Dragon Ball Z: A Good Man - 22

      That door remained closed a long while yet, longer than most had expected.  When the three finally emerged, the room when instantly quiet.  Nevrrest returned to her side of the platform and Misado to its.  Goku tried to read from Nevrrest’s face what had happened, but it was unclear.  She looked unreadable and angry.  The judicial panel sat tall in their seats as Nettelish came to stand at her podium.
      For a long moment, she waited in silence.  Her hands touched the orbs.  “It has been decided,” she announced, “Maximum sentencing as bargained by the Prosecution…execution.”  Goku’s throat muscles tightened and Vegeta’s brow lowered.  “Minimum sentencing as bargained by the Defense…”
      This is it! thought Goku, his heart racing, Come on…!
       “…Ten years, starting under maximum security with parole upon completion of sentence.”
      Goku felt his heart sink into his stomach as gasps of surprise echoed through the chamber.  “What…?” Goku gaped in horror as some nodded in approval, “Ten years?  That can’t be right!  That’s…”
       “Amazing…” Laswe breathed, a shimmer running across his flesh, “That crazy monkey actually did it…”
       “No…!” Goku continued to breath as Vegeta’s eyes fell into his lap, “That can’t be right!  You’re…you’re supposed to…”
       “…Enough, Kakarot,” said Vegeta quietly, “You said so yourself…it’s done.”
       “Ten years,” Nevrrest growled under her breath in disgust, eyeing Vegeta, “The greatest mass murder alive and we’re supposed to consider giving him a spanking?!  I won’t even allow the thought of it!”
      Goku felt one of Misado’s vines curl over his shoulders.  “Nettelish would not accept our offer.”
       “But…but planetary exile makes perfect sense!” Goku helplessly protested, eyes like a child, “He could stay on Earth with his family and no one in the galaxy would have to worry about him ever again!”
       “We are sorry, golden one,” Misado gently replied, “But take heart…we will see him returned to Earth…in ten years time.”
      Terrible pain throbbed in Goku’s chest.  “No…it can’t happen like this…”  Bulma flashed in his mind, sitting alone with a swollen stomach balanced in her arms.  Trunks flashed in his mind, angry tears in his eyes.  He saw his family and friends, eagerly and anxiously awaiting their return.  “It can’t…I can’t let it end this way…!”
      Up in the judicial stand, Laswe chuckled.  “Well, all things aside, I’d say that went rather well.  Now we just need to talk about it.”
       “I’m so happy for them both,” Horkion smiled.
      Oom’Bagu said nothing, his eyes intent on Goku.  He could feel the pain and desperation radiating from him.  Unlike the others, he knew that this was far from the outcome the brave warrior wanted.  He shook his head sympathetically.  He would have to console him later.  After all, he’d done everything he could…
       “No!” whispered Goku, “I can’t fail like this!  I promised…!”  His eyes flashed over at Vegeta.
      Nettelish folded her hands.  “This concludes—”
       “STOP!”  A great murmur sounded and all eyes fell on the Legendary Super Saiyan, suddenly standing, his head raised.
      Nettelish cocked her head.  “Have you something to say in closing, Son Goku?”
       “You can’t do this!” Goku protested, “Don’t you understand that Vegeta’s family needs him?!”
      More mutterings.  Nettelish paused, studying him.  “They have our sympathizes,” she replied, “But justice must be done this day.  I’m certain they will be allowed visitation privileges…if he’s not executed, of course.”
      Goku looked down, his teeth clenched and shaking.  “There must be something you can do…!”
       “There is not,” Nettelish answered, “Unless you have further evidence and wish to make a plea, you are acting out turn and are dangerously close to be held in contempt of court.”
      Goku’s insides burned, his mind racing.  He had to do something.  He couldn’t deprive Bulma and Trunks of Vegeta for ten years!  Couldn’t they see that?  Didn’t they understand what he meant to them?!  And Vegeta…ten years in a place like this would destroy him…if Nevrrest didn’t first!
      Nettelish’s eyes turned gentle and she leaned forward.  “Son Goku…you are an honorable man and a hero to us all.  But you must understand…a price has to be paid for the lives Vegeta’s taken.  A tangible one.  One that people can see and understand.”
      Goku shook even harder as these words passed over him.  But then suddenly…he relaxed.  His head lifted.  “I understand,” he nodded, “Something has to happen or you’ll feel like you’re doing wrong.  I won’t force you to do that.”  He pressed a hand to his chest.  “But if someone has to pay that price…then let it be me instead.”
      The courtroom didn’t mutter or murmur this time.  It utterly exploded with shouts and outcries.  Nettelish’s eyes widened, falling back in her seat.
       “WHAT?!!” Vegeta screamed, his eyes shrinking to dots and jaw gaping wide, “Kakarot, don’t be a FOOL!!!”
      This time, Laswe was too shocked to even spew.  He stared, his body turning a milky white, his wings shivering.  “He…he’s claiming the right of substitution!”
       “No!  Why would he do that?!” Horkion cried, his rocky flesh cracking.
      Oom’Bagu couldn’t breathe, staring at Goku, every hair on his body standing on end.  “No, Goku…” he pleaded with horror, “Don’t do this…please!  I can’t…you can’t do this to me!  I can’t punish you!”
      Through all the outcries, Goku stood strong and unmoving, watching Nettelish.  He saw her throat ripple under the fabric of her robes and she sat forward again.  “Son Goku…I demand to know you’re reasoning behind this.”
       “All right,” Goku nodded, “That’s fair enough.”  He sighed.  “What I didn’t mention in my testimony was…during that long period after Cell, when I didn’t see Vegeta for several years…I was dead.  I died fighting Cell and didn’t get my life back until around the same time Vegeta did with Majiin Buu.  I had to be away from my family for seven years.  Cause of that, I missed seeing my second son being born.”  He glanced at Vegeta, his friend’s jaw still gaping and eyes burning.  “But I got to see my first son grow into something great…I can’t tell you the joy that brought me.  And Goten…I finally got to spend a lot of time with him too.  But Vegeta?  He’s only just started experiencing that.  And I don’t want him to have to miss a child being born like I did.”  He looked up firmly.  “So please, take me instead.”
       “Kakarot…” Vegeta hissed, feeling like his whole body was on fire.
      Nettelish brow lowered, eyeing Goku intensely.  “You understand, if you do this, you’ll have to be judged as if you were Vegeta.  The Justice would not be allowed to show you mercy.  You’ll have to serve whatever sentence he would be given.  Even death.”
       “I understand,” Goku assured, his voice serious and undeterred.
      Nettelish gave a very, very deep sigh, flopping back in her seat and touching a hand to her head.  “…Very well.  You have that right under the law.  Marshals, release Prisoner 0001 and take Son Goku into custody.”
      Nevrrest screamed, her table suddenly turning into dust under her hands.  At the same time, Vegeta shot up out of his seat, rebuffing the hands that reached for him.  “I REFUSE!!!” he howled.  Again, Nettelish was taken aback, staring at Vegeta.  He continued, his expression livid.  “I will not be substituted by this clown!!!  I refuse his offer and demand you sentences me for my crimes as I deserve!”
       “Vegeta, stop!” Goku shouted at him, his eyes desperate again, “Please, let me do this!”
       “Shut up,” Vegeta snarled, giving him the most vicious look possible, “You will not let him stand in my place!  Try to remove me and I will fight my way back into this courtroom and tear this fleet apart until I am in shackles again!  This I promise you!”
       “SILENCE!” Nettelish shouted, jumping to her feet and thrusting her hand to the side, a flashing of violet energy burning around her fist.  The courtroom emptied of all sound.  Her hand lowered, the energy dissipating.  “I have had enough of this…very well.  If the Convicted refuses to be substituted, I will not go against his rights.  Son Goku, your request is denied.”
       “Oh thank God…” Oom’Bagu sighed with relief, slumping back in his seat.  He rubbed at his muzzle, shutting his eyes in exhaustion.
      Goku’s jaw hung, feeling helpless and small as Vegeta sat again, the prince giving him a look of disgust.  He didn’t even hear Nettelish’s voice as she declared the trial concluded and dismissed the assembly to return to their lives and the justiciars to the council chamber to determine Vegeta’s sentence.  The marshals took Vegeta’s chains and lead him down the center aisle.  Goku stared in a daze as Misado took his arm and lead him the same.
      Nevrrest stared down at the shattered remains of her table, glancing up at Nettelish.  The Grand Judge eyed her for a moment, seeming strangely confident and almost wry, before turning away.  Nevrrest hissed and kicked up the dust, turning to leave as well.
      It was done.  The trial of Prince Vegeta had reached its end.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

      The courtroom shut behind them, the bang of the heavy engraved doors loud in the silent hall.  The sound seemed to awaken Goku from his daze, hurrying from Misado’s grasp to catch up with Vegeta.  But as he drew near, smaller Saiyan’s teeth clench and without warning he spun, driving his boot as hard as he could into Goku’s stomach.  Unprepared for the blow, Goku keeled over, clutching himself.  Instantly, energy whips leapt to the hands of Vegeta’s escort, lashing around his torso, prepared to shock him into submission.
       “No, don’t!” Goku cried, putting out a hand, “Please don’t.”  Their fingers fell from the button on their rods.
      Vegeta snarled as Goku straightened up again.  “How dare you?” Vegeta seethed, pushing against the whips and chains that held him, “I ought to tear you apart for pulling a stunt like that!!!”  Goku only looked at him with sadness and shame.  Vegeta growled, lowering his chin.  “You don’t think.  You never think!”
       “What should I have done, Vegeta?” Goku protested, “It was all  I could think to do!”
       “Gaarrrhhh!” Vegeta hissed through is teeth, “Despite all your planning, you’re still the same damned fool you always were!!!”
       “What should I have done, Vegeta?!” Goku shouted back.
       “Kept your big, idiot mouth shut!!!” Vegeta screamed at him.  He breathed heavily in a rage for a moment then lowered his voice.  “If you had done that, perhaps you would have realized trying to replace me would not help me at all!”
       “But Vegeta!  They’re going to keep you here for at least ten years!  Maybe more!”
       “You don’t think I know that?!” he shot back.  He drew another breath.  “Think, Kakarot.  Do you really think I could live with myself knowing you were rotting here in my place?!  You would rob me of everything and make me into a coward!!!  I would sooner be chained here for the rest of time than suffer that.”
      Goku’s mouth snapped shut and his shoulder’s fell, holding Vegeta’s angry and bitter gaze.  He sighed.  “…Sorry.  I hadn’t thought of that.”  Vegeta growled and Goku sighed again.  “But…isn’t it better if at least one of us goes home?”
      Vegeta turned aside.  “…Yes.  Leave, Kakarot.  There’s nothing more you can do here.”
      Goku’s jaw and fists tightened.  “I can’t do that, Vegeta.  I promised—”
       “I don’t care what you promised!!!” Vegeta shouted over him, his head snapping back, “Or what that fool woman wants!  I demand you return to the Earth at once!”
       “I’m not going, Vegeta!” Goku shouted back.
       “THEN YOU’RE NO FRIEND OF MINE!!!”
      Silence.  The two Saiyans stare at each other.  Goku swallowed.  “Vegeta—”
      Vegeta turned his back on him.  “Take me back to my cell…or wherever the hell you want.  Just get me away from here.”  The marshals released their whips on him and turned with a tug of his chains, leading him in silence down the hall.
      Goku stared after him, his whole form feeling suddenly weak.  He looked back just in time to see Misado disappear back through the courtroom doors.  He was alone.  He stood there with his head bowed, breathing heavy.
      Then…soft cackling laughter.  “Well…so much for your friendship.”
       “Mr!” Goku turned with a growl, seeing Nevrrest leaning against a wall behind him, her arms folded.
       “I tried to warn you about him,” Nevrrest stated viciously and smugly, “But you wouldn’t listen.  You had to just keep pushing things and stirring up trouble.  I hope you’re happy.  I hope you’re so happy you burst.”
      He snapped, giving a scream as he spun at her at a speed invisible to most.  Nevrrest grinned hatefully and moved to block.
      But a large, furry white hand appeared, catching the fist with a flash of mauve.  “This isn’t what you want,” Oom’Bagu quietly told him.  Goku’s face melted.
      Nevrrest spat.  “Once a Saiyan always a Saiyan,” she scowled.
      Oom’Bagu’s sharp gaze shot back to her threateningly.  “…You want to leave this hallway…”
      Nevrrest’s face melted.  “I…fine.”  She stormed past him, her feathers erect.
      Oom’Bagu watched her go and, without warning, grabbed Goku in a deep hug, pressing his face tightly to his vest and thick, white fur.  Goku blinked with surprised, Oom’Bagu’s hand stroking the top of his head.  “…I used to hold my children like this,” he told him, “You are no child.  But you are very brave…like my son was.  I grieve for your pain.”
      Goku said nothing, staring silently at the wall as Oom’Bagu continued to hold him close, the Gregorik’s fingers running through his heavy black hair.
       “Hey, what’s with the gathering of glum over here?”  Laswe appearing, hovering through the air, his abdomen stretched into a tail and his arms upheld, “You should be celebrating!  Minimum sentencing ten years?!  Hell, even if the verdict comes to twenty or more, that’s incredible!  No one with a record like that’s ever gotten less than life!  Seriously, you’re a miracle worker, Goku!”
      Goku said nothing at first, but finally found his voice.  “…Thanks…Laswe,” he stated without heart.
       “Awww…I know what’s going on,” Laswe twittered, patting the top of his head, “You’re worried about that execution thing.  Well don’t worry, Goku, I don’t care what Nevrrest says, I’m not voting for it!  You did it, Goku.  You convinced me.  And wow-ie, that planet of yours must be a sure amazing place if it turned a guy like that around!”  He gave a happy squeak until he noticed the look Oom’Bagu was giving him.  “Um…well I guess I better get going.  Nettelish expects us in the council chamber in half an hour.”  He flittered past.
      Oom’Bagu continued to hold Goku, the two men standing in the empty hallway in silence.  Oom’Bagu grunted softly, giving Goku’s head one last stroke before pulling back.  “I must go.  I will be needed in the council chamber.”  He put a hand under his chin.  “Go.  Eat.  Rest.  Train.  Care for yourself.  I will be very disappointed with you if I return to find you have not done so.”
       “Well I…wouldn’t want to disappoint you,” Goku managed with a nod.
      Oom’Bagu lifted a corner of his mouth.  “Bor’gre ma hou’nt.”
       “Hmm?” Goku looked up.
       “It is a saying amongst my people…” he explained, turning to leave, “A saying that survived me twenty years of bondage.”
      Goku’s curiosity grew.  “Well…what does it mean?”
      Oom’Bagu paused, glancing back over his shoulder with a soft, strong smile.  “A good man finds his way…uun’raso, Son Goku.”

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

      He had meant to speak with her after the trial…but with the look in her eye, he just kept his distance and followed her for now.  He wondered if she was going in that direction for the same reason he was.  He wondered if she had been rattled by these events in the same way he had.  One way or another though, he had to know.  He had to look his people’s murderer in the eyes and know the truth for certain.
      Sepis peeked around the corner as Nevrrest passed through the security gate into Prison Ship 7.  He knew he shouldn’t be sneaking around like this – between him and Nevrrest there’d been more shadow play than he cared for already – but if he and Nevrrest weren’t about the same errand, he’d rather she didn’t know for now.
      Normally, Nevrrest would have noticed she was being followed, but she was far too distracted by emotion and rage to be aware of her surroundings.  She was there to see a certain prisoner.  But this time, it wasn’t Vegeta.  No…she’d be spending plenty of time with him soon enough.  But before she continued carrying out her people’s revenge, she had another personal matter to take care of.
      The chambers of Prisoner Compound Prime stretched emptily before her – everyone had gone to see the trial, the only ones who remained were the guards.  Good.  No interruptions.  She headed straight for the cell in question, still unaware of the presence quietly trailing behind her.  The cell came into view and without a word she entered the code and performed the necessary scan, opening it.
      It’s occupant stirred from his nap, face immediately dropping into a frown and then rising into a smile.  “Well,” remarked Lacor, sitting up, “I was kinda expecting to see you, Marshal.  Though…I had thought it would be days ago—”  He grunted and gagged as he was seized by the throat and slammed against the cell wall.  He gasped for breath and laughed.  “You really only did just find out!” he wheezed, “And on your big day of all things…”
       “You…” Nevrrest hissed, teeth showing and eyes narrowed, “You think just because you did a little job for me you have any kind of security with me?!”  She brought her beak closer to his face as her grip tightened on his throat.  “I should just kill you right now…”
       “One little nibble of a bug and it’s death row for me, is it?” he cracked open an eye at her, “Somehow, I don’t think your justice pals will let that fly.  And…there might be some questions as to what he was doing here, don’t you think—”
      She slammed him against the wall again.  “You…” she seethed, “Are not safe from me.  None of you are!”
      Lacor cocked his head slowly at her and grinned broadly.  “Oooh…I see.”  He laughed quietly.  “I do see…”
       “What are you talking about?” she glared.
      He chuckled, leaning his head forward.  “You got a taste and now you can’t stop.”
       “What are you talking about?!”
       “The monkey, Marshal!” he almost scowled at her, “It feels good, doesn’t it?  Having a life so helplessly dangle in your grasp.  The taste of little droplets of blood and sweat as you feel their agony course through your entire body…oh I envy you, Marshal.  I miss that feeling.”
      The hand on his throat started to shake.  “Shut up.”
       “Why?” he cackled, “Am I making sense?  Hehehehehahaha….”
      Nevrrest’s eyes turned to dots.  “Don’t you dare laugh at me!” she snarled, “You hurt my Sepis and for that you will pay.”
      But still he laughed.  “Oh I believe you…” he assured, “I know it…I always had a good feeling about you, Marshal.”  His eyes flashed at her.  “You’re ready to become one of us now.”
       “One of you?!!” she screamed, seizing his throat in both hands now, “Oh you aren’t just going to die now.  You’re going to die screaming!!!”
      He gagged and coughed, his legs twitching under him as he struggled to breath.  Finally he got some air through and smiled at her.  “Don’t look so frightened, Marshal,” he said almost kindly.
       “Shut up!”
       “Hehehehehahaha…oh poor Nevrrest…”  He lurched against her strength, shoving his face into hers now.  “You made a deal with the devil, Marshal…what did you think would happen?”  The whites of her eyes grew large, her grip on him loosening.  “Shhh…it’s okay, little songbird,” he grinned, “It’s not so bad…being bad.  Hehehehe…”  His feet touched the ground.  “Listen, Marshal…I want you to know you have my complete respect.  Hats off to you and all that.  But on whatever you’re planning for the monkey prince…perhaps you should hurry it up a bit.”
      She stared at him and her brow lowered.  “What are you talking about?”
       “I’m talking about getting a little ambitious.”  He paused, rolling his long tongue, and grinned.  “Quit the masquerade and all the shadow games.  He’s in his cell at the moment, isn’t he?  Go finish him off now, nice and sweet.  Do something nasty!  You’ll feel much better if you do.  Screw the system and the cage you’ve built around yourself.  If you do that…I think I could learn to respect you a little more.  The whole galaxy could…”
      Her eyes grew wide again.  “Are you suggesting—?!”
       “What if I am?” he challenged, “Hehehehe…I’ll clue you in on something, Marshal.  You might want to act now, because one way or another everything is about to change.  You’re changing, but not fast enough.  If you don’t speed it up a bit…you might just lose out.”
      Nevrrest’s expression was helpless and empty, staring at her blurred reflection in the wall above Lacor’s head.  He watched her with anticipation.  Her brow lowered and she screeched, flipping him head over heels and slamming him against the cell floor.  Lacor cried out and she put a taloned foot on his chest.  “I…” she hissed, “Am Justiciar Nevrrest.  I am nothing like any of you!  My only purpose in life is to make scum like you suffer.”  Her expression lightened and she laughed.  “You think you can manipulate me?” she smiled, pressing a finger to her chest, “Take a good look at your position right now, Lacor.  I am the strongest being in existence.  And the strongest make the rules.  When Lord Frieza was alive, he decided what was right and wrong.  Well now I do.”  She tucked a finger under Lacor’s chin.  “Smile and laugh and say you’re clever words all you want, Lacor.  But soon, you’ll be dead, and all I’ll be alive.”  She chuckled.  “And in the end…isn’t that all that matters?”  She flicked his chin up and laughed, walking out of the cell still laughing.
      Sepis pressed his back to a wall as she walked past, her thick tail whipping and feathers erect.  He heard Lacor chuckle.  “Well…you’re funeral, Marshal…can’t say ol’ Lacor didn’t try.  Hehehahaha…”
      Sepis shut his eyes and bolted away from that cell block, not wanting to be near that monster a moment long.  So…Goku must have told Nevrrest about what happened.  And she’d gone to Lacor out of a desire to protect him…but what was that nonsense about her changing?  Friend Nevrrest wasn’t changing!  Sure, things had been rough lately, between Goku and Vegeta, but what they were doing was justice...or for certain their best efforts at it.  Everything changing…was that part true?  And what did he mean by that anyhow?
      Sepis sighed, adjusting his cloak and folding his hands behind him as he walked.  From the sounds of things, Nevrrest hadn’t been effected by the Defense’s testimonies in the same way he had.  Which terrified him even more than what he was about to do.  He walked to the furthest end of the compound, stopping suddenly when he saw that a couple guards were gathered by the cell, speaking with someone.
       “I don’t know…” said one of the guards, glancing to the other, “Should we give her access?”
       “She’s one of Misado’s,” the other replied, “And justiciars have access to everything.”
       “Does this count as that?”
       “I think it does…but maybe we should call it in to Hameus first, just in case.”
       “No, no, I don’t want to bother him right now…just let her in.  What harm could it do?”
      Sepis slipped a little closer, spotting a green figure as the guards opened the cell.  Was that…one of the avatars from the trial?
      Vegeta sat with his back to the shielded glass as it rose, gazing up at the red letters engraved above his head, his tail freshly clamped the painful jaws of the back wall.  “Go away, Kakarot,” he grunted as the cell closed again, “I have nothing to say to you.”
      A hand rested on his shoulder and he froze.  It wasn’t Kakarot.  His head slowly turned to behold the kind face of his wife.  She lifted a corner of her mouth.  “Hey, Vegeta.”
       “Ah…” Vegeta stared at her, “Bulma…”  He continued to stare, but eventually his face flattened.  No, it wasn’t her.  Just that replica of her that Misado had made.  What the hell was it doing here?
      The green Bulma regarded his expression with a sigh.  “Well that didn’t last long…”  She held up her hands.  “I know, I know.  I’m not her.  But I feel like her.  Which makes it really strange for me.  Looking at you, it…”  She shook her head, putting a hand on her hip.  “She really loves you, you know?  I know, cause that emotion makes up a huge part of what created me.”  He looked away, resuming staring up at his engraved name and title.  “She’d get mad at you for ignoring her.  But you’re not ignoring her…you’re ignoring me.  And that’s okay, I was expecting this…despite these borrowed emotions I have, they mean nothing ultimately.  Cause I can’t help you, can I?  We both know that.”
      He said nothing.  He didn’t even move.  The avatar regarded him with a nod.  “Okay then.  I know what Bulma would want…so I’ll do it.”  She smiled.  “After all, I still have a little of Misado’s magic left.  It’s not much and it’s what’s keeping me alive.  If I use it, I’ll stop existing and I won’t be able to go to records like I’m supposed to.  But what do I care anyhow?  All I want is what Bulma wants.”  She tossed her hair back and came around so that Vegeta could see her again.  “Okay, get ready, Vegeta!”
      Finally, he looked at her again.  “For what?” he asked.  A second later, he jerked back, his eyes wide as the avatar began to blaze with energy.  She floated into the air, the guards peeking into the cell as her eyes glowed blue, a throbbing light erupting from her chest.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

       “Waaaah!” Bulma cried, springing out of her lawn chair.
       “Bulma?” Chi-Chi blinked, sitting in a chair next to her, her straw hat tipped against the sun.
       “Whoa, can you feel that?!” Krillin exclaimed, turning from where he’d been standing, talking to Gohan.
       “It’s coming from Bulma!” Gohan answered, bolting across the yard.
       “Yeeaaaaahh!” Bulma squealed as Krillin and Gohan came to a halt, blue energy blazing like a flame around her, “What’s happening to me—aaaaah!”  They all jerked back as suddenly there was a flash and Bulma’s eyes began to glow blue, the energy around her body fading.  “Ha…ha…wha?”  She blinked, taking a step forward.  “V…Vegeta?”
       “Heh?” Krillin stared.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

       “Ha…!” Vegeta gasped, the avatar’s hands upheld and blinking in confusion.
       “Is…is that really you?” she continued, moving shakily, “Where am I?”  She held up a hand and stared at it.  “And why am I green?!”
      Vegeta’s eyes grew wider.  There was no questioning it.  He knew those expressions, that voice, every little bit down to the way she moved…  “Bulma.”
       “Wait a minute,” she looked around, touching a wall, “This is a cell…and you’re in chains…Vegeta, it really is you, isn’t it?!”
       “Bulma,” he said again, still gaping.
       “But what am I doing here?!” she cried again.  She spotted the guards staring at her through the transparent wall.  “Hey!” she shouted at them, making them take a step back, “What’s going on here?!  How did I get here?!  And what’s happened to my beautiful skin?!”  She spotted her reflection in the glass and gave a horrified gasp.  “And my hair!!!” she cried, grabbing at it, “My hair is green!!!”
      Vegeta scowled and then laughed despite himself.  “Well that settles it,” he remarked, “You’re definitely the real thing.”
      She gave him a look.  “What do you mean I’m…”  She looked at her reflection again.  “Wait a minute…”  She reached up and pluck a strand of hair free, inspecting it.  “This isn’t hair…this is more like…well grass.  Which must mean…”  She laughed happily.  “I’m not green at all!  This must be what that seed grew into…but why am I in it?”
      Vegeta watched her, trying to put it all together itself.  “It…brought you here.  I don’t know how but…”  It suddenly dawned on him that his Bulma – the real Bulma – was standing in a cell with him, seeing him chained in prison garb with numbers glowing on his shoulder.  His jaw set.
      Bulma blinked her glowing eyes at him.  “So this…thing Goku had made brought me here…to see you…”  It dawned on her as well and tears brimmed in her eyes.  “Oh Vegeta, it’s you!”  He grunted as she threw her arms around him, hugging his neck.  “Vegeta you’re…you’re okay!  I mean, I knew you’d be, but you really are!  You…”  She pulled back, her hands grasping his shoulders as her brow lowered.  “What have they done to you?!  This is horrible!  How can they keep you locked up like this like you’re some—waaaaah!”  She cried out as she spotted the bloodied teeth in the wall.  “Oh Vegeta, your tail!”  The guards reared back again as she came at the glass.  “Hey!” she snapped at them, “How could you hurt his tail like that?!  I made that for him, you know!!!  And I didn’t make it so you could use it to hurt him, you jerks!!!”
      Vegeta sighed.  “Bulma, don’t…gah…”  He shook his head.  Part of him wanted to stop her…but part of him found it amusing as well.
       “Um…what’s going on?” said one of the guards.
       “Don’t you change the subject!” Bulma shouted at him, “I want you to let his tail out of that thing right now!!!”
       “I don’t know…” said the other guard, backing away, “But I think we should continue our rounds…”
       “I’m with you there…”
       “Hey!” Bulma shouted after them, “Don’t you walk away from me!  I’m talking to you!”
       “Bulma…” Vegeta groaned, “You’re not helping.  You’re not…you’re not even supposed to be here.”
      She turned about, putting her hands on her hips.  “Well I am now.  And I’m here for you, Vegeta.”  He looked at her for a moment and his eyes flickered down.  She looked at him, her large eyes blinking with consideration and concern.  “What’s been happening to you, Vegeta?  I haven’t heard anything except that you were being put on trial…and then there was this awful video about you destroying some planet.”
       “The trial’s over,” he answered, “Your…avatar spoke at it.”
       “And Goku?”
      He was silent for a moment.  “He…did everything he could.  Just like he promised.”
      Her brow narrowed.  “Wait…what do you mean by that?  Vegeta, what happened?”
       “Nothing,” he answered, “…Yet.”  He sighed.  “The…people responsible for my capture are deciding right now what’s going to happen to me.”
       “And…” she pressed, moving a little closer, “What is going to happen to you?  Where’s Goku?”
       “Probably off…I don’ t know.  And I told you, it’s being decided.”
       “Well you must have some idea.”  She waited.  “Come on, Vegeta!  You don’t know how hard it’s been for me not knowing and having to worry all the time!”
      His black gaze shifted up to her.  “…I don’t want you to know.”
       “And I don’t care,” she shot back, “Tell me.”
      He sighed.  “Fine.  At least one of them wants me dead…at the very least, they intend to keep here, like this.”
       “For how long?!” she demanded.
       “…Ten years…at the least.”
       “No!” Bulma shouted, stomping her foot, “They can’t do that!”
      Vegeta chuckled cynically.  “With the kind of power they have, they are easily capable of that and far more.”  He gave her a heavy look.  “I can’t fight them, Bulma.  They took my strength from me.  No, it wasn’t your fault.  They have technology that nullifies a warrior’s power.  I might as well be a human.”
      She stared at him in horror, but then her brow lowered.  “Goku can fight them.”
       “For what?” he bitterly laughed, “A ten year sentence in their eyes in a mercy…no…it honestly is.”
      Bulma grabbed the sides of his head and made him look at her.  “You,” she slowly and firmly pronounced, “Are a good man.  I don’t care what anyone says.  Sure, you did some bad things in the past, but that was a long time ago!”
       “Bulma…” he said, eyeing her seriously, “…It was ten years ago.”
      She wanted to rebuke that somehow, but the look in his eyes stopped her.  “…Vegeta,” she finally spoke, her eyes broken and desperate, “I can’t.  Trunks and I…our baby…”  He looked down.  “Vegeta, our baby!”
       “I know!” he snarled at her, jerking from her grasp.  He clenched his teeth and turned away.  “I know, Bulma…you need not remind me.”
      She stared at him and her brow lowered.  “Vegeta, where’s Goku?”
       “I don’t know and I don’t care!” he snapped at her, “I already told you, he did everything he could, why do you keep bringing him up?!”
       “Well he obviously hasn’t done enough if he’s still here!” she snapped back, her arms folded, “I know Goku.  He won’t leave until a job’s done.  That’s how he is, that’s how he’s always been.”
       “No,” Vegeta turned with a glare, “He won’t leave because you made him promise he wouldn’t return without me!!!”
       “Yeah?” she shot back, “And what’s wrong with that?”
       “Idiot woman,” he scowled, “What if, for once, your perfect Goku can’t do the impossible?  If I stay here, he stays here.  He won’t force my release because we both know I deserve to be here.”  His brow lowered further.  “Ten years, Bulma.  Ten years without anyone but children to defend the Earth – I don’t even count those other weaklings.”  He stood up, his chains rattling.  “All because you made that clown promise not to leave me behind!!!”
      She stared at him, these words sinking in.  No Vegeta…no Goku…for ten years.  The two most important men in her life, both stuck in this space prison.  She and Chi-Chi, alone on Earth, raising their children.  Everyone they cared about having to live without them.  “I…but it can’t happen that way…it just can’t!”
      His brow flattened and he turned, sitting on the cell’s slab again.  “There’s nothing more to be done, Bulma.”  He was silent for a long moment.  “…Bulma.”
       “Yes?”
       “I want you to promise me something…”  He turned his head, eying her.  “Don’t ever tell our children what’s become of me.  If you miracle doesn’t happen, I want you to tell them I’m dead.”
       “What?!” Bulma cried, “Are you crazy?  Why would you say that, Vegeta?!”
       “That is my wishes, Bulma, and I expect you to fulfill them,” he shot back.
       “You mean you don’t intend to ever come home?” she demanded, leaning over him.
       “I…”  He stared up at her threatening expression and sighed.  “Yes, of course I do.  But I will not bring this disgrace on this new child or Trunks.  They must never know.”
       “And if Trunks tries to wish you back?” she challenged.
       “Then destroy the goddamn dragon ball radar!”
       “Oh destroy the radar, come on, Vegeta,” Bulma scowled, “And when you miraculously show up here alive?”
       “If I do…” he continued, trying to subdue his anger, “It will a case of a warrior returning, having been only thought dead…that is how I would have it.”
       “And what about Goku not coming back, huh?!”
       “Bulma,” he growled.
       “Vegeta, listen to yourself,” she scoffed, “Do you have any idea how unbelievably stupid you sound right now?  I’m not lying to Trunks.  And you’re not going to abandon your family!  I don’t care if you are in prison, you find a way to be there for us, Vegeta!”
       “Oh and how am I supposed to do that?” he scowled.
       “Well if this is any kind of proper prison, they’ll let us visit you for one,” Bulma pointed out, getting a somewhat haughty air, “And what about phone calls?  Don’t they allow those?”
      Vegeta growled deeply, the bridge of his nose turning slightly red as he glanced to the side.  “There…is a communication system…allowed to the prisoners here if they…behave properly.”
       “Well there you go,” she simply remarked, taking a seat on the slab next to him, “See?  No matter what happens, we’ll make it work.  And…I can talk to Goku.  Maybe I’ve been a little rash this whole time.”
      His eyes shifted.  “No…it won’t work.”
       “Why not?” she demanded, glaring at him, “Are you really too proud and stubborn to support your family?”
       “It’s not that,” he snapped, “There’s…a woman in this fleet.  You saw her on Earth.  She won’t allow us that.  She’s done everything she can to ruin me and bring about my death…and if she doesn’t get her way, she’ll…you must never come here.”
      Bulma blinked at him, processing his words.  Her brow lowered.  “Well if that’s the case…then you don’t deserve to be here.”
      He looked at her.  “Bulma—”
       “No.  If that’s how it is then you’re coming home,” she stated firmly, “You used to do a lot of bad things, so they’re putting you in prison for it, I get it.  Stuff like that happens all the time on Earth too.  If you really feel you deserve it and everything was done right…I’d hate it, but yeah.”  She put her hand on his arm, her wrist brushing his shackles.  “But no one deserves to be treated cruelly.  Especially a great guy like you.  And if that’s how it’s going to be, then Goku will get you out of here.”
      Vegeta looked at her for a long moment and slowly leaned forward, resting his chin on her shoulder, his face twitching with the frustration of being unable to hold her.  Still, Bulma wrapped her green arms around him, her fingers going up into his hair.
       “Also,” she spoke again, “You’re gonna fight too.  I don’t care how weak they’ve made you.  You’re still the strongest guy I know.”
       “Hmph,” he grunted, lifting a corner of his mouth.  He eyed her ear for a moment, his expression softening and falling.  He pressed his lips to her ear and whispered.
      She smiled bitter-sweetly, her fingers passing over his neck band as she stroked him.  “I know you do, Vegeta…and I love you too.”
      Their lips wrapped over the other’s gently, Vegeta sucking in a long breath through his nostrils.  It wasn’t her scent.  It wasn’t the touch of his Bulma.  But as long as she could feel it, that’s all that mattered.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

       “Eeeh…” Krillin stared.
      Gohan’s face was bright beet red as Bulma kissed him, his mother’s face turning white with horror.  “Bulma!  Gohan!” Chi-Chi screamed.
      Bulma’s eyes opened sweetly, blinking a second later as the blue glow vanished.  Her eyes bulged  “Wwwwwaaaaahhhh!!!” Bulma screamed, letting go and falling over backwards.
      They all winced as she landed.
       “Oh the scandal!” Chi-Chi continued, putting her hands to her face, “My son getting kissed by an older woman!”
       “Are…you okay, Bulma?” Gohan asked, shaking off his embarrassment and helping her up.
       “Yeah…” Bulma said shyly.
       “What happened?” pressed Krillin, “You were acting like you were off somewhere else there for a while.”
       “That’s cause I was, Krillin,” Bulma answered.  She looked up at the sky.  “Vegeta’s coming home, guys!”
       “Huh?” said all three, turning.
       “Really?” Gohan asked, growing a smile, “So, it worked?  Dad really pulled it off!”
       “No,” she answered, making them fall into confusion again, “But he will.  Soon.  Both of them will.”  She looked up at the sky and touched her chest.  “I can feel it.”