, ripped his gaze away from those deep blue eyes. Forcing those thoughts away from his mind, he moved to face his enemy. There would be time to think about that later; only then would he gather his thoughts and make his decisions. These were the kinds of thoughts that were not welcome in battle; they weakened the mind and dispelled all reason. He would wait. There would be a time for him to sort through his thoughts. The only thing he needed to think about now was the fight and the victory. And victory, in this particular case, meant containment. He had to restrain the jinzouningen and keep her from causing anymore trouble.

Juuhachi-gou stood before him, her arms crossed and a scowl on her beautiful face. As he watched her frown draw up into a smirk, he thought briefly about the last person who had dared to harm Bulma. He might be facing a harsh sentence for not protecting his mate, but the one who killed her had suffered a fate even worse. Vejiita hadn’t just ended her life --- he had butchered her. He had never before killed anyone with such cruelty, brutality or fury. It was as if he had been possessed by a demon straight out of hell. Pi had died one of the most horrible and painful deaths imaginable.

Luckily for Juuhachi-gou, things here were not quite the same.

As Vejiita tore his eyes away from her and began walking back towards the battle, Mirai Bulma stared, amazed. She couldn’t believe what had just transpired, what Vejiita had just done. She had been certain that she was going to die. She had even felt it deep down in her bones that she was going to die. The breath she took in right before she saw that attack coming in the review mirror should have been her last. She should have been dead and this Capsule Car should have been incinerated. But instead, she was whole, she was well, she was alive. He had placed them out of the line of fire and stepped in to take the hit himself. He had saved them. He had saved her.

Next to her in the passenger seat, Tayhei was just as perplexed as she felt. Her green eyes narrowed after Vejiita, her hands clenched in fists in her lap. “I can’t believe he actually saved us.”

She watched him walk until he had disappeared into the smoke, obviously on his way to try and contain Juuhachi-gou. Bulma couldn’t believe it either. Understanding still hadn’t sunk in and she still wasn’t letting her heart believe what her eyes had just seen. She knew that she would see him in this world; knew that she would find him here. But she had never expected it to be like this; he wasn’t supposed to swoop down and be a hero. They were supposed to see each other, bicker, yell, get angry, and then part ways. But he had changed things here, he had stepped in and changed their fate, altered their lives with his actions.

He looked so handsome. She mused, turning back around and facing the front of the Capsule Car. His hair was still that thick shade of black, no gray mixing in with the deepness of it. His eyes were still dark and sharp, still held that unshakable pride and snap of anger. And his body looked as though it were still just as hard and muscular. It was as if he hadn’t changed one bit over the years. He was still young and handsome, still strong and steady. She had always admired that about him, always enjoyed looking at him when he wasn’t aware of it. She had loved the way that his eyes had looked so intelligent and so angry, sharply rolling over the landscape or watching his opponent during a sparring match. And of course, she had loved his body as well. He always managed to look good, even if he was just lounging in a chair or hunched over a bowl of rice at the table.

But she wasn’t so young anymore; no longer had the sensational body and vibrant blue eyes that she had when she was younger. Saiya-jin blood might keep someone youthful and healthy until they were over a hundred years old, but human blood wasn’t quite so resourceful. She had aged, and she was deathly afraid that Vejiita might notice the same thing. If so, did that leave out every single possibility for hope? Their relationship had been founded purely on attraction at first. More than likely, when he had looked at her just now, he did not see her as the same as his own Bulma. Disappointment swept in immediately and made her throat burn. She had come all this way with the hope that she might possibly find love in this timeline. Even though ChiChi had warned her against it, she couldn’t help what she felt in her heart. But now that she was here, that hope had been crushed. Just seeing Vejiita, looking so young and handsome, had smashed that foolish dream into a thousand pieces.

Bitter and saddened, she scowled deeply out the window. This wasn’t turning out to be a very fun trip. First she found out that her timeline counterpart is dead, then she saw the daughter that would never be hers. She had to face a broken family, her son’s dead girlfriend, and the jinzouningen, and her dead husband --- all in one day. And to top it all off, she had been jostled around in a Capsule Car and had suffered probably the worst fear that she had ever felt in her life.

“Well,” She remarked in a wry voice. “That wasn’t pleasant. I suppose it wasn’t such a good idea to get closer to Juuhachi-gou after all.”

Uneasily, she felt a pair of eyes on her and turned to see Tayhei staring at her. The look on her face was so startlingly different from the Tayhei that she had known. Mirai Tayhei had never looked at her with anything by admiration and adoration. They had had a good friendship, a strong relationship. She had come to depend on the Tayhei’s kind nature and loyal friendship. But this Tayhei, the one who stared at her now, didn’t look friendly at all. In fact, she looked downright furious. The young girl didn’t say anything at first, just crossed her arms and gazed at her with cool green eyes.

“What?” Bulma asked her. She narrowed her deep blue eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re going to say ‘I told you so’.”

Tayhei raised her eyebrows and looked away, her voice calm and smooth. “When you’re as right as I was, you don’t have to say it.”

Mirai Bulma thought about slamming an insult her way and picking a fight, but immediately stopped herself. This was Tayhei. Despite their obvious personality differences, this girl and the one that Bulma had loved were the same. They were the same to her and they were certainly the same to Trunks. Her heart sank as soon as she thought of her son. He must have been so scared when that attack started coming at them. Not just because he might have lost her, but because he might have lost his last chance at finding love as well. She could only imagine the horrified look on his face and the fear and horror that he must have felt in his heart.

Suddenly, she became painfully aware of how selfish she had been. She had put her own life and Tayhei’s life in jeopardy, just because she wanted to be a hero. She hadn’t even stopped for a moment to think about the consequences of her foolish actions --- if Vejiita hadn’t shown up, what would have happened? She and Tayhei would have both died. Trunks would have been devastated. Everyone in the future world would be in grief and despair. And the people of this world, especially Bra, who seemed to be very attached to Tayhei, would be hurt as well. Because she hadn’t been thinking and because she had been so selfish, she had almost managed to cause a major disturbance in both timelines. Guilt swept over her, so thick and heavy that she couldn’t even look at Tayhei again. The young girl had been right all along, but she just hadn’t listened.

What the hell is wrong with me? She thought angrily, suddenly hating herself. It seemed as though this entire trip to the past had gotten entirely messed up. She just kept making one mistake after another, hurting anyone that stood in her path.

The fire that was raging around them was hot and vicious, sparks leaping up to tear at his skin. But he didn’t care, didn’t even notice. The only thing that Vejiita could see was Juuhachi-gou, and the only thing that he could feel was anger. Like everyone else, he didn’t quite know how to handle the situation. On one hand, Juuhachi-gou was a member of their circle, a part of their group of friends --- an ally. They had trusted her on numerous occasions and she had helped them on numerous occasions. She was the wife of Kuririn and they had a child together. On the other hand though, she had just slaughtered an entire city full of people and sent the skyscrapers and buildings tumbling down to the earth in a mass of flames and concrete. She had to pay for what she did, but yet, how could he punish her, knowing that she was a friend?

Not his friend, of course. He had never trusted the jinzouningen. They were so cold, so lifeless, so devious. He didn’t see what everyone else saw when they looked at them. He never saw the friendship or the supposed peace in their hearts. All he saw was two wind-up toys that had been created to kill. That was their entire purpose: to kill. It was what they had been made for and what they had already started to carry out when they first made their appearance. Vejiita didn’t understand how no one else could see that. There was no love in those cold, steel hearts and no compassion in those icy blue eyes. They weren’t able to change. They had been programmed for death, and would always remain that way.

“Didn’t I tell you and your tin can brother not to mess with me again?” Vejiita challenged her, giving her a trademark smirk. He unfolded his arms and dropped down into a fighting stance, gathering all of his energy together and growing stronger. The power surged through his limbs, growing and building until he thought that his body wouldn’t be able to take it anymore.

“I didn’t mess with you.” The female jinzouningen told him calmly. “You stepped in where you didn’t belong. It wasn’t you that I was attacking.”

He smirked again. She was right. She hadn’t been messing with him. But she had been messing with his family.