CHAPTER SEVEN

Author's Note; This chapter is dedicated to DeathGoblin and Tellemicus Sundance for their wonderful reviews are almost every chapter. You both have brought giant smiles to my face, and I'm very grateful.

If anyone has any questions about me or the story that they'd like me to answer, then please, ask away, and I will reply to you with the next chapter. :)

Vegeta sighed as he pushed the large red button in the control panel before him, cancelling the extreme gravity that pushed down on his body. Seconds later the air returned to normal, and he let in a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. His training had certainly become harder, and yet in Vegeta's eyes it still wasn't enough.

He was yet to ascend, and it was driving him mad. He was certain that he was much stronger than Kakarott had been on Namek, and still he had not made the transformation into a Super Saiyan. Throwing a dark glance in the direction of the house, his eyes narrowed. He was certain of the reason why he had not been able to ascend yet, and the reason was in that house, probably in her laboratory.

The woman was driving him wild. He couldn't explain the effect she had on him, only that it was maddening and he wished for it to go away desperately. When she looked at him with those wide blue eyes of hers, It made his body go crazy and almost yearn for her. Vegeta just put it down to the fact that it had been quite some time since he had been intimate with a female, and that was all there was to it.

Still, he was determined to figure her out, and once he did, Vegeta would claim her as his own. However, it had to be entirely on his terms. He couldn't have anyone thinking that she had seduced the Saiyan Prince, that he could succumb to a lowly human woman's charms.

He shook his head. Such a thing just wasn't possible.

+-+

Bulma sighed, looking at her watch. She knew that Goku would be arriving soon, and as much as she wanted to see him, she was also well aware that he was now in the habit of regularly of disobeying his wife's wishes that he stay away from her. Goku wasn't a bad person, but Bulma was worried that the deception would morph him into someone else, and she was perfectly happy with the way he was.

But over the past few months, Goku began to visit her weekly. After his first visit, when she had pleaded with him to not go behind Chi-Chi's back, he had promised it would never happen again. The next week, he showed up once more, and while Bulma was glad to set her blue eyes on his form again, she was not impressed that he had broken his promise to her, another thing he would normally have evr done.

Goku however explained that he was not lying to Chi-Chi, he was simply not telling her where he was going. Bulma still was not happy, it was still deceitful and beneath him, but when she told him this, Goku's face fell.

"I just can't stay away from you, Bulma."

With his words, Bulma had almost given in to the intense urge that burned in her body to wrap her arms around his neck and place her lips on his. But, knowing better, she simply did her best to ignore it, and went along with it. The truth was, she wanted to see him as often as possible, and spend as much time with him as she could.

The only problem had been Vegeta. Luckily he had not been aware of his visits, and Bulma couldn't help but notice that there was an intense jealousy that Vegeta harboured towards the younger Saiyan. She had tried to be as civil to her house-guest as was possible, but every time she mentioned Goku, even if it was just in passing, Vegeta would turn livid.

So to prevent any fighting or worse, Bulma kept Goku in the house, taking him into rooms that Vegeta was either not aware of or had no interest in. So far it had worked, and Goku was not aware of any plans she had. She knew that eventually Vegeta would find out, but she certainly wasn't going to be the one to tell him and then face his wrath.

One more look at her watch, she was almost anxious enough for his arrival that she considered counting down the seconds. She had been busy in the kitchen for the previous hour, making an entire stack of sandwiches for her oldest friend, knowing his enormous appetite.

Right on time, her eyes suddenly met with orange and a giant beam graced her features. "Goku." she exclaimed happily, standing up from her seat and giving him a welcoming hug. "Hiya Bulma! Were you...waiting for me?" Goku asked, returning her embrace with his strong arms. "No..." she lied, before mentally slapping herself for doing exactly what she hated Goku becoming adverse to. "Alright, you caught me."

Goku let go of Bulma, raising a hand to scratch the back of his head out of habit. "Am I really that predictable?" he inquired, a goofy grin on his lips. Bulma nodded, before bursting into giggles. "Maybe that's only because I've know you for many years." she explained, folding her arms. "And because I know you so well, I'm betting that you're hungry?" Goku paused for a moment, before smiling at her sheepishly and nodding. "Alright, there's a stack of sandwiches in the kitchen."

+-+

Vegeta walked through the halls of Capsule Corporation, not entirely sure. He had an inkling that he was looking for the female, but the mind told him that was insane. But his body was saying something else entirely, his eyes needing to look upon her form, even if it was only for a second.

Walking near the kitchen, he paused. He could hear the woman's voice, her tinkling vocals imprinted in his ears. Vegeta closed his eyes, trying to sense out who she was speaking to. Not the weakling, surely, it had been months since she had finally realised that he was hardly a man and sent him away. It was not he, but the ki was certainly familiar...

His eyes shot open.

Kakarott.

The younger Saiyan was most definitely in the kitchen with the female, chattering away and obviously unaware of Vegeta's presence. What a fool. But something in Vegeta's mind clicked. Kakarott was not to be here, not anywhere near the blue-haired female, by his mate's orders. He was deceiving her.

But that was not what Vegeta was so enraged about. He poked his head around the door, careful not to be seen, just in time to see the female brush crumbs of Kakarott's face, before turning away quickly, her cheeks flushing red, his own doing the same. Vegeta raised an eyebrow, trying to analyse the situation, before returning his gaze to the hallway.

He had seen the way the two interacted. He knew that there was something there, much more than they would ever care to admit. He could see that the woman harboured attractions for Kakarott, and that they were clearly returned.

Vegeta's fists clenched tighter, his face growing hot with anger. He had already staked a claim on the Earthling woman, and was not about to lose her to an imbecile. He would make her change her mind, make her realise that Kakarott was nothing but a blubbering fool when it came to the Prince of Saiyans.

But the question was, how was he going to get rid of Kakarott? He would get nowhere with the female if the younger Saiyan was around all the time. Another quick glance around the door, to see Kakarott pat the woman's arm affectionately, and then she laid her own pale hand on his.

His eyes darkened and narrowed. No, this simply would not do.

+-+

Watching Goku manage to stuff three full sandwiches into his mouth at the same time, Bulma propped her elbow on the counter and leaned her cheek against her hand, watching him with mild interest. Where all the food went, she had no idea. What she did know is that if Goku was to ever quit training as hard as he did, he would becoming incredibly obese.

She remembered Chi-Chi saying something similar many years ago, and as soon as Goku's wife popped into her head, she winced with guilt. Her blue eyes glanced towards her friend, but he was too enthralled in his food to notice. Bulma sighed. This was wrong. What they were doing was wrong.

The feelings she had for him, the feelings that were growing intensely every time that she saw him, were wrong.

Looking back at Goku, she noticed that in his hastened eating, he'd managed to spread crumbs everywhere, from his face, to his gi and even the counter. Chuckling, Bulma reached one hand over the counter to brush away the crumbs that stuck around Goku's mouth absent-mindedly. It was something she had done for many years, cleaning Goku up after a meal.

But now things were different. Suddenly realising just what she was doing, Bulma dropped her hand quickly and turned away, her cheeks flushing red with sheer embarrassment. Goku was an adult now, not some little kid that needed some help with hygiene.

Goku had been too engrossed with his lunch, that he hadn't noticed Bulma's actions until she withdrew her hand and turned away. The physical contact of her soft hand was imprinted on his face, tingling where skin had contacted skin. He felt his cheeks grow hot, and also turned away, wondering if maybe he had a fever. This wasn't usual, was it?

He turned back to face Bulma, who's head was bowed down slightly, her eyes on the floor. "Bulma? Are you okay?" he asked concerned, his eyebrows furrowing together. "Yeah, I'm fine." she replied, turning to him and giving him her best smile. But Goku wasn't convinced. Simple he may have been, but stupid he was not.

"Bulma, are you sure? Is it Vegeta?" Goku tried, trying to figure out what else it could be. "Is it me?"

Bulma's head shook furiously. "No, Goku. You're...perfect." she sighed, clasping a hand over her mouth immediately as Goku cocked his head to the side curiously. "I mean, nothing at all is wrong with you. And as much as Vegeta annoys me, it's got nothing to do with him either. It's just..." she trailed off, her shoulders slumping as she laid both hands on the table. "I feel so guilty all the time."

Without thinking, Goku patted Bulma's arm gently, trying to comfort her. She placed her own hand over his, keeping the contact. Goku smiled sadly. "I shouldn't keep coming here." he admitted, and Bulma nodded her head silently.

As she released his hand slowly, Goku clenched it under the table, still feeling the warmth. "You need to stop betraying Chi-Chi. Or at least tell her. Seeing a friend shouldn't make us feel so guilty." Bulma replied, blue orbs meeting with ebony.

Silence echoed around the room, as they continued to gaze at each other. Goku stood up and walked over to Bulma, placing his hands on her shoulders, his eyes never leaving hers once.

"That's not what makes me feel guilty."

Bulma's mouth gaped open. What was Goku saying? He was admitting that there was something more behind this? She could have swore that his face was leaning down, closer to his own, his intoxicating scent filling her nostrils as she closed her eyes, awaiting the press of his lips against hers, something she had wanted for so long...

"Bulma! Where are you, sweetie?"

Bulma's eyes snapped open, and she instantly noticed that Goku's face was inches away from her own before his hands left her shoulders and he promptly stepped back, his eyes turning to the floor as he raised one hand to the back of his head. Her breathing ragged, Bulma leaned herself against the counter to recover from what had just happened as her mother entered the kitchen.

"There you are! And who's this I see! My my Goku, you certainly are easy on the eyes these days!" Bunny exclaimed, dropping the many shopping bags that were cradled in her arms into the floor and moving over to Goku, who had taken a step back from the energetic blonde woman. She glanced at Bulma. "You didn't tell me that Goku had become so handsome!"

Bulma's eyes met with Goku's for a second before she turned them to her mother. "Well I, uh... where have you and Dad been?" she asked, changing the subject as she pointed to the bags that now littered the kitchen floor.

Bunny stepped away from Goku, who gave a sigh of relief. "We went everywhere! I bought some lovely things, and even some new dresses for you!" Bunny exclaimed, picking up various bags and handing them to Bulma. "You should go and try them on! I know that they will look fabulous on you!'

With that, Bunny left the kitchen, leaving Bulma and Goku to themselves. Dropping the bags to the floor, Bulma took one step towards Goku hesitantly, not knowing exactly what was going on between them. "Goku?"

He looked at her, and then smiled. "I should go home."

Bulma nodded slowly. "That might be best." she admitted, her heart screaming out in protest. Goku waved a hand at her, and walked over to the balcony door, stepping out and then taking off into the air. Bulma stared out into the sky as his figure disappeared, trying to analyse her afternoon. Goku's departure had certainly been unusual, he was never one to not say goodbye or just leave.

Picking up her bags once more and heading to her bedroom, Bulma sighed once more. All she could do was hope that maybe everything would be set right and then she could resume to being her normal, brilliant self without all the worry that plagued her mind day and night.

+-+

As the wind whipped across his face, Goku took in a deep breath. He had almost kissed Bulma, but that wasn't what had scared him the most. Instead, it was the fact that going to kiss Bulma had felt right. Nothing at all like kissing his wife.

A determined look set into his features. When he returned home, he would tell Chi-Chi the truth. It would hurt her to know everything, but he was already hurting her by going behind his back. He wasn't a selfish person, he had never desired to be at all. But for once in his life, he wanted something.

He wanted something more than he had ever before in his life.

+-+

Chi-Chi was in the kitchen, humming under her breath as she cleaned the numerous dishes that were stacked up beside the sink. Gohan was upstairs, busy with his studies, which always put her in a good mood, and Goku was off somewhere, most likely training as per usual.

A knock sounded from the door, breaking Chi-Chi away from her thoughts. They normally didn't receive many visits, except for her father, and she could usually hear the loud engine from his car when he was approaching the house. Wiping her soapy hands with the dish-towel, she hurried to the door and quickly opened, surprised to see dark ebony eyes glaring at her.

Chi-Chi's eyebrows shot up with surprise. "Vegeta? What are you doing here? I'm sorry but Goku isn't here right now, but I'm sure if you come back later-"

The evil grin that spread across Vegeta's features chilled Chi-Chi to the bone.

"Oh, I am quite aware that Kakarott is not here."