A Light in the Darkness - part 35: Yamcha's Torment
by Mia Skywalker & Wataruo

PAIRING: None
RATING: G
WARNINGS: None
DISCLAIMER: Neither of us owns any of the DBZ characters or anything about DBZ, but we both wish we owned the Saiyans. All of them. At least all of the ones with hair. These characters are owned by Toei, Viz, Akira Toriyama, and FUNimation, even though the last one is a crying shame. We do own what we've written here, and our specific storyline, just not Dragonball itself. We make no money off of any of these guys, nor off this fic. We just have fun writing it.
SUMMARY: Vegeta wakes up and confronts Bulma.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Thanks to saiyengerl for beta'ing!

NOTE: 
OK, for those of you expecting a lemon in this chapter, sorry, that isn't going to happen for a little while. Yes, the lemon scene will occur, but there are a few other things that need to happen while our favorite couple is sleeping. :-)

And for those of you that want us to kill Yamcha off, sorry! He's one of our faves, and he's going to have a VERY important role as this fic progresses! If that bugs you, you might want to leave now.... :-) If you choose not to read the chapters that don't have B&V, though, you're not going to understand some of the later chapters. I'd suggest not doing that. ^_~ Yamcha becomes very important as the fic progresses. The Yamcha-haters out there will probably hate me for that, but oh well. I personally love the guy! ::hugs my Yamcha-chan:: As I said in one of my original summaries, this is a B/V get-together fic... but with SO much more! ^_~

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Last time on Dragonball Z: A Light in the Darkness....

Vegeta wakes up and confronts Bulma.

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Yamcha had stayed the night at Goku's, mostly because he was feeling too restless to actually go home. Something was keeping him here, although he wasn't precisely sure what. He tried to convince himself that it was because of Bulma's illness, and the fact that he didn't trust Vegeta, but he wasn't entirely sure that was the truth. There was something else unrelated to them - or at least not directly related to them - but he couldn't put his finger on it to name it.

He woke early the next morning, even earlier than Goku, something that was extremely unusual. Chi-Chi was already awake and starting breakfast; she was surprised to see him up, but since breakfast wasn't ready he just went outside to stretch his legs. He was still feeling the nameless restlessness so he began doing katas, trying to get his mind off things. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to flow into the movement of the art, and didn't sense another presence approaching.

Hakusai watched the human warrior practice his warm-ups, and couldn't help admiring the grace and flow of his movements. She rather appreciatively noticed the way his muscles rippled with his movements, and she couldn't help observing how handsome he was. She'd been aware of it earlier, but had been too absorbed with how hurt Vegeta had been to pay too much attention to it. She decided not to interrupt him, but to simply enjoy the view for a while.

After he'd finished warming up, he opened his eyes and noticed Hakusai leaning on the rail of the porch simply watching him. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of the look on her face. Was she still angry with him for the fight between himself and Vegeta the other day? He wanted to defend himself that Vegeta had started it, but he knew that was irrelevant; even though Vegeta had thrown the first punch as well as issued the challenge and made the first insult, if he hadn't done any of those things Yamcha would have fought him regardless. So he felt slightly guilty using that as an excuse, even though he knew he would hang onto it as long as he could.

Yamcha smiled uncertainly at the Saiyan woman. He'd been too upset the previous day to notice how attractive she was. Like Vegeta, there was a slightly brownish cast to her hair, unlike the pure jet-black of Goku's and Gohan's or even his own hair. He wasn't entirely certain what to say to her, since for all he knew she still blamed him for her brother's injuries. And he wasn't stupid enough to really want to duke it out with a Saiyan. He knew that picking a fight with Vegeta the day before had been gross stupidity. If the older Saiyan hadn't been so weakened by lack of food and sleep, he'd have beaten Yamcha easily, and there would be one less human warrior in the world. Yamcha didn't doubt that Vegeta would have killed him without compunction.

"Hi. You're up early, aren't you?" he asked the Saiyan woman, smiling nervously at her. "It looks like it's a nice day, doesn't it?" ::Oh, very smooth, Yamcha!:: he thought to himself. ::If she doesn't want to kill me still, she's going to think I'm a complete idiot! And sometimes I wonder if I am!::

Hakusai did not move from her position by the railing but returned his smile. "I couldn't sleep for some reason," she said arching an eyebrow at him. She brushed her long braid over her shoulder and eyed him thoughtfully for a moment or two before speaking again. "There is one thing I think I need to mention. You should probably stay away from Bulma for a while. My sister-in-law and my brother need time to be sure of one another before a former lover comes into the picture." 

She pushed off of the railing and sat down on the stairs. "A bond is something that all Saiyans respect. We may not like it, but we value it for what it is." Hakusai leaned forward to link her fingers around one knee and chuckled. "And since you don't strike me as the kind of guy with a death wish, staying away from them is the best thing you can do for the moment."

Sister-in-law? Yamcha was startled at that idea. They'd never claimed to be 'married', had they? He didn't understand everything they talked about with regard to 'bonding'. He'd never heard of such a thing before, but then, it's not like he knew any Saiyans other than Goku and Vegeta. And they weren't a good example because Goku had been raised on Chikyuu, and Vegeta wasn't exactly the most forthcoming person he knew. Besides the fact that he seemed to hate Yamcha with a passion that the taller man had never completely understood before now.

Yamcha felt a sudden burning anger at Vegeta. Bulma had been his girlfriend, and that... that killer had somehow taken her away from him! He didn't understand why Bulma would have chosen Vegeta over him. He'd never been anything but gentle with her. He couldn't imagine Vegeta being 'gentle' at all. The man had gotten her pregnant! That meant that he'd... he'd defiled her!

Rage began to fill Yamcha, just thinking about Vegeta touching Bulma, touching her in a way that Yamcha had never... had never quite had the courage to do. He knew that Bulma had been curious, had expected it, had even wanted it at times, but he'd always pulled away. It was hard for him to accept, but he knew that his old fear of women was still with him, that he'd never completely overcome it. But he'd always thought he'd had the chance, that Bulma would always be there for him, and that one day....

Yamcha had no idea that his anger was becoming very apparent to the Saiyan woman facing him, that his ki was beginning to rise drastically, and that he was beginning to feel 'dark', even to her. All he knew was that Vegeta had encroached on his territory, and he wanted revenge.

Hakusai frowned. ::Now that isn't good.:: She watched him get more agitated by the moment and decided that she had better put a stop to what he was obviously thinking. "I suggest, warrior, that if you wish to live, you leave Vegeta and his mate alone," she said softly but intently. "You may not like this, but know this." She stood and strode over to where the other warrior was standing, placed her hands on her hips and glared up at him. "They WILL kill for one another. If Bulma is threatened, Vegeta will beat you. If you threaten Vegeta, Bulma will kill you."

At Yamcha's startled look, she gave the other warrior a smirk that reminded him of her younger sibling. "That surprises you? It should not. To separate them would be inhumane, and your interference will only get you killed. No matter how much Bulma cares for you, she would find a way - subconsciously perhaps - but she would kill you." Hakusai's brow furrowed in thought and then she snorted. "That is if you didn't kill her indirectly by killing my brother."

Yamcha glared at her. He'd been surprised for a moment when she had mentioned that Bulma would kill him, and then he became even further infuriated. How DARED she speak that way of Bulma! Bulma was the gentlest woman he knew, she'd never hurt anyone! He deliberately ignored memories of when she'd been extremely ruthless in order to accomplish a goal, when she'd used herself and others in an almost heartless manner when she felt the 'greater good' was at stake. 

Perhaps it was subconsciously that he forgot all the times that she'd yelled at him for forgetting her birthday, or a date, or a promise he'd made her, as he remembered instead the way she would look up into his eyes when they danced together, or when he held her. He remembered how she'd cried when he'd been returned back to life, how she'd hugged him so tightly and never wanted to let him go. NO! She did NOT belong to Vegeta! He'd forced her, maybe even brainwashed her into believing that she loved him, but Yamcha knew that it couldn't be true! How could someone as caring and sensitive as Bulma love someone as ruthless and cruel and violent and... evil, as Vegeta. It was impossible, and he refused to believe it.

Yamcha's eyes narrowed at Hakusai. "You're his sister, aren't you?" he asked softly.

She nodded, suddenly looking uncertain, not sure how to interpret the expression on his face. His anger hadn't seemed to abate any, but she wasn't clear what he was thinking at the moment. "Yes, I am."

"But you never saw him before a few days ago, did you?" he asked, still softly.

With even more trepidation she shook her head. She couldn't help feeling a quiver of apprehension as to what he was getting at.

"Then you don't really know him," he continued, still quietly. "You want to believe that you know him because he's your brother, but you don't know him, and you don't know Bulma. You can't really judge what's going on. I know both of them. Vegeta's already killed me once; I'm not going to let him do it again. But somehow he's forcing Bulma to his will, and that I will NOT allow. Even if she hates me for it, I will protect her somehow." He stared down at her for a moment longer. "Even if I die protecting her, I'll do that. Even though I can't be brought back again this time."

He turned on his heel and headed towards the house. "But not today. Right now I need to think, and you need to think, and even they need to think. But before it goes too far, I will stop him. I won't let him hurt her any more than he already has."

"He won't, you know." Hakusai's soft voice stopped him in mid-stride. "He won't hurt her. He'll die first." She held up a hand as he turned around to protest. "You are not Saiyan. You don't understand what bonding is, Yamcha. But I do." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him silently. "Let me explain this to you. Or at least let me try. A bonding is not only physical, but also emotional. The two people involved share emotions, thoughts. A telepathic bond is sometimes established where the pair can communicate with each other when not even on the same planet. " 

There was a deep underlining pain in her voice, one she could not hide. "They are one person, Yamcha. Please leave them be," Hakusai whispered. "I may not know my brother, but I know what bonding is firsthand. To come between them would cause them unnecessary pain. Do you remember when Bulma was sick?" When he said nothing, she continued. "That will happen again only it will be worse."

Yamcha felt resentment flare up at her words. He didn't understand because he wasn't a Saiyan? Once again, that belief that Saiyans were inherently so much superior than humans, that a human couldn't possibly achieve what a Saiyan could. At that moment he felt his anger changing course and diverting itself towards her, but he shook his head, not allowing distractions. No, it was Vegeta he hated, no other. Vegeta had done something to Bulma, that much had to be true. 

He made a cutting motion in the air with his hand. "So you say," he replied harshly. "But Bulma is NOT a Saiyan. Vegeta's done something to her, and I will stop it. I don't know anything about your 'bond', but Bulma is not one of you 'superior Saiyans'. She's merely a weak human like me, and I'm betting that because of that, she'll get over it." He turned his back on her. "You'll see. She'll leave him, and if she doesn't, the rest of us will be able to show her what he is. She's smart; she'll get out while she can, and while we can protect her from him. But right now I just want breakfast." He walked into the house and shut the door behind him.

Hakusai shook her head at Yamcha's tirade. "No, warrior." She said to the spot where he had been standing. "She won't leave him. Nothing but death can separate the two of them now." The real mystery to the tall Saiyan woman was why she was bothering to explain bonding to him in the first place. ::Why should I care if he wants to get himself killed? Damn stubborn fool. It does not matter that she is not Saiyan. It happened, why can't he accept it?::

It occurred to her that she was being a little harsh in her judgment on Yamcha. After all he was human and did not understand. ::Well, I suppose I can be nice and go to his funeral.::

But something made her slightly queasy about that line of thinking. The thought of Yamcha being killed made her feel... funny. And she didn't like it. Not at all. It was then that she sensed another presence and looked over to see Goku smiling cheerfully at her. "Morning Hakusai. Did you sleep well?" he asked.

She nodded and plastered a smile on her face, ignoring her uneasy feelings. But then something that Yamcha had said caught her attention. "As good as always Goku-san. Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot!" Goku said cheerfully as he stood looking at her expectantly.

"Yamcha said that Vegeta killed him once."

"Yeah he did."

::Well, that explains why he doesn't like him, I wouldn't be too fond of someone who killed me...:: Hakusai blinked several times before reality kicked in. "Goku, that's impossible. If Vegeta had killed Yamcha he would still be dead. Once you are gone that is it."

Goku shook his head. "We used the dragonballs and wished him back."

"Wished him back?"

"Umm hmm, you see if you gather the seven dragonballs, you call the dragon and you get whatever wish you want," Goku explained.

Hakusai scratched her head. "Anything?"

"Anything as long as it is in Shenlong's power." Goku nodded.

"You're kidding!"

"Nope, not at all. It's how I met all my friends in the first place," Goku said.

"You wished for them?" she teased.

"Of course not." Goku laughed. "Bulma met me while she was looking for the dragonballs and that's how the gang got together."

Hakusai looked stunned. "That's just too strange."

"Breakfast is ready," he announced. "Are you coming in to eat?"

"Sure," she said as she followed him in. She wasn't feeling at all hungry as she sat down at the table with Goku and his family. But she managed to eat something as she always did even when she wasn't hungry. It was funny, she realized, she must be the only Saiyan that had spells when she didn't want to eat. But she knew what was the cause of that, and she had been fighting it for the past ten years.

She looked down at her plate, and wondered what she could do about the current situation. Her problems aside, she wondered how she could convince Yamcha that attacking Vegeta was a stupid thing to do. But she had seen the look in his eyes, and knew instinctively that there was nothing she could do to prevent him from starting a fight. She could only hope that her brother ignored him. But unfortunately no Saiyan turned down a fight. Ever.

Yamcha noticed Hakusai shooting glances at him, and although he might have considered it flattering, he knew that she was not doing it out of any sort of admiration. No, she figured he was just another weak, cowardly human, someone who couldn't stand up to a Saiyan even if every possible odd was stacked in his favor. Of course not. Weren't Saiyans just so superior to everyone else, especially humans?

He couldn't help feeling resentment at the thought. Why did she have to judge humans that way, the way it seemed that all non-humans did? So maybe some humans were weaker than these aliens, but all of these aliens were fighters, comparing themselves to non-fighting humans. Surely he, Tenshinhan, and Krillin had shown that some humans were as strong as Saiyans. Or if not as strong, at least they could hold their own, and they were certainly not cowards. But apparently that didn't count for anything. No, might was right, and anyone weaker was to be pitied. He decided that he was only getting self-pitying with this line of thought, and decided to squash his resentment towards the Saiyan woman. Maybe something could prove to her that not ALL humans were weak and cowardly. He just didn't know what it would be.

"Hey, Goku," he said to the younger man. "Maybe we can spar a little later on. You said you learned some new techniques when you were gone. Think you can teach me a few of them?"

"Sure!" Goku said eagerly. "One of them is called instantaneous movement." He winked at Hakusai.

"You're a show off Son-kun," she said. "This guy is so quick, he learned it in a year."

"You're just mad 'cause it took you five years," Goku replied.

Hakusai snorted. "I had other things on my mind which made it a little hard for me to concentrate."

"Wanna spar with us?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh, I don't know, Goku," she said, casting a look over at Yamcha, then looking back at Goku. "I don't think your friend here likes Saiyans very much." She sat back in her chair and gave him an awkward smile. "Maybe I'll just watch."

Goku made a face. "What good is that?"

"Then I can learn your weak points and beat you up later," she said grinning.

Goku surprised Yamcha by laughing. "Yeah, right, Hakusai. Then who would you spar with?"

Hakusai snapped her fingers. "Damn, you're right! I guess I am going to have to let you live," she teased.

Yamcha frowned at their banter. He was finding it very easy to read into what she was saying. Was she saying that there wouldn't be anyone worth sparring with if Goku was injured? Once again, that implied that she thought that humans were weak, and that made him angry again. He had no idea why her words managed to make him so angry, either. He wasn't normally that way around people, especially women. He wondered if it was because he was so angry with Vegeta that he was taking it out on everyone else. ::Maybe. But I'm not mad at Goku. Something about this woman just makes me angry for some reason. Why does she have to assume we're all weak? Why do I even care that she thinks that?::

He stood up abruptly, uncertain why his feelings were such a muddle right now. He hadn't felt this confused since... he wasn't sure when he'd ever felt this confused, but he wasn't sure that he liked it. "Come on, Goku. I know where we can go spar and not hurt anyone." He put down his fork, finished with breakfast, and headed out of the house without waiting to see if anyone would follow him.

Goku exchanged a glance with Hakusai. "Now I wonder what's got into him?" he said as he stood up.

Hakusai shrugged. "Who knows? I never could understand men." She did have an inkling that Yamcha hated anything that had to do with Vegeta. ::You've been disliked before, girl, get over it:: she scolded herself. ::So what if one human male doesn't like you?::

"Are you coming?" Goku asked.

Hakusai sighed. She really did want to spar, but for some reason did not want to be anywhere near Yamcha at the moment. She didn't know why his hostility was bothering her so much. "Why not? It's not like I have plans for the day."

"Okay Yamcha," Goku announced as he came outside with Hakusai. "Where is this place?"

To be continued.....

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And in the next exciting episode of DragonBall Z: A Light in the Darkness... Goku and Yamcha spar for a bit. Goku shows off his new technique.