Okay folks! Here it is: chapter 14! Last time, we saw how Vegeta was doing after he uh, accidentally bit Bulma in the lip during a passionate kiss (whoo-hoo!). Bulma, unknowingly bit Vegeta in the hand trying to get away from the passion driven Saiyan, thus completing the second phase in the bonding process and unwittingly opening her mind up to an empathic link with our handsome Saiyan Prince. How is she doing? Does she even know what's going on? Well, read on to find the answers!
Chapter 14About two months after the fateful night where Bulma and Vegeta found themselves in a compromising position…
Bulma was sitting all alone in the bowels of Capsule Corp. working on a top-secret project late at night. Everything seemed to be going according to plan. Her test diagnostics had come back with positive results, which meant that she could start doing a series of initial tests that would make sure the product she was developing would meet the exceedingly high standards put out by Capsule's research and development program.
Looking at the clock that was on the opposite wall, Bulma realized how late it was. Leaning back in her chair, the blue haired goddess let out a loud yawn, stretching her arms out behind her. She always managed to lose track of time when she worked down in the lab by herself. Feeling the low rumble of her stomach, she decided it was time to leave the lab, go visit the kitchen to grab a midnight snack and to finally head up to her rooms to get a decent night sleep. Standing up from the stool she was currently occupying, Bulma gathered the reports she had made out about her prototype creation and stored them neatly in the file cabinet that was located next to the exit door. Hanging up her lab coat next to the door, Bulma made her way out of the lab and back into the living quarters of Capsule Corporation.
Letting out another loud yawn, Bulma picked her way along the corridor on the main level of her home, heading towards the end of her house that contained the kitchen. She liked visiting the kitchen late at night because she got to feel what it was like to be isolated from everyone else. Sure, working in the lab after everyone had gone home was isolating and sometimes sort of creepy in a way, but she knew she could be alone down there and not be disturbed. Hanging out in the kitchen and hoping for solitude and quiet was a dicey proposition unless you came at such an inane time as 1:00 am in the morning. Then you were pretty much guaranteed that nobody would be using the state of the art cooking facility when you wanted some peace and quiet by yourself.
Making her way into the spacious kitchen, Bulma flipped on the lights and then opened the huge refrigerator and pulled out a capsule that contained her favorite flavors of ice cream. She was in the mood for something sweet, creamy and cold, and ice cream would hit the spot, even if it probably wasn't the best thing to eat before going to bed. Pulling the capsule out, Bulma released it and grabbed the flavor she was interested in at the moment, making sure to put the other flavors back in the refrigerator before they could melt. Bulma was in the process of grabbing a bowl from one of the cupboards, when she felt the hair on the back of her neck raise up, signaling that she wasn't alone in the kitchen. Turning around slowly, she almost screamed when she saw it was Vegeta leaning in the doorframe that led outside, watching her every movement with his very critical and discerning eye.
"Vegeta, how many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me? One of these days, I really am going to have an apoplectic attack and then you're just going to have to explain to my parents why I'm dead!" She hated that he always caught her off guard; especially since she had a feeling he did it on purpose for his own amusement. She sometimes thought it would be nice if she could return the favor, but knowing Vegeta, he most likely would hear her coming before she could get a chance to pounce on him, and if she were lucky enough to catch him unawares, he'd probably fry her with a retaliatory ki blast from his hands.
Sporting an amused smirk, Vegeta sauntered into the kitchen, keeping a watchful eye on the beauty standing before him. Not saying a word, he simply walked up to where she was standing holding an ice cream scoop out in front of her, brandishing it like a weapon.Bulma watched him nervously as he made his way around the kitchen island towards where she was standing. There was something not right with this picture, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe it was the way he was looking at her, like she was a piece of prime rib, or maybe it was the fact that she could feel herself being drawn into his gaze, hypnotized by the lights reflecting off of his onyx gaze. All she knew was that she had a feeling running away wasn't going to help and that for whatever reason, Vegeta did not want to harm her. Trying to put her nervousness to the backburner, Bulma decided to distract Vegeta away from whatever purpose he had in mind by engaging him in a conversation. Ignoring her uneasiness, she turned back towards the counter, grabbing the bowl she had been in the process of taking out when Vegeta had interrupted her solitary reverie.
"Well fine, don't say anything. Just keep acting like the jerk I know you are!" She was about to open up the pint of ice cream she had just gotten out of the freezer when she felt Vegeta's hot breath on the back of her neck and his body molding itself to her backside. Caught unawares, she dropped the pint she was holding, feeling it slip through her grasp and hearing it hit the ground with an explosive splat. Feeling Vegeta's arm go around her waist, she took in sharp exhalation of breath as she felt his teeth nip the tip of her earlobe.
"V-Vegeta, what are you doing? Let go of me right now!" Bulma said, feeling the blood rush into her face and other parts of her anatomy that shouldn't have been reacting in such a manner, but they were anyway.
"Why? So you can make another mess in the kitchen? I don't think so." He whispered into her ear. "I think you'll find what I have in store for you is much more diverting than eating that sugary stuff all alone in your room."
Trying to get a reign on her response for the man who was holding her body in a very intimate way, Bulma tried to push her way out of his grasp. She was relieved (and a little annoyed) when Vegeta let her go as quickly as she had found herself in his arms. Sidestepping around the mess she had made when she dropped her ice cream on the floor, she turned around nervously only to see that Vegeta had backed up and was now leaning against the island with his arms crossed watching her to see what she would do next.
Looking at the Saiyan Prince warily, Bulma reached over by the sink to grab some paper towels in order to clean up the mess that was made in part because of Vegeta manhandling her. Turning around, Bulma started to wipe up the mess only to have the feeling that she was being watched. In particular, her rear end was being watched, to be exact. Internally, she was fuming because she didn't like being leered at without permission. She wasn't a piece of eye candy, even if she did dress rather provocatively on occasion, and she certainly didn't want Prince Dickhead enjoying a free show while she was in the process of cleaning up a mess. But externally, she felt excited at the prospect that Vegeta was showing some interest in her, even though he had been in denial for the better part of who knew how long. Trying to clear her mind of the conflicting emotions that were running through her body, she decided the best thing to do would be to tell Vegeta exactly what she thought of his licentious behavior.
"Vegeta, you are acting like a pig! I thought you were better behaved than this. Never, in the entire time I have known you, have you purposefully felt me up and than stared at my ass while I was doing something. In fact, except for a few times when you've stepped into my personal space, you've all but said that you don't think I'm cute. So why the change of heart all of a sudden?" Glaring spitefully back at Vegeta, Bulma waited for his answer, but it wasn't the one she was expecting.
"You and I are tied together Bulma. We're both in denial and this other reality is the only way for us to experience what's going to happen eventually without feeling any guilt."
"Reality? Guilt? What are you talking about? You aren't making any sense Vegeta!" Bulma said exasperatedly. Throwing her hands up in the air, she bent over to retrieve the dirtied paper towels, looking sadly at the remains of what would have been a very delicious midnight snack. Throwing the sodden towels into the waste receptacle underneath the sink, Bulma turned around to head to her room, only to see that Vegeta had disappeared. It was like he had never even been there and only her imagination had conjured him up from thin air. Growling under her breath, Bulma headed out of the kitchen, making sure to turn the light off on the way out the door. Walking up the stairs, Bulma crept by Vegeta's room making sure not to disturb him. Sighing with relief, she opened the door to her own room and walked inside. Turning on the nightstand light, she made her way to the closet and pulled out a new silk nightgown she had bought the other day on a whim. It was pale blue with spaghetti straps, no back and it had a very low neckline. Bulma had no idea what had possessed her to buy it, seeing as she was single again and had been for a while, but she couldn't resist buying sexy things and this lingerie made her feel and look damn hot!
Admiring her new purchase, Bulma wandered over to her bathroom. "What I need is a hot bath to sit back and relax and forget thinking about why Vegeta was acting so weird in the kitchen. Ugh, he's such an asshole!" With that, she opened up the door and walked in to take a long and leisurely soak.
Bulma didn't know how long she had been in the bathtub, but she had a feeling that she had somehow fallen asleep. The bubbles had long since melted away and her body felt like it had turned into a giant raisin. Wrinkling her nose disgustedly, Bulma heaved herself out of the tepid water, grabbing a large towel to dry herself off with. Once that was accomplished, she brushed out her hair, which was slowly losing the curl she had put in last year and slipped on her new sexy nightgown. Letting out a sigh of pure pleasure when she felt the silk slither across her body, Bulma opened the door to go back into her room. That was when the feeling of being watched reasserted itself. Bulma looked around the darkened room, but couldn't see anything at all. All she could do was sense that something wasn't right. It was then that she realized her nightstand light was turned off. She clearly remembered turning it on and leaving it on before she had headed into her bathroom to take a bath. Slowly making her way into the room, she called out shakily to see if anyone was lurking in the shadows.
"Hello? Is anyone in here? I swear to Kami, if you are in here, I'm going to scream so loud and so fast, you won't have a chance to get away if you intend to do bodily harm to me!" Bulma was really starting to freak out now. It was like she had a second sense and she could feel out that something or someone was in her room with her watching her, making sure to conceal themselves in the darkness. She was almost to the door when she felt more than saw something move past her. She was about to let out a terrified scream when she felt a warm hand cover her mouth. Trembling in fear, she tried to get in control of her wits when she suddenly realized the person who was holding her felt very familiar. Vegeta. Struggling, she tried to get away, only to have him let her go once more. She suddenly felt like they were playing cat and mouse and she was the unfortunate mouse.
Turning around nervously, she let out a shuddering breath and then squinted in the darkness to try and find where he was hiding. She felt rather than saw that he was standing a little ways behind her to the right near the door. Turning around to face him while her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she was both afraid and angry. How dare he play games with her!
Glaring at him with her hands on her hips, she collected her feelings before she laid in on him.
"What the hell is your problem? First you grope me in the kitchen and stare at my ass while I'm cleaning up a mess you helped create, and then you sneak into my room while I'm taking a bath and then scare the living daylights out of me because you turned the light out and snuck up on me when I couldn't see you. Sane people do not sneak into other people's bedrooms Vegeta! So get out of my room this instant!" By the time she was done, Bulma was full out shrieking as loud as she could. She was so angry, all she wanted to do was throw something at the prick standing near her door. It didn't even occur to her that she should be at the least a little bit leery of what Vegeta's intentions were. She just wanted him to leave so she could get a goodnight's rest. Unfortunately, Vegeta's plans didn't include him leaving her room.
"I'm not leaving Bulma. I came here for a very specific reason and you are going to oblige me. You aren't going to fight me, you aren't going to scream and you aren't going to act like an annoying crybaby. What you will do is take what I'm about to give you with all the pride and dignity you can muster. And when we are done, you will finally understand what I mean when I say that you don't play with fire unless you have the understanding that you will eventually get burned, regardless if that was the intention in the beginning or not." With that, Vegeta stepped closer to the woman who was slowly backing away from him towards her bed. She noticed how that strange light was back in his eyes and no matter how she tried to look away from his penetrating gaze, she couldn't get away. She felt trapped and immobilized, but at the same time, she felt internally that this was what she wanted and had wanted for some time, whatever this was.
Watching Bulma suddenly stop, Vegeta gave out a smile that was anything but warm. It was feral, wild and possessive, as though by her act of submission, she was suddenly his to do with as he pleased. In that moment, Bulma knew that something was going to happen and she had just given the okay, whether she realized it or not. It was then that she suddenly realized Vegeta had moved in and was now standing right in front of her. Taking his hand, he traced her lip where he had bitten her and Bulma let out a shivery breath full of longing and pent up desire that hadn't been properly fulfilled. That was when the realization dawned on her. He was here to finish what they had started, nothing more. And she being the idiot that she was had just given him the okay. The strange thing was, she didn't want him to stop. She wanted him and he wanted her and there was no point to fighting it anymore. Looking at him, she instinctively bent her head to the side, exposing her neck. Looking at him, she said the five little words that would alter her life forever.
"I surrender to you Vegeta."
And then she woke up.
Bulma sat up in bed as fast as her upper torso would allow her too. Gasping for breath, she tried to get her breathing and rapid heartbeat under control. Looking at the clock next to her bed, she was disgusted to see that it was only four in the morning, way to early for her to be awake. But she didn't think she could go back to sleep after that dream. Looking around her darkened room, she breathed out a sigh of relief when she realized everything seemed to be normal. Muffin was still curled up at the foot of her bed and the night light she had installed a month ago was giving off its dim yet comforting light. Trying to tell herself she was being paranoid, Bulma relaxed against her pillows, staring at the ceiling above her.
Things had started to go downhill for Bulma ever since the stupid night of her blind date when somehow, she and Vegeta had ended up making out in the hallway and she had almost ended up doing the deed with him. She was totally frustrated with herself, but she also felt like she was slowly losing a battle she had no understanding of. All she wanted was to feel normal again. Yeah, her life had never been so called 'normal.' The friends she hung out with and the adventures she had been on were far from ordinary. But that wasn't what was bothering her. It wasn't her life that was wrong. She still worked with her father building, designing and refining technology for Capsule Corporation. It was what was going on inside of her head that wasn't normal, and these dreams seemed to be a manifestation of what she was feeling. And it just didn't make sense!
The dream she had just awoken from had been by far the most realistic and the most disturbing of the ones she had been having almost every day for the past two months since Vegeta had disappeared. But even if it was the most realistic, all of her dreams that she could remember all centered on her and Vegeta, with him somewhere along the line trying to bite her. And every time she woke up from one, she always had this creepy feeling that Vegeta was in her room with her, seeing the same thing she had just seen in her dreams. However, that was impossible. The first dream she had had happened probably a couple nights after their fiasco. She had woken up with a start and then had immediately checked her rooms and the vicinity thereabouts looking for Vegeta's presence. But he was nowhere to be found, and he hadn't made an appearance since the night of their kiss, although Bulma knew he had been back at least a couple of times to pick up clean clothing and armor. It was getting to the point where she didn't want to fall asleep anymore because she knew, inevitably, she would have another bizarre, haunting and all too erotic dream about her and Vegeta and what would happen if he could dig his fangs into her one more time. She felt like she was slowly loosing her mind, that she had some sort of mental illness. And the dreams were just the first symptom that something wasn't right with her head in relation to Vegeta.
Besides having strange dreams about her and Vegeta, the sense that something foreign was in her head hadn't gone away. If fact, it almost felt like it was getting stronger as the months passed by, or maybe it was because she was getting used to the feeling that she was sharing her emotions with someone else. All she knew was that besides what she was feeling at the moment, there was something else in her head that mirrored or more like paralleled what she was feeling. It had taken her the better part of a month to figure out what the strange sensation in the back of her mind was, but she was convinced that it was a set of emotions currently inhabiting the mind of someone else and she was somehow tapped into those feelings. And the longer it went, the more convinced she was that the feelings she was registering that weren't her own belonged to none other than Vegeta, who was hiding out in the wilderness somewhere. She had tried to convince herself that there was no way she could be feeling what Vegeta was feeling, that he had been making up the whole "I tasted your blood so now I can feel what you're feeling" thing. But the longer he stayed away, the stronger the connection between the two of them seemed to be growing. Sometimes, his feelings would be so strong in the back of her head that Bulma would unconsciously start to exhibit some of Vegeta's less enduring personality traits, like being overly snide, hurtful and cruel. And she wondered if this was what it was like to be connected to Vegeta on an emotional level, how must he be reacting to her feelings? It was enough to make Bulma want to shudder.
And on top of everything else, she could no longer deny her attraction for the last man on earth who she had ever thought about having any sort of relationship with. But as the months passed by since that fateful night, the more she tried to search out for suitable boyfriends, the more frustrated she got with the process. At first, she felt guilty, like she shouldn't be going out with anyone since Vegeta had supposedly staked his claim on her (although at the time, she was convinced he had been making up all the stuff about bonding. Who knew that he was possibly telling the truth?). Pushing that to the back of her head, she had made a conscious effort to go out to clubs to meet new boyfriends. And she had met some really hot guys. They were all tall and handsome, plus they had manners, which was something Vegeta lacked completely. But for some reason, whenever they would try to kiss her or ask her to come over to their apartments, she just couldn't do it, even if that's what she really wanted. And it just seemed to get worse from there. The last guy she had made out with, she had accidentally called him Vegeta in a moment of passion. And so Bulma not only found herself dreaming about Vegeta, she was thinking about him all the time as well, which made it impossible to try to forge a relationship with other men. So she was stuck in a single's rut that had nothing to do with the fact that she didn't want a boyfriend and everything to do with the jerk who had almost slept with her and then jumped ship.
Bulma reclined back in her pillows and made sure not to disturb Muffin from his sleep. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she looked up at the ceiling trying to figure out what was going on with her head. She didn't want to believe Vegeta. But unless she really did want to admit that she might be mentally unbalanced, the only other possible alternative was to believe that Vegeta had been telling her the truth about claiming a mate, although he had neglected to fill her in on the details about what was happening to her and he obviously didn't seem to care enough to finish what he had started, leaving her in agony for the last two months. It felt like she was being torn in half. Half of her was still in denial and the other half wanted Vegeta to show up, finish what he had started without her knowing what was going on, so that she could get back to her normal life.
Bulma's life had been in a downward slump ever since she had dumped Yamcha. Trying to fall asleep again, she said a little prayer that hopefully someday soon, her life would start to improve.
Later that day…
Goku found his mind wandering during the sparring match he was currently having with Piccolo. Gohan had had to leave an hour earlier to make up 'special lesson time' with Chi-Chi. Instead of arguing with his wife over the importance of Gohan's training, Goku had gone along with Chi-Chi's idea, figuring it would be simpler and less painful for him if he agreed. Involuntarily, he shuddered at the thought of having Chi-Chi chase him around their small home with the giant frying pan she carried around as her secret arsenal against disobedient husbands and sons. He was in the middle of planting a well aimed kick to Piccolo's head when he suddenly stopped. Without pausing, he called a halt to their fight and landed on the rocky terrain below where they were training.
Looking at his partner, Piccolo tried to assess what was wrong with Goku. It was unlike him to completely stop a match just when it was starting to get good. On top of that, the wild haired Saiyan was looking in a westerly direction with a puzzled look on his face. Suddenly thinking that maybe Trunks had miscalculated and Goku was sensing out the energy levels of the two artificial life forms that were supposed to show up in less then two years, Piccolo powered down and landed beside his counterpart.
Looking at the puzzled Saiyan, Piccolo voiced his concerns. "What's going on Goku? Do you sense the Androids, or is there some other reason why you suddenly stopped fighting me?"
Turning around, Goku gave Piccolo his trademark grin, scratching his head foolishly in the process.
"Ah, no Piccolo. I don't sense any other new or strange power levels. Besides, if I could sense them, you would be able to do so as well. No, it's not an extra power level that's bothering me; it's the lack of one."
Piccolo looked at Goku uneasily, trying to figure out what the Saiyan was talking about. Feeling out for himself, he could sense all of the Z-fighters and everyone seemed to be in tip top condition, if not better. They were all currently training to better prepare themselves for when the inevitable occurred and the Earth would once again be in danger from a sinister force.
"I think I must have hit you too hard in the head earlier because I don't sense a lack of a power level anywhere." Growling impatiently, he crossed his arms and frowned at his lackadaisical training partner. "Goku, what you're saying doesn't make any sense." He was already starting to lose patience, and the more they stood around gawking, the less time they would have to spend on perfecting their training techniques. They'd already wasted half of the morning because both Goku and Gohan had been required to do chores around the house that Chi-Chi refused to let slide until they were done training. And now, just when he and Goku had started to really warm up, the idiot had pulled them to a complete stand still. He was about to attempt to throttle Goku, when the smaller man turned around and pointed in the westerly direction he was staring at.
"No Piccolo. Try to sense for a significant power level to the west and you'll see what I mean."
Muttering under his breath, Piccolo turned in the direction Goku had pointed out, closed his eyes and concentrated on locking onto a strong power level. Letting out a true growl of frustration, he snapped his eyes open and let Goku know exactly what he thought about his counterpart's ridiculous obsession.
"Goku, you are being completely ridiculous! There is no strong power level to the west, so you're just wasting my time! If you're going to act like this, I'll just go split into two and train with myself!" Piccolo was completely exasperated. At least when he trained with Gohan, he didn't have to worry about the kid suddenly shifting gears into what ever mode suited his fancy at the time. Goku, although an excellent and challenging fighter, had the habit of letting whatever came to mind change the track of their sparring. And Piccolo did not like constant interruptions during his training routine. He was about to leave in a huff when he noticed Goku frowning in concentration.
"No Piccolo, I'm not being ridiculous. Think a little. Who do we know that has a strong power level and is currently residing to the west of us?"
That was when it dawned on Piccolo that Goku was talking about the most recent and tenuous addition to the Z-Squad: Vegeta. Closing his eyes again, the tall Namek sensed out for the now familiar ki signature of his former and still possible enemy. This time, he realized what Goku was feeling.
"Vegeta's power level is gone. I can't feel him anywhere. Unless he's masking it somehow, then something is up." Piccolo replied nervously. It wasn't that he really cared one way or the other about Vegeta, seeing as he was still pretty much a wild card and prone to doing whatever he wanted to. However, if what Trunks had said was true, they needed all the strong fighters they could get their hands on so for the time being, Vegeta was a necessary evil.
"That's exactly it Piccolo. Actually, I think I can sense him, but it doesn't make much sense either because he isn't anywhere near where Capsule Corp. is. It's been bothering me for a while, but it wasn't until just now that I figured out what I've been sensing for the last couple of months." Turning around so he was completely facing Piccolo, Goku rubbed his hands back and forth together in an uneasy motion.
Looking back at Goku, Piccolo wondered what exactly it was that Goku had been sensing in conjunction with his new nemesis. He knew that there was some sort of affinity between both Goku and Vegeta since they were both aliens of the same species, whether or not they would ever admit to such a thing or not, so he was curious as to how Goku perceived that something wasn't quite right. Looking at his partner with annoyance, Piccolo voiced his question. "So are you going to explain what's been bothering you or are we just going to sit here and stare at each other like idiots? Like I said, I have much better things I could thing of doing besides examining your ugly profile."
Grinning sheepishly, Goku got his thoughts back on track. "Alright. We both know that Dr. Briefs built Vegeta a Gravity Room similar to the one I used on my way to Namek. And we both know that Vegeta has been training in that thing for the better part of a year trying to make it to Super Saiyan, so all of us have become pretty much immune to the huge amounts of power that Vegeta generates when he's training. It's pretty much a constant thing going on at certain times of the day. Well, in the last couple of months, I haven't felt any high power output coming from West City. I should have jumped on it when I first noticed it, but even though it was in plain sight, I didn't catch it. And you made the same mistake as I did my friend."
"Alright, that's fine Goku. But there has to be another reason why you and I both missed the fact that Vegeta seems to have disappeared from the face of this planet."
"Yeah, you're right Piccolo and I have a solution for that too. I have felt Vegeta training in the last couple of months, but I didn't really pay any attention to it. But now that I think about it, Vegeta has been training somewhere to the north of West City. I can't be sure, but I think that's were he went. At any rate, what's been bothering me is the fact that his power level seems to have been dwindling. That's why it didn't register to me until just now that I can hardly sense Vegeta out at all. It doesn't make sense why he would leave Capsule Corporation to head out to the mountains and why his power level has fallen off past my radar. I think this is really serious, so I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm going to call off training for the rest of the day until I get some answers."
Piccolo just looked sourly at his training partner, feeling his whole day had been an utter and complete waste of time. Grunting irritably, he shook his head in agreement before he commented on Goku's change of plans. "Fine Goku. Do what you think you need to do. Just remember, it'll be double duty tomorrow, and don't think I'll go easy on you because you skipped out today."
"Hey, sure thing Piccolo. You're the greatest!" Smiling, Goku turned around and faced west. Putting his pointer finger to his forehead, Goku closed his eyes in concentration feeling out for Capsule Corporation. Once he got a lock on the position, he waved at Piccolo over his shoulder and promptly disappeared.
A few seconds later at Capsule Corporation…
Mrs. Briefs was humming a ridiculous and off key tune as she pulled a tray of hot chocolate chip cookies out from the oven when Goku suddenly appeared on top of her kitchen table. Shocked from his sudden appearance, Mrs. Briefs promptly dropped the tray she was holding, letting it clatter to the floor with a loud bang. Now, if Mrs. Briefs had happened to possess the same ill temperament as her beloved daughter, this would have been cause for serious concern on Goku's part. But Mrs. Briefs recovered from her fright instantaneously, eager to have company even if they did just literally pop in from out of thin air. She was also a sucker for good looking, muscular hunks, and Goku fit into the category hands down. Simpering foolishly at the handsome young man standing before her on her table, Mrs. Briefs put a hand to her blushing cheek.
"Oh my Goku, you gave me such a fright! But that's alright. Why don't you get down from the table and make yourself more comfortable? I wouldn't want you to think that I'm a terrible hostess."
Blushing slightly for his misfortune to have ended up in such an embarrassing position, Goku jumped off the table he was currently standing on. Seeing that he was the one who had caused Mrs. Briefs to literally toss her cookies, Goku offered to help her pick them up, afraid that he might get in trouble with Bulma.
"Oh certainly Goku! But you're a guest, so if you don't want to help me clean up the mess, you can sit down and I'll bring you a giant plate of cookies and a heaping glass of milk. I know how you Saiyans operate!"
"Uh, that's okay Mrs. Briefs, really! I don't mind helping you out, but I wouldn't be averse to some cookies and milk. I'm starving!" With that statement, Goku's belly let out a very audible rumble that even Mrs. Briefs could hear and she was standing more than a few feet away from the hungry Saiyan.
Bending over, Goku hurriedly picked up the hot cookies before they could burn his finger tips. Throwing them in the garbage can Mrs. Briefs proffered him, he finished the job and then sat down at the table, waiting for the snack Mrs. Briefs had promised him. Looking around him as he shoveled handfuls of cookies into his mouth, he was envious that Vegeta had such a large kitchen at his disposal. Sighing when his plate was empty, Goku rubbed his belly and scratched his head, taking note of all the things he wanted Chi-Chi to do to their kitchen.
"Wow Mrs. Briefs, that sure was good! You're a great cook. So, how come you guys decided to remodel the kitchen?" After all, he was entitled to some curiosity.
"Oh, the kitchen? Dr. Briefs and I went on vacation a few months back and I forgot to stock the old refrigerator with food before I left. I guess Vegeta was really hungry and got upset when there was nothing to eat so he destroyed the refrigerator and half of the kitchen. I always say, boys will be boys and Vegeta is just so cute, I couldn't be upset with him for doing something like that. Besides, I like the remodeled kitchen much better than I did the old one and it gave me a chance to redecorate." With that, Mrs. Briefs motioned to the art she had decorating the walls and the nooks and crannies where her roosters used to be. Instead of ugly roosters, the walls now were graced with even uglier neon colored dolphins that Mrs. Briefs had become enamored with on her recent cruise in the tropics.
Not knowing whether to comment on Mrs. Briefs' decorating job or the fact that Vegeta seemed to have it made in the shade, Goku decided to cut to the chase about why he was there.
"Uh, that's great Mrs. Briefs. Do you know where Vegeta is? Is he around?"
"Vegeta?" Mrs. Briefs suddenly looked sad, like she had lost a beloved friend. "No. I haven't seen him around for a while." Perking up a bit, Mrs. Briefs decided to make a concession, thinking it would probably do her daughter some good to see one of her friends. She'd been down in the dumps ever since that night and Mrs. Briefs was starting to worry that there was seriously something wrong with her only child. "But how about I call Bulma up here? She'd love to visit with you." Before Goku could protest, Mrs. Briefs when over to the wall communicator and had Bulma paged to the kitchen.
"Now, you just sit right there and I'll go make sure my daughter shows up." With that, Mrs. Briefs left the puzzled Saiyan alone. He only had to wait a few minutes before Bulma walked into the kitchen. Or at least, he though it was Bulma, but he was shocked by her appearance. The Bulma he knew was vibrant, healthy and full of life. The Bulma he saw in front of him was everything but. She was thin, as though she had lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time. Her eyes had a strange glow to them, and there were also dark circles weighing down on her cheeks. She looked exhausted and miserable. In short, she looked like death was warming up over her.
Smiling wanly, Bulma slipped into a chair at the table and sighed. It was nice to finally see Goku seeing as she couldn't even remember when it was the last time they had gotten together. Looking at the remains of what must have been a giant serving of cookies, Bulma smiled thinking that some things never changed.
"Hey Goku! What's up? What brings you all the way out to little ol' Capsule Corp?"
Goku smiled nervously back at the woman seated before him. His mind was still puzzling over how she had ended up in this sort of condition. In fact, internally, his mind was reeling. Everything felt wrong. Everything! Looking at Bulma, he voiced his opinion, not caring what she was going to do to him.
"Man Bulma, something is not right with you. You look terrible!"
"Oh, well thanks for that wonderful assessment, Mr. Congeniality!" Bulma shot back at Goku sarcastically. Honestly, like she didn't know she looked terrible? It was an outward expression of how crappy she felt internally, and she didn't know what she could do to change it. And it was all stupid Vegeta's fault!
Cringing at her tone of voice, Goku decided it would be best to get this conversation over with so he could leave in one piece.
"Look Bulma, I didn't come over to fight with you. I'm just really worried about you and Vegeta." Well, he hadn't been worried about Bulma, but seeing her like this was almost unreal to Goku.
"Oh, you're worried about me? A well thanks for your concern, but it's none of your damn business." She could feel herself tapping into the feelings of rage in the back of her mind and she had to physically restrain herself from lunging at Goku. It just seemed so impossible, like she was losing herself and her sanity, especially since she kept feeding into that other portion of her mind that wasn't hers. Putting her head in her hands, Bulma started to feel tears of frustration well up over her eyes and slide down her hands and arms to the table below. "I'm sorry Goku. I don't know what came over me. I'm not usually so moody, but lately I just haven't been myself. As for Vegeta, he isn't here. He left two months ago and no one has seen him since, although I do know he's been back a couple of times to pick up supplies. He's just a jerk, and I hate him!" Bulma said without any real conviction in her voice. It was more that she hated the situation she found herself in, with no solution to her predicament in sight. Feeling as though she was being watched, Bulma lifted her face and peered into the concerned gaze of Goku.
"I guess it's none of my business, but is everything okay between you and Vegeta? He didn't do anything to you did he?" If that was the case, Goku would go out right then and there and end Vegeta's miserable life, even if it meant that Trunks would never be born into this timeline. There was no excuse in Goku's mind for such behavior.
Wiping her eyes, Bulma shook her head no. Yeah, Vegeta had done something to her, but she wasn't about to tell Goku about what had happened. It was too embarrassing to share, and knowing him, within a matter of minutes, the rest of the Z-Squad would be in on her private humiliation. The last thing she needed was for stupid Yamcha to show up and bitch her out and she had a feeling that's exactly what would happen, even if she had made out with Vegeta way after she broke up with the womanizer for good. Besides which, she knew what Goku was referring to and thank Kami, that had not happened between her and Vegeta.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Goku decided to move on. "Do you know where he is Bulma? I can't sense his power level, which either means he left the planet or he's in serious trouble."
Scrunching her eyes up in concern, Bulma looked worriedly at Goku. If he couldn't sense Vegeta…she didn't want to think of what that would mean. Closing her eyes, she instinctively felt out the ball of emotions in the back of her head, something she had never done before. She felt them quiver and recoil away from her touch as though they did not want to be violated. Smirking inwardly, she took it to mean Vegeta was still alive and kicking, although she didn't want to think about how she knew that to be true. Altogether, it was a completely bizarre situation and Bulma did not like it one bit.
"No, he hasn't left Earth and he's still alive. I think he's somewhere directly north of here, but don't ask me how I know that because I can't explain it."
"Really, you're positive Bulma?"
Becoming annoyed with Goku because he didn't have faith in her statement, Bulma growled at him, something Goku had never seen her do in all the time he had known her. Swallowing nervously, he pushed his chair back a bit, afraid that Bulma was going to go off the deep end and he was the one who was about to witness it.
Bulma saw Goku move and had to quell down the feeling that she'd shone him up. Sighing again, she pushed back the aggressive feelings that were becoming more and more a part of her sub-conscious.
"Sorry about that Goku. Like I said, I haven't been myself lately. But as for Vegeta, I'm positive he's still alive. He's hiding out in the wilderness doing lord knows what. And I'm sure if you travel north of here, you'll find his good for nothing, jackass body taking up space." With that statement, Bulma stood up from the table and pushed in her chair. "Look Goku, I don't mean to cut this short, but I'm working on a really important project that I have to get back to. It was really nice seeing you, though." Coming around the table to where Goku was standing up, Bulma gave him a big hug and was happy when he returned it tenfold. Why couldn't she have ended up with a guy like Goku? Sure, he wasn't the brightest fish in the sea and he wasn't always a reliable husband, but he cared about people and he made an effort to make sure that all of his friends were being taken care of, no matter what their circumstances were. Life just wasn't fair sometimes!
Backing up a bit from Bulma, Goku looked into her strange, feverish eyes. There was something really wrong with her, but he didn't know what he could do to help her out. And then there was Vegeta. If she said he was alive then Goku believed her. But for some reason, Goku had a feeling that whatever was eating away at Bulma was somehow tied to Vegeta, and that Vegeta might be in a similar state when he found him. None of this was good in Goku's opinion because if they both had some sort of disease, then Trunks wouldn't be born and everything would go wrong. He had to find Vegeta, he just had to! Steeling himself for what he knew he had to do, Goku gave Bulma a warm smile full of concern and support.
"Hey Bulma, try to take care of yourself. Take it for what its worth, but maybe instead of going back to the lab, you should try and take a nap. You look like you need a good rest."
Bulma involuntarily shuddered at the thought of taking a nap. It wasn't worth the miniscule amount of sleep she might get. But he was right: she was exhausted. It had been over a month since she had had decent rest and she didn't know how she was making it through day after day being able to function in a somewhat normal fashion. Sooner or later though, her lack of sleep was going to catch up with her and she really did not want to know what would happen when she finally let all of her guards down.
"It's okay Goku, I'll be fine." Bulma said all too cheerily. Then looking seriously at Goku, she asked him a question. "Goku, are you going to go and search for Vegeta to find out if he's okay?"
"Yeah, that's my plan. In fact, that's what I'm going to do when I leave here."
Sighing with relief that she would find out if the idiot was alright, she relaxed a little bit. The truth was, even though she still wanted to chew him out for being a royal pain in the ass, Bulma was worried about him, especially since he had been gone for so long without even a word of his whereabouts. Knowing he was fine would help to reduce some of the stress she was feeling.
"Hey Goku, when you find him, could you…Could you tell him to stop being so stubborn and come home?" Bulma whispered softly.
Seeing the look of sadness on Bulma's face, Goku felt torn. He wanted to go figure out what was up with Vegeta, but Bulma looked so miserable. Shaking his head, he made conscientious decision to go and find Vegeta and get some answers to what was going on between the two of them.
"Sure thing Bulma. In fact, if he refuses, I'll drag his butt all the way back here, even if kicks and screams and threatens to kill me! Well, I gotta go if I want to find him before supper time. I don't want to have to deal with Chi-Chi being mad at me because I'm late." Putting his pointer finger to his forehead, Goku concentrated on a position about two hundred kilometers north of West City. From there, he would have a better chance of picking out Vegeta's ki signature. Locking in on the position, Goku waved goofily at Bulma with his free hand and disappeared.
Bulma stared at the spot where Goku had just been standing. Shaking herself awake, she whispered something to herself that she would never have told Goku or even Vegeta a few months ago.
"Come back home Vegeta. I don't know why, but I miss you."
Wow, that was another long one! Well, Bulma seems to be in pretty bad shape, so how has our Saiyan Prince faired in the last few months? What will Goku discover if he finds the ever elusive Vegeta? Find out in the next chapter! As always, please read and review.
P.S. And if you want to be the really great readers I know you are, please check out the other story I started and tell me what you think (read and review, please!). It's about Vegeta and Goku and it is called "And The Secret Ingredient Is" Not that I'm shamefully self-advertising or anything!