Just a smile
<br />
<br />
Part 7
<br />
<br />
Vegeta's hands were clenched around the back of the chair. "What's he got?" Asked Bulma. With astonishment she noticed the fine beads of sweat on his pale face. “Is he so shocked? Or sick?” His breathing was difficult and a dangerous light glowed in his eyes.
<br />
"I'm going to kill him," Vegeta muttered in a low voice. "I'll go over and kill them all."
<br />
"You do not mean that seriously!"
<br />
<br />
Vegeta didn't seem to hear her objection. He released his hands from the backrest, clenched them into fists, and stomped toward the door.
<br />
<br />
"He's not really going to ...!", It shot through Bulma's head. When Vegeta reached out to smash the door, she ran over and stood in front of him.
<br />
<br />
"Come to you, Vegeta. You can't do that!" Desperately she wondered what could have upset him. Were Saiyans that prudish? No, that couldn't be, not the way he kissed .... "What's wrong with you, Vegeta?"<br />
<br />
"Get out of my way, Bulma," he hissed, his head bowed. At any other time she would have loved to obey that command, but now it was about more ...
<br />
<br />
"Don't do it, Vegeta!" She implored him, wringing her hands. "He is not worth it!"
<br />
“Why are you protecting him?” His tone was accusatory and when he looked into her face she saw for the first time a deep, old pain in his eyes.
<br />
<br />
"Does he mean so much to you that you don't want anything to happen to him?"
<br />
“You fool!” Tears ran down Bulma's face. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "In case you haven't noticed, his cabin is on the outer shell. If you walk over in this condition, you will tear a hole in the wall with anger and suffocate in a vacuum. Doesn't that go into your stubborn skull?"
<br />
<br />
Vegeta grabbed her hands and pulled them from his shoulders. Bulma knew she was too weak to seriously hinder him.What was it that got into him? For a moment he stood frozen, then began to shake uncontrollably and collapsed on his knees.
<br />
<br />
“Vegeta!” Bulma no longer understood the world. She crouched on the floor next to him and wrapped her arms around his trembling shoulders. “Please tell me what's going on, I want to help you.” Seeing this strong warrior so weak spoke to her motherly instincts. She pressed his head to her chest and, like a child, mumbled the magic formula: "We'll be fine, don't be afraid."
<br />
<br />
Vegeta looked up at her, eyes filled with nameless horror and fear. He clung to her with both hands. She stroked his sweaty hair and asked him again to finally tell her what was wrong with him. Slowly his trembling subsided and his pale skin turned back color. Still breathing heavily, he let go of her and slowly stood up.
<br />
<br />
"It's nothing. Just forget about it."<br />
<br />
“The hell with you Vegeta!” A minute ago he had been shaking and now he was playing cool again. Not with her. "Damn it! Spit it out or you'll choke on it!"
<br />
<br />
He turned his back on her and walked around the bed to sink into the pillows. "This is a private matter and none of your business. It won't happen again."
<br />
<br />
"How do you want to know? You couldn't foresee this attack, this shock either, could you?" She knelt down in front of the bed so that their faces were level. "Don't play invulnerable here, Vegeta! Whatever it is, I can listen."
<br />
<br />
"Who cares about old stories. You weren't there and the others are long dead."
<br />
"I want to hear it, this story. You have never talked to anyone about it, have you? If you keep eating it, it will drive you crazy!"<br />
<br />
Anything she said seemed to pierce his armor, or was it just the worry in her eyes?
<br />
<br />
"Okay, but it's been ages and I almost never think about it ..." He turned away from her so he didn't have to look her in the face. "You know I was trained by Freezer's troops, right? There was a fighter named Zarbon, Freezer's right-hand man, a vain handsome guy who had about the same taste as the Phelese. Except that he liked his objects younger ... "Vegeta fell silent and doubled up.
<br />
<br />
Bulma swallowed, because now everything fit together. She had read about such criminals, about the wounds in the souls of their victims and about the long journey to heal them. "It's okay, Vegeta," she said hoarsely with anger at Zarbon and sadness for the little boy from back then. “It's okay, I can guess the rest.” She clenched her fists. "We should get the dragon balls and let the guy rise so I can tackle him ..."<br />
<br />
The hate in her voice made Vegeta sit up and he rolled over to her again. He had never seen that look in her eyes before. He was a little like the look she had defended him with at the party, but much more intense.
<br />
<br />
"You wouldn't be up to him for a second," he said.
<br />
"If I ask Gokou to hold him ...", she replied and curled her fingers around Zarbon's imaginary throat.
<br />
<br />
"Kakerott? Why him?"
<br />
<br />
“Well, if I ask you, you would kill the guy yourself, wouldn't you?” She didn't wait for his answer but added, “And then where would my pleasure be, to peel off his skin and to give him a low flame? roast?"
<br />
<br />
Vegeta couldn't help but grin at the thought that the petite Bulma Zarbon was bothering him. It was really good, this feeling that there was someone who understood him and stood up for him.<br />
<br />
All at once, Bulma became calm again. Her bloodthirsty gaze softened and she reached out to put it on Vegeta's cheek. "Listen to me, Vegeta," she said seriously, "you couldn't prevent it and you didn't deserve it. You weren't guilty just because you obeyed your father and hid yourself back then. What Zarbon did to you, what Freezer did to you was not fate for your inability to defend yourself against Zarbon or to stand by your father. "
<br />
<br />
Vegeta froze. How could she read so deep in his soul, look so deep into the cold darkness that lurked there for him whenever he was weak and vulnerable? He struggled with whether to dismiss her words as ridiculous or open up to her. Bulma made the decision for him by leaning over and kissing him. It was a very gentle kiss, without passion but full of warmth and comfort. When she raised her head again and looked into his eyes, she knew that she must never forget this moment, that she was lost in this moment.She loved him, this stupid, arrogant, insensitive ... vulnerable Saiyan.
<br />
<br />
Vegeta felt that something had changed in him too. The light that her words and her warmth had carried into his soul began to blossom. Something was growing, something that was beyond passion. He did not yet dare to name this something. He felt too insecure. And as always when he felt unsafe, he resorted to his usual behavior. He grinned in his familiar, arrogant way, rolled over and jumped out of bed.
<br />
<br />
"Enough babbling, we have to think about what to do when they come with these stamps."
<br />
Bulma suppressed a sigh. She had seen it coming, that he would shut himself off from her again and continue on the usual tour. Well, she could, too, if it made him feel better ... She got up and went to the console. "Then we'd better start making preparations.Vegeta, can you break the case apart without damaging the inside? "
<br />
<br />
"Trifle!" Vegeta grabbed hold of it, tugged a bit and with a loud crack the case broke in two. Bulma nodded satisfied and leaned over the contents. "Not bad ..." There was a vending machine for drinks and food on one wall. "Would you please tear off the cover from that part too?" Vegeta wondered what she was aiming for, but since he urgently needed to blow off some steam, he didn't hesitate. The noise was a lot louder than the console. "Not bad either," Bulma muttered when she saw the inside of the machine. "And now I still need the door opening mechanism."
<br />
<br />
The cover was removed with a flick of the wrist and Bulma studied the tangle of wires and circuits. "Hmmm ... yes, that should be feasible."
<br />
<br />
She reached into the breast pocket of her overalls and took out ... a capsule. Vegeta's mouth stayed open."How many ... how many capsules do you have in there?"
<br />
<br />
Bulma activated the capsule and a tool case for professionals appeared. “I always carry four or five around with me for emergencies.” Vegeta saw the light.
<br />
<br />
"The spaceship, it wasn't the capsule you crushed, was it?"
<br />
Bulma opened the suitcase, fished out a couple of screwdrivers, miniature pliers and a soldering pin, and looked mischievously at Vegeta. "Do I look like I'm tired of life?"
<br />
<br />
"What was it then?"
<br />
<br />
"My first aid kit. So make sure that you don't injure yourself, I can hardly treat you without bandages." She leaned over the console and began to disassemble it with quick, professional movements. "If you don't mind, you could listen at the door to see when this slave trader comes out of his quarters? He shouldn't necessarily be aware of what I'm doing here."
<br />
<br />
A good hour passed and Bulma tinkered what she found in the machine, the console and the door opening mechanism into a kind of remote control."So, now we just have to try them out. Vegeta, will you break the door, please?"
<br />
<br />
Vegeta had no idea what Bulma was up to, but he trusted her. She turned the tool case back into a capsule and put it in her pocket. With a single kick, Vegeta pushed the door out into the hallway. Immediately the alarm sirens went off and the two robots that kept watch in front of the door of the Phelesen directed their energy lances at the two escapees.
<br />
Vegeta was sure to be able to dodge quickly (the training with the probes had its good ...) but since he could