Aftermath, a love story Part 2.

By Zoicyte aka Johnnyjosh.

Warnings; MAJOR ANGST, Hentai (het), death, angst, lemon.

Notes; AU, TWT, weirdness, OOC, just strange. This takes place I guess just before Bra would have been born, but in my universe, the Buu thing is over, and there are currently no more threats to the safety of the world, just need to clear that up.

Pairings; Krillin/Juuhachigou, Vegeta/Bulma, and ?/?.

Disclaimer; Don't own 'em, not making any money.

"Denotes speaking"

*Denotes thoughts*

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Krillin's funeral was a small, sad affair. All the Z senshi gathered once again, as well as several people not seen since Krillin and Goku's childhood. Tien and Lunch sat together, lost in reminiscence, and even Marron, Krillin's one time girlfriend showed up. Amazingly, she managed to remain quiet and dignified in front of his family. As all the Z fighters took their turns giving a small speech, Vegeta watched all the mourners, his eyes flicking back every so often to the small monk's casket. He relented finally to his own family's need for comfort and allowed Trunks to sit in his lap as he put an arm around Bulma who, they had found out the day after Krillin's death, was 8 weeks pregnant.

"Oh Vegeta...this isn't fair. Why couldn't it be something we could just wish away with the dragonballs?" She sobbed quietly against his throat.

"I don't know." He whispered as he rubbed her back, watching Juuhachigou from the corner of his eye.

Master Roshi, Yamcha Goku and Juunanigou were clustered around her, seeming to hold up the distressingly frail and vulnerable looking cyborg. Marron stood in front of her mother, boxed in by Videl, Chi-Chi Gohan and Goten.

*Watch out for them Vegeta.* Krillin's words echoed through Vegeta's mind again. "Juu-chan's like you in so many ways.* He continued to watch everyone as he quietly reminisced about how he had come to meet Krillin.

"Are you going to say anything Vegeta?" The prince snapped out of his remembrances to find Goku leaning over and whispering to him.

"Yes.." Vegeta said softly, setting Trunks down and approaching the casket.

"I...." Vegeta began, trying to think of something different from all the weepy sappy words the other warriors had been spewing all afternoon. "I owe you a great deal ningen. When we first met on Chikyuu, you spared my life. We fought alongside each other on Namek against Freeza, and I was...impressed by your courage and strength. During the fight with Cell, you...saved my life. Thank you. I only wish I had the opportunity to repay you." He said, closing his eyes briefly. "I.....will..miss you." Vegeta rasped as he turned and walked a short distance away.

He flinched as a hand came down gently on his shoulder, and spun to find Juuhachigou looking at him with a tearful smile on her face.

"Thank you." She whispered, pulling the startled Saiyan into a fierce embrace. "I think he knew how you felt. You guys had your own kind of friendship, not always an easy one, but he knew he you could be counted on when the chips were down." She said, hugging him again briefly.

"I...yes.." He said, finally wrapping his arms around her and hugging back.

"That was really great Vegeta." Bulma smiled wanly at him. "I love the things you said and how you comforted Juu-chan. She really needed all of our support." She said.

"She'll need our help after today as well." Vegeta said. "Perhaps you're right, she should come and stay with us for a while. There's too many memories of her husband at home right now I think".

"Yeah.... I know she's having a hard time dealing with this and trying to be there for Marron at the same time." Bulma said, watching mother and daughter clinging to each other crying.

One month later.......

"Are you sure?" Bulma asked softly.

"Yeah, I want to go back. I can't stay here forever. I need to be able to deal with this on my own. Thank you for all the help you've given us. We'll be around for visits, you'll probably be sick of seeing us here so often." Juuhachigou smiled.

"Never." Bulma said, walking over to give her a hug. The cyborg and Vegeta nodded to each other, and Juuhachigou shook hands with Dr. and Mrs. Briefs.

Trunks ran up to Marron and swept the six year old up in his arms and gave her a big loud kiss on the cheek before releasing her and running away. Goten, not to be outdone, grabbed her and kissed her on the corner of the mouth. Marron stood still for several seconds, eyes wide. Then she screamed and ran to her mother.

"M..m..mommy!!" She cried.

"What's wrong honey?" She asked softly.

"Trunks and Goten gived me COOOOTIIIIEEEESS!!!! WAAHHH!!!" She wailed, making all the adults laugh uproariously.

"How does next Thursday sound?" The jinzoningen asked as she picked up her suitcase.

"Sounds great." Bulma grinned.

Five and a half months later............

"Hello there." Vegeta jumped as the soft voice of Juunanigou sounded in his ear. He spun to find the dark haired cyborg right behind him.

"Shimatta!" He swore. "I'll never get used to not being able to sense your ki." He growled.

"Awww....don't be like that." The jinzoningen purred, coming closer.

"Back off." Juuhachigou's voice carried the barest hint of warning as she saw the way her openly gay brother was leering at Vegeta. "Don't start another fight today. How many times does Vegeta have to tell you he's not interested in guys?"

"But I was just having a little fun..right Vegeta? You know I'm only teasing." The cyborg grinned at him.

"Hnnnn..." Vegeta eyed him suspiciously.

"Just leave him alone for once!" She cried out in exasperation as she walked into the kitchen with Marron clutched to her. "It's okay now honey." She said softly as she tried to pry her daughter off. "We're on the ground now see, it's okay."

"She's been even more scared of flying than usual since..." Juunanigou trailed off quietly.

Trunks and Goten streaked into the room, squealing and wrestling. Marron immediately brightened upon seeing the two boys, and ran after them.

"Is Goku here?" Juunanigou asked, a devilish gleam in his eyes.

"No, that annoying brat of his just comes over whenever he can escape from his mother." Vegeta chuckled.

"Where's Bulma?" Juuhachigou asked, walking over to the counter and starting a pot of coffee.

"In that blasted lab again, she'll probably stay in there right up until she goes into labor, just like last time." Vegeta scowled. The two cyborgs smiled at the Saiyan's ill disguised concern for his mate.

"Look. Why don't you two wait here, and I'll go get her." She smirked at Vegeta's uneasy glance at her brother. "And if you touch him Juun, I'll rip your face off."

Juunanigou crossed his arms and pouted, making Vegeta chuckle. "Come on." He said gruffly. "I'll show you some of the modifications the onna made to my gravity room."

"Cool." Juun replied, checking out Vegeta's butt as they made their way out the door. Juuhachigou desperately tried to stifle her laughter as the back door slammed and she threw back her head and laughed, earning herself quizzical stares from the three children watching TV in the living room.

"Well Dad, let's give it a test run!" Bulma said excitedly as she placed the new fuel cell she and her father had been developing for the last year in the slot. Dr. Brief walked across the lab to get some safety goggles, just in case.

"You really should wear more protective gear in here Bulma." Dr. Briefs admonished softly. "You're expecting any day now, it wouldn't do for you to injure yourself."

"Oh Dad come on, you and I invented this, so of course it's going to be perfect!" She flicked the switch, and the test engine roared to life, the fuel cell glowing and working fine.

"See? I told you." She said with a grin. "Now let's get the other ones in here for testing.

As she walked to the door of the laboratory, the small, almost microscopic flaw in the casing of the fuel cell began to weaken. The fuel cell began to glow red, then white hot as the casing disintegrated altogether, bathing the lab in white light. Dr. Briefs screamed as his back was hit by the intense heat. Bulma only had time to gasp as the explosion began, a sharp pain lancing through her chest. She looked down and saw a piece of metal pipe that belonged to the test engine jutting out just above her left breast. She couldn't even scream as her heart and lung were destroyed, the light leaving her eyes before she hit the floor. It would prove to be a bitter irony.. for Bulma falling where she did, behind a solid metal desk in a doorway, would ultimately protect her body from the shock of the blast and falling debris. It would be one of the main things that saved the unborn child inside her.

Vegeta's face paled as he felt a sharp, piercing pain in his heart and lung. He fell to his knees, gasping for breath. "Bulma.." He rasped as tears filled his eyes. She was gone.

"Vegeta? Vegeta!" Juunanigou cried as he knelt beside the weeping Saiyan. "Kami! What's wrong Vegeta?" He got his answer as a horrendous shockwave hit them, rocking the gravity chamber off its very foundation, pushing the Saiyan and jinzoningen to the ground. "What the hell?!...." He stared in horror at the flames that shot into the sky. "Those are coming....OH NO!" He shouted, getting up and running to the lab. Vegeta stumbled to his feet and limped after him. Juun stopped, looped Vegeta's arm over his slender shoulders and took to the air.

Juuhachigou hummed to herself softly as she walked across the expansive back yard to the lab. She screamed and threw her arms over her face as the lab suddenly exploded into a huge fireball, the force of it sending the cybrog flying back to crash into the side of the house.

She shook her head to clear it as Marron Trunks and Goten ran out into the yard.

"Get back in the house!" She screamed at them. "Now!!"

"What's goin on?" Goten blinked at her, then noticed the flames. "What's that?" He pointed.

Trunks followed Goten's finger, and his blue eyes widened with fear as he realized the flames were coming from where his mother was. "I have to find Mom! He cried. "She might be hurt!"

"No Trunks!" Mrs. Briefs cried, appearing in the doorway just in time to stop the two boys from running off. "You stay in here. Let your father go and get her, okay?"

"Yeah you stay here and we'll find her. It's gonna be okay." Juuhachigou said, trying to force a smile and feeling like a creep for lying to Trunks.

Trunks struggled briefly, but between his grandmother, his best friend and the little girl he and Goten joked was their girlfriend, they managed to make him go back inside. Juuhachigou sighed sadly and flew back to the lab to try and help her friend. *Kami....I don't see how any human without a substantial power level could have survived such a blast.* She thought as tears ran down her pale cheeks. "Fuck!" She cried in frustration, sadness and anger. "First my love, and now Bulma. It's not fair!" She sobbed before spotting her brother and Vegeta. She wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her shirt and touched down beside them. The three of them nodded and quickly dove into the rubble to dig out any survivors.

"Where is she?" Vegeta cried, tears flooding his eyes again as Juunanigou gingerly pulled out the body of yet another lab worker and respectfully stretched him out on the ground beside the other nine they had found.

"Here!" Juuhachigou cried as she found Dr. Briefs' body. The three of them converged on the pile of wreckage and quickly cleared it away until they found a large metal desk and underneath it, Bulma.

"Noooo!!" Vegeta shrieked as he saw the piece of metal imbedded in his mate's chest. He fell to the ground and clutched her lifeless body in his arms, sobbing as he rocked back and forth. "Oh Kami...why? WHY?!" He threw his head back and screamed for an answer.

*Sis..make Vegeta turn away. I don't want him seeing what I'm about to do.* Juun transmitted to his sister.

*Why, what are you going to do?* She asked as she gently tried to pry the grief-stricken Vegeta away from Bulma.

*I think the kid is still alive.* Juun sent back, making his sister gasp. *So I'd better do something now. The baby's not going to be able to survive in there much longer.*

"What! No! Leave me alone!" Vegeta snapped as Juu-chan tried to pull him away . "The baby! It's still alive!" He struggled frantically as Juuhachigou gripped his chin and forced him to look at her.

"Vegeta!" She shouted into his face, getting his attention. "We know! Now come here and let my brother take care of it!" She commanded as she led him a few feet away and forced him to turn toward her.

Vegeta closed his eyes, feeling bile rising in the back of his throat as wet tearing sounds were heard. His eyes snapped open as a thin, reedy cry came from behind him, and he tried to turn around. "Let me go!" He cried.

"Just a second Vegeta." Juunanigou's voice was maddeningly calm as he held the little baby girl in one hand and looked around for something to cover Bulma's torn open stomach with.

"Here." Juuhachigou said, letting go of Vegeta to pull her shirt over her head and toss it to her brother, uncaring of the fact that she now was wearing nothing more than jeans, sneakers and a black bra.

"Nice bra." Juun quipped as he took a moment to wipe the baby clean before covering her mother's corpse. "Here Vegeta. You have a daughter." He said softly.

Tears streamed down Vegeta's face as he held his little girl, and looked past her to his dead mate. "Where's my son?" He said, turning slowly.

"In the house." Juu-chan whispered.

"I have to tell him.....and show him his little sister." He sighed sadly. "Bittersweet indeed." He said, trying to put up his defenses again. "Her birthday will always mark the anniversary of her mother's death."

Two days later...........

For the second time in less than a year, all the Z fighters, their friends and families gathered to mark the passing of people near and dear to them. Videl, Chi-Chi, Mrs. Briefs and Lunch were huddled in one corner, sobbing.

Ox King, Master Roshi, Mr. Satan, Oolong and Turtle were sitting near the back, silently paying their respects.

Piccolo stood in the very back corner, his eyes closed as he went through his memories of the two people who had been so violently torn from them.

Juunanigou and Juuhachigou sat together beside Vegeta and Trunks' seats, as Marron solemnly watched the proceedings.

Goku, who was holding Goten's hand, Gohan, Tien Chiaotzu and Yamcha stood opposite the women, tears rolling down their faces as they stood silently and gazed at the two caskets.

The lids were open, showing Dr. Briefs and Bulma looking frighteningly alive, as if they were doing nothing more than sleeping.

Vegeta stood before the two coffins, stoic and proud as he cradled his daughter in one arm and held Trunks' hand. He looked down at his son and saw the way his chin trembled and his eyes shone. *He's trying to be brave for me. He doesn't want me to see him cry.* Vegeta smiled softly and let go of Trunks' hand to ruffle his hair gently. "Go ahead, let it out." He whispered. The boy needed no further encouragement. With a loud sob he threw his arms around his father's waist and cried. Vegeta draped his arm around Trunks' shoulders and went back to staring at his mate.

To Be Continued...............

Again with the sad sack chapter. Maybe the next one will have somebody gettin happy?

JJ