Chapter 21
Bulma eyed Rikuum warily. He was at his max right now, which was indeed an extreme level of ability, which also made her even more amazed at how calm Goku was. She just couldn't explain why, but it seemed as if Goku was undaunted by this giant, and completely confident that he could defeat him. Bulma sighed happily. Somehow she was able to find reassurance in Goku's calm demeanor. Perhaps Rikuum had simply turned out to be another Nappa for Goku to beat the stuffings out of.
"Goku," Bulma said quietly, deciding that he knew what he was doing. "Would you like for us to give you some space? If you want to take over, then we won't stay in your way."
"Yes, Bulma, I think that is best," Goku said, looking down at her and smiling kindly. "Besides, you guys deserve a break after all you've been through. Just leave things to me. I won't lose."
She nodded, and so did Gohan and Kuririn. They had all decided that Goku probably knew what he was doing, and in any event, they wouldn't be all that much help to him right now anyway. Bulma led the way for Gohan and Kuririn, and they flew to the top of a nearby hill that promised an excellent view of the impending battle. Bulma could hardly contain her excitement. She beamed happily at the guys, and they beamed right back at her. They couldn't wait to see Rikuum finally get the pounding he deserved!
Rikuum must have decided it was time to draw attention back to himself. He made a short introduction, and he then struck another one of his ridiculous poses.
Goku gaped at him in confusion for a couple of seconds, and then he scratched his head. Maybe he hadn't remembered any of this from Kuririn's memory.
"Can you guys believe it?" Bulma asked excitedly. "It's like we've been given a second chance! I've never felt happier!"
"Yeah!" Gohan exclaimed. "And doesn't Daddy look great? You can tell he's been training really hard!"
"I am definitely glad Goku's here," Kuririn said, crossing his arms and looking at the ground thoughtfully. "But this doesn't solve all our problems, guys."
"You mean the fact that Freeza still has the dragonballs, right?" Bulma asked. "I was just thinking about that, myself."
"Exactly," he replied, nodding. "But to tell you the truth, I really don't think Freeza's used them yet."
"You know, you could be right," Bulma replied, looking around. "Nothing's happened to signify that the Namek Shenlon's been summoned yet. Do you think Freeza knows how to use dragonballs?"
"Let's hope not," Gohan said. "We'll need every advantage we can get."
They all nodded, and then turned their attention to Goku and Rikuum. Rikuum was done posing. He and Goku were in fighting stances, and were ready to fight. One strange thing that Bulma noticed right away was that Goku's battle power was extremely low. Oh, he looked confident enough, but Bulma knew as well as anyone that it took a little time to charge up one's ki before attacking, and the intensity that Goku was exhibiting was astronomically lower than what he'd need to work up to in order to fight Rikuum. Could he possibly be underestimating Rikuum's speed? Surely Goku was smarter than that!
Suddenly Rikuum darted forward, and with cruel precision and speed, he swung his right fist at Goku's left side. If she'd had time for prediction, Bulma would have guessed that Goku would come in contact with with Rikuum's fist, whether by blocking it, or by being hit. Either way, she would have been wrong. Almost magically, it seemed, none of these things occurred, and Rikuum's fist actually appeared to sweep through the unmoving Goku as if he were a hologram! Rikuum let out an exclamation of surprise, and he tried punching Goku in the face. Once again, it appeared as if Rikuum's fist just passed unhindered through Goku's image!
Bulma, Kuririn, and Gohan shared a gasp of surprise. How was Goku doing that? His movements were so fast that they weren't even be able to pick him up, whether by sight or by ki sense!
Of course, Rikuum was surprised too. He was furiously throwing punches and kicks at Goku from every angle - all of which sharing the results of the ones before - and he was beginning to get frustrated. Not once did the expression on Goku's face change, either. At any rate, Rikuum worked himself frantic, and it wasn't long before he had to back off to catch his breath and gape angrily at Goku.
"Speedy little devil, aren't you?" He panted, grinning at him. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to fight fire with fire, won't I?"
Goku frowned disapprovingly. "You know," he said, looking steadily at Rikuum, "it's not too late for you to change your mind. I promise that no harm will come to you if you leave quietly. You'll only get hurt if you keep this up."
Rikuum chuckled sinisterly. "Oh, you'd like me to give up, wouldn't you?" He said slyly, curling his upper lip into a sneer. "Well, I hate to disappoint you, runt, but I'm only just beginning!" He then proceeded to charge up his ki, and Bulma could see that Rikuum was going to go all out on this one. He was crouched way down low, and his aura was crackling like a fireworks display.
Bulma wasn't so sure of what she should expect anymore. She was sure of this much, however: if Goku could move as quickly as he had been, without even showing the slightest sign of fatigue, then Rikuum was going to have to really take him by surprise to land a good hit. She didn't know what he was up to, but he was definitely building up to something big.
"All right, Zippy!" Rikuum bellowed, finally reaching his peak. "You wanna see speed? Well, don't be too surprised if you miss this!"
Goku remained where he was, unsmiling, and watched Rikuum almost disinterestedly. With one final triumphant grin, Rikuum disappeared, and then, almost instantly, he reappeared again, only about half of the way to Goku. The place where he had taken off began to cloud up with all the dirt and pebbles he'd knocked loose, but this went unnoticed. All eyes were on Rikuum, who was hunched over unnaturally, his mouth agape and his neck stretched far out in front of him. Bulma gasped as a figure in red stepped out from underneath the lumbering giant and pulled his elbow back. He had taken Rikuum out with a single elbow jab to the ribs!
With a strange gurgling sound, Rikuum dropped to his knees, and then he fell forward, landing flat on his face, with his arms spread out behind and his rear sticking up.
"Good God!" Kuririn gasped, shaking visibly. "Did you see that? With one hit, yet! And I never saw it until it was over!"
"Yeah!" Gohan breathed excitedly. "I can't believe my dad has gotten this good so fast!"
Bulma looked down at Vegita. He had his usual scowl on his face, but it was combined with a look of angry astonishment. He ground his teeth with contempt, and clenched his fists as he glared at Goku. He was obviously not pleased to see just how powerful Goku had become. Bulma wondered if it would be a wise idea to make Vegita immortal after all. If he'd be able to kill Freeza, then he'd be able to kill Goku too. And they wouldn't be able to wish him back if that happened. Not with the earth's dragonballs, at least. She could see by the hatred and envy in his eyes that it wouldn't take much to tempt Vegita to kill Goku if he got the chance.
And would they really need Vegita? After seeing Goku just now, she wasn't so sure. Maybe Goku could defeat Freeza on his own. If that was the case, then it would be pure foolishness to give Vegita such an advantage. Bulma nudged Kuririn.
"Huh?" Kuririn said, turning to the side. "What is it, Bulma?" He asked.
"I've been thinking, guys," she began, "and I've come to the conclusion that we'd better not make Vegita immortal after all. If he could kill Freeza, then he could kill Goku. Besides, Goku's a lot stronger than we'd ever dreamed he'd be. Maybe he could take care of Freeza after all. Maybe we won't even need Vegita!"
Gohan nodded eagerly. "I was thinking that same thing," he said. "Do you suppose we'd be able to get to the dragonballs without Vegita tagging along?"
"I kind of doubt it," Kuririn said unhappily.
"Well," Bulma said, trying to remain positive. "If we can, then I say we should have three wishes ready, because we may have to make them in a short amount of time."
"That's good thinking," Kuririn said, nodding in agreement. "Well, we already know what the first should be, right?"
"Yeah," Bulma replied. "We'll use the first to wish our friends back to life. And I think that we should use the second one to wish all the Nameks back to life. They didn't deserve to be killed by Freeza."
"I agree with that," Kuririn said, nodding emphatically. "That would definitely be a good wish. How about the third?"
"I don't know," Bulma replied. "I was hoping you guys had some ideas."
"Well," Gohan began, "maybe we should wish all the Nameks to a safer place. Freeza could always kill them all off again if they stay here."
"Good point," Bulma muttered, a little peeved that her wish had a flaw. "Where could we wish them to?"
"How about earth?" Kuririn said. "I'll bet that Kami would watch over them while we were gone. At least there they wouldn't be alone."
"Well then, that's it!" Bulma exclaimed. "We have our wishes! Now all we have to do is get to the dragonballs. As soon as this battle is over we'll have to get right to it. Don't say a word to Vegita, though. We'll have to find some way to stall him while we're gone. Any ideas?"
"Yeah," Kuririn said, pointing to the battlefield below and laughing nervously. "Let's have Goku beat him up."
They laughed and focused their attention back to the events below. Now it was Jees and Baata's turn, and they'd decided to work together against Goku. Apparently he'd worried them by defeating Rikuum so easily. Bulma smiled. So Goku had them scared. She hoped Goku would pop Jees a good one for her.
Suddenly Jees and Baata took off toward Goku, with Jees' red aura and Baata's blue one trailing ostentatiously behind them. Goku remained where he was, with the same stern expression on his face. Jees and Baata zoomed down toward him, but when they got close enough to take a shot at him, instead of attacking, they each shot off in a separate direction. Then they turned sharply, and shot toward him again, this time only one at a time. But once again, they each darted away when they reached him. Thus it continued, and all the while Goku remained unmoving and seemed practically oblivious to them. Perhaps that was why they were acting so strangely, Bulma mused silently. They might be waiting for Goku to make the first move. They certainly seemed to be confused, judging by their facial expressions.
Suddenly Jees flung a small, but fairly potent ki blast at Goku. It shot down swiftly, reaching Goku in less than a second. But instead of hitting him, it sailed right through him, just as Rikuum's punches had done before! This agitated Jees and Baata considerably, and they stopped zooming around. They each landed on the ground, about a hundred yards away from Goku, on opposite sides of him. After nodding at each other, they began firing off a long series of ki blasts at Goku. Despite the fact that they were firing them off so rapidly that Bulma was having trouble discerning where one ended and the next began, not one of them exploded until they had reached the ground far beyond Goku, which meant he was dodging every one. Strangely enough, noone was able to see or sense his movements, so it still appeared as if Goku was just a holographic image down there. Jees and Baata continued their barrage of ki blasts for several more seconds before they finally figured out that they weren't accomplishing anything. They shot up in the air and Jees said something to Baata. He grinned and nodded in reply, and Jees turned back down toward Goku.
"There's no way you'll be able to dodge this!" Jees yelled down at him. "But in any event, prepare yourself as best as you can for our ultimate technique! The Purple Comet Crash!"
Jees and Baata began to power up, and finally Goku did something different. He turned to face Jees and Baata, and Bulma felt a slight intensification of his ki.
By now, Jees and Baata had totally disappeared inside red and blue orbs of ki. Suddenly they shot toward each other, and when they collided, their auras began to swirl around and combine, until all that could be seen was a purple maelstrom of energy. Suddenly this swirling mass began launching a long, fast stream of powerful ki blasts at Goku. He stayed right where he was, however, and Bulma could sense a dramatic rise in the intensity of his ki. Suddenly Goku began to scream, and a compact hemisphere of ki energy materialized around him. The fast stream of ki blasts connected with it almost instantly, and, through sheer ki energy, Goku blocked every blast that touched his ki barrier. Most of them exploded on impact, but a few survived the barrier by ricocheting off in other directions before slamming into various obstacles about the battlefield.
One of them whizzed up at Bulma, Kuririn, and Gohan, and each of them threw a separate blast to meet it. The four blasts collided in midair and exploded loudly. They looked at each other and laughed nervously. That was almost a little too close!
Jees and Baata soon discovered that their attack wasn't having the desired effect, so they disconnected and gaped down at Goku in astonishment. He had blocked their signature attack! But they didn't gape for long. Screaming furiously, they shot down at Goku and began fighting him at the same time. Bulma was almost sure she saw a hint of a grin on his face as Goku effortlessly blocked and dodged the fierce barrage of punches and kicks they administered. They worked their way to either side of him, trying in vain to get a good hit in. Suddenly Goku disappeared, but Baata and Jees were still going, and before they could stop themselves, they punched each other in the face!
"Watch it!" Jees shouted angrily. "You're not supposed to hit me, you damn fool!"
"Watch yourself!" Baata spat back at him. "That was no love tap you gave me, you know!"
"Wait a minute!" Jees said suddenly, turning around to see Goku watching them in amusement some twenty yards away. "What the hell are we doing? We aren't supposed to fight each other! He's the enemy!" Jees motioned for Baata to lean in closer, and he began to talk more quietly.
"What do you suppose they're up to now?" Gohan said with interest, unconsciously leaning forward in an effort to hear them better.
"I don't know, but man, that was great!" Bulma exclaimed, laughing happily. "Goku hasn't touched them once, but they each have a black eye already!"
Kuririn laughed. "I just don't get it," he said. "Goku just trained for 6 days, right?"
"Yeah, that's how long it took the ship to get here, anyway," Bulma said, nodding. "But even if he trained nonstop the whole way here, I still don't see how he could improve so much so fast. It's times like these that make me glad he's on our side."
"Well, at least now we can be pretty sure Goku's got this fight won, right?" Kuririn said excitedly. "We'd better not question it; just be glad he turned out to be as powerful as he is."
"Yeah," Gohan and Bulma breathed excitedly. They suddenly caught sight of Baata and Jees again, who shot back down to the ground and surrounded Goku on either side.
"Hey, freak," Jees snarled at him. "What's with you, anyway? Why don't you attack us? Is dodging the only thing you can do?"
Goku remained silent, but gazed at Jees attentively. Goku's silence was obviously annoying Jees. He drew closer menacingly, growling with contempt at the stoic Saiyan.
"What's wrong with you?" He persisted angrily. "Can't you speak anymore?"
Goku didn't answer him. Jees had had enough.
"That's it!" He exclaimed. "I've had it with this! If you don't attack right now, I'm gonna fly up to that hill and start pickin' your friends off, one by one!" He pointed at Bulma and the boys when he said it.
Suddenly, Goku punched Jees in the face. Bulma heard a strange crunch as Goku's fist connected with Jees' nose.
Jees fell backward from the shock, but was able to stay on his feet. "What the f***?!" He yelled shrilly, grabbing his bloody nose. Goku had really caught him by surprise! "Damn you, you freak! You broke my nose! You've damaged my beautiful face!"
Goku suddenly looked surprised. "I thought you meant you were ready. Didn't you want me to attack?" He asked apologetically.
"No! Yes! I mean... shut up!" Jees stuttered, suddenly at a loss for words. He glared at Goku in frustration.
"Don't worry, Jees; I'll get him for you!" Baata yelled, leaping at Goku. Goku flew backwards, out of his reach, but Baata kept right after him.
"Forget it!" He yelled after Goku. "I'm the fastest fighter in the universe! There's no way you can outrun me!"
Grinning, Goku turned around and really began to fly! He shot up into the air with blinding speed, and surprisingly, Baata was doing a pretty good job of keeping up with him, despite the fact that he did appear to be working a little harder than Goku was. They sped up even more, and by now, Bulma was having a considerable bit of trouble following them with her eyes. Whenever they turned a sharp corner, she saw a clearer image, but at any other time she couldn't make them out. She concentrated on them fiercely until she was able to see the bright streaks of the ki trails they were leaving just behind them in their flight. Suddenly they flew down toward the ground below, and Baata was right on Goku's heels.
What happened next was never seen by anyone but Goku. At what seemed to be the very instant that he touched the ground, Goku was standing completely erect, with one fist extended high in the air, and with Baata balancing precariously on his stomach above it. His arms, legs, and neck lurched downward, and the violent crack that reached Bulma's ears a few seconds later made her aware of the fact that Goku's punch had pierced Baata's armor. Baata fell limp after that, and Goku balanced him on his fist for a second or two more before tossing him at Jees' feet.
"Still want to fight?" He asked him coldly. "I'd leave now if I were you. You won't win either way, but you'll have your health if you get outta here now."
Jees gaped at Baata in astonished terror for a couple of seconds, and then he stared at Goku. He gulped, backed up a few steps, and then shot off in the direction of Freeza's compound. Goku smiled, and for the first time since the fight began, he looked up at Bulma, Gohan, and Kuririn. He laughed and made a "V" with the index and middle fingers of his right hand. That was it. They raced down to congratulate Goku as Vegita tried his best to ignore them.
"Goku, that was amazing!" Bulma cried, hugging him tightly. "You didn't even break a sweat!"
Goku put his hand behind his head and laughed good-naturedly. "Aw, they weren't so bad," he said. "But I think I made that red guy a little upset. Good thing he didn't make me fight him, or he might have ended up worse than just a little angry!" Gohan and Kuririn laughed with Goku, but Bulma frowned and focused her senses on Freeza's compound. She didn't think letting Jees get away was a laughing matter. Goku was too naïve to see that he wasn't going to become another Piccolo. These guys were on a different plane of thinking altogether. And besides, there was still that Captain Ginyu to deal with...
They were suddenly interrupted by a loud blast from behind them. Bulma spun around to see a small crater on the ground where Rikuum had been, and was just in time to see the same thing happen to Baata. As the dust cleared, Vegita strode coolly over to them, glaring with contempt at Goku.
"What was that for, Vegita?" Goku demanded sternly. "They were no longer a threat to you."
"You wouldn't feel the same way about them if you had even the slightest idea of the enormous number of entire civilizations they'd destroyed," Vegita jeered at him. "Besides, I don't give a damn if they were helpless. I don't think like you, Kakkorot. I have the brain of a true warrior, while you, on the other hand, don't even deserve your Saiyan birthright. You're a disgrace to the entire Saiyan race, you fool! If you think you can defeat Freeza with such a mollycoddling attitude, then you deserve the death that will befall you as a result! For this fight, Kakkorot, you'll have to stop acting and thinking like a human, and start being a Saiyan! Now, do you think that pebble-sized brain of yours can comprehend what I'm telling you?"
"Sorry, Vegita," Goku said, frowning at him. "But that's not the way I live, and it's not the way I fight. You'll just have to accept that, because it's not going to change."
"Quit acting like a fool!" Vegita yelled vehemently. "You've already caused me enough trouble by letting that other Ginyu member get away! He's gone off to get his captain, or possibly even Freeza, and in either case that's more than I care to deal with right now! Don't you get it yet? You can't deal with these bastards so foolishly! You're going to get us all killed, and I, for one, refuse to allow it!"
"Much as I hate to say it, Goku," Bulma interjected, frowning at Vegita, "I think Vegita has just made a very good point. You can't just give these guys second chances like this. They're much too powerful, and much too cunning, and if you give them that kind of advantage, they'll use it to double-cross you at every opportunity. These guys aren't like Piccolo, Goku. They aren't going to see the light and change their ways if you defeat them and let them live. They're going to kill you when your back is turned, and they'll be laughing the entire time. We can't afford to take these kinds of chances, Goku. Not this time. Way too much is riding on this."
Gohan and Kuririn, although surprised at first that she had taken Vegita's side on something, were by now nodding their heads in agreement. They saw the sense in Bulma's words, even if they had come from one of Vegita's ideas. They had already seen Freeza and his henchmen in action on this planet, and Team Ginyu was bound to be just as ruthless.
Goku retained his frown, but when he looked down at Bulma the features in his face softened slightly. "Bulma," he said firmly, looking her right in the eyes, "it has always been my way to give everyone a second chance. I can't help being the way that I am. Don't forget that Piccolo wasn't the only one who changed his ways, either. Tenshinhan and Yamucha changed before he did. Don't worry, Bulma. Just because I may let some of our enemies get away doesn't mean that I've let my guard down. I just believe in giving them an opportunity to change for the better. I know you understand that."
Bulma sighed and shook her head. She knew there was no use in arguing the point any further. Goku was just too optimistic to see what these people were really like, and he probably wouldn't see it until something really terrible happened.
"Well, then I wash my hands of you!" Vegita exclaimed contemptuously. "I've no use for a Saiyan who harbors such idiocy. You do what you want, Kakkorot. Just don't expect me to do anything about it when Ginyu tricks you into forfeiting your life, you stupid fool!"
"What're you talking about?" Kuririn said, not quite sure why Captain Ginyu had been brought up all of the sudden. "Is he coming already?"
"He's already here," Goku said, glancing at the two figures in the sky above them.
Bulma gulped. Ginyu was there all right, and so was Jees. She wondered what was going to happen next.
"Kuririn. Gohan. Bulma," Goku said, keeping his eyes on Jees and Ginyu. "I want you three to go ahead and see if you can get the dragonballs. I imagine they're still at Freeza's compound, and he's nowhere near it right now. Vegita and I will take care of these two. What do you say, Vegita?" Goku said, turning in the direction of the other Saiyan. "Do you feel up to it?"
Vegita smirked. "Just stay out of my way," he said. "I could beat these two with my eyes closed if I wanted. But I don't want to hear a peep out of you. Your voice irritates me."
"Fine, Vegita," Goku said. "You can have first crack at them."
Bulma knew what Goku was up to. He was going to keep Vegita here so he could keep an eye on him while they grabbed the dragonballs. The only thing she didn't like about this plan was that Vegita was cooperating with it so well. She was pretty sure he was smart enough to catch what she had about Goku's offer, and the fact that it didn't seem to bother him at all made her suspicious. But if they were going to leave, they had to do it now. Captain Ginyu and Jees were making their descent.
"C'mon, guys," Bulma said, floating up into the air. "Goku's right. Now's our chance to get the dragonballs. I doubt that Freeza will leave them unprotected for long."
Gohan and Kuririn nodded, and they floated up alongside her. They said a quick goodbye to Goku and shot off at high speed.
"I hope they won't follow us," Bulma muttered, thinking with revulsion of Jees and his cocky, grinning face. "Let's fly on for a few more minutes to make sure, and then we need to land for a few seconds. I need to get my dragon radar out of the capsule I put it in, and I can't do that in mid-flight."
"Gotcha," Kuririn said, giving her a thumbs-up. Then they flew in silence for a while, each thinking the same thing. Gohan was the first to speak.
"Um, do you guys think my dad'll be okay?" He asked. "I feel kinda funny about leaving him with Vegita and those other two."
"I think your dad knows what he's doing," Kuririn replied, carefully choosing his words. "But I've got to be honest with you Gohan; I have my doubts too. We don't really know just how strong Ginyu is. Not to mention the fact that there's just no telling how strong your dad is either. I don't know, kid. Let's just trust your father to take care of himself. He's been doing a pretty good job so far, at least!"
"Hey guys," Bulma said. "I don't think we're being followed. Let's stop somewhere inconspicuous down there and take out the dragon radar."
"Okay Bulma," Kuririn said, scanning the ground. "Let's stop off in that grove of trees down there. They'll offer us some cover."
They shot down into the small group of trees and waited patiently for Bulma to take out her dragon radar. Bulma kneeled down to get the capsule case out of her boot, and drew her breath in sharply. She was still pretty sore from that fight with Rikuum. She was definitely glad that was over with. She was pretty worn out, but she could have been a lot worse off; that was for sure. She recapsulized the bag after she'd retrieved her radar, and she stuffed the capsule back in its place in her capsule case.
As she was refastening the flap on her boot, Bulma felt something peculiar. She turned around abruptly, startling Kuririn and Gohan.
"What is it, Bulma?" Gohan asked. She held up her hand for silence and concentrated. After a few moments, she shook her head and got up again.
"I could have sworn that I sensed someone over that way," she said, pointing about ninety degrees left of the direction of the battlefield. "But nothing's there now. It must have been my imagination."
Gohan and Kuririn focused their senses in the direction she pointed to, but they couldn't sense anything either. "Just the same," Kuririn remarked, as they flew out of the cover of the trees to leave, "let's all be on guard. Maybe it was your imagination, Bulma, but we can't afford to take a chance if it wasn't. Let us know if you sense anything again."
"You know; it's strange," Gohan said as they took off again for Freeza's compound. "Your ki sense has become really sensitive, Bulma. I wonder why that is?"
"Well," she began, folding her arms and looking down at the ground flying by beneath her, "being able to sense the location of my opponent at all times is the very first thing that Yamucha began to teach me. I was able to sense ki long before I learned how to fly. I guess it gets better with time and usage. Besides, I haven't had all the rigorous strength training that you guys have. I guess that instead of training my body more, I've spent most of my time using my mind techniques. Ki sense goes along with it. Really, though, I think that's my greatest flaw. Yamucha told me long ago that a truly skilled fighter has a well-defined balance of physical and mental strength. If we ever make it back to earth, I'm going to go straight to work on the physical part."
They were silent then. Would they get home again? Things did look a bit bleak right now. But if only they could get to the dragonballs!
"Hey Bulma," Kuririn said. "So, what does the dragon radar show? Are we going in the right direction?"
"Yep," she answered, zooming the screen in some more. "The dragonballs are definitely all up there at Freeza's compound. I wonder how many soldiers he has guarding them?"
"Hey!" Gohan exclaimed. "How about teleporting us there, Bulma? We'd get there a lot faster, and you could punch out the guards before you restarted time! What do you think about that?"
"Hey, that's a great idea!" Kuririn said excitedly. "How about it, Bulma?"
Sighing, she shook her head dejectedly. "Sorry guys," she replied. "The thought had occurred to me too, but I'm too weak from my fight with Rikuum to try that. I'm pretty sure I could do it without any problems, but I'd be pretty useless if something else came up after that. Let's just fly there. I'd rather save my energy in case we have to make a quick getaway."
"Oh, that's right!" Kuririn said, suddenly sorry he'd asked. "You didn't have a Sensu bean, did you, Bulma? No wonder you don't feel up to it! Well, that's okay. You just point us in the right direction, and we'll take care of the rest! Right Gohan?" He shot Gohan a thumbs-up, and Gohan nodded, his face the very image of determination.
Bulma smiled. Kuririn could be a bit overprotective at times, but she wouldn't trade him for anything else in the world. "No way!" She said, grinning at him. "I'm not out of it yet, pal!" She grabbed Kuririn by one of his legs and flung him skyward. He cried out in surprise, and she shot up after him and began kicking at him playfully.
"Okay! Okay!" Kuririn laughed, pretending to be overcome by her awesome power. "I get the picture!"
Gohan was laughing at them hysterically, and pretty soon they were doing the same. Bulma kept laughing after they had finished, and laughed until she cried. Then she kept crying. She cried so hard she was having difficulty flying. She just couldn't stop!
"Hey, Bulma, are you okay?" Kuririn said worriedly. "What's wrong?" She shook her head and covered her face with her hands. She wavered unsteadily in the air, and Kuririn and Gohan each grabbed one of her arms to help hold her up. She tried to laugh, but it only came out as a combination between a hiccup and a sob.
"I don't know what's wrong with me," she sobbed, shaking her head from side to side and trying to restrain a fresh stream of sobs as they made their way to the surface. "I'm so sorry. Everything's so weird, you know? I just don't know what to think anymore! God, I'm so ashamed of myself!"
"Don't worry Bulma," Kuririn said soothingly, rubbing her reassuringly on the back, but shooting Gohan a look of concern. "It's okay. We've all been through a hell of a lot today. This is just your own way of dealing with it. It's no wonder your emotions are running haywire, anyway! When was the last time you got any sleep?"
Bulma looked up at him. "I guess you could count the time I spent in Freeza's rejuvenation tank," she sniffed, beginning to recover a little.
Kuririn stared at her, and she stared back. Suddenly they laughed, and Bulma wiped her eyes dry. "Well, you guys haven't had ANY sleep!" She said, straightening up, and pulling away so she could fly on her own. "You're even worse off than I am!"
"Well, actually, the Sensu took care of that too," Kuririn said, shrugging. "Don't worry about us. We're fine."
"Well, I guess that's that then," she said, sighing. "Don't worry guys. That won't happen again. I just kind of lost it there. I'm sorry."
They smiled. "It's okay, Bulma," Gohan said. "Do you feel any better?"
"Actually, yes!" She said in surprise. "I feel a lot better! I guess I just needed a good cry." She laughed, and they laughed with her. She finally convinced them that she was ready to resume their flight to Freeza's compound, and they took off again. As she concentrated on the dragon radar, Bulma felt very happy to have friends who were so willing to put up with her like Kuririn and Gohan did. As they raced toward Freeza's compound, she made up her mind right then and there that even if it meant her own life, she'd get these two safely back to earth. Freeza wasn't going to lay one scaly finger on them!
On to the next Chapter!
