Chapter Eighteen

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of its characters.

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Bulma awoke the next morning with a tear stricken face. Sure, it was nice to wake up next to Vegeta in his arms but…she wasn't over what Yamcha had put her through last night. What made it even worse was that he didn't even use a condom. She was afraid that something might happen to her but she didn't want to think about the possibility. It was all too much for her. Why did it have to happen to her? She was a good person with a big heart. It shouldn't have happened. Why couldn't she have stopped it?

"Why am I so weak?" she asked herself out loud. "I just let him…"

"Don't think about it too much."

Bulma turned to face Vegeta who had woken up, listening to her. He continued. "You will only make things harder on yourself."

"How do you know?"

"I've been there before…" Vegeta looks up to the ceiling and closes his eyes. "Thinking you could have done something to prevent it. To let things take their course and be so weak as to not stop it, even though you know how wrong it is."

Bulma didn't know what to think. What had Vegeta gone through that was just as horrible? She was almost afraid to ask but being as curious as she was, she decided to anyway. "What happened to you, Vegeta?"

Vegeta opened his eyes to look at her. He opened his mouth to say something but shut it again. Instead he lets her go and gets out of the bed.

"Vegeta?"

Vegeta only turned to her and growled. "Lets never speak of this again." With that, he walks out leaving her alone in his room. Shutting the door behind him, he looks back solemnly before wiping some tears away from his eyes that forced their way out.

It had been so long ago since he had been under Frieza's rule. He remembered being molested by the tyrant as a young boy and having no other option but to bear it. Otherwise he would have been in for a far worse punishment. He knew exactly how Bulma must feel.

Bulma was still looking at the now closed door as Vegeta made his exit. Suddenly her eyes widened as she remembered looking back at his past, just exactly what Frieza and his henchmen had done to him. Now she could understand where he was coming from. They had both been through so much in their lives that they needed each other. It was hard to talk about, and Bulma knew it wouldn't be so easy to get over and continue her life as normal but she had to be strong. She was Bulma Briefs, she was almost powerful herself with her knowledge. Yamcha was not worth it, she needed to move on. Most women would find it hard to do that in such a short amount of time but growing up in the environment and the way Bulma had, she was more headstrong and could adapt to change. When they had returned from Namek, Bulma wasn't as fearful as she was. In fact, she had gotten a lot tougher and confident in herself. A notable fact was that she wasn't even afraid of Vegeta anymore. She had invited him to stay. The old Bulma would have never have done that.

Picking herself up off the bed, she headed out and went to her room. She took a shower and got dressed. She looked at her stain-covered sheets and sighed. It was time to change them.

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As she made her way downstairs she noticed that Vegeta was already in the kitchen waiting for his breakfast. She sat down across from him. She didn't know what to say to him. Suddenly the phone rang and Bulma almost jumped in fright. Vegeta noticed this but kept quiet. Bulma's mother picked up the phone. "Yes, she's here." She turned to her daughter. "Bulma, it's for you!"

Bulma got up and took the phone from her mother and put it to her ear. "Hello?" she asked into the receiver.

"Hello…Bulma?"

It was Yamcha. She had a right mind to slam the phone down but she listened to what he had to say.

"Look, I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't mean to…I was drunk, I went too far. Please forgive me, Bulma."

Bulma narrowed her eyes. "I've heard this all before."

"I mean it, Bulma."

"That still doesn't erase what you did."

Vegeta's ears perked up. She was talking to that idiotic moron.

"I know, but please is there anyway you can forgive me?"

"No. I can never forgive you for what you did. Drunk or not."

Yamcha sighed. "Does this mean… you're leaving me?"

"Yes, that's exactly what it means. I should have dumped you long ago." It was a hard conversation for Bulma but she knew she could never be with him again. Not after what he had done to her.

"I understand. But, uh…can we still be friends?"

Bulma looked down. "I don't know. I need sometime to think about things…"

Yamcha knew she was right. "You know, Vegeta came over here and beat me up pretty bad. I guess I deserve it. I just never realized how much he could care for someone."

Bulma opened her mouth but nothing came out. What was he saying?

"I'm sorry, Bulma. I really am and I know I can't change what happened. Because of my actions I know we can never be together again as we once were. I know that. I was always afraid that you would get hurt with Vegeta being around but I guess it was me who was doing the hurting…" he chuckled lightly but Bulma didn't find it funny. He stopped and turned serious. "I never trusted him around you. Now I see that…I don't need to worry."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I promise you…I will never hurt you again."

He sounded sincere but Bulma wasn't so sure. "How can I trust that?"

"What I did was wrong and foolish of me…" he was trying to make things up with her but there was no persuading her.

"No, just leave it. I don't want anything to do with you right now." How could she forgive him? She couldn't.

"Okay," he sighs. "Just answer me this…"

Bulma waited for him to go on.

"At least sometime in the future we can become friends again…"

"Maybe, but…we can never be anything more than that."

Yamcha nodded. "I know. Guess I'll be seeing you?"

"I guess…goodbye Yamcha."

"Bye."

The phone clicked and Bulma hung up the phone. She was now a single woman again. She was free to do as she pleased. She turned around to see Vegeta looking at her with his arms crossed.

"So, what did the weakling want?" he asked.

"He was trying to apologize. I can't accept that…" She replies looking down. "I just don't know what I'm going to do anymore…with my life…everything. It seems like I'm supposed to die soon anyway so…what's to live for?"

"You won't die."

Bulma looked up at him. "How do you know that?"

"I…I won't allow it." Vegeta looked to the side. "I've trained too hard to let these Androids overcome me. The others are training even though I don't need there help. I will become a Super Saiyan very soon, becoming the most powerful fighter in the universe."

Bulma smiled at this.

"Fighting this battle…it seems I won't just be fighting for my own survival. But, everyone on this pathetic planet."

"You are fighting for others Vegeta." She walks towards him. "And that, is very honorable."

Vegeta only looked at her. "It's something I have never done."

"There is a first time for everything." Bulma smiled at him. "You know, everyone needs a hero. Someone they can trust, count on…for many that hero is Goku."

Vegeta scoffed. "Typical."

"Goku maybe strong and although he has saved us a lot…he isn't my hero. The hero in my eyes is you, Vegeta. You are my savior."

Vegeta didn't know what to think or even say at that moment. He was not a hero to anyone. He was evil, well… he used to be. He looked over to Bulma to see her smiling at him. Yes, he was fighting for everyone else on earth but mainly Bulma. He did not want to be alone again in this world. He had lived through that loneliness for years, never having anyone there for him. Now he had Bulma and if he wanted her as his mate, he needed to initiate it before the Androids arrived because then it would probably be too late. Vegeta nodded to her. If he were her hero, he would die trying to protect her. He had promised her no harm would come upon her again and he was going to make sure of that.

Going up to his room, he walks around to his side draws and gets out the jewelry he had saved from his childhood. It was the perfect gift for Bulma but it meant so much more.

FLASHBACK

A five-year-old Vegeta was standing at his mother's side at the infirmary. She was very weak after being harmed by Frieza and had only a short moment to live. She turned to her son.

"I want you to keep growing and getting stronger. You will become a great warrior someday."

Vegeta held onto her hand and tried to hold back his tears. "Mother…"

His mother was very different from other Saiyans. She was nice, sweet and kind. A very rare find in his species. She places something into his hand. Looking down he sees a piece of jewelry with a beautiful symbol on it.

"Your father gave that to me when he chose me as his mate." She looked deeply into her son's eyes. "I want you to keep it and do the same for when you find yours."

Vegeta was no idiot. He knew everything about Saiyan heritage, even at that early age. He was very smart. Even though then he never really wanted a mate, he nodded anyway.

"I'm proud of you, my son." Her breathing became irregular and she struggled to speak. "I love…" before she could end her sentence, her eyes rolled to the back and she fell into a deep sleep.

Vegeta's eye widened. "Mother?" he tried to shake her but she wouldn't wake up. "Mother!" He knew she was gone. Tears began to fall down his cheek. 'No…"

His mother was the only person who had ever loved him. Now she was gone and he had no one. He looked down at the jewelry in his hand.

END FLASHBACK

He would keep his promise to his mother and give Bulma the necklace. He just wasn't sure when was the right time. Was she even ready for another relationship after what had happened? He knew she had broken it off with Yamcha but he would have to wait for the right moment to arise. He could not love another…if it was love he felt for the woman.

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Hope you liked it, not as long as my previous chapters but I think it goes well. I though I would explain the whole jewelry thing in case you were all wondering. Shout outs go out to all those who reviewed Nish095081, Musette Fujiwara, Washu and Kohaku, and Trynia Merin. Thank you.