*I do not own DBZ in any way.
He stared at the sleeping figure, resting at the desk a foot away from his bed, with hazy bewilderment. He groaned softly, mostly from pain, yet with a hint of irritation. What was this earthling- this pushy, obnoxious, woman earthling, of all people- doing, snoozing carelessly in his chambers? What would posses a creature of her impatient, short-tempered character to actually care for his well-being? These thoughts passing through Vegeta's groggy mind enabled him to slowly understand how similar this woman was to himself, which made the Sayain Prince uncomfortable and angry. He quickly dismissed the drug-induced delusion from his weary train of thought. Ridiculous, the notion that SHE could have anything in common with an honorable, royal-blooded, destiny-driven prodigy such as he. With a slight moan, he raised himself upright in his bed, looking down in disgust at the plethora of various bandages that covered his sore body. All he wanted was to be out there training. While foolish Kakarot and the others seemed to be taking things easily, Vegeta knew that he would need every second he could spare to prepare himself for the battle that would rage between he and the androids.
"Confound these restraints," Vegeta grumbled quietly to himself as he began to shred the gauzes that covered his wounds. Once free, he stood, stretched, scoffed at the girl snoring on his desk, and slipped out the door to resume his training. Nothing and no one would impede his progress.
Bulma gradually began to feel conciousness returning to her. Yawning, she stretched her stiff joints out and sat upright to check on her injured guest. "Where did he run off to?" She questioned herself out loud. Rubbing her eyes, she pushed herself up from her chair and wandered down the vast hallway before her. "Gosh, he sure isn't one for relaxation, is he?" Her voice echoed softly through her parents' quiet, empty house. "I'm sure he's not in the house anywhere, otherwise I'd hear him yelling for something he could probably get himself," she added jokingly.
As she walked, Bulma pondered the future events the mysterious time-traveller had warned them about only days before. A small lump of fear attempted to form in her throat, but she shook the idea away. She knew Goku wouldn't let those androids destroy Earth. He always came to its rescue, even when it seemed impossible. He was so different from their new Sayain guest, who's only concern seemed to be obtaining the powers of a Super Sayain and besting everyone who stepped in his path.
"Ah," she thought, "I bet that's where I'll find him." She followed her realization, and eventually her ears, outside to the intricate gravity machine her father had built, and recently re-built from Vegeta's latest destructive session. Mighty, pugnacious sounds emitted from within the delicate creation, and for a moment Bulma prayed he wouldn't destroy their machine a second time. A sudden indignant feeling arose at the thought, causing her to march right up to the entrance and rap loudly against the door. The violent sounds ceased in an instant and were quickly followed by deliberate, heavy, metallic footsteps and a sudden gush of wind as the door was swung open to reveal the annoyed, furrowed brow of the distempered Sayain, wearing his usual training suit and look of distaste.
"What do you want, woman?" Vegeta barked impatiently at his unexpected and unwelcomed guest.
Exasperated at his nasty tone, Bulma planted her hands on her hips and cocked her head at the brute. "What do you think you're doing, coming out here to train before you've even healed from your last little incident? My father just finished cleaning up after your mess, and I don't want to see you make another one!"
Vegeta's countenance changed from portraying irritation to hot anger. How dare this woman speak to him this way? Releasing his arms from the tight crossed position on his chest, he clenched his fists as he stepped towards the tiny figure in front of him, not moving his eyes from hers. Bulma's feet remained firmly in their spot, but as the Sayain drew closer, she leaned back and away from his towering figure, the intimidation growing with each step he took. In a matter of seconds his face was mere inches away from hers, his deep, dark eyes penetrating hers with a ferocity she had yet to experience. While he wasn't much taller than her, only a few inches, he seemed gargatuan as the shadow of his broad shoulders engulfed her completely, the spikey silhouette of his hair cascading down her face.
"I should have blasted you into space the first time I saw you and your pathetic friends on Namek," he hissed through his teeth, "and the only reason I'm not going to do it now is because you're not worth my time. I must train as often as I get the chance, unless you want to see your precious world suffer to the death. So if I were you, I'd stop complaining and be ready to fix this machine EVERY TIME IT FAILS ME!!!"
The loud, demanding last part of Vegeta's lecture caused Bulma to stumble backward, dumbfounded, tripping over the edge of the ramp leading into the gravity machine. With a quick yelp, she felt her feet leave the ground beneath her and shut her eyes tight, awaiting the moment when she would inevitabley smack the ground and feel the searing pain. Instead, she felt a strong tug on the front of her shirt, and the moment did not come. She slowly opened one eye after the other to behold Vegeta's muscled arm outstretched, clenching her collar.
"You clumsy Earth woman, you're going to get yourself killed one day."
Bulma's face turned bright red with embarrasment as she jumped away from his grasp. "Hey, you shouldn't grab a lady's shirt like that, that was so rude!!!"
Vegeta scoffed and abruptly turned to proceed into the gravity machine once more. "By the way, I'm hungry. Make me some lunch."
Bulma screamed with rage as she turned and stomped back toward her house. "Screw you! You can just STARVE!"
The last word of the woman's screech reached Vegeta's ears just as he slammed the door behind him. "What an irritating creature," he mumbled as he flicked the on switch to continue his training. As he warmed up, he found himself thinking how blue those big, round eyes were, and against his will, his mind recalled the moment she called him "cute" as she invited him to her home.
He shook his head tiredly. "Ridiculousness." Outside the chamber, the muffled sounds of his vigorous training recommenced.