Okay, so this is my first crack at Dragon Ball fanfic. I've been reading DBZ, (I'm completely addicted) and I found that a few of the relationships are severly under-developed. Especially Vegeta and Bulma's. I mean, why on earth are they even together in the first place? With that in mind, I set out to create a reason for them, to justify their complicated union. And this is the final product. I also have very, very little experience writing romance so... yeah. I think it's okay, though.

Please tell me what you think of it. I've tried really hard to get the induvidual characters' voices & choices right. And, of course, to make it interesting. But I should stop rambling, I'll let you decide for yourself what you think of it. Voilà!

Opposites Attract

Chapter One

Bulma walked out into her father's luxurious garden, sipping a glass of lemonade.

It was just over a year and a half since Freeza had come to earth, and the "prophecy" had been made.

She hadn't seen Son Goku, Piccolo or any of the others since they split up to do their seperate training. For all she knew, they could be dead.

I wish they wouldn't keep leaving me behind, she sighed, What if I'm bored? Do they care? No. They've got no respect for a lady's feelings, they just go off and train and train and then train some more. Hmph.

She pulled out her sunglasses. It was a hot day, midsummer. The humid air was filled with the thick, sweet smell of her mother's various plants, some genetically enhanced, some not. Bulma looked for a lawn chair, wanting to just lie down and soak up the sun like a cat.

She looked adorable if she did say so herself, in crisp white shorts and a light pink tank-top, her long ponytail pulled through a white ballcap embroidered with her father's business logo, Capsule Corp. She wore a long white trenchcoat, specially designed to reflect heat. It was a real scorcher today.

Finding a chair in her favourite spot, in the middle of a patch of roses, she climbed onto it. Being in this place always made Bulma feel like she was in a cocoon, the tall bushes concealing everything from the outside world, the blue cloudless sky above. It was especially nice out today, the roses were in full bloom, and Bulma was already starting to feel relaxed and sleepy.

Yawning, she stretched out on the chair and folded her hands across her stomach. Maybe I'll just rest my eyes for a few moments... she thought, basking in the sun. She didn't have anything that she needed to do, her friends were away and she was in need of some major R&R. She drifted off, not exactly sleeping but not awake either, in a sort of daze.

Suddenly, she was pulled out of her daydreams. A quiet rustling sound penetrated the still air.

There was somebody standing right in front of her. Trying not to scream, Bulma shielded her face from the glare of the sun as she squinted up at them.

Vegeta.

"Oh, it's you," he said, his tone of voice and expression bored. But his looks said something completely different.

Though he stood casually, legs apart and arms crossed, he looked like a wreck. His normally spiky hair drooped a bit and was matted with sweat, his shorts were ragged and dirty, his bare chest was cut and bruised, his face was pale and deep shadows lined his eyes. He was still wearing his usual indifferent expression, but Bulma could see that he was very, very tired.

"V-Vegeta?" Bulma squeaked out. "I- what're you doing here?" he shrugged, looking at her with contempt in his eyes.

"I was training. What's it to you?"

"What kind of training? You look awful,"

"So many questions, earthling," he said, "If you must know, I was preparing myself for the battle with the androids. Your father built a heavy-gravity chamber for me. Tell me, is there any of that special medicine of Kakarrot's here?" Bulma was confused for a second.

"Special- oh, you mean the senzu beans?" he nodded in confirmation. "No, only Karin Sen'nin has that. But we have hospitals here, what sort of care do you need?" he glowered.

"It's nothing. Just a broken rib or two. Get Karin to send some over. I don't have time to spare lying in bed for a month," Bulma blinked, a bit taken aback by his barking orders at her.

"Uh, okay, but-" and he was gone. Bulma stood there for a few seconds, stunned. Then, she shook her head, and with a huff returned to her chair. But she couldn't relax. What sort of training was he doing? Heavy gravity? How heavy?

Finally, she gave up. Hopping off her chair, she left the garden. The nerve of him! She was feeling completely relaxed for the first time in weeks, and he had to come in and spoil it all.

Then she stopped herself. Maybe that's why she and Yamcha were always fighting, maybe... maybe she was a selfish person. Could it be? Nah. No way. Nobody knew what she was going through.

She stomped back to her room, wanting to escape. But she remembered that she was supposed to get some senzu for Vegeta. Should she?

Well, it would give her something to do. But she didn't like the way that he just told her to do it, as if her saying no wasn't an option. Plus, he wasn't the most saintly of beings. But... he would probably be helpful in the coming battle, and Bulma was as against the destruction of Earth as the next person.

She spun on her heel, her decision made. She was going to find her father.

Bulma strode confidently down the hallways of the mansion/lab that she lived in, occasonally taking a turn or going down a flight of stairs. Finally, she came upon a plain, unmarked door.

Not bothering to knock, Bulma opened the door and stepped inside. Her father was at a table, his back turned to her. At the sound of her coming in, he jumped and shoved something behind a chunk of machinery on his desk.

He turned around to face her, a big smile on his face.

"Bulma! What brings you to my lab today, my dear?"

"What have you been eating?" Bulma asked, bluntly. His eyes widened.

"N- nothing, sweetie! What makes you say that?" Bulma crossed the room, ignoring her protesting father.

"You don't have a cigarette in your mouth," she said, rooting around his desk, "And you've got crumbs in your moustache. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out, even though I am one," she produced a plate with the half-eaten remains of a piece of cake on it. "Aha!" but then, as she looked at it, she gasped. "Is- is that the last piece of mom's poundcake?" she asked. Her father just shrugged his shoulders guiltily. "It is! She's gonna kill you. She was saving it for when we have company," he crossed his arms defensively.

"Yes, well, she'll make another one soon enough. I had an especially long and tiring day and..." he trailed off. "What were you here for again?" he said, irritably. Bulma sighed, deciding to drop it.

"Daddy, can you ask master Karin for some more senzu?" he smiled at her.

"Sure thing, hon! I'll just have a look at my schedule and..." he paused, glancing at a piece of paper. "Oh dear, looks like I'm completely booked for the next week or so. Can it wait?" Bulma considered. From the looks of it, Vegeta was going keep training. If he wasn't careful, he was going to kill himself.

"I don't think so. Maybe I could do it myself?" she asked. Her father consulted his paper again, muttering calculations to himself and scratching his head. Finally, he looked up.

"I don't see why not," he said. "I have a few minutes, I can radio that Yajirobe fellow and ask him to bring some over," Bulma smiled.

"That would be great, daddy, thanks," she kissed him on the cheek and ran off. It was nice to be doing something to help, even if it was giving magical healing beans to a cruel, power-hungry alien so he could go and beat himself up some more.

What a world we live in, Bulma though to herself as she skipped through the building. She wasn't even particularly fond of the Saiyan, he had, in fact, threatened to kill her on more than one occasion, but she had no desire to cross him. She was actually a little afraid of him, to be honest.

Bulma decided to take a detour to her room. She had planned to go the the landing pad and meet Yajirobe, but she was feeling tired all of a sudden. It won't hurt anybody if I take a little rest first, Bulma thought to herself, as she got to her room.

Once she was inside, she stripped down to her underwear and crawled between the covers. Aaaah. Thank god for air conditioning.

Exhausted, Bulma fell asleep almost instantly.

There's chapter one! Again, please drop a review with any comments, questions or criticisms. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it! So long, ~Lily