Several months had passed since Vegeta's departure and even if Bulma had distanced herself emotionally from him, she still couldn't help sending a worried thought into the universe from time to time.
However, she was always careful not to invest too much feeling in this concern. What for? This monkey prince certainly didn't think of her for a second, let alone their baby! He wanted to go on his ego trip and just train, train, train... Fine, then he should. So at least Bulma had enough time for herself and her pregnancy, banished the useless Saiyan prince - as best she could - to the farthest corner of her mind and concentrated solely on her forthcoming motherhood. Admittedly, a role in which she had never really seen herself. But now that the birth of her first child was fast approaching, she was looking forward to it more and more!
A new phase in her life had begun - which of course Bulma took as an opportunity for a new hairstyle. And so the lush mane of curls gave way to a short bob.
//Looks good//, she thought contentedly as she stood in front of the mirror and tugged at some strands. //Does Vegeta think it's pretty too?//
In the next moment she could have slapped herself for this stupid question.
"Who cares?!" she snapped at her own reflection.
And next she stared into her own angry face and then watched as her expression changed, as tears welled in her eyes. She covered her face with both hands and took a deep breath, sobbing. At all costs she wanted to avoid crying like a baby AGAIN!
She actually seemed to gather herself and managed to meet her eyes with renewed confidence. Then forced a smile.
"Bulma, honey?" Mrs. Brief's voice suddenly came through her bedroom door.
Abruptly, Bulma's smile dried up and she jerked her head in annoyance. "WHAT IS IT?!"
"Are you thinking about your doctor's appointment?"
"Yeah, sure," she murmured, looking into the mirror with a sigh. "Maybe he can tell me when these wretched mood swings will finally stop... Sheesh, they're unbearable!"
As cynical and bitter as it may seem, the child's father could probably count himself lucky that he was spared this mood swings. If he had known about them. But Vegeta was miles away from Bulma not only mentally but also physically. He was so intent on finally reaching his goal that he focused solely on it, rigorously shutting out any emotion that had opened up in him during his sojourn on Earth. He used his journey in the space capsule to continue his gravity training and worked harder than ever on his physical fitness. It felt good to be wandering through space again, somehow familiar and free, although hate still simmered deep inside him. Vegeta didn't suspect it yet, but this hatred should soon help him achieve the success he longed for.
They were random planets that he headed for one at a time, smaller stars or even just asteroids on which he could let off steam. Most of these were uninhabited. So did the star on which he had just landed, in whose atmosphere glittering lightning bolts were constantly whipping around. Vegeta didn't even know anymore how long he had been here anyway...
There he stood in his combat gear, his black hair fluttering in the stormy wind of the lightning storm, and when the rumblings started up again above him, he turned his angry facial expression to the sky. Another massive cluster of purple meteorites approached from space and Vegeta raised his body in the air to face the falling boulders again. He hissed up at lightning speed, expertly dodging one meteorite after another, and those he couldn't dodge were dispatched with a powerful ki blast!
He has always found the unpredictability of nature to be an ideal training partner and it was also a good teacher when it came to learning from his mistakes. And Vegeta was a fast learner.
However, his irascibility was still too great and gained the upper hand from time to time, causing him to become careless and act hastily. Keeping a cool head had never been his forte. But if he was an irascible hothead, he was also one thing for sure: indomitable. As often as it knocked him down, he got up again.
So he trained relentlessly, blasting meteorite after meteorite and gradually realizing that there was something different about that new meteor shower... that it brought with it more than just bare boulders.
And then Vegeta saw it. Against the background of the endless expanses, a gigantic, black energy field opened up above him! Eyes wide and mouth open, he watched as the black sphere grew and grew, seeming to engulf itself in its own vortex and yet remain in space. The wind picked up rapidly and the lightning whipped more violently around him as well, while the sphere was definitely getting closer! It threatened to fall on him and his space capsule, even swallowing them whole!
He couldn't allow that. He couldn't die here. Not in such a miserable place! Not for such a pathetic reason!
So he didn't hesitate a second longer and concentrated all his energy in his palm and then released a huge ki blast, which he fired directly at the center of the black vortex - accompanied by a powerful scream!
"YAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
And as he did so, the released energy caused his hair to flicker golden again and his eyes to cyan, just like back in gravity space when he was in full control, in full focus!
Vegeta finally managed to destroy the sphere! It burst above him in a massive explosion, shattering into 1,000 pieces and unleashing another massive meteor shower! He hadn't expected that, he hadn't thought that far, because he was acting out of sheer survival instinct. It looked like the game was about to start all over again and it was a matter of quickly dodging the falling boulders. And if he hadn't put so much effort into destroying the energy field, he would have done so with ease.
But he weakened. This time he was hit badly and fell down. His body thundered violently through some ledges and finally came to a standstill in a cloud of smoke.
"Uugh..." With the last of his strength he tried to get up, but couldn't. He could only drag himself forward on his stomach, clenched fists scraping the hard rocky ground. His clothes are now completely torn, his body covered in blood.
He had done his best and now he couldn't help but seriously ask himself,
//Is that it...? Is that my limit...?//
He clenched his fists and glared straight ahead as he lay on the ground.
"Kakarot..."
And then something just snapped. Something inside of him.
"No... No more! That's it! I don't care!!"
He slammed his fist into the ground hard, then squeezed it so hard blood spurted from his palm.
//I don't care anymore!// he thought in absolutely resigned anger. //I don't care about being better than Kakarot!! I don't care about being a super Saiyan!! I don't' care if I live!! I don't care about ANYTHING!!//
The anger that grew and grew in him somehow seemed to mobilize him, so that he finally managed to get up again. He was shaking with anger and kept staring down at his clenched fists. His inner frustration threatened to overwhelm him. All this anger at his own failure was building up inside him. There had been so many moments up until now when he was pissed off... But as now, as in this moment when he feared he had finally reached his limit... He had never been so pissed off in his entire life! His mind spun like a merry-go-round. Ever faster, ever wilder, ever more irascible. That that should have been... That that should have been all he - all he alone! - was able to do. That could not be. That SHOULD NOT be!
"Haa..."
And suddenly something jerked through his body. Something so strong and powerful that he had never felt before. Vegeta straightened his back, both fists clenched, his stunned gaze fixed straight ahead.
And then it suddenly broke out of him!
"BWAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"
A powerful scream escaped his throat and his aura literally exploded! Golden light surrounded him so brightly that it nearly blinded him, but he was unable to close his eyes. His face, his body were paralyzed and his loud scream was far from over, while his hair and eyes colored. The glaring rays shot up from his body in all directions. He shone so brightly that his golden aura could be seen from space!
Vegeta had finally made it. He had finally turned into a Super Saiyan.
"The most beautiful moment of my life?"
"Of course, dear! Believe me, it will be the most beautiful moment of your life when you hold your little baby for the first time!" Mrs. Briefs was so moved that she had to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. "I still remember the first time I held you in my arms. My goodness, how long has it been? That must be over--"
"NEVER MIND." Bulma's eyebrows twitched aggressively because nothing she hated more than being reminded of her age.
To distract her mother, she pushed something over the garden table where they had met for afternoon tea. "Here, look at the sonogram instead."
Mrs. Briefs was immediately ecstatic again. "Oh my, how cute!!"
If Bulma was being honest, she didn't find anything cute about it at all. She hadn't even seen anything. If her baby really did end up looking like this picture, then... She shook her head to get the idea of that weird black and white mess out of her mind. At moments like this, she couldn't help but wonder if she was even ready to become a mother... But as she look down at the huge baby bump that had once been her flawless flat stomach, she immediately realized it was too late to back down anyway. She was clearly expecting a baby. Vegeta's baby...
"Hello-hoo! Is anyone at home?"
Startled by this sudden greeting, Bulma and her mother raised their heads and looked at each other questioningly. This voice was clearly familiar, but it certainly did not belong to anyone they had remotely expected to see. And the next moment the unexpected guest came happily walking around the corner.
"Yamcha?!" Bulma exclaimed, perplexed. "What are you doing here?!"
Yamcha wore a big grin and rubbed his nose. In the meantime he too had a new hairstyle: His black hair was now cut short and upright. He was dressed casually, but Bulma thought he looked quite handsome. Almost too handsome. Why this exuberant good mood at all, after their last encounter had ended so unpleasantly? But maybe he was just over Bulma in the meantime. After all, many months had passed since their separation... And while Bulma was still silently thinking about it, a second unexpected guest appeared behind Yamcha. And that's when the reason for his exuberantly good mood became apparent.
When Bulma spotted the person, her jaw dropped and she couldn't help but point a finger abruptly.
"I-Isn't that...?"
"Sorry to bother, but Maron has to go to the bathroom," Yamcha explained while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. Maron meanwhile clung to his other arm, wearing a sugary grin. "Would it be ok if she uses your toilet?"
"We went shopping, Yamcha and I!" Maron exclaimed happily. "Yamcha has such a cool car! And he's sooo famous! I had no idea a baseball player could be so famous. But I didn't even know what baseball was before, hehehe!"
Bulma's expression reflected her disapproving opinion of this naive dimwit.
"You don't say," she made a snippy comment, then she explained the way to the toilet, hoping that she wouldn't get lost. As soon as Maron was gone, she gave Yamcha a scrutinizing look.
"Thanks. We really just happened to be in the area," he explained, but Bulma immediately bleated him, getting up out of her chair,
"Oh stop it! You old womanizer just wanted to show off your new flame, that's how it is! And that's Krillin's ex-girlfriend! You should really be ashamed of yourself!"
Raising both hands in defense, Yamcha promptly began to justify himself. "W-Wait, well first of all she got me--" But when his gaze fell on Bulma's round baby bump, his eyes immediately popped out. "W-WHAT?! What is that?!"
Bulma put her hands on her stomach protectively. "I'll give you three guesses!"
"You're pregnant?! Oh shit... OH SHIT!!" Yamcha got really hysterical and ruffled his hair. "Why now, when I want to start something new? I-I mean, I've always wanted to be a father, but the timing couldn't be worse...!"
"Excuse me!" came Maron's voice suddenly. Then she looked around the corner. "Where is the toilet supposed to be? I totally forgot."
Yamcha had spun around abruptly and was now trying to block her view of Bulma's baby bump. "Aaaahaha, it's alright! We're going somewhere else!"
Meanwhile, Bulma rubbed her forehead in annoyance, one eyebrow twitching aggressively.
"Relax, Yamcha. The baby isn't yours."
Yamcha stayed where he was. Then he turned his head and peered back at Bulma over his shoulder. "...N-Not?" He blinked questioningly.
Suddenly Maron giggled behind her hand. "Hehehe, Yamcha, you may be naive. Did you think you made her a baby? How is that supposed to work?"
"Exactly," Bulma had to agree with her for once. "Because if you do the math, then--"
"Everyone knows that the stork brings the babies!"
...
Immediately everyone was silent and Yamcha blushed bright red in shame. To say that Maron wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed would have been an understatement. He really had made a splendid catch here.
"Well, Yamcha. You must be really proud of her."
pic by https://twitter.com/herms98/status/753418328094363649

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Lower Instinct - beginning of vegebul (+ gochi, tienlaunch)
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