Sometimes Bulma thought she could see a shimmering gleam of hope in Vegeta's eyes, but other times she realized that what she thought to be hope was actually malice and a disarray of terrible memories trying to be seen by someone else. She could tell he was in pain and she wanted to help him so badly, but how could she? How would she possibly get close enough to the beast of a man she lived with to even begin to imagine what kind of terrible things he's been through? Bulma continued chopping up the lettuce for the salad she was making for the big party tonight and she hummed a little tune that had been playing in her head all day. It wasn't a song she knew or anything from an advertisement or anything like that, it was just a tune that had jumped into her head when she had looked at her house-mate that morning.

"Woman…" She heard from behind her.

Her head glanced over her shoulder toward the entry to the kitchen and she smiled. "Good evening, Vegeta. How was training today?" She sounded cheerful, which annoyed Vegeta even more than he already seemed to be.

"It was satisfactory, woman, now tell me where you heard that melody."

Bulma giggled. "To be honest, I don't know. I've never heard it before, but it just sort of started playing in my head this morning. It's been stuck there ever since!" She returned to her previous work and there was a slight pause. "Hey, Vegeta, are you going to show your face at the party tonight?" She spoke, not looking at him.

"Hmph. As if I really want to associate myself with the inferior beings of this planet anymore than I have to, and since I'm living with one I get my fair share every day without these festivities. No thanks." Vegeta smirked and lifted his feet onto the dining room table, knowing that she would have some remark to spark another pointless argument.

"If you think we're so inferior then why don't you just kill us all, your Highness?" Bulma fumed, raising her hands in the air.

Vegeta smirked again. "It's much too amusing fighting with you." The Saiyan Prince walked out of the kitchen, going up the stairs to his room the woman had arranged for him. He sighed as he slipped his shirt off over his head, shaking out his long black hair. He strolled into his bathroom and started the shower, making the water as hot as he could stand. As he stepped into the shower he closed his eyes, feeling his hair stick to his back. How did that woman know that melody? It has been playing in my head as well, but… how would she know it as well? Not unless…. No. She couldn't be…

Vegeta's eyes widened as he realized the undeniable truth. Bulma Briefs, a human, was his destined mate. He shook his head as he let the hot water wash away his stress. How could this happen? He thought to himself. Suddenly, her voice came to him through his bathroom door.

"Vegeta? You in there? If you want, everyone's outside….you can come outside with us."

He remained silent and waited for her aura to move away from the door. When he was sure she was gone he shut the water off and stepped out of the shower. He wrapped a large black towel around his waist and looked in the mirror. He wiped away the fog from the hot water and rested his palms on the counter. Staring himself in the eyes he could see what everyone else said they had seen in them. Pain. An agony that he had never admitted to feeling inside of him.

In his eyes he saw his past. Every battle, every murder, every time he was beaten, every time he was raped, every time he had cried. He shook his head again as he heard the voices of his past creeping against his brain, begging for entry. He walked out the door into his bedroom, putting on a black tank-top and a loose-fitting pair of jeans. He walked over to his window and pulled back the dark curtains, looking down at all the people in the yard. Some of them he knew, most he'd never seen before.

Kakkorat, his woman, his child, the woman's stupid ex-mate, and the rest of their little playmates were there. Vegeta's nose wrinkled as he saw the scarred bandit get closer and closer to his-- to Bulma. The Saiyan was getting more and more angered by his mind as it kept screaming at him that Bulma was his mate and that he should do something about the rival male trying to court her. She's not my woman….. Even if I wanted her to be, she wouldn't have anything to do with me. His eyes closed and he closed the curtain, but as soon as he did he caught something wrong with Bulma's energy.

He looked out the window again and saw that Yamcha was slowly moving himself closer to Bulma. She didn't seem upset or anything, but her energy reflected something different. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on her thoughts. He knew it was possible, since she was supposed to be his mate, but usually there had to be a bonding process before they could read each other's minds. He focused hard and finally caught onto her thoughts.

"I wish he would just go away… he's drunk… he doesn't mean anything he's saying… he's just trying to get me into bed with him…" Her energy was scared, nervous, but Vegeta couldn't grasp about what. He ignored it for now and decided to go down to the party. As he walked out to the yard, he made his way over to Kakkorat.

"I hate you, and you know that, but do me a favor and keep your eye on that damned scarred baka." Vegeta nearly growled, looking over his shoulder at the mentioned idiot. "There's something wrong with Bulma's energy and I don't like it."

"Are you actually concerned about her feelings, Vegeta?"

"Feh. I couldn't care less about her feelings, I just don't need her being out of her normal state of mind." Vegeta sat down as Krillen tossed a beer in his direction. He caught it and looked at it strangely, throwing it back to the shorter man. He glanced over at Bulma and the idiot and noticed that her eyes met his and didn't seem to want to let go. He found himself lost in the same trance and realized that Bulma was asking for help.

He stood up and walked over to them, never breaking eye contact. When he got closer he saw the tears welling in her eyes and he grabbed Yamcha's shoulder, turning him around. "Hey, what the hell?" The idiot yelled into the Saiyan's face.

"Back off." The words were spoken in a quiet, rasping voice. The deep black eyes narrowing as the bandit smirked back at him.

"What do you care what I do?"

"When it starts to possibly ruin my training, then I care. Leave."

"I'll leave when I'm good and ready, asshole."

"You dumbass baka, I'll kill you!" Vegeta screamed, charging a blast powerful enough to kill everyone there in his hand that wasn't holding onto the other man. Bulma rested her hand on his arm and the both of them looked at her.

"Vegeta, stop it." She said calmly. "I can take care of myself." She smiled softly as Vegeta looked back to the bandit, then to her, then back to the bandit again. He narrowed his eyes and let him go, shoving him away.

"If you say so…."

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