The Curse of the Bond
By: Kichi

 

 

Chapter 1

 

    She knew she had moments left to live but she could do nothing but stare in dumb surprise at the spot her best friend's son had just been standing.  One second he was there, then next- poof.  She whirled in alarm and gasped.  Piccolo was gone too.
    "I'm alone!" she sobbed.  "I'm going to die all alone!"  a powerful tremor rocked the ship and she was flung against the console.  She was so distraught she did not hear loud footsteps coming up behind her.
    "Human!" a voice cried over the roaring of the wind.  Strong hands grasped her upper-arms and spun her around.  For a moment she couldn't tell who it was through her tears, but she knew it wasn't Gohan.  "Stop your pathetic crying and move this damn ship or we'll die!" he shook her roughly, tears spilled from her eyes and splashed on her sweaty skin.
    Vegeta.
    It was Vegeta shaking her, yelling at her.  The faint touch of panic in his voice jolted her out of her stunned misery and her mind went on auto.
    Move it, make this ship work!
    Her fingers flew over the keys.  She never questioned, never even looked at him again until the engines roared to life and shot them out of the evaporating atmosphere.  It wasn't until they were safely away from the dying planet, far enough away that the imminent explosion wouldn't throw them off course, that she looked at him.
    He slept on the floor, sprawled out and snoring softly.  Her eyes widened in surprise.
    "I've escaped certain death only to be trapped in space with a murderer."  Bulma said softly, a catch in her throat.  Her vision blurred again and she felt tears sliding down her dirty face.  She quickly brushed them away and set the ships controls to auto pilot.  He didn't look so scary asleep.  But she was still terrified.  He'd just tried to kill her and Krillin a week ago.  And it was because of him that Yamcha was dead!
Krillin, Goku, Gohan… she thought, weeping again.  She would never see them again, either.  She put her hand to her chest as an unbearable ache swept through her.  The strength left her and she fell to her knees, choking with sobs.
    "Woman." Came a rough, half-asleep voice.  "Stop your pathetic bawling." Bulma's tears stopped, burned away by incredible fury.
    "Fuck you asshole!" she shrieked.  "This is all your fault!  If it wasn't for you we would never have had to come to Namek.  My friends would still be alive!  Just shut up and leave me alone!"  she closed her mouth with a snap, her face burning.  Then she realized just who she had just yelled at and her face drained of color.  She glanced up fearfully and was surprised to see Vegeta regarding her with an almost content expression.  His lack of anger confused and scared her.  From what little she had seen of him, he'd seemed to have a vicious temper.  But he didn't even look annoyed.
    "You would be dead right now." He said softly, rising to his feet quickly and gracefully.  Bulma immediately began to back away, nervous of his calm, quiet voice.  But he pinned her with his gaze.  His coal black eyes seemed to stare straight through her.  "You would have sat there, crying like a weak woman while the whole planet exploded around you."  He came closer and closer until Bulma's back was to the console and she had no way to escape.  She began to tremble with fear.  "And besides-" he began with an almost pleasant smile that quickly faded . "I didn't ask to be wished back."
    "What?" Bulma blurted in confusion.  Suddenly he took a step back, his gaze distant.
    "Nothing." He snapped, his voice no longer soft, but rough and angry. She blinked in dawning realization.
    "You died?" she asked with great daring.  She hoped he wouldn't kill her if he didn't know how to fly the ship.  She was stunned to see some color fade from his face.  He said nothing but turned away and went back to sit against the wall, arms folded and legs crossed at the ankles.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to upset you."
    "Shut up!" he snapped, his voice laden with disgust.  She dared a glance at him and he glared at her hatefully.  She returned the glare.
    "No I won't!  And I lied!" she yelled.  "I'm not sorry you died!  You deserved it!"  she broke off her tirade as he leapt to his feet and closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye.  She flinched as his black eyes pierced her.  She could see her death at his hands as if he was patiently explaining how he might break every bone in her body and watch her die of internal bleeding.  She felt light-headed.
    "Who the fuck do you think you are?!" he roared.  Bulma was terrified.  But she could not look away as she could clearly see burning anguish in his eyes.  "I never deserved any of this! I did everything that Frieza asked and he beat me to death! He destroyed my whole planet when I was eight and made me his slave!  And you think I deserve it!! " his voice grew louder and louder until he was almost screaming.  He broke off and abruptly turned away again as if attempting to control himself.   She could hear his deep gasps over her frightened panting.  Was it true?  Did it matter?  He was going to kill her anyway.  "Just shut up." He said softly as he trudged over to the corner.
    She was amazed to find herself feeling sympathy for him, almost as if she could understand him a little.  But it was ridiculous!  If her whole planet had been wiped out would she take her hatred out on weaker races and destroy whole planets? She shook her head.  But wouldn't she do anything necessary to avenge her family and people?  Maybe.  Even if it meant killing everyone?  She wasn't so sure about that.   He was cruel and evil but why such frightening pain in his eyes?  So daunting was the intensity.  She'd only caught a glimpse, but she felt as if she'd just seen the depths of hell.  She shivered as her fear increased.  What was she going to do?  How was she going to make it?  Would she reach home in one piece? Or would she end up as damaged as he appeared to be?  She felt tears coming to her eyes again and she again snuck a glance at the Saiyan Prince.
    He looked unusually somber, probably regretting that she knew so much about him already while he knew nothing of her.  He only knew that she'd been trying to use the dragon balls to wish back his enemies.  Should she say something or leave him alone?  He wasn't looking at her.  His legs were drawn up to his chest and he hugged his knees reminding her forcibly of a small, lost child.  He looked tired, and surprisingly, kind of young.  She wondered how old he was.  Her age, maybe a little older.
    "Who is Frieza?" she said so softly she wasn't sure he'd heard.  He glanced at her and she was again struck by how young he looked.  He opened his mouth and closed it again, shaking his head as if debating whether to speak or not.  Eventually he spoke, softly as if he himself didn't want to speak of it.
    "King Cold's son.  The strongest fighter in the universe next to the Super Saiyan." He said softly, his gaze abstract.  "He destroyed races and sold their planets or whatever he wished to do with them.  And I was his slave." He hissed bitterly.  "I and everyone in his army.  Taken from our homes and forced to do his slaughtering for him.  No one alive is as strong. No one dared oppose him."  For long moments there was silence.  Bulma was caught up in the spell his quiet voice wove.  And the sadness in his eyes.  He seemed much different from the man she'd met just last week.  Something inside him had broken.  And it seemed to her that something was his heart.  Even someone like him could hurt, she marveled.  "No one until me.  And see what happened."
    "Wh-what about Goku?" she said, her voice dry and cracking.
    "Kakarotto is the Super Saiyan.  Frieza will die." He whispered.  He closed his eyes as if weary beyond belief.  He rubbed his face and tugged his thick black spikes.
    "There's a bed downstairs… " Bulma said softly.  "If your tired."  He said nothing, merely nodded and trudged downstairs.

    For a long time she sat there thinking about what he'd said.  If it was true - and she could tell it was by his discomfiture after he'd spoken about it - then she and all the Z fighters needed to reevaluate their view of Vegeta.
    For some reason she couldn't find it in her heart to hate him anymore.  Not after that sad confession.  She had clearly seen such pain in his eyes, it had made her heart ache.  She didn't know he'd only done what he'd had to in order to survive.  She hadn't known that Vegeta had been a prince forced into slavery by his father's killer, his planet's destroyer.  No one deserved that.  And at such a young age.
She tried to imagine what he must have gone through.  What would she do in his place?  The answer hit her like a slap in the face.
    She'd die.
    She knew in her heart that she didn't have the strength to live through that.  She'd end up wasting away, starving herself, cutting her wrists, or slowly kill herself with drugs.  Something.  She just couldn't see herself living through that pain.  Even if she could survive the pain of losing everything- which would be hell in itself- but serving the one who took it all away?  She would rather die.   And he'd only told her the condensed version of his story, that much was obvious.  But she was still afraid of him and didn't want to ask about the rest.  She wasn't even sure she wanted to hear the rest if he was willing to speak of it.
    But this was Vegeta after all, he wouldn't say anything after this.  Humans were weak and worthless as far as she was concerned.  Why did she care anyway?  Sure, she felt bad for him, but did that excuse everything he'd done?  Even if he'd never come to Earth- whole planets he'd destroyed!  By his own account!  She had learned of the practice from Radditz well over a year ago now.
She caught her breath.  Was that it?  It seemed she'd been on Namek her whole life!  Like some dread purgatory she couldn't escape.  And when escape had seemed possible she only found herself in a deeper circle of hell.  She was trapped on her father's ship, an enhanced model of Son Kun's Saiyan pod.  And she was with the last Prince of the Saiyans!  A killer of hundreds of thousands!  She'd seen the fight with Zarbon!  He'd enjoyed it!   Why not everything else?
    And he's handsome too which makes it even worse! She thought morosely.  Then she blinked in surprise at the stray thought and sat up a little straighter.
    How could she think such a thing?  She loved Yamcha!  Didn't she?  Of course she did!!  She'd gone all the way to NAMEK, another PLANET to find the Dragon balls to wish him back!  Would she do that if she didn't love him?  Of course not!
    It was just that she'd been alone for so long!  And he was cute, in a bad ass kind of way.  And he had a sexy body, and he was so mysterious!  And intense and brooding.  And those eyes of his!  And that voice!
    She walked over to the far wall that was just above the 'bedroom'.  The floor was metal grating and if she got really close she could easily see through into the bottom floor.  She could while she was standing there but not details.  She knelt down and took a peek.  She could hear him softly snoring already.
    He lay on the bed curled on his side, his head pillowed on his hands.  She blinked in surprise.  He looked.. different.  The angry scowl was gone.  She stared in amazement, not realizing she was holding her breath until she was forced to suck in air or pass out.
    He wasn't just cute, he was gorgeous!  She was appalled at the realization, but she couldn't control what she thought.  At the moment, she didn't even care to.  He looked almost younger than her, he probably wasn't but at the moment he looked like a different person almost.  She wondered what he'd look like with a real smile on his face.  The thought suddenly obsessed her for an instant.
    "Stop this!" she snapped.  "I love Yamcha.." she repeated to herself several times.  She did love Yamcha, she really did.  And she wasn't having on of those: "fall in love with you kidnapper" kind of things.  That was just stupid.  She didn't really like him, he intrigued her.  So she found him attractive!  What straight girl wouldn't?
    Yes, she was still afraid of him, but powerfully fascinated as well.  It was the pain inside of him.  Before she'd only known him to be full of hate and disgust for all those considered "inferior" to him.  She'd never considered that he might even be able to feel pain, physically or emotionally.
    But then she'd learned a few things that had sparked her compassion as well as her attention.
    Why hadn't he left him?  Why hadn't he run as far as he could from the tyrant?  What had held him there?
    The answer was so obvious, she wondered how she had not seen it earlier.
It was revenge plain and simple that kept him there.  That was why he'd wanted immortality so bad.  It had to be the only way Vegeta could defeat Frieza was if he couldn't be killed.  Or maybe Frieza would follow him wherever he ran.
    He hadn't gotten his wish obviously.  He'd said himself: 'I didn't ask to be wished back.'  She ground her teeth in frustration.  She wanted to talk to him so badly!  The thought startled her a bit, but when Bulma Briefs was eager for information, she got it.  Being left alone on Namek had also left whole gaps in her understanding of events.  It angered her.  She liked knowing what was going on at all times.  She hated being left in the dark.  Maybe he was still awake.  She quickly ran downstairs.

    He lay on his side on the soft bed, but his breathing was soft and even, indicative of sleep.  But he was easily awakened when he heard her heels clicking on the iron stairs and quickly sat up, resting on his elbows.
    "What do you want, onna?" he mumbled tiredly.
    "Can I ask you something?" she asked softly.   He rolled over to stare at her for a moment in confusion. She saw him frown but he nodded.  "I missed so much on Namek.  I was all alone the whole time.  What exactly happened?"  For long moments he stared at her saying nothing.  Their eyes were locked and she wondered why he was staring so hard.  He didn't look particularly angry, just tired.
    "If I tell you will you leave me alone and let me sleep?" she nodded quickly.  He sighed and began to speak.  He told of everyone he killed, enjoying her look of discomfort.  She noticed how his eyes gleamed when he told her about how he'd stolen all the balls from Frieza but the one that had been in her possession for a short while.  She saw those deep black eyes darken when he admitted that Recoom of the Ginyu squad had beaten him after they had taken all the dragon balls he'd captured.  And he stopped his story right before Goku healed.  The standoff with Frieza.  He told her how Dende healed Krillin and Gohan from fatal wounds, but after that he trailed off with a sigh.
    She knew what happened after that anyway.  Frieza had beaten him to death.
    "I'm sorry." Bulma said.  He shot her a confused glance and then his face abruptly darkened in anger.
    "I don't need you pity, pathetic human!" he roared, jumping up from the bed.  Bulma didn't even flinch at his outburst.  She gently captured his wrist in her hand and was mildly surprised when he didn't break her grip immediately.  Instead he stared at her as if startled by her effrontery.
    "No.  That's not what I meant."  Her soft voice had a calming effect on the Saiyan and he slowly resumed his seat.  Still he had not broken her grip, and still he gazed at her almost in wonder.  "I am sorry that you did not get your revenge against Frieza.  I am sorry that you aren't the one fighting him.  I believe you deserve that, if nothing else.  Goku is my best friend, but he's not a Saiyan at heart.  He doesn't know what this must mean."  She sighed, her voice tinged with regret.  Not for herself, but for the lost Prince before her.  "How is this happening?" she said to herself.
    "What?" he said quietly.  She shook her head.
    "You'll laugh at me." She said softly.  Suddenly he did laugh sharply.  She glanced at him, confused.
    "So I just did, was it so horrible?" he said, a smirk twisting his lips. She ignored him and decided to say what was on her mind anyway.
    "I should hate you, but I don't anymore." She said abruptly.  He frowned immediately, his eyes flashing.
    "Your right, you should hate me." He said.  He snatched his hand away when he realized she was still touching him and plopped down in bed, pointedly ignoring her.  What the hell? Bulma thought.   He did not speak again and Bulma soon hear his breathing become deep and even.
    What had just happened?
    Why had he just become so cold like that? They had been talking for almost a half hour without raising their voices. Now he was asleep, he'd ignored her like she wasn't even there, like she didn't exist!
    Why was she even trying anyway?
    True, she didn't want to be on his bad side, but by attempting friendship she'd somehow driven him further away.  She couldn't understand it.  He'd been with Nappa and Radditz for presumably awhile, didn't he miss them?  Damn him!

 

 

Chapter 2

 

    Bulma decided the best thing to do was to ignore Vegeta.  Which  was easy enough, except when she wanted to sleep.  He still had not risen almost seven hours later and she bleakly wondered what she would do.  Her eyelids had been drooping for the last hour and she needed a nap.
    But she definitely did not want to sleep next to Vegeta!  Even if it was the only bed.  She wished that those guys hadn't destroyed HER ship.  It had three beds.
    Damn it!  She didn't want to sleep next to Vegeta!  She was already attracted to him.  It was bad enough that she had to keep reminding herself that she loved Yamcha, her first and only boyfriend.
    But she was so tired!  She was tired of staring out into space and thinking about…Vegeta!
    She frowned and sat up straighter.  This whole time!  She'd been thinking about nothing but Vegeta and the conflicting emotions he caused in her.  What the hell was going on?  Was she crazy?  Vegeta most likely hated her as much as she feared him.  But for the moment he needed her, and she needed sleep.
    Making up her mind about something, regardless of its significance, was somewhat of a relief to her.  She got up and went to the lower floor trying to ignore the fact that Vegeta did look really cute, even with his crazy hair.  She stopped at the foot of the bed.
    "Vegeta!" She yelled loudly.  She was almost sorry when he instantly sat up, his eyes wide and alarmed.   His eyes darted back and forth as if he'd forgotten where he was.  When he realized she was there she was faintly surprised to see relief in his gaze.  But the moment was gone quickly and he glared at her in irritation.
    "What?" he groaned, his eyelids drooping as the shock wore off.  He yawned and stretched and for a moment Bulma couldn't reply, only stare at the perfectly sculpted physique in front of her.
    "I need to sleep." She said quickly, before she got caught gawking.  The irritation on his face deepened quickly into anger.
    "So fucking go to sleep then!" he yelled.  "Why did you have to wake me up? I just fell asleep!"
    "I want to sleep in the bed!  You've slept nearly eight hours!" he frowned.
    "So sleep.  I'll be sleeping too.  What's the big deal?"  he said softly.  He yawned again and lay back down.
Bulma growled in anger.  He obviously wasn't getting out of bed.  The prick.  And she wasn't going to sleep on the damn floor.  Did he sleep all the time? She took off everything but her black bodysuit and crawled into bed next to him.  She considered sleeping opposite of him, but she knew she kicked in her sleep and she didn't know if he did or not.  She'd rather not get kicked in the face.  She'd never be beautiful again if she survived.
Vegeta slept already beside her, his breathing deep and even.  She sighed and tried to get comfortable, but wasn't sure how.
She was dismayed to realize that she would be most comfortable snuggled up with someone or hogging up the whole bed.  She could do neither and so began to toss and turn.  After getting tangled in the sheets and having to get out of bed to get untangled (and accidentally seeing Vegeta's quite bare and very nice butt) she lay flat on her back wrapped in the one thin sheet she'd managed to pry from Vegeta's death-like grip.
Then, without warning, Vegeta rolled over onto his stomach and his arm flung across her waist.  She froze as if she'd just seen a snake.  He was only an inch away now and snoring very softly.  And she knew that snoring didn't go away until it got so loud that it was a damn miracle it didn't wake the source.
"Shit." She hissed.  What to do?  Should she try and move his arm and risk his anger when he woke and saw them like this?  Would he be angry?  Probably.
Just go to sleep Bulma.  Go to sleep.  Just close your eyes and worry about it tomorrow.  Worry about Vegeta and Goku and everyone else tomorrow.  Right now YOU need sleep.  And that's all that matters right now.  Not Vegeta, not Yamcha, YOU.
GO TO SLEEP.
She tried.  She let the phrase repeat in her head over and over until the words themselves ceased to make sense and sometime after she slipped into Dream.

He woke to find the onna in his arms.  She was pressed to him.  Every curve of her body molded to his.  Her arms were wrapped around him.  And he was holding her tight.  For the space of several deep breaths all he could do was stare.
She was beautiful!  Why?  Why did she have to be so beautiful?  It almost hurt to look at her.  How could someone like her not be a pleasure slave?  Zarbon had once commented that Frieza would have sold him as such if he'd had no fighting ability.  He shuddered at the memory.  That and something else.  He didn't dare want to admit it though.  Even to himself.  But the mind and the body are sometimes two different beings.  And right now, the body was reacting to the stunning girl in his arms.   But his mind was chaos.
He quickly released her, rolled out of her grasp, and gracelessly onto the floor in a tangle of sheets and blankets.  He winced as pain shot up his spine after landing on his ass and the still-sensitive stub where his tail used to be.  That thought sent a chill through his veins that immediately killed all desire.
His tail.  His poor tail.  He'd almost forgotten.  It still hadn't grown back and he was wondering what the hell was taking so long.  It had been over a month since he'd lost it.  Almost two.  He sat up and glared at Bulma as if she'd been the perpetrator.  But he expression quickly softened as he watched her sleep, blissfully unaware that he'd thrown himself out of bed upon waking.
Why was he attracted to her?  She was loud and weak.  True it had been over a year since the last time he'd had sex.  But he'd only been awake for about eight or nine weeks of that whole time.  He and Nappa had slept a year away in the pods on the way to earth.  It was strange.  He didn't even know how old he was anymore.  Not that it mattered how old he was.  But so much time wasted!  It was a miracle their muscles hadn't atrophied on the way there.
The stasis chambers contained in each pod literally stopped time, on the other hand.  Maybe his chronological age was older but in reality he was only about twenty-eight.  Not even in his prime yet.  Not for many years.
Not for the first time he was grateful that his train of thought had the habit of switching tracks rapidly.  He got up and headed to the bathing chamber and took a quick shower.
The onna was still asleep when he emerged.  He found a pair of baggy shorts of a dull sand color and put them on.  But it was the only article of clothing he could find.  It didn't matter really.  His combat uniform was destroyed.  He didn't even want to look at it.  Especially not the small hole from Frieza's killing blow.  He shivered at the memory and sat down on the bed.  Sudden nausea swept through him and he couldn't account for the sensation at first.  It dawned on him that he couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten!  The realization made the pain in his stomach intensify as if to add proof to the thought.  He sighed, knowing what would happen if he didn't find food immediately and grabbed the woman's ankle and began to shake her.
"Onna!" he demanded.  She moaned, rolled over and tried to burrow into the mattress it seemed.  "Get up!" he yelled, shaking her harder.
"Leave me alone!"  came the muffled reply.
"No!  I need to eat right now!" he shouted.  She suddenly sat up, like a marionette pulled by strings.
"There's food in the fridge!  Leave me alone!"  she said pointing.  His eyes followed her arm and spotted a large, white rectangle.  She flopped on her back and curled up again.
"Bitch." He muttered and quickly made his way over.
There was food inside.  But barely enough.  He groaned in misery.  What the hell would he do?  Eat it all and let the onna starve?  Who would fly the ship?  His stomach roared as if to say he had no choice in the matter.  Which he didn't.  He knew he couldn't figure out how to fly the ship himself.  He usually could at least, but he'd gotten a glimpse of some really strange marks on the controls and he had no clue as to what they said.
So he ate as fast as he could, knowing that eating fast made you full faster.  He ate half of what was left after Goku's earlier feast and then headed upstairs to see if he could figure out where they were.  If he could figure that out maybe he could find one of Frieza's bases to raid.  After all, Frieza's strongest men were all dead.  He was the strongest now.  But the thought didn't even bring a touch of pride.  It didn't matter.  He no longer served Frieza and Kakarotto had become a Super Saiyan.
He had failed to avenge his people.  And even worse than that, he'd failed to avenge himself!  All he'd dreamt of for the past twenty years was killing Frieza.  Now what would he do?  He had nothing to strive for.  The only hope he had was that Kakarotto lived.  Then he had a chance to make everything right.
Somehow he would obtain Super Saiyan and kill Kakarotto.  He would beat him inch by bloody inch.  He would make him scream! He stared at the stars without really seeing them.  He didn't see anything until everything went out of focus.  His eyes were filled with hot, shameful tears.
He growled and angrily wiped them away.  After all that sleep he was still tired.  But he couldn't crawl back into bed with her.  When he'd woken to find her in his arms, pressed against him.. he groaned as his body swiftly repeated its earlier response.
"What the hell?" he snarled.  There was no way he could think about this!  She was far too weak anyway.  But the thoughts were too tempting!  He shook his head angrily.   It wouldn't really have mattered if she wasn't so fragile.. he mused.  It wasn't like he'd ever been with a Saiyan female before.  They were all wiped out when he was pre-sexual.  He only had vague memories of any Saiyan females.
He glared out into space as though the lonely stars offended him.  His Cupid's bow mouth was turned down at the corners.  But recognition soon dawned in his eyes.  Not far to the right side of the ship was a solar system that Frieza had conquered years ago.  He was amazed.  He remembered how Frieza and his older brother Cooler had fought over the system, sending dozens of each of their men to kill each other for it.
He remembered a mission he and Nappa had undertaken to this very system not three years ago.  It had been slightly unnerving.  Their pods were unarmed and until the reached planet-side, they were completely vulnerable.  They very idea of such vulnerability had not sat well with Vegeta or Nappa.  A flight of Frieza's pods had just been destroyed en route to this system.  He tried to recall the largest life-supporting planet.  A large planet with purple skies and a pale blue sun.  Dori-Gilar.  Its sun was called Avica.  The moon was named Justiple.   Its people were long dead, but they had been called… Dokai-jinn's.
The planet had been rich with minerals and full of animal and plant life.  It had the potential to easily support any army.  Cooler hadn't even really wanted it, but his and Frieza's rivalry had made it all the more appealing.  Was Cooler there now though?  Did it even matter to him that this planet was free?  Or was he still his usual, asshole self?  Refusing to take what he didn't have to steal or fight for?
He hoped, for their sake.  The thought of having to fight his way through an army did appeal to him, but the onna could not take care of herself in such a place.  She could easily be killed, and then how would he get to…
Where exactly was he going?  What was he going to do now?  Maybe he should just destroy any resistance and begin his campaign to rule the universe now?  He sighed and tugged his thick, dark-brown locks.  For some reason the thought was distinctly unappealing.  It was a surprising revelation.  But he really had no desire to rule anymore.  It didn't seem right.  Something about the whole idea made him feel as if Frieza was again breathing down his neck.  Like he only wanted to rule everything to spite his former master.
How glorious it would have been though!  To have the strength to oppose Frieza, take all he claimed as his own, and THEN destroy the cross-dressing lizard when HE saw fit. When Frieza had nothing and no one to do his dirty work for him.  That would truly be great.
A soft, wistful smile graced his features for a moment, but quickly faded.  He had to wake the onna and make her change the direction of the ship.  At their present course they would pass the system in a half hour.  He headed downstairs.

Bulma fought waking.  She burrowed under covers and pillows until she felt two strong hands grasp her ankles and drag her - not ungently - out of bed.
"Get up and change the ships course and you can go back to sleep for awhile." Vegeta commanded.  There was a strange note in his voice that made her sit up.  He looked.. pale, unhappy.  More so than usual.  But she wasn't going to do his bidding without a fight.  She was no slave.
"Piss off!  Why can't you do it?  Are you illiterate?" she snapped peevishly.  Vegeta blinked in surprise.  Was she giving him attitude?
"Bitch, get your fat ass out of bed!" he growled.  He was almost unnerved when she leapt out of bed, her face a delicate pink, her eyes flashing.
"Fuck you, Vegeta!  I'm not your little servant girl!  Learn how to read!" he looked highly offended.
"I know how to read, bitch! I can't read that slop you call writing!  It's illegible! If we don't stop here we won't have enough food to make it to your precious Chikyuu!  Do you want to starve to death before you get home?"  she gave him a strange, secret smile and again he felt almost intimidated.
"The only one who will starve will be you, Saiyan." She hissed the last word as if it were a curse.  He scowled darkly.
"Your right.  I'll kill you before that happens though."  She rolled her eyes and he felt the urge to slap her.  But instead he smiled.  "Just do it.  You want to get home don't you?"  she shrugged and glared at him one last time as she headed up the stairs and to the controls.  He stood riveted in place for several minutes.  That human… she was too Saiyan!  It was startling!  Her anger had almost been palatable.  He had felt it like the heat of the sun.  He was caught between admiration and dread.  He was already attracted to her!  This only added to that, making everything that much more difficult.

 

 

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.

 

 

Chapter 4 - Treason  

      Three hours dragged by at a snail's pace as she watched Vegeta heal.  The strange green tinge from the blood and fluid mixing had disappeared.  She figured it was a good sign.  She had tried to see for herself if the wound was gone, but the concave glass for viewing the patients made everything warped when she got close and tried to look down at Vegeta's waist.  She sighed in irritation and sat down across from him, against the wall.  After about a half hour she felt her eyelids drooping…
    She was jolted awake by a loud, persistent beeping.  She saw Vegeta glaring at her as he tapped insistently on the glass.  She quickly jumped to her feet as a hairline crack appeared in the glass and dashed to the console to begin draining.  The fluid line went down rapidly without so much as a sound.  Bulma had studied the outside of the chamber as much as she could, and was fascinated by what she saw so far.  But before she took one apart to study and make diagrams, she had to see if it worked.
Vegeta had already torn off the sensors and breathing mask and soon the fluid line dipped beneath the hatch and it swung open.  Bulma's eyes bulged in shock as Vegeta stepped out fully healed.  The only sign of the wound was a tiny, pink scar and his shorts which were still slightly stained with blood.
    "Holy shit!" she exclaimed.
    "What?" Vegeta said with a frown.
    "I can't believe how well these work!  I have to disassemble it and see how it works!" She cried excitedly.
    "What?!" He snapped, now confused and annoyed.  How the hell was she going to take it apart?  And why waste such time?
    "It will revolutionize hospitals and health-care!  Think of all the possibilities right in front of me!" she breathed, almost awed.  Vegeta was momentarily silenced by her beauty as her eyes sparkled with wonder.  But why was she so fascinated by the regeneration tank?  He knew Chikyuu was primitive, but if this was such a great discovery to her, what did they have now to treat injuries and disease?  He shuddered to think, remembering the strange things some backward cultures did to heal the sick.
    He was glad that Saiyans were immune to all but the most aggressive virus.  Before his time with Frieza he'd never known disease.  He'd never dreamt of such a thing.  Injuries from fighting he understood, but an invisible tiny … thing, that could slowly eat you away until only skin and bones were left filled him with revulsion.
    And it was because of Frieza that he came to know of diseases.  He'd been sent to purge a planet about ten years ago.  He remembered being pissed because of the natives battle strength.  They were about as weak as Chikyuu-jins.  It was pathetic.
    But once there he hadn't even needed to fight.  The race was already dying.  He saw wasted corpses everywhere.  Some still lived, but they burned with fever and ranted with their delusions of slow, fiery death.
    He should have left immediately.  But he didn't know.  He informed the tyrant who held his life in check that everyone was dropping dead before his eyes.  When he thought back on it later, he wanted to believe that Frieza knew all along the state of the planet he'd sent him to; that everything he'd said after his report was nothing but a superb act.  But logic and his own memory defied that thought.
    Frieza had immediately ordered him back and to report to medical before he did anything else upon his return.  He'd noted a hint of concern in the lizard's voice.  Not for Vegeta himself, of course.  He wasn't stupid and wasn't even tempted with entertaining such a notion.  When he reflected back on all that would happen next, he knew Frieza would have had a third of his army wiped out in one sweep if anyone came into contact with him.  Thus the hint of concern.  He was no fool.
    But at the time he didn't know what was going on, only that he must obey or die.  And he could not die by Frieza's hands.  He smiled bitterly at his past ambition.  But ignored that train of thought and continued with the previous.
    He had done as ordered.  He went to medical and they examined him and after a half hour of humiliating "testing" they let him go, finding nothing.
    The next day he woke feeling slightly nauseated.  Being completely unfamiliar with the sensation, he ignored it and headed for the morning briefing.  He was tired and sluggish as he trudged through the halls as well, but shrugged it off as lack of sleep.  As he stood in Frieza's audience with half of his men on the ship a curious feeling came over him.  First he was hot.  So hot that he broke out into a sweat.  Then he began to shiver as his blood seemed to be replaced with ice water.  Then he felt hot again, then cold alternating over and over.  In addition to that, he was getting very dizzy and sitting down seemed like the most important thing to do at the moment.  He heard someone gasping.  Deep, heaving breaths that did not stop.  After a moment he realized it was him, but that didn't really matter because the floor was suddenly rushing up to meet his face.

    How long had he been unconscious?  Probably only a few minutes, he never had thought to ask.  But he woke back in medical with three familiar faces staring down at him.  Two were doctors who had treated him before, the other was Frieza.  He was arguing with the doctors.  Telling them to put him in the tank.  They assured him that without the right remedy it would only speed that Saiyan's demise.  He remembered smiling as Frieza cursed.  But the smile faded quickly.  He was still having sweats and chills and his stomach was twisting in agony.  His head was pounding, another new experience for him, and his vision was so blurred he could really only tell who was who by hearing them speak.  He couldn't catch their scent, his nose was curiously clogged.
    ".. look at his pupils.  See how he shakes?  These are the first signs of the burning death, it will only get worse."
    "How is this possible?  Half of this galaxy belongs to me!  Tell me where to find this shit!  I need this damn monkey!  If he dies, you will all die with him."
    "Knassas, sir.  Three days trip going full speed in this ship.  A pod would take over a week.  He will not last more than four days, even with the Saiyan's healing ability.  This disease cripples the immune system long enough to kill the host.   It has two components which make it so deadly.  Some cells head for the immune system, the rest work on shutting down everything else.  It was engineered about two-hundred years ago by-"
    "Yes, yes, I don't need a history lesson.  I know what happened next.  I was hoping it wasn't the same one." Frieza snapped and then, faintly he could hear the lizard making demands over the communications link.
    Then there was bright light.  The pain was like a knife between his eyes.  He cried out in agony, unable to hold it back and struggled to get away.  Firm hands held him down easily, was he that weak?  He couldn't figure out what had happened.  All that was certain was that he'd never felt more wretched in his life.  His stomach was about to rebel but he felt tiny pricks of pain and then all faded.

    When he woke he was told that two weeks had passed.  He ate all the food offered to him and promptly vomited it back up.  He would have been repulsed seeing as it was yet another first for him, but was too disoriented to really notice.  The days melted into a haze of fever dreams broken by waking to Frieza screaming obscenities at the doctors.  He wondered if he would die, but supposed that he already would have by that time.  He had begun to wish that he would, instead of lingering for days in a stupor.  The pain was not nearly as intense, the pounding in his head had subsided to a dull throbbing, but his stomach seemed to be eating itself from hunger.
    Then he woke from a dream in which he'd been forced into a boiling cauldron and found several doctors, Frieza, Nappa and Radditz hovering over him.  He tried to speak, but his tongue was swollen.  He wasn't sure what to say anyway.  Except perhaps, that he might die of starvation before anything else.  The gnawing hunger was foremost in his mind then, nothing else.  Not the fever, not the cold, and not the now-familiar ache behind his eyes.
    "Will he live much longer?" it was Nappa, and how strange he'd sounded!  Tired and grieving, not like himself at all!  Frieza, as always was cool and controlled, but he detected barely restrained rage behind the smooth voice.
    "He must." Was all he said.
    "I thought this stuff was supposed to work." Radditz snarled.  The doctors assured him that it was, but it took hours to begin to work.
    After that, everything faded to black.

    The next time he woke it was pitch dark and his stomach was roaring in fury.  The pain was intense, as if his stomach was eating itself.  He felt a little better though.  The room had stopped spinning, his head still hurt a little, but it was nothing compared to before, and his core temperature seemed to be normal.  He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed and stepped down.  His legs trembled, but he did not collapse.
    Walking was more difficult, he found himself staggering to the door, and then down the hall.  He needed food.
    He spotted Kuui in one of the winding corridors as he stumbled to the mess hall.  Kuui immediately turned around and ran the other way.  Curious.  He'd always stopped to insult the young Saiyan before.
    But he wasn't about to question his good luck.  Finally he made it and lurched into the freezer and began to devour everything he could.  Large slabs of meat were skeletonized in minutes. And thankfully he was able to keep it all down.
    Finally, after he'd eaten his fill and the freezer was quite bare, he realized that he felt perfectly fine.  His head felt better, he felt a bit of his old strength returning as well.  Frieza found him with almost a smile on his face.  And strangely the tyrant did not hide his pleasure that Vegeta was well.  He gave him the rest of the day to himself and informed him that tomorrow he'd join Nappa and Radditz on a mission.
    And that was it.
   So was this why he was letting the onna indulge in this seeming waste of time?  Perhaps, but what did it matter to him if she could duplicate a regeneration tank?

    He shook himself out of the daydream.  Bulma was already busy.  She tossed a capsule to the floor which popped into a huge tool box.  Vegeta was stunned.  If they had this unheard of technology, why no healing chambers?  He shook his head at the oddities of humanity.
    Bulma felt a tap on her shoulder as she began to unscrew a bolt with a large wrench.
    "Hmm?" she said, turning to face him.  "It did work, right?" she said, realizing that she hadn't bothered to ask how he felt.  "Do you feel alright?" she said, noticing a strange look on his face.
    "What do you care?" he snapped, more out of reflex than anything else.  She threw him a hurt, reproachful glance and returned to her work.
    "Sorry for caring." She muttered.
    "I don't want your petty human 'caring'. Sentiment makes me retch.  I was only going to tell you that I will load the ship and come get you.  Be done with this foolishness by then."
    "Fine!" she huffed and proceeded to ignore him.

    He found several stores of perishable food which he crammed into the extra-large refrigerator.  He even packed in tons of dry goods into the unused spaces of the ship until it was literally stuffed with food.  He also found more combat uniforms but no armor or gloves in his size and the uniforms were black.  He preferred blue, but it was better than nothing.  And he was unable to find any boots!  The lack of armor confused him, but it didn't much matter.  So he was bare foot.  He'd rather have armor than boots or gloves.  He had sufficient clothing, that was good enough for the moment.
    Now that the ship had enough food he should check the fuel, but again, he was unable to read the onna's strange symbol language and was forced to seek her assistance.

    He was shocked to find the tank nearly unrecognizable.  Bulma looked up as she heard his step and her eyes lit up, and strangely enough, gave Vegeta goose bumps.  But he didn't notice as the onna immediately began to squeal excitedly.
    "Its amazing Vegeta! And the best part is I will be able to duplicate it!  My father will be so excited when he sees this!"  She had black smudges on her clothing and skin, but for some reason it seemed to enhance her beauty.  She continued to prattle on as he stared stupidly.  He came out of his trance with an abrupt toss of his head.  What the hell was wrong with him?  Why was his admitted attraction to the onna becoming so distracting?    Was it because he didn't want it?  It would make sense.  It was always his luck.  Whatever he'd ever craved was forever denied him.  Whatever he wanted to keep away was always thrust in his face.
    He realized that the room had abruptly gone silent and that he was staring.
    "I told you to be done when I got back."  She sat up straighter and he saw her eyes narrow.
    "You can't be done already." She replied.
    "I will as soon as you show me how to refill the fuel tank and what kind of fuel it takes.  Hopefully its not something native to your wretched planet."
    "Oh Kami, no." she said, her voice dripping with disdain.  "It would be an unspeakable tragedy to be stuck here with the almighty Saiyan no Ouji forever."  She turned away with her nose in the air.
    "Damn wench!" Vegeta snarled.  "I have no time for your stupidity.  Now hurry up or you won't have time to finish with this hunk of metal.  Which, by the way, I don't see how an idiot like you could possible rebuild it, let alone to function."  Bulma shot to her feet with surprising swiftness, her face a dull, angry red.
    "Why are you such an asshole?  Why can't you at least be civil for five seconds?  What the hell is wrong with you?  I was in a good mood and you've ruined it!  Why does everyone have to be as miserable as you?" she ended, shouting.
    His dark eyes narrowed and the corner of his mouth slid up in a twisted sneer.
    "I doubt you know what true misery is." He replied.  He looked as if he would say more, but merely shrugged as if he'd completely lost interest in the argument.  "Come on." He said, and headed back to the ship without even looking to see if she'd follow.
    She was enraged by his casual dismissal of her reasonable anger.  His arrogance was disgusting!  Who the hell did he think he was?  But she followed him regardless, planning her next assault.
    "I'm sure you know what misery is." She began, her voice flat and calm.  "You've seen it in each face of those you've murdered!" she finished with a hiss.
    "The pain of other's is not my concern." He said coldly, not turning to look at her.  He continued walking with an easy grace that Bulma couldn't help but admire.  Nor could she ignore how attractive he was in the black body suit.  But her anger would not allow her to dwell on it for more than a moment.
    "Is that so?  Then why did you stay with me last night when I asked you to?" she snapped, delight barely hidden in her voice.  He almost stopped in his tracks.  She had him, damn it.  The question had been plaguing him as well.  Why had he stayed with her?
    He knew why, but his pride forbade him to even think it.  Finally he stopped walking as the silence stretched.  He didn't know what to say.  The truth was out of the question.  But why bother to lie?  Better to say nothing.
    So he ignored her and continued walking.
    "Coward." She hissed.
    Before she could draw a breath to scream his hands were around her neck.
    "I should kill you now!" he bellowed.  "You have no right to question me!  I owe you no explanations!  And don't worry, I won't make the mistake of pitying your ass again!" and he shoved her back.  She landed on her butt and winced as pain shot up her spine.
    What the hell was she doing?  Did she want to die?  Or was that even an appropriate question?  Of course it was.  She was only alive to fly the ship.  Nothing more.  It was the only reason he hadn't just snapped her neck.  She bit her lip, feeling stupid for her outburst.  She had no right to call him a coward either.  He was utterly fearless.   But he was just so mean!  She quickly got to her feet, brushed the dirt from her clothes, and trotted after Vegeta.

    Once inside the ship Bulma explained the controls for fueling and then took off, heading to the base.  They flew it in the landing bay and they silently attached hoses to the ship that would carry the combustible fluids to the holding tanks.  Once they were finished Bulma cleared her throat.
    "Vegeta." she said softly. She saw him stiffen and he silently turned to face her.  For a moment her courage failed her as she was pierced by his angry, ebony eyes.
    "I'm sorry." She said softly, her eyes falling to stare at her feet.  "I didn't mean what I said.  I just wanted to know…" She  trailed off.
    "Fine." He muttered  "Finish up with the tank so we can leave."  He then turned away without another word and headed inside the ship.

    She had finished all her drawings about two hours later.  She found him inside, asleep.   Only four hours had passed since he'd come out of the tank.  He'd slept in there, and that had been only about a half hour after they woke together with his tail around his waist.  How long had he been missing out on sleep?  She turned away and headed back to the controls and began the lift-off procedure.
    I should wake him..  I don't know where he wants to go.  It will take about a month to get home.  Longer if I have to drop him off.  What if he wants to go the opposite way of Chikyuu?  She dashed back to the bedroom and suddenly the ship took off!  She was flung onto the bed with a shriek.  The computerized voice was supposed to warn her before lift off!  But the thought was quickly swept away as they broke through the atmosphere.  She could feel herself reeling backwards.  Her eyes widened as her fall was abruptly halted.  She felt the collar of her shirt choking her as Vegeta grasped the fabric in back.
    "Let go." She rasped and she was falling again.  She landed in a heap and she sat up quickly to shoot the Saiyan an evil glare.  He lay on his back, yawning and stretching languidly.  And she was once again struggling between rage and desire as she stared at him.  He rolled back and forth a few times and was again sleeping as if nothing had happened.  His tail flicked lazily, back and forth and she again felt the desire to touch it.  Why she continually felt compelled each time she saw it, she couldn't say.  She had briefly felt the silky fur before.  Wasn't that enough?  Something about the way Vegeta reacted upon catching her increased her curiosity.  She felt like she'd taken a dare at a pre-teen sleep-over.  She felt giddy with excitement as she crept near.
    Her hands hovered over it for a moment as nervous tension stilled all movement.  She prayed he wouldn't wake before she'd gotten to touch it.  She felt a blush stain her cheeks.  She suddenly felt like Master Roshi staring at a nudie magazine.
    Stop it.   She mentally scolded.  And before she was fully aware she was twirling the tip of the silky tail around her fingers.  Then she gently grasped the appendage and stroked it from base to tip.  The sudden response she got was the least expected.  Vegeta moaned softly and his tail snaked around her waist pulling her close.  His arms wrapped around her and she froze in fear.  But he was still asleep, she could tell by his breathing.  It had quickened slightly, but nothing more.  What really concerned her was the sudden hardness she felt pressing to her ass as he unconsciously pulled her close.  She shook her head, amazed at her own stupidity.  Now Vegeta was going to freak if he woke up.  What was she going to say?  Suddenly his hands began to roam across her body.  Was he awake?
    "Vegeta?" she whispered.

 

 

Chapter 5 - Dawning Horror
 

    "Onna.." he murmured, his voice deep and sexy.  "What did I tell you?"
    "I'm sorry!" she broke out, babbling instantly in her apprehension.  "I couldn't help it!  I didn't try to hurt you or anything-" he huffed angrily and shoved her off the bed. She landed on her ass with a thud but could not summon enough anger to squelch her fear.
    "Go sleep somewhere else then.  I'm not some toy to be groped whenever you feel like it." he snapped angrily.
    "It wasn't like that! I wasn't coming to sleep!" she blurted,  "I-I mean, I wanted to ask-" she trailed off at the sight of his incredulous expression. "Damn it!"  Bulma thundered, leaping to her feet in her indignation.  Vegeta blinked in surprise at her outburst and sat up a little.  "I was just curious all right!  Son's tail has been gone a long time and.. I kinda missed it.." she trailed off in a small voice but added, "Your tail grabbed me anyway!" he frowned and glanced away.  Bulma then took a deep breath as if gathering her courage.  "I'm sorry I offended you." She said with a curt bow and turned on her heel to stalk off.
    He turned and watched her run upstairs, his features still marred by the angered scowl. How dare she do that to him?  Her apology meant nothing after she defended her actions in such a pitiful way.  It was even worse that she knew how aroused he'd been!  He could hardly believe it himself!  It hadn't been that long… had it?  He frowned.  It didn't matter!  He was half tempted to go up there and fuck her till she passed out. She deserved it after fondling his tail like that.  And once the vision was in his head he realized just how much he wanted to do it!  He almost groaned aloud, but the intense loathing that came with that awareness somewhat subdued the sharp longing.
    How dare she do this to him?!  And why the hell did he want her so much?  She was a weak, pathetic human!  She had shown no admiral qualities so far.  Only her face and figure.  True, she stood up to him, even though she was afraid.  He was curious as to how she had such nerve.
    If he were to act upon his desire then he'd have to be careful if he still wanted her to survive long enough to fly the ship.  She was fragile, he'd already seen that.  She had been helpless against Dora!  A third-class fighter of passable skill.  His race had one unique quality only and that was the ability to fuse with any living object.  But the fusion was permanent.  Rumor had it that he'd hoped to fuse with Frieza, thus he was sent to base #42.  An outpost that Frieza never visited and only rarely communicated with.
    No, even if he was careful, he might accidentally break one of her bones. And while he normally wouldn't care, she needed to be functional to fly the ship.  Of course, he could always force her to tell him how to fly it and then do as he pleased with her, then he wouldn't have to worry about how many bones he broke.  And while his groin was still aching the idea was still unappealing.    He couldn't act on his desire.  He wasn't a rapist.  Every girl he'd been with had been willing.  He missed some of those girls sometimes. Like right now!  Damn it!
    He sighed, tugging his spike locks in frustration.  The least she could do was take a hike so he could jerk it and be done with it!  But he could hear her pacing back and forth.
    "Vegeta.  I need to talk to you, can you get up already?  I said I was sorry for touching you tail!" she said in a cold voice
    Oh, but he wasn't really sorry that she had!  That was the worst part!
    "Damn woman!" he cried angrily.  "Are all you Earth-females such teases?"
    "WHAT?!" she shrieked and he heard her stomping down the stairs.  "What the hell are you talking about?"
    "What do you think? YOU grabbed MY tail!!" he snapped sitting up.
    "So WHAT?!" she yelled, hands on hips.  "I said I was sorry!"
    "You stupid bitch!  You don't even realize what you did!  What if I just grabbed your tits?"  at that Bulma flushed a fiery red and mumbled something even Vegeta couldn't hear.  "What?!" he yelled.  Again she mumbled something.  He threw his hands up in disgust.  "To hell with you, woman!" he snarled and jumped out of bed and flew up the stairs and out the door.
    Bulma sighed as she watched him go.
    "I don't think I would have minded.."

    Vegeta sat on a large outcropping of rock glaring balefully at the round ship.  How he wanted to destroy it and the onna inside.  But he didn't want to stay here.  He was thankfully no longer aroused. His anger and embarrassment cooled his blood. And for that he was almost slightly thankful.  He didn't need a hard-on plaguing him as well.  He needed to think.  What was he going to do?  They had to leave.  This planet wasn't very hospitable.  It was dry and parched from an ancient species who'd used up all the natural resources and had nearly gone extinct in return.  They were still a few thousand living in what was left of their forests.  They were growing again, but it would take thousands of years to repair the damage they'd done.
    He sighed.  He didn't know what to do at all.  He didn't know where to go.  That was what the onna wanted to speak about, he was fairly certain.  But what would he say?  She wanted to go back to earth.  But what did he want?  There were a few places he could go.  Some were even on the way to Chikyuu.  He thought back to some of the planets spared by Frieza's wrath because of their rare beauty.  He had liked to keep some planets for his own enjoyment.  Vegeta had seen a few and one was about roughly a month from here, an not far off course from Chikyuu.  He jumped down from the cliff and headed back to the ship.
    Almost as if she sensed that he'd come to a decision, Bulma appeared at the door just as he was about to open it.
    "Let's go.  I know a few places on the way to your planet that I need to stop at.  If any one is suitable then you can head back to Chikyuu alone."  After a moment she nodded in acceptance.  He was curious as to why she hesitated, but doubted it was important.

    The rest of the day they did not speak to each other.  Much to Bulma's discomfort, Vegeta wouldn't even look at her.  But she couldn't blame him.  She was still embarrassed about getting caught, again.  She wondered how Vegeta felt about it.  He'd said that grabbing his tail had been about the same as if he'd groped her breasts.  He had been quite aroused after all, and she'd just run off.  Well, after he had tossed her ass off the bed.
    He had to be pissed.  She frowned.  She felt that she should apologize, after all, he had saved her from that Dora rapist.  But it wasn't just that, she had been rude.  She remembered an argument she'd had with Yamcha after she'd teased him to the point of aching arousal only to quickly depart without fulfilling him. It had been her twisted revenge for something stupid he'd done.  She couldn't even recall what it was now. They'd argued for days about it.  But Vegeta had said nothing.  And she hadn't done anything to him on purpose.  In fact, the thought of someone like him having feelings slightly scared her.  He was much easier to deal with as an unfeeling murderer, as strange as it seemed.  But at least then she knew what to expect!
    He's probably totally embarrassed! And angry. Bulma realized with a grimace.  She turned to stare at him as he sat in the chair opposite her.  He had the usual scowl plastered on his face but there was no anger in his eyes, only a muted… what?  She couldn't figure out what she was seeing.  It wasn't anger, it was more akin to despair.  Was he still upset about earlier?  Or was it something else?  Now that she really thought about it, she realized he hadn't had the same look when she'd first seen him on Namek.  Then his eyes had been ablaze with some kind of dark joy.
    Now that she was looking, she realized that despair seemed to hover about him like a thick fog.
    "Vegeta." she blurted.  She could see him stiffen as the silence was broken and he turned to face her.
    "What, onna?"
    "I'm sorry about earlier."
    "You said this already." He cut in.
    "No." she said shaking her head.  "Not about everything, I didn't realize."  She was surprised to see his face turn red.  Whether it was from embarrassment or anger she wasn't sure.
    "Shut up." He snapped.
    "No, please." She began and stood, making her way to his side.  "I didn't realize.." she trailed off.  Vegeta had his back to her.  He was refusing to look at her like some spoiled brat!  Bulma's face twisted in displeasure.  She was trying to apologize for Kami's sake!  "Stop that!" she snapped swinging the chair around.
    "Leave me alone, onna.  I have no use for your petty excuses." He said, not looking at her directly.
    "Petty excuses?" she asked softly.  He glanced at her curiously and was surprised to see her face burning with fury.  Her eyes were flashing beautifully.  It wasn't until the redness left and she met his gaze challengingly that he realized he'd been staring.
    "Yes.  Now leave me alone." He snapped and looked away.
    "No." she said.  She saw his eye brows rise and he turned to look at her again.  His expression was one she hadn't yet seen.  "If I have to spend however long with you then I would like us to at least be able to have a civil conversation."
    "You are stupid." He said, almost as if he was just realizing it.
    "How dare you?!" Bulma shrieked, quickly rising.  "I am the Vice President of Capsule Corporation, half of the new inventions are of my design!  This ship was built by me and my father and you have the audacity to call me stupid?  Who the fuck do you think you are?" her outburst didn't seem to faze Vegeta at all, in fact his expression grew decidedly cynical.
    "Then you’re a liar." He said.  Bulma gaped stupidly for a few seconds.
    "WHAT?!" she snapped.
    "Shut up!  You grew up with Kakarotto! You expect me to believe you don't know?!" At first she didn't know what the hell he was talking about and frowned in confusion.  The Tail!  She remembered, cursing inwardly.
    "He got it cut off when he was like twelve!  The only thing I knew was that if you grabbed his tail really hard it hurt him.  It never made him horny!"  Vegeta winced and began to massage his temples.
    "I hate you." He said softly.
    "WELL THE FEELING IS MUTUAL, DICK!!" she bellowed and stomped off to the lower quarters.

    For two more days they didn't talk.  Vegeta began to work out upstairs as much as he could.  Bulma was glad he didn't know about the Gravity unit.  She would have no protection from the extra G's if it was in use, so she kept quite about it.  She didn't want to talk to him anyway.  He had insulted her intelligence, an unpardonable offense.  She'd tried to explain her side but every conversation she began with Vegeta ended in an argument.  And she was really beginning to despise him.
    Not only because he was an asshole, but she still found him attractive.  She'd never thought she could dislike someone so much and yet want him at the same time.  It was baffling.  She wanted to stay away but was constantly drawing closer.  They ate at different times to avoid each other.  Vegeta wouldn't even look in her direction if they happened to pass each other, which happened fairly often in the small ship.
    But Bulma was getting sick of it.  She'd had no one to talk to practically the whole time on Namek.  But at least she'd had Gohan and Krillin to talk to on the way there.  And that was how long ago?  A month at least! A month with no one to talk to.  At least, no one who gave a shit.  The angry Saiyan no Ouji didn't care about her or what was on her mind.  But  she found that she was interested to hear what he really had to say, and what he really thought.  Not the endless insults, she wanted a real conversation with him.
    And that was unlikely to happen as it was.  She didn't really hate him, but she was ready to.  If he could just not be so damn mean all the time.  She was glad Goku had hit his head as a baby.  She'd thought him wild as a boy, but it was nothing compared to Vegeta.  Vegeta was supposed to be the perfect Saiyan, raised from birth most likely to be the best fighter.
    She felt a wave of sympathy towards him as she remembered that he had lost everything to Frieza and had been forced to do his bidding.  What that all entailed, she wasn't sure.  Vegeta hadn't told her everything, and why would he?  They didn't really know each other, but that wasn't her fault!  She'd tried being nice and he'd thrown it in her face, but then she blushed at the memory of touching his tail and being caught.  Not once, but twice!  After that, she had felt his eyes boring into her several times, only to turn and see his back facing her.
    She sighed as she sat idly by the controls,  Vegeta was above her, hanging from a thick metal pipe across the ceiling that ran to the Gravitron doing pull ups.  She heard a soft thud behind her and turned quickly to see Vegeta standing there, staring.
    "Vegeta, I'm sick of fighting with you.  Can we please end this already?"
    "What are you talking about?" he said, his expression of mild disinterest.  She rolled her eyes.
    "You know what I mean." She said, trying not to sound as annoyed as she was.  "We haven't said two words to each other in days!  I've had no one to talk to for almost two months! I'm sick of it."  He looked at her as if she'd just said the most stupid, childish thing possible.  "What?" she cried.
    "I am not here to keep you company!  I have no interest in speaking with you and hearing about stupid human frivolities." He snapped, his nose in the air.
    "I didn't think you would Ve-ge-ta!" she said, annoyed.  "I want you to talk.  I'm not stupid.  You are obviously convinced that Saiyans are in every way superior.  I want to know why you think this, among other things.  Goku can't tell me, you are the last true Saiyan, and I'm curious.  What was it like?  There's more to you then your bad-ass exterior. And telling me about it will pass the time." He was silent, unsure what to say.  Was she serious?  Why?  Why did she want to know about him?  And why was he reluctant to speak?  She couldn't hurt him, he didn't have to tell her everything.  But it would make him remember..
    Bulma was surprised to see a look of sorrow and anger pass quickly over his usually calm features.  He was silent for a long time, and stared at the wall as if the answer to her question might be found there.  Then he looked at her, searching her eyes to see if there was any hidden agenda at all.
    "Why onna?  Why do you insist on all this?" Bulma appeared puzzled at that.
    "On what?"
    "Why do you keep attempting some sort of friendship between us?  I don't understand the purpose.  Just be a bitch, it'll be easier."  Bulma's jaw dropped and her eyes bugged.
    "What?  Why?" she stammered.  He just gave her an odd look.
    "I don't need friends.  I never had any, why start now?  I don't see the point.."  He trailed off when Bulma hurriedly turned away.  He saw her shoulders trembling and sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Onna.  You are not crying again, are you?"  She spun around and his suspicions were confirmed.  Tears filled her eyes read to spill at any moment.
    "That's the most horrible thing I've ever heard!" she cried with a fervor that startled him.  "And you would know if you'd ever had one!  What the hell kind of childhood did you have?"  he blinked in surprise at her outburst, but merely shrugged.
    "What am I supposed to say to that? I have nothing to compare mine to. And besides, why the hell do you care if I never had friends?"
    "I think you'd be a different person now if you'd had some growing up." She said evenly, hurriedly wiping her tears.
    "Well,  I didn't have any, so what?  It doesn't matter to me, and stop your bawling!  Why someone like you would waste tears on me."  He trailed off and glanced away.  When he spoke next his voice was quiet and even. "You humans allow your weaker emotions to control you.  You shed ridiculous tears over things that should not affect you." He continued, heedless to her pleading gaze.  "Your asking for something I have no interest in.  I do not wish to discuss my past actions or my old life.  It is gone now." For a moment his stern mask faltered and he looked slightly wounded.  But with an irritated shake of his head he continued.  "I have nothing to say."
    "But why?  I just want to know what kind of person you are?"  at that he gave a short, bitter laugh.
    "I am what you see, onna!  The Last Saiyan Prince, a killer!" he laughed again, but it sounded forced, she also noticed his jaw clench and his tan skin grow a shade lighter.  "I have no people, no plans, no real destination, nothing!"
    "But the places you want to stop..?" At last her returned her gaze and eyed her questioningly.
    "It's been a long time since I have seen either planet.  Who knows what state they are in?  They might be unchanged, but they could also be completely destroyed by now."
    "We have about two more days before we reach the first one."  Bulma said softly.
    "You females!" Vegeta snorted, rolling his eyes.  "Scared at the thought of flying this hunk alone?" Bulma's eyes flashed.
    "Not at all!  I've never asked for your help have I?" she snapped.
    "Yes you did!" he snapped.  Was she implying that he was a liar?
    "Bull shit!  When?"  He scowled in anger.
    "I heard you when Dora caught you!"  The violence suddenly died from Bulma's features replaced by cold calculation.
    "I didn't call you..  Not out loud.  I was hoping you would stop him-" she broke off as Vegeta's features suddenly blanched.
    "No..  That can't be.." he said softly.  Bulma was completely taken aback by his sudden change of demeanor.
    "What?"  she cried, suddenly worried.  "What is it?"  Suddenly his face cleared, although his eyes remained troubled.
    "Nothing." He said softly and then again in a firmer voice as if to convince himself. "Nothing at all…"

 

 

Chapter 6 - Running from Nothing
   

     He ignored the puzzled expression on her face and turned away.  He vaguely heard her say something but it didn't register.  All he could think of was what she'd said before:
    "I didn't call you..  Not out loud.  I was hoping you would stop him-"
It was impossible, what that statement implied.  And besides, it was just silly.  He didn't know her that well.  And besides, he'd picked up random thoughts from people all the time.
    But random thoughts were different than a direct cry for help.

    Again, two more days passed in silence.  It was beginning to feel like ritual to Bulma.  Speak only once every two days, she thought with a almost gloomy smile.  Maybe she should have considered it a blessing.  If she and Vegeta would be parting soon, probably for good, what was the point of trying to get to know him?
    She could see their next destination.  Takezo Ma'Iitat.  That was the name of the planet.  In what language, she wasn't sure.  But it was an enormous planet, much like earth.  Green land, blue water, white clouds.  One sun, two moons, and a meteor ring surrounding the outer atmosphere.
Vegeta came upstairs after emerging from the shower to check on their progress.  Once he reached the top stair the ship gave a great lurch and began to speed its descent.
    "Onna!" Vegeta bellowed as he was almost thrown down the stairs.  "I thought you knew how to fly this hunk of shit!"
    "Were being pulled in!" she cried punching buttons on the panel.  "The engines won't respond!"
    "Shit!" Vegeta hissed.  So his fears were confirmed.  The planet was occupied.

    Planet side…

    The small military outpost was still abuzz with life.  And still firmly under Frieza's control.  Soldiers still trained with frenzy not aware that their lord and master was fighting for his life against the Legendary Super Saiyan.  They had their orders and they filled them out with precision.  Takezo was occupied territory, but it remained unblemished.  It's inhabitants still thrived, even under Frieza's martial law.  It was one of the few places in Frieza's side of the galaxy that could be considered a "resort" of sorts.
But only for off-duty soldiers.

    Base #67
    "Commander Rjyu,  we have a small unidentified craft in our tractor beam.  Shall I bring it in?"
    "Yes, send a squad down.  Bring anyone aboard to me."

    "What are we going to do?" Bulma cried.  "What about all our stuff?"
    "We have to get out of here now!  Screw it!  If we get out now they won't destroy the ship right away and we might be able to come back for it!"
    "And if not?" Bulma snapped, stubbornly refusing to budge.
    "Damn it!  There's no time for this shit!  Do you want to die?"  Vegeta fairly screamed.
    "Of course not!  I'm still a beautiful young woman!"
    "Then come on!" He snapped and grabbed her around the waist.  He opened the door, careful to keep it from becoming damaged and firmly shut it behind them.  He took off with Bulma in his arms as fast as he could without damaging the fragile package in his arms.
    "Shit!" Vegeta hissed and she could feel a strange electric charge envelope her.  It rippled through her body in an energizing wave.  She suddenly heard explosions and attempted to turn and see, but Vegeta's hold on her was too firm.  She screamed as a huge blast sounded right by her ear.
    "Quiet onna!  I can't concentrate with you bellowing!" He snapped firing again.  Immediately a volley of explosions sounded.  Over his broad shoulder she could see several warriors charging.
    "Vegeta!"  she yelled in his ear.  "There's like ten right behind us!" he switched her to his other arm and began to fire down on them.  They scattered and dodged each blast.
    "Shit." They both hissed in unison.  They locked eyes and each reached the same conclusion.
    "Put me down."
    "I have to put you down." They both said simultaneously.  He dropped with stomach-lurching speed and as soon as Bulma's feet touched the ground she started running.  But where the hell would she go?
    There were trees everywhere, Thank Kami, but one of the soldiers could see her run in and blast her ass to China.  She dove for cover anyway and watched the battle.

    He was surrounded.  But the odds didn't bother him in the slightest.
    "Vegeta! What the hell are you doing here?  Why are you attacking?  Are you mad?" for a moment he stared at the face in disbelief.  Kuui?  No.  Kuui was dead.  This could only be one of his many siblings.
    He answered with a ki blast in the soldiers face.  The others began to fire at once, but he dodged each ki-strike with ease.
    "Stupid monkey!  You'll pay for this!"  Vegeta heard it, and for a moment he froze.  Stupid monkey…  His vision dimmed, everything turned red.

    Bulma cringed when Vegeta suddenly screamed in perfect fury. Seconds later the attachment was gone.  Several more were flying to meet the same fate apparently.  She shuddered in fear.  Here was all the proof she needed, apparently.  She'd seen him fight before, how had she forgotten her fear so quickly?  Was it because he'd saved her from Dora?  She wasn't sure.  The warmth she'd begun to feel for him was replaced by cold fear.  More and more fighters fell before him.  She watched their bodies (or what was left of them) fall to the ground.  She was so intent on the battle that she didn't hear the footsteps behind her.

    Somehow a familiar sound cut through the sound of blood roaring in his ears.
    It was her.  His chi faded and he simply restrained his opponent in a vice-like grip while he tried to get a fix on the onna.
    There it was again.  A high-pitched shriek.

    "Let me go!" she screamed and thrashed in her captors grasp.  Immediately she was flung to the ground and a booted foot rammed into her midsection.  The air rushed from her lungs and ribs snapped.
    The pain clouded everything making land and sky all black.

    They had her.  He was on the ground in a second.  But it was too late.  He'd seen the soldier boot her in the stomach.  He'd heard her ribs snap from where he landed.  He saw her eyes bulge in agony and seconds later she was unconscious.  A rabid growl was torn from his throat and he flew at her attacker, tearing his head off with a well-aimed kick.
    But there were still other's around.  He turned to face them and impatiently obliterated them with a Gallic-gun.  Silence fell and he could hear her ragged breathing.  Damn it.

    For a long moment he could only stare at her pain-twisted form.  A horrifyingly unfamiliar feeling surged through his body and rage nearly crippled him.  Red flashed and faded before his eyes.  And he was trembling with the effort of containing his anger.
    Why was it that the sight of the little battered female enraged him so?  He knelt down next to her and for a moment his hands hovered uncertainly.  What would he do with her?  I have to do something.  I need her to fly the ship!  He conveniently remembered.  He felt more ki approaching.  He had to do something.
    His aura flared and then concentrated in his hands.  He carefully rolled Bulma onto her back and let his chi flow into her heart.  She moaned softly and some of the color returned to her slender face. She wasn't healed by any stretch.  But she would survive long enough for him to find a regeneration tank.  A piteous moan tore from her lips stained with blood and here eyes slowly slid open.
    Vegeta lifted her carefully, trying to ignore the fat tears that slid down her cheeks.  One of her arms raised weakly, her fingers fluttered and came to rest on his chest-plate.
    "Onna." He said, warningly.  "Don't move."  A dozen more fighters landed.

    "It's that Saiyan, Vegeta!" Commander  Rjyu cried.
    "What?!" Kyett, Commander in Chief of Base #67 bellowed.  A cold sweat broke out over his flesh. "He cannot attack us!  Is he mad?" the building around them rocked, iron groaned in protest. Explosions and screams could be heard clearly.
    "Somebody do something!  Kill him!" Rjyu shrieked.  Officers ran past, some blatantly ignoring his commands and fleeing for their lives.  Rjyu pounded on the console bringing up communications.  "Kila! Kila!" he screamed.
    With the suddenness of a thunderclap, the very woman burst through the door.
    "It's Vegeta!" she cried.
    "No shit!  Stop him!  Do something!!"  Kyett roared.  Kila vanished.

    She reappeared five feet in front of the Saiyan in question and was astonished to see a pretty young girl in his arms.  Blood was steadily leaking from her pale mouth and her ki was as fragile as her body seemed.
    "Get out of my way, Kila.  Or you die." She heard a strange timber in his voice and it was then that she noticed his strange pallor.
    "I should have known you'd find my replacement right away." she sneered. Instantly a ki blast hit her, point blank in the abdomen.  She was thrown to the ground with concussive force.  The air rushed from her lungs.  She took several heaving breaths before noticing the burns on her skin.  They weren't life-threatening, but it wasn't meant to be.  It was a warning shot.  The last one she'd get.
She stared in amazement.
    "It cannot be!" she breathed.  She shot back into the air after him.

    "Don't be stupid, Kila."  He said as she drew near.  She had to stop him!  He was mere yards from the base.
    "Why Vegeta?" she snapped, fazing in front of him.  He clutched the female tighter as he came to a stop.  Sudden jealousy surged through Kila and her chi flared.  Vegeta's ki instantly shot up as well.
    "Don't!" He snarled.  "Don't waste any more of my time!  Get out of my way."
    "Has the unthinkable happened, my beautiful Saiyan?" Kila asked softly, her eyes pleading.  Vegeta grimaced.
    "Stop this.  It's too unlike you." He growled and took off.  Kila vanished and reappeared in front of him.  His ki shot up as he froze to avoid collision.  "Stop this!" he raised a glowing hand.
    "WHY?!" she screamed, her aura flaring.  Vegeta's gaze grew cold, but she didn't care.  She had to know.  "Who is she? What is she to you? I have a right to know!  I cared about you!  I still do!  Who else in Frieza's army would claim that?" he laughed bitterly.
    "Kila." He said quietly.  "Your still a fucking liar.  If you have to annoy me with more petty excuses then it will be after she is inside a tank."
    "But Frieza-"
    "Is dead." Vegeta cut in.
    "No."
    "Yes."
    "You?" at that his eyes flashed with fury.
    "I HAVE NO MORE TIME TO WASTE ON THIS FUCKING SHIT!" he bellowed.  The girl in his arms whimpered and he swallowed whatever else he would have said.  His chi flared and he descended rapidly.

    Kila followed him as he killed everyone who had not escaped or were foolish enough to try and fight.  Using only small ki-blasts, he would strike at vital organs and walk over the still-living victims as blood began to spew from their mouths in great founts.  They  faced little resistance as they reached the medical wing of the base and once the female was safely inside a regeneration tank, her turned to regard her.
    She thought back to the last day they'd been "together" with embarrassment.  From the frown on Vegeta's face, she could only assume he was remembering the same.
    "I'm sorry." Kila began.  "For what I did."
    "Shut up." Vegeta snapped.  His face turning dull red.  "I'm glad you're still stupid.  Did you honestly think I would ever forgive you?"  Kila's eyes widened and she stepped back a pace.
    "It was three years ago!"
    "So what?  You can still see the scars.  And that wasn't even the worst part!" he said, his voice growing in volume.  "I actually cared about your pathetic ass and you humiliated me!  And I didn't do anything about it!  do you know how long I've waited for this?  I hate you!!" He screamed, his aura flared wildly and before she could react his hands were wrapped around her throat.  Her head snapped back and forth as he shook her and suddenly her entire body went limp.  Her neck snapped under the immense strain, but Vegeta didn't notice until her head began to flop back and forth like a rag doll's.  He let her go and she collapsed, the life leaving her lungs in a sickening rattle.
    For almost an hour he stared at her dead body.  She was dead and he was glad.  He hated her.  Nothing she said could have changed it.  What she'd done to him had been cruel.  She could have just said she didn't like him anymore and that would have been the end of it.  But she'd gone a step further because she'd been too cowardly to admit the truth.
    He almost wished that she'd cheated on him or something mundane.  Instead she'd slapped him in the face in front of half of Frieza's army. But instead of killing her, Vegeta had  put his fist through a thick pane of glass.  He'd been so overwhelmed with fury, pain, and embarrassment that he didn't even notice until he realized that he had a gaping hole just above his elbow.  Blood had been steadily pouring from it but he'd not noticed as he'd headed back to his rooms in a daze.  It was the first time in his life he'd actually cared for someone.  And that someone had ripped his heart out and pissed on it in full view of everyone.  And what had they been fighting about?  He could never remember after that.  All he knew from that point on was that he hated her and had to make her pay.
    But the next day she was gone.  He'd dreamt of her for months after ward.  One dream in particular he remembered with vivid clarity.  He'd been trying to kill her (as he usually dreamt after the incident) and nothing worked.  He'd tried beating her, stabbing her repeatedly in the back with a dull blade.  He remembered the dream particularly because he'd never dreamt of such a realistic stabbing.  Yet it was unreal at the same time.  He felt the blade pierce her chest cavity, heard the sound, but no blood came.  So he'd held her head underwater and urged Nappa to help him kill her.  Nappa refused (then he knew it was a dream) and she didn't die.
    He never got over it.  Only by humiliating her in return would he be satisfied.  But now that she lay dead before him, he felt no real satisfaction.  He still hated her.  She'd died too quick.  He'd wanted it to last.  To hear her scream his name and curse him until she choked on her own blood.
    He sighed and kicked her unresponsive flesh.  He had expected this to happen.  Or at least, he'd anticipated the possibility.  The hatred he felt for her had robbed him of reason.  He'd been amazed he'd been able to get her to follow him, that he hadn't murdered her on sight.  The warning shot he'd fired had very nearly been a killing shot.
    She's dead.  Get over it already.  I've waited for this for three years.  She is dead by my hands!  Isn't that enough?  He shook his head.
    It wasn't.  The pain she had caused, the emotions she'd made him feel. It was unforgivable.  And yet he was courting disaster again.  The blue-haired female was almost healed.  Why did he bother?  He could stay here if he wanted.  If she never returned home the Earth "fighters" couldn't do shit about it.
    Why had he been so… so angry to see her hurt?  No. angry wasn't the word.  He'd been infuriated.  Why?  It was completely inappropriate.  She was nothing but his pilot.  He shook his head.  He could lie to himself, but he couldn't make himself believe it.
    He incinerated Kila's body, watching as her pale skin and fine, ebony hair burned.

 

 

Chapter 7 -  Feelings are Stupid

 

    It was Déjà Vu reversed.  Once she had watched him heal, so he watched her now.   Why was he doing it?  It was horrifying the depth which he suddenly felt.  Many unfamiliar feelings ricocheted through him, some too quick to identify.  He experienced an unfamiliar tightening in his chest whenever he looked upon the battered female.
    He was concerned about the human girl.  He was more than concerned. He had been positively frantic after she had gone down.  And the anger he'd felt…  he couldn't begin to guess the last time he'd felt that much rage.
    For so long he'd felt nothing.  And he'd liked it that way.  It had gotten to the point where nothing Frieza or his lackeys said to him could bring about a reaction.  Not even anger or slight resentment.  Just slight annoyance which was easily brushed off.
     Sometimes he just ignored everyone and didn't even hear what they said, as he dwelt on other things.  But more often, he heard and he just didn't care.  He had stopped wasting his energy on underlings long before Namek.  Only two things really occupied his days.  Training and destroying.  Destroying whole populations of planets large and small.  Killing on such a huge scale… It boggled the mind.  Vegeta couldn't count the planet's he'd cleared, much less the amount of creatures living on them. The last week he'd spent on Frieza's ship had been over two years ago, but to Vegeta it seemed like only a month or two had passed.
    Kuui, of course, had stopped him his last few moments as a member of Frieza's army.  His petty insults had gone through one ear and out the other, but when he'd realized that Frieza had heard of the Dragon balls, he'd suddenly listened.
    But that was then, and his only chance had slipped through his fingers anyway.  What had become of Frieza and Kakarotto now?  Their power levels, huge as they were, were too far away for Vegeta to pick up.  Not that he was that skilled at sensing chi anyway.
    But he was practicing the little trick now.  Sensing the female's ki was hard enough already being so small, but now it was even more elusive.  It angered him beyond reason that she was so fragile.  She needed constant protection as she could not defend herself.  Even if she could fight, her ki was still too low to do real damage.  She might have enough to fly and throw a ki blast.  But the blast would never hurt him, even if it went off point-blank in his face.  And, regrettably, there were stronger fighters other than him.  But not many.  Less if Kakarotto defeated Frieza.
    He grimaced at the thought.  Kakarotto, a third-class fighter, the legendary Super Saiyan.  So what did that make him?  He was supposed to be the legendary.  Not some brain-damaged, Earth-raised, soft-hearted, piece-of-shit baka! How more fucked up could his life get?  A lot more judging by the present company he was keeping.  His enemy's "oldest friend" as she herself had put it.  He grit his teeth at the thought.  Why was it that he had sat here since he had put her in the regeneration tank? And why did it piss him off that out of all of the baka weaklings on earth, she was the weakest he'd met so far?  Obviously it meant he'd have to watch out for her more than he had previously.  But he'd never stuck his neck out for anyone before, and he felt strange doing it.  And it felt even weirder to want to look after her.
    In the back of his mind he guessed what could be happening- this sudden concern for the weak onna's welfare- but he refused to acknowledge it.  And yet he could no longer persist that he cared for her only as a pilot.  He had to admit his attraction to her.  Strange though it was.  He sensed her fear of him.  But it was harder to sense as each day passed.  And as her fear of him diminished, she grew more and more insolent and demanding.  But for some reason, he could only summon annoyance.  She'd never really made him angry. And it was strange because if anyone else had spoken to him as she did, they would have died.
Stranger still, he didn't want her to be afraid of him.  She had to trust him on some level, she had called him- twice now.  And she'd done it unintentionally...

     His frustration grew each day.  What did she matter to him?  Why did he care what she felt or thought?  What did he care if she got hurt or died?  He could figure out how to fly the ship by himself.  He wasn't stupid.  The ningens handwriting was unintelligible, true.  It was comprised of strange symbols that he couldn't even begin to decipher.  But so what?  He was beginning to wish that he could just leave her here.  But he knew he couldn't and it was infuriating because he didn't know why.
    Why did he care?  Why had his heart leapt into his throat when he'd seen her lying at the feet of her attacker? He might have been attracted to her, but he didn't actually like her…  He began to kick rocks in his frustration as he paced back and forth before the healing chamber.  He might be able to lie convincingly, but never to himself.
    She had about ten minutes left inside.  And he had ten minutes to come to a decision as to what to do with himself and her.

    Takezo was sort of nice, but did he want to be stuck here forever without knowing anyone?  Maybe it was the best idea.  He'd been alone for so long..  But something nagged at him, insisting that he keep going.
    Reinforcements would possibly arrive soon and he already had found their ship.  They could leave whenever…
    When the onna woke up.  What would she say?  Would she be angry that she'd been attacked?  They had both agreed that she'd had to get down and out of his way during the fight earlier. Why did he care?  It was her own fault she'd been attacked.
    He sighed, tugging a spiky lock of hair.  He almost rolled his eyes at his own stupidity.  It wasn't her fault.  She couldn't sense ki and she was slow as hell.  He was, in fact, surprised she had survived the attack.  Again he remembered his inappropriate reaction.  He had been so pissed!  Unbelievably pissed, now that he looked back on it.
    The alarm sounded. He was jolted out of his thoughts and whirled, startled. She was awake and staring calmly at him with her strange eyes.  Of all the creatures he'd seen, he'd never seen such blue eyes.  Not that blue- like the ocean on a perfect day.  He began the draining procedure, his gaze never leaving hers.  And for once he could not summon his regular scowl or smirk.  They merely locked eyes as if in a battle of wills.

    She slid out of the hatch, her clothes dripping.  Their eyes were still locked and Vegeta wondered what she could possibly be thinking.
    "Thank you." She murmured almost shyly.
    "Just returning a favor." He said almost as soft.
    "How long was I in there?" she asked, motioning towards the tank.
    "Roughly 45 minutes." She nodded and turned away to gaze across the landscape.  Smoke still billowed into the sky from fires among the wreckage of the base.  Only the healing chambers had been left intact.  She could hear nothing but the wind, the crackle of fire, and Vegeta's soft breathing mingling with her own.  She turned back to face him, strangely unfazed to see his eyes had never left her.
    "So, are you staying here?  Or are you leaving with me?"  she asked, her voice still a low murmur.
    "I'm not staying here.  In fact, the sooner we leave the better." Bulma stumbled forward a step and Vegeta caught her effortlessly.  Their eyes locked again.
    "W-why did you help me, Vegeta?"  His head tilted as he regarded her with narrow eyes.
    "Were your ears damaged?" he grated out, sounding far more harsh than he intended.  She flinched and he unconsciously smoothed his voice and said softly.  "I said I was returning a favor."
    "Oh." She said with a small nod.  Her eyes fell to her feet as they began to walk and he couldn't help but think that she seemed disappointed.

    He led her back to the ship, but as he slowly walked she wondered why he'd helped her.  She was beginning to think there was more than his need for her as his pilot.  True, he'd said he was just "Returning a favor" which was a convenient excuse.  But she was beginning to wonder if that wasn't all it was.  An excuse.
When the thick healing fluid in the tank had been draining she had locked eyes with the Saiyan no Ouji and she'd felt something snap inside.  Like an old tie, breaking.  But instead of feeling sorrow at a seeming loss of a bond, she felt joy.  When she looked into his eyes she saw something alien and frightening, but intriguing and desirable all the same.  For the life of her she wasn't sure what it meant.  But she felt as if all things old and familiar had been washed away and was slowly being replaced by something new and far from ordinary.
And she felt no fear.  Far from it, she felt powerful and invigorated.  As if she was beginning a journey which she knew must end in her victory.  And nothing short of that would suffice.

    They had been careening through space for three days and each had been nearly silent the whole time, absorbed in their own thoughts.  Bulma often had felt a pair of smoldering black eyes on her back only to turn and see Vegeta looking somewhere else.  Each time it happened, she opened her mouth to say something, but always snapped it shut again.  She didn't know what to say anyway, and she was afraid of Vegeta's reaction if she asked him something as inane as: "Were you just staring at me?"
    She could just imagine Vegeta's reaction.  And she almost giggled at the thought of him yelling at her for an hour before he decided to just glare at her angrily for a few days.
    If Vegeta's mood swings were anything, they were predictable.   She was learning just how easily and what topics set him off on the fourth day of travel when she could bear the silence no longer.

    "Vegeta." Bulma said, her voice echoing alarmingly through the ship.
    "What?" Vegeta said, about ten times louder.  They both cringed as his voice echoed harsly.
    "What's up?"
    "Huh?" he turned to face her, swiveling his chair around.
    "What are you doing?"
    "What the hell does it look like I'm doing onna?  Have you lost your sight as well as hearing?"  Bulma smiled, which Vegeta found a little disconcerting.
    "I'm just bored, and we never talk.  I know your not doing anything.  What are you thinking about?"  He frowned and his gaze grew abstract as if he himself was trying to remember what had just been going through his mind.
    "Uh..  I was thinking about how bored I am."
    "Me too.  So let me ask you,  what about this place we're going now?"  He frowned.
    "I'm hoping its still in one piece.  AND that none of Frieza's bases are there.  Me and Nappa were supposed to wipe out the inhabitants on it but then.." he grimaced as if he'd just tasted something foul.
    "What?"
    "Radditz was killed on Chikyuu and we heard the Namekian talk about the Dragon balls.  So we left and were going to go back and finish later.." he trailed off.
    "Why did you kill Nappa?" she boldly asked.  She was surprised to see a shadow of sorrow flicker across his usually stoic features.
    "I don't know why anymore." He said with a sigh. He glanced out the view portal and watched stars fly past.  "At the time I was angry.  I was pissed because he lost to Kakarotto.  If I would have known how he was able to increase his power three-fold for a short time, perhaps I wouldn't have been so quick to blow his ass up."  Bulma blinked, sensing that she had just received a grave confession.  "I shouldn't have done it.  I've never really regretted anything I've done.  Even when I purged planets for Frieza that I had never been to and had no reason to destroy.  I never felt bad for that unless I liked the planet itself.
    "But.." he trailed off with a sigh.  Bulma said nothing.  It had obviously been weighing on his mind and she didn't want to say anything that would anger him and shut him up like an oyster.  He tugged a thick, black lock of hair.  She had noticed him doing it often when annoyed or perplexed.    "I don't know.  It was a shitty way to repay him for practically raising me."
    "Nappa raised you?" Bulma said, softly, considering the idea.  The Nappa she'd seen on TV had seemed like a psycho on PCP.  The thought had never crossed her mind that he'd actually cared for someone younger than himself.  "For how long?"
    "From the time I was about three or four.  That was when I started training.  He used to always laugh at me because he said when I first met him I was scared of him and ran away." He chuckled lightly and a ghost of a smile crept across his features.  Bulma grinned at the thought.  She could well imagine it.
But his smile faded shortly.  "That didn't last for very long.  I was the strongest Saiyan on Vejiitasei by the time I was seven."  Bulma blinked in surprise.  She didn't miss the emphasis placed on 'was'.  But the thought that he was the strongest on his planet when he was still a young boy was amazing.
    "I can't imagine what that would be like." Bulma marveled.  "To be stronger than anyone, and so young too!" She noticed the odd look that Vegeta shot her and her awe turned quickly to unease when she saw fury alight in his eyes.
    "Yeah, look what it got me!" he snapped bitterly.  He turned back to the window and said nothing more.  Bulma bit her lip, knowing that it would be in her best interest to keep quiet.  If it had been anyone else, she would have badgered them until they spit out the rest.  But it was obvious Vegeta didn't want to talk anymore and bothering him further was just asking for trouble.
    She sighed and leaned back in the rather large swivel chair.  Damn it.  She was still bored!  She cursed for not thinking to put a TV/VCR into the design of the ship.  She could at least watch a movie.
She went downstairs and rifled around under the bed until she found her capsule case.  Inside were tons of books and magazines, but she'd read them all.  She drummed her fingers in frustration.  She popped the next capsule and found a small CD player and a few CD's she had presumed stolen, lost, or "borrowed" by Yamcha.
    Yamcha… she sighed.  How long had it been since she'd seen him?  How long since they'd shared a simple date or kiss?  It seemed like eons.  And now look at her.  Stuck in space, her only company an angry and annoyingly quiet Saiyan no Ouji.  No matter what she did to initiate a conversation it always seemed to end with Vegeta yelling at her and lapsing into bitter silence.  Just like he had not five minutes ago.
She suddenly realized that she'd yet to shower after coming out of the regeneration tank.  She smelled like she'd spent the day in the pool.  She decided that worrying wasn't going to help her but she could occupy a few minutes in the shower.
    She ran down the stairs and into the bathroom.  She quickly disrobed, impatiently dropping her clothes on the floor.  She pulled the frosted glass shower door open and was greeted by what looked like a ten pound spider sitting in the bath tub.
    A hysterical shriek burst from her lips and she threw herself at the door.  She fumbled with the door knob and pounded and kicked when it wouldn't open fast enough.
    "VEGETA!!!" she screamed.

 

 

Chapter 8 -  I don't know why I like You
   

     There was something about outer space that repelled, yet fascinated at the same time.  It was dismal and appeared empty - like himself on first glance he suspected.  But the universe was unimaginably filled, even after everything the Kold empire had destroyed.  He suspected that he would never find a place to call his own.  The only place he'd ever called home was Vejiitasei.  There were other planets with high gravity, but did they look the same?  Did they have twin suns, golden during the day, deepening to a blood-red hue towards dusk?  Was their sky a pale yellow that faded to rusty orange and purple by night?  Would any place have trees as tall and grand as Vejiitasei?  He thought back to childhood, staring up at those massive trunks and towering boughs.  And the oceans.  Shimmering like liquid gold, and the fish, their scales seemingly made of diamond for they sparkled and reflected light like those stones which Zarbon had so loved to wear.
    It was an impossible quest, it seemed, to find somewhere remotely similar to his former home.  The endless void of space seemed more familiar now, and he hated it.
    He was drawn from his thoughts by his tail of all things.  He'd never had his tail removed and the newly-generated limb was a strange experience.  The nerves felt like they were tingling and his tail would begin to thrash about on its own as it was doing as he stared at it.
    He'd never realized how important it had been until it had been cut off.  Never had he felt such humiliation! The last link to his home, utterly destroyed. Perhaps the onna knew who had robbed him of it in the first place, but would she tell him?
    He snorted in derision.  She had better!  He thought angrily, he'd only saved her ass twice.  At least he thought so.  He wasn't sure what had happened the first time she'd gotten in a scrape with one of Frieza's men.  He'd only arrived just in time.  At least he thought so.  She didn't speak of it.  But then, he didn't expect her to.
    And besides, his tail was back.  Who cut it off really didn't matter that much, somehow he would get that information out of her.  The onna was infuriatingly talkative.  She was bound to let a few things slip.
    A sudden piercing scream tore him out of his reverie,  He leapt to his feet and was outside the bathroom door.  He could hear the onna's panicked screams and frantic hammering on the door.  He grasped the handle and surprisingly, it wouldn't budge.  Bulma screams grew louder and he frowned as he wrenched the door from its hinges.  Before he could drop the thick slab of metal, Bulma had leapt into his arms, half-mad with panic. And half-naked! He could feel her entire body quivering as she cleaved to him.  Her skin was amazingly soft and smooth.  He could feel hot tears rolling down his neck as she buried her face in his throat.  Oh shit.  He tried to ignore the sudden rush of desire and sought to discover what had sent her into such a pitiable state.  His eyes swept through the bathroom.  What the hell? He wondered in bewilderment.  He saw it, and jumped back about ten feet.
    "What is that?!" He cried, unable to hide his astonishment and disgust at the eight-legged horror that skittered across the floor towards them.
    "It's the biggest spider ever born!" Bulma fairly shrieked in his ear.  He winced at the pain caused by her high-pitched squealing.
    "Spider?" he murmured.  It was an unfamiliar being, and he was utterly repelled by it.  He couldn't say he hadn't seen disgusting insects before, but they hadn't been as big as this!  The largest bug he'd seen had only been a foot in length at the most.  Bulma sniffled and peered over his shoulder at the  creature still advancing as Vegeta backed away.
    "Kill it!" she cried.  "Step on it!" Vegeta laughed.
    "Step on it!? Are you insane? I'm barefoot!" He raised a hand and Bulma gasped as it began to glow with ki.
    "No Vegeta!  The ship!  You have to.. step on it or something!  Don't shoot it you'll breach the hull and we'll be sucked into space!"  Damn her for being right so often!  But he didn't want to touch it!  The spider creature suddenly crouched and leapt straight at them!  Bulma's panicked scream easily covered Vegeta's strangled gasp of alarm as he leapt back.
    "Shit." He hissed.  His back was to the wall and at least two of its eyes were staring right at him.  He wanted to kill it, but how?  He felt like a pitiful coward, but the thing was sickening to look at.  He couldn't imagine touching it!  A shudder raced up his spine that mirrored Bulma's trembling.  He raised a small bit of ki and pointed one finger.  Just enough to kill the thing - then before he could fire it spat a long spray of liquid.  He felt it splash his leg and watched in amazement as the floor began to burn from the liquid trail.  He fired the small blast right between the two biggest eyes as it lurched forward again.  It fell to the ground and shuddered all over before it stiffened and lay quiet.
    He set Bulma on her feet and only then did his mind register the agonizing pain.  With a sharp gasp he fell on his butt, almost on his tail!  Bulma dropped to her knees and tried to pull him up.
    "What is it?"  For a moment, all her could do was stare at the silky white material covering Bulma's breasts as pain shot in jolts up and down his leg.  She checked him over for injuries and gasped in shock when she saw the angry red welts on his shin.  The bloody shorts had not covered any of the area that had been hit.  "How did this happen?" Bulma gasped.
    "It spit on me." Vegeta growled through clenched teeth.  She gently touched the smallest wound and his whole body jerked, a small groan of pain issuing from him.  She gasped as the skin pulled away from that faint touch and blood began to ooze freely.
    "Shit!" Bulma gasped.  "Come on.  Let's get up."  Vegeta took a deep breath and stood, but as he tried to take a step forward the pain caused him to stumble and nearly black out.  Bulma was pushing him up with all her strength, her small hands planted firmly on his chest.  She could see him struggling and a swift ache shot through her heart.  They half-stumbled over to the bed and fell onto the piled up covers in a heap.  He groaned and rolled onto his back at Bulma's request and she ran back to the bathroom carefully avoiding the smoldering spider carcass on the floor.  She found the first aid kit, disinfectant, towels and antibiotic cream and dashed back to Vegeta.
He was sitting up, staring at the blood oozing down his leg with what could only be described as morbid fascination.  She stood riveted as he swiped some of the blood off of his shin and licked it off his finger.  Utterly vampiric he seemed, with those sharp canines she'd glimpsed earlier when he'd laughed at her. And the way he'd drank his own blood, she shuddered.  He was so unlike anyone she'd ever met.  And at times he scared her, like right now.  His eyes lifted and he studied her as well.  She was jolted from her daze by his piercing eyes.  Eyes that seemed to strip her bare to her soul leaving every fault and weakness exposed to his inscrutable gaze.  He was a mystery to her, one she wanted desperately to understand.
    She sat down beside him and took a clean, white wash cloth and soaked it in the peroxide.  She began to clean the wounds as gently as possible.  But Vegeta seemed to be blocking the pain out.  He had a very small frown and he appeared lost in thought.  She continued to dab at the three flaming scorches and the clotted blood wiped away to reveal angry little holes.  She winced as the peroxide cause the wounds to bubble, but Vegeta didn't seem to mind.  She would have been bawling.  She gently blew on his leg and noticed that he jumped visibly.
    "Sorry." She murmured, thinking it had somehow hurt him.  He said nothing.  She covered each gash with antibiotic cream and put gauze pads over them.  Then she taped them onto his virtually hairless leg.  But the lack of hair didn't surprise her.  Goku was the same way.  Must be a Saiyan thing, she mused.  "There.  Does it feel better?"  He blinked, coming out of his daze and peered down at his leg.
    "Yes." He admitted quietly, with a faint touch of awe in his voice.
    "Good." She said with a smile.  The smile instantly faded and she groaned, slapping her forehead.  Vegeta eyed her curiously, wondering what had changed her demeanor so quick.
    "What is it, onna?" he asked.  Bulma didn't miss the tone of his voice and for a moment she almost forgot the problem.  Kami, he sounded almost.. nice.
    "That." She pointed with a grimace of disgust at the dead spider.  Oh.  That.  He'd thought for a moment that she'd realized she was almost naked in front of him.  He surely had not forgotten.  Almost as if she sensed his thoughts she looked down at herself and her face turned crimson.      "I-I'll be right back." She murmured and scurried to the bathroom.
Damn it.  Vegeta thought with a rueful smile.  He had hoped she wouldn't notice.  Besides why did she care?  She been in that state of undress for awhile now, what made her suddenly so shy?  And how had she made those ugly wounds stop hurting so fast?  And without the regeneration tank?  He was disrupted from his thoughts by the sound of the water running.  She was showering.   The thought brought a vivid mental picture and he groaned again as the thought instantly aroused him.
    "Damn it!" He snapped.  This was so unfair!  Why did he have to be trapped in a space pod with a hot prude?  He growled angrily, his hand grasping a handful of hair and tugging lightly.  And why did he want her so bad?  She was a weak human!  She still had slight bruises on her face from Dora! He sighed, the argument was always the same, but now it sounded half-hearted.  And it was.  Why did he try to lie to himself?  It was pointless and he knew it yet he still persisted on trying to make himself think something else.  But then he'd been doing it for a long time, or at least, trying to.
    He had almost convinced himself that what he'd been doing for Frieza had been a favor to everyone.  The weak deserved death, even though they'd never done anything to him.  He threw his hands up in disgust.
    Coward.  He thought bitterly.  Scared of a girl with virtually no ki.  But it was the power she could wield over him.  He'd fallen victim to it before when he was much younger and far more foolish.  And the end result of that relationship- if what they'd had could be called such- had been a square shot in the pills as far as Vegeta was concerned.  And he felt that slicing his throat would be preferable.  Better to die a failure than a pussy -whipped failure.
    The last thing he needed was another person who had the power to hurt him.  Physically, she couldn't do a thing. Unless she caught him off-guard.   Besides, physical pain was something Vegeta was very used to.  No matter how intense.  He had been beaten to death, after all.  But she could hurt him in other ways…
    Pure disgust rippled across his face.  There was only one thing that was worse.
    Betrayal.
    No.  Being stupid enough to trust someone.  The only way someone could betray you was if you trusted them in some way..  He wouldn't be stupid enough to do that again.  He closed his eyes tight as if attempting to banish the memories that tried to be recognized.
    No!  I'm just going to get pissed off and for what? He mentally chided.   Still, memory returned as his mind always took a delight in torturing him. With a bitter sigh he fell back on he soft pillows and blankets.  How old had he been when he'd been fool enough to care for someone?  Seventeen? The corner of his mouth slid up when he reflected back on his younger self.  What an angry little bastard he'd been.  The human onna thought he was scary now?  He almost laughed.  Back then he was lashing out at everyone he could.  His mouth had been incredible.  Loud and quite creative.  His vocabulary of disgusting things to say was not as vast as it had once been.  Several times he'd managed to disgust people so much that they completely forgot what they meant to harass him about in the first place.  He scared people away before they ever saw him fight.  Sometimes intimidating people with his mere personality had its own rewards.   And he liked it that way.
    But then one day Radditz had informed his prince of a girl who was just like him.  Kila was her name. As scary as the thought seemed, he was definitely curious.  And a few weeks later, they met.
It had been fate, cruel evil fate had brought them together that day.  And at once he liked her.  Even though he tried not to.  She had been a cute girl, a year younger than he.  But she was more unstable than the Saiyan no Ouji, which he often found surprising.  Her temper would escalate radically, but Vegeta didn't care at the time.  She was in his power, she could do nothing to hurt him.  He was far superior to her in every aspect, there was no way she could ever bend him to her will.
    But as the months passed in deep space there were less planets to purge.  The only thing to do was train and fuck.  Which they did every chance they got.  In the beginning.  As the months wore on they saw each other less and less and Vegeta couldn't figure out why.  And he also couldn't really figure out why it bothered him.
    It was then, perhaps that he'd realized that he'd grown accustomed to the things he'd gained from their affair.  He'd liked having someone to talk to when he was bored.  Especially someone who agreed with him often.  He'd liked having somewhere to go, someone to fuck.  It had been nice..
But after a year it ended abruptly and Vegeta still had no clue why.  He assumed she just got sick of him and didn't know what to tell him when he'd thought about it nearly two years after.  He didn't want to think about what she'd done.  It was stupid, yet he'd been completely embarrassed and utterly hurt.
He thought back.  Those last few moments were so jumbled.  They had been arguing over what, he couldn't even remember and she had slapped him across the face.  That had been bad enough, but it had been in front of several witnesses.   One of them being Kuui, who had laughed very loudly.
Needless to say, Vegeta's reaction had been to freak out in a big way.  She repeatedly ordered him to leave with a barely concealed smile as he'd demanded to know what the hell was wrong with her.  Perhaps it wouldn't have bothered him so much if his father hadn't liked to throw plates at his defenseless mother when he was a little brat.  Something inside him had totally snapped at her careless disrespect.  He'd never done anything similar to her even though he was mocked by Frieza's men for treating her like something valued.
    But at that moment he couldn't think of anything except… Why?  In his rage he'd brought his fist down on a large glass table and was badly cut by broken shards.  Kila then had begun to yell at him for breaking the table.
    And of course, it was before regeneration tanks had been thoroughly tested so he'd ended up getting ten stitches in his arm.  He still had the scars.  There were three of them.
    What really burned the most was that he'd done nothing about it.  He'd never talked to her again.  At least, not intentionally.  A few times he saw her and each time they grew more and more hostile towards each other.  The last time he saw her, she was with another man, roughly two years after they stopped seeing each other.
    It had been on a tourist planet that Frieza sent all of his soldiers to every so often.  Vegeta, Nappa, and Radditz had been utterly drunk after celebrating Radditz's 500 point raise in power after being badly defeated by one of Zarbon's "friends"  and they celebrated the fact that Radditz had stepped out of the tank and within fifteen minutes had found his aggressor and beaten the shit out of him.
And then she was there, walking past him every so often.  Radditz begged him not to make a scene.  But he'd waited far too long for revenge.  He'd even begun dreaming about killing her, so heavy was it on his mind.  His hatred for her was stronger than their lust for each other had once been.  And he followed her, grabbed her by her throat, slapped her in the face, threw her to the ground, and even managed to spit on her before roughly twelve other guys pulled him away.
    He thought he'd be happy after that.  But he wasn't.  Another year passed and he realized that he still hated her as much as he ever did, if not more.  And it bothered him.  She wasn't worth his anger or his hate.  All she deserved was a miserable lonely existence.  But he got her deserved fate instead.
Afraid of another similar situation, Vegeta withdrew more and more.  And if his quietness wasn't a good enough indication of his desire to be alone, then he said it well enough with his fists.
Anger was getting harder and harder to provoke in the young Saiyan.  He closed himself off from his emotions by ignoring them as if they didn't exist.  And then when he was pushed too far he would explode in a violent fury that rarely left survivors.
    Frieza seemed to sense when he was near his limit each time, for Vegeta found himself on  several purging missions in a row when he was close to having what Frieza termed his "Little tantrums".
But they were anything but little.  Several times Nappa and Radditz had been forced to find aid from Frieza in stopping Vegeta's furies before he destroyed himself with his own power.  Without fail, Zarbon would arrive and put Vegeta into a coma.  Radditz and Nappa were against anything involving Zarbon, but he made sure he didn't kill the Saiyan no Ouji, and the elder two Saiyans didn't have the strength to stop Vegeta or the will to make him listen to reason.
    No one did.  When he hit that plateau of rage he couldn't be talked down.  Everything that angered him came bursting out in a blinding explosion of ki.  And when it was all over, even after the regeneration tank, Vegeta was exhausted for at least a few days.
    He wasn't anywhere near that level of rage now.  He despised Kakarotto and Frieza.  He hoped they were both floating in dead space in bits and pieces.  But that wasn't really on his mind so much.  As far as he knew they were both dead.  He was bitter about the idea, but not completely infuriated.  He was even more bitter that Frieza had ended his life.  But he had expected it to happen for years and years, even more so after he had disobeyed Frieza and went in search of the accursed Dragon balls.
And he hated the fact that he'd asked Kakarotto to finish Frieza in his stead.  Had he known someone would actually wish him back to life, he'd have kept his mouth shut.  He also hated not knowing how the fight had ended, if it even had.  He sighed wearily.  Being angry all the time was like breathing it seemed.  When was the last time he'd been even slightly content?  A picture of the onna standing outside the regeneration tank came to him suddenly and he shivered.
    That had not been what he'd expected to think of.  And it was the only thing that was really causing him stress at the moment.  This hateful attraction to the onna… Bulma.  The attraction he dearly wished he didn't have.  The thought was altogether horrifying.
    He'd liked what he'd had with Kila.  They really didn't care about each other but they had a very sexual relationship.  That was all it was.  Sex.  No more, no less.  But for some reason he didn't think the onna would agree to something like that.
    "GAAH!" he snapped, throwing his hands up. What the hell am I thinking?  She is way too fragile and why do I even want to?  I'm just horny or something! He mentally berated.  The water from the shower stopped and Vegeta realized he would have to get rid of the spider carcass before she got out of the bathroom.
    Why should I? He thought.  She's the big baby that's scared of it.  He shook his head as he shot several low-powered blasts at the remains turning them to ashes.  He did find it repulsive, might as well get rid of it.

    Bulma emerged from the shower clad in the one clean towel in the bathroom.  She realized that he father had made nothing for washing laundry.  If she wanted clean towels, or any clean clothes for that matter, she'd have to wash them with shampoo in the bathtub and let them drip dry.    It sounded like too much work to her.  She at least had to have clean underwear though, she thought with a sigh.  Maybe she should have taken some servo-bots with her. She looked at the small digital clock by the bed.  6 pm.  She didn't even know what time she'd woken up at.  She remembered the discussion she and Vegeta had had before the whole spider incident:
    "I can't imagine what that would be like." Bulma marveled.  "To be stronger than anyone, and so young too!" She noticed the odd look that Vegeta shot her and her awe turned quickly to unease when she saw fury alight in his eyes.
    "Yeah, look what it got me!" he snapped bitterly.  He turned back to the window and said nothing more.
    Was he still angry about that?  He didn't look angry.  In fact he was straight staring at her with an odd look in his eyes.
    "Is something wrong?" she asked.  "Does your leg still hurt?"  he shook his head and looked away, his jaw clenching.  While his head was turned, Bulma snagged her cotton robe and dropped the towel.  She quickly threw her robe on tying the sash tight.  She searched through her capsules and popping one open to pull out a silky white pair of panties.  She glanced over her shoulder to see if Vegeta was looking.
    He wasn't.  In fact he had one hand covering his eyes and she could see a vein standing out on his throat.
    Interesting.  She quickly pulled her panties on.   She padded across the floor to the bed where he sat.  she laid her hand on his shoulder but was unprepared for his reaction.  He immediately flinched away, his head whipping around to face her.  For a moment she was sure she'd seen fear flash briefly through his eyes.  She held her hands up in a gesture of peace.  He visibly relaxed, his expression grew clouded and he looked away towards the two small portholes in the hull.  She sat down next to him.  He shot her a suspicious glance before returning his gaze to the tiny stars that swept past.
    "What's wrong Vegeta?  Are you sure your leg is ok?  Those wounds looked pretty gross." She saw him frown and he turned to regard her with confusion.
    "Why do you care?"  she frowned.  Why didn't he trust her?  Like she could actually hurt him.
    "Because.  You've saved me twice.  Actually three times." she said, indicating the black scorch on the floor.  "You haven't done anything to hurt me physically, and I-"
    "What does that mean?" he cut in.  "What did I do?" he said his eyes narrowed.  She blinked.
    "N-nothing, really!" she stammered.  He'd said a few careless words and had hurt her feelings, but that was fine with her as long as he didn't kill her.
    "Don't lie to me." He said, his voice flat and unnerving.
    "W-well, you said some mean things, but as long as you don't kill me-"
    "I'm not going to kill you!" he snapped, his face slightly pink.  "Why would I bother to save your ass if I wanted you dead?"
    "I know Vegeta.  I know you can't fly the ship." She said calmly, trying to be the voice of reason.
    "I could fly the ship if I wanted to-!" he stopped abruptly, his face definitely pink.  Bulma's eyes nearly popped out of her skull.
    "Then-" her throat closed. Vegeta turned his back to her, but she noticed his tail lashing angrily.  What did he mean?  What in Kami's name was he saying?!   Did he accidentally admit that he didn't want to be rid of her?  That he maybe even somewhat liked her?  She had to say something!  His face was getting redder by the second, but he was still there.  She had to say something.
    "Does that mean you don't hate me anymore?" she asked, trying not to sound to hopeful and failing entirely.  He tilted his head in her direction.
    "Why would you think that I hate you?"  Ha.  She almost laughed.
    "Well, you haven't exactly made me feel like I'm worth more than a tool.  Although you did save me, but I always assumed you did it because you couldn't fly the ship.  I'm not saying you should act all nice because I know at least that that's not the type of person you are.  But you could acknowledge me as a person, regardless of my strength.  I know you were raised to believe that strength is most important, and I know you believe that.  But I don't." she sighed.  "Forget it.  It doesn't matter."   By the time she had stopped speaking he had turned around to face her again, a puzzled look on his face.  "The only other reason you could value me is because I am a girl and we're alone together."  She felt, rather than saw him stiffen.  She gazed at his face and was surprised to see that he looked angry and uncomfortable at the same time.  She sighed.  She had hit the nail on the head it seemed and it appeared that Vegeta knew it.  Although he had avoided watching her undress.  And she knew many who would not pass up that chance.  Had it been out of respect?  No.  He didn't respect her in the least.
    "Shut up." He snapped glaring at her.  "Have I ever tried to take advantage of that?"  she frowned.  He hadn't so that meant two things: either he wanted to and was apprehensive about attempting for fear of rejection.  Or there was a whole other reason that he valued her for.  That last thought led her nowhere.  Or he was gay.  She almost smiled at the thought.  Naah..
    "Well I can't figure it out then.  Or you.  I wish I could.  Why don't you hate me Vegeta?"  she asked softly, lifting her head to gaze into his eyes, which she couldn't help but notice that they were full of barely-veiled emotion.
    "I don't know!" he cried.

 

 

Chapter 9 - The Drug of Choice

 

   Bulma stared at him for a moment in blank surprise.
    "Why don't you hate me Vegeta?"
    "I don't know!"
    She didn't know what to say.  Obviously he was uncomfortable with the whole issue, but if she let it drop now she'd never be able to bring it up again.
    "I don't know why I don't hate you either." She said.  Vegeta lifted his eyes to gaze at her.  She could see her own confusion reflected in his eyes.  "Although I should.  You tried to kill everyone I care about.  But for some reason…" she trailed off unsure of what to say.  "Maybe it's because I'm curious about you.  I want to know what kind of a person you really are."
    "You know exactly what I am, woman."
    "No." Bulma said firmly.  "Your personality.  Not the face of Frieza's little servant." She abruptly realized her mistake when any emotion other than anger vanished from his face.  His eyes narrowed as Bulma's hand flew to her mouth.   Oh shit. Bulma! You moron!
    "How dare you." He hissed, arms reflexively crossing.  "Frieza's little servant." He repeated through clenched teeth.  "You fucking bitch.  I should kill you."  Bulma gasped as Vegeta's hand clamped down on her shoulder.  His fingers bit deep into the flesh, instantly bruising muscle.  Her mouth opened to scream but all that came out was a tiny squeak of terror.  Vegeta pushed her down until she was lying prone on the mattress.  "How dare you say such things to me?  Who the hell do you think you are?  Do you know what I went through all those years and yet you think you can simplify it and brush it all away like it was nothing more than a job!" he said quietly.  Bulma whimpered in pain and fear.  She was more afraid of his calm demeanor, she almost wished he were screaming in her face instead.
    "Vegeta I'm sorry!" she gasped.  His features quickly morphed from anger to disgust.
    "You little liar!" he hissed.  "You think I'm stupid?  You only apologize because your afraid I might hurt you." He gripped her shoulder harder and she couldn't stop the choked cry that escaped.  Instantly he released her and turned away.  Bulma felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks and she tried to bite back the whimpering sobs that threatened to tear loose.  But the pain was intense, she knew her collarbone was most likely broken.  She couldn't lift her arm at all.  She rolled onto her side and curled into a ball, sobbing quietly.

    Vegeta grimaced.  She deserves it. Let her cry!  He thought angrily.  But at the same time he was also ashamed of his reaction.  True, her words were foolish and amazingly painful to hear, but he should not have hurt her.  She was defenseless against him. It was unfair of him to hurt her and just basically wrong.  He knew that.   She was a weak girl for shit's sake. Even if she was a stupid bitch for calling him 'Frieza's little servant'.  The fucking nerve of her.  But he couldn't stand to hear her crying.  It was doing something to him, but he couldn't tell what.  All he knew was that he wished she'd stop crying.
    Why didn't he just get up and leave her there?  It was pointless though.  He could hear her anywhere on the ship.  It wasn't really large at all.  Only just big enough.  But he didn't know what to say to make her stop.  He surely wouldn't apologize.  She didn't deserve it.  He'd only given her back some of the pain she'd just given him.  It was an even trade.
    He quickly stood and suddenly everything grew strangely dark.

    He opened his eyes and saw Bulma staring down at him, her eyes wide and frightened and still shedding tears.
    "Thank Kami Vegeta!" She cried.  "I didn't know what to do!"  He felt incredibly exhausted and sweaty.  His heart was pounding furiously and he had to take several deep breaths before he could raise his head.  "Are you ok?" she asked biting her lower lip nervously.
    "What happened?" he croaked.  His throat was dry and tight and he began to cough.
    "Can you get up?" she asked gently.  He felt a sudden flash of annoyance from her display of concern, but at the same time he was nervous.  What the hell had happened?  He sat up, unable to suppress a groan as dizziness assailed him.  He felt her trying to pull him to his feet and he shoved her away and after a moment lurched to his feet unaided.  As soon as he reached his full height he staggered and nearly fell, but Bulma wound her arm around his and led him to the bed.
They sat down and he collapsed onto the mattress with an audible sigh.  Bulma frowned at the sweat on his brow.  His face was alternating between dull red and pasty white.  What was wrong?  Goku was a Saiyan and as far as she knew, he'd never been sick.
    "What happened?" Vegeta repeated, his voice thick and harsh.
    "You kinda' had a seizure." Vegeta's eyes flew open and he struggled to sit up.
    "What?" he whispered.
    "How are you feeling now?" She asked trying to stay calm.  He didn't answer.  "How many fingers am I holding up?" she asked holding up three.
    "Three." He snapped.  "I didn't hit my head… Did I?"
    "When you fell you hit the back of your head pretty hard.  That's when you started twitching." Bulma said absently stroking his cheek.  He flinched away.
    "Leave me alone!" he hissed.
    "No way!  You just passed out.  I don't even know if I should let you sleep!  Have you been eating?"  Vegeta's face turned a dull red.
    "Yes." He ground out.
    "What about your leg?  Does it hurt?" she asked, ignoring his anger for the moment.  He stared down at his injury and saw that the bandages were completely soaked with blood.  And indeed, it was throbbing painfully.  In fact, the pain grew steadily worse until jolts of agony were shooting up to his hip.  His leg began to twitch spasmodically.
    Bulma assumed his silence meant 'yes'.  She glanced at the bandages and gasped, noting the blood.  She searched for the medical kit and brought it forth.  She pulled off the old dressings and dropped them in disgust when another layer of skin peeled off with it.
    "Oh God." She hissed.  It had only been about a half hour since the spider attacked him and yet the wound looked horribly infected.  Red lines shot underneath the flesh and she could see disgusting pus oozing from the holes.  "Oh God." She murmured.
    She reached into the medical bag and poured alcohol over the wounds.  She heard a choked gasp and Vegeta suddenly shoved her bruised shoulder.  The alcohol flew from her grasp and she couldn't stop the pained cry that tore from her lips.  She clenched her shoulder as it throbbed dully.  Then she felt Vegeta's hands on her, pulling her onto the mattress next to him.
    "I'm sorry." He said softly, his cheeks stained pink.  Bulma blinked in amazement, the pain instantly forgotten.  Had he just… apologized?  He abruptly staggered to his feet and headed towards the refrigerator leaving Bulma staring numbly at his retreating figure.  He returned moments later with a small towel filled with something.  He sat down next to her and placed it on her bruised shoulder.  It was full of ice.
    He lay back with a sigh.  Bulma was silent for a long time.  She gazed at the wound on Vegeta's leg and noticed that the blood was hardening and turning almost black.  The ice felt good on her shoulder.  Perhaps Vegeta did have a heart after all.  Was it possible that he regretted hurting her even after what she'd said?
    "Vegeta?" she said softly.
    "Hm?" he murmured, sounding half-asleep.
    "I really am sorry about what I said.  I wasn't thinking at all.  I do that sometimes.  I wasn't apologizing to save my ass either.  I shouldn't have said that."  Silence.  For long moments all she could hear was his breathing and then she heard the mattress creak as he sat up.
    "I… regret injuring you.  I knew better." Was all he said.
    "You already apologized.  I accept it."
    "You did as well, I assumed it was expected."  Bulma smiled faintly and turned to look at him.  Her smile faded once she turned.  His face was stark white, even his lips were pale.
    "Are you ok?" she gasped before she could stop herself.
    "We have to land soon." He panted.  "My body isn't fighting this poison." Poison?  Bulma wondered frantically.
    "I set our course a few days ago.  I checked our position last night, we're about a day and a half away." She said, softly, trying to cover the panic in her voice.
    "Fine." He murmured and lay back closing his eyes.  Soon she heard his breathing slow and glanced back to find him asleep.
    She quickly rose, keeping her ice in place and headed upstairs.

    She watched stars race past as their next destination came into view.  It was a tiny pink planet from what she could see, but it grew and grew as the drew near and she wondered just how large the surface was.
    But her mind was more on Vegeta then their destination.  First, she was concerned about his health.  He'd mentioned poison.  She'd thought the spider's venom was merely corrosive in nature, but if it was toxic in another respect…  it was a good thing he was Saiyan and healed fast or he could very well be dead right then.
    Second, she was concerned about his behavior.  His earlier anger hadn't surprised her.  The fact that she'd survived it had.  And then he had apologized to her and even went so far as to give her ice in an attempt to stop bruising.  The ice had melted long ago and she had to admit, although she was still stiff from the cold, she didn't hurt half as bad as she would have.  Obviously he regretted his actions, but why?  Why did he care if he hurt her or not?  Then she remembered the comment that had started the whole incident.
    He didn't hate her, and he didn't know why.   She stared blankly out into space.  Why didn't he hate her?  Sure, she'd tried her best to be polite, but it was only because she'd been afraid of him.  Now she didn't really feel that scared of him at all.  She was still a little nervous around him, but she felt certain that he wouldn't kill her.  And she was almost positive that he would try not to hurt her again, if only so he wouldn't have to apologize to her again.  It wasn't much, but it made some of the tension that she'd been feeling since they had first met start to drain away.  And for that she was thankful.
    He is cute. She found herself thinking.  Even if he was still slightly-scary.  He could of used a hair cut, that was for sure, but she found herself wondering how he looked when he smiled a genuine-smile, or how he laughed, and what he liked to do besides fighting (if anything).  She was also deeply curious about his past.  He'd said that his planet had been destroyed.  He'd mentioned that Nappa had raised him.  But he'd said nothing about Frieza.  And of that she was most curious.  What had it been like for him to grow up under Frieza's wing?  All she knew of Frieza was that he was evil.  That was a pretty vague description. Obviously he was evil.  He sent others to destroy whole civilizations for him.  And that could be the least horrible thing he'd ever done.
She shuddered at the thought.  She could only faintly imagine the abuse Frieza must have dished out on his minions.  Physical or psychological, either way, someone with that kind of power wasn't likely to be kind to his troops.  From the way it sounded Frieza hadn't even needed them at all.  I he could easily beat Vegeta to death, the same Saiyan who had very nearly decimated her own planet, he could obviously destroy whatever he wanted with ease.  Vegeta had said that Frieza had destroyed his planet after all.
    No wonder Vegeta was so angry all the time.
    She sighed again as the pink planet grew larger and then glanced at the clock.  It was almost midnight.  She stiffly rose to her feet and descended the stairs to check on the Saiyan no Ouji.  The thought of venom coursing through his system didn't really bother her too much.  She'd seen Goku get bitten on the cheek by a coral snake, and he hadn't had any reaction at all except to whine for about an hour.
    But then again, that was a tiny little snake compared to the mammoth spider…  She chewed her lips as she drew near the bed.  His breathing was coming fast and labored.  Definitely a bad sign.
    "Shit!" Bulma swore.  I should have checked on him sooner!  What was I thinking?! She mentally berated herself.  She flicked on the lights and noticed right away the unhealthy flush across Vegeta's cheek bones.  She gently pressed her fingertips above his collarbone and felt a thunderous pulse beating rapidly.
    "Vegeta." she said loudly.  He didn't move.  She shook his shoulders roughly.  "Wake up!"  she slapped him lightly on the cheeks and then harder as it brought no reaction.  She called his name again, each time louder than before.  She even went so far as to scream his name right in his ear.  He twitched, his eyelids fluttered, but nothing more.  She ran to the bathroom and filled a cup with cold water.  She dashed back to his side and emptied the cup onto his face.  He twitched again and his eyelids began to flutter again.  A soft groan issued from his lips and she watched as he seemed to struggle to open his eyes.  His head tossed a bit and she clamped her hands on his shoulders again shaking him.
    "Vegeta!" she snapped.  His eyes clenched shut and he groaned,  for a moment his eyes opened, then rolled back in his head, and slid shut.  "Damn it!" Bulma cursed, shaking him harder.  Vegeta groaned again, his eyes finally sliding open and darting around the room finally stopping on Bulma's face.  "Are you alright?"
    He nodded and sat up rubbing his eyes and taking several deep breaths.
    "Thirty minutes until planet fall." The monotonous computer voice intoned.  They both ignored it.
    "I thought you weren't going to wake up.  Are you sure your ok?" she asked.  Vegeta said nothing, merely nodded.  "Well we have to go upstairs and strap in or we'll go flying.  And I don't care what you say, you look like hell and I hope for your sake that this planet has regeneration tanks."  Vegeta lurched to his feet and walked unsteadily to the stairs.  Bulma's brow creased in worry.  The venom from the spider had to be potent to affect a Saiyan.  She suspected that a mere drop would have killed her.  Obviously it was affecting Vegeta but how much she couldn't be sure.  He hadn't complained of anything yet, only given that one ominous statement that had been her only indication from him that something was wrong.
    "We have to land soon.  My body isn't fighting this poison."
    She had to admire him though.  Yamcha would have been bawling like a baby as soon as he was sprayed with that corrosive saliva.  Vegeta hadn't even flinched.  It was becoming clear to her that his strength was far more than physical.

    The landing went smoothly and Vegeta had informed her that the atmosphere was comparable to Earth.  They had landed about 20 minutes walking distance from a rather impressive city in the midst of a sprawling rain forest.
    They stepped out of the ship and Bulma was never more relieved to smell fresh air in her life instead of the ship's recycled air.  She took several deep lungfuls and slowly opened her eyes.  The view was magnificent.  They stood atop a sheer cliff and below them flowed a twisting river.  The vegetation was so thick she could see no path of any kind.   Not even the opening of an animal trail.  But they were up several hundred feet above the river and her eyesight wasn't the greatest from staring at computer screens for hours.
    "How are we going to get there.  The forest looks pretty impenetrable."
    "We'll fly." Vegeta said quietly.  She glanced at him and was slightly alarmed to notice his pallid complexion.
    "Are you sure?" Bulma asked.  Vegeta's eyes met hers and then blazed a trail down her body and back up.  She shivered at the intensity of his gaze.
    "Of course." He snapped, his voice loud and full of venom.  She blinked in surprise and stepped back but her foot kept going down and she tried to throw herself forward but she was just going backwards and down-
    "Ow!" Bulma shrieked as her hair was almost torn out of her scalp.  Fingers bit into her shoulder and the pressure on her scalp vanished.  Another hand gripped her arm and pulled her up.
    "What the hell, you stupid woman!  Did you suddenly forget you were standing on a cliff?" Vegeta bellowed.  Bulma barely heard him over her rapid breathing and thundering pulse.  She felt tears well up in her eyes and clenched them shut, turning her head away from him.
    Vegeta stopped his tirade when she looked away and her whole body tensed.  It was then that he noticed her shaking like a leaf.  He stared down at her as she knelt on the ground.  Was she going to cry?  He hoped not.  If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was the sight of her tears.  And then he heard it.  a little sniffle, and he saw her trembling increase.  And he also noticed how she desperately tried to hide it.
    "What wrong?  Your hair is fine." He said half-joking.  The truth was that he felt a bit awkward.  He didn't want her to cry, because he had no clue what to do.  It didn't even occur to him that he wasn't supposed to care if she cried or not.  That voice was getting ignored more and more often.  But even so, that part of him still fought for control.
    Bulma stiffened for a moment and he saw her shoulders quivering harder.  Damn it.  he thought rubbing his forehead. Now what?   She finally turned to face him, slowly as though reluctant to meet his gaze.  And he grimaced when he saw that, indeed tears were streaming copiously from her eyes.
    "Thank you Vegeta." she said softly.  Vegeta took a step back, he felt his cheeks burning and no witty reply would come to mind.
    Bulma saw the flush on his pale cheeks and suddenly felt her tears evaporate.  She sniffled once and stood with a wavery smile.  "We can go now."  Vegeta frowned and began to power up for flight.  His energy enveloped them for a brief, beautiful moment and just as abruptly it flickered and vanished.  "What is it?" Bulma murmured.  Vegeta shook his head, his expression bitter and angry.
    "I don't have enough energy to fly." He growled.
    "Oh.  Well that's okay.  I have one of my capsule bikes I'm sure."
    "I doubt that will get us to the bottom of this cliff."
    "Yeah, but can't you just jump off the cliff and stop yourself right before you hit?"
    "No! I just told you!" he yelled louder.  "I can't!" it was unfortunately the truth, as far as Bulma could see.  It seemed that even his anger took away his strength.
    "Maybe we should just get back on the ship and fly it to the capital-"
    "So they can take it away from us and dismantle it?"
    "What else can we do?" Bulma said softly,  desperate the rein in her temper.  She could see the unhealthy flush across Vegeta's cheek bones, and his eyes gleamed feverishly.
    "I don't know." He said softly, his calm returning in a blink. And just like that his legs gave out and he collapsed face first onto the ground.
    "Oh Kami!" Bulma gasped and immediately dropped to his side.  It was then that she heard several clicks,  like ammunition loading.  "Shit." She hissed through clenched teeth.  She would never forget that sound.  She had at least ten guns pointed at her back.
    "Stand up and put you hands behind you head."

 

 

Chapter 10 - Enemy Territory

 

    Bulma slowly stood with her hands behind her head.  Gods, if only she had Saiyan hearing, she would have heard them coming!  Not like it would have helped.  What was going to happen now?  She wanted to cry.  And the scariest part was, she was really worried about Vegeta.
He had not moved since he'd fallen.  She didn't even know if he was still alive! She stared hard at him as she heard footsteps approach and was slightly relieved to see his chest rise and fall with each breath.  But he was still lying face first in the dirt-
    A hand roughly wrapped around her upper arm and spun her around to face a dog-like creature.  It reminded her of Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god.  Its fur was short and black and its long muzzle sniffed her experimentally.   It walked upright like a man and was clothed as such- although the clothing was to all appearances, of ancient design.  And somehow it spoke her language.
    "Human."  it stated, its voice like a low growl.  "Do you accompany this Saiyan by force?"  His meaning was clear.  He wanted to know whether she was a prisoner or not.  For a moment Bulma was struck speechless, what would she say?  The way he'd said "Saiyan" had left no doubt as to his feelings towards Vegeta's nearly-extinct race.
    "We escaped planet Namek together.  We are merely traveling together, nothing more." She said as calm as she could.
    "Lies!" it barked.  She flinched away as a savage growl tore from its throat and as it leaned close she could only see its jagged teeth.  "You are with him of free will and therefore an accomplice to his acts!"
    "Wha-? Wait a minute!" she cried as it dragged her forward.  "I'm no accomplice!  I just want to go home!" she felt tears threaten to break as it snapped something in a harsh, guttural language and the others surged forward and surrounded Vegeta's prone form.  She tried to break free or at least twist around to see what they were doing to the Saiyan, but she was caught in a vice-like grip that looked oddly like dog paws shaped into human hands.
    A shout came from the soldiers and the creature dragging her away stopped and began to head back to the group surrounding Vegeta.  He shoved his men out of the way and knelt next to Vegeta who looked about as white as he could get without actually being dead.  Bulma felt fear well up in her gut and tried to dismiss it, but as the leader nudged Vegeta with his clawed toe and the Saiyan did not stir, she could no longer suppress it.
    "Is he dead?" she asked softly, her voice trembling with dread.  What the hell would she do if he died?  He'd so far been her only protection, but then again, he'd dragged her to these places!  At first she'd agreed, wanting to be rid of him.  But he'd saved her life several times now, and she had felt more than obligated to help him when he got hurt.  It wasn't just that she owed him.  She wanted to help him.  She didn't want to see him hurt.  Which was strange because he'd been an asshole for the most part.  But now faced with the prospect of losing him, Bulma realized that she didn't want it to happen.  A few weeks ago she thought she'd be glad to be rid of him.  But now she was trying to think of anything to save him.
    The dog-demon-creature bent down and sniffed several times.
    "He lives.  He will survive long enough to reach the capital.  But it may not matter anyway.  You see-" he began, fixing his glittering eyes on Bulma's.  "This Saiyan is well known to us.  He is a murderer."
    "Because Frieza made him!  Frieza took him away from his planet when he was a boy and told him to do what he said or he would destroy his planet!  And then he blew it up anyway and Vegeta had no choice but to serve him or die.  I know how you feel, he came to destroy my planet too, but... I can't explain it, he saved my life more than once- and I trust him."
    "I believe you, even though I sense you have not said all.  But how am I to know that your senses aren't misguided?"
    "Listen.  I'll cooperate with you, but we need to do something for him.  He's been poisoned by a creature that attacked us.  If he doesn't get help soon he's going to die!"
    "It matters not to me.  His crimes are enough for multiple death-sentences.  It would be better for him if he did not survive."
    "No!" Bulma cried, panic washing over her.  "I'm telling you, Frieza made him do it all!"  a rough growl answered her and she felt the creature's claws digging into her flesh.  She stifled a whimper, but suddenly cried out in pain as he dragged her forward, in the process tearing the soft skin of her upper arm.
    "Silence!  Your kind is not much better than his!  Humans are no more honorable than Saiyans and cowardly to boot.  Our races once worked together many, many generations ago and our ancestors were deceived by humans leaders and slaughtered.  It is no surprise to me to find you two together.  It only confirms our worst fears.  You will be tried as well as the Saiyan, and you will regret having met him by the end."
    "But I just wanted to go home!  That's all we wanted to do!" Bulma cried.
    "Silence!" he roared and threw her to the ground with all the brutal force he possessed.  Bulma landed on her elbow and screamed in pain as the joint was dislocated.
    Through the haze of pain she could see a commotion going among the other soldiers.  Suddenly Vegeta lurched to his feet as if pulled by strings.  He plowed through the attaché as if the dog-like men weren't even there.  The leader released her and a rabid growl ripped from his throat.  Vegeta didn't even blink.  In fact, he looked almost like he was sleep-walking.  His eyes were half-lidded and his movements were sluggish, almost dream-like as if he was underwater.
But then she felt a rush of air and heard a pained yelp and then Vegeta was kneeling before her.
"Are you ok?" Bulma whimpered as she cradled her arm.  Vegeta stared at her for a moment as if he didn't recognize her and then grabbed her uninjured arm and hauled her to her feet.  He began to pull her towards their ship.  The dog-men began to groan and shake their head as they attempted to rise.
    Vegeta stumbled and almost fell, but Bulma grabbed him with her uninjured arm and tried to pull him back up.
    "Stop!" The leader roared as he scrambled to his feet.  They made it a few more steps before clawed hands tore them apart.  Bulma cried out in pain as her elbow was wrenched again and Vegeta was thrashing weakly in their grasp.
    A hand grabbed Bulma by the back of her neck and pushed her face-first into the dirt.  Another hand grabbed her mangled limb and pulled up.  She couldn't stop the piercing scream that tore from her throat.

    Agolus maintained his grip on the female as ordered, but he was feeling his first glimmers of apprehension.  Her cry of pain seemed to enrage the Saiyan and his struggles became more powerful and desperate.  Was he trying to protect the female?  He didn't know much about Saiyans.  Or Humans for that matter.  This was the first time he'd ever seen them.  He'd always assumed they were mythological creatures, like tigers and lions.
    There were ugly, to be sure.  But something about this whole operation didn't feel right.  He'd accosted aliens before, and he'd taken many to trial.  It should be routine, but everything screamed of complications.
    First of all, both aliens were damaged already.  The Saiyan seemed very ill, from what he knew of Saiyans their strength was their main asset.  And it was truly terrifying if the legends were true.  Because even as weak as he had seemed at first, he was fighting off Agolus's comrades with ridiculous ease.  But he could see the effect it was having on him.  The Saiyan was gasping for breath and his face was a strange red shade.  Agolus figured he had to wait only a few moments before the Saiyan's strength was spent.
    The female beneath him was weeping and he adjusted his grip on her arm to cause as little pain as possible, but she immediately began to struggle.  He grabbed her small, oyster-shaped ear and yanked.
    "Ow!" she bellowed.  Agolus's gaze snapped to the Saiyan and saw that indeed, the female's cries seemed to spur him on.  He lashed out with his foot and sent three soldiers flying.  Daiamerus, his Captain, roared in rage and pounced on the Saiyan and was thrown off just as easily.
    "Vegeta! Stop!" The female cried.  The Saiyan shook his head and tried to stand, but several pairs of hands gripped him at once, dragging him to his knees.  That was when Agolus saw the Saiyan's tail.  How they had missed it before, he didn't know.
    It hadn't mattered at the time, his face was recognizable enough.  Two weeks had passed since he'd first seen his image.  Apparently he'd destroyed a few of their Master's bases.  The price on his head made it seem very much worth the effort.  Agolus knew better.  If this was the strength of a weak and ill Saiyan, he never wanted to see one in perfect health.
    "Sir!" Agolus cried.  "He has his tail still!"  Daiamerus leapt back into the fray and seconds later they heard a muffled shout.  Then each soldier stood one at a time until Daiamerus remained on bended knee above the Saiyan grinning triumphantly.   The furry tail was writhing in his grasp.
The Saiyan was groaning in agony between heaving gasps.  The female beneath him shuddered and tried to move.
    "Stop, human." Agolus advised.  She tried to lift her head anyway and he allowed her that.
    "Leave him alone!" She cried once she saw the Saiyan's tail in Daiamerus's grip.

    Vegeta felt hot needles of pain racing up and down his spine, spreading numbness throughout his body.  Not only that, but he felt really sick.  He was sure he was going to vomit at any moment.  His vision was swirling and blurring and flashes of hot and cold made him sweat and shiver alternately.  The poison was racing through his system, but he had to fight.  Bulma's pained cries were torture to hear, something inside of him had snapped when he'd seen the demon throw her to the dirt.  And then her screams had sliced through the din and a blood-red haze had dimmed his vision.  He had attacked then, with as much strength as he could gather.  And for a moment he thought he might escape.  He actually did for a second and he and Bulma had staggered towards the ship, but they were too injured and too slow.  Bulma was abruptly snatched from his grasp again and once again he was forced to the ground.
    He heard her cry out in pain again and he desperately tried to escape.  But sudden agony had raced up his spine leaving his limbs dead and useless.
    His damn tail.  He could feel claws digging into the lithe appendage and he bit back a cry of pain.  His stomach was churning violently and he gagged as he inhaled a lungful of dirt.  He began to choke and inadvertently sucked in more dust.  And suddenly the contents of his stomach emptied onto one of the soldiers.
    "Ahgk!" It cried, leaping to its feet and dashing off.  The other's cackled and roughly hauled Vegeta to his feet.  Blood pounded in his temples as they quickly stood and the overwhelming dizziness caused his legs to buckle.  They released his tail, but it didn't matter by then.  His eyes drifted shut as unconsciousness seized him.

    Bulma groaned in dismay as Vegeta threw up on one of the soldiers.  He looked horrible.  His face was chalk-white.  The flesh under his eyes was dark and bruised, and he could no longer stand on his own.  They released his tail, but mere moments later his eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed.
    A hideous, rumbling roar distracted her for a moment.  Behind them were several huge beasts that looked like a relative of a long-extinct creature from Earth's ice-age.  It stood almost twenty feet tall and was covered in coarse brown fur.  Long savage claws tipped each massive paw but its face reminded her of a beaver without the buck-teeth.
    Several soldiers were already climbing onto its back and Bulma was roughly hauled to her feet and prodded from behind.  She took several tottering steps forward but stopped when her captors motioned for her to climb the small rope that lead to the beasts saddle.
    "Are you crazy, my arm!" she said.  She could barely feel anything but a dull throbbing in her elbow and they expected her to climb onto this mammoth animal?  Suddenly the guard grabbed her injured arm and with a wrench and twist popped the joint back into place.  Bulma almost fainted from the pain, but it was over quickly leaving it sore but she could move it a little.  "Thank you." She murmured quietly.  The creature climbed up the beasts flank and offered a hand to Bulma.  She grabbed his strange paw with her good arm and with a jerk she was pulled up in the saddle.  She looked around and saw Vegeta slung across the back of one of the large beasts, still unconscious.
    The leader clambered up behind him and with a shrill blast of a horn the caravan was off.  The creatures were slow and lumbering, but so great was their height and stride that they traveled quickly.  They made they way across the ledge of the cliff and at once she spotted a path that would lead down to the river below.  The ledge seemed far to narrow for the huge animals.
    "Grip with your legs and sit up perfectly straight, human."  Her guard ordered.  Then the creature stood on its hind legs and for a moment Bulma thought she would be thrown off the cliff.  She did as she was told and found it easier than she'd imagined.  She glanced back and saw Vegeta's hands were tied to the pommel of the saddle and the captain of the guards was holding onto him tightly.
    With incredible ease the creatures walked down the ledge, and Bulma momentarily forgot her fears as she watched the amazing scene before her.  The ledge had to be only two feet wide and the beasts were walking down them  with ease.  But that only caught her attention momentarily.  The forest and the river which was growing in her vision was breathtaking.  She could hear the roar of the rapids even from their height and the sounds of the animals in the forest were truly calming.
    But all the beauty couldn't keep her from forgetting their predicament.  They were prisoners after all.  And this might be the last beautiful thing she ever saw.  She wanted to enjoy it, but she was too worried.  What were they going to do?  Would she ever see Earth again?  Or any of her friends?  As they descended lower and lower she couldn't help but imagine the worst possible scenario.
    She and Vegeta would be separated again, and they would wither away in separated cells.  He would most likely die first, she couldn't see him living much longer without medical attention.  As for her, she would probably starve to death or be hanged or burned at the stake or whatever these things did for punishment.
    But what else could she have done?  She didn't want Vegeta to die.  And she wouldn't say that she was his hostage, because she wasn't.  He'd saved her life more than once.  He'd also saved her from being raped.  All that aside, he hadn't tried to hurt her.  Well he almost had, but that had been her fault.  She'd said something cruel to him and he'd almost strangled her.
    But she'd called him Frieza's little servant.  She knew better.  She knew how cruel it was to say that to him.  But sometimes Bulma spoke without thinking and that had been one of those times.  She didn't like his quietness sometimes, but she understood.
    But it wasn't just that.  Now that she realized they might part for good, she realized what she had been attempting to deny the whole time.
    She liked Vegeta.  It was as simple as that.  She liked being near him, she liked hearing his voice, hell, she even liked fighting with him.  They reached the bank of the river and the creatures dropped to all four legs again.  She dared a glance at Vegeta again.  His skin was alarmingly pale.
    "Stop!" Bulma cried.  The captain glanced at her, annoyed.
    "What is it?" he snarled.
    "Vegeta needs some help!  Look at him!"  The captain grabbed Vegeta by his hair and yanked his head back and peered down into his face.
    "So what?" he growled.
    "He's dying!" Bulma cried.  "Don't we get the right to a fair trial?"
    "Yes." He grumbled.
    "Well he can't go to trial like that!" she snapped.
    "Agreed." He mumbled.  Bulma sighed in relief as they began to cross the river.
She was amazed at the brute strength of the beasts they rode as the plowed through the rapids that would have easily swept a horse away.  They were all across in minutes.   They stopped briefly on the other side to rest and drink some water.  And while the guards lapped up water, Bulma was contemplating on attempting to wrap her elbow.
    But she abandoned the idea when Vegeta groaned roughly from the saddle of the furred behemoth.  She  tore a piece of her shirt off, blushing when the tear went a little too high and she could feel the breeze blowing up her back.  But she tried to ignore it as she dipped the rag into the river and clambered up the side of the creature Vegeta rode.
    It was almost impossible with her injured elbow, but another soft moan from Vegeta spurred her on.  She scrambled up behind the Saiyan no Ouji and wrapped her arm around his chest, pulling him back against her and squeezed the water from the rag into his mouth.  Her elbow ached as she squeezed the moisture from the scrap of cloth.
    "More." She heard Vegeta gasp.
    "Ok.  Hang on." Bulma said, and slid off the creature's back.  She looked all around her trying to find something to hold more water.  If Vegeta was conscious, that was a good sign, wasn't it?  And if so, she thought it would be a good idea to keep him awake.  She didn't know much about medicine, but she had to try and help.  She looked towards the forest and found the solution immediately.  From a short, squat tree hung many wide, long leaves.  She ran over and picked a few and ran back to the river and filled one with water.  Then she headed back to Vegeta and held the leaf up to him.
    "Vegeta.  I can't climb up there with this.  Take it!" His head turned slowly and he peered down at her.  For a brief moment, he smiled down at her and then snatched the leaf away and drained its contents without spilling a drop, leaving Bulma to wonder if she'd seen the expression at all.  He murmured something and leaned forward, his eyes falling shut as he leaned against the creature's neck.  The beast turned its head to regard the Saiyan, sniffed his foot experimentally and then went back to digging with its massive claws.
    Bulma regarded Vegeta for a moment wondering whether to wake him or not.  Then she remembered that only victims of head trauma weren't supposed to sleep.  She slapped her forehead and went and refilled a leaf for herself.
    She had to admit, the water tasted better than the most expensive bottled "spring" water that her mother always liked to waste money on.  But then again, she didn't see any cars or smoke stacks or any type of technology that would cause pollution.  It was what she'd always wished the Earth could be like.
    Humans had almost destroyed the planet themselves long before Bulma's father was born.  Several radical changes in economy had to be made to support the rehabilitation of the planet.  Now sixty percent of the planet was covered in trees.  Hemp and rice were the only material used to make paper, and rice was a distinct second.  Oil burning cars and busses were none-existent anymore.  Only airplanes were allowed combustible fuel.  But gas was so hard to find nowadays that most planes used alternate methods.
    Earth was getting better though.  The ozone layer had actually shown signs of repair after so many years.  And many species on the brink of extinction in the past were now making a rebound.  But it wasn't half as lush as this planet, only in remote areas.
    It was dream-like, the beauty that surrounded her, and for a few moments she could try and forget her fears. That was, until she heard Vegeta moan softly every once and awhile.
    Their captors were climbing back into their saddles and Bulma wanted to ride the same creature as Vegeta but a rough paw gripped her wrist and hauled her into a saddle behind him. The creatures climbed to their feet with a frightening lurch and crossed the river quickly.  Once on the other side, they headed south down the riverbank and entered a large path in the forest not visible from the cliff.
    The air was cooler under the massive leafy limbs that made a thick canopy over their heads.  The forest was amazingly full of life.  Beautiful birds flew to and fro and tiny animals leaped from branch to branch.  For a moment Bulma was stunned, never had she thought that Vegeta had any use for beauty, yet he had wanted to come here, and it had to be the most breathtaking planet she'd been to.  Not that she'd been to many, but she'd seen more than most humans, so her opinion counted for something.
    They traveled on the path for what seemed like hours and not once did Vegeta wake during the whole time.  But he unconsciously vocalized his discomfort enough to stay on Bulma's mind the whole trip.  Once the spires of the city walls came into view it seemed as if a vast weight lifted from her shoulders.  The were close to civilization, soon they could get help.  Her elbow was still throbbing dully and she hoped to at least wrap it tight.  Some ice would be nice too, but seeing as they were prisoners, she didn't know what to expect.  She only prayed that they wouldn't be separated.  Even if her only company was unconscious, she preferred him to a talking dog.
The walls soon came into view and on them were carved strange and magnificent scenes.  Probably all historical or religious.  Guards stood at intervals of ten to twenty feet apart on the top and a great iron door stood open before them.
    The beasts entered single file and at once she saw a throng of curious towns people.  They were apparently used to aliens for there was no extraordinary commotion.  They merely looked and whispered to each other as they passed.  She noticed that each building was the size of four to five rooms stacked on top of each other. Some were tall cylinders with windows and a conical roof, some were flat on all sides.  Some had four walls and some had as many as eight.  Each was made with a pale plaster or mud, the color reminded her of a sea shell.  And beautifully polished rose quartz dotted the walls.  The windows were open to the elements although in some of the finer houses she saw fine linen curtains and some bamboo blinds.  Everything reminded her of a primitive island culture but she saw no ocean.  But as they drew nearer to the center of the metropolis she began to notice birds that reminded her very much of sea gulls.  Even their cries were similar.  She could also smelled salt.
    She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.  Kami if I've ever done anything especially deserving of a good turn,  please let me stay here as a free person.  Let these people realize that we aren't here to do anything wrong.  Let them Let Vegeta go and do what he will... and maybe... maybe he'll want to stay...  She prayed.  Although I doubt it now after how we've been treated, he'll probably be pissed when he wakes up.    And anyway, she knew it was foolish to pray for Vegeta to do anything, but she could always dream.
    She switched her gaze to the Saiyan on her mind and saw with a wince of dismay that his face was twisted in discomfort.  She hoped that their destination was close.

    After about a half hour of travel the smell of the sea was very strong and the breeze was whipping her hair about.  They were approaching the tallest tower in the city.  And it was not just one tower.  It was several constructed together each tower of different shape and size.  It looked like a castle, and a very beautiful one at that.  She could tell that the curtains billowing in the breeze were made of fine silk and the polished stones were of a different hue than those adorning other houses.  The stones were a rich amber that caught the fading sunlight and enhanced it dramatically.
    They were led into a beautiful courtyard filled with exotic plants and a large pond surrounded by graceful statues and fragrant flowers of indescribable colors.  Bulma stared in amazement for long moments.
    A long wailing note filled the courtyard and the main doors of the house swung open.  Several small creatures emerged, most likely the females of the species for their fur was a soft brown and their eyes were golden and each was wrapped in colored silks.  They each bore a basket containing flower petals which they littered on the path behind them, stopping in front of the guards.  Bulma heard another wailing note and a lone figure emerged from the magnificent house.  He was very tall, was powerfully built, and indeed, looked like Anubis incarnate.  He wore a kilt of pleated linen and he was covered in gold and jewels.  A circlet on his head bore the image of a serpent and one of his necklaces had an udjat. (A/N: An udjat is the protective eye of Horus)  She also saw an ankh on one of his many rings.
    Bulma stared at the dog-King for a long time and he did likewise with her and Vegeta.  The leader of the group that had captured them dismounted and headed to the side of the King.
    "My scouts say that you have captured a Saiyan and a human. And indeed, these two fit the descriptions from the ancient texts.  I always thought it was just a bedtimes story."
    "Yes sir.  They are both in need of medical attention."  Daiamerus replied. The King smiled as through that information was known to him as well.
    "I thought Saiyans had the ability to heal quickly.  Was I mistaken?"
    "No sir." The captain replied quickly.  "The human claims that they were attacked and the Saiyan was poisoned."
    "Really?" the King said, his curiosity piqued.  "Human.  How did this possibly happen.  Saiyans are one of the fastest, strongest creatures in the known universe.  How did this come to pass?"  his voice raised and reached her on top of the furred behemoth quite easily.
    "We were attacked by this huge spider on our ship and it sprayed venom at him and the ship is really small, he accidentally got hit." Bulma said, her voice carrying through the courtyard.  The King seemed to regard her with amusement, Bulma frowned in anger.  She hated that patronizing look the King aimed in her direction.  But for once she knew that it would be in their best interests if she kept her mouth shut.
    "But how?" he persisted.  Bulma felt her face turn pink.  Why did they need to know exactly what happened?
    "It was trying to attack us!  What do you mean?" there was that look again.  Bulma growled.
    "Saiyans are swift and powerful creatures.  I don't understand how he allowed himself to be hit." The King said, his voice carrying through the courtyard.  "Is he one of the weaker members?"
    "No!" He's one of the strongest!  He could destroy this whole planets easily!" she bellowed before thinking.
    "Silence." The King snarled his nostrils flaring.  Bulma saw soldiers leveling weapons at her and her mouth snapped shut.  "Wake him!" he growled, pointing at Vegeta.
    The guard closest to the Saiyan no Ouji grabbed him by his elbow and tugged until Vegeta slid off the saddle and crashed to the ground.  Bulma winced but it didn't seem to have an effect.  He lay in the dirt on his side, completely unaware.  The guard bent down and shook him roughly, and then she heard a startled yelp.  She saw a bright flash and then heard a rabid growl, unlike the growls coming from each of the soldiers.
    The soldier was lying on his back and she could smell burnt fur.  Vegeta stood wobbling as he remembered the damage to his leg.  Through the holes in his ballet suit she could see the bandages.  They were still clean.  That was a good sign.
    He looked dazed as though he'd forgotten where he was and before he could get his bearings the other soldiers reached out and grabbed his arms.  Vegeta's aura flared and Bulma felt it pushing her back.  Maybe the period of unconsciousness had returned some of his strength? The King was backing away while the guards surrounding her aimed their weapons at Vegeta.
Suddenly the light intensified brilliantly and then it faded as his aura shrank to a small blue glow.  Vegeta wrenched his arms free from his captors grasp and grabbed two guards by the scruff of their necks and brought their skulls together with such speed and force that they shattered on impact.  Bulma screamed in horror and blood, brains, and bits of skull splattered the ground near her.  Vegeta dropped the corpses with a little smile, the look could almost be called serene.  She heard several weapons discharge and brilliant blue spheres flew towards Vegeta, and then it appeared that they went right through him.  Then she saw bodies flying in all directions and Vegeta was a blur.  One guard remained and he still gripped Bulma's arms tightly.  Suddenly the King was at their side and Bulma felt a cold blade pressed to her throat.
    "Tell him to stop." He growled.  The guard's grip tightened as well.  Bulma fought the rage and fear that was building inside her.
    "H-he won't listen.." she gasped weakly.
    "Lies!" the guard snapped.  Bulma tried to swallow but the knife pressed tighter.  Bulma tried to step back but the guard began to push her forward.
    No! I'll die! - Bulma thought, fear beginning to overwhelm her.

    Vegeta suddenly froze as fear suddenly overwhelmed him.  But it wasn't fear of his opponents.  Most of them were dead.  And it wasn't fear of the poison.  The effects were becoming tolerable, at least, the pain was.  The sudden surge of energy was about to leave him.  One of the natives lunged at him and he threw himself on his back and as his opponent sailed overhead Vegeta had a small ki sphere waiting.  It punched through the creature's chest easily and he was relieved that it took little energy to destroy the things.
    The last guard standing in front of him was tall a wiry and his eyes were filled with murderous rage.  He charged Vegeta with a rabid growl.  Vegeta's knee slammed into its midsection and he brought both elbows down on his exposed back.  He heard the vertebrae grind and the creature went limp.  He let him drop with a smile.
    But the smile faltered a second later when the sudden rush of fear made him jump in alarm and twist around to confront-
    -Bulma held in the grip of two more natives.

 

 

Chapter 11 - Escape
   

    Bulma felt the blade part skin and she could feel her eyes filling with moisture.  Her throat was about to be sliced, it all depended on Vegeta's next move.  The two pair of clawed hands gripped her tighter and she couldn't hold back the small squeak of pain.

    Vegeta let the last soldier drop to the ground and he turned to regard the trio before him.  Bulma's eyes were wide and glimmering with tears.  He saw a tiny drop of blood trailing down her neck.
    "Surrender Saiyan, or this girl will die!" the King roared.  He saw Bulma stiffen in his grasp.  Her eyes grew cold and he knew somehow that she was doing everything in her power to not show her fear.
    "Let her go and I won't destroy this entire planet." Vegeta replied with a mocking smile.
    "You wouldn't dare!" the guard barked.  Vegeta began to laugh, harsh and contemptuously.  His sardonic smile grew into a grin.
    "I dare anything." He said and in a blur he vanished.  Bulma felt the blade press closer and she wanted to scream but the blade was choking her. Then she felt the blade slowly pull away.  The hands released her and she stumbled forward gasping for breath.
    She heard a scream cut off behind her and spun around to see the King in Vegeta's grasp.  His head snapped back and forth as Vegeta shook him in fury.   But the King was obviously no longer alive and Vegeta suddenly released it.  They locked eyes and stared for long moments.  The court yard was silent but she could hear shouts from natives in the streets.
    Vegeta took a step forward and his knees buckled.  He sank to the dirt without a protest and Bulma realized that all his strength must have been drained in the fight.
    "Shit." She hissed as she knelt down next to him.  "Are you all right?" He took several long, deep breaths before responding.
    "Yes." He said with none of his usual bitterness or sarcasm.
    "Can you walk?" Bulma persisted.  He looked the same as he had the whole time.  But that wasn't saying much.  Lately his usually olive skin was a sort of pale yellowish tone.  She wished she could study the poison that still had to been in his system.  She was no doctor, but she had dabbled in genetics for fun in her early teens when she'd had time.  And she had always been interested in Biology.   Germs fascinated her, as strange as it sounded.  And with the discovery of the healing chamber Vegeta casually referred to as "The Tank" that interest had renewed.
    But she wasn't entirely familiar with poisons.  She knew that spider venom was usually meant to paralyze its victims.  But Vegeta was still moving and conscious for the most part.  Granted his speed and strength had easily been cut in half if not more so.
    Bluntly, he looked bad.  Like he was in the middle of a long illness.  His sallow skin and blood shot eyes were a dead giveaway if you somehow managed to ignore the fact that he was barely awake.
    After a long moment Vegeta slowly rose and stumbled forward a few steps.  Bulma reached out and caught him by the elbow, wincing when a sudden pain in her shoulder made her pause.  Vegeta stiffened and turned to regard her, stumbled a step back  and froze again.   It seemed to Bulma as if it was all he could do just to remain standing.  But he reached up and pointed to her shoulder and then her elbow.
    "I'm fine." Bulma snapped.  "At least, I'm better off than you are.  It's a good thing I was paying attention on our trip here while you were sleeping.  We have to get the ship and get the hell out of here before something else happens."  Vegeta nodded wearily.  "But how are we going to get out of here?  We can't go the way we came.  And I doubt you can fly, you can barely stand!"  Vegeta straightened a little and directed a glare at her.
    "If I hadn't used what energy I had your head would be lying in the dirt, so don't complain now." He replied without heat.
    "I'm not complaining about that.  I am grateful of course." She snapped coldly, his indifference making her angry.  "We'll have to climb over the wall.  We can see which way to go once we get up there."   Vegeta said nothing but followed her as she walked across the courtyard to the farthest wall.
    It was easily twenty feet tall and the stones were so smooth it would be impossible for her to find a handhold.  The mortar was smooth and almost perfectly even with the outer edge of the stone.  There was nothing to grip.
    "Damn it." she cursed.  To the left was a stable hidden behind a large tower.  She looked to the right and saw what looked like stairs!  She headed towards it.
    But as she got closer she thought she had been mistaken.  There were stairs at the top but she saw to her dismay that the stairs started six feet off the ground.  Not only that, but the stair case was only a foot and a half wide.
    "What the hell?!" Bulma cried as they stopped at the base.
    "I can get up this.  Then I'll just pull your weak ass up." Vegeta said, eyeing the strange stair case.
    "Shut up, jerk, and get to it then!" Bulma snapped  A sudden loud crash startled them both and drew their attention to the heavy wooden gate which was suddenly trembling.  The sound of angered cries began to reach them from behind the high walls.
    "What the hell is that?"
    "It sounds like a mob.  This is just what we need!  Why did you have to kill everyone?  We could have escaped after the trial when you got better but now we have to do it when we're all fucked up!"
    "Trial?  What are you talking about?  Why the hell would I sit through some bull shit trial?  I have no reason to defend my actions.  And besides, it's too fucking late now if you haven't noticed, we have no choice but to get out now.  I can fly out of here and probably out of town, but after that were gonna have to walk so you better know which way to go!" he snapped imperiously, his old anger coming back full force.  His aura flared and settled to a soft blue glow around him and before Bulma could say a word she was in his arms and they were over the gate in seconds.  They landed near the edge of the cliff.  The forest was mere feet away.  Bulma glanced around to make sure no one was out of city limits to see them and then grabbed Vegeta, whose legs were about to give out.  His eyes were rolling back in his head.
    "No, no!" she cried slapping him hard across the face.  "Vegeta, you have to stay awake you hear me?  I can't drag your carcass through the woods!  We'll be caught again!"  He moaned and shook his head fiercely struggling to stay conscious.  They stumbled forward, Bulma tugging Vegeta along when he wasn't fast enough.  She could hear the thick wooden gates that the villagers beat upon beginning to give and she tried to quicken their pace.  They passed the tree line without being seen but she knew that they had to keep going at least until they could no longer see the village.  And that could take hours.  They had not even come close to the front gates.  It was about a mile away.  She cursed bitterly as they trudged along.  She tried to ignore Vegeta's pained gasps.  They had to stop soon.  Vegeta was stumbling every few steps and his skin was bleached like a bone set out in the sun.
    The only thing to do was alter their course and pray that Kami would help her find their way out.  She began to veer to their right, away from the village.  But she still headed south towards the river.  If they got lost she didn't know what they would do.  They had no food or water of any kind.  They had to reach the river by nightfall which was a scant few hours away.
    'Don't panic Bulma.  You have to be strong here.  Vegeta can barely walk, let alone hunt incase we need food.  Our only choice is to reach the ship tonight.' She thought grimly determined.  She trudged ever faster almost dragging Vegeta behind her.  She gripped his hand and was almost surprised when he weakly squeezed her hand in return.  A quick glance behind her let her know that they had walked much faster than she'd thought.  Indeed, she was out of breath and Vegeta was nearly hyperventilating.
    "Let's stop." She gasped.  She couldn't see the outer wall anymore.  Vegeta slumped to his knees with a ragged sigh of relief.  "Are you all right?" she murmured softly to Vegeta.  He was slumped over, his chin to his chest, his eyes closed.  His breath was coming deep and rapid.  She sighed and scooted up behind him, not caring the least that they sat in a nest of mud, rotted leaves, and twigs.  She leaned back against a fallen tree and gripped Vegeta's shoulder, gently pulling him back until his full weight was upon her.
    "Slow down." She said softly rubbing his shoulders.  "Take a deep breath or your going to pass out."  She felt him relax and his head fell back upon her chest.  His breathing grew easier and Bulma sighed in relief.  Vegeta's eyes closed instantly and she was more than tempted to sleep as well.  But she couldn't!  One of them had to stay awake.  They couldn't sit there for long or someone would find them.
She refused to let her eyes close for a second.  Vegeta needed to rest but she would wake him very soon, and lie about how long he'd slept if it would make him feel better.  She looked at the sky.  They still had a few hours of light left.
    "Vegeta." she murmured, shaking him lightly.  He jerked in surprise, his eyes snapping open.
    "What happened?" he mumbled sitting up, then groaning as the blood rushed to his head too quickly.
    "Come on, we have to keep going.  We have to get to the river soon."  He glanced around and saw that they were in the middle of a vast forest.  Bulma stood attempting to pull him to his feet.  He rose a bit unsteadily but his eyes were clear and some of the color had returned to his face.  "Do you feel any better?" Bulma asked.  He gave a quick nod and they began to make their way towards the river.

    Hours had passed.  The river was just ahead and beyond that, the cliff that their ship stood upon.  Bulma stared at the rushing water longingly.  Vegeta sat beside her panting lightly as they peered through the underbrush.  Patrols were going up and down the river bank.
    "I'm dying of thirst.  What the hell are we going to do?  We can follow the river only so far before we have to cross.  There is only one way up the cliff that I know of, unless you can fly?" Bulma said, trying not to sound to hopeful.  Vegeta's gaze grew abstract for a moment and then he shook his head.
    "I don't have enough energy." He murmured tiredly.
    "Damn!  Where are all my guns when I need them?" Bulma cursed.  Then her eyes widened impossibly.  "Kami damn me!  I'm so stupid sometimes.  Don't say anything!" she shot at Vegeta who had a surprisingly innocent expression on his face.  She pulled open a side pocket that she had forgotten and came up empty, but the other pocket held a capsule case that she had utterly forgotten.  She was amazed that she hadn't lost it somewhere.
    "I love cargo shorts!" Bulma sighed.  She looked at the labels and squeaked in triumph when she found the right one.
    "What is it?"  Vegeta whispered as a patrol passed them yards away.
    "Fire power." Bulma said with an impish grin.  "But we have to do this quick.  The patrols will be drawn here by the sound the capsules make when they open.  So when I open it, grab a gun and start shooting."
    "No way, onna!  I don't need a stupid gun.  Flying takes up more energy and concentration than throwing a punch.  You need them more than I do."
    "Fine." she snapped and clicked the release, tossing the capsule.  The loud 'boom' that accompanied it caught the attention of several guards.  Bulma leapt from her hiding place followed by Vegeta.  She grabbed two automatic hand guns and stuffed three clips in each pocket.  Vegeta dashed out into the clearing ahead of her and dodged the pack of soldiers and charged the mounted soldiers.
    Bulma dashed into the clearing firing madly.  She hit two soldiers before the rest fled for their lives, the sound of gunfire alone scaring them witless.  She saw Vegeta climbing on top of one of the huge furred beasts that they had rode earlier.  It stood on its hind legs roaring in challenge as Vegeta tugged at the reins.
    "Vegeta! Get off that thing! It isn't going to listen to you!  We need to get out of here!" she cried, her guns still raised.  She ran down the shoreline in search of the path that led up the cliff.  Vegeta ran up behind her as the huge beast crashed into the forest bellowing in rage.  He carried three water skins and tossed one to Bulma.  They drained all three in seconds.
    "We have to refill these, we might need them." Bulma gasped.
    "Find the path." Vegeta said and took the skin for her and sunk them under the water watching as bubbles rushed to the surface.
    Bulma ran down the riverbank searching for the path.  It had to be large enough for the gigantic sloth-like creatures to climb.  Suddenly she felt hands grip her shoulders and she was lifted off her feet and across the river.  Vegeta released her and landed almost tripping over his own feet.
    "You have to stop doing that." She said with a wry smile.
    "What? So I can hear you bitch about your clothes getting wet?"
    "Oh please, I'm covered in mud, it would actually be a good thing." She replied stalking over to the cliff face and heading west.  It was then that Vegeta noticed, she really was covered in mud.  Her shoes were caked in it.  Smears of muck ran up her legs and arms and her cargo shorts were brown on her ass.  He couldn't help but smile.  She actually looked.. sexy that way, like an Amazon.  He shook his head and followed her as she searched for the path.

    "Here it is!" she cried half an hour later.  Vegeta had begun to suspect that she had gotten them lost, but apparently she had been paying attention on their way to the village.  A wide, zigzagging path made its way up a narrow split in the cliff-face.  "And if it isn't, who cares? It still goes up!" she said, excitement obvious in her voice.  Vegeta heaved a great sigh.  He was tired beyond belief, but wasn't about to complain.  The sooner they got to the ship, the better.
    Bulma hear his tired sigh and turned to regard him with concern.  Before she could even ask if he was all right, his eyes flashed in anger and he started up the path without her.
    "Hurry up before someone sees you." He snapped.  She followed him without a word.

    After about fifteen minutes of climbing they were forced to stop.  Bulma's knees had turned to jelly and she had suddenly fallen to her knees after tripping on a tiny rock.  Vegeta, who was in no better shape, merely slumped down beside her with a ragged sigh.  Sweat stood on his forehead and his skin had taken on the chalky tone again.  They drank from their water skins in silence, broken only by their heaving breath.
    "This is taking... a lot longer than I thought it would.." Bulma gasped.
    "We weren't walking before... baka." Vegeta wheezed.
    "I know that.. Kisama." Bulma replied with a weak smile.  Vegeta gave her a half-hearted smirk in return.  It was then that she noticed how filthy they both were. Suddenly she began to laugh.  It was a strange sound, more of a wheezing cough, but it was laughter still.  Vegeta's eyebrow rose a fraction and he nudged her with his elbow.
    "Shut up.." he murmured.  Bulma only laughed harder, smacking Vegeta's shoulder.  A cloud of dust rose from when she'd hit him and he smiled.  Bulma's laughter almost died in her throat.
    "We look like shit." She said after she had calmed.
    "Speak for yourself, onna." Vegeta murmured, smiling still.  They sat for awhile in silence and then both rose to their feet to continue up the path.  They had to move slower as the sun sank below the cliff face.  The path before them grew dark and obscure, and it was too narrow to go rushing blindly.
    It was almost an hour later when they finally reached the end of the path.  The was a four foot tall ledge they had to climb up and then they finally reached the top of the cliff.  They collapsed at the edge gasping for air.  Bulma felt her eyelids closing against her will and realized how exhausted she was.  She heard rather than saw Vegeta sit up beside her.
    "Bulma, where's the ship?"

    For hours they searched for it walking up and down the side of the cliff, thinking perhaps that they had went up a different path and had somehow missed the original.  Bulma was nearly weeping in frustration after an hour of searching.  She was exhausted from running through the woods and climbing narrow paths.  Her throat was dry as sand, her eyes continually drifted shut.  Suddenly, she was overwhelmed by vertigo and as she went to sit down everything went black.

    Vegeta was infuriated.  Where the hell was the ship?  Those damn natives had taken it or destroyed it!  What the hell would they do?  They couldn't stay there.  He refused.  He hated this place and wanted nothing more than to destroy it until it was nothing but glittering space dust.  The nerve of these people, putting them through all this.  The venom was still making his head swim every so often and he needed a few hours of uninterrupted rest.  And so did Bulma.  She looked about ready to keel over any minute.  And he was really, really hungry.
    He heard a faint whimper behind him and then a thud.  He turned quickly to see Bulma face first in the dirt.  His features immediately softened in concern and he hurried back to where she lay.  He rolled her over and gently slapped her pale cheeks.  Her eyelids fluttered and she moaned softly.
    "Damn it." he cursed and slid his hands under her knees and shoulders, lifting her up and pulling her close.  She didn't stir and her felt worry beginning to gnaw at his insides.  Was she just tired?  Or was she getting sick?  Humans were far more susceptible to disease and illness than Saiyans.  He dismissed the thought with a rough shake of his head.  What the hell could they do?  He would have to search for their ship, but he couldn't leave Bulma and he knew he would only get lost if he tried to find it on foot.  They had to rest.  It was the only way he would be able to get enough strength back to fly.  And if he couldn't fly he wouldn't find their ship in a million years.  His gaze swept across the barren plain they stood upon.  There were a few clusters of trees decorating the vast field.  He would have to find someplace to conceal them until sunrise.
    He carried Bulma to a small circle of trees.  The ground was covered with soft, dead leaves and he lay Bulma on the ground and began to clear away fallen branches and twigs.  Bulma did not move or speak the whole time.  She was fast asleep.  Vegeta eyed her with envy for a moment, before he continued to gather leaves and moss, anything to make their 'bed' a little softer.  A chill wind blew through the trees causing several leaves to rain down on them.  Bulma shivered in the cold wind and Vegeta dropped down next to her, pulling her close.  Bulma murmured something softly and snuggled closer, her cheek laying on Vegeta's chest.  He closed his eyes with a weary sigh, and soon fell asleep.

 

 

Chapter 12 - The Curse of The Bond
 

     He woke at last feeling as though he hadn't slept at all.   The sun was glaring down on them through the leaves above and for a few panicked seconds he had no clue where he was.  Then it all came back in a rush as something wrapped around his waist squeezed gently.  He looked down and saw the human female wrapped in his arms and she in his.  He recoiled as if he'd just grabbed a burning ember and he suddenly felt unbearably hot.
    But his movements evoked no response from the female holding him tightly.  And why should they?  He felt as weak as a newborn brat! His brilliant idea to sleep seemed to drain him more, or perhaps he had overslept?  It rarely happened but when it did,  he woke feeling just as tired if not more so than the night before.  And judging by the position of the sun, they had slept through the morning and into the early afternoon.
    He snarled in anger but it did noting to alleviate his current predicament.  The female was still clutching him and with the suddenness of a thunder clap her legs entwined with his.  He felt his cheeks burning and tried to gently remove her clutching fingers but his movements only elicited a soft moan that caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up.  He froze, hardly daring to breathe.  If she woke up before he removed himself from her grip.. the very thought..
    He grit his teeth and gently took hold of her slim hands and as quickly as he could, rolled out of her reach.  He sat up gasping for breath as if he'd just fought a life and death battle.
    But for him, in a way it was.  He could not allow himself to grow attached to her!  But part of him bitterly reminded him that he was too late on that count.
    Was it?  He looked down at the still-slumbering female in awe.  She was easy to look at, no question.  But her mouth..  And her attitude.  She was damn near intolerable at times!  Always so damn sure that she was right about nearly everything.  And too emotional for comfort.  AND she was damn nosy, always asking annoying questions that he didn't want to answer.
    That probably irritated him the most.  Why the hell was she so interested anyway..?  He couldn't understand her, but then again, he'd never really talked to females that much.  They had always known better than to annoy him with their frivolous conversation.  But apparently she had no qualms about pissing him off.  Wherever she got the gall to harass him constantly…
    It made no sense.  But what confused him even more was why he hadn't blasted her ass to hell by now.  Even she knew that he didn't really need her.   He shook his head refusing to dwell on it any longer and stood, stretching with a yawn.
    He sat down again after a moment and examined the bandages taped to his leg covering his wound from the spider venom.  It had to be better by now, he'd lost that feeling of dizziness and perpetual nausea that had tormented him for the past few days.  The bandage was clean on the outside.  He tore it off and saw with relief that the skin was whole and pink.  The violent red had faded and when he poked it experimentally with a finger, he felt no pain.  He sighed in relief and stood back up.  He didn't want to admit it, but he had been getting worried for awhile.  Perhaps the extra sleep had been a good thing.
    Bulma woke shortly after and after they realized that there was nothing to eat, or even anything to hunt, they set off following the tracks as quickly as they could.

    For hours they walked without saying anything, only trying to ignore their hunger and stay on the task at hand.  Vegeta didn't say anything, but was wondering how Bulma was keeping up.  He was walking at her pace, but she would sometimes lag behind and he would find himself glancing over at where she had been only to stop and turn and see her far behind.  He didn't get irritated.  He just waited for her.  He knew she was weak, and the sun was high overhead.  It didn't bother him, but he figured it might do something to her.
    This continued for hours until Bulma simply collapsed.  She had stumbled on a small rock, but her knees had buckled none the less and she slumped to the ground, out of breath and exhausted.
    Vegeta turned and walked back eyeing her with a smirk.  But he didn't insult her or mock her weakness.  He had in fact, been surprised that she had kept up for so long, and he knew she could go no further.  So he knelt down in front of her and said: "Hold on."  And she gratefully wrapped her arms around his neck and he stood, carrying her piggy-back.
    Bulma was so tired.  She was beyond exhausted.  The longest she had ever walked was four hours, but they had passed that long ago.  In fact the sun was starting to dip toward to horizon.  How far was the ship?  She didn't care anymore.  She closed her eyes and slept.

    Vegeta felt Bulma become dead weight and leaned forward trying to adjust her without dropping her.  He settled her in his arms and quickly took off staying just low enough to follow the tracks.
    After an hour or two of flying at a relatively fast pace, Vegeta was beginning to get tired and extremely annoyed.  How the hell had those natives dragged their ship so far?  The sun had just set.  The sky was still a deep orange at the horizon but it was getting dark and the trail was getting harder to see.
    They had been following the trail all damn day and no sign of it.  Where had the natives taken it?  And how had they managed to move it so quickly?  Bulma still slept in his arms, murmuring wearily.  They had to stop soon.  He could see a forest coming into view and decided to stop once he reached it.  The thought of sleeping out in the open held no appeal.  Even Saiyans had to sleep and as much as Vegeta hated it, while asleep he was vulnerable.  He was usually a light sleeper, but sometimes nothing could wake him.  It would be safer for them both if they were hidden during the night.  The forest covered many miles and he thought that he could see something in the distance resembling a building.  If that was their destination it would only take an hour flying at the most.  But he couldn't do it tonight.  His eyelids were closing as he slowly dropped to the ground.  He set Bulma down in a patch of dead leaves after kicking away as many sticks as he could.
    His stomach growled angrily and he stifled a sigh.  There had to be something to eat around there.  Bulma was sound asleep, she wouldn't wake up before he got back, assuming there was something to find..  With a yawn he headed deeper into the forest.

    "Lord Cooler.  We've received a message from the observation team to Namek.  The planet has been destroyed sir, and there were remnants of a ship in the debris.  It was your brother's ship, sir."  Cooler's eyes widened, he sat forward in his chair.
    "Really?  But how?  Surely he is not that foolish?  Did you find any trace of him?"
    "None sir."
    "Hmm.  I wonder what has happened?"
    "Sir, I have other news that may help us to shed some light on the situation."
    "Do tell Sakui."  Cooler murmured, absently sipping his wine.
    "On of Frieza's men was spotted on Khemet."
    "Who?"
    "The Saiyan, Vegeta."
    "Alone?"
    "No sir, with a female of an unknown origin."
    "So what is the significance?  Frieza chose not to destroy that world.  What does it matter?"
    "Apparently the last few Saiyans defected. Frieza put price's on their head's.  Nothing much really, except for the one called Vegeta.  He tripled the bounty and only wanted him back alive."
    "Hmm.  Well I think that remains to be my brother's problem.  But…" Cooler was suddenly thoughtful as he debated on intervention.  "I could always go to Khemet and snatch that Saiyan up and keep him for my own, after all, you remember what Frieza did to Janna.  I told him I'd get him back.  This looks like the chance to."  A pleased smile spread across his face as Sakui went off to alter their course.  They were close by in fact and would reach the planet in an hour at full speed.
    And Cooler, always eager to piss off his younger brother had ordered that they go as fast as possible.

    The woods were full of life.  Vegeta was relieved as he headed deeper in. He easily caught the scent of something that smelled appetizing and with the speed of a hungry Saiyan set out after it.  He treaded silently through the brush and stiffened,  dropping down to all fours when his prey stopped feeding and looked in his direction.  He waited, barely breathing until the four-legged creature resumed its feast.  As it did he began to slink towards the beast until he was a mere yard away.  He tensed his muscles and sprang, leaping on the poor creature and snapping its neck quickly.  He tore off a limb and began to gnaw on it with relish.  He hadn't realized how hungry he'd been until just then.  He had eaten all the meat in almost an hour.  And then it occurred to him that Bulma would need food as well.  He had to go a little farther out, all the game in the area had been scared off by the scent of blood in the air.
He walked quietly for a half hour before he heard some rustling.  There was another little hoofed mammal like the one he'd caught before only bigger.  He grinned in satisfaction.  The onna didn't eat a fourth of what he did so there would be plenty more for him.  He was about to spring on his unsuspecting prey when a familiar sensation stopped him dead in his tracks.
    Frieza!? He thought, aghast.  Had Kakarotto failed?  Was Frieza stronger than a super Saiyan?   But no- It was very much like Frieza's chi and yet… something was different.  Could it be King Kold, or even Cooler?  Vegeta had seen them from afar during a tournament years ago, but he'd just recently learned how to sense chi and had no way of knowing which it was.  But he was becoming fairly certain that it wasn't Frieza.
    What was he doing here?  He had to find the onna.  He took off in a blur, not daring to fly but running through the woods as quickly as he could dart between the crowded tree trunks.  He began to sense a cluster of low-chi powered individuals near where he'd left-
    A piercing shriek rang through the woods and Vegeta felt his heart sink.
    "Damn it." he hissed and shot into the clearing to find Bulma in the grasp of several uniformed soldiers.  And each chest plate bore Cooler's insignia.  He shot two ki spheres at their transports destroying them with a violent explosion.
    "Vegeta no!" Bulma screamed.  And he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder.  Before he could turn a fist plowed into his jaw sending him flying through several fat tree trunks and into the dirt.  The blow had almost knocked him unconscious.  He opened his eyes and shook his head and struggled to his feet.
    "Vegeta the Saiyan no Ouji I presume?" He felt hopelessness crash over him as he looked into an all too familiar visage.  The face was exactly the same, like a naked, hairless doll.  The small, laughing cherubic mouth, the narrow eyes, and the blood red irises.  He felt cold dread settle in the pit of his stomach.
    "What do you want?" he snarled, trying to keep the fear from his voice.
    "You of course.  To pay back my brother for destroying a pet of mine in the past.  I will do to you what he did to her, and all will be even between us again."  Vegeta felt the blood drain from his face and Cooler's smile grew wider.  There had to be something he could do!
    "But Frieza is dead!" Vegeta cried, desperately, ashamed to hear the pleading note in his voice.
    "Dead?" Cooler said, the mean humor gone from his face in an instant.  "Impossible!"
    "No.  He has to be.  Or he would have found me by now."  Vegeta froze in place as Cooler's eyes grew hard as steel.
    "You lie.  My brother cannot be dead.  We would have found his remains.  We found remains of his ship and a planet but none of him.  Not even a scrap of DNA. So forget your little ploy Saiyan.  If you obey me I might even spare your little female."
    Vegeta tried to swallow but his throat was dry and burning.  What now?  What was he going to do?  He couldn't allow Cooler to have him alive!  And Bulma, he closed his eyes, if Cooler was anything like Frieza all Bulma would receive by his compliance was a quick death.  But it was the best thing.  If he tried to fight he would be killed and Bulma would be tortured to death, of that he was almost certain.  But.. it wasn't fair!  Why did it matter what happened to her?  He would be better off dying in a fight.  The only other option was a lingering, horrible death that could take months if not years.  He shuddered in anxiety.  He heard the onna snarling obscenities at her captors and calling his name…
    He couldn't do it.  The onna had cared for him when he'd gotten hurt and that was more than he could say for pretty much everyone he'd ever known.  And he knew it wasn't because she needed him to fight like Frieza had or his father.  She actually seemed to give a shit about him and for that… for that he was willing to risk a life of torture?
    No.  I'll make sure she gets a quick death and then… then I'll kill myself. He thought miserably.  He felt his eyes burning and quickly lowered his head, shutting his eyes tight.  Cooler took it as a sign of submission and stepped forward, his hand coming up to caress the Saiyans smooth cheek.  He grinned when Vegeta flinched away.
    "I'm going to have so much fun with you."  Cooler purred.

    A few blurred moments later they stood among the troops.  He'd seen no sign of Bulma but sensed her chi nearby.  And he could also sense her thoughts.  He wasn't surprised though, she was terrified and her panic was hitting him in waves.  The cadre of troops took off in an undamaged transport and with it went Bulma's chi.  Why was she going with them?  Weren't they going to kill her now?
    "I thought you said you'd leave her alone." Vegeta said softly, the anguish in him too much for any anger to come through.
    "Well, I can always use females on my ship, my men like them."
    "No!  That's not fair!  You son of a bitch!" Vegeta cried, his fury igniting at last.  He attacked Cooler with a snarl of rage and even managed to hit him a few times before he caught several blows to his ribs which forced the air from his lungs.  He collapsed at Cooler's feet.
    "Feisty, aren't we?  Was she yours darling Saiyan?  Don't you like to share?" Cooler purred.
    "No!" Vegeta snapped, hoping that angle might work.
    "Well, I will leave her untouched unless you displease me.  If you behave she will be yours alone, is that acceptable?"
    "Do you promise?" Vegeta demanded.  Cooler sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes.
    "Fine, yes.  I promise."
    "Very well." Vegeta said softly.

    Hours after Bulma's capture Bulma was finally put in a tiny room with a bed and a tiny bathroom with a toilet and a small shower.  She had been led through a large base and at one point she had been sure that she'd seen their ship.  She'd tried to remember where it was but every corridor looked the same, and there had to be about fifty of them.
    She hadn't been hurt, but Kami was she scared.  She hadn't even seen Vegeta in hours.  What had happened to him?  Was he still alive?  Had he betrayed her?  She'd seen him talking to a creature that looked like a hideously warped china doll.
    And if he hadn't betrayed her, was he all right?
    She didn't want to think that he had abandoned her to save his own ass.  After being together non-stop for over two months, she thought he trusted her.  She trusted him well enough, but now…  She just wished she knew what was going on!  She knew one thing at least.  The chances of her seeing Chikyuu again were slim to none and it looked like slim just snuck out the back door like a little bitch.  Bulma felt her eyes burning, but try as she might she could not will the tears away.  She was scared.  And she was all alone.

    Please, not again.  Was she worth this?  Was she worth this hell?  Vegeta was almost positive that she wasn't when Cooler's icy hands brushed his smooth cheeks.  His eyes were clenched shut and he was trying to suppress his trembling, but all efforts were in vain.  It was useless.  He was scared.  There was no way around it.  He knew what was most likely coming and the thought horrified him.  How did he get into these things?  Why was he doing this?  For a woman that he hadn't even slept with?  What the hell was he thinking?
    I can't do this.  I would rather die! He thought and instantly began to power up.  As if Cooler read his thoughts he immediately dealt Vegeta a stunning blow to that face and sent the Saiyan sprawling.  His ears were ringing painfully and he blinked several times to clear his vision.
    "If you want to be difficult I can give you this."  He said holding up a small vial of a clear liquid.  "It works on Saiyans too.  This is the concentrated form, all it will take is a tiny bit and you'll be as weak as a baby.  I really don't mind either way."  He said nonchalantly, a cruel smile on his blue-tinged lips.  He turned away and Vegeta began to power up again, but before he could do a thing Cooler pounced on him, put his hand over his mouth, and held the vial under his nose.
    "You can't hold your breath for long and when you  try to breath you will inhale enough of this too make you quite.. yielding for hours."  Vegeta squirmed beneath him and tried desperately to hold his breath.  Cooler grinned and quite unexpectedly Vegeta felt a something firm press against his thigh.  He stiffened for a moment in dread and began to thrash wildly, and then he couldn't hold his breath any longer and inhaled the most foul-smelling thing…
    And then he could barely see or feel.  His limbs wouldn't move on their own.  He saw what was happening to him, but it was if he was watching it happen to someone else.  But nothing could make him stop seeing it.  Part of him was screaming in rage at the unfairness of it all, but another part of him was resigned to his horrible fate, and just wanted to find a way to end it.
    This is only brief pain, soon it will all be over.  He tried to rationalize.

    How long had he been there?  How long had this demon been assaulting him?  The drug had to be wearing off because he was starting to feel it when Cooler's nails dug into his flesh drawing blood.  His vision blurred and for a long time he saw nothing.

    When he woke he saw a pair of frightened blue eyes, swimming with tears.
    "Vegeta!  Thank Kami your alive!"  Bulma cried.  He stared at her blankly for a long time and suddenly she felt it, she felt his thoughts trying to get in and tell her what he couldn't.  She saw it all.  She saw what had happened to him the few hours they'd been apart.
    She stared at him in horror.  She felt like she was going to be sick.  But from the dazed expression on Vegeta's face she was fairly certain he had no knowledge of what she'd just seen, and if he knew he showed no sign.  In fact he showed no sign of anything.  Whatever had just happened seemed to have come about on its own.  She knew Saiyans were telepathic so it explained how she saw it, sort of.
    But not really, she surely didn't pick it up on her own?  Did she?  She let her tears fall freely.  How could he have done that?  Why?  She was grateful of course, but she felt incredibly horrible!  Look what had happened.  He looked like an empty shell!
    "Vegeta?" She said softly.  His eyes slowly came to rest on her face.
    "Kill me." He said softly.  "Find a knife and cut my throat.  Please." He pleaded his voice breaking.  He turned away but she'd seen tears well up in his eyes, and she knew why, and it broke her heart.  She had to do something.  This couldn't go on another minute.  They had to escape!
    "Vegeta, no."  She sobbed, she lay down on the cold floor next to him and wound her arms around him taking care not to brush against his many injuries.  "I could never hurt you."  She whispered and placed a gentle kiss on his trembling lips.  He whimpered and clutched her fiercely, burying his face in the crook of her neck.  She gently rubbed his back as he shook violently in her arms and murmured softly in his ear, kissing his bruised jaw and cheek every so often.  She could feel hot tears rolling down her skin, and she felt her own eyes filling with moisture again.
    That monster.  How could he do something like that?  Bulma wondered angrily.  She had never wished to be strong like Goku, but right now she knew she would give anything to be able to beat their captor into a bloody mess on the floor.  How could you manipulate someone like that?  It was cruel and unfair and just sick!
    They stayed locked in a fierce embrace for what seemed like hours.  Eventually Bulma had to move before she lost all feeling in her legs and it was then that she remembered the wounds Vegeta had received.  His battle suit was wet with blood.  She gaped at the amount.  Vegeta appeared to be asleep but she shook him gently and tilted his chin up and placed her lips on his.  She was startled to feel his tongue tenderly brush her lower lip.  The kiss deepened and they stayed that way for a few minutes before Bulma broke away.
    "Vegeta, you're bleeding all over.  You have to let me take care of you."  She said softly in answer to his questioning gaze.  He nodded without an argument, and slowly stood, grunting in pain.  It was then that she noticed the state of his black body suit.  It was torn in several places, she could see several tears that appeared to have been caused by claws or something.  And the flesh underneath was torn, bruised, and black with coagulated blood.
    "Damn." Bulma murmured.   She felt another pang of guilt and again felt tears slipping down her face.
    Vegeta heard he soft exclamation and turned to regard her.  He was not surprised to see her tears, but felt faintly guilty for them.
    "Why are you crying Bulma?" he asked quietly.
    "Because," she sobbed.  "Look what happened to you!  Its all my fault!"  He shook his head coming back to her side, he rubbed her arms slowly.
    "It was my decision.  We'll get out of here somehow."
    "But you regretted it!" she said.  He frowned.
    "How-?" he murmured.
    "When the assholes threw you in here, I just knew what happened, I- I don't know how- it just happened, I don't know."  Vegeta looked faintly amazed and then he did something she did not expect.  He smiled.  And it was a real smile too, not the usual annoying smirk.  He'd never looked more handsome to her until then.  And then he took her in his arms and kissed her.  She felt herself melting in his embrace, and they continued that way until they had to break for air.  She could see in his eyes that he wanted more, and Kami knew she did as well, but those gashes all over him were too horrible to ignore.  She held up her hands.
    "Vegeta, you have to let me take care of these.  Please." She said softly.
    "Fine." He said with a faint smirk.

    Vegeta sat on the toilet with his shredded shirt on the floor.  Bulma stood behind him next to the sink ad she held a clean cloth under the hot water.  She was amazed there were even towels in there.  It seemed too much good luck for someone in their position.  But she didn't ignore a gift when presented and pressed the steaming cloth to a large gash and gently wiped the blood away.  She thankfully found her capsule with the medical supplies.  She didn't know what she would have done without that.  She applied some antibiotic ointment to each gash and covered them with gauze and tape.
    "All done.  Does it fell any better?" She asked.  Vegeta nodded looking faintly surprised.
    "Yes.  It does."
    "Good." She said and walked out of the bathroom and threw herself on the bed.  Vegeta followed her and sat down next to her.  He was tired, and from the half-lidded gaze of the onna, she was too.  He wanted to touch her again. But didn't want to press.
    "Come on." She said patting the mattress next to her.  "You can lay down."  He did slowly and sighed pleasurable as Bulma snuggled up against him, her arms wrapping around him  After the humiliation he'd just endured, it was strange to feel so comfortable.  He even felt a strange measure of safety.   When she'd said she could never hurt him, he knew she meant it.  And when she'd told him that she knew what had happened to him at Cooler's hands, he wasn't surprised.
    A bond was forming between them.  But if anything it did not comfort him, it only increased his fear.  He wrapped his arms around her, smiling briefly as she snuggled closer and closed his eyes.

 

 

Chapter 13 - Nightmare
 

    Cold hands were caressing him.  The icy touch was sending fits of shivers down his spine.  He tried to squirm away but each time he did he received a stinging slap across his already bruised face.  He tried to control his fear and loathing but it was almost impossible.  He never thought he'd be forced into this situation again. Not after his escape from Frieza's clutches.  It was true that he was not entirely sure of the tyrants demise, but it didn't matter either way.  He was in Cooler's hands now.  And even if Frieza was still alive and wanted him back, Cooler had already explained to him that he would not be returning to Frieza's service.  It was simple enough.  Cooler was equal if not greater in power than his young sibling, Frieza.  Vegeta's power was nothing to him, even though he had been feeling stronger since recovering from the venom.  His power was still increasing, but it was never enough!
    Blunt teeth scraped across his skin and the chill fingertips caressed his tail.  He felt a whimpering sob trying to escape and hastily swallowed it before his weakness was revealed.  He would not give Cooler the satisfaction of knowing his fear, or his pain.  As he had done for years before he was desperately bottling the anguish up inside.  But this time it was more difficult than it had ever been.  He had been so close to freedom!  He had been so close!  Why did fate continually abuse him?  Didn't anyone care that he had been forced to murder millions of people?  How could anyone blame him for enjoying it?  It was the only thing that had kept him sane for so long.
    The deft fingers twirled his tail again and he shuddered, trying to repress any pleasant sensation that might result from such an intimate act.   Fortunately it wasn't hard, he couldn't feel anything but shame and disgust.

    He was led back to his cell an hour later, not physically hurt very much, but inside his soul was shriveling in horror as his mind relived the past hour.  As they drew near the tiny room, he felt a vast relief flood him when he sensed Bulma's ki within.  She was asleep as well, and he was extremely thankful for that.  If he had to face her when he was at his most vulnerable, he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle it.  The door slid open and the guard released his elbow.
    Vegeta's eyes were adjusting to the dark when the guard shoved the butt of his crude energy weapon into Vegeta's back.  The muscles in his back tensed all at once and he had a sudden flash of a white fist plowing into the area repeatedly.  His muscles spasmed for an instant and he froze as the door swished shut behind him.  His nerves were tingling and he shuddered, his whole body quivering.  He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.  He could smell her.  He could hear her soft breathing.  The tension eased from his body.  He slowly drew near the bed.  What would he do if she was not here right now?  The irony of his thought did not anger Vegeta, it merely confused him.  What was it about her mere presence that calmed him and seemed to take the edge off his pain?  Whatever it was he knew he needed it desperately.  The thought did not shame him, it only made her that much more desirable.  But he wouldn't force her.  He couldn't do it.  He couldn't imagine placing that horror on her shoulders.  So he lay down next to her and on impulse hugged her close, shivering lightly.  He buried his nose in her hair.  It had been days since either of them had showered but she still smelled good.  Better than him at least, he thought with a wry smile.  The smile faded instantly as he closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

    Bulma was torn from a sound sleep by the most horrible feeling of panic.  For a moment she couldn't even will herself to move, so great was the fear inside her.  But she didn't understand it and the scientist in her would let nothing go unexplained.  What had happened?  It made no sense to be afraid when nothing had happened..  And just like that the suffocating panic subsided.  She took several deep breaths before she noticed the bed quivering.  She was suddenly jabbed by an elbow and heard a soft moan.  She pulled her covers down and peeked out.
    Vegeta lay next to her, thrashing weakly.  His eyes were clenched shut and low pained moans were coming from his trembling lips in a steady stream.  Her heart clenched in pain.  Had she ever known anyone as strong and proud as him, and so full of pain and anger?
    "Vegeta." she said, her voice echoing in the nearly empty room.  She gently squeezed his shoulder and called his name again.  His eyes shot open and with a choked gasp he sat upright.  She reached out to him but he flinched away so violently he toppled backwards out of the bed.
    She was pulled down on top of him, his tail secure around her waist.  He sat up, his back against the wall, his eyes wild, unfocused, and darting around the room.  His breathing was coming quick and labored and his face was bleached like a bone.
    "Vegeta, it's me, Bulma!" she cried, starting to get scared.
    "Bulma?" He murmured softly after a long stretch of silence.  He gazed at her for a moment before hurriedly looking away and as soon as her clammy fingers touched his overheated flesh he sprang away, knocking her over in his attempt to flee.   When she sat up he was at the opposite end of the room, gasping like a landed fish.  She felt tears stinging her eyes.
    "Vegeta.  I can't let you do this anymore."  She said, her voice breaking into a sob.  "I can't let him do this to you for my sake.  It isn't right."
    "But… they'll kill you.  You won't survive more than a week." He panted.
    "But look what this is doing to you!  It's wrong!  I can't let this go on."
    "You can't stop it!" he snapped harshly.  "Until we find the ship and somehow escape there is nothing we can do.  And if you die…" he abruptly broke their gaze and lowered his head, shivering.  She suddenly felt it then.  He was afraid to lose her!  She gasped at the revelation, she knew then that she'd shown him more care and concern that anyone in his life.  It was a sad realization, but it only hardened Bulma's resolve.
    She slowly stood and walked over to where he sat, pressed against the wall.  The sight of such a proud creature nearly mad with terror made her heart feel as if it was being rent in two.  She knelt before him and gazed deep into his eyes.  She concentrated hard and sent him all the love and desire she felt for him.  She didn't know what had changed in herself but knew that Vegeta was definitely not the same person she'd first met on Namek, demanding her and Krillin's Dragon ball.  He cared about her, she knew he did!
    Vegeta gasped when he felt her emotions hit him.  Each was overpowering and confusing, but not unpleasant.  He closed his eyes and suddenly felt her lips on his and he clutched her greedily deepening the kiss.  Desire raced through his veins when he heard her soft moan.  Her body was flush against his, soft, warm, and yielding.  Not hard and cold.  He shivered with delight.  It was such a strangely overwhelming relief and something else he couldn't identify that flooded him when her groping hands began to tug at the remains of his shirt and caress him in a way that wasn't painful.  He tore the shredded scrap of clothing away while she removed her shirt and they were again crushed in an embrace, their lips and tongues dancing fiercely.
    Then suddenly Vegeta froze, his entire frame locking up.  He pulled away from Bulma and stared, wide-eyed at the closed door.
    "What is it?" Bulma whispered, dread stealing over her when she saw Vegeta's face pale considerably.
    "Don't interfere." was all he said and the door slid open.  A small silhouette filled the door but Bulma at once knew who it was and could feel Vegeta shiver next to her.  But he slowly climbed to his feet ignoring Bulma's frantic pleas.
"What do you want now?" Vegeta snapped, his voice calm, and cold.  He had a good idea but was hoping he was wrong.
    Bulma couldn't begin to describe the emotions going through her then.  Anger, fear, disappointment and anxiety were but a few.  She heard Vegeta suddenly gasp in agony and saw Cooler standing just before him, his fist buried in Vegeta's gut.  Vegeta's knees gave out and Cooler let him collapse with a smile.  Vegeta began to cough until a small gout of blood hit the metal floor with a soft 'whap'.  She gasped and began to realize the extent of Cooler's power.  Vegeta was helpless against him!  Cooler glanced at her to see if she had any objections.  Vegeta's gaze pleaded with her not to say a word.  She felt hot tears spilling down her face as Cooler turned away with a sneer and grabbed Vegeta by his wrist dragging him to his feet.
    "Why do you suffer for this weakling?" Cooler said with a grin.   His fist pounded into Vegeta's ribs and the air was forced from his lungs.  He heard Bulma cry out and knew she was going to do or say something to get herself killed.
    Cooler's laughter was abruptly cut off.  "Damn you, you little bitch I'll kill you!" He heard Cooler growl.  Vegeta gasped when he saw that somehow Bulma had managed to stab Cooler right between two rib bones!  It was a small thick three inch blade.  How the hell had she pierced his flesh?  The wound wasn't anywhere near life threatening at the moment- Cooler elbowed Bulma in the face, sending her across the room.  Vegeta grabbed the knife handle and shoved it deep and twisted it hard.  Cooler roared in rage and Vegeta felt two hands lock onto his throat and he raised the blade and began to stab.  The hands tightened their hold until black spots were dancing in Vegeta's vision.  He couldn't breath but he kept slashing with the knife.  He was suddenly slammed into the wall behind him.
    He gripped the blade tighter and drove it deep, twisting the knife again.  He was pulled forward and slammed into the wall again and again until the steel began to bend behind him and he was sure his skull was going to crack.  But he continued to push the blade deeper.  Cooler  grabbed Vegeta's hand and began to squeeze.  Vegeta, grimaced in pain as bones ground together.  But if he dropped the tiny weapon, Cooler would use it against him!  He began to power up but Cooler pressed up against him, pinning him to the wall and with his other hand, grabbed Vegeta's tail.
    Vegeta felt the sizzling pain shoot up his spine, but he grit his teeth, swallowing a pained groan, and slammed his knee into Cooler's midsection.  Cooler staggered back with a hiss, his torso already punctured and bleeding in several places.
"You insolent bastard.  A ki blast is too good for you.  I'm going to tear you limb from limb." Cooler said, grimacing lightly.  Vegeta leaned against the wall gasping for breath and was relieved that Cooler's ki had dropped substantially.  He was unable to transform.  Vegeta lunged forward and quickly thrust the knife upward-
-and Cooler snatched it out of his hand.  Vegeta powered up and shot him point blank with a ki blast.  Cooler fell back several feet and the knife flew from his grasp, landing out of Vegeta's line of vision.  Cooler fired back before Vegeta could dodge and he caught the blast in the chest, sending him hurtling into the wall.  He shook his head trying to clear his vision as Cooler limped forward.
    He heard a faint moan to his right, and saw to his relief that Bulma was still alive.  Cooler loomed over him snarling in fury.
    "Damn monkey."  Cooler hissed.  Vegeta cursed bitterly and fired another ki blast stronger than the first and had the satisfaction of hearing Cooler smack the opposite wall.  The feeling was definitely short lived as sudden pain filled his belly not once but three times.  Cooler knelt before him with the blade in his hands.  Vegeta gasped, but his breath hitched in his throat.  The pain was making it hard to breath.  He looked down and saw blood pouring down his stomach from three knife-wounds.  The strength drained from his limbs for a second until Cooler laid his hands on him.  He wrenched from the Ice-jinn's grasp but was unable to rise.
    Cooler tossed the knife to the ground and drawing back his fist, slammed it into Vegeta's side.  The pain was too intense and he couldn't hold back the cry that was ripped from his throat.  He ceased his struggles and collapsed to the ground moaning in torture.

    Cooler wheezed in agony.  How had that female snuck up on him?  She'd managed to inflict a tiny wound that the damn Saiyan had taken full advantage of.  He was humiliated!  His flesh was torn in several places and damn it hurt!  He had lost so much blood in the few minutes that had passed that he didn't have the strength to transform, giving him the power jump he needed.  Like it or not, he had to get to a regeneration tank.  But the Saiyan, he was going to bleed to death in this room and that female- he glanced in her direction, but she lay still.  He smiled, assuming she was dead and staggered from the room.

    Bulma slowly came to with a pain-filled grimace.  Kami her head hurt like hell!  She slowly sat up, keeping her eyes closed until the dizziness subsided.  But a low, strangled moan forced her eyes open.  Vegeta was curled up in a ball of agony, clutching   his stomach.  She crept forward, unsure of what had happened, and unable to tell in the dim light.
    "Vegeta? Are you ok?" she whispered.  His back was against the bed, his knees were drawn to his chest, his eyes were screwed shut, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead.  He gasped in shock when she placed her hands on his burning skin.  She grimaced, seeing blood on his lips.  His mouth worked soundlessly and she got up and ran to the bathroom, grabbing the first aid kit.  She set it down on the bed  and tried to pry his arms away from his waist.  "Vegeta, let me see it!" She demanded.  One eye cracked open.
    "Where's Cooler? Is he dead?"  he rasped.
    "I don't know.  He's not in here."
    "Are the doors open?" Bulma frowned, but got up and pushed the release.  Nothing happened.  "We're locked in." he snapped.  "The walls are reinforced to absorb ki."  Bulma smirked and returned to his side.
    "Don't worry about that." She assured him.  "Now can you get up?  Or just lie down.  I have to try and fix this."  Vegeta painfully got to his feet and eased himself on the bed and with a grunt, lay back.  His hand uncovered the wounds and she saw blood was still flowing from them.  She grimaced and began to clean the area as best as she could.  "The only thing I can do is stitch the skin.  I don't know what to do other than that."
    "It will be enough." He said quietly, his eyelids drooping.
    "Are you sure?  Aren't you bleeding internally?"
    "Yeah, I'll be fine." He replied.
    "What happened after he knocked me out?" Bulma asked as she threaded a curved needle.
    "I stabbed him with that knife of yours a few times, then he got me with it and I don't know, I think I got hit on the head too many times, I can't remember what happened at the end.  Maybe he went to the regeneration tanks.  When they are actually wounded, Frieza and Cooler's kind heal much slower than Saiyans.  Not like it matters.  If he's going to the tank then he'll be back in an hour at the most."  Vegeta murmured.  Bulma began to stitch the wounds and they didn't speak while she worked.  Bulma was too busy trying to do it right, and Vegeta was concentrating on ignoring the pain.
She finished the last stitch and covered each area with antibiotic ointment before coving and taping on gauze padding.
    "How does it feel?" Bulma asked, sitting back and surveying her handy work.  Vegeta blinked coming out of his daze and stared down at the small white patches that covered the knife wounds.
    "Better." He said, with a faint smile.
    "Good."  Bulma said with a smile and quickly got up, running over to the door.  Vegeta watched her curiously as she lifted the panel off the door switch.
    "I told you it's locked."  Bulma laughed.
    "Vegeta, didn't I tell you? I'm a mechanical genius.  I'll have this thing open in two seconds.  And I know where I ship is.  Or at least, where it was last night." She crowed.
    "Really?" Vegeta sat up quickly.  Pain flared through his side, but it wasn't as bad as before.   Was there anything she couldn't do?  He padded across the floor and stood behind her as she tweaked wires and switches.  Suddenly the door flew open and Vegeta went over to stand between the doors.  "Damn." Vegeta marveled, had it even been two minutes?  Bulma quickly gathered her meager possessions, consisting of her capsules and the medical kit, which she encapsulated and slipped into the hoi poi capsule.  But before she was done, she drew out one more capsule and released it.
    "Hurry onna, I think someone's coming."  Vegeta warned.  Bulma pulled out her smallest rapid-fire gun.  It had 150 bullets in its clip.  She grinned and stuffed it in her belt.
    Vegeta hid a smile as the feral expression crossed Bulma's face.
    "All right." Bulma said, and they ran out the door.

    "Did Lord Cooler tell you if we were supposed to do anything with the Saiyan?" A guard asked the med tech as they watched Cooler float in the thick blue liquid.
    "No.  Nothing." The med tech replied in a bored tone.
    "Really?  I wonder why?"
    "Are you kidding?  You must be new here.  He wouldn't let us touch him, that would take away his fun." The med tech sneered.  The soldier blinked in confusion and then he shrugged.
    "That's fine with me.  I've heard stories about that Saiyan anyway, he'd kill me!" he cried.  The tech grinned and the soldier left to return to his post outside Vegeta's door.

    "Down this way." Bulma murmured as three guards turned the corner, they ran down the hall as quietly as they could towards the landing bay.  They stopped just outside the door.
    The room was filled with guards and technicians.  And Bulma didn't dare fire her gun, she realized with a grimace.  She could easily damage something vital to their escape.  She scanned the bay and at the far end of the bay was their ship, mercifully intact.
    She nudged Vegeta and she didn't miss the relief in his eyes upon seeing the vessel.
    "What about fuel?" he asked.
    "I won't know until I get inside."
    "Don't worry about that."

    He dashed into the landing bay and began to fire small spheres of ki in rapid succession.  Bulma ran out after several guards were blown to bits and ran as fast as she could to their ship.  With trembling fingers she punched in the code on the door.  It flew open with a hiss.  She dashed inside uttering a prayer of thanks and headed to the controls where her fingers began to fly over the keys.  She did a long range scan of their surroundings and fought down a wave of panic when she realized that Earth was a month away at top speed.  They had just enough fuel to make it if they didn't deviate from their course.  And who was to say that Cooler would not come after them?  She couldn't lead him straight to Earth!
    It didn't matter.  They had to get away.  She started the engine.
    "Where do you think your going?" A soldier bellowed at the door.  She turned with a frightened scream as he slunk in.  She glanced over his shoulder and saw Vegeta flinging ki madly as other soldiers poured in.  "Well female?  You think Vegeta would care if I skin you alive?  He's a little too busy to notice right now." The alien purred.  He reminded her of the dead geisha-looking alien that had tried to rape her before.  She shuddered at the memory and leveled her gun at him, spraying him with a hail of bullets.   He was thrown against the wall with a thud and for a few moments he convulsed in agony as his blood poured onto the metallic surface.  He tried to lift himself but his arms flopped uselessly and with a harsh rattle in his lungs, he died.
Bulma stood staring at the corpse as she gasped for air.  Behind him the signs of battle were dying.
    "Onna get ready to take off!" Vegeta cried.  She began to type in commands and the engines began to rumble angrily.  She sat down and strapped herself in.  Vegeta dashed in the door moments later and, glancing at the corpse in momentary surprise, he kicked it onto the platform.
    "Do we have fuel?"
    "Just enough to  head straight to Earth.  But we can't deviate from our course. And I don't know if my ship is faster than this one."
    "It is, by far.  Don't worry about that." He said with a faint smile.  The door closed and the view screen came to life.  The landing bay's doors were opening and no one was alive to stop them she assumed.  Please Kami, let this work! She prayed.
The ship began lift off procedure and moments later she was shoved back into her chair as they shot out into space.  The stars were blurred white lines as they sped past.  She felt a sudden anxiety lift from her shoulders and finally sighed in relief.

    "Lord Cooler!  I must speak with Lord Cooler!" a guard cried, running onto the bridge of the large flying citadel.
    "He has another hour in the regeneration tank!"
    "What?!"
    "You heard me.  Until then what is so important?"
    "The Saiyan has escaped in a small ship.  The scanners were unable to find where it headed."
    "Kasha, do a long range scan!" The Navigator cried.  The blue-skinned alien immediately complied.
    "Sir, there are no ships in the vicinity." The Navigator and the guard both paled considerably.
    "Shit."

 

 

Chapter 14 - False Sense of Security

 

    They stared at the radar screen for what seemed like hours, barely daring to breathe as they watched for any sign of pursuit.  An hour had ticked by without a word spoken between them.  Finally Bulma heaved a sigh.
    "I don't think they know which way we're going.  Wouldn't they be following us by now?"  Vegeta's eyebrows rose and he shrugged.
    "Yes, but his ship is one of the slower models.  It will take it at least a day to catch up to us."
    "Is there anywhere we can stop before Earth that isn't far off course?"
    "Not close enough with fuel compatible to this ship."
    "Then what the hell are we going to do?!" Bulma cried in frustration.  Vegeta merely shrugged as if he knew their escape was only temporary.  "What is that supposed to mean?" she wailed.  "Don't you care?"
    "Yes." He muttered simply.  "I'll have to fight him if he catches us and most likely I'll die.  Again." He added bitterly.  "Who knows what will happen to you." He said softly.  Bulma could very well imagine their ugly intentions and couldn't repress a shiver.  She felt her lower lip trembling and lowered her head to stare at the suddenly blurred floor.
    Vegeta grimaced as he felt her fear and sadness.  He released a sigh and ran a trembling hand through his hair.  He already felt like shit without being bombarded by her emotions.  Pain lanced through his side and he was unable to suppress a quick gasp.
    Bulma raised her head at the slight exclamation but Vegeta's face was blank.  But she knew it was just a mask to hide his inner turmoil.  She blinked away her tears and sighed.  What good was crying going to do her?  Still, the utter hopelessness of their plight was weighing her down.  It had been so long since she'd been home, and it had been so long since she'd felt safe!  Vegeta offered a measure of safety but he couldn't stop Cooler.  And that train of thought led her somewhere she didn't want to go.  How was Vegeta dealing with the abuse he'd just suffered?  She knew he'd never tell her a thing, and she couldn't help but worry, it was driving her crazy.  She'd learned what exactly had occurred earlier on Cooler's ship, but wasn't sure how he was dealing with it.  As if summoned by her thoughts the information came to her in a wave of deep, boiling rage and shame.  And underneath it all, a deep, unfathomable sadness.  She recoiled as the depression, and anxiety washed over her.
    Vegeta saw Bulma's face go blank and was wondering what she was thinking of until he suddenly was forcibly reminded of Cooler's transgression.  And he knew it was her, searching for answers.  But how was she able to just enter and search his mind like that?  She was human, and by all rights it should be impossible for her to feel anything from him short of extreme emotions. He erected a mental wall and smirked faintly when she snapped out of her trance.
    "Onna, you were sneaking around up here." He said, tapping his temple.  "Why?" She seemed taken aback by his blunt question.
    "I just was worried about you."
    "Well now you know, apparently.  Do you feel better?" he snapped.  Bulma sighed and shook her head.
    "No.  And I'm sorry.  I didn't do it on purpose.  It just happened."  She said quietly, not allowing his justified anger to shake her.  His surprised expression confused her.   Didn't he believe her?
    "It just happened?" he said, incredulous.  She nodded and a sudden yawn escaped her.  The adrenaline surge that had been keeping her on her feet was wearing off and she felt a sudden wave of exhaustion hit her.
    "Come on.  Don't worry about it.  I won't say anything.  Let's just go to bed.  You'll be feeling better when we wake up, right?"  she asked over her shoulder as she staggered towards the stairs.  Vegeta shrugged but followed her anyway, not really wanting to sleep but too hurt to do much else.
    Bulma collapsed on the bed and curled up and then suddenly sat up with a faint grimace.
    "I need to shower!" she groaned and rolled out of bed, landing on her hands and knees on the other side with a thud.  Vegeta grinned.  The sight of his onna scrambling to her feet and making a crazed dash to the bathroom was amusing but unnecessary.  She smelled good, and even if she were covered in dirt she would still be beautiful.  He blinked at the thought, and sat down on the edge of the bed.
    There was no use denying it anymore.  He had referred to the woman as his.  He had to admit that he cared about Bulma and wanted her to be his in all senses of the word.  He'd risked his own neck for her more than once already if that wasn't indication enough.  And to top it all off, they had formed a bond.  He had felt the first glimmerings of her thoughts in his mind almost immediately when they had first escaped Namek.  But he'd ignored them and everything else that should have warned him that it was happening.  He could have paid attention and then…  He growled aloud.  That only confirmed it!  he couldn't even imagine hurting her.  But only months ago that would have been his first thought.  To kill her.  Now he couldn't even picture it.
Another ripple of pain lanced through his abdomen and he lay back on the mattress with a grunt.  With all the injuries he'd sustained recently Vegeta's strength had again increased, and as he began to doze to the faint sound of running water and Bulma's loud humming, he felt the pain steadily ebbing as his body healed.  His strength was growing, but why hadn't he reached Super Saiyan?

    Bulma finished her shower and dressed, quickly dried her hair and grabbed the medical kit from the bathroom before heading out.  Vegeta lay sound asleep, his legs hanging off the edge of the bed.  She sat down next to him, a smile tugging the corners of her mouth.
But the smile faded quickly.  Her thoughts turned to home.  If they made it, would Vegeta stay?  She didn't know, and the thought of never seeing him again sent a swift pain lancing through her heart.  She blinked in surprise, and was astonished to feel a tear slide down her cheek.
    "I'll be damned." She murmured in awe, staring down at the slumbering prince.  How had it happened?  She knew she was starting to have feelings for him that were more than mere lust, but the thought of never seeing him again had truly hurt!  How had it gone from simple concern and attraction to.. this?
    His actions belied his attitude…  And actions speak louder than words, she thought while she watched Vegeta sleep.  He had saved her.  Not once, but several times.  He had actually suffered for her!  But why?  Could she possibly mean something to him?
    How strange it was to have the tables turned.  Yamcha had been shy at first, then had fawned over her like an adoring worshipper.  She had never had to try so hard just to get a few words out of someone.  Vegeta was like the most complex puzzle she'd ever encountered, and Yamcha was a five-page open book.
    To think that her meager efforts had somehow paid off astonished her.  First reason being, she hadn't really seen herself as putting in any effort to be civil until the silence between them was unbearable.  Secondly, when they did begin to speak it was mostly to argue.  But it seemed almost as if Vegeta enjoyed it.  He didn't do it because he hated her, because he couldn't hate her anymore.  She knew that.  He wouldn't kiss someone he hated, of that she was fairly certain.
Was it a Saiyan thing or something?  Was fighting not confined to the physical aspect on their planet?  Well, she doubted it would be, was there any civilization that saved all the arguments for the arena?  Highly unlikely.  But perhaps they indulged in arguments instead of normal conversation.  It seemed like an interesting idea, and sounded even plausible.  But she had no way of knowing without asking Vegeta, and wasn't even sure he would tell her.
    A puzzle in every aspect.  She loved solving puzzles, but brains alone wouldn't help her figure him out.  Especially if he decided to take the capsule and leave Earth and Bulma.
    "Do I want this?  Really want this?" she murmured softly  She reached out a trembling hand and caressed his smooth cheek.
    His eyes shot open and he sat up with a strangled gasp.  Bulma leapt back, startled, and felt herself falling but was stopped by a furred, lithe appendage coiling around her waist.  She was pulled back onto the bed and Vegeta glared at her, still panting.  Bulma's expression softened to one of concern which only increased Vegeta's anger.
    "Damn it!  Don't touch me when I'm sleeping!" he yelled, the silky tail retreated and began to lash behind him like an angry cat's.  Bulma's eyes lowered, and she felt sadness flood her.  She knew why he didn't want her to touch him.  She felt the torrid nightmare that had been clawing away at his mind the instant she did.  He didn't want her to see it.  Didn't want her to know how much it hurt him.  She felt tears begin to fill her eyes.  She couldn't help what she felt!  She didn't want him to suffer and it bothered her that he did.  And it wasn't pity she felt for him at all, just sadness, and admiration.  He was stronger than her.  She would instantly admit it.

    He inwardly cursed when he saw her eyes fill with the dreaded tears.  But then with amazing ease, her thoughts and emotions filtered into his conscious.  She didn't pity him, she admired him and his strength.  The tears he saw and the sadness that spilled from her like blood from a gaping wound was because of the pain he endured!  It confused the hell out of him and he couldn't stop the question that sprang to his lips.
    "Onna, why do you care about me?"  The question actually made her smile as two tears slid down her cheeks.  Before he could stop himself, he'd reached up and brushed the tears away.
    "Because.  I like you." She admitted with a faint blush.  But there was more to it than that and he knew it as if she'd whispered it in his ear.  But he still couldn't understand it.
    "Why?" he asked, his uncertainty quite apparent.  Her head shot up and she gazed at him for a moment, startled.  She couldn't quite make out his expression, but he looked almost desperate.
    "Your not the same man that I first met.  At first I was sure you were going to kill me.  Now I know you won't."  Had anyone else said it he would have destroyed them right then.  But he knew she was right.  "And you may not realize this, I didn't at first because I was too pissed off at you, but we have a lot more in common than I ever imagined."  That piqued his curiosity.
    "How so?" he murmured.
    "Well,  pride for one.  Second that impenetrable wall around you, I know what that's like.  You try to keep everything out that could piss you off or make you hurt, but somehow little things always get through and never get out and build up until you explode in a fit of rage like a maniac.  And you push everyone away and keep to yourself for the most part.  I do that.  Goku and Krillin are my friends and all, but I really don't see them that much.  Before you guys showed up, I hadn't seen either of them in over a year.  And it's not like I couldn't see them whenever I wanted… I just didn't."  Vegeta reclined back as she talked and his expression was of obvious surprise.  He'd never realized it, but damn it, she was right.  How he hadn't noticed before…  Well, it wasn't that surprising.  He'd been too busy fighting his attraction to her to notice much else.  But now that she'd brought it to his attention, he'd realized the glaring truth.
    "Hmph." He mumbled.  Bulma smiled and got up and went over to the small dresser.  Before Vegeta's eyes her towel dropped to the floor and her bare back and ass were almost close enough to grab.  But he couldn't will himself to move, even to break his stare.  She slipped into her undergarments and an white tank top with a pair of light blue pajama pants.  Vegeta stifled a groan as he felt himself grow hard and bitterly reminded himself that he was in no shape yet for anything he was imagining doing to the onna at the moment.  He rolled over, away from her and closed his eyes.  He heard the click of the light switch and felt the mattress sink next to him as Bulma got in.  He felt her fingertips brush his back and his eyes snapped open.
    He rolled over, careful not to get to close, lest she notice his throbbing erection.
    "I'm surprised." Bulma murmured softly.
    "What?" Vegeta asked, unsure of what she was speaking of.
    "I thought you would yell after what I said a minute ago.  I'm glad I was wrong."  She smiled faintly at him but he could easily see it in the darkness.
    "Why?" he murmured, still slightly confused.
    "Why what?  Why am I glad or why did I think you would yell?"
    "The second one."  Well, she said with a wider smile, and she snuggled a bit closer.  "It means I was right.  At least, you don't hate me."
    "You already know that." He said softly.
    "Your right." She grinned.  Vegeta was beginning to feel slightly nervous.  She was too close and he wanted to kiss her again, but knew it would end up going farther than he was up for at the moment.  He sighed.  "What's wrong?"  Bulma said softly, her eyes alight with concern.
    "I wish I had a regeneration tank." He murmured.
    "Why?" she immediately sat up and began fussing.  "What's wrong?"
    "Nothing." He replied flatly.  "Go to bed." And rolled over facing the wall.  Bulma stifled a sigh of disappointment.  She really wasn't surprised.  Just because he didn't complain of any pain, didn't mean it didn't exist.  She knew he was feeling it, just like she'd somehow felt his nightmare earlier.  There was some kind of psychic link between them.  But she didn't know how.  Or why it was so strong.  They had been together for roughly three months straight, they had gone from hating each other to this strange mental link that she could initiate by a mere touch or desire to understand.  She suddenly realized that she had a unique tool to figure out this puzzle after all.
    She smiled, but didn't want to abuse the uncanny power.  Frankly, there were things inside of him that were too painful and scary to delve into.  And knowing him, she doubted he would find the intrusion acceptable.  He had snapped at her the first time he'd realized she was doing it, and it had been unintentional on her part.  She closed her eyes with a sigh.  All she wanted to do was touch him, but somehow she knew he was still leery of close physical contact that wasn't violent.  It was disheartening, but at the same time, she felt compelled to dispel his unease.  She only hoped that she would have the time.

    Vegeta finally released a sigh when he heard her breathing become deep and even.  He was thankfully no longer aroused, but it could only be because the pain in his stomach reminded him of the time he'd gotten nailed in the balls by Zarbon.  He grimaced at the memory and then winced, sitting up slowly as an unfamiliar feeling washed over him.  He stomach gurgled painfully and he felt his mouth begin to water.  He suddenly gagged and stumbled out of bed with his hand over his mouth.  He rushed to the bathroom and collapsed in front of the toilet.  A dry cough wracked his frame and he doubled over and retched, a thin stream of almost black blood spilling into the toilet.  He knelt there for a few minutes as the sudden dizziness that had assailed him slowly faded away.  He watched the crimson water swirl down the toilet; he felt inexplicably hot and could feel sweat trickling down the sides of his face.
    His eyelids drooped in exhaustion as he climbed to his feet.  He wearily staggered to the bed and collapsed.  His eyes shut instantly and he curled up, willing the pain to leave him.

    Bulma awoke to an agonizing pain, like a knife thrusting into her quivering flesh.  She cried out in pain before she could stop herself and Vegeta sat upright in bed with a grimace.  And just like that the pain was gone.  She lay there gasping as Vegeta peered down at her curiously.
    "What's wrong?" he asked without the usual sharpness.
    "Why didn't you tell me it hurt so much?" Bulma said softly.  He blinked in confusion and then his cheeks flooded with color.
    "I'm fine." He murmured, embarrassed.  She smiled softly and gently tugged his elbow until he lay back, next to her.  She ran her hand up and down his arm until she could feel gooseflesh break out.
    "Onna." He murmured hoarsely.  "Stop that."
    "I can't" she breathed.  Vegeta groaned inwardly,
    "Your making this harder than it already is." He hissed.
    "I'm sorry." She said, her hands lightly tracing thick scars that raced across his torso.  He growled and pulled her close, his lips covering hers.  Her tongue slid into his mouth and he welcomed it with a sigh.  Gods how he wanted her!  Why did he have to be in pain?  Why couldn't it just go away?  Why couldn't the damn girl stop arousing him so he could get the rest he needed to heal?  Admittedly he was much better than he'd been a few hours ago.  But he still hurt and if he were to allow this to go any further he would end up ripping her clothes off and screwing her senseless, and that could easily cause more injury.  As if to prove the point, pain flared through his side. He pulled away with a gasp.
    "Are you alright?" Bulma cried, "I'm sorry, I'll leave you alone!" she scooted away from him.
    "Idiot!" he snapped, grabbing her and pulling her close.  "Go to sleep!"  he closed his eyes, a frown still on his face.  She couldn't stop the grin that crossed her face.  He was so cute sometimes.  He still needed to learn how to address her in a non-insulting way, but felt fairly certain that he was unused to doing anything else.  So she didn't feel hurt after being called an idiot, just slightly annoyed.  She had called him some colorful insults as well.
    She watched him for the better part of an hour until it seemed he finally fell asleep.  The anger dissolved from his features and he almost looked relaxed.  She snuggled closer and closed her eyes.

    She woke to find that Vegeta was still fast asleep and was extremely careful to get out of his grip and out of bed without waking him.  She wanted to check his bandages, but saw that no blood had leaked through.  He was healing much faster than he had from the spider venom, thankfully.
Bulma quickly dressed and headed upstairs to begin scanning for Cooler's ship.

    About five hours later Vegeta finally woke.  He stretched out and was relieved to feel only a slight soreness in his abdomen.  But it was nowhere near the pain he'd felt the night previous.  Finally.  He thought with a grin and headed into the bathroom.  He stripped the remains of the black bodysuit which was really only a pair of tattered pants, and tore off the blood-stained bandages.  The skin was slightly scabbed but for the most part was a deep pink scar where the blade had entered.  He stepped into the shower and scrubbed away all the sweat, blood and grime that covered him.  He washed his hair and stood under the water until the spray began to get cold.
He stepped out of the steamy bathroom clad in a white towel and began to search for something to wear.  He hadn't thought to take any more uniforms, he hadn't thought his would have been nearly torn off of his body, he thought with a bitter scowl.
    He finally found a white t-shirt and a pair of rusty orange pants that unzipped under the knees to become shorts.  There were about eight pockets in various places and he pulled them on.  The material was comfortable, but it was a little loose at his hips and they were also a little long, but it was nothing major and he kind of liked them.  But he still had nothing for his feet.  It didn't really matter though.  He tore a small hole in the back for his tail and headed upstairs.

    Bulma stared at the screens before her in growing frustration.  Where the hell was Cooler's ship?  Had they really lost him?  Something told her not to get her hopes up, but still…  his ship couldn't be that slow.  And she wasn't sure how fast theirs was but it had to be as fast as a Saiyan pod at least.   When Vegeta woke, she'd have to ask him-
    "What are you doing?"  Bulma gave a strangled gasp and swung around in her seat.
    "Damn it Vegeta!  You almost gave me a heart attack!" she cried.  She was about to yell more but saw a sincerely amused grin plastered on Vegeta's face.  "What?" she said, trying not to grin back and failing.
    "Nothing." He said, his grin fading to a smirk.  "What are you doing?"
    "Trying to find Cooler's ship!  I can't get a trace of it, and this ship is at least as fast as the Saiyan pod it was modeled from."
    "Whose pod?"
    "Goku's.  It took awhile to find and it was damaged, but me and my dad figured out how it worked and built a bigger model."  Vegeta's eyebrows rose, the only indication of his surprise.
    "Well, if that's the case, we'll make it to your planet weeks before he does."
    "I've been meaning to ask you about that." Bulma began, unable to endure the speculation any longer.
    "Hmm?" Vegeta murmured, unsure of what she meant to ask.
    "Are you going to stay on Earth , or are you going… somewhere else?"  She didn't look at him as she spoke, but instead stared at the screens in front of her.  But he saw her face turn pink anyway.  She had probed his thoughts in the past, it was time for him to do it now.  He wasn't sure what she was thinking and had to know in order to make the decision.  He gently probed her thoughts and was startled to find that she desperately wanted him to remain with her.  The realization was startling, and he found himself staring at her as she bit her lip, waiting for an answer.
He didn't know what to say.  Now that he knew, he felt like his tongue was frozen.  Bulma finally dared to look at him and saw amazement written on his features.  What the-?
    "Um, Vegeta-?"  He wanted to.  He was surprised, but knew he shouldn't be, and yet..
    "Bulma, if I go with you, Cooler will find me and kill everyone for harboring me.  You don't want that." He said with a soft sigh.  Bulma swung around in her chair and gazed at him with pleading eyes.  "You know it's true…" he watched her barely contained trembling for a moment before continuing  "I- I would Bulma."  He said softly with a faint blush.  "I would go with you."  She nodded, her eyes closed tight to contain her tears.  He turned with a sigh and floated up to the maze of pipes and iron cross beams and began to do pull-ups.

    Bulma snarled in frustration.  Somehow she had to convince Vegeta to come with her.  How could he not?  They had a connection that she had never experienced before.  If he wouldn't stay on Earth she wouldn't either.
    She shook her head in amazement.  They had only kissed a handful of times and she was already willing to spend her life on the run throughout the universe with him.  She was touched that he was unwilling to risk her and her home world, but at the same time, how could he be so willing to go back to loneliness and anger?  He was finally starting to come out of his mile-thick shell, why would he want to go back to the obvious hell he had been through for a greater part of his life.
She would make him understand, one way or the other, that his best choice was to stay on Earth with her.  They would find a way to destroy Cooler before he hurt anyone else.

    Vegeta trained for hours, only stopping for bathroom breaks and snacks.  The image of Bulma's disappointment was bothering him to no end.  She wanted him!  She wanted him as much as he wanted her.  There was only one thing to do.   They had a week or two before they reached her home planet.  In that time he would indulge in all the affection she was willingly to give.  He knew once he left her the pain would be incomparable.  Nappa and Radditz had told him stories of bonds broken when he was young.  The end result was never very pretty.  Some wasted away in the pit of depression, some ended their lives in devastating suicide attacks, yet a small percentage survived.  But they were never the way they had once been.  They were mere shadows of their former selves.
    But Vegeta figured it was a better end than at the hands of Cooler.

    Bulma stepped out of the shower with a soft sigh.  Vegeta had not spoken to her since early afternoon.  It was now well after midnight and he was still working out as she walked out of the bathroom.  She pulled on her pajamas in defeat and threw herself onto the bed, feeling tears of bitterness well up.  She hadn't thought of any reason that Vegeta might want to stay with her.  She was frustrated and tired and completely on edge.  She'd found no trace of Cooler's ship all day and despite what Vegeta had said, she couldn't shake the growing sense of unease.
She'd tried to think of weapons designs, ki shields, everything and anything that might stop Cooler.  Unfortunately she wasn't trained in the use of ki and would need Vegeta's help.  And even if he could help her, it might be possible that she would be unable to find a way to harness the living energy.  But she didn't need to think like that.  She'd always had confidence in her abilities before, why stop now?
    Perhaps it was because she felt like a spring coiled too tight.  She had to do something soon, or she would go crazy.
    She suddenly heard a faint thud, but didn't raise her head from the pillow.  She knew it had to be Vegeta.  Her assumption was correct, she heard the shower running a moment later and stretched, trying to relax.  She had asked Vegeta how his injuries were and he had quickly replied that they were gone and went back to training without another glance at her.  Maybe he was embarrassed that he'd admitted that he'd prefer to stay with Bulma than head back out into hostile territory.  She at least was glad to know that, and her tension over that issue had went away, but at the same time, new problems arose for her.  But she refused to dwell on it until morning.
    The faucets cut off and a few minutes later Vegeta emerged.  He climbed into bed without a sound and she felt him gently touch her hair.  She lifted her head and stared at him, noticing with a slight frown the way he recoiled.
    "I'm not going to do anything bad to you, Vegeta." Bulma said quietly.  He nodded quickly, dark eyes boring into hers.
    "I know." She felt his tail slide up against her thigh and with a wicked smile ran her fingers over it.  He shuddered and leaned close, pressing his lips to hers. Their arms locked around each other and after they broke away for air she gently brushed her hand down his side.
    "Does it still hurt?" She asked, indicating the knife wounds that had peppered his stomach.
    "No." he panted and her tongue lapped at his skin between her soft lips.  She kissed him again fiercely pressing her lips to his.  Their tongues battled for several minutes and when they pulled away they were each gasping for breath.  Bulma licked her lips and claimed his mouth again, her arms and legs wrapped tightly around him.  He reached up to massage her breasts and his tail slid around her waist.
    Part of the Saiyan no Ouji was thrilled.  At last! The beautiful onna would be his!  He knew he wouldn't make it through another night laying by her side without being able to touch her.  It had been made a hundred times worse last night when he'd realized she'd wanted him as well.  But now he was fully healed and as far as he knew, she was as well, the bruise had left her face, and as far as he knew it was the only injury she received from Cooler.  Her hand lazily groped his tail and all thoughts fled.
    Bulma was in heaven.  She'd been dreaming of this forever it seemed, but that couldn't be right.  But it didn't matter, all that mattered was the feel of his hands racing over her body, his lips on hers.  Suddenly her shirt was being torn to pieces.  Her pajama pants were gone next and she gasped in pleasure as his hot mouth encircled her nipple.  Her panties were impatiently torn off and then she smiled as he drank in the sight of her nude figure.   She sat up and leaned close and her tongue darted out to lick his lips.  He buried his fingers in her hair and closed the distance between them, his tongue eagerly slid over hers and again they battled fiercely.
    Bulma's hand wandered down until she found the impressive bulge beneath the towel and began to grope and massage in her excitement.  Vegeta gasped and instantly retaliated, plunging his middle finger into her vagina.
    Bulma groaned and her hips bucked towards him.  He pulled his finger from her moist opening and began to stroke the throbbing nub of flesh between her lips.  She whimpered in ecstasy and gasped when he began to lick her nipples again.  His fingers deftly stroked faster and faster until he had to physically restrain her as she bucked and writhed.  Her moans were like music and he could barely control the overwhelming need he felt to bury himself to the hilt within her warm depths.  But not yet.
    He ceased his ministrations, grinning when she moaned in dismay.  Her scent filled the air, sweet and heady.   His mouth replaced his hand.  His tongue lapped at the quivering bud and he wrapped his arms around Bulma's thighs to calm her thrashing.  Not that he minded it.  And her screams of pleasure were by far the most beautiful screams he'd ever heard.   He felt her stiffening in his grasp, and her cries cut off to quick gasps.  Her whole body was coiled like a spring waiting for release.  He pulled away.
    "Vegeta." she moaned in frustration.  He did not hesitate as he tore the towel off and with one quick thrust, buried himself inside her.  They moaned in unison as they clutched each other fiercely and he began to pump his hips.  He groaned, delighting in the tight warmth.  Their lips and tongues met again in a passionate lingering kiss.  Bulma broke away gasping and moaned loudly as he bent her legs back, her knees almost touching her ears.
    Her whole body was quivering and she couldn't keep her hands and lips off of him.  She never imagined he'd be so passionate,  it was driving her insane - the unparalleled need she felt for him.  She felt as if she'd die without him.  She felt complete for the first time in her life.  Somehow, everything seemed to be in place at that moment.  His soft moans were driving her crazy and she thrust her hips to meet him stroke for stroke.  He pulled out of her and rolled her onto her stomach.  His hands found her breasts and his tail pulled her ass into the air.  He drove into her and she moaned loudly, a sweet smile on her lips.  One hand left her breast to fondle her clit and she desperately thrust her hips as the pleasure grew incredibly intense. His thrusts grew harder and faster as they neared their climax and Bulma's quickening moans grew to a fevered pitch and at once she began to thrash and cry out.  Vegeta felt her muscles pulsating around him and he thrust his hips desperately, groaning aloud as he came.
    They collapsed in a heap, and she rolled around to face him. Bulma couldn’t feel her fingers or toes, and she was shaking so violently, but she'd never felt better. Their limbs tangled in a fevered embrace and she could feel his tail lazily groping her.  She sighed, happier than she'd been in a long time.
    She opened her eyes to see Vegeta regarding her with a look that could only be described as amused surprise and even contentment.  She smiled at him and was pleased when he smiled back.  It was a real smile and she thought that he'd never looked more handsome.  She pressed her lips to his and was rewarded with his tongue sliding in between her lips.  They broke away eventually with a few more soft kisses (and one bite from Vegeta) and closed their eyes, content to just lay in each other's arms for the moment.

 

 

Chapter 15 - Sleeping with the Enemy (Home is Not the Same Anymore)
 

     For the next two weeks Vegeta and Bulma mostly spent their time in a passionate embrace.  Their new-found union seemed almost too good to be true and the lingering threat of their separation only made their activities that much more frenzied and coveted.  Yet there was no sign of Cooler and Chikyuu was approaching fast.
    Vegeta, in all honesty, was more relaxed and amiable than he'd been since he and Bulma had met.  He tried not to worry about Cooler and enjoy what Bulma offered him, but he could never fully shake the fear of being caught and tortured.
    Bulma did everything she could to make him forget their fears if only for awhile.  But she knew that Vegeta was still suffering when she'd wake from a sound sleep to find him softly moaning and thrashing in bed next to her.  On the seventh night after their escape she could no longer stand her impotence in the matter.
    Vegeta had sort of explained the bond between them after a frenzied bout of lovemaking.  He'd said that it was a telepathic link between two Saiyans that allowed them to feel each other's emotions and in extreme situations, hear thoughts.  He himself didn't understand how she was able to slip past his mental defenses with an ease that defied explanation, and pick through his thoughts like she was flipping through a picture book.  But thankfully for Vegeta the instances were sporadic and she was unaware of how she was doing it,
    And she was uncomfortable doing it besides.  She had again, unintentionally scanned Vegeta's mind a few nights earlier and he hadn't been happy about it.  As she stared at his sleeping face she was drawn back to that night.  She had just been looking at him as she was now and all of the sudden images had presented themselves.  They were far too random to make much sense, but the underlying current of pain and anger was unmistakable.  Vegeta had shot up like he'd been electrocuted and demanded to know what she'd done.  Bulma had been at a loss to find a response and he had begun to yell, his face pink with anger:
    "I don't go through your thoughts like that!" He'd yelled, far angrier than he'd been the last time.  "I don't want you knowing what I think all the time!  I think of things that disgust me all the time and I have no control over it,  and I really don't want you to see that!  I don't even know how I manage to do it, but that's not the point.  The point is, don't fucking do that shit again.  If I want you to know what I'm thinking I'll let you know!"  he'd said, and very loudly too.  His voice echoed throughout the ship.  She cringed in shame.  He'd stopped his tirade upon seeing her pitiful expression, she'd heard a rough sigh from him and without warning, he'd slumped down on the bed next to her, snuggling close and closing his eyes without a word.  It was his small way of apologizing for his angered outburst, but Bulma knew he'd been serious.
    "I'm sorry, Vegeta.  I didn't do it on purpose." She whispered in his ear, he raised his head and stared at her curiously.
    "Are humans telepathic too?" he asked.
    "Well, supposedly everyone has the ability but just doesn't know how to do it.  At least, that's what it said in a few books I read on the subject.  But it all had to do with meditation and I can't do that."  She said.  Vegeta considered what she said with a small frown.  Plainly put, she could go into his mind and memories without trying.  Vegeta was not thrilled with the idea, but he was finally beginning to grasp the concept of trust and wasn't worried that Bulma would tell all her stupid Chikyuu friends what she'd seen in his memories.  He just didn't want her to see it, period.  He didn't even want to think about more than half of the things that had happened to him in his life, but if she saw those things..
    Bulma saw his indecision and leaned close to give him a soft kiss on the cheek.
    "I don't want to search you thoughts either Vegeta.  I'm sorry." She said again.  He pulled her down so that she was lying in his arms and his tail began to tickle the small of her back.
    "I know."….

    But now, she wanted to go into his mind.  She wanted to defy him, but she didn't want to hurt him by doing it, she just wanted to help him!  If there was any way she could send him images instead of seeing his memories, she could maybe stop the nightmares that was plaguing him.  But then again, she couldn't fully control what she sent him.
    A strained gasp escaped him and she debated whether she should just wake him up or not.  It would certainly be easier and it would probably not generate as much anger and mistrust.  The last thing she wanted to do was break his faith in her.  Not after it had taken months to get it.  And if they had not been together this whole time, she doubted it would have been so soon.  She couldn't do anything to endanger that now.
    "Vegeta." she murmured softly, placing light kisses upon his smooth cheek.  She felt his trembling cease and his pained murmurings were cut off.  With a soft groan he opened his eyes.  "Wake up." Bulma whispered, planting more kisses.  He shifted so their chests were pressed against each other's and her legs entwined with his.  His silky tail brushed up and down her leg.
    "What time is it?"
    "Seven in the morning." She replied.  He sat up and stretched for a moment as Bulma admired the view.  He stood, walking to the bathroom.  She heard the shower turn on.  Well, that was easy.  Bulma thought.  She got out of bed and headed to the refrigerator to make breakfast.
She frowned when she looked inside.  No milk, no juice, no eggs, the fridge was almost bare.  But there still was some of the pre-packaged food that Vegeta had taken from Frieza's base on Takezo.  She began to rifle through the pile and found an assortment of foods that she couldn't even begin to guess at.  It looks like Vegeta's gonna have to cook.  Bulma thought with a grimace as she eyed the foreign food.
    Vegeta emerged from the shower in another pair of cargo pants that Bulma had found for him.  Apparently ChiChi had tucked in some extra clothes for Goku when he wasn't aware of it.  The result was Vegeta in clothes much too big for him, making him look smaller than he already was.
    "Vegeta, what the hell is this stuff?" Bulma cried as he strolled towards her.
    "Food." He said.
    "I know," she rolled her eyes.  "But what the hell is it?" she held up a square can with illegible writing.
    "It's sort of like that ham stuff you had."  He said.  Bulma set it to the side.
    "This?" she asked holding up another.  Vegeta grinned.  She looked so cute sitting there in her panties and bra and nothing else sifting through the cans.
    "It's… ummm..  I don't know what you call it , but it's white and it makes me want to gag.  You remember, you had some of it awhile ago.  I tried to eat some and almost threw up." Vegeta said.  Bulma thought back to the second week they'd been together.
    "Yogurt?" she asked.
    "Yeah!" He exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.  Bulma paused to study him for a moment.  Kami was he gorgeous when he wasn't pissed off.  Bulma smiled, thinking of the incident he'd mentioned with the yogurt.
    She had been eating some while she stared at the screens that showed planets and stars flying past.  He'd come up behind her, sniffing the air and demanding to know what she ate.  She'd been surprised at the time, because they had said nothing to each other but to argue at that time.  She'd raised a spoonful in the air and didn't bother to make sure he got it without spilling any.  But less than a second later he had choked and she turned to see a shudder wrack his frame.
    "What?" she'd snapped.
    "That was sick!" he cried.
    "Why?  It's strawberry!"
    "I know but it's all squishy and… " he grimaced and stuck his tongue out.  Bulma giggled, but quieted when he'd glared at her angrily….

    She was grinning again and he saw the look.
    "What?" he demanded, eyeing her suspiciously.
    "I was just thinking of the first time you tried it." she said with a smile.  He frowned, and Bulma's grin widened.  He looked like a five-year-old, pouting.
    "It's nasty." He said softly.  Bulma rummaged through the pile and produced another can, holding it up for his inspection.
    "Vegetables."  Bulma huffed in frustration.
    "What the hell are we going to eat for breakfast?"
    "I don't know." Vegeta shrugged.  "But hurry up, I'm hungry!" he said and jumped.  She heard a soft whap and looked up.  He definitley looked like a monkey prince at that moment and she grinned again.  He clung to the iron grating like a bat, his fingers in between the slots and his feet pressed against it like he was the one standing on the floor and not her.  His tail looped around a pipe and he stared down at the pile.
    "There are yggeral eggs.  Those are like chicken eggs." Vegeta said.
    "Where?"
    "It's a round cylinder all orange with white writing."  He let go of the pipe with his tail and let his feet dangle and began to do pull-ups.
    "We need some fruit." She said as she examined the container that matched his description.  "I wonder if we have any butter."  She went to the fridge and began to get anything she could use to make them a decent breakfast.
Vegeta grinned as he began to work out.  He hoped she stayed in nothing but her underwear all day.

    Chikyuu was less than three days away, and still no sign of Cooler.  And instead of relieving their anxiety, it only increased it.  Bulma thought she was the only one obsessing over the fact that their escape had been too easy.  But after an intense sex session Vegeta suddenly pulled her close and just held her without saying a word for several minutes.  It was wonderful but at the same time, it kind of scared her.  He'd never done it before then- held her like that, like she'd be ripped from his arms any second-    and then he said something that really scared her.
    "I don't think I can stay with you." He said it so softly,  almost as if he didn't really want her to hear him.
    "What?" she cried, trying to pull back.  He shook his head and pulled her close, showing her throat and breasts with kisses.
    "He'll find me and kill you.  I don't want you to die." He said.
    "But.. I don't want to leave you." Bulma said, her eyes filling with tears.  Vegeta winced as he saw her eyes fill with shimmering liquid.  He reached up and brushed them away, smiling faintly when Bulma leaned into his caress.
    "There's no other choice." He said.
    "Vegeta.  You can't do this!  You can't go off alone so you can wait for him to find you and torture you again.  How could you think I would let you do that?"
    "I'm not used to having anyone give a shit about me.  What do you expect?" he said with a smirk.
    "That's not funny!" Bulma cried sitting up, tears beginning to spill freely.  He reached up and tweaked her nipple with a grin on his face.  "Stop it!  I'm serious, Vegeta!" she growled in frustration as she wiped her tears.  He didn't seem to care what she said, had he already made up his mind.  "Why are you doing this to me?" she cried brokenly.  Vegeta sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down next to him.
    "I don't know what else to do.  I don't want him to hurt you or destroy your planet.  But if I stay with you he will.  I know he'll find me eventually.  It's only a matter of time.  And if you are with me at that time, you'll die." He said softly, his voice soft and resigned.
    Bulma closed her eyes tight, burying her face in his chest to hide her tears, but it was pointless.  Even if he could somehow ignore the way she was trembling and not hear her muffled sobs, he could feel the agonizing emotions that bombarded her.
    Vegeta grimaced, he hated seeing her cry, and he felt even more wretched for being the cause of her tears.  If she only knew how badly he wanted to stay with her, maybe she would understand.
He knew he was being selfish in a way, but he seriously doubted that the negative effects of a bond would effect her.  He sighed.  After they parted he didn't know what to expect, but he had heard plenty of stories about broken bonds and what resulted from them.  If he was lucky he might me dead before Cooler found him.  Either by his own hand or from neglect, whatever.  If he had any hint that Bulma would be affected the same way, he wouldn't consider it.  But as far as he knew, he would be the only one to physically suffer.
    "But.. I want to stay with you." She said, grasping his shoulders and wrapping her legs around his waist.  He shrugged, giving her a half smile that faded quickly as her eyes filled with fresh tears and her chin began to quiver.
    "Stop this, you'll be better off without me and you know it." Vegeta said tiredly.
    "What?!" Bulma snapped, sitting up abruptly.  Her tears slid down her cheeks and landed on Vegeta's chest, which he eyed with annoyance, to escape her wounded glare.  "How could you say that?  I don't know what I'll do.." she trailed off with a sob and her hands rose to cover her face.
    Vegeta sighed and rubbed his temple.  He couldn't understand why she was reacting this way.  Even though they were bonded he never expected someone to react in such a way over the thought of never seeing him again.  And she didn't even know about the negative effects of the bond.  Was it because she was human?  He ran his hands lightly up and down her sides and grasped her hips, pulling her towards him.  She resisted at first which he found disturbing, and he froze immediately.  She sensed his hesitation and she raised her watery eyes.
    "There has to be another way!"  she pleaded.  He closed his eyes, unable to look at the pain in her gaze any longer and shook his head.
    "The dragon balls are gone and even if they weren't, I can't wish to be a super Saiyan and that's the only thing I'd want."
    "Why not?" she said with a sniffle, she wiped her tears with a rumpled tissue of the night stand.  Vegeta features suddenly contorted in irritation and she felt his anger hit her like the heat of an oven.
    "Because!" he snarled.  "I can't do that!"
    "Duh! Sorry!" Bulma said, feeling stupid.  "Uh.. how about immortality, you don't want that anymore?"
    "No!" he responded quickly.  She wasn't surprised to see the pained flash across his features.  From what she had noticed, most of his nightmare rambling revolved around Frieza and the abuse he'd suffered at the ice-jinn's hands.  If he wasn't strong enough to defend himself against such a foe, why would he want immortality which would only drag out his suffering?
    "How about instant healing?" she mused aloud.  Vegeta frowned, considering it.
    "It would be useful, but it may have drawbacks."
    "Like what?" Bulma murmured incredulously.
    "Saiyans power grows in largest spurts after a defeat. If I healed instantly, I don't know if I would get stronger unless it was a lethal hit."
    "But you'd have all the time in the world to train and get stronger.  And learn new techniques."
    "I guess." He said, not even bothering to feign interest.
    "Fine then!  I'm just trying to help." Bulma snapped.  Vegeta lay back with a sigh and tugged Bulma's elbow.  She grudgingly slid into his embrace and smiled softly as she snuggled closer.
    "I don't want to live forever." Vegeta sighed.

    Three days passed and Chikyuu was mere hours away.  Vegeta was determined to stay on the planet only long enough to fuel the ship.  Bulma had protested vehemently, but had no inclination in denying him sex as punishment as she most likely would in any other circumstance.  If anything, the closer they got to Chikyuu, the more they found themselves tangled in a naked, sweaty embrace.
    A small voice nagged at the back of Bulma's mind that they had been having sex unprotected for almost a month and she had no birth control either.  She wasn't late yet, but she would find out soon.  And if she was, she honestly would not regret it at all.  She smiled as she lay in Vegeta's arms.  He covered her chest and breasts with light kisses and she tried to hold still as his feather-soft touches were beginning to tickle her.  A giggle escaped her and he gazed into her eyes, the confused expression on his face further inflaming her.  She giggled harder and Vegeta smirked his hands trailing down to her waist.  He suddenly began to tickle her sides and she shrieked with laughter, doubling up and trying to roll out of his grasp.  He grinned and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her firmly against him and tickling fiercely with his free hand.
    "Stop, stop!" she cried, thrashing madly.
    "No!" Vegeta laughed, enjoying her struggles.
    "You'll be sorry!" Bulma gasped.  "Wait till you fall asleep, I'll tickle your tail!" she began to kick and he wound his legs through hers and held them in place, but relented on his assault none-the-less.  She panted, trying to regain her breath, her cheek against his chest.
"Vegeta, you really don't have to leave.  Me and my father can build you a gravity room.  You can train in up to one hundred times Chikyuu gravity, won't that make you a lot stronger?  It seemed to work for Goku.  He used it on the way to Namek."
    "Hell yes!" Vegeta exclaimed sitting up abruptly.  "Why didn't you tell me before?" He thought back to the strange, almost scary jump in Kakarotto's power level when he'd fist come to the planet Namek.  If he could achieve that at least, he would be that much closer to Super Saiyan.
    "Well, honestly this ship has one too, but if you turn it on, I'll be killed.  I have no protection against the extra g's.  I'll be crushed, my bones will snap and puncture my flesh-"
    "Alright! I get the picture.  I can't use this one." He huffed.  "But how do we know how long I'll have to train, what if it isn't enough?  What if Cooler's just following right behind us and his ship is undetectable for some reason?"  Bulma sighed.
    "I don't know.  I just want you to stay with me."  Bulma said softly, gazing into his bottomless eyes.
    "Planet fall in three hours." the computer voice intoned.  They both glanced up and Bulma suddenly leapt out of bed and ran over to one of the small port holes.  Vegeta grinned at the sight of her running naked through the ship.
    "Wow. " she sighed.  "This is the second time I've seen Chikyuu from space.  It looks so pretty." She said with a sigh.  Vegeta snorted.  "Oh god!" she suddenly cried.  Vegeta sat up straight.  "Oh no, Vegeta!" she cried.  He got out of bed and trotted over to her side and stared out the window.  He immediately spotted the thing that had caused her distress.
Normally the clouds of Chikyuu were white and dispersed over the entire planet.  He could just make out a thick cluster of black clouds.  No single explosion or fire on the planet could make a plume of smoke that big.  If it was a volcano, then it was a massive eruption.  But he knew what he was seeing.  He'd seen it far too often to mistake it.
    "I'm sorry Bulma." Vegeta said softly.  "We can probably make it somewhere else if you want."
    "No." she murmured softly tears beginning to spill freely.  "I have to go home..  I have to be there."  Vegeta felt her pain as if it were his own.  He frowned and pulled her close.  He couldn't leave her now.  Who would protect her?  His plan was shot.  He couldn't hope to draw Cooler away, and how the hell had they known that this was their destination?
    He stared down at the planet that was just beginning to burn impassively.  The emotions bombarding him weren't his own and were easy to ignore over the turmoil in his own mind.
    Cooler was razing Chikyuu.

 

 

Chapter 16

 

     After the wish Popo made to send all Namekians and Chikyuu's forces (except for Goku) to Earth, they realized their error.  Bulma wasn't a fighter and Vegeta wasn't a part of the Earth Forces.  Though to be truthful, no one was really concerned with Vegeta's fate.  But they had no idea as to Bulma's.  Gohan had been optimistic, saying that last he'd seen Bulma, she'd been on Goku's ship getting ready to leave, and trying to convince him to do the same.

    Both sets of Dragon balls had been used.

    Mr. And Mrs. Briefs allowed the Nameks to stay with them until they could find a new home with the help of the Dragon balls.  But they had agreed to let the Z fighters use them first to wish back their fallen comrades.  But Gohan and ChiChi were growing more concerned about Bulma.  As the weeks passed and they received no call from her whatsoever, Piccolo had an idea.  After listening to Gohan's worrying over Bulma's plight he decided to find both sets of dragon balls with the help of an extra Dragonball radar at CC.
    It took two weeks for him to find all fourteen.  And then he placed both sets in the Room of Spirit and Time with Mr. Popo's blessings.
    The next day both sets were charged.  Krillin and Tien were wished back with the Namek Dragon balls after Chao-Tzu's insistence. And they then summoned the Earth Dragon.  Gohan and the Briefs stopped their joyful dancing for a moment to make the final wish.
    "Please, Shenrong, our daughter, Bulma is on Namek and we need her here."  Dr. Briefs yelled up to the dragon.  The dragon glared down at them.  Gohan could feel Tien and Krillin's chi approaching.
    "That is not possible.  Planet Namek has been destroyed." Shenrong's hollow voice rang out through the clearing.
    "What?!" Gohan cried.  "But my father?!"
    "The Saiyan Goku still lives.  Bulma Briefs still lives.  What is your wish?"
    "Is she on her way here?" Dr. Brief's yelled.  The dragon rumbled angrily.
    "Yes, now state your wish, I grow impatient!"
    "What should we do?  Should we wish Bulma back or Yamcha?"
    "Bulma!" Mrs. Briefs cried.
    "All right." Gohan said with a nod.  He gnawed his lower lip in anxiety.  Planet Namek… gone! But if his father was still alive and well…
    "Ok, We wish you to bring Bulma here!"   The dragon rumbled deep in its throat and its eyes shone fiery red.
    "I cannot.  I can no longer find her chi" Bulma's mother began to cry, and even Dr. Brief's assumed the worst.
    "But I thought you said she was alive!"
    "That is correct.  But I can no longer sense her chi, and yet she has not passed into the land of the dead.  Make another wish!"
    "Oh!  What are we going to do?" Mrs. Briefs cried.
    "I guess we'll have to wish Yamcha back.  We can collect both sets and find Bulma and wish Chao Tzu back maybe in a few days if we all look for the dragon balls together after they scatter.  We'll have more help at least." Gohan sighed.  Mr. And Mrs. Briefs agreed, although reluctantly.
    "I wish that Yamcha would be brought back to life!" Gohan cried.
    "Your wish is granted, farewell." The dragon rumbled and with a brilliant flash of light, he disappeared and they watched each ball shoot in a different direction.
    Minutes later Tien and Krillin appeared.
    "Hey guys!" Gohan cried.  He explained what had happened and they began to make plans to search for the other balls.  Dr. Briefs retired to his lab and began to build extra dragon radars to make the search go quicker.  Kami help him if Bulma was in trouble or hurt.  He shook his head, feeling old suddenly.  He never should have let her go.  He didn't blame Krillin or Gohan, he blamed himself.  Kitty mewed in his ear and he rubbed the kitten's head affectionately.  With a sigh, he began to work.

    "What do you mean, she's not back?" Yamcha cried pacing in the Brief's living room.  Everyone had decided to stay for the next few days until they had gathered all the dragon balls and wished everything right again.  After they wished Chao Tzu and Bulma back they still had to find Goku and a home for the remaining Namekians.
    "The dragon said he couldn't find her chi.  But he said she was still alive.  I don't know." Gohan mumbled.  He still thought back to the look of shock he'd last seen on Bulma's face before he had been transported to Earth.  It haunted him at the moment.  "I'm sorry." Yamcha's face immediately softened when he saw Gohan's distress.
    "It's not your fault kid, don't blame yourself." Yamcha said with a smile.  "I just hope she's ok."
    "Me too."

    Another week passed as they searched for the dragon balls.  They set the Namek balls in the room of spirit and time and the next day they came out glowing orange with each star visible.  Chao Tzu was brought back to life first.  Then they tried to find Bulma.  The Dragon gave them some disturbing news.
    "She is on a planet known to its native's as Takezo.  She is injured.  The Saiyan Vegeta has her in a healing chamber."  The Namek dragon rumbled.
    "WHAT?!" Yamcha, Krillin, and Gohan all cried in unison.
    "Did he hurt her?" Yamcha bellowed.
    "No.  He placed her in the healing chamber after she was attacked by a member of the Ice-Jinn army."
    "Ice-jinn?  Does he mean Frieza's army?" Krillin wondered aloud.
    "That is correct, human." The dragon answered.
    "But Vegeta is in Frieza's army!  Are you sure it wasn't him?" Tien asked.
    "I am sure!" The dragon snarled.  Tien backed away with a little bow of forgiveness.  "He has not harmed her."  At that disquieting statement they each eyed each other uncertainly.
    "I find that surprising." Tien grumbled quietly.
    "No kidding!" Krillin said.
    "Guys, Bulma's a girl, why would he hurt a defenseless girl?"  Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin glanced at each other with uneasy frowns.  They knew exactly why, but Gohan didn't.  And it was a subject neither of them wanted to touch.  So they went for the obvious tactic.
    "Gohan, we fought him before.  He's evil.  You know that." Tien said.
    "But you didn't see it when he died!  You didn't see him!  How could you be the same after that?"
    "I agree with you there, Gohan.  But who can say if he changed for the better?" Krillin replied.
    "Why did he get wished back anyway?" Yamcha grated.  The thought of poor Bulma alone with him.  Probably scared half to death, he'd -
    "Excuse me." The dragon rumbled.  "Your final wish-?"
    "Oops!" Yamcha, Tien, and Gohan squeaked.
    "Should we wish ourselves to where Bulma is?" Yamcha said.
    "Only one of us can go probably." Krillin said.
    "And Vegeta will kick the shit out of us!" Tien snapped. They frowned unsure of what to do.
    "I'll go." Gohan piped.
    "No!" The three adults shouted.  Piccolo suddenly dropped down in front of them.
    "They're right Gohan.  You've done enough for now.  The solution is unclear to me.  Kami has no answers.  I say leave her be.  I think she'll be fine."
    "What?! Are you nuts?" Yamcha shouted.  Piccolo grimaced as the sound assaulted his sensitive ears.  Yamcha blanched and stepped back as he received a death-glare from the powerful Chikyuu-raised Namekian.
    "He's obviously not going to hurt her if he's going to take the time to heal her.  Isn't that right?" He said the last part to the looming, increasingly annoyed Eternal Dragon.
    "That is correct, insofar as I can tell."
    "What does that mean?" Krillin piped.
    "It means that the Saiyan named Vegeta is changing too rapidly for absolute certainty and as I see things now, he will not hurt her."
    "Changing?" Tien murmured.  "But for better or for worse?"
    "That I cannot say.  It is too soon to tell.  But one thing is clear.  The human known as Bulma is also part of his change."  Silence fell as each stared at the dragon.  How was Bulma changing him? And knowing her temper..
    "Uh oh." Gohan said quietly.

    Another month passed without incident.  And then Gohan had felt a huge chi that distinctly reminded him of Frieza.  With terror-numbed fingers he dialed Krillin's number.
    "Moshi, Moshi." Krillin answered.
    "Krillin!" Gohan gasped.  "Frieza is coming!"

    After that utterance time seemed to slow for them all.  They had gathered together and watched the huge ship land.  But instead of Frieza coming out to greet them it was another who could only be of the same species.
    "I am Cooler.  I have come to this planet seeking the Saiyan no Ouji, Vegeta." he had addressed the humbled group before them.
    "He's not here!" Piccolo said.
    "But he will be.  He's headed right this way with a member of your species."  He said his face and voice devoid of emotion.  "I will cause no damage to this planet or its people if you hand him over to me when the time comes.  Is that understood?"  Cooler purred.
    "That doesn't sound like a problem to me.  What do you guys think?" Yamcha said.  Tien nodded in agreement.
    "Yeah, we don't want him here anyway, he'll just kill us again." Tien said.
    "No!" Gohan cried.  "We can't do that!"
    "Why not?  He would do the same to us and you know it." Tien replied.
    "Gohan, I know how you feel, but maybe it is the best idea.  I mean, he is a killer, we all know that.  He destroyed so many lives and planets.  I don't know how much a person like that can change." Krillin began.
    "So what?  Can't we at least give him a chance?" Gohan whispered fiercely.
    "But you heard him Gohan, he'll kill us.  Vegeta definitely isn't worth it!  And we can't stop him.  Not without Goku."
    "There's going to be a fight anyway!" Gohan insisted.  "Do you think Vegeta's going to just let himself be taken?"
    "Well we don't have to help him!" Tien objected.
    "But why not?" Gohan cried.  He shifted his glance to Cooler who merely smirked and continued to wait patiently.  Although the ice-jinn was at a loss as to why they were even debating the issue.
    "I can't believe you guys." Gohan began in a hiss.
    "And I can't believe you Gohan!" Yamcha interjected.  "You know what kind of a person he is.  He doesn't give a shit about anyone.  At least Piccolo likes you."  Piccolo coughed his green skin taking on a purplish tinge as he blushed.
    "But that's what you're forgetting.  He hasn't hurt Bulma has he?" Gohan snapped.
    "Maybe it's just because she's the pilot." Tien said.
    "Guys whatever that case is we have to decide.  Gohan I'm sorry, but I think we have to look out for ourselves this time.  We can't beat him.  You can feel how strong he is right?" Krillin said.
    "He's right." Piccolo finally spoke up.  "Gohan without your father here there's really nothing we can do.  And I still haven't decided if we should do anything except take Cooler's offer."  Gohan gritted his teeth but said nothing, nodding in defeat.
    "Fine.  Have it your way." He snapped and turned on his heel to stalk away a short distance and then power up for flight.
    "Gohan, wait!" Yamcha shouted, regretting the young half-breed's anger.  He had to understand, they were right!  As much as he hated Vegeta for what he'd done to them, he did think he deserved a second chance like Piccolo.  They all did.  But they couldn't risk losing their planet over him.
    "Let him go." Piccolo cautioned.  Gohan's anger was a mystery to most of the assembled fighters.  But Piccolo understood his feelings.  Vegeta was that last pure Saiyan other than Goku.  And out of the two of them only Vegeta had any recollection of growing up on the Saiyan home world.  Piccolo could barely put into words the strange relief he had felt when he'd first learned of his celestial origins.  And now Gohan was having that taken away from him.
    "Well, we're decided then."  Krillin said with a sigh, rubbing his bald head.
    "What about Bulma?" Yamcha asked.  "How are we going to get her away from Vegeta in one piece?"  The assembled fighters frowned and puzzled it over.
    "Well, I would hope that Cooler would wait until their ship landed to attack Vegeta.  If not..  We're going to have to keep our senses on alert for any sign of Vegeta's ki." Tien suggested.
    "Then what?" Yamcha prompted.
    "I don't know!" Tien snapped, throwing his hand up in frustration.  "She's your girlfriend!  You think of a plan!"
    "All right." Yamcha said, glaring at Tien.  "This may sound crude, but I say we just wait till they land and grab her as soon as she gets out of the capsule.  I would hate to have to try the same in mid-air, but I will if I have to. And that seems like the only option to me.  We have to get her before any fighting starts."
    "I agree." Piccolo said.  "She'll be killed if we don't get her as quickly as possible."
    "Guys, uh.. I know this sounds really unlikely but what if Vegeta gets pissed and tries to attack us?" Krillin asked with a nervous laugh.  They each exchanged looks.  It seemed unlikely but stranger things had happened.
    "We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed that he'll be too busy with Cooler to stop us." Piccolo murmured.  They all nodded in agreement and decided to each keep their sense trained for Vegeta's ki, and then made the wish that would send the Namekians to a new home.  That finaaly accomplished each set off for their respective dwellings.

    Three days passed in tense anticipation.  Gohan still refused to talk to anyone but Piccolo, his anger seemed perfectly justified (to him at least).  Then it happened.  Half of West city erupted in flame and smoke.  They felt the shock from the apparent explosion.  Dismay swallowed their features.  Cooler had promised.. but then again, if he was anything like Frieza his promise meant nothing.
    They raced to the scene, meeting Yamcha, Tien, Krillin, and Chao-Tzu on the way.
    "What happened?" Chao Tzu squeaked.
    "We don't know yet." Krillin replied as they sped toward the scene.  Once they entered city limits they could smell the acrid smoke and hear the screams of the dying.

    Several buildings were ablaze and some had already collapsed.  People filled the streets as they tried to escape.  People trapped in upper stories stood at the windows preparing to jump.
Without a word between them the Z fighters split up and began to search the buildings that still stood for survivors.
    Piccolo flew to an upper story where several frightened office workers prepared to throw themselves to oblivion rather than succumb to the flames.  They saw him coming, but instead of cowering in terror as they would have in any other situation, they screamed for his help, their arms outstretched to meet him.
    He grabbed three women and dropped down as quickly as he could, placing them on the crumbling ground.
    "Run!" he ordered and shot back up.  He did that several more times until he had gotten everyone off that floor.

    The others faced similar situations, and helped as many people as they could, but one after another the buildings began to collapse  and they knew there were still people trapped inside.
Piccolo began to cough as the floor he was searching began to fill with smoke.  Suddenly he noticed Gohan beside him, lifting a large slab of cement.
    "There's someone under here!" he cried.  Piccolo hadn't noticed.  He'd felt no chi…  Then he saw a small hand, cracked with blood and dirt underneath the rubble.
    "Gohan." He said softly, grabbing the half-Saiyan's shoulder.  "It's too late."  Gohan froze, the thick slab inches from the ground.
    "No it isn't!"  He flung the slab back and looked down and then quickly turned away, almost retching.  The girl was indeed no longer living.  In his rush to save people he hadn't even noticed the absence of ki.  But there was no mistaking it now, half her head was crushed.
    Piccolo grasped Gohan's shoulder to steady him as he staggered away.
    "Let's go.  No one else is here.  And there are still other's who need help."

    Krillin and Tien were the first to spot Cooler after all those still living was saved.  He had been waiting for them with an almost guilty smile on his face.
    "I must apologize.  One of my men got carried away." He said pointing.  They followed his finger down to the ground where that saw what appeared to be a dead soldier.  His battle armor was almost identical to Vegeta's.  "But as you can see, he has already been dealt with.  There will be no more disturbances."
    Krillin and Tien shrugged, unsure of what to say or do.  "By the way," Cooler added as they turned to leave.  "You do remember our bargain?"
    "Of course." Tien shot back.  "Don't worry about that.  We have no love for that Saiyan."
    "Good.  I'm glad to hear it." Cooler replied with an easy grin.  Krillin and Tien shuddered and took off as fast as they could.
    "I feel like I sold my soul to the devil." Krillin murmured.  For once, Tien had no refuting argument.

    They all sat at Bulma's house later that evening trying to eat what Mrs. Briefs had prepared.  But the carnage from earlier had left them with little appetite.  Especially Gohan.
    Krillin was slowly draining his milk shake when he suddenly gasped and began to choke.
    "Are you ok buddy?" Yamcha asked, pounding on Krillin's back.  Krillin jerked away from the blows that were only making him cough harder and gasped out:
    "Vegeta's here!"

    "It looks like they must have just started." Bulma said in a hollow voice as the cruised over West capital.  If she had aimed them correctly, they would land in the clearing behind CC.
    "No it doesn't" Vegeta said, his expression puzzled.  "This looks like an accident.  If they had already begun there would be nothing here."
    "Really?" Bulma gasped, her eyes shining with hope.
    "Really." Vegeta said with a puzzled frown.  "I don't know what's going on."
    "Impact in 3, 2, 1" The computer intoned and they came to an abrupt, jarring halt.
    "Shit." Bulma grumbled as she rubbed her aching neck.  "I got to find a way to slow this things descent."
    Suddenly there was a pained, inhuman squeal and the door suddenly bent.  Vegeta tore the seat belt off and stood in front of the door, powering up.
    "What is it?" Bulma cried.  Vegeta said nothing as the door was wrenched off it hinges.  A ki sphere formed in his hands and he fired out the door and ran out after it.
    Seconds later Yamcha was at the door.
    "Yamcha!" Bulma cried, unable to stop her happy grin.  "What the hell is going on?"  he said nothing merely grabbed her wrist and pulled her close.
    "Oh baby I missed you." He purred and leaned in for a kiss.  Bulma turned her head and his lips pressed against her cheek.  When he drew back in surprise she pulled out of his grip.
    "Yamcha there's something I have to tell you." Bulma began.
    "Not now!" he said and dragged her out of the ship.  The sunlight hit her and for a moment she was blinded.  Yamcha continued to pull her towards the house and she struggled to get free of his grip.  What the hell was he doing?  Where had Vegeta gone?  Suddenly she heard a cry and Yamcha released her.  She blinked, painfully adjusting to the harsh sun.
    "What did he do to you?" Vegeta was suddenly bellowing in her face.
    "Nothing!  He wanted me to go inside!" Bulma cried.  "Did you kill him?"  He heard the panic in her voice and frowned.  Why did she care so much about that idiot?  He was weak and pathetic.  He remembered him from his first trip to Chikyuu.  The scarred fighter had been killed by a Cultivar *.  How pathetic could you get?
    "No, just do what he says and get inside."  For once Bulma didn't argue and made a mad dash for CC where her parents waited at the door.

    Yamcha cupped his broken nose with a howl of dismay.  He sat in the medical wing of CC while Bulma's mother and a nurse looked at his gushing nose.
    "Thab bastarb Begeta did it.  I was jus tryin' to get Buma inside." He said. The door was suddenly flung open and Bulma rushed in.
    "Are you all right?" Bulma asked as she came forward, although she wasn't half as upset as he'd thought she would be.
    "Thab bastard Begeta broke my nose!" He cried.
    "Well he probably wouldn't have touched you if you hadn't been dragging me inside like that.  And what's the deal anyway, we thought Cooler was here."
    "You know him?" Yamcha suddenly cried, his eyes snapping open.
    "He is here isn't he?" Bulma cried.  Yamcha nodded, unsure of the significance.
    "He came to get Vegeta, he promised not to blow Chikyuu up if we handed Vegeta over when he got here."  He sat up in astonishment as the blood drained from her visage.
    "Bulma are you all right?  Maybe you should sit down honey." Bulma's mother fussed.
    "No!" she cried snapping out of her daze.  "How could you?" Bulma's livid gaze was suddenly directed at him.
    "What?  Who cares?" Yamcha asked, confused.
    "I DO!" she screamed and turned and dashed out the door.

    Vegeta grimaced in anger.  Bulma's stupid human allies had handed him over to Cooler.  Not that he expected anything different, but at the same time, there went his opportunity to escape unnoticed.  The humans and the Namek stood on the ground far below watching.  Vegeta could feel Cooler coming.  They hadn't been on the ground five minutes and already every plan he'd made had gone right out the window.
    What am I going to do? Vegeta wondered.  He knew he had no choice but to fight.  And he knew Cooler would be doubly cruel in his attack after what had happened on his ship.
    Suddenly he felt a ki approach.  The power level was almost the same level as his, but not quite.  The glowing aura drew nearer and then vanished from around the form of Son Gohan.
    "What the hell do you want?" Vegeta snapped.  Gohan smiled lightly.
    "I want to help you kick Cooler's ass." Vegeta smirked lightly.
    "And why is that?" he asked, titling his head in confusion.
    "Because, you’re not the same as you were before.  You would have left Bulma on Namek to die if you were."  Vegeta's eyes narrowed in anger.  How the hell could he know that?  They'd just gotten there!  "And besides, no one else will, and I think that's bullshit.  Pardon my French." He added.
    "I don't get you kid.  You were there when Nappa and I first came here."
    "I know that.  But things are different now." He said softly.  Vegeta had returned his attention to the approaching power.  Gohan fixed his eyes on the glowing nimbus that drew closer at an incredible speed.
     Cooler was there.

    "Well, well Vegeta.  I'm surprised that after all the years you spent in my brother's army you really thought you could escape me.  How tragic for you."  Cooler said with a grin.
    "Go to hell, Cooler.  I'd rather let you beat me to death than go back with you."  Vegeta snarled.  Gohan submerged a shudder at the thought.  The last thing he wanted was to have to watch Vegeta get beaten to death again.
    "And who is this enchanting little one?" Cooler asked, gazing at Gohan.  Gohan shivered as Cooler's hungry gaze swept over his body.  Suddenly his view was blocked as Vegeta stepped in front of him.
    "I'm not sure you would enjoy him Cooler.  He's only half Saiyan." Vegeta said, his tone cold and mocking.  Gohan shivered.  Everything was becoming painfully clear to him.  He was beginning to understand why Vegeta had been an uncontrollable killer before.  The thought of someone like Cooler holding his  life in the palm of their hand.  He shuddered, not able to think of the horrors he surely must have endured.
    He felt his power level rising.
    "And is this boy a result of you and that female's acquaintance?" Cooler said with a thin smile.
    "No.  He's not mine.  You were there when Frieza found out that I got a girl pregnant, I remember now.  He killed her on the spot.  As soon as his scouter picked up the Saiyan ki coming from inside her."  Cooler tilted his head to the side as he thought back.  Slowly a pleased smile graced his lips.
    "Ah yes, I remember.  You didn't seem too happy about it either."  Vegeta said nothing.  "So I take it that your going to fight instead of coming willingly?"
    "Would you want me if I didn't?" Vegeta sneered.  Cooler laughed outright at that.
    "Of course not!  You know me too well, or maybe you just know the family."  He snickered.  "Well little boy, I think it's time for you to run along.  You could get hurt." Cooler added to Gohan with mock concern.
    "Piss off. I'm not going anywhere." Gohan shot back.  Their conversation had firmly convinced him that Vegeta was not going to be taken back with Cooler like some runaway dog.  At least, not if he could do something about it.
    Gohan's aura ignited around him but he stayed his place when he felt Vegeta's fingers biting into his shoulder.
    "I don't need your help." He said.  "Leave now before you get killed."  Without another word, he and Cooler took off towards the desert.
    "I don't care what you say.  You will need my help." He snapped, following.

    Piccolo, Krillin, Tien and Yamcha all watched in disbelief as Gohan followed Cooler and Vegeta.
    "What is he doing?" Krillin gasped.
    "What do you think?  You should have known he would do it." Yamcha mumbled.
Suddenly the front door of CC flew open and smacked the opposite wall as Bulma stormed out.
    "Where are they?" she cried.  Yamcha growled angrily and grabbed Bulma's arm as she headed past.  He pulled her back with a jerk.
    "Ow! Yamcha!" Bulma cried.
    "I want to know what's going on right now! What's going on between you and that- that murderer?!" he snapped.  Everyone looked up and watched the conflict with interest.  They were in the dark, as usual, but were all surprised at the vehemence in Yamcha's voice.
    "I'll tell you what's going on Yamcha." Bulma said softly, her features unusually subdued.  "I've got three senzu beans here that I've been keeping for an emergency.  I'm going to follow incase he needs them."
    "Vegeta?" Yamcha gaped.
    "Yes." She said, her eyes boring into his.  "I'm sorry.  I know how you feel right now, but it's too late."
    "Yamcha are you coming?" Tien shouted as the other's prepared to follow Gohan and Vegeta.
    "Not right now!" Yamcha bellowed.
    "No, we are going.  I have to, I'm the only one with any senzu beans."
    "This conversation isn't over!" he snapped.  Bulma turned and faced him, catching his wrists with her hands.
    "I know Yamcha.  Believe me, I know." She said softly, and without another word or glance at him she tossed a capsule to the ground and hopped in the jet as soon as it emerged.

    Yamcha powered up and took to the air at a frenzied pace.  He couldn't even identify all the emotions going through him at the moment.  But the most concentrated emotions were confusion and suspicion.
    What had happened all that time between the two of them in space?  None of the scenarios he imagined brought him comfort.   And even though he continued to imagine the worst he tried not to.  He loved Bulma.  How could she risk her life going to Namek to get him wished back only to..
No she didn't.  She couldn't have.  Maybe she felt sorry for him for some strange reason.  Maybe it was some bizarre infatuation.  He could handle that.  It wasn't as if his eyes never wandered.  But if she had gone that extra step.. No, she couldn't have.  He tried to reassure himself.

    "If you think I'm going back to be your little fuck toy, then you must be stupid."
    "I assumed you would resist after our little scuffle on the ship.  But you must realize that I'm going to have to pay you back for that, you may not survive."
    "Good." Vegeta shot back, a little too quickly.
    "Of course I'll have my fun first, as usual.  You probably have figured out where Frieza learned everything by now."  Vegeta closed his eyes, unable to repress a shudder of disgust and Cooler took the opportunity to attack.  He barreled forward, head first.  Vegeta's aura flared and he raised his arms to block.  He shot backwards less than a second before Cooler hit him and went with the momentum.  He gripped the fleshy lobes that were Cooler's ears and brought his knee up as hard as he could.  Cooler barely dodged the knee that would have sent his teeth flying.  He landed on his hands and feet, shooting up in the air to avoid Vegeta's foot that had been sailing towards his head.
    Vegeta cursed in fury and sent forth a barrage of chi blasts.  Cooler dodged each with amazing ease and Vegeta was forcibly reminded of his final fight with Frieza.  He shook his head, not wanting to get distracted but it was too late.  Cooler's knee suddenly buried in his gut and he grunted in pain as the air rushed from his lungs.  Then the long, reptilian tail wrapped around his ankle and with incredible force he was hurled into the air.  He stopped and pivoted as Cooler fazed in behind him and released a huge blast of ki.
    It enveloped Cooler with it's deadly radiance and those who watched from the ground crossed their fingers, praying it was over but knowing that it wasn't by any stretch of the imagination.
The smoke cleared and Cooler stood there with a hard, mocking grin.  Vegeta suddenly screamed in fury.
    "I will not let this happen again!" he shrieked, and his aura blazed a pale blue.  The ground began to shake, small stones began to levitate and swirl as a hot wind began to whip the dust and particles into a violent frenzy.

    Bulma watched from behind a huge boulder in terror and awe.  She'd seen Vegeta fight before, but Kami, the was absolute madness.  She couldn't even imagine wielding that kind of power.  And Cooler still stood his ground with the annoying smirk plastered on his face.

    "I hope Cooler deflects that away from Earth." Krillin said with a shudder.  If Vegeta was already powering up for his final attack, the Gallic Gun, then they were going to again be forced to witness his death.
    "Get ready incase he doesn't." Piccolo murmured.

    The swirling energy fused into a glowing orb between his splayed fingers.  Without warning her fired and Cooler waited patiently for it to arrive.  Vegeta knew he would deflect it at the last moment like Frieza had before.  But The tail of the chi-bomb was still in his grasp and at the last possible second he pulled back as hard as he could, mildly surprised when it shot into the air like he'd hoped it would.  Cooler hovered before it, confusion on his face. He pushed forward and it slammed into Cooler's exposed back.
    But again. When the smoke cleared Cooler remained unhurt, but his expression was no longer benevolent.
    "Damn you, you treacherous little monkey."
    "Rot in hell you fucking pervert!" Vegeta roared.  He let loose a volley of ki-blasts, but Cooler merely deflected them with ease and blurred out of sight.  Vegeta shot away from his previous position with blinding speed, but the clammy tail caught him again.  This time it twined around his wrist before he could get out of range and began to tighten painfully.  Vegeta gasped as he felt his bones grind together and against, his better judgment he dove on the loathed appendage and sank his teeth in.
    An enraged curse preceded a painful blow to the top of the Saiyans head that almost forced him into unconsciousness.  But the tail released him and he rolled away as in crashed down in the space he'd just occupied.  For a few brief moments they traded lightning fast blows before Vegeta was struck across the face by the bleeding tail.
    Then he felt Cooler's hands on his tail.  He felt the pain shoot up his spine, but refused to fall victim to the inherited weakness.  With a strangled curse, he dragged himself forward until the tail tore off at its root.  He tumbled forward with a moan and staggered to his feet as Cooler stared at the writhing tail in his hands with disgusted amazement.
    Vegeta gasped as pain shot up his spine in electrifying jolts.  His poor tail.. he thought as Cooler threw it to the ground, wiping his hands in revulsion.  Vegeta formed two ki spheres in his hands and shot them at the preoccupied Ice-jinn.  But again, Cooler spun out of the way.
    "You monkeys are full of surprises." Cooler said with a curled lip.  "But now you can't go Oozaru."  Vegeta ignored the last comment.  It wouldn't have helped anyway.  There was only one way to win, and it was becoming clear that it was nowhere in his reach.
    No!  I can't give in again!  I'll kill myself first! He thought.  Cooler saw the indecision in the Saiyan's face and attacked.  He grabbed Vegeta's elbow with one hand and his ankle with his tail.  He ignored Vegeta as he brought his fists down on his head and began to plow his fist into his midriff, smiling as the air was forced from the Saiyan Prince's lungs.  Between each blow he gave him a second to suck in a lungful of air only to drive it out again with his fist.

    "Guys.  We have to do something.  We have to distract him so Bulma can give Vegeta a senzu." Gohan gasped.
    "Yeah, prolong his torture." Yamcha said with a cruel smile.
    "Yamcha!" Gohan cried in shock.  Yamcha frowned at him.
    "Gohan, I know what you think but I could care less if he dies again.  In fact it would be better if he did." He said, ignoring Gohan's stunned expression.  He didn't care.  It was becoming clear to him that something had happened between the Saiyan and Bulma.  He'd been watching her more than the fight and her pained cries seemed to coincide with the damn Saiyan's.  It was too painfully obvious that Vegeta now occupied a spot in Bulma's heart that he had once taken for granted.
    "Well I care!" Gohan yelled and took off.
    "Gohan!" Piccolo yelled and shot off after him when his cry was ignored.

    Bulma felt sick. She couldn't bear to watch the fight, it seemed more like she was witnessing a murder.  Vegeta was simply outmatched.  She had to get him a senzu before the life was beaten out of him.  But how?  If Cooler killed her, then he would never get one, so what was she going to do?  She found her answer as Gohan took off towards the battle.

    Yamcha finally tore his eyes from Vegeta's pummeling when Bulma darted out of her jet with the bag of senzu in hand.  He was in front of her in less than a second, blocking her way.
    "Yamcha get out of my way!" Bulma nearly shrieked.
    "No." he said, his voice calm and flat.  "Whatever hold he has on you ends now.  Your staying here, I won't let you help him."

 

 

Chapter 17 - Blood-rain and Fire

 

     "Yamcha let me go!" Bulma screamed.
    "No!" Yamcha yelled back, flecks of spit hitting Bulma in the face.  "You tell me why he's so damn important to you!"
    "Because I love him!" she shrieked, her face crimson with fury.  Yamcha's jaw sagged and his hands relaxed.  She jerked from his grasp.  "I'm sorry you had to find out like this!  I'm sorry!  But so help me Yamcha, if you try to interfere in anyway I'll make you pay no matter what it takes!" They glared at each other breathing hard, ignoring the other's who made no effort to hide the fact that they were listening to everything.
    "What they hell is wrong with you?  He's a murderer Bulma!  What would make you want someone like that?" Yamcha snarled, disgust evident in his features.
    "He's different now, he died on Namek, did you even know that?  He's not like he was!  He saved my ass more times than I care to think of, you make it sound like he forced this on me!"
    "It sounds probable!" he snapped in return, his face flushed.
    "Bull shit!  It took almost a month just to get him to trust me enough to talk to me, I was the one who started everything.  He was the one who tried to stay away!" She demanded.
    "But why Bulma?" Yamcha cried, his anger abating enough for his true pain to show.  "I thought you loved me!"  Bulma's face softened.
    "I did.  And I know this is unfair and cruel of me, but it wasn't like I planned it this way.  I never meant to hurt anyone.  And I know you'll be okay Yamcha, admit it.." she said smiling faintly.  "This was going to happen eventually.  It was happening before you died, we were just growing apart."
    "But why him?" he cried, giving one last futile effort.
    "Yamcha." Bulma growled, her face darkening.  "I know Vegeta came here before with bad intentions, but everyone gave Piccolo a second chance with no reservations.  Why can't you do the same for him?  He's not the same person who came hunting the dragon balls.  Trust me." She suddenly seized his hands, and his dark, troubled eyes met her brilliant blues.   They locked eyes for what seemed like forever as he searched for any hint of deception.  Needless to say, he found none.
    "I believe you." He said at last with a sigh.  "But I don't like it.  Or him.  But I won't say a thing anymore." He pulled out of her grasp and turned away.  With a trembling hand she brushed away the tears that were forming and turned to glare at Krillin, Tien, Chao-Tzu and Piccolo, who had not-so-subtly watched the whole scene.
    Each paled in fear at her temper or colored in embarrassment at being caught.  With a huff she turned on her heel and headed closer to the battlefield.
    She held back a scream as Cooler broke through Vegeta's defenses with several lightning fast blows that sent him hurtling towards earth.
 

    He was getting tired, and gods did he hurt.  Several of his ribs were cracked or broken and each breath he drew was a ragged, pain-filled gasp.  Cooler floated before him as if speculating on his next attack.  The corners of his mouth drew back in a mocking smile and Vegeta growled angrily feeling his power level spasmodically shoot up.  He delivered a sharp kick towards Cooler's head.  He was amazed when his foot actually connected with the slim, gray neck.  But when Cooler grabbed his leg, he knew the Ice-jinn had merely allowed the contact.  He felt himself spin and then he was hurtling through the air.  He halted himself just in time for Cooler's locked hands to come crashing down on his spine.
    He absorbed the blow with a grunt as he shot towards the hard ground. But before he could hit the dry earth, Cooler was there and drove his knee into Vegeta's abdomen, grinning as the air rushed from the Saiyan's lungs.  Vegeta landed on his back with a stifled gasp.  He tried to draw in much needed air as quickly as he could, but the pain from his damaged ribs made it difficult.  Suddenly he heard a cry and the sound of a very close chi blast.  Then he heard footsteps coming right up to him.  His eyes shot open and Bulma dropped down next to him and shoved something tart and bitter tasting into his mouth.
    "Eat it Vegeta!  Quick!" she gasped.  He chewed it up with a grimace and as it slid down his throat he gasped as his ribs knit themselves back together and the burning pain that had filled him suddenly vanished.  His strength coursed through him, renewed and increased.  He sat up with a gasp.
    "What are those things?  Kakarotto had them-" he was cut off by Bulma's lips covering his with quick, fevered kisses.
    "Don't die! I only  have two left!" She cried and ran off- blowing him a kiss on her way- before he could tell her to hide anyway.  He felt his face flush with embarrassment as he caught the gaze of the bald earth fighter with the dots on his head.  The human was visibly stunned and he nudged his companions and whispered.  Vegeta scowled.  They reminded him of those sycophants Zarbon and Dodoria and the whole damn Ginyu Force with their gossip mongering; and he turned his back on them all with a dismissive wave of his hand and shot into the air.

    It was Gohan who had Cooler's attention at the moment.  Vegeta snarled in anger.  The boy may be strong, but he was totally outclassed!  But that thought was roughly tossed aside as it appeared that Gohan was gaining the upper hand.  Several of his attacks were actually hitting Cooler and forcing the Ice-Jinn into a surprised defense.  Vegeta was not going to miss the opportunity to hit him while he was distracted.  He powered up, preparing to shower Cooler with a hail of ki-bombs.  But first..
    Hey kid, you better back up. He warned.  But it was almost unnecessary, Gohan had felt his chi shoot up, though he had been uncertain of what he planned to do.  Gohan shot back and powered up and dozens of bright blue chi-spheres began to rain on Cooler.  The Ice-jinn smacked several away but still a few hit.  Gohan began to shoot a barrage of ki spheres as well until the area where Cooler had been standing was engulfed in ki fire, the thunderous explosions making the ground tremble.
    "What did I tell you, brat?!" Vegeta growled, appearing before him.  Gohan shrank back at the fury painted across the older Saiyan's face.
    "Wh- what?  I was just trying to help!" Gohan stammered in confusion.  Why was he so mad?
    "Get out of here before you fuck up and he gets his hands on you." Vegeta snarled.  Gohan shook his head in dismay and then Cooler's taunting words to Vegeta came back to him: "Of course I'll have my fun first, as usual.  You probably have figured out where Frieza learned everything by now."  Vegeta closed his eyes, unable to repress a shudder…
    He couldn't imagine what the androgynous alien did for amusement.  But judging by the expression of horror that had swallowed Vegeta's features at the prospect, he didn't want to find out.
    "You can't stop me from helping you if I think you need it." Gohan shot back in defiance.  Vegeta frowned.  He didn't need the death of another Saiyan on his head, even if he was only a half-breed.  But how could he make the boy understand that he had no chance?  He drew back his fist, preparing to knock the boy out with a quick blow to the skull when searing pain lanced through his side.
    A pained cry escaped his lips with flecks of blood and he clutched his side with a gasp.  He raised his trembling hands and saw his fingers coated with his own dark blood.
    "No.." he gasped, the word stuck in his throat and he gagged, a gout of blood leaking from between his quivering lips.
    "Look out!" Gohan screamed.  Vegeta felt the clammy tail wrap around his throat and tighten.  The world tilted at a strange angle and he felt the pressure and rush of wind and he was again flung through the air.  He crashed into a cliff-face and for a moment as rocks and dust rained down on him, he began to lose his focus.  He pulled himself from the wall and swayed unsteadily, the landscape was heaving and tilting alarmingly.  Pain flared in his side as Cooler landed gently before him.  He tore his gaze from the slowly approaching Ice-jinn down to his waist and saw his orange pants were turning almost black with the blood that was steadily pouring from a small hole.
    The strength drained from his limbs and he could no longer support himself, and sank to his knees.
    "Your dying Vegeta." Cooler said in a soft voice.  "Apparently that ki strike hit a main artery.  If it hadn't you wouldn't still be bleeding.  Come with me now and I'll put you in the regeneration tank before its too late." He coaxed.  Vegeta crawled backwards and grabbed onto the jagged cliff face to keep upright.
    "Nia.." Vegeta whispered, his visage too pale for Cooler's liking.  The Ice-jinn had meant to subdue him and bring him back relatively undamaged.  He had hoped to avoid this.  Cooler's eyes dropped to the small hole in the Saiyans side.  Blood spurted from it like a clogged faucet and it was steadily turning his clothing from orange to crimson.  He heard Vegeta's breathing quicken until he was gasping raggedly.  His eyes opened and closed lethargically.
    "Vegeta.  Your choices are dwindling rapidly.  I know you wish to live.  Come with me." He said, holding out his hand.
    "Leave him alone!" Cooler barely had time to dodge as Gohan shot towards him with a well-aimed kick.
    "You fool, I am the only one who can help him.  And besides.  He belongs to me!  I can do whatever I want with him!" he snarled petulantly.
    "He doesn't need your help!" Gohan cried, enraged.  Vegeta was not a pet or a toy that Cooler could just use as he would.  The very thought enraged the demi-Saiyan and powered his frenzied attacks.  "And he is NOT your property!"
    Cooler was having difficulty blocking and then each strike began to break through his defenses.  The boy's fists connected with his jaw and gut repeatedly, fueling Cooler's rage.

    "Vegeta!" Bulma shrieked as the ki beam sliced through his flesh.  Everyone gasped in horror as blood began to gush from the tiny wound.  She barreled forward as he stumbled back several steps and caught himself on the face of the cliff.  He slid to his knees and his features began to bleach.  His mouth opened and closed repeatedly like a landed fish.
    No, Kami no!  Bulma's mind chanted repeatedly as she darted to the Saiyan's side.  Gohan was distracting Cooler for the moment so she had to act fast. Damn it!  After this there will be only one more left!  She cursed.  She reached his side and dropped down.  His eyes were wide and stared sightlessly ahead and his fingers weakly clenched the gushing wound.
    "Vegeta!  Vegeta!  Look at me!" Bulma shrieked, gripping his shoulders and giving him a rough shake.  His eyes slid over to barely focus on her.
    "Bulma.." he moaned weakly.  She shoved another senzu bean in his mouth.
    "Come on!  Chew it up!  It will make it better!" Bulma cried, tears streaming copiously from her eyes.  The sight of him bleeding and beaten was almost too much to bear.  But- she turned in shock as she heard an astonished cry and saw Gohan plowing into the earth.  Suddenly she felt a powerful blow across her face and with a pained cry she was thrown back.  Her head struck the ground and the impact sent her blissfully into unconsciousness.

    Vegeta felt his very life draining from him and welcomed it without a struggle.  But then someone was shaking him and screaming his name.  He felt emotions hit him, painfully intense and he shuddered, trying to pull away but his limbs refused to respond.
    A bitter taste filled him mouth, one that he recognized and without conscious thought he began to chew the senzu bean that slid between his lips.  Sound returned and then feeling.  He drew in a great gasping lungful as the blood flow halted and he felt a huge surge of power eclipsing his previous level.
    He heard a familiar voice shriek in terror and his eyes snapped open as Bulma's fear coursed through him and then.. nothing.   He sat up and his eyes darted across the landscape and saw her laying in a heap on the ground and above her was..
    Cooler.  No surprise there.
    "Bulma!"  he cried, his heart clenching painfully at the sight of her motionless form.  Cooler turned to him with a victorious smile that grew into a grin upon seeing the bloody red aura encircling the Saiyan.  With an enraged shriek the aura widened sending a small shower of dust and rocks everywhere.  The force of it alone sent Cooler staggering back a step.  He shot forward with an enraged cry and Cooler met his frenzied attack, blow for blow.
    "Good!" He marveled.  "Frieza taught you well, but he should have taught you to be more responsive in bed!" he said with a laugh.  Vegeta screamed in fury and brought his interlocked fingers crashing down on Cooler's head.  Cooler merely smiled and gripped Vegeta's wrists in an unbreakable hold.  "Let's give your friends a show, shall we?"

    Krillin had had enough.  While his friends stared stupidly, and Piccolo cautioned against joining the fight, Krillin had kept his eye on Bulma.  Even if everything she'd said about Vegeta was true, the Saiyan was too busy to help her.
    He was starting to feel guilt well up in him the first time Vegeta went down.  Bulma had wrenched her arm from Yamcha's grasp (not a simple feat when he was as angry as he'd appeared) and had run to his side.  No one had even tried to stop her despite the fact that Cooler seemed to be aware of their connection and would undoubtedly use it to his advantage.
    But he hadn't.  At least not at first.
    When Vegeta had been pierced by the ki blast he'd felt like he was back on Namek watching him die.  He never admitted it to anyone, but he'd had a few nightmares about that little scene, but instead of Vegeta being beaten to death it had always been him.
    But Krillin shelved his trepidation when Cooler appeared at Bulma's side and back-handed her, sending her flying.  Without even thinking he had taken off and headed to her side.
    She lay in a crumpled heap and Krillin gasped when Vegeta screamed her name, anguish in his eyes.  For a moment the sight startled him so much that he could only stare in amazement as Vegeta powered up and began to attack Cooler with alarming ferocity.
    A soft moan from Bulma brought him out of his momentary daze, and his features twisted at the bloody gash across her cheek and the purplish skin around it.
    "Holy shit." He groaned.  And then he saw something that lifted the sudden weight off his shoulders.  He sighed in relief and grabbed the tiny senzu bean out of her limp fingers and slid his arm under her shoulders, pulling her up to a sitting position.  She whimpered at the movement and tears suddenly slid down her cheeks.  "It's gonna be ok Bulma, eat the senzu."  To his astonishment, she slowly turned her head away.
    "Veh- Vegeta.. needs it." she gasped.
    "Bull shit." Krillin said and shoved it in her mouth and put his hand over her lips, sealing them closed so she had no choice but to swallow the miraculous bean.  She weakly flailed in his arms for a moment and more tears slid down her damaged skin. But  the skin of the bean had broken and the pulp and oil was sliding down her throat of it's own accord and the healing energies coursed through her body.
    The pain vanished from her jaw and limbs and she sat up angrily pulling Krillin's hands away.  In fury she turned and slapped him.
    "I told you that was for Vegeta!" She shrieked.  "Why didn't you just take me to a hospital?!"
    "Bulma!" Krillin gasped, "I know you care about Vegeta and despite everything he's done, I'm starting to see that he cares about you too.  Now in my place what would you do?  If Vegeta knew that I gave him the senzu instead of you, what would he do to me?"  Bulma brushed away her tears with a grimace.
    "All right." She murmured, guessing his line of thinking.  She couldn't ignore the fact that they all still feared Vegeta and worried about his retaliation over hers.
    Their conversation was abruptly cut off by a piercing shriek.
    Their attention was drawn back to the fight and Bulma barely repressed a scream when she saw Vegeta in Cooler's embrace.  The Ice-jinn's long purple tongue was inching towards his face.  Vegeta was thrashing madly and she suddenly felt Krillin wrench her to the ground.
    "Get down!" he screamed.  An aura of power developed around the thrashing Saiyan and then exploded.

    Nothing was working.  Every attack he tried was blocked or sent flying back at him, even with his new strength; which was beginning to wane.  He was starting to panic,  but he knew if he lost his control it would be all over.
    As if sensing his thoughts the Ice-Jinn streaked forward and his frigid flesh was suddenly cleaving to Vegeta's.  He flinched with a harsh cry but Cooler's arms locked around him, pinning his to his sides.
    "Beautiful Saiyan." Cooler purred.  "Now I see why Frieza was willing to make a fool of himself by chasing you across the galaxy."  His slender, purple tongue slid from between his lips like a poisonous snake.  Vegeta recoiled but couldn't break Cooler's hold.  He began to thrash madly, a scream ready to burst from his lips.  He felt a hand on his very manhood and his entire body froze.  He felt his power swelling rapidly.

    Light enveloped them, as golden and intense as the sun.  Every eye was screwed shut against the onslaught.  The earth roared in protest.  The wind shrieked in dismay.  If this was the end, then it had never seemed so beautiful…

    Suddenly everything changed.  Golden ki enveloped him and the world took on a different aspect.  The white demon in front of him was now a pesky shade and with a lazy sweep of his hand, he sent him hurtling through the air, hundreds of feet.
    He stared down at his hands in awe.
    Power, such power he had no name to describe it.. Or did he? From his childhood came old legends of power surpassing everything ever known.  Might incalculable, and a savage rage that powered it.
But the wonder eclipsed everything and the sudden sense of… Rightness.  He had finally done the impossible!  He'd done what his whole race had only dreamed of, what he himself had bled for countless times.
    He was a Super Saiyan.

    The Z Fighters were all thrown several yards following the explosion and for a moment they all feared the worst.  Then they felt it.  The dramatic rise in Vegeta's ki totally obscured Cooler's and if they trusted Vegeta and his intentions they would have breathed a sigh of relief.  The smoke cleared and Cooler was nowhere in sight, though his chi was still strong.
    Vegeta was a different story.  He was surrounded by a nimbus of gold making even his hair and tail take on the hue.
    "What the hell-?" Piccolo, Yamcha and Krillin gasped.
    "My God, do you feel that?" Tien shuddered.  He didn't need to ask, they all felt Vegeta's power beating down on them like the heat of the sun.
    "He's a Super Saiyan.  Like dad!" Gohan cried joyfully.  Only Bulma shared his excitement.

    Cooler shook his head in amazement.  What had happened?  His pet looked different.  Not in a bad way, he was in fact rather attracted to the change.  If his scouter hadn't shattered during the transformation, he wouldn't be so busy with details.
    But it didn't look like Vegeta was going to continue the fight yet.  He merely stared at his hands in a stupor and Cooler decided to use the opportunity to attack.

    Vegeta watched as Cooler approached, and was amazed by how slow the Ice-jinn was going.  He spread his arms and caught Cooler's wrists easily as he approached.    Cooler tried to wrench free from Vegeta's grip, but it was impossible!  He pulled and tugged, nearly dislocating his wrists.  He began to scream in fury as a small smile lit up Vegeta's features.  As Cooler tugged, Vegeta released him and the smile spread as Cooler flew backwards through the air.
    "What happened?  The monkey couldn't even hit me before?!" Cooler snarled and began to raise his chi.  But before he could something hard struck him in the face breaking his nose and sending him hurling into a cliff-face.  Before he could gather his wits and pull himself free a knee drove into his gut and hands dragged him out of his impact crater.  He felt himself falling and began to slow his descent.  But before he could stop and turn Vegeta was there.  He brought his knee up, crushing Cooler's diaphragm, sending the air rushing from his lungs, then plowed both fists down into his back sending him hurtling towards the ground.
    The impact sent rocks and dust raining down on the Z fighters who could only stare at the spectacle in awe.  It wasn't even really a fight anymore.  If it ever had been.  Cooler staggered from the impact crater and Gohan and Piccolo could see his purplish blood leaking from his mouth and nose.
    "Damn you!" Cooler screamed and sent a volley of ki blasts at Vegeta.  The Saiyan Prince smiled lightly and easily slapped them away.  Cooler clenched his fists so hard his nails drew blood.  Sweat poured down his face as he began to sense his defeat.  The thought enraged him and with a scream of fury a huge chi sphere appeared above his cupped hands.  It expanded in bursts until it's diameter was twenty feet.
    The Z fighters each paled in turn and Krillin began to pray as each feared the end.  The sphere was massive.  There was no way Vegeta could deflect it.
    With a shriek Cooler flung the sphere.  It's shape compressed as the front end surged forward, the other half sluggishly catching up and it began to slowly move forward.
    Vegeta snorted in contempt.  What an insult.  It was like Cooler throwing a ball of string at him.  The only person who wouldn't be able to dodge a slow blast like that was an amputee.
    Vegeta wasted no time and shot forward, and with a well-aimed kick sent it flying into the atmosphere where it detonated with a purple shower of light.
    "No!" Cooler gasped, his eyes bulging.  "It's impossible!"  he began to send another flurry of chi-strikes, each more powerful than the last.
    "He's mocking me." Vegeta said in a low, detached voice as he smacked the weak ki-bombs away.  The thought angered him and as soon as he thought of a proper punishment, Cooler's throat was in his hands.  The red eyes bulged in shock and Vegeta tightened his grip, hearing bones pop.  Cooler desperately tried to wrench out of his grasp and Vegeta allowed him to slip out with a small smile.  But  he only let him get far enough to form his own enormous ball of chi above his head.  Cooler began to fire his own blasts, screaming in fury when Vegeta again languidly swatted them away with one hand.
    "Noo!! I won't be beaten by a damn monkey!" Cooler roared as the sphere above Vegeta's head expanded.  With a flick of his wrist the giant ki sphere began it's inexorable descent.  Cooler stayed his place and prepared to kick it out of the way.  But as the golden sphere began to fill his vision, making the entire landscape look like it was gilded, he had his first stirrings of doubt.  As he lashed out at the destructive ball he screamed in agony as it engulfed him and burned through his chi and then his leg.  Then it traveled up to his waist as Cooler's screams grew piercing and his flesh evaporated.  Then all he could see was a golden haze.  It reminded him of the first sunset he'd seen on the third or fourth planet he'd personally razed.  And the burning pain lapsed into a warm tingling and faded into nothing.

    Piccolo stared in awe as the giant ki-bomb began to swallow Cooler.  His eyes burned, but he was the only one besides Vegeta who seemed able to keep them open.  Then he heard the screams as Cooler's body was rent to tiny pieces and burned away.  The following explosion was so loud, he heard a pop and then nothing.  He felt warmth trickling down the sides of his face, but didn't tear his eyes away from the radiant explosion.  Golden sparks showered the earth  after the light faded and when he could see again only Vegeta stood among the ruins.
    Piccolo shot to his feet when Vegeta's aura vanished and his hair turned black.  The Saiyan's eyes rolled up in his head and he fell to one knee.  Bulma screamed his name and leapt to her feet, running towards him.

    "Vegeta!!" He heard a familiar voice shriek.  Suddenly a warm body collided with his and he felt fevered kisses cover his brow.  His eyes slowly opened.
    "Bulma.." he said a smile slowly creeping onto his face.  "I did it."
 

    A few days later Vegeta finally awoke from the seeming coma he had slipped into only moments after defeating Cooler.  The first jump to super Saiyan was extremely  taxing and his body was already weakened from the numerous injuries he'd sustained.  The energy gained by the senzu beans had been immediately spent.  And so he slept for forty-eight hours during which time Bulma rarely left his side.
    She explained the events of the past few months to her parents and- albeit reluctantly- ChiChi.  Bulma's mother, of course, had no problems with any of it.  Her father was more reserved with his enthusiasm, but had come to understand that Vegeta had done an amazing thing by allowing his only daughter into his heart.  It didn't really surprise him that much, Bulma had a magnetic personality.  And she was as beautiful as her mother.

    ChiChi wasn't so easily swayed.  She was convinced that Vegeta was nothing but a murdering space-ape, and told Bulma in so many words when she went to visit her at Mount Paouzu.
    "First of all," Bulma began hotly, "Goku happens to be a member of that race!"
    "I'm aware of the rumors." She sniffed, keeping her eyes on her cooking.
    "Rumors?!  He had a tail for Kami's sake!  If a human is born with a tail it's only a little hairless stub, not a full-length, furred fifth limb! I can't believe you would say something so ignorant!"  ChiChi lifted her nose with a huff and Bulma seriously contemplated just walking out and never speaking to her again.  But she knew she would regret it later.  "ChiChi, Goku is a Saiyan too, and Gohan is half-Saiyan.  You know as well as I."
    "But Bulma!" ChiChi suddenly cried, her eyes full of contradictory emotions.  "He's a murderer!  Goku's never hurt an innocent thing in his life!  It isn't fair to compare him with that- that-" she sputtered.
    "I know what he's done.  And I can't say that he wouldn't have done it without being forced, but ChiChi, you have to understand that I love him and I know he would die to protect me.  Just like I know Goku would do for you and Gohan."  ChiChi finally relented at that.
    "Alright Bulma, but I still don't like him.  But I'll keep my mouth shut for you."  She said with a rueful smile.
    "Thanks Chi, you don't know how much that means to me." Bulma said, giving her a hug.
    "But, how did his tail grow back?  Goku's never came back after Kami cut it off."  She wondered aloud.  Bulma shrugged, she had wondered the same thing herself and was still wondering how she would get Vegeta to abstain from turning into a giant ape and demolishing everything.

    The Z fighters were another story.  She knew Vegeta would never explain himself to anyone- except perhaps her- and so, after her talk with ChiChi and her parents she had intercepted the gang the next day at Kami's look out.
    The reception she got was one she'd anticipated.  As soon as the fighters saw her craft land all of them came forward at once.
    "Bulma, is he awake?"  Tien said.
    "Did you cut off his tail?" Chao-Tzu wondered.
    "Are you sure he isn't going to finish what he started over a year ago when he wakes up?" Yamcha shot.  Bulma snarled in anger, reminding everyone forcibly of Vegeta's influence.
    "He's asleep still, and no I will NEVER cut his tail off, and I know he won't try anything like that." Her voice lowered as she added; "He actually apologized to me when we thought Cooler was taking over."  Everyone, except Piccolo blinked in amazement.  "Look, I know none of you like this, and I'm sure, me even less- but so help me if any of you try anything funny with him and I will be the least of your problems."
    "That's what we're worried about." Yamcha snapped.
    "Well, if you don't act like your usual asshole self everything should be fine!" Bulma shot back.
    "Look, this fighting is pointless.  Bulma, our concerns are perfectly justified and you know it.  Stop being so defensive.  We've all accepted your decision, even Yamcha despite his continuing stupidity." Piccolo rumbled.  "But you have to realize, just because Vegeta won't hurt you doesn't say anything for the rest of us."
    "I'm sorry." Bulma said.  Yamcha grumbled incoherently about Piccolo's remark, and although the Namek heard every muttered curse he merely smirked and said nothing.  Now wasn't the time or place to discuss his lack of respect.  "I don't know what to say, except.. if he leaves, I will go with him."
    "What?!" Yamcha and Tien cried.  Krillin said nothing, having seen the side of Vegeta that Bulma fell in love with, he had no argument that Bulma wouldn't throw back in his face somehow.  And he had seen Vegeta die.  Only he, Gohan and Piccolo had.  That HAD to change a person.
    "Come on guys!" Gohan piped up.  "I don't think he'll try to destroy the planet."
    "Why not?" Piccolo demanded, knowing that Goku had always been able to sense emotions in people, and hoping that Gohan was the same.
    "Because, he's different now.  I don't think it's just going Super Saiyan either." He said, completely oblivious of Bulma and Vegeta's relationship.  Bulma smiled wistfully, and Yamcha grimaced at the sight, as did Tien.  They still weren't convinced, least of all, Yamcha who suspected deep down that Vegeta had some kind of strange hold on Bulma.  If only he knew what then he could somehow stop it!  He almost laughed bitterly.  Vegeta was a Super Saiyan now, he had a snow ball's chance in hell in a fight against him.
    Piccolo remained silent for a minute considering what he knew.  He'd seen Vegeta shed tears at his death, and had always found it confusing.  Upon first meeting the Saiyan he would have never imagined it, even when he saw Krillin holding Yajirobe's sword above his head from King Yamma's office, he never expected to see any remorse and he wasn't disappointed.  Vegeta had grimly accepted it, so what had changed on Namek?  And what had happened after he'd pulled himself from the Namekian soil Goku had buried him in?  Only Vegeta knew.  And perhaps..
    His gaze focused on Bulma who was staring towards the Capsule Corp. empire.
    "Bulma." Piccolo began.  "How long do you think he will be able to tolerate this kind of lifestyle?  Do you think he will be content to remain on Chikyuu with all his power and not use it?" For the first time doubt marred Bulma's features.
    "I don't know."  She said softly.  Again she glanced towards the house, confusion painted her expression for a moment and she took a step towards the house.
    "What is it?" Krillin asked, seeing her confusion become one of concern.
    "I'll be right back." Was all she said as she took off running.  The other's glanced at confusion and without anyone having to say it aloud, they all knew that it had to do with Vegeta in some way.
    "Vegeta really is different." Gohan said, breaking them out of their trance.
    "How exactly?" Piccolo asked.  Gohan's small face pouted in concentration.
    "Well, I know this may sound weird, but it feels like.. It felt like Vegeta was somewhere close when Bulma was standing here and now that she's gone..  I don't know." He offered with a shrug, blushing at the other's incredulous expressions.  "I mean, it's hard to explain.  But I felt it with Vegeta too.  When Bulma got hurt I felt his ki… spike up for that one second. It kinda reminded me of.." He was silent for long moments, contemplating.  "It felt like Dad!" his eyes lit up.  "Yeah!  It reminded me of my mom and dad.  If something ever happened to my mom he knew right away, before anyone else.  That's what I felt!" he said, certainty in his voice.
    Piccolo, Tien, Krillin, and Yamcha were stunned.  Chao-Tzu gasped in amazement.
    "But does that mean he won't kill us?" Chao-Tzu squeaked.
    "I think so." Gohan said confidently.  Their gaze was all drawn back towards CC and Bulma who ran towards it.

    Something was wrong.  She could feel the part of Vegeta that always stayed with her, and through it she felt… Panic.  It was wearing away at her nerves as she ran down the halls towards the infirmary.
She threw herself through the doors and saw Vegeta thrashing in bed, a pained murmuring issuing from his lips.  She ran to his side, her heart clenching at the fear she felt emanating from him.
    "Vegeta." She called his name.  He froze and slowly his eyelids began to flutter.  "Vegeta." she repeated, her voice soft and caressing.  With a snap his eyes opened and he shot up to a sitting position with a strangled gasp.  "It's ok." She murmured, seeing and sensing his confusion.  "This is my house.  Remember what happened?  You killed Cooler."
    "I thought it was a dream." He rasped with an expression of wonder.  Bulma shook her head with a smile.
    "No.   It was amazing.  Scary, but amazing.  You look good as a blonde." She added with a wink.  Vegeta smirked and Bulma climbed up onto the bed next to him.  But he could feel her hesitation.  She wanted to ask him something but was afraid to.
    "What, onna?"  he murmured in his ear as his lips brashed across her smooth cheek.
    "I- I'm just wondering if you'll like it here.  I don't-" she paused collecting her thoughts.  "I don't want to make you stay here if you want to find someplace else-"
    "Why, do you want to leave?" he asked, confused.  She had been dying to get here the whole time they'd spent together.  What was she talking about?
    "No, it's just that-" without warning, Piccolo's earlier statement floated into his conscious: "Bulma. How long do you think he will be able to tolerate this kind of lifestyle?  Do you think he will be content to remain on Earth with all his power and not use it?"  Bulma knew he'd heard the stray thought, but as his silence grew, she began to worry.
    "I don't know."  He said honestly.  "I do want to test my new limits, but it could easily destroy any planet.  I won't lie to you, maybe I will anyway.  But I'll come back.  I don't think I could leave you for too long." He said with a wry smile.
    "Then I guess I'll try not to worry when I wake up and find you gone." She said, but there was doubt in her voice.  Vegeta smirked and pulled her close.
    "Listen to me.  I haven't had a home in almost twenty years.  I really don't know how this will work, but it will.  I may get pissed off and leave for awhile, but you don't have to worry about it.  I said I'd come back and I will.  It's just something I'll have to do occasionally.  Believe me, one day you'll be thinking to yourself: Man I wish he would fucking get the hell out of here already." He said with a grin.
    "No!" Bulma cried, wounded.  "I wouldn't!"  Vegeta began to laugh.
    "Just wait."

 

 

Epilogue

 

    It was unexpected, but Vegeta elected to remain on Earth with Bulma.  She surprised him with a gravity room to train in after the first week, and he'd surprised her by kissing her in front of her father as a thank-you.
    The Z fighters began to realize that he had, indeed changed for the better.  It was surprising, but not totally shocking.  Yamcha, Tien and Piccolo had all been rivals of Goku's once. And now they all fought on his side.  And they knew without asking that Vegeta would too if ever needed.  Not because he would willingly help "Kakarotto" as he still insisted on calling him, but for one reason only.
    Because Chikyuu was Bulma's home. He'd made it clear to everyone that he still intended to fight Goku whenever he returned, but had accidentally let it slip to Bulma that he wasn't really interested in killing him anymore.  But he was more than curious to see if he was the stronger Super Saiyan.
    Gohan had taken to visiting as often as ChiChi would allow to beg Vegeta to spar with him.  Vegeta was more than willing and it was becoming routine for Bulma to be woken at the butt-crack of dawn by Gohan throwing rocks at their window in an attempt to wake Vegeta.
    Bulma's mother had obviously fallen in love with Vegeta and had nearly become his personal chef, cooking for him anything, whenever he desired it.  Vegeta had been shocked by the whole idea at first, as he was used to killing his own dinner or eradicating a solar system just to get permission to eat.  It was a pleasant surprise to get what he wanted when he wanted it.  He actually felt like the royalty he was supposed to be.
    Another surprising revelation, he loved chocolate.  Even though it made his throat dry to the point he'd begin to cough if he ate too much.  But it never stopped him once Mrs. Briefs offered him a piece.  It was a miraculous thing, after never having anything like it.  And the first time he'd gotten a hold of Mrs. Brief's secret stash, he'd eaten it all and had actually felt sick later on.  So he was forced to retain a measure of self-control when confronted with the sweet stuff afterwards.
    But all in all, he didn't mind staying on Chikyuu at all.  The fact that he had a beautiful woman to end each day with really solidified it.  There was only one thing he needed to make everything complete though he would never admit it even to Bulma.
    He desperately wanted Kakarotto to return.  They HAD to finish that fight if it was the last thing he ever did.  And while he didn't see it ending in a fatality anymore, he knew they had to have one more, all-out brawl.  Besides, if he was truthful (which he usually was) he had to admit, if only to himself, that he really didn't like being the last Saiyan.
    He tried to impress some of these things on Gohan who was genuinely interested in his Saiyan heritage, but the boy had a human's heart.  He would never really understand.
    But it was alright.  He was content.  Content to stay with the fiery onna who had done the impossible, captured the heart of the Last Saiyan Prince and claimed it as her own. Content to make her home his as well, and content to wait for his rival to return and again give him the blessed release of combat.
    He couldn't wait.