Recovery

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or profit from this fanfiction.

Chapter 6: Caves

Piccolo stood watch over the still form of Gohan. He had been resting, regaining strength since losing so much blood. The Namekian had his suspicions on how the young warrior had sustained his injuries but zero proof. Until definitive answers could be reached, the vulnerable teen needed to be watched over. Gohan began to stir.

“Piccolo? What is going on?” He asked weakly, slowly and carefully pushing himself to sit up.

“Take it easy, “ the tall green warrior urged, “ You were hurt training; you are resting now. We are arriving to Namek soon.” Piccolo moved towards the bed side, crossing his arms his countenance of complete seriousness. “Do you remember anything before waking up here?”

Gohan thought momentarily, “I was training. I had the training droids in action with the lights off. I was testing a theory that we might be able to sense energy from machines. They may not have Ki like a living warrior but they do have an energy source. I was taking them down without problem. Then they fell silent. Next thing I remember was a deep burning pain, the sensation of the room spinning and then….nothing. Nothing until I woke up here. I actually feel pretty good.”

“Good to hear. No need to rush moving about. We still have a couple hours until we land.”

Bulma found herself again standing in the black cold void where her mirror self would taunt the blue haired beauty.  She prepared herself for the struggle to keep her consciousness in control of her body, her life, and ultimately her future.

“Oh how sweet. You managed to get Vegeta to show you some tenderness. Did you think that would ease my grip or desires for us? How about we make a deal?”

The sultry female form snaked around Bulma, chills running down her spine. She swallowed down the lump that hung in her throat. She spoke out, confidently, “Fine. Spit it out. I do not have time to hang around here and listen to your nonsense.”

“Oh now, is that right. Well then. Put it simply, if I can get Vegeta to go crazy over me. Push him to the point of hunting me down. If I can get him to seek me out, I get to take over this life. You will fade into the back drop. He hunted me for seven years. Even though this Vegeta has never gone through this, his Saiyan instinct to possess his mate, hunt me down, and….” She let out a breathy lusty moan.

Bulma turned about, to see her mirror self now nude lying about on the cold floor. She had slender fingers toying with the tender folds of her delicate flower. She drove her fingers deeply into her honeyed core, her opposite hand grasped one of her full breast.

Bulma grimaced, looking disgusted at seeing herself in such a manner. The image soon vanished, leaving her mirror self again dressed before her.

“Don’t act so high and mighty. You have the same needs and wants that I have. Difference is, I am honest with myself about those needs. I know the depth of my hunger and I know how to fill it.  You remember the dreams I gave you, the satisfaction of being in control of three Saiyan males…”

Bulma felt a flush of heat rush through her body. Her heart began to race with excitement.

“See? Deep down you want it. You want his primal side. You want to get the benefits of being his queen. If you need pleasure, no one can deny you that. Now any way, you will remain in control until right before we land. I will then take over. We will discuss the day’s events each night. Does that sound fair?”

Bulma groaned, “ There are a few conditions. One- is you will not harm anyone else. No one on this ship or Namek. Second- is there has to be a time limit. I will not tell anyone of this limit, it would not be fair during this game of chance you seem to want to play. The time limit is 3 months. During our other life, Vegeta was in full man hunt mode by that time.”

The sultry mirror form of Bulma playfully toyed with her hair apparently pondering these terms. She innocently smiled, leaning over to whisper into Bulma’s ear.

“Deal.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________*****

Bulma sat up, again dripping in a cold sweat. It had been a couple days since she had spent the night with Vegeta. At least even if she did end up disappearing into the distant memory, she would always have that last passionate night of loving tenderness shared between them.

Could she really disappear and lose her identity forever? Bulma had to tell someone, a person who would understand and not try to stop her. Piccolo, she had to tell him. Pulling herself from her damp sweat soaked linens to wrap a plush robe around her small frame.

She made her way silently down the cold almost sterile metal hallways to find her way to a lone room, away from all the other quarters. Raising her small fist to knock, the door slid open. The tall green Namekian met her gaze. He motioned for her to join him in his quarters.

His room was dimly lit, furnature was sparce. Being a Namekian he survived on mediation and water, thriving on combat. She would make this quick, not wanting to impose herself into his private space. Besides, the ship would land soon and ‘she’ would take over.

“Look Piccolo, I will make this quick. You of all people know how it is to be ‘split’ on the inside…you are now whole…I am going to need you to understand no matter that happens when we land, Vegeta must not act on impulse. He must no go hunting. I mean Namek is such a pristine environment, he must not do anything to risk its natural beauty.”

Piccolo stood, his brow cocked with curiosity. It was not like Bulma to speak in riddles. He didn’t foresee any clear answers any time soon.  His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of her voice.

“Do you understand me Piccolo, do not let him hunt on Namek no matter what!” Her panicked and adamant in her statement. He just gave a small nod, just before she disappeared out of the room.

Bulma stood in front of her full length mirror. Was she ready to do this? Was she ready to let go and have her fate in the unstable hands of her darkest part of herself?  She looked herself up and down. She wore mousey brown leather pants, her calf high military boots, and a simple white t-shirt. A small ruck sack slung over her shoulder, filled with multiple capsules of supplies.

She moved to the main entry way of the ship, she felt the heavy lurch of landing. Quickly, she mashed the buttons to open the outer door. A blast of fresh air filled her lungs as she stepped from the ship, looking back her eyes landed the image of Vegeta and Goku standing in the main room looking quite confused. She signaled the door to close but not before tossing a small capsule at their feet. Thick smoke began to pour from the capsule.

The gas would work quickly and last long enough to give her enough time to find a suitable camp. Tossing another capsule onto the ground, a bike popped out. Her expression shifted, a look of excitement and thrill over came her as she rocketed off into the west.

Bulma sat under a sprawling tree, taking a long drag on a cigarette looking into the clear skies of Namek. It seemed an eternity since she felt this free, surely the boys have roused from the light nap she induced.  It would only be a matter of time until Vegeta, boiling with rage showed up demanding answers. Then she would be able to push him to the point of reclaiming all of his glory as the ruler of all Saiyans. Although she had not given him the treatment to alter his DNA like in her other life, he still had the raw material to be just as great.

“There is more than one way to skin a cat.” She chuckled to herself as she exstinguished her cigarette into the soft earth. “All else fails, this planet does have a set of dragon balls I can use to get my way.”

Vegeta pulled himself to his feet, his body heavy and tingling. Sharp pain shot through every fiber of his muscles with each agonizing movement.  Burning, searing pain within his lungs as he struggled to breath, finally relief as he tasted the sweet clean air of Namek.

He laid eyes upon Kakarot, Piccolo, and the brat standing aimlessly near the ship. The gas canister landed at his very feet, causing him to face a more intense effect compared to his traveling companions. Piccolo seemed relatively unaffected while his fellow Saiyans still needed more time to recover.

“You. Namekian, why are you not suffering any ill effects set in motion by Bulma.”

Piccolo glared, “Well if I had to guess Vegeta, your wife is smart enough to make a tranquilizer that only effected Saiyans, but that is just a guess. I am also guessing she wanted me to deliver this message. It makes more sense now. She said ‘Don’t Hunt.’ At first I thought she didn’t want to trigger horrible memories of your past blood lust, seeing you kill innocent animals. Now I think she meant for you not to hunt her.”

A sense of clarity washed over the Saiyan prince.  Bulma was on the run. Not unlike the days she fled from him in the other existence. Her personal hell she called it. His thoughts interrupted by the voice of the Namekian.

“Also…she came to me a while back…saying she had another person, another version of herself inside of her head. Does that make sense to you Vegeta?”

Vegeta only gave a non-comittal grunt in response. It seemed that there was more going on with his mate than she let on back on Earth. Only action he could safely take at this point would be to set up camp. Alone.

“Look I get it Namekian. You take Kakarot and the brat, go find a place to camp. I have my own business that does not involve going after Bulma. If I am to win this game of cat and mouse, I have to plan.”

He rocketed off away from the group, looking for a specific land mark. This may be the “New” Namek but there should be some places like the old. His mind began to wander to the day he first laid eyes upon the solitary plateau with the cave. How that landmark upon Namek changed the course of his life.  His thoughts continued to wander freely until something caught him in the corner of the eye.  A rocky out crop, in a mountain with what appeared to be a deep cave. Changing direction sharply, he soon found himself at the mouth of the cave.

A confident grin spread across his face. “Perfect.”

Why is Vegeta so happy about a cave?

I am so sorry it took so long to post this. Between last semester and working to pay for this coming semester, I have been a bit fit to be tied. I don’t start classes until the 19^th, so I promise to make the next chapter more juicey. I’ll get working right away.