Chapter eight – revelations

"What I have shown you is reality....what you choose to remember is the illusion"

~ Sephiroth

Vegeta waited in the shadows of the brush for a breathless moment after he had watched the strange girl die. Despite the proof that lay in front of his eyes, his battle sharpened senses told him that something was wrong. Cautiously he stepped out from the edges of the forest and approached the small figure lying pathetically on the in the middle of the clearing. Her white smock was stained with blood, and her silver eyes were lifeless. No doubt about it. The girl was dead. Vegeta had seen death to many times in his past to be possibly mistaken about it. Still something about this whole scene was unsettling.

It certainly wasn't that he felt ashamed of what he had done. Frieza had told him that the girl was certainly not defenceless, and regardless of her ability to defend herself, death was infinitely better than her fate if she was caught by Frieza. She should be grateful that he had spared her that. No, it wasn't that he felt sorry about what he had just done. It was something else

Something about this scene definitely wasn't right.

Reaching the corpse, he leaned forward, using the toe of his boot to nudge the still figure on the ground. But the moment his foot touched the body, the figure seemed to break up like a video screen going out of focus, then it disappeared entirely, leaving Vegeta staring blankly at the empty space.

His senses flared, and he swung round, cursing himself for his stupidity. It was too easy! Of course he should have known something was not right. Someone who had disposed of two whole squads of Frieza's crack troops wasn't likely to just stand there and let him kill him. It had to have been some sort of elaborate trick.

Vegeta was poised for an attack, and his nerves were only strung tighter when none came. For long moments he stood in the middle of the clearing, horribly aware that he was in an extremely bad tactical position. The forest surrounded him on all sides, yet he was unprotected and an easy target in the centre of the clearing. The seconds lengthened into minutes as he stood there, every sense alert for the attack which he was sure would come.

"I know who you are, Vegeta no Ouji."

The voice came from all around him, echoing from the trees. Vegeta swung round almost desperately, trying to locate the source of the voice.

"Show yourself, you coward!" he shouted to the silent forest. Nothing moved, yet Vegeta could feel the sense of someone all around him. He tensed, scanning the dark edges of the forest desperately for the source.

"I know why you've come."

The voice was light and silvery, like bells chiming in the distance. Vegeta could not tell where it originated, and he turned around and around in the clearing, while the echoes swirled about him.

"I know you were ordered to kill me."

Vegeta swung round one last time, and saw on the edge of the clearing behind him the young girl he had thought dead by his hand just minutes before. Her silver hair floated gently around her although there was no breeze. Her eerie eyes, silver from edge to edge stared at him without expression, although her tiny face seemed sad. Her white smock was spotless, with no trace of the bloodstains that had covered it earlier.

Vegeta swore and leapt to attack. He moved towards her faster than the eye could follow, but despite his speed his foot connected only with air. She was gone again, this time without even so much as a warning.

"I know that you will be punished if you do not succeed."

She was behind him again, her hair floating in that mysterious breeze that seemed to be as much part of her as were her mirror-like eyes.

Vegeta held his ground, wary now. She seemed to recognise that he was ready to talk. Her head was cocked ever so slightly to one side as she observed him. "I have already disposed of the men who were sent to kill me by your master."

"He is not my master," Vegeta snarled.

She stared at him without replying for a long time. Finally she said. "He rules over you, though you would wish it not. I can see his mark upon you. Even after he is dead, he will live on in you, if you are not wary now."

Vegeta felt anger boil up in him at the thought of Frieza being connected to him in any way. "What would you know about it!"

"I can see it," she said calmly.

"You're lying," he snapped back at her.

She regarded him for a moment. "You know that I am not. The reason why Frieza wants me destroyed is because of my gift."

"What gift?" said Vegeta, his eyes narrowed.

The girls face grew sad, and strangely wistful. "I see things," she said. "About people, about what may happen in the future. Many things."

"Why would Frieza want to destroy such a gift?" Vegeta narrowed his eyes again. "I should take you back and force you to tell what you know."

She seemed to grow stern, although neither her expression nor her voice changed. "My gift cannot be forced. If you try, I shall simply depart, as I did when you attempted to attack me before."

Vegeta sneered at her. "If you can just disappear at will, why are you still here talking to me? Why don't you run away now?"

"You will not hurt me again," she said calmly.

Vegeta snorted and opened his mouth to deny her claim, but the girl held up a hand to cut off his words.

"I, who knows the future, know that you will not, for I must speak with you."

The girl drifted closer, her feet seeming to skim just above the ground rather than walk normally. "I told you that I had disposed of the twenty men sent after me already." She looked up at him intently. "I did it so that I could contact you."

Vegeta sneered. "What pressing need would a little mind-leech like you have with the Saiyan no Ouiji?" Vegeta smirked briefly as he saw her face flicker at the word. "Yes, I know what you are now," he said. "You are one of those telepaths from that weak little Federation. What are you really doing here, mind-leech?"

"I am from the Federation," she said, unfazed. "And I am here to meet you."

"Oh, please," said Vegeta, turning away. "Don't give me that again."

"It is true. I need help only you can give me."

"What kind of help?" asked Vegeta, still sceptical.

"You will understand when the time comes. All I ask now is for you to remember me, and what I am about to tell you."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at her. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just blast you to kingdom come?"

That serene smile again. "Because you cannot. You have tried that already, remember? "

Vegeta scowled at the slim young girl. She waited, her face maddeningly tranquil. Finally, he capitulated. "Alright. I'm listening," he said. You have five minutes before I attack you again. Convince me."

~*~*~*~*~

Jalen sat opposite Kalika, not really paying attention to her chatter, his mind centred on thoughts of Remmy, and the vital scene his strange pet was hopefully recording. Only when he became aware of a long silence from the other side of the table did he blink and look at her, belatedly realizing that she was waiting for him to reply to some comment she had made. He stared at her helplessly, with not the least idea of what she had been talking about.

Kalika smiled back at him, obviously aware he hadn't been listening.

Jalen felt the edges of a scowl begin on his face. He should just get up and leave now, be damned her superior status. It wasn't as if he would need to maintain his cover here anyway after tonight. The footage Remmy was recording would be enough proof for the Federation to loosen the grip they had on his violent impulses once he sent it to them, and then he could complete his mission and get the hell off this stupid planet.

But then again, there was something about Kalika.

Something familiar and strangely comforting, as if he had met her long ago, and they had both forgotten. Which was stupid, of course. Jalen knew for a certainty that he had never been on this planet before, and there was no way he could have met her anywhere else.

Still, there was something about her. Jalen wasn't blind. He was fairly sure Kalika liked him. But the thought of someone liking him in that way was unsettling even now, although his beloved Alaria was long dead.

Jalen shook his head. No, the thought of loving someone else was unthinkable. Even sitting here with Kalika he felt uncomfortable, as if he was betraying Alaria's memory. He couldn't do this, no matter how pleasant it was to sit here and pretend he had a normal life.

Having made up his mind, Jalen abruptly pushed himself back from the table.

Kalika looked up at him in alarm.

"You're not leaving yet are you?" she said. "You haven't even finished your lunch."

Jalen looked away from her. "I'm sorry, but I really should get back to work."

Kalika said nothing. The silence lengthened, until it became almost a living thing between them. Eventually, Jalen couldn't take it, and turned back to her to make sure she was okay.

The look in her eyes hit him like a punch in the stomach. She smiled politely at him, but Jalen could see that she had understood his rejection all too clearly. She stood along with him, and gestured with her hand to the door.

"You go along then," she said. "I'll pay for the bill."

Jalen hesitated. This was what he wanted. Kalika would only be a confusion in his life, a disloyalty to his first and greatest love. He should be grateful that she was taking the rejection so gently. But the look in her eyes twisted up his insides.

It didn't make sense. They had only met a handful of times. How could he mean so much to her that she looked on the verge of tears at his rejection? From office gossip he knew Kalika was the kind of woman who had a long string of lovers. Surely she couldn't be so attached to him in less than a week that all of that didn't matter anymore.

And what was the meaning of the strange reluctance he felt to leave the woman? She was still standing opposite him, a smile on her face, and jagged emotion in her eyes. Slowly, Jalen sat down again. She looked surprised, and a flash of joy darted over her face before she could rearrange it in a more suitable expression.

"I'll stay and finish lunch," said Jalen. The smile on Kalika's face made his heart thump painfully in his chest, and he had to restrain himself from grinning back at her like a fool.

It couldn't hurt to stay a little longer…

~*~*~*~*~

Vegeta blinked.

The green of the forest faded away, and he realised he was back in Bulma's pink and white room. He stood still for a moment, feeling the memories rush back. He had been inside the strange dream-trap again. But strangely, this time when he was separated from the onna, he had forgotten that it was a dream at all. He remembered the fight with the guards, Bulma bandaging his wound, and his meeting with Frieza, unable to hold back a slight shudder at the last.

There was something else as well…

A strange young girl, whom he had killed, only to have her live again. And then she had told him….

Told him things that he was still mulling over in his head.

He carefully tucked the knowledge away inside his mind to deal with later. He knew now who was setting the traps, and thanks to the strange girl, knew exactly what do about them. However, nothing could be done until nightfall.

He glanced over at the unmade bed in front of him, and suddenly realised that Bulma must have found him here, standing still and zombie like. He scowled. That surely couldn't be good. However, he would inform her of what was happening when he saw her again, and then there would be no trouble about it. She was a genius after all, surely she would be able to understand. Vegeta shook his head slightly to rid himself of the image of Bulma as she washed his face. Still it returned with a maddening intensity, her blue eyes serious as she concentrated on her ministrations, her hands soft and gentle.

Not that she had known what she was doing at the time. It was all a dream anyway. She probably didn't even remember.

Not that it mattered to him whether she remembered or not. Vegeta turned and strode out of her room, angry for some obscure reason. It didn't matter. What mattered was catching that damn dream-weaver and beating the crap out of him for daring to invade the privacy of his own head. But he couldn't do anything about it now.

In the meantime, he needed to train.

~*~*~*~*~

It was a few hours later when Vegeta finally caught sight of Bulma. He had been training in the gravity room since he had been woken from the strange dream, and had just come in for a drink. Bulma ignored him as he walked into the kitchen and continued rummaging about in the cupboards above the bench on the far side of the room. Curious, Vegeta craned his neck to try and work out what she was looking for.

"What are you doing, onna?" he said loudly.

She ignored her. Vegeta frowned – he hated to be ignored. He stood up, and quietly crept over to behind Bulma. He bent low towards her ear, then shouted, "Are you deaf? I asked you a question!"

Bulma jumped slightly, knocking Vegeta painfully on his chin with her head as she did so. Bulma spun round to face him, angry words on her lips, but then smirked as she saw him wincing and rubbing his chin.

"I am looking for something to eat," she said. "Not that that is any of your business."

Vegeta stopped rubbing his chin and laughed. "There isn't any."

"What?" Bulma said, confused. "Why not?"

"Your idiotic parents are gone for the weekend," said Vegeta. "If you hadn't been too busy with those stupid inventions you would have known that."

"That doesn't explain why there is no food."

Vegeta shrugged. "I ate the last of it for dinner last night. You haven't gone shopping like you should have, so there's nothing in the house."

Bulma's face fell. "But all the shops are shut now. We're going to starve!"

Vegeta hmphed. He was starving as well, but that was something he would die rather than admit to her. Seeing he had no response, she turned around, and began rifling through the cupboard again. In a moment, however, she sighed, and stood up. "Nothing," she said despondently. "And I'm so hungry." She thrust her hands dejectedly into the pockets of her jacket and began to turn away, then stopped, a huge smile crossing her face. She withdrew her hand from her pocket, pulling out a slightly squished chocolate bar. "I forgot I put this in here after breakfast today."

Vegeta's eyes widened as she ripped the wrapper off the chocolate bar. The smell was practically making him drool.

"Give me that!" he said.

Bulma glared at him and thrust the bar back into her pocket. "No," she said. "Finders keepers. I found it, so its mine."

Vegeta lunged at her, but he could not reach the chocolate bar now without touching her, and he would rather starve than do that at the moment. Pretending to loose interest, he turned away and began to examine some objects on the bench top. Picking up a thin gold ring with a diamond embedded into it, he was startled to hear Bulma's intake of breath.

"That's mine," she said unevenly. "Give it back."

"Give what back? This?" he waved the ring in front of her. "Why should I?"

"Because its mine, Vegeta, that's why." Vegeta heard the strange urgency in her voice, and the beginnings of a plan formed in his mind.

"Well I found it. Its mine now," he said, turning his back on her and pretending to admire it.

"Give me back my ring, you thief!" Bulma lunged at Vegeta, grabbing the ring.

Vegeta darted back out of Bulma's reach and waved a finger reprovingly in her face. "No way. Finders keepers, onna," he taunted.

Bulma's eyes blazed "That ring is mine and you know it. Give it back this instant!"

"Why should I?"

"Because its mine!"

Vegeta smirked. "But I found it. That makes it mine."

"You didn't find it!" she said angrily. "It was sitting on the bench top the whole time."

"So? Just because you knew where it was doesn't mean that I didn't find it."

Abandoning that tactic, Bulma's voice changed, and she looked up at him pleadingly. "Please, Vegeta? That ring was a special present." She sidled closer to him. "Please?"

He pretended to think about it, knowing the delay was driving her crazy. He played with the ring in his hand, noticing how her eyes followed it.

"Well, if I gave you this, then you would have to give me something in return. Fairs fair, right?"

Bulma frowned slightly. "Something like what?"

Vegeta shrugged. "What do you have?"

Bulma scowled. "I don't have anything. You know that."

Vegeta pounced "What about that chocolate bar?"

Bulma looked down at the chocolate in her hand, then back up at him in disgust. "No way. This is mine, and you're not gonna have it."

"Why not," he taunted. "Doesn't your ring mean more to you than a piece of food?"

Vegeta could see her wavering, caught by his words. Unfortunately she also saw the greedy glimpse in his eye as he looked at the chocolate bar.

"No," she said firmly, shoving the bar back into her pocket. "Think of something else."

Vegeta smirked. "Well, you said yourself that you had nothing else to give,"

Bulma made no response, her blue eyes watching him as he played with the ring in front of her. She looked up at him again, a puppy-dog expression on her face. "Please, Vegeta?"

Still he waited.

"Okay, okay," said Bulma desperately. "I'll give you the chocolate bar if you give me back my ring." She put one hand in her pocket, ready to draw it out, and looked up at him expectantly.

Vegeta smirked at her. "Well, that sounds tempting…"

Bulma pulled out the chocolate bar, and offered it to him. He considered it for a moment, raising a hand to the ribbon at his neck as if he were about to remove it. He watched her eyes light up with hope, then lowered his hand. "On second thought, I'm not really hungry after all. Maybe some other time." He turned away, ignoring the growls from his stomach. It was worth it to see the look on Bulma's face.

Bulma dropped her act, her eyes blazing. "Give my ring back, you creep!" She lunged at him, fighting to pry the ring from his hand by force

Vegeta laughed and held it above his head, out of her reach. She snatched at his hand, trying to force his arm down where she could reach it. He grabbed her arm, which was clawing at his face, with his free hand and twisted it on the edge of pain behind her back. She lunged again with her free arm for the ring, and he twisted her arm tighter, forcing a cry of pain from her lips. Her body was jerked against him. Vegeta laughed triumphantly and looked down, startled at how close she was. All at once, he was aware of their position. He could feel the heat of her body as it was pulled flush against his own, like he was burning at her touch. Her face was just inches from him. Her blue eyes looked up at him in fury, but another, unidentifiable emotion was also swirling in the depths. He felt something electric pass between them, and he staggered slightly, as if he had been hit in the stomach. Caught off balance, Vegeta loosened his grip on her, and instantly Bulma twisted out of his arms and darted back a few steps.

Her eyes were watching him warily now, and he could see her try to regain her momentum.

"Give me back my ring, you loser!" She yelled at him, but her eyes were pools of confusion. Vegeta himself was more shaken then he would like to admit, and fought hard to regain his composure. His body was still tingling from where he had held her.

"This ring is mine now. I won't give it back, unless you can give me something in return."

He was trying, but the spirit had gone out of it.

"I don't have to trade for something that is mine," she spat at him. "Give it back to me now!"

Vegeta opened his mouth to reply, then caught a glimpse of her eyes again, seeing the bewilder of emotion still stirring in them. He shut his mouth, swallowing hard to get rid of the lump suddenly in his throat. His body burned, and his head swam dizzily. He scowled at the ground, then abruptly spun on his heel and walked off, leaving Bulma standing still behind him.

Neither of them noticed the pair of eyes watch them walk away.

Thank you to faithful reviewers outtadaloop, DBZ-fan-JESS and Lilac Cherry Blossoms. Sorry for the delay in updating, but I have had arguably the worst couple of weeks of my life, and I really don't feel like doing anything but crying. My eight year old brother got really sick and almost died, and I feel like it was my fault cause I was looking after him when he suddenly stopped breathing. My RSA arrived in the mail, but I tore it accidentally, and the stupid government wont send me another one in time. I found out that my boss wants to fire me cause I'm to old (since when is nineteen to old?!) but she cant cause she doesn't have anyone to replace me, and I'm leaving in Feb to go to Uni. anyway. Still upsetting to know though. And to top it all off, I'm fighting with one of my best friends over something really stupid.

The next update will be sometime soon - that is whenever I get over this emotional stuff I'm wading through at the moment and feel like I can write again. We're over halfway now, so it should be building up to a climax. Can anyone guess where I'm heading with this yet? ^_^