Chapter Text
If Bulma is honest with herself, it's that life seemed a little too ordinary lately. That is, until one random night.
'Mom!' Trunks groans. 'There's a problem!'
Bulma pulls her googles up, and blinks at the sight of her oldest by the door. ‘What is it Trunks?’
He stomps in with a face like thunder, before stopping before her, arms crossed. ‘I wanna move out,' he states firmly.
'Oh please.' She rolls her eyes. 'Get to the point, mister. I don't need the dramatics tonight.'
He stands firm. 'I'm serious Mom. It's not fair!'
'Now come on, don’t be spoilt. What big disaster has happened to you now? Is it about your dad? You know your father—’
‘I’m not on about dad.’
She blinks. 'Oh.'
'It's something else.'
'Something else?' She frowns.
'Keep up Mom,' he says petulantly.
Wow, she thinks. I've sure raised a bossy boots. 'Well get on with it then, or are we going to wait until the morning?' She tuts. 'Because you are moody, and now I've seen the time I know why, young man. Shouldn't you be in bed already?'
Trunk’s face scowls further, and Bulma notices the air around them turn static. ‘I’m about to go Super Saiyan, mom. Don’t push me.’
This better be good. 'Come on, spit it out.'
A breath scurries out from him. The drama never ending. 'Mo-o-m!' He says. 'I wanted hot chocolate!' A foot stomps. 'But there's none left. Don’t be dumb, mom. How can I go to bed without hot chocolate?’
‘Kami, Trunks. All this over hot chocolate? Are you sure you’ve looked properly? The powder is in the cupboard by—’
‘You think I don’t know?! It’s empty!’
She frowns. Weird. Hot chocolate is a staple in their house. It never not gets replenished. ‘Oh. Well... I’ll get your father to go and grab some tomorrow, stat. I’m sorry Trunks. You'll have to make do tonight without it.'
‘Someone has stolen it!’
She turns back to her work. ‘It’s just cocoa powder, Trunks. Seriously, you’re the only person here who drinks it apart from Grandpa. If anyone is to blame, it’s yourself.’
Trunks expels a Vegeta special grunt. ‘Something is up, mom, cuz the evidence says otherwise.’ And then she hears the door slam.
Jeeze, she thinks. I really did raise a spoilt brat.
But something niggles at her, and she isn’t sure why.
Wasn't the entire reason a person employs an accountant is so that they deal with the numbers?
Bulma rolls her eyes when the salary suited man sits down timidly across from her desk. Please don't let this take too long, she hopes.
'Let's hurry it up,' she says and then pulls out her reading glasses, perching them on her nose.‘I haven’t got long, like always, so just go ahead and show me the discrepancies.’
The quaint man pushes his own thin-wired glasses up his nose and clears his throat. ‘Of course, Ms Briefs.’ He unbuckles his case and pulls out a folder of sheets. Welcome to the stone age.
Her bank statements. ‘Oh Kami,’ she winces.
‘I know your—' he looks her up and down skittishly, 'Ahem,' he clears his throat. 'I know your schedule, Ms Briefs... has been packed full as of late, so I'm a little, cautious about certain... specific charges that have been showing up through your accounts. It has put me through a bind, and I think it best that I run it past you first.'
'Oh?' Bulma says.
'Yes.' He thumbs through pages and pages, pointing out and nodding to thick red circles he’s outlined around the suspicious activities. ‘I know you and your husband aren’t really one for this type of stuff. But that's not to say—'
Her frown deepens and she jumps in. 'What are you on about? What stuff?'
‘Well,’ he croaks. ‘You see... These are all what I'd deem to be... perhaps date nights?’
Date nights! ‘Huh?’
‘Well—yes, Ma’am. All these charges are from restaurants and I know that—'
'I don't have the time to go out and eat at restaurants,' Bulma points out. She leans forward on her leather office chair. ‘Tell me what type of restaurants? What bills are they?’
The account gulps. 'Whoever it is... they have expensive taste. The finest. Five star and all awarded. Normally for these types of places pre-bookings are necessary. The bills are, like I mentioned, fairly substantial.’
That excludes Trunks then. He is more of a burger and fries boy. A fast food addict. And even if someone like Goku had managed to get her bank details he was more likely to trash an all-you-can-eat buffet than any posh and upmarket place.
Who else in her little world loved food?
Who—?
A light bulb goes off in her head.
Ding ding ding.
The man before her blurs into oblivion as twinges of anger and confusion sweep through her body.
‘Do you have any idea who might have caused these charges to your account then, Ms Briefs?’ The man asks.
Oh yeah.
She just might.
She stands up, chair scraping back. ‘Please excuse me. I think I need to have a little word with my husband.' She nods goodbye to the accountant and stomps her way out, lab coat swishing against her knees.
She is at the Gravity Chamber's door in a matter of minutes. 'Vegeta!' She bangs her fist solidly on metal. 'Vegeta! Get out here now!' The door zaps open, and she stares pointedly at her husband. 'When were you going to tell me, huh? Tell me that Whis and Beerus are here? What is it now? Do I have to deal with another Tournament of Power?' She rolls her eyes.
His already narrowed eyebrows further tense. ‘What?’ His gruff voice actually sound surprised.
‘Nu-uh buddy.' She pokes the sweaty chest before her. ‘Don’t play dumb with me, it's not going to work.’
‘Did you say Whis and Beerus?’
She crosses her arms, and tries to refrain from rolling her eyes. 'Oh please.' She pulls a face. ‘The two of them are on Earth, stealing zeni from me and hot chocolate from our precious son, and you’re telling me that you can’t sense them?! Do I look dumb to you?’
He looks at her sternly. 'Bulma. You know this is a surprise to me, don't you. If I knew Whis was here I'd be training with him—'
'It's always about training with you lot, isn't it! Don't you see? Something is fishy here. I don't like it. And when I find that hairless cat I’ll be sure to let him know that Earth isn’t his litter tray to use as he pleases. What business do they have here?’
Vegeta frowns and then his face lights up like he has the answer. ‘Maybe they've been training Kakarot! Of course...'
She hits his shoulder. 'Darn it Vegeta! Get a grip! If they were with Goku don't you think you would've sensed it? Don't you think they'd have no need for my bank cards if they're devouring Chi-Chi's grub?'
'Well maybe they are just here for Earth's food. They sure love it more than enough.'
She shakes her head. 'No,' she says. 'There'd be no need to hide that fact if it was true. They're hiding something. Something from us.'
Chapter 1:
‘Right—young lady! Ever since I let you leave for the city, from the goodness of my own heart, you’ve been nothing but inept and lazy!’
My mom’s a big nuisance. A huge inconvenience. I slap a hand over my eyes, the sunlight blinding me, and let out a huge, childish groan. ‘Mom.’ I squish my head further into the feather filled pillow, trying to bask in the bliss I had only a moment ago. ‘Five more minutes.’
I can sense from her big-time-mad aura that she is not having any of it, but it was worth a try. ‘The entire village warned me, you know! They all cautioned me over the dangers and corruption of the big city and wasn’t I the fool for not listening to them!’ She yanks my duvet. ‘Up!’
I yank it right back. ‘Three minutes.’
‘Did you forget laziness is a sin?!’ She throws a threadbare apron at me, and cotton fills my mouth. What a way to start my day. I hear desperate whining and the scruffling of claws against the floorboards. ‘And poor, poor Buddy! First of all you abandon him for that big city of yours and now that you're back you're still abandoning him!' My mom loves to heave my mistakes right at me. She's big on the judgement and most of the time I've learnt to just ignore it, but when it comes to my old and greying dog, I know she's right. I did leave him behind, and now he's a bone-length away from death. Time I can never get back. Doesn't mean I like to hear it though. 'Look at him,' she carries on her tirade. 'Look! He needs a walk!’
As soon as she mentions the word walk my old and greying dog barks in agreement.
‘You tell her!’ My mom urges Buddy on. I feel the depress of the mattress as he lumbers over my limbs and the hot and heavy breathing of stinky dog food pelts my ears. He licks my face.
‘Ew! Okay,’ I sit up, backhanding my face of drool. ‘I’m up! Are you happy now?’
She has a face like a storm. ‘Listen, missy. If the chicken coop isn’t cleaned within the hour, we’ll be having problems, you hear me?’
I say nothing. I hold her glare for what feels like a lifetime before she stomps out. The smell of lavender and ink assaults my nostrils from the woosh of air that follows her. Flopping back into cushiony heaven, I sigh heavily, and wash my face in Buddy’s blubber stomach. So cosy, so warm. He snuffles my ear, as if warning me how dangerously close to death I was skimming. ‘I know,’ I sigh. ‘I’m just dog tired, you know how it is, don’t you?’
Now, there is no specific reason for me to be so tired. It’s not like I have been running myself ragged ever since dashing back home. And with my mom around, I am barely just managing to get away with doing the bare minimum. Maybe she is right. Maybe West City has changed me for the worse. I sure regret ever going and now my nightmares have followed me home.
For some reason, I can barely get out of bed in the mornings, today being no different to the lately norm. My nights are early, my mornings late, and everything in-between just one blur. I am patrolling my life like it's a dream; so very self-aware of the possible nightmare clouding over me.
Let’s just say there's a reason I had to ditch West City to come back home. Home being a backward and quaint village in the east. An easy place to hide.
So yes. I was running from something. Or, more specifically, someone. Around eighty percent of me is still in hope that I've just overplayed how dangerous my threat is. But you hear things sometimes, living at the Capsule Corporation. And my hope seems delusional. I pray night and day that the infamous grey lizard alien is dead and untouchable to me. But here's the quandary—this alien's death could mean more worry to me than his living. Confused? Yes. So am I. I am stuck in a maelstrom of indecisiveness. This Frieza-being? He's locked me in his hopeless maze of turmoil.
And I've been a grown adult by running away from it all and taking cover under my duvet.
Steady thumps against the floorboards disturb and flickers a cloud of dust in my room. Thump-Thump-Thump. I grit my teeth. I’m going to throw away that broom handle one of these days. ‘I don’t hear movement!’ My mom’s shout carries up the stairs.
For the rest of the morning (though, the way my overbearing mother was acting you’d have thought it was late afternoon) I numbly went about my chores. Acting how a good little subservient girl from Moirai should. Not that it suits me, this simple life. Farm life. Sure, I love animals, adore animals. But that seems to be it. The clucking hens that greet me every morning are probably one of the highlights of these monotonous days. But the cleaning of bird poop and clumpy feathers? No-way does that excite me. I wonder if Bulma can make a robot for that type of cleaning nonsense.
At least Buddy seems to be excited, yapping at something off in the distance.
He hasn't had this much energy since I've arrived back home.
'Buddy!' I call out.
He ignores me and carries on, carolling a mighty chorus of woofs.
'I’m sure it’s just a pterodactyl and I know that this is the most excitement you get from your doggy life, but please, Kami, please—be quiet. You know how granny gets.'
He yaps once more.
Right. I tried to be patient with him, but it's true when I say that my mom will not be happy with Buddy making us look like riffraff. With a huff, I throw down the chicken poop scraper and climb blindly out of the coop to give him the biggest glare ever. (Impossible, but the effort is there). ‘Buddy!—’ I begin to scold, before I’m side-tracked. ‘Oh,’ I mumble under my breath, startled at what I see.
'Why, hello.'
I swallow. ‘H-hi.’
A man… no scratch that. An… alien. I think. Stands before us. Which is very, very untypical for this part of the world--we aren't exactly at the Capsule Corporation. The being floats a few inches from the path, and the aristocratic fall of the alien’s robe tells me that this isn’t any old alien nomad. His skin is a light, powdery celeste blue. His hair a stiff white quiff.
A floating ring that halos his face tilts as he takes me in. ‘Salutations,’ he greets me, voice soft and high. Pleasurable to the ears. ‘What a pleasure it is to meet you.’
I eek. Yep. Alien. And when I think Alien, I think of West City. Of the Capsule Corporation. Of Bulma. And of him—Frieza.
My entire body feels wooshed. Airy. Nervy.
Buddy skids over in the alien’s direction. His doggy senses must be fucked up, because his tail is wagging in joy and he's trying to get under the being's skirt. I itch with the desire to pull Buddy back into my care, and away from the dangerous looking staff the alien is holding.
'I'm sorry,' I say awkwardly. 'Have we met?'
The alien finds joy in my confusion, with lithe fingers trying to hide the smirk on his face. ‘Oh no, we have not yet had the pleasure.’ With a look to Buddy, he smiles. ‘What a delightful companion.’
Buddy barks. Tail wags.
I wince awkwardly. 'I hope you don't mind his nosiness.' I apologise on the behalf of Buddy's dramatic sniffing.
'Oh not at all! All though, I do prefer cats myself. You have them here on Earth, too.'
Definitely alien.
I awkwardly try to laugh alongside him. This guy has a full-on sceptre and such an otherworldly detachement that I feel the need to walk on eggshells. This is not normal. This has Frieza written all over it.
Finally, after a long stare off, the being perks up again. 'Oh! It seems that I am getting side-tracked. My mistake. I have yet to introduce myself. You may call me Whis.’
Ah… none the wiser, I nod and give him my name. ‘Hello.'
He looks me up and down before notably dissecting my little cottage like he's imprinting it to memory. 'I hail from a world far away from here,' Whis says.
It's within my blood to be hospitable. My people are renowned for our hospitality. 'Would you like to rest?' I offer, even though I pray the being does not accept.
Whis bows slightly, and praises me. 'Your cordiality is next to none, human.' But he doesn't say yes or no. 'As of course you can see, I am just a weary traveller.'
Right. This court jester looks to be the furthest thing from a weary traveller, which makes him a darn tootin' liar. From his prestigious energy to the completely spotless formal robes. I'm searching something to say, anything at all to ease the awkward silence. 'S-so, where have you come from?' I stammer. Curious, yet scared.
Whis finds me comical, and lets out a pattern of gigges from his purple lips. 'I believe it to be called... West City.'
West City? Oh Kami. I am in trouble here. My heartbeat skyrockets. I expected him to mention some faraway planet. Not damned West City. I scratch my cheek uneasily and try to give off a friendly smile that feels stiffer than this Whis's stance. 'And... And what brings you all the way to Moirai? Are you just passing through?' Curse politeness. My one and only downfall. There are two reasons as to why an Alien might venture out to Moirai, and none of them exactly bring pleasure or comfort to my sanity. You see, Aisa in Moirai has a name for itself, and if this alien is here for that reason, then he can skadoosh out of here faster than you can say "begone". I am certainly not going to give him what he's come for.
'Moirai offers me a vantage point,' he says. I'm still none the wiser. 'But I must admit, it is so very different to the bustling life of West City.'
Am I being paranoid, or is he always pivoting the conversation back to West City? West City ties me to... him. And that is a huge no-no. ‘Y-yes.' I blink and shoot a quick smile that feels tight. 'It’s a quiet life we all try to live here.’
The smile he replies with is so astute. The purple-blue eyes so calculating. Then Whis says something that unnerves me, and it's almost like I can sense a shadow behind me. ‘This small colony seems like just the perfect place to run away to.’
He knows something, I panic. He is Frieza's lackey. I carry on my act and shrug to hide my panic. 'Ah,' I shake my head. 'I wouldn't know, I was born here, after all.'
‘Oh?’ He acts shocked too. Or maybe innocent to pull more juicy info from me. ‘So you’ve never visited West City?’
He definitely knows more than he is pretending to. ‘Well,’ I bite my lip and hate how my voice goes timid. ‘Once or twice.’ And never again.
‘Ah. It is all such a shame.' He nods.
I fidget uncomfortably. ‘What is?’
‘This village life did suit you.’
I think I’ve swallowed my tongue.
Because that sounded awfully like a threat.
And quicker than my face drops, Whis warps out of existence.
Disappears into thin air.
Buddy gives a pitiful whine with the absense of the alien.
Now, I know I haven’t been feeling right for a long time. With this... Frieza situation I've been living a real-life nightmare, and paranoia is never too far. But surely I am not to the point of hallucinating, despite all of that.
Whis has to know Frieza. He was so pointed on the fact that I had skidded out of West City, and I only did that because of Frieza. Now, If Frieza catches on to where I live...
I'm alien chow.
I jump into action after several seconds of dissociating.
‘Time for walkies!’ I call to Buddy. I grab his lead from where I had dropped it by my basket of eggs earlier, and when he has bumbled over, I let my shakey hands skim his grey furred muzzle, needing any sense of comfort I can get. All I can think of is the foreboding air that swamps me, and the pressure skids my heartbeat.
I only have one viable option. I need to phone Bulma.
If anyone knows anything about aliens, it’s the heiress of the Capsule Corporation. But considering that I live in the technology-barren wilderness of a rural village, where the prime way of communication is through mail and carrier pigeon, I need to hike up my big girl panties and enter the one building in all of Aisa where there is an exception to this no-go technology rule. The Town Hall. Where it is a somewhat necessity to deal with larger places like Satan City and so is an aggrievance they begrudgingly accepted.
The only problem being? My mom works there.
She's the mayoress of our little matriarchal puzzle-piece of land. And don't I know it.
When I reach the Town Hall I leave Buddy to sunbathe in the sun and then crash my way over to the "community" phone. This "community" phone also just so happens to be on my mother's desk.
She looks flummoxed to see me and stands up oh-so dramatically. ‘What on Earth—,’ she peters out, all confused.
I have little time to explain. I grab the dial at her desk, and my fingers circle Bulma’s personal phone number in. Come on. Stupid shitty communication signal. I exhale into the headset and try to trail my abnormal breathing. I'm surprised my mom hasn't snatched the handset out of my hands yet.
‘Hello?'
A moment of calm washes over me. Bulma. But it's only for a second. ‘Bulma!’ I all but shout. ‘It’s me—’
It takes a few seconds to click. She says my name ludicrously. ‘What’s wrong?’
I’m totally aware at how absurd I'm reacting. Honestly, I even feel a bit embarrassed on behalf of myself. But the truth is that I cannot help it. I’m losing grip on reality. ‘I-I-I—’
‘Hey, calm down.’
I squeal dramatically. ‘I don’t know, Bulma,’ I say. ‘Something’s wrong.’ I pull on my hair. ‘I know I’m paranoid right now—trust me, I know—but you don’t suppose, well… you hang out with a weird crew…’
‘I guess?’
Then I just blurt it all out. ‘I think one of Frieza’s lackeys just showed up at my door! It was weird, Bulma! The guy was floating and seriously looked like he was from out of space or had a serious bout of frostbite. Look. What do I do?—’
‘Wait, what? Did you just say Frieza?’
Did I? Oops. I cringe at the name. 'He said his name was... is Whis...?’
‘I knew it!’ She screeches. I blank. ‘I even told Vegeta that the two of them were up to something! Look here, that is actually so weird as to why Whis has trailed you. You're right. I’ll find out what’s up. Trust me, I'm on it. Stick by the phone and I’ll call back, okay? I’m on it, don’t you worry.’
And then she hangs up. I slowly pull the receiver away from me, unhappy to rest my only lifeline. My mom disagrees, though, and straight up grabs it from me, smashing it down on its cradle.
‘You, young lady, think you can just come waltzing in here, making a mockery of our Hall, and use our facilities as you see fit?!’
I don’t have it within me to do anything but a sharp shutdown. ‘Not now, mom.’ I groan, my hand wiping my face.
‘I’ve never heard such callous lunacy from a girl before, let alone my own daughter!’
I can’t tell her the truth. Her worldview is this Town Hall and not much beyond. She’d probably see Frieza as a figment of my imagination that symbolises my wrongdoings.
She thinks I am up Shits creek?
I am up Shits creek without a paddle.
‘Frieza is up to something,' Bulma chews on her pen. 'And trust me Vegeta, I’m going to find out why—’
Vegeta’s voice is astounded, completely out of the loop. ‘Frieza? Frieza?'
'Now you wake up? I'm talking about Frieza, yes, Frieza! Isn't it weird? Why else would she mention him? I didn't even know that she knew of him! And why is Whis and Beerus nosing around her place?! It's not exactly a hive of life, from what she told me before.’
Vegeta's sneer turns to a blank stare, out of the loop. 'Huh? What blasted girl are you going on about?'
Bulma glares at him. ‘Earth to Vegeta! Who do you think I've been going on about for the last half an hour?' She makes an erk! sound in desperation. 'She used to work for us! Remember? She knew Gohan and Videl, and so I gave her a job here. She literally lived at the Capsule Corp with us. Jeeze, it’s like you only have one brain cell sometimes, and it’s all focused on fighting.’
‘I don’t recall any girl working here.’
‘Well, you wouldn’t, would you? You never leave the gravity chamber.’
Vegeta doesn't seem to see how it all connects, and it shows on his face. ‘Since when did Whis, or Beerus, or even Frieza give a damn about a random human girl? Not possible.’
She rolls her eyes. ‘Newsflash, bozo, but that’s what I’ve been trying to uncover here! It’s all Frieza’s doing. It’s got to be. Back when she was working and living here, well... I thought she was enjoying it! She helped a little here and there, mostly with my dad’s animals, but before I knew it, she flees! She literally pulls a noshow and then calls me from her hometown. She was terrified, Vegeta. Whatever happened here she was so scared that she had to runaway because of it.’
Beerus, Whis, and Frieza.
Kami help.
I wait in the Town Hall for what feels like the longest time. My mom only allows it because I take it upon myself to do a little spring cleaning as I ponder the upcoming ways I am to die. Even if Bulma does know Whis, what can she even find out? What can she even do? And besides, I may just be overreacting. I just feel uneasy about the entire situation. My intuition is just telling me that something is wrong here. But then again, something has felt wrong for a long time. I sigh, lean against the mop, and sigh some more. I’m really living out my final days mopping dirty tiles. What a way to go. I take a break and blindly walk back to my mother’s office, my back aching.
‘Have you finished the floors?’ My mother greets me.
I slump in a chair. I feel too old to be mothered. ‘Yes,’ I grumble.
She shoots me a snappy glare. ‘Hm.'
'What?' I say, even though I don't want to ask.
'I just knew you had a secondary agenda for helping about the place. Tell me why the hall’s phone hasn’t stopped ringing straight the last hour?’
I sit straight up. ‘Why didn’t you tell me mom!’
‘You were busy.' She waves me off. 'For once.’
The shrill tone of the phone rings. Perfect timing. I try to make a quick dash, but my mom gets there before me. ‘That woman just doesn’t stop does she!’ She shrieks and picks up the phone from the rotary dial box. ‘Yes, we’ve found her. Now stop it with the noise pollution and—’
I snatch the headset from her. ‘Hello?’
‘Oh thank Kami!'
‘Bulma!’ I pray for good news, trying to decipher to tone of her voice. Somehow, her thanking God doesn't give me too much reassurance.
‘Yes. Listen, I haven’t got long. But you need to leave, right now.’
‘Leave?' I cry out. 'Where exactly am I mean to go?'
My mother tugs on my clothes. ‘Who is this woman?'
I try to shrug her off. ‘Bulma. Tell me. What’s wrong?’
‘You need to go. Frieza. Kami, how'd you get messed up with the likes of him? He knows where you are. He's coming after you.’
My mouth falls open. I am mincemeat. My intuition had hit bullseye. Frieza is after me, and he is keeping his threat. 'He's alive then?' I cry out.
'Listen-'
‘Fr... Frieza,' I'm hyperventilating his name. My mouth is all dry. ‘You’re truly sure?’
‘Yes. You must leave. You could come to mine! But that blasted cat will see you… fuck it! Come anyway.’
‘But that’s like, weeks on foot to West City Bulma.’ I'll be long dead before then.
‘No… you’re right. I suppose I can get you but that’ll be me flying to yours and that’ll take time. And who knows if he isn’t right outside your doorstep right now, even. You know what? I’ll get Goku to instant transmission to yours and—’
Pfft, I shake my head. I've only ever seen flashes of the guy. ‘Like Goku even remembers who I am.’ There is simply no hope. ‘Look—I’ll pack my bags and think about it. As little as I know… him…I know he usually gets what he wants. And if he’s truly after me then I can’t really do much to stop it from it eventually coming true.’
‘But—’
‘It’ll be alright,’ I lie.
‘I know Freeza. You will not be alright.’
I didn't need to be a scientist to work that one out. ‘Well… you have those Dragon balls, right?’
‘That is not funny.’
‘I’ll call you if I’m in trouble, okay?’
‘You are already in trouble! Right now! And call me on what? You don’t even have a phone! We don’t accept carrier pigeons at the Capsule Corp!’
‘I’ll get in touch, alright? I’ll sort it and I’ll—’
The phone gets snatched out of my hand and thumped back down on its holder.
'Mom!' I say.
‘That’s enough young missy. To think you’re talking about using this phone again! Your credits are already up for the rest of this month!’
‘Mom.'
‘Unless there is talk of an intergalactic space conqueror coming to kill you, I don’t want to hear it!’
Pfft. Little does she know. 'There just might be!’
‘Oh puhlease. That Bulma woman is just fearmongering you. What on earth were you talking about?! Leaving here for West City? Nu-uh. Over my dead body. Not again.’
‘But mom! You have to listen to me.’
‘And you have to get your hide home right now. You’re going to embarrass me all over again?’
‘Fine—’ I childishly say. ‘But don’t blame me when all that’s left of me is your memory.’ And then I stomp out. So aggravating. I whistle for Buddy and he sits up from where he is sunbathing besides the bushes. Blinking at me. The inner kid within me hopes my oldest buddy would finally show some might and teeth when the time calls for it. Who needs a Super Saiyan when you have an eldery, loyal dog?
Out of nowhere, realisation hits, and I feel a wave of sadness wash over me. I'm going to have to leave Buddy yet again. He is too frail to join me on the run.
Frieza is coming. Like he said he would. And he is bound to be angry. It’ll be alright. It’s a false alarm. Mistaken identity. That’s all. No biggie. As my mind tries to plea with my sanity, my worry rightfully mounts. I. Am. Doomed.
I get back home in one piece. That was step one completed. Keeping a fearful eye out for any suspicious looking beings, I accidently trample all over my mother's freshly planted flowers. Tiny sparrows bustle and fly away. I unhook the ledge to my wooded front door when Buddy decides that it's time to jump excitedly. He barks over the gentle ring of the arched doorbell.
‘Not now buddy,’ I try to dismiss him clawing my knees. ‘If I’m still alive, I’ll play with you when I get back, okay? I’ve got to pack and go. I'm sorry, bud.'
He woofs. Those puppy dog eyes glistening. That tongue wagging.
I wince. ‘Fine, fine. Of course, bud, I suppose it’ll only take a sec.’ I swerve to the kitchen, my old dog hot on my heels with his padded paws tapping the floor. ‘But don’t tell mom—’ I warn him as I bend into the cupboard and pick out the tin of dog treats. ‘It’ll be our little secret, right? My little goodbye.’
He barks, tail wagging.
I ruffle his head. ‘Thata boy.’
The distant ring of the bell above my front door has me freezing on the spot. My ears prickle. Was that tingle a figment of my paranoid imagination? 'Shh,’ I urge Buddy, caressing his floppy ears. ‘I.. I think I heard something.’
No, I know I heard someone.
‘Are you insane?’ Bulma is on a tirade. ‘What would you, almighty Destroyer God, gain from telling that hairless, psychopathic, power tyrant worm anything?’
Lord Beerus sighs dramatically and delves further into the sun lounger, eyes closing. ‘Vegeta’s wife surely has a mouth,’ he murmurs with a grunt to Whis.
If Bulma notices the aggrieved grimace that’s on his face she doesn’t show it. In fact, his layabout attitude infuriates her further. ‘Hey bozo!’ She waves her hands in front of his face. ‘I’m talking to you! Do you have cotton in your ears? Fess up for once and explain yourself.’
‘I’m resting,’ Beerus dismisses her, knee folding up. ‘And whilst you are standing there, move that parasol over. The blasted sun is blinding my eyes.’
Her body shakes. Hands fist. ‘How about I shove that umbrella right up your—’
Beerus interrupts, ‘Whis,’ he sighs as he opens one eye to the angel that licked ice cream next to him. ‘Tell me, do humans have short memories? Does she forget who I am? And that I can destroy her precious livelihood and all within it?’
The absolute nerve. The audacity. ‘Yeah,’ Bulma scoffs, hands upon wide hips. ‘And see where you can get your precious ramen from then!’
Beerus is feeling reckless. ‘I’m starting to think that your death would be worth forgoing noodles.’
‘My Lord!’ Whis dramatically rebuffs. ‘Think on what you’re saying!’
Beerus smirks. ‘Calm down Whis. Prince Vegeta’s wife might think she holds all the cards, but we don’t need her to eat happily on Earth, after all.’
Bulma rolls her eyes. ‘As if anyone would serve the likes of you. You’re more likely to be shooed off or sent away and packed up to the pound.’
‘May I remind you, Bulma, that you do indeed serve me. In any way I wish you to.’
Bulma gives a shriek. ‘How about I serve you a plate of babysitting for the next fortnight, huh? Would you like that Lord Beerus?’
Beerus’s wide shoulders shrug. ‘Your daughter defecates in her clothing and is yet still a better example of the human race than yourself, even. She’s enthralled by my very being.’
‘Oh please,’ Bulma once again scoffs. ‘You’re a big purple kitty. No doubt she’s enthralled by you.’
‘I don’t care for the reasons. Just as long as servitude is assured.’
‘I’d sooner serve Lord Champa than you. At least he doesn’t meddle with people’s lives.’
‘He’s a destroyer. Which may I remind you, is also what I am. Take that as a warning, Bulma.’
‘You are not going to threaten me on my own property.’
‘This entire universe is my property.’
‘Tell me why you told him—that evil galactic tyrant—where she is!’
Beerus shoos her off. ‘Frieza is only obeying an order. It’s inconsequential that she is a part of it.’
‘Oh please. I wasn’t born the other day. That exterminator is the reason she ran away in the first place, and now you’ve led him right to her!’
‘There are other ways Frieza could have found her. Your copies of the Namekian Wish Orbs would’ve sufficed.’
‘Over my dead body would I have allowed him to get his grubby hands on my Dragon balls!’
Whis curiously smiles at Bulma. ‘My, Bulma,’ his ice cream drips in the heat. ‘I thought considering your choices in your life, you’d believe that people could change. Is it wrong for Frieza to desire things? It’s isn’t immediately malicious, after all.’
‘If it’s at the cost of her happiness? Then yes—it is malicious.’
‘I wouldn’t be so sure,’ Whis’ purple tongue dips at the melted ice cream on the cone.
Beerus butts back in. ‘Who cares? She didn’t help win us the Tournament of Power. Frieza, may I remind you, did.’
Bulma fails to see the correlation. ‘And Frieza got his life back because of it!’
'So?' Beerus scoffs. 'It's nothing to do with the likes of you.'
'It is now!' Bulma throws her hands in the air. 'I have a moral duty of care to my staff you know. She ran away the day after the Tournament of Power! Frieza obviously did something.'
Whis gently rebukes. ‘But Bulma. Think logically. You surprise me somewhat. Do you not believe that some people are deserving of redemption?’
‘Redemption and Frieza do not go hand in hand.’
‘Yet Vegeta?’
Bulma scowls. ‘Vegeta proved himself. Continues to. Come on! Frieza only did what he did to save his own hide from eternal damnation. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. So what if he helped win the Tournament of Power? He didn’t exactly make it easy for us, remember?’
Beerus doesn’t disagree. But nor does he admit defeat. ‘And that’s why I may have made more than one promise to him. Frieza's life wasn’t his only desire.’
She seethes. ‘You are a god. You don’t need to keep promises!’
His eyes glint. 'I do if they align with what I want.’
She shakes her head. 'What timeline am I living in right now? What does telling Frieza where she's run away to serve you? Whatever part of your decrepit mind might want that?'