Destiny

Chapter 14: Found

Being tossed on Vegeta's bed like a ragdoll took the air out of Bulma's lungs as her back hit it. When Vegeta did not immediately appear over her, she sat up on her elbows. She was in the light and it was hard to see past it. "Vegeta?" she called quietly.

Vegeta was watching Bulma from the far side of the room. He knew her eyesight was not as keen as his and she would not be able to see him until her eyes adjusted. He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. His tail twitched behind him in a nervous fashion. He was hesitant. What the hell am I doing? I can't do this, he thought as he inhaled slowly. Frowning, he tore his shirt off. Her scent is all over me. Vegeta looked back over at Bulma. She was on all fours, squinting.

"Vegeta? I know you're still in here. You're not trying to scare me are..." Bulma stopped when Vegeta was suddenly in her face. She sat still, frozen in place by the way he was looking at her. Primal did not even begin to describe it. Bulma did not know whether to be afraid or turned on by it. Somehow she was both. "Were you hiding from me?" she asked.

Vegeta pushed her down on her back and hovered over her. "Why would I be hiding from such a weak woman like you? You are of no threat to me. I should be the one hunting you," he said while leaning down to her face.

Frowning, Bulma met his challenge. "I am no threat as long as we're not touching, my prince." She started to move her hands to his shoulders. Vegeta immediately grabbed both of her hands and pinned them above her head. The action happened faster than Bulma could see and or even register in her mind. "Vegeta..."

His right hand continued to hold her hands above her head while his left tore at her shirt. She had gotten used to being naked in front of him, but not with him so close to her. Having him touch her was different than having him glance at her from 10 feet away. Bulma shut her eyes and squirmed unconsciously. Vegeta trapped her between his legs to cease her movement completely.

"Look at me, woman," he said. Bulma slowly opened her eyes and inhaled sharply. He was so close to her. "Are you afraid?"

What a strange question, she thought.

"Strange or not, answer the damn question." He was at her neck again, dragging his teeth across her skin.

If you can hear me like this, you should be able to tell what my feelings are.

"Say it."

Bulma flinched and squeezed her eyes shut again as he bit her earlobe. "No." He bit down hard on her shoulder and she was sure he had drawn blood. "No, I'm not afraid." She did not know why she repeated herself.

Vegeta moved back slightly and held himself just above her. Bulma opened her eyes and looked at him. There was something different about his expression. There was something different about all of him. His body seemed larger. His hair seemed longer. Even his swaying tail seemed longer and thicker. What Bulma found the strangest was the sudden change in his eyes. Red was slowly creeping into his sclera and it was giving them a very feral glow. Bulma found herself wondering what other parts of his body had... enlarged.

"Vulgar woman," Vegeta mumbled.

Bulma's eyes widened. Damnit! I should've known he'd hear that! Keep your mind... Oh wow...

"Have you ever done this before, woman?" Vegeta drew back slightly to look at her. "Don't answer that. I'll find out myself."

Bulma inhaled sharply as Vegeta pulled her down from the head of the bed. In a flash, she was on her stomach. This all seemed vaguely familiar to Bulma. She felt Vegeta's rough hands run up her thighs to the top of her pants. Once his fingers gripped the waist her eyes snapped open. Before even she knew what was happening, she was fighting.

Agile and quick as he was, Vegeta only managed to dodge the first two kicks from Bulma's legs. The third caught him in his stomach as she fought to turn over. He coughed, surprised at how powerful her strikes were. He caught her left foot as it came for his chin. Usually, such thrashing would've turned him on; Saiyans loved a good fight in any way and anywhere. But there was something about the way Bulma was fighting to get away from him that turned him all the way off. It was tough to fight his instinct, but Vegeta managed to release her and back off. Bulma scooted up to a sitting position against the headboard of the bed. She pulled her knees up to her chest.

She was shaking. The moonlight was on her face and Vegeta could see shining streaks running from her eyes. Her eyes were darting around frantically. He realized that he had retreated to the shadowed part of the bed. She could no longer see him clearly and was scared of being alone in that moment. What has gotten into her?

"Woman," Vegeta said sternly.

Bulma blinked a few times. The flashback that was playing out like a scene before her eyes melted away to reveal Vegeta's dark room. She could see his outline in the shadows. "Ve-Vegeta?" she croaked. She coughed lightly to clear her throat. Bulma began furiously wiping her cheeks. When had she started crying? She could not remember how the flashback started.

I turned over. Vegeta was behind me and... Bulma covered her mouth and looked at him. She immediately scrambled off the bed and with speed that impressed Vegeta, she ran out of the room.

Vegeta listened as she slammed the door to the bathroom. He could hear the sounds of her wretching. He was obviously not going to satisfy his need tonight. Had he frightened her off? He'd never seen her look so terrified; not even while facing Frieza's punishment. Sighing, Vegeta glanced down at himself. He wasn't going to be able to get any sleep in his room tonight. He got off the bed, slipped on a pair of pants, and left the house.

Bulma heard the front door open and close. She was huddled in the far corner of the bathroom, hugging herself and shivering. Why did I do that? Why am I still seeing that? Why won't these memories leave me alone? Why? She began clawing at her hair. She had not meant to scare Vegeta off. He wouldn't want me if he knew anyway. She leaned her head back and exhaled while closing her eyes.

The morning could not come fast enough for Bulma.

Juu tapped her finger on the armrest of the commander's chair in the control room of the large ship. All of Yamcha's men were below her, working steadily. While they wore gray, she was the only one wearing white. The door behind her opened and she rolled her eyes. "I still have no desire to speak with you, Yamcha," she said. She heard a sigh behind her and smirked inwardly. "You may go back to whatever whore you were with before you came in here."

"You always think I'm with a woman. Are you really still that bitter about our breakup?" Yamcha took a seat beside her. If he could not get her to speak about the mission, he would have to eventually steer the conversation in that direction. Juu slowly turned her head to face him. The expression she wore was one of silent rage.

"You think I'm bitter about the breakup? Yamcha, I left you. Why the hell would I be bitter about ending a relationship on my own terms?" she asked, trying to keep her voice level and quiet.

Yamcha realized he was pushing the right buttons. He ran a hand through his sloppy black hair and smiled. "If you say so. But, I'd appreciate it if you didn't push me around in front of the men like that."

"Yamcha, you got men senselessly killed. I'll slap you whenever and wherever the fuck I want." Juu pressed a few buttons on the right armrest. A small, translucent screen popped up in front of her. After a moment, a silhouette appeared. "Good morning, Black," she said.

Black nodded shortly. "I see you made it off the planet safely." His voice was still significantly warped. Juu imagined she sounded the same way to him. "Did you meet up with him?"

"He's sitting next to me as we speak. His harebrained scheme killed some of our allies. Their armies might be reluctant to join with us, seeing how they will assume we are impulsive. Plus," Juu glared over at Yamcha, "killing off their leaders doesn't reflect well."

"Hey! You're acting like everything I did was wrong!" Yamcha yelled. Some of the men below them looked towards the two. "I still don't understand why you are so pissed about this. It's getting fucking old now."

Black cleared his throat. "What about Blue?"

"Blue's whereabouts are unknown. I'd love to believe that all of them survived, but I am not sure."

"What about the wild card? Do you have a picture so that I may keep an eye out? You never know who you might cross in the cosmos."

Juu nodded and pressed a few buttons. A picture of Bulma staring up popped up on the screen. "She is also missing. I'm inclined to believe she may have gotten away as well. From what I hear, she's quite the escape artist and she had been making friends with Blue and his kin. Frieza's main focus will definitely be on finding her before anything else."

"Have you heard?" Black asked suddenly. Juu shook her head. "Frieza has been systematically destroying planets on the far reaches of his portion of the galaxy. I assume he suspects that rebels and even his little princess made it out to the border planets to avoid detection. He does a thorough search of the planet and then destroys it for wasting his time. He is definitely on a mission to find this girl."

"Any suggestions?"

"Make it to a planet outside the empire. Tread carefully, as I hear he might be looking into scouts past his borders. He cannot destroy what is not under his jurisdiction according to PTO guidelines. However, he can perform searches as long as the planet's rulers give their permission. Even Frieza follows the rules he makes. "

Juu nodded. "I suppose you're correct. We will take refuge on a planet outside of his authority but one far enough to gain some time. Until then, Black." Black nodded as she cut the transmission. Juu glanced over at Yamcha. "Make yourself useful and find a planet close enough to us that has resources we can use."

Yamcha narrowed her eyes before rolling them. "Sure thing, boss." He rose from his seat and left Juu to her thoughts.

"This blows!"

Tarble stopped moving and looked down at his sister. She stood on the ground, doubled over and panting heavily. Sighing, Tarble lowered himself from the ground. He landed a small distance from her and crossed his arms. It had been three standard weeks since jumpstarting her ki and she could barely fly at half-speed an hour before tiring out. She barely made it past 30 minutes at full speed. She had made great progress considering where she started weeks before. However, the recovery process was not as fast as the princess wanted it to be.

"Kinomi, you're expecting too much too soon. You can't force it. All you can do is make sure you stay in shape," Tarble said, approaching his sister.

"Don't you think I know that?" She stood up straight and glared at him. "But how can I train when I can't even last long enough through a simple kata or flying? I'm weaker than I was as a kid. As I said before, THIS BLOWS!" Kinomi's voice went up several octaves and made Tarble flinch. Kinomi crossed her arms and began to stalk away.

Sighing, her twin brother ran after her and reached out for her. "Kinomi, it's a long way back. We flew quite far from the camp. Let me..." Tarble immediately recoiled when Kinomi turned and swung at him. He raised an eyebrow at the sudden jump in her ki. It was not full power, but it was significantly higher than her current maximum. As quickly as the surge appeared it was gone again. By Kinomi's expression, she had not even noticed it.

Kinomi ignored the shocked expression on her brother's face. She turned away from him in a huff. "I'll find my own way back!" she yelled. With that, she started running. Tarble shook his head and took to the sky.

The princess arrived back their capsule house late that night. Under the cloudless sky, she could see that Tarble had left a fire going. She walked up to it. There was half a carcass left over. It did not look to have been sitting there long. Kinomi walked right up to it, took a seat by the fire, and began eating. She'd been walking for hours and was starving.

Maybe I should've gone with Tarble. I'm exhausted, she thought blearily.

"I know how you feel."

Kinomi turned her head to the left. Tarble was standing in the doorway of the house. Rolling her eyes, she turned away from him and continued eating. "What do you know about it? You still have your ki. The only thing I still have is physical strength. Not exactly enough to get by with in our line of work," she said through a mouthful.

"I still have my ki. But I also know what it's like to feel like you have none." Tarble walked over to his sister and took a seat beside her. He tossed a piece of wood on the dying fire and sighed. Kinomi slowed her eating, waiting for him to continue. "I've always been weaker than everyone else. I'm almost no good in a real battle. I'll probably never be as strong as Vegeta, or even you. It took me a long time to come to terms with that. I really don't think I'm completely over it. Contrary to what you may think, I do love to fight. I just have no natural affinity for it like you."

"I've never thought about it like that. I just always assumed you hated fighting and took to your books and computers instead," Kinomi responded dryly. She heard Tarble chuckle a bit as she finished eating. "What's so funny?"

"I took to my books and computers because I wanted to be of use. If I can't do much physically, I could at least compensate for being the brains of this outfit. Without me you'd all go traipsing off into space with tracking devices still implanted in your skulls and scouters."

Kinomi's chewing slowed down. "Wait a minute... We had tracking devices in our skulls?"

"Usually they're at the base of the spine but since we have tails, Frieza's scientists thought it best not to implant them there. Thanks to me and Chichi, we don't have them anymore," Tarble replied matter-of-factly. He seemed pleased with that accomplishment. Kinomi rolled her eyes and looked into the fire. "We're going to have to leave as soon as your power gets at least halfway there."

"I agree. Are we close to the border?" She stood up to smother the fire.

"Yes. There's a planet called Tech-Tech coming close in its orbit. We should be able to take refuge there until further notice."

"Good. Let's get some rest." Kinomi pulled her brother to his feet. She gave him a quick hug and then hurriedly began walking away. "If you ever tell anyone about that I will skin you alive and feed you your tail." Tarble only laughed at the threat and followed her back to the house.

Bulma stared at a holographic map of the galaxy. She zoomed out from the planet they were on. She saw the name of the system they were in. The Remus System, a ten day travel from what used to be Frieza Planet One. Closest system to us is the Romulus System. I don't know much about that system. Maybe Vegeta knows if any planets are in it that have decent ships and communication devices, she thought. Then she glanced around the area and stood up to walk back into the house. She headed for the cooler and pulled it open.

"Empty. Why didn't I go looking for food earlier?" She thought about her day. She had not seen hide nor hair of Vegeta since the night before. When she awoke in the bathroom, he was already in the gravity chamber. He had not left once. "Vegeta isn't going to leave that training room for another couple of hours," Bulma mumbled to herself. She slammed the cooler shut and went to the small makeshift armory. She grabbed a weapon and a small sack. Then she headed back outside. She glanced up at the sky. "I only have about thirty minutes of good light left. Best make the most of it."

Contrary to what Bulma believed, Vegeta was not in the gravity simulator. Instead, he was standing on the cliff that Bulma loved to frequent. With the sun setting, the moons were becoming clearer and their light was becoming stronger. He needed to transform, if only for a little while. While he would normally have control over himself, the moonlight was so strong that it would prove to be more difficult than usual. The bigger question is will this transformation be felt from space? I doubt anyone is close enough to get a significant reading, he thought as he started to strip. The clothing they had was not made to stretch with him. He would have to go bare. Once he was undressed, Vegeta took a deep breath and jumped off the high cliff.

Bulma had traveled farther from the camp than she realized. She'd also stayed over the allotted time she'd given herself. However, her trip proved to be worth it. She ended up with a full bag of fruit; easily enough for seven more days. At least now I won't have to come back out here for a while. By the way, where is here? she thought as she came to a stop. Somewhere along the line, Bulma had gotten turned around. Shit! This isn't good. Vegeta doesn't even know where I am.

The lavender-haired telepath reached into her bag and pulled out a flashlight. After hitting it against her hand a few times, the bright light came on. Bulma glanced around and saw that she was completely surrounded by trees and darkness. She could not even hear the water from the river running. After making a complete circle, Bulma started walking to her right, using the flashlight as a guide. Her eyes were not adjusting to the darkness well.

The sounds of the forest were beginning to scare Bulma. She'd heard them before. However, hearing them while being under the protection of a Saiyan prince was something totally different than being alone in the forest. She tried to quiet her footsteps in order to not gain the attention of any predators. What's the point of that? Predators hunt. They'll have noticed me way before I notice them.

A growl caused Bulma to stop in her tracks. The noise was so loud that Bulma wondered how she had not heard anything coming towards her. She turned off her flashlight and allowed her eyes to adjust. Glancing around, she saw nothing at first. The growl resounded and then turned into a full roar. It was coming from somewhere to Bulma's left. Her mind was screaming at Bulma to turn in the opposite direction and run for her life without looking back. Her body seemed to act on its own accord and Bulma started moving towards the noises.

As she grew closer, the growls continued and there was the sound of something breaking. Or is it something tearing? What will I see when I get to the source? Bulma's fear seemed to dissipate as she stepped into a clearing. She stopped completely and gasped at what she saw.

The moonlight shone down on what appeared to be a large ape. The ape was tearing into the giant animal that was easily twice its size. Its hands were covered in blood and Bulma could see the innards of the dead animal hanging from its teeth. The ape had not yet noticed Bulma and she would have preferred it to stay that way. When she saw the large ears of the ape twitch, she knew it had heard her.

The ape turned its head towards Bulma. Its red eyes narrowed at her. Bulma was staring right back at it. She felt as though she should be running in the opposite direction but she was so fascinated by the beast in front of her that she could not move. Why haven't I ever seen this animal before? Is it the only one of its kind? And how does something this large sneak around? Surely Vegeta would've... Her thoughts halted as Vegeta entered her mind. Vegeta... Bulma took a single step forward.

The ape growled so low that it felt as though the ground shook with it. It stood up to its full height and walked across the clearing towards Bulma. Bulma lost her balance and fell to her knees. The bag of fruit dropped and the fruits rolled away. Bulma quickly got back on her feet as the ape stopped in the middle of the clearing.

"It attacks a beast much larger than it and then just watches something that isn't even a sixteenth its size. Perhaps I don't look tasty enough for it," Bulma whispered to herself. She continued to stare in the eyes of the ape. Its gaze had yet to leave her. Bulma took another step forward and once again the ape growled. Swallowing, Bulma started walking slowly towards the ape. She came out of the shadowed area of the clearing.

The fogginess in Vegeta's head started to evaporate as the small body in front of him became clearer. He had not realized how powerful the moons' light would be. It was overwhelming. He'd trained many times in order to control himself while transformed, but it had proven too much this time around. He tasted blood in his mouth and knew some unfortunate beast had crossed his path. The prince then focused on the lavender-haired being in front of him.

What is she doing out here? Doesn't she realize it's dangerous; that I'm dangerous? Vegeta subconsciously growled at the approaching woman. She paused momentarily and then began her approach again. She's such an idiot. Vegeta could feel his control slipping once more. He had to get away from Bulma but something kept him rooted in his spot. The cloudiness began to take over once more and he knew that he would probably kill her once that happened. He wanted to call out to her and tell her to get away but he couldn't. All he could do was keep sending warning growls.

Bulma stopped about 50 feet from the ape and stared up at it. It had been growling at her for the majority of the time she'd been walking. The displeased sound did not deter her, though. She continued to stare at the animal in bewilderment. "Vegeta..." she whispered.

Surprisingly, the ape stopped growling. It stared at Bulma with a quizzical expression. Then it reached down towards her. Bulma gasped as its large hand wrapped around her body and lifted her until they were eye level. To her astonishment, the ape's touch was incredibly light. She had thought he would immediately squeeze the life out of her. Bulma watched as it scrutinized her slowly. It opened its free hand and placed Bulma on her feet in it. Bulma wobbled for a moment but quickly gained her balance. Though she was now covered in blood, it did not faze her too much.

"It is you, Vegeta," Bulma said quietly. The ape brought her closer and narrowed its eyes once again. Then it lowered its hand back to the ground. Bulma stumbled down to the ground and glanced back up at the ape.

Dust kicked up around Bulma and she shut her eyes. She opened them and watched as the ape began to shrink. Somehow, she was not surprised to learn that her hunch about the ape was right. She did not know how, but she knew that the ape was indeed Vegeta. It was part of the reason she did not back away.

Despite him being covered in blood, Bulma did not shy away from him. However, as Vegeta stared blankly at her, she could not think of anything to say. They just stood there staring at one another. Bulma said the first thing that popped into her head after the 5-minute staring match. "If you were hungry, all you had to do was say so." She gave Vegeta a tiny smile after her poor attempt at a joke. She mentally kicked herself at such an airheaded response.

Vegeta found her nervousness somewhat comical. "What are you doing out here, woman? You're too far away from the camp," he berated.

She rolled her eyes and looked away. "Yes, I know. Out here be monsters and all that. I just went to find some fruit and I wandered off farther than I thought. I tried finding my way back using the flashlight but then I stumbled upon you..." Bulma when she felt the sudden nearness of another body to hers. She turned her head back in Vegeta's direction to see that he was inches away from her. "You've gotta stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"For one, invading my personal space." Bulma placed her hands on his bare, bloody chest and pushed him lightly. As expected, it was like pushing against a stone wall and Vegeta did not move an inch. Sighing, Bulma turned around and started gathering up the fallen fruit. "Let's go back now. It's getting cold out here."

Vegeta inhaled slowly. He was only so close in order to scent her. To his displeasure, her scent was masked by all the blood she was covered in. He tried to tell himself that it was great that her scent was being masked; it most likely would've set his instincts off again. Still, he wanted to be near her. Vegeta knew why, but he was not ready to admit it to himself. She was not ready for him anyway.

"Vegeta, did you hear me?" Bulma's voice pulled him out of his reverie. "I don't know the way back. You'll have to be my guide," she said. Narrowing his eyes, Vegeta stalked over to Bulma. Her eyes widened minutely before he picked her up in a bridal carry. She struggled to hang on to her bag of fruit. Before she could protest, Vegeta took off into the air. Bulma instantly wrapped her arms around his neck and held on.

The flight back was quiet with Bulma hiding her face against the cold air. Vegeta's body gave off its fair amount of heat on its own. How is he always so warm? Must be a Saiyan thing, Bulma thought. It wasn't until after they flew past the camp towards the waterfall that it set in that Vegeta was completely nude. She only took serious notice when he began descending towards the lake the waterfall emptied into. What the hell happened to his clothes? Has he been naked this whole time?

"You're filthy, woman. You need to clean off before you track dirt and blood in the house," Vegeta said evenly.

Bulma scoffed. "You're one to talk. It's caked on you like a second skin. It's only on my clo... Vegeta, put me down!" The bag of fruit slipped from her fingers as Vegeta pried her arms from around his shoulder. Bulma fought to hold on but his grip was too solid. Vegeta peeled her off of him. When he was in the center of the lake, he stopped. Bulma's eyes widened in realization of what he was about to do. "Vegeta!"

The prince simply released her. She let out a yelp as she hit the water. Bulma quickly regained her bearings and stood up in the water. The water came up to her chest and it was cold. Bulma pulled her wet hair out of her face and glared daggers at Vegeta. He just hovered above her unflinching and looking smug.

"I'm still fully-clothed, idiot! Now look at me!"

"Take them off if you're so concerned about them." Vegeta lowered himself into the water.

Bulma pouted and turned away from him. She waded a few feet away from Vegeta and kept her back turned. She slowly began to peel her clothes off. They were ruined and no amount of washing would get the bloodstains out. She tossed the shirt away from her and removed her pants next. She could feel Vegeta watching her but did not look in his direction. She suddenly felt self-conscious around him. It was irrational; she had not felt this way the night before. So why was she attempting to keep herself hidden from him now?

Vegeta recognized what she was doing. There were two elephants in the lake, so to speak. He watched her scrub the blood off her arms silently. He moved slowly and silently over to her. When he was directly behind her, he stood still. Bulma stiffened slightly as his tail wrapped around her thigh. "Do you always walk right into danger zones, woman?" he whispered.

"Danger zones? I am in no danger around you, Vegeta," she said plainly.

"What if I had not recognized you? With the moons this strong, I could barely control myself. You are very lucky, woman."

Bulma smiled lightly. The water no longer seemed cold with Vegeta so near. "Even your subconscious wouldn't have hurt me, Vegeta."

"You walked right up to me like that, but you ran from me earlier. Why?" Vegeta saw her stiffen again. His tail squeezed her thigh a little. Bulma sighed and looked down at the water. "Woman..."

"The position I was in reminded me of something I'd rather I forget. It doesn't matter, though. I don't want to talk about it right now." Bulma turned around and faced him. A forced smile was on her face. "How did you find this place? I didn't even know there was a waterfall so close to the camp."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes as he looked down his nose at her. "Would it not have been beneficial for me to scout this area? Clearly you failed to do it."

Bulma frowned at him and turned around. She began wading towards the waterfall. The blood had gotten in her hair and she needed to wash it. The water got progressively deeper as she got closer to the waterfall. Soon, she found herself swimming a bit. When she got to the waterfall, she dunked her head under the water to get behind the falls. There was a small alcove behind it and Bulma swam to the wall. She turned around and looked for Vegeta. He was nowhere in sight.

"Vegeta!" she yelled. He had a nasty habit of disappearing and then reappearing out of nowhere. "Vegeta!" Bulma continued looking around but there was no sign of him. She swam out to where the moon shone into the small alcove and glanced around. "This isn't funny, Vegeta!"

"I'm right here, woman." Vegeta was against the wall to her left. Bulma sighed; she had not even seen him move. "Why did you come all the over here?"

"To wash my hair." For the first time, Bulma noticed that Vegeta's hair was not defying gravity. She'd never seen it wet before. She noticed how in its lax state, it covered his widow's peak. It almost made him look like a completely different person. Bulma was also surprised by the length of his hair. She moved towards him. He watched her silently. "I didn't know your hair was so long." She took a bit of it in her hands. It was thick and soft even when wet.

Vegeta grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. He held her against his chest. The scent of blood had been washed off of her and now all he could smell was her. He pushed her gently against the wall of the alcove, his tail finding her thigh under the water. Bulma watched as his eyes once again clouded over and glowed with a faint tint of red. She remained still as he nuzzled her neck.

"What do you call that form you took?" Bulma whispered.

"Either a Great Ape or Oozaru. Take your pick," Vegeta said without moving away from her neck. "Were you frightened?"

"Frightened? No. Intrigued? Yes. It's not every day one stumbles upon such a fascinating sight. You know," Bulma leaned up to his ear, "we can try again if you want to," she said softly.

Vegeta pulled back away from her. Bulma was giving him a small smile. "You are sure?" he asked. Bulma nodded. Vegeta moved away from her slightly but held on to her. He pulled her out of the alcove and to the spot behind the waterfall where the moons could be seen. Vegeta kept his back towards the light so he would not be tempted to look up.

Bulma was not a fan of floating in the middle of the water. Swimming from one point to another always ended with her holding on to something eventually; like a wall of rock. She never dwelled in deep water for too long. She held on to Vegeta as he pulled her closer. With his back to the moons, the shadow cast over him only left Bulma with the site of his glowing eyes. Unlike the night before, she did not feel the apprehension and shock when she looked at the more animalistic side of Vegeta. She was enthralled by this. She wanted to know more about this side of the Saiyans; this side of Vegeta in particular.

The prince nuzzled Bulma's neck again and inhaled long and deep. He exhaled and felt her shiver in his grasp. Squeezing his eyes shut, Vegeta lightly bit her left shoulder. Just as Bulma flinched, Vegeta swiftly hit a pressure point on her neck. She slumped in his arms. Vegeta looked down at her unconscious face.

"We'll try again," he gathered her up and hovered out of the water, "when you're ready."

"We've just gotten an abnormally high reading," Guldo, a member of the Ginyu Force, said as he stared at a holographic image of the immediate area. "It was coming from a planet in the Remus System."

"That could be one of the Saiyans. We might even get lucky and find that little girl as well," Jeice said. He turned to face Ginyu. "What do you think, captain?"

Ginyu sat in the commander's chair with a thoughtful expression on his face. They had had no luck whatsoever during their search. The Romulus System was full of uninhabited planets and it took time to search even those. They had to be quite thorough in their searches. Frieza was expecting results and it had been quite a while since they left the disgruntled overlord. "We have no choice but to investigate it. Follow this trail and see where it leads us. We might get lucky. Lord Frieza is expecting something better than what we've been giving him."

"Right!" the other five members of the force said.

Jeice went about changing the course and set it to the planet where the reading had come from. The little planet was only two days away. "Dokkyo-sei, here we come," he said quietly.

Bulma opened her eyes. She was on her bed. How did she get here? She rolled over and winced. Her body was so stiff. She sat up and ran a hand through her damp hair. She tossed the covers back and saw she was naked. How did she end up this way? Bulma racked her brain for the last couple of hours. Closing her eyes, Bulma pictured the missing hours. Her eyes opened wide and she got out of the bed. Throwing on a shirt and pants haphazardly, she ran out of the room. She ignored the soreness and stiffness of her body as she made her way outside.

The sky was darker than usual even though it was daytime. Bulma looked up and saw clouds. In all the time they had been there, Bulma had not seen a single cloud in the sky. It was also windier than usual. Shaking off her discomfort, she headed towards the gravity simulator. As usual, it was running. She stepped up to the door and knocked loudly. After a few moments, it powered down and a few seconds later the door swung open to reveal a sweaty and annoyed-looking Saiyan prince. Bulma just stared at him for a moment.

Growing tired of her ogling, Vegeta stood up straight and crossed his arms. "What is it, woman? You're wasting precious time," he said gruffly.

Narrowing her eyes, she mirrored his stance. Vegeta was easily the moodiest person she'd ever known, not that she had very many people to go off of. "I see you're back to your old, surly self. I was hoping we could talk about last night, your highness."

"What's to talk about?" Vegeta asked coldly. Bulma held back a gasp at his harshness. "I have nothing to say so unless you do, I suggest you leave me alone while I train."

"Are you even going to acknowledge what happened last night?" Bulma yelled up at him.

Nothing happened. What the hell is she getting so bent out of shape about? Vegeta thought with a roll of his eyes. He belatedly noticed Bulma step up the stairs and slap him as hard as she could. Vegeta could not tell if he was more surprised at the fact that she had managed to take him off guard or that her strike left a stinging sensation on his face. He slowly turned his head back to face her.

Bulma was also a bit confused at how she managed to make contact with Vegeta's face. "Nothing? You call that nothing? What the hell do you think I'm bent out of shape about, idiot?" She turned on her heel and stalked off without looking back.

It didn't dawn on her until much later that she had heard his thoughts without actually making contact with him. He still did not know what she was talking about, either. Nothing had happened!

Vegeta noticed that Bulma was true to her word. She did not so much as breathe in Vegeta's general direction for the next two days. At first, Vegeta thought it wise to allow her a day to cool off. When she was still snubbing him even when he tried to gain her attention the next day, he was confused. Sure, he had been less than sensitive in his words to her but they had been the truth. She should know that nothing happened between them, right?

Now he sat in the gravity chamber, meditating while spinning in the air. Or at least he was trying to meditate. Bulma was on his mind. He did found it peculiar that she read his thoughts unintentionally. I thought she had to make physical contact with me. She didn't touch me until after she'd already read my mind, he thought, his signature frown deepening. Sighing, he pushed thoughts of Bulma away for the time being. Extending his senses, his eyes opened immediately and he dropped to the floor. Shit! I didn't think they would find us so soon! It must've been my transformation that alerted them! I'm so fucking stupid!

Vegeta opened the door to the gravity chamber and immediately capsulized it. He found her sooner than he expected. Bulma stood in the center of the river. In the middle, the water came up to her shoulders. What caught Vegeta by surprise was that the water was not touching her. In fact, she was not wet at all. The water had not slowed, but it was going around her as if it was being blocked by some invisible wall. Bulma was reaching forward and the water continued to go around her hand, keeping her completely dry. Vegeta noticed that blood was trickling from her nose. He rushed forward and pulled her out of the water.

Bulma pushed herself away from Vegeta as soon as he touched back down on the ground. Her head was pounding. She absentmindedly wiped her nose. Feeling the warmth on it, she looked at her hand and saw the blood. Then she glared up at Vegeta. "What did you do that for? You broke my concentration!"

"Woman, I don't think it's healthy for you to be pushing yourself like that," Vegeta said as he crossed his arms. She rolled her eyes and stalked past him, making sure to knock into his shoulder. Vegeta actually moved from her push. How was she doing that? He should not have moved at all. He followed after her as she walked towards the house. "Woman, stop."

"No, Vegeta. Go away. I have nothing to say to you." Bulma reached for the door of the capsule house. Her hand stopped before she could open the door. She stood still for a moment before rounding on Vegeta. "Someone's coming. Who's found us? Can't you feel their energy?" She advanced on Vegeta.

The prince crossed his arms and sighed. "Yes, woman. It's Ginyu and his lackeys. Apparently they landed on the other side of the planet. I've been too preoccupied to notice it. They'll be here in a few minutes," he said.

Bulma turned away from him and started biting her fingernails. Then she turned back towards him and put her hands on hips. "So what do we do? Hide?" she asked. Vegeta simply smirked at her. He strode past her into the house. She turned to follow him. "Vegeta! What do we do?"

"I can't fight all of them at once and I while I'm confident I can take at least three of them down separately, I am not looking to expose my true power right now. Scouters can send readings to Frieza and if he gets them he'll see me as a threat." Vegeta entered his room and began stripping.

Bulma leaned against the doorframe and watched him. While she vowed to never go near him again (in that way), there was no law against looking. "They'll take us back to Frieza?" Vegeta pulled on a fresh pair of pants and a shirt followed soon after. He faced Bulma again. The Ginyu Force was right upon them. He walked past Bulma. She closely followed after him. "Vegeta?"

"Woman, I know for a fact that they'll take you back to Frieza. I have no idea what they'll..."Vegeta caught a fist coming from his right side as he opened the door. He turned his head to see Jeice's surprised face. Vegeta gave Jeice's fist a squeeze, breaking at least three of his fingers. Jeice reared back, ripping his hand out of Vegeta's grasp. The prince smirked and continued his path outside. Bulma stayed close to him.

Ginyu was a bit surprised at Vegeta's reflexes. How had he even known Jeice was out there? Perhaps that girl told him of Jeice's presence. Frieza said she can read minds, he thought. He stood with his arms crossed, watching as Vegeta and the lavender-haired girl walked to the center of the circle created by the five members of the Ginyu Force.

"We've been looking for you, little lady," Recoome said.

Bulma turned her head to the burly redheaded man. "Oh yeah? Why's that? Why am I so important?" she asked, knowing full well what the answer was.

Recoome appeared confused for a moment. "Well, I think Lord Frieza thinks you're pretty important. I don't know why, though."

"Will we have to subdue you or will you come quietly, Vegeta?" Ginyu asked. There was no way Vegeta could handle all of them if he tried to escape. Sure he could probably take Guldo and Jeice out fairly easily, but Recoome, Burter, and especially himself was out of the question. He noticed the lavender-haired girl staring at him. "See something you like, girl?" He smirked at her.

Bulma's nose crinkled up. "That is not your true body; nor your true power."

Vegeta snorted in front of her. "Of course not, woman. He's a body changer; the lowest species in the galaxy. Stealing others' bodies for your own is deplorable," he said. He felt Bulma inch closer to him and place a hand on his back.

What if he tries to switch with you?

Oh so you're talking to me now?

Vegeta...

Relax, woman. He thinks I'm weaker than he is. He'd never downgrade. He's not that stupid.

I still don't trust him.

"Let's get moving. The longer we wait, the angrier Lord Frieza gets," Ginyu said. Vegeta shrugged and Bulma gave him a look.

I said relax, woman. We will play along for now. We need to get off the planet anyway.

Bulma was nervous, but she went along with Vegeta. I'm still mad at you.

Vegeta chuckled lightly. Duly noted.