DISCLAIMER:  Akira Toriyama created DBZ.  Not me.

Chapter 3 - Thinking of you

    Planet fall was what Bulma hated the most.  Take off was no big deal, but landing was always scary to her.  The heart-stopping jolt that signaled the end was the worst.  She opened her eyes slowly and noticed Vegeta was already standing at the door, cursing in fury.
    "What is it?" she asked.  At first, he said nothing but merely stood rigidly at the door peering outside.
    "I knew this was a possibility, but I don't know how it could be happening so soon!" he snarled staring out the small porthole in the door.
    "What?" she said, feeling the first glimmers of unease.
    "Frieza's army has disbanded.  Everyone is fighting for control.  You stay here.  Don't leave the ship!" he yelled as he sprinted out the door.
    "Wait!" she cried and dashed out after him.  She instantly regretted it as the air ripped with explosions. The large part of the battle was over a mile away.  But Vegeta was fighting several yards away with an orange skinned pretty boy that seemed infuriated.  But his rage wasn't nearly enough.  Bulma bit back a horrified scream as Vegeta grabbed the man (she assumed) by the throat and wrung its orange neck. She heard the sickening snap and saw the head loll at an unnatural angle and seconds later her let the corpse drop.
    Vegeta heard a muffled shriek, turned and saw her ashen with fear.  He landed in front of her looking almost concerned.
    "I told you to stay on the ship." He said softly.  She stared at him with wide eyes for a moment, then shook her head.
    "I don't want to be left alone again!" she gasped, her voice uneven.  Vegeta opened his mouth, apparently to argue, when suddenly his face bleached of all color and he fell to his knees. Bulma gasped in fear and immediately followed him.  "Vegeta!" she cried.  "What's wrong?!"
    For long moments she heard nothing but quick gasps and then a low pain-filled moan that rose to almost a shriek.  Then he collapsed in the dirt, gasping for air.  "Are you okay?" Bulma whispered.  He nodded quickly, lungs still heaving.  Suddenly she saw something black writhing in the air.  She turned her full attention and realized with a start that Vegeta's tail had just regenerated.  The fur was coated with a thin film of blood and it thrashed madly as though in pain.  Vegeta was shaking underneath her hands, but his breathing was easier.
    "Damn it." He groaned.
    "What?" she asked, dreading the sour note in his words.
    "My tail…" he panted.  "Takes energy to regenerate…" Indeed, she saw sweat on his brow and he looked pale with fatigue.
    "Is there anything I can do?" he shook his head and slowly pulled himself to his feet.
    "I'll be fine." He snapped after a minute.
    "It's beautiful." She said softly.  He blinked in confusion.
    "What?"
    "Your tail." She said.  Amazingly, the comment brought a blush to Vegeta's cheeks.  He turned away abruptly, coughing shortly. She wanted to touch it, but it was still thrashing behind him sending little droplets of blood and tissue flying.  Soon the fur was dry and shining, and a deep, rich brown.
    Vegeta stared in the direction of the ki-bombs and she could faintly make out several high towers smoking in the same path.
    "Onna."  He said quietly turning to her.  He stared into her blue eyes and she felt as if she was in the darkest night of her life, so black were his eyes.  "You have to stay on the ship.  I don't have time to baby-sit."
    "Get bent!  What if someone sees the ship and decided to blow it up?"
    "Well, it did get me this far…"
    "Fine.  I guess you won't mind if I just leave now." She said turning her back and stomping towards the ship.  "After all, there's enough food for me.  And I don't have to share a bed with a blanket hog! And-"  whatever she was about to say was abruptly cut off as she walked right into the Saiyan Prince.  Bulma bounced back a step and then glared at Vegeta hatefully.  He merely raised an eyebrow.
    "You will do no good to me dead, onna.  You have to stay on the ship.  Believe me. It's better to get blown to pieces than to get caught by one of Frieza's men." He said with a smirk.
    "Oh really?  And what about you?" she snapped as he turned away, towards battle.  He stopped in mid-air and glanced at her over his shoulder.  For a moment she thought that he looked insulted by her remark.  But that couldn't be right.
    "I obey no one.  Just keep your damn mouth shut, do as I say and you'll be fine with me."  And he was gone before she could deliver a scathing reply.  Still, he said he wouldn't hurt her, at least, it sounded like he had.
    She decided the best thing to do was find a place to hide.  Someplace close enough to watch the ship, and far enough that she wouldn't get caught in any possible explosions.  She grabbed her Hoi Poi Capsule, clicked the release, and let it fly.  A small case appeared and she opened it to reveal a stack of fashion magazines.  She had read them all about ten times already.  But she would probably be here awhile, so she might as well read them again.

    Vegeta smiled.  They were already so intent upon killing each other, they'd not yet seen him.  He landed on a tall ridge that surrounded base #42 and without warning began to fire ki-blasts.  There were about sixty men of various species and soon each one was blown to pieces by the deadly accurate blasts.
    He sighed at the simplicity.  He'd been hoping for a challenge.  He made his way inside the base killing any stragglers and then decided the easiest way to load the ship would be  to bring the ship right there.  He stretched languidly, his tail flicking behind him and he slowly rose into the air, gaining speed with altitude.

    Bulma was about to throw the magazine down in disgust when the sound of booted feet hitting the dried earth caught her attention.  Forgetting caution she immediately stood and waved, calling Vegeta's name.
    It wasn't Vegeta.
    Whatever it was, it looked as white as a dead Geisha.  It spotted her and advanced with inhuman speed.  She felt clawed hands grab her and she screamed as loud as she could.  She heard a hissing shriek and the grip slackened.
    Immediately she bolted but she only got a few feet before she was tackled from behind.  She felt tugging, heard cloth ripping.  It hissed something in a harsh, guttural language.  Something warm and moist drew a trail across her cheek.  More  clothing ripping.  She began screaming wildly and received a powerful blow to the face.
    For long moments she didn't know what had happened.  Everything had gotten dark and there was a persistent ringing in her ears.  Sudden pain brought her to herself and the harsh sun hit her in the face.  The pain was unendurable and for a moment it was all she could do to remain conscious.
    He (she assumed it was male) was ripping her jeans off!  Weakly she struggled, sobbing in pain and terror.  She heard the rough voice in her ear and she opened her eyes.
White face, blue eyes, and fine black hair.  The crude grin on his face left little doubt as to what was coming.
    "No!" she screamed, twisting and thrashing.  She received another stinging slap, though less powerful. He lay on top of her, his hands painfully groping her.  She turned her head away and wept.
    Suddenly the weight was torn off of her.  She heard a scream that abruptly ended in a choked gurgle.  She curled onto her side and lay there, shivering and sobbing.
    "Onna?" came a hesitant voice.  She tried to open her eyes, but one was swelling shut, but she recognized his voice.
    "Vegeta?" she rasped, her voice thick with unshed tears.
    "Can you walk?" she bit her lip.  He sounded.. worried.  She must look bad.  Suddenly tears overwhelmed her and she began to cry, curling up into a ball.  She felt herself being lifted and carried somewhere cool and dark.

    Damn it!   He knew it!  Why hadn't she stayed in the ship like he'd told her?  Now look at her!  Half of her face was purple, her clothes were shredded.  He'd been gone only an hour.  Just what had happened?  He shuddered.  He didn't want to know.  Rape was the one thing he couldn't tolerate.  The loud, fiery onna was nothing but a quivering, sniveling heap.  And the worst thing was, he felt bad.
    He'd killed Dora for it, to be sure.  But…  he growled in fury.  Why hadn't she just listened to him?
    When he'd headed back, he'd been relaxed, going whatever speed he felt like but then..  something had made him hurry.  And the rage he'd felt when he'd seen Dora attempting to rape the defenseless woman.  He stopped in his tracks staring down at the battered woman in his arms.
He'd been furious!  Why?  Admittedly, he needed her to fly the ship, but the rage he'd felt hadn't been proper for the possible loss of a mere tool.
    Surely that's not all you see her as? His own conscious taunted.  He carefully laid her on the bed. He quickly turned to go back to the base and transport everything by hand when he heard her whimper his name.
    "Please, stay here for awhile.." she whispered.  "I don't want to be alone."  For a moment he was tempted to turn his back on her and take off as if he hadn't heard.  Why should he stay?  No one had been there for him…
    He sat down on the mattress next to her and leaned back against the headboard.  She attempted a smile but it fell flat.  She snuggled close to him and he sighed, deeply disturbed.  He would stay with her.
    Because no one had been there for him.

    She woke slowly, pain hit her full in the face and for a long time all she could do was lay there and try to open her eyes.  Sitting up left her ready to vomit.  Dizziness assailed her but she breathed slowly and deeply until the nausea passed.  She needed a shower.  She swung her legs over the side of the bed, stood, and fell right back down.
    She suddenly realized that Vegeta's tail was wound around her waist, keeping her in bed as surely as iron chains.  But it gave her an opportunity that she couldn't pass up.  She had wanted to touch the dark, silky tail as soon as she'd laid eyes on it.
    She turned her head and stared at Vegeta, making absolute sure he was asleep.   He was only inches away, lying on his side, his back facing her.  It dawned on her that he was wearing a pair of Goku's shorts and nothing else.  He had been since that morning, but it didn't strike her until now how strangely… Normal he looked.  Almost human… Except for the tail..  She saw an abundance of scars as well on the otherwise smooth, tanned flesh.  His breathing was slow and even, and the furry tail's grip tightened and relaxed alternately.  It was a strange sensation.
It had also occurred to her, a few hours earlier, that Vegeta had saved her.  She'd woken from a nightmare involving the creature that had tried to rape her and had found Vegeta half asleep next to her.  He'd seen her wild eyed look and had assured her that her attacker was no longer alive and that the best thing to do would be sleep more.
    So she had.  And she'd slept peacefully for the rest of the time.
    Vegeta had saved her.  Why?
    "What are you dreaming of, I wonder?" she murmured without a sound.  She slowly reached down, her eyes breaking away from his defined, muscular back.  No sooner had her slender fingers gently trailed down the soft-furred appendage that she felt Vegeta stiffen.  He suddenly rolled over and growled at her.
    "Don't do that." He snapped.
    "Then let me go!" she retorted, embarrassed and angry at being caught.  She had the pleasure of seeing him flush in discomfiture when he saw his tail around her waist.  His tail drew back and wrapped around his waist and she wondered why he was so self-conscious about it.  It seemed a strange contrast to his normal behavior.  But then again, she didn't know him well enough to know what was normal for him.
    He mumbled something unintelligible and she had to ask him to repeat himself.
    "SORRY!" he yelled.  She flinched as the volume hurt her ears.
    "Why?" she asked, curiously.
    "My tail..  " he coughed and his face reddened again.  He got up from the bed and walked several steps away.
    "I don't mind, really.  It's no big deal."  He laughed shortly.
    "Not to you.." he said and quickly headed outside.
    "Wait!" she cried.
    "I'll be back!" he snapped, his expression sullen.  Bulma sighed, scratching her head.  What had happened?  She'd found it kinda cute.   But it seemed like some sort of transgression to Vegeta.  She'd only been curious, and he'd been …  embarrassed?  He had blushed!  She remembered, her eyes widening at the memory.  Maybe it was the same as a stranger grabbing her ass!  She flushed at the thought.  She hoped it wasn't something like that.
    Damn it!  She thought with an irritated growl.  Just when we're starting to sort of get along.  Now I bet there will be nothing but awkward silence for days.
    No! she determined.  At least I need to know if I'm going to get home ever again!

    Vegeta fanned his face as he stalked out of the ship.  It had unaccountably gotten very hot in there.  But what did he expect?  He'd had his tail wrapped around the human onna like she was his mate!  And he woke to her touching it!  he shuddered.  This was not good!  This could not happen!  She was human! And far too weak. Even worse, the sudden surge of desire he'd felt had not only been totally unexpected, but dangerous.  The last thing he needed was an emotional attachment!  He had kept his emotions bottled up for so long it had taken his death for him to even shed a few tears.  He frowned a moment not liking where his train of thought was headed.
What did he care if she got hurt?  True he needed her to fly the ship, but after he got wherever it was he was going…  What would he do?  Give in to the sudden temptation? If the onna didn't survive, well…  He shook his head.  For some reason, the thoughts were totally unappealing.  What the hell was happening to him?   Was it because of all that had happened?
    After all the years as Frieza's slave, to have immortality mere seconds away and lose it.  To pay the ultimate price for his defiance of Frieza's will.  And to beg his rival to finish Frieza in his stead!  He grimaced and raised his hands to massage his suddenly throbbing head.
What was he going to do?  Where were they going?  Should he take the onna to her weak planet and conquer it?  What a way to repay her!  None of his old defenses were working!  If it had been anyone else he would have been wrestling with these issues.  He would gladly stab them in the back for helping him.  But for some reason, he couldn't do it to her?  But why?  There was nothing special about her other than her exceptional appearance.
    He noticed a faint ki behind him as he sat down on the flat, smooth muted red stones that covered the ground for several miles; but paid it no mind until something cold and hard bit into the soft flesh of his back, above the hipbone.  He immediately sprang to his feet with a cry of rage and before the could turn on his attacker they grabbed his tail.
    Still very sensitive after just regenerating,  the pain sent Vegeta to his knees with a hoarse scream.

    Bulma just finished dressing after her quick shower when she heard a scream.  Dropping her hair brush, she dashed to the door, quickly pulling it open.
    She gasped in shock as she saw Vegeta at the mercy of a badly wounded alien.  She saw Vegeta's tail twitching in its grasp.  The Saiyan suddenly collapsed, moaning in agony.  Not even thinking of the consequences, Bulma darted forward and kicked the alien in the head as hard as she could.  It flew back with a pained cry and instantly Vegeta was on his feet.  He shoved Bulma behind him and vaporized the creature with a bright blue ki blast.
    They stood for a moment, panting.  Then Vegeta grunted and wobbled as he took a step towards the ship.
    It was then that Bulma noticed a thick piece of jagged glass protruding from Vegeta's side.  Deep red blood oozed out around the glass.
    "Oh my god!" Bulma cried grabbing his arm.  He stumbled back a step.
    "I know."  He said, but pulled away and headed toward the ship.
    Once inside, dizziness assaulted him and he tripped over his own feet, falling to his knees.  His ribs grinded against the broken glass and he could not stop the low groan that escaped.  He heard the woman insisting that they get downstairs so he might lay down and she could remove the glass with clean water from the tanks.  She was never more glad that at this moment that her father had added a unit to clean the water after each use.  They would have none after all of Bulma's showers.
    He pushed her away,  stood, and headed downstairs as she'd insisted.   He sat carefully on the bed as she dashed around searching for the first aid kit.
She returned moments later with tons of white cloth, a pair of rusty pliers, a bottle of something clear, and a silver bowl of water.
    "Lay down on your side." She instructed.  He eyed the rusty pliers with distrust but she merely shrugged and said: "How else will I get the glass out with out chopping off my fingers?"  he reached down to pull it out himself but she shrieked "No!" so alarmingly that he froze in place for a moment to stare at her aggrieved features.  She acted as if she was the one impaled with a half-inch thick shard of glass.
    "Then do it already!" he snapped.  She took several deep breaths as if to brace herself and gently clamped the pliers onto the glass.  Vegeta flinched but said nothing.
    "Sorry." He glared at her and she took another deep breath.  She put one hand  beside the wound and began to pull the piece out.   It wasn't moving.  "Vegeta relax or I can't get it out."  She said.  He took a few deep breaths as well and she pulled the rest out,  all five inches.
"Shit!" Bulma swore softly.  "Oh shit!" she nearly screamed as the blood began to pour out.  Vegeta fell back with a gasp as she hurriedly snatched up the gauze to stop the bleeding.  Soon the gauze was crimson and dripping, and Vegeta was getting paler.  Bulma whimpered in agony, she'd never seen so much blood!
    "What?" he said softly.
    "You need stitches!  You're bleeding all over!"
    "I am?" he said, sounding slightly confused.  She looked into his pallid face and unfocused eyes.
    "No! Wake up!" she said,  if he went into shock it was over.  She was panicking.  She had to do something.  She rummaged through the first aid kit until she found a curved needle and stitch thread.  But the wound was about four inches deep and she knew nothing about doing any of it!  Was she supposed to stitch the top layer of skin?  What if an artery had been severed?  From the amount of blood pouring from the wound it looked like just that had happened.
    "Onna." Vegeta said quietly.  She looked up from the bloody rags she was pressing madly to his side and stared into his slightly dazed eyes.
    "What?" she shrieked, almost crying.  This was hideous!  Nothing like this had happened to her before!  No one had ever been bleeding their life away on her!  And she'd never been the only person who could help!
    "The base has regeneration tanks."
    "What?!" she snapped, not understanding, only seeing a man bleeding to death in front of her.
    "Listen to me." He said, gripping her arms and shaking her gently.  "The base has healing tanks.  If I can get there I'll be fine.  You won't have to worry about sewing me up."
    "But how the hell am I going to get you there?" she said, tears or helplessness beginning to fall.  He smiled.
    "Why are you crying?  I will be able to fly for a few minutes.  Enough to get us there.  But we have to go right now."  She nodded and pulled him to his feet.  She tried to ignore the blood pouring down and soaking into her clothes as her picked her up and flew out the open door.

    By time the base was in sight Vegeta's face was almost white to his lips and his breath was coming in shallow gasps.  Half of his beige shorts were almost black with blood.  Bulma's white Capri's and her powder blue shirt were ruined.  They landed intact but he instantly collapsed as his feet hit the ground.  Bulma pulled off her blue shirt and pressed it to the gushing wound.   She hoped her bra wouldn't get ruined too, but it was a fleeting thought.  She wrapped her arm around his waist, draped his arm over her shoulder, and helped him up.
    "Vegeta.  You have to tell me how to get in, where the tanks are."  He lifted his head and squinted ahead.
    "There." He pointed to a huge door and a small ki beam blew it open, though the door remained intact.  That was a bad sign.  He could have blown the ship apart easily by her estimate.  "It's the twelfth door on the left." He said softly.
    "Great." Bulma muttered as they staggered in.

    "This is it." Bulma rasped.  Her lungs were burning and her shoulders were aching.  Beside her, Vegeta said nothing.  He looked like a walking corpse, even his lips were turning bluish.  The door slid open and she saw rows and rows of huge containment chambers.    "What do I do?" Vegeta said nothing, but staggered ahead.  He pushed a button on the side of one and the door popped open, lifting up.  He collapsed inside and reached outside to push a red button.
    "Let me out when the light turns green."  he gasped. He fit a breathing mask over his nose and mouth and the chamber door sealed shut.  A thick, clear liquid began to rapidly fill the chamber.  In five minutes it was full and a time set for three hours.

TBC

Chapter 4
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