AN: Yes. I know it's been forever. I have no excuse. I've had this chapter done for quite a while but I must admit, I've been agonising over it ever since I finished it… the main point of contention was the simple question: to lemon or not to lemon. I've decided to keep the lemon. Y'all will have to let me know if I went to far though since my explicitness sensor seems to be out of order…

Disclaimer: Warning - I've crossed over to the dark side. I got tired of tiptoeing around the issue sex and sensitivity and went full out carte blanche. That said, this chapter contains scenes of a highly sexual nature. Seriously, it's bordering on smut… okay, I lie: it totally crosses that border. So sensitive readers beware. (I'll mark the start and end of the lemon scenes with '***')

Chapter 15 (Closer)

Her heart was going a mile a minute, her eyes intent on those talented fingers that were currently hooked under the straps of her thong. They weren't moving. Neptune-damnit why wasn't he doing anything?! Trailing her eyes up his naked torso to meet his eyes, she was surprised to see one brow winged up sardonically. What was he waiting for, written consent? Only then did she register the buzzing of the intercom.

"Bulma? Are you in there honey? Yamcha is here for you."

A bucket of ice water couldn't have cooled her down faster.

Oh Neptune, Yamcha! She'd forgotten all about him! Her face must have shown the sense of panic that suddenly overcame her because the corner of Vegeta's lips twitched up in a smirk to add to the lopsided effect his raised eyebrow was already creating. The bastard! He was thoroughly enjoying this.

With an earthly expletive the Blue haired mermaid pivoted up from her prone position and sprinted for the door, only to belatedly recall she was wearing nothing but her panties. She spun back around, trying to locate her robe in the darkness. It was about a foot from her vanity. She grabbed it and was semi-decent in less than a second. Thank goodness the biometric access-control locks activate automatically in the evenings, because that woman was just nosy enough to enter first and knock later. With one last glance back at her rumpled sheet to confirm that the sexy Saiyan wasn't lazing there in all his glorious nakedness with come-hither onyx eyes - I wish, she thought, shivering at the fantasy. Bulma then turned toward the intercom pad and unlocked the door. Not long afterwards the door opened and Ms Briefs stood in the entrance, her eyes taking in Bulma's state of disarray. A frown frumpled her flawless forehead and Bulma cringed. With Panchy's expertise in romance, the marine princess was sure that she had been caught out. That is, until Panchy spoke.

"Auw Sweetie! Are you having difficulty with your make-up? My goodness you should have just asked instead of making such a big mess of things." She said, floating towards Bulma's dresser where the bottles and tubes lay scattered before her mirror. The dazed mermaid followed her progression, catching sight of her reflection. The lighting in the room was dim, but even so Bulma could easily see the red smears on her cheeks and chin that were caused by Vegeta's vigorous attention to her painted lips earlier. She felt her face heat at the memory.

"Your eyes were done perfectly, by the way. Your contouring looks flawless as well. Curious that you're having problems with your lipstick…" she babbled on, sorting through the clutter. "But finding the perfect shade is kind of tricky I guess. A word of advice, though: If you want to rub off lipstick try blotting first. It prevents smearing."

'If you don't make her leave soon. I'm going back to the Gravity Trainer for the rest of the night.' Vegeta's voice floated into her mind, making her jump. 'And don't even think of leaving the premises with that weakling.' he said, tone ringling with clear warning.

Oh Neptune, she mentally whined, she'd been so close at getting what she wanted. Her body still felt tingly from his attention, tightly strung and aching for more. She needed to blow off Yamcha. She decided with a cringe. She should never have agreed to go in the first place, she admitted with shame. She really did like the guy and now because of her immature behaviour his feelings are going to get hurt. Damn that obnoxious Saiyan prince for making her behave so impulsively and irrationally. He drove her crazy more than half of the time they were together... and yet she keeps seeking his attention and approval. Her body keeps yearning only for him. It made no logical sense, unless…

Great Neptune. She was in love with him, she realized with a start.

"Well fuck" she said aloud and Ms. Briefs whirled to face her, blue eyes wide with shock. She looked around frantically, as if unsure that the words actually came from Bulma's mouth. Bulma's lips twitched in amusement for a moment before she schooled her features to reflect the resolution she felt within herself.

"Ms Briefs," she said somberly, "I won't need your assistance tonight. I'm not going anywhere."

"But Yamcha -"

"I'll be down soon to explain it to him" she interrupted.

Ms Briefs looked confused for a moment more, before her eyes jerked up to meet Bulma's. The princess suddenly saw understanding dawn on those distressed features and soon she was the reciprocant of a very Vegeta-esque smirk which looked very out of place in the Briefs-mistress's face.

"I see." came her simple reply and she sauntered out without another word.

After Ms. Briefs left, Bulma went and sat before her mirror again, reaching for her packet of wipes to remove the red smears over her lips, taking the rest of her makeup along with it. She didn't get why humans were so obsessed with looking like animated characters anyway. It was unnatural and kind of creepy. Bulma felt much better when it was all finally off.

Since there was no more sense in delaying any longer, Bulma dressed quickly in an oversized T-shirt and shorts and donned her white lab coat. She met Yamcha in the foyer of the residential compound. He was dressed semi-casually in white button shirt and tan slacks. In his hands he held another bouquet of flowers. Upon catching sight of her, his face split into a beaming grin. It faded all too soon however when he noted her own homely attire, complete with fuzzy brown bunny slippers. His brows furrowed in confusion as his eyes sought hers.

Bulma offered a sheepish grin upon reaching his level on the foot of the stairs.

"Hi Yamcha"

"Did you forget?" he asked, confusion still evident on his features.

"Actually, no… I didn't." She then took a deep breath and decided to come right out with it. "Yamcha, I'm sorry, but I can't go out with you. It wouldn't be right." she said with a shrug and felt a pang in her heart when she saw the disappointed drooping of his countenance. He stared at his feet for a few moments, seemingly coming to terms with the rejection. Then just as swiftly, squared his shoulders and met her eyes with a lopsided grin and scarlet burning cheeks.

"It's cool Bulma. I kind of knew I was taking a fat chance asking out the girl that the Prince of Saiyans was sweet on. And you obviously care for him too otherwise you wouldn't have defended him so fiercely yesterday. I don't know. I just… I thought we had a moment yesterday. I guess I was mistaken. I'm generally not very good at talking to girls. To be honest, they used to literally petrify me as a teenager."

He was killing her. This sweet, yet roguish warrior was making her feel like a stinking pile of poop. She shouldn't have toyed with his feelings, she lamented inside.

"I really am sorry. I shouldn't have agreed to go in the first place. I'm…." Bulma was just about to confess her earlier epiphany, but stayed her mouth in the last instant. The repercussions of her feelings for Vegeta had to be thoroughly examined first, as it left her feeling terribly vulnerable. "Vegeta means a lot to me," she stated instead, "and I let my own frustration at him goad me into making rash decisions. Will you ever be able to forgive me?"

"As long as we can still remain friends. Then you can still keep these, at least." he said, handing her the bouquet of colorful flowers.

The trek back to her room was made in silent contemplation.

Caring for Vegeta was safe. And Neptune knew, the lonely Saiyan needed someone to care for him. Caring came with no expectations. Caring was a selfless act, for it disregards the needs of self for the needs of another. Loving him, or rather, being in love with him was, as the humans say, a whole different ball game. Love, Bulma came to realise, expected things in return. Expected commitmentment and reciprocation and wouldn't settle for anything less. It is selfish. And yet… wouldn't push and force him into that expected mold. If it wasn't freely given, it was unacceptable. Being in love with Vegeta gave him power over her. The power to hurt her in a way that she knew could be permanently crippling. Love is helplessness, Bulma thought in despair, because that was how she currently felt. He already told her that he was incapable of loving her; that training and becoming stronger was his number one priority, and given the fact that the world might be ending in a few years time, Bulma didn't begrudge him his dedication at all. Hell, his dedication was probably part of the reason she loved him in the first place. All that she could do now was take everything that he was willing to give and not push him into more. And then maybe… when this was over and they managed to survived the prophesied apocalypse, he'll be open to the idea of loving her back.

Entering her room, her eyes were immediately drawn to the balcony, and the figure standing upon it. With his arms crossed and his head raised, eyes intent on the full moon, he looked every bit the fierce warrior that he was. The muscles on his broad back looked sculpted in stone with the way the ambient light hit them at just the right places, highlighting every bulge and shadowing every crease. Wide lats tapered into a narrow waist and ended at the rim of a light-grey sweatpants that hung just below the dimples in his lower back. Her gaze caught on a thick circle of scarred tissue sitting right between the aforementioned dimples, emphasising the fact that despite their similarities, he was not human, and for the umpteenth of times Bulma imagined what he would have looked like with his tail still attached. His muscles twitched, as if feeling her gaze, but he had yet to turn around. He was waiting for her, she realised. He would never be the one to make the first move. He was constantly guarded; constantly shielding himself against emotions that he considered dangerous to his survival. A lifetime of habits were not so easily forgotten, after all, and Bulma had to remind herself that even though they were both soldiers, she was the only one who chose her career and her allegiance. She would win his heart. She had to, for her own sanity, but it wasn't going to be easy. It wasn't going to be instant either. Bulma wasn't concerned though, for she had a lot of practice swimming against the tide.

"Do you miss it?" she asked upon reaching his side, resting her elbows on the balcony railing. He turned his head to look at her, simply frowning in reply and she motioned her head to the sky. "The ability to transform." she clarified. "If it's anything like being in my true form then I don't know how you can stand it. I would go crazy if I lost my tail and had to spend the rest of my life in this two-legged state."

He seemed to think a while, before answering: "Sometimes… Although it probably doesn't feel the same for you than it does for me. This is my natural form, minus my tail. The Oozaru is just an enhanced state. We used it mostly like a trump card in battle. You get a kick out of the rush of power, and untrained Saiyans mostly lost all their reasoning abilities and inhibitions and acted only on instinct. It was... freeing. Other than that it's not a necessity to my life. My tail… on the other hand. Well, its continued absence is an annoyance that irks me on a regular basis" he said. He was growing more relaxed with her now, volunteering information easily. He was comfortable with her. Bulma knew that trust didn't come easy for him and her heart swelled at the evidence that she was that much closer to his elusive, self-proclaimed 'black' heart.

"I still feel it sometimes," he confessed softly, "it's weight resting on my hips the way I used to tie in around my waist. Or feel the tug on my lower back as if I flicked it as I usually did when I was annoyed. It's… disconcerting."

She wanted to wrap her arms around him, but refrained. He would resent the show of pity. So instead, she did the next best thing, for both of them. She distracted him from his melancholy using her feminine wiles.

Sliding between the balcony railing and his body, she hopped up to plant her butt on the ledge and wrapped her legs around his waist to prevent toppling over. His hands immediately went to her hips to steady her and his lips twitched in amusement. Distraction accomplished. She thought triumphantly.

"So why don't you just use the dragon balls to wish your tail back? If my ancestor could wish for legs, surely a tail isn't all that difficult." She continued the conversation nonchalantly, as if she didn't feel his erection suddenly pressing into the seam of her shorts. He didn't tolerate her indifference, however, and slipped his hands around and into the gaping lip of her denim shorts to cup her bottom. He pulled forcefully and ground himself even further into her.

"We have unfinished business, you and I." he stated, eyes completely serious now, and Bulma felt her pulse spike.

"Yes. We do." Her body grew pliant and her breaths heavy. She watched him through now hooded eyes as he effortlessly lifted her and walked into her room. The sheets were cool against her back as he dropped her on them, anticipation making all the nerves on her body more sensitive to sensation.

"Tell me, Woman. Are you fond of this attire?" he asked huskily, indicating her ratty house clothes.

"Not particularly" she answered immediately, as impatient to be rid of them as he seemingly was. With one quick movement her shirt was in his hands - and then it was in two, baring her loose breasts to his hungry eyes.

Her shorts and panties came off in one swoop and were similarly discarded on the floor with the rest of her clothes.

***Lemon***

He lowered his mouth to her breast and she watched in heated anticipation as his tongue traced wetly around her areola and flicked over the hardened tip. Her womb clenched in return and she let out a breathy cry. Onyx eyes flickered briefly to her blue ones and she recognized a mischievous glint there before his attention was back on her breast. Wet heat enveloped her as he sucked her nipple into his mouth, his fingers attending the to the other side, tugging and rolling them around. Her hands went to his hair, burying themselves in the gravity defying tufts of their own accord, keeping his head to her. Each draw of his mouth had an echoing tug on between her legs, and her hips bucked helplessly into him. She felt empty, burningly so, and desperately needed him filling her, stroking her from the inside like he did with his fingers in their earlier romp.

Oh Neptune, she thought breathlessly, if this is what happens when your breasts are stimulated then she would be infinitely grateful that she lost her chest scales. Somehow it no longer feels like a curse.

It wasn't enough, though. She needed more.

"Vegeta. I need..." she begged. "I need..." Unable to think beyond that point to what exactly she needed and simply settled for: "More."

His masculine chuckled filled the room, his voice sending a pleasurable shiver down her spine. He quickly switched over to the other breast, laving it with the same attention as he did the first one, while his palm smoothed down her torso, over her belly to come and rest between her legs. It stayed completely still, his fingers on her yet not where she wanted them. She gave a little forlorn cry and opened her legs wider so that his middle finger slipped in between her folds and rested on the little bud there. She moved her hips in time with the draw on her breast, taking her own pleasure from his maddeningly unmoving hand.

"Vegeta!" She scolded her frustration and was answered by a sharp pain in her breast as he bit down on her nipple. She cried out and he lifted his head. Vegeta sat back on his heels, a smug smirk filled with male amusement adorned his face.

"You're a greedy little thing, aren't you?" He asked, trailing his finger over her soaking entrance and back up to her little pearl, drawing circles around it.

"Yesss" she hissed. Pleasure rippling through her whole body.

His eyes, intent on the havoc he was wrecking in her body flashed back up to hers, the corner of his lips winging up in amusement.

"What a coincidence," he stated huskily, "So am I."

Without further preamble, Vegeta's arms slid around her thighs and he tossed them over his shoulders. He slowly lowered his mouth to the junction of her thighs, eyes never leaving hers, then lazily drew the flat of his tongue through her slit, straight from her weeping core to the little bundle of nerves at the top of her folds, throbbing for attention. The sensation was so intense her hips jerked in reaction, nearly bucking him off her.

"Hold still." he ordered, brows drawn downwards into a frown displaying his displeasure. He forced her compliance by pinning her wayward hips to the mattress with his forearm.

Then he attacked her core with lips, tongue and teeth and her hands flew once again to his hair, tugging and pulling while he ate at her like a starving man. Bulma was overwhelmed with sensation, writhing underneath his restraining arm while the pressure built and built and coiled tight in her womb. Her cries echoed in the room, her lungs working overtime as he mercilessly speared into her with his tongue before licking his way up to claim her little nub between his teeth, flicking it over and over with the tip of his tongue before drawing it between his lips and sucking hard. She shattered. Her womb spasming and clenching while her thighs went rigid around his neck. She screamed, back arching as wave upon wave of pleasure pulsed through her body flowing from her core straight into the tips of her fingers and toes. And still, he continued his assault on her body, until the pleasure was so intense it bordered on pain and she pulled at his hair to get him to stop.

If this is what biped sex was like, she thought idly, she was never returning back to the ocean. And they hadn't even gotten to the sex part. She was slowly coming back down from the high, the quaking in her body lessening in intensity until she felt lazy and happy and content and tired all at the same time. She felt him wipe his mouth on the inside of her thigh and watched him sit up slowly with a heated look in his eyes. Just like that, her body was raging and needy again, and the same empty ache was back, and burning for attention.

She watched intently as he stood up and got off the bed, the muscles on his back flexing with every step his took. He went just far enough to be able to remove his track pants comfortably, her eyes following the path of his hand as he dug his fingers into the waistband of his pants and pulled down, baring first the tight muscles in his buttocks and then the powerful thighs underneath.

Vegeta's body always fascinated her. He was small in stature with a narrow waist, emphasising his broad chest and thick, muscular legs in comparison. He wasn't overly built, he was actually much leaner than the other warriors, but he was deceptively compact and each of those muscles carried decades more strength than the average human.

He turned around, and Bulma's eyes immediately fell to the thick length between those powerful thighs. Her breath caught in her throat. Her heart started pounding double time. He approached the bed, coming to kneel between her shameless spread thighs once again, dragging said thighs and draping it over his own.

Bulma had studied human anatomy, enough, she believed, to be familiar with what an erect penis is supposed to look like. Vegeta's shaft was thick and long, the mushroomed crown resting high on his abdomen, well above his navel. He was much bigger than she expected, she noted with trepidation. Adrenaline laced with fear pumped hotly through her veins, tainting her anticipation with a little bit of anxiety. Surely that thing couldn't fit all the way in her, she speculated, glancing up to catch his eyes. He expression remained stoic and he watched her, a hint of challenge in his eyes and Bulma squirmed with restless anticipation.

What is he waiting for? She thought, starting to panic. It wasn't as if she knew what to do, she was completely ignorant of biped relations. Hell, she was completely ignorant of sex as a whole, all her knowledge translating to purely theoretical.

Unable to endure the silence and inaction a minute more, she ended it abruptly with: 'Where in Neptune's Blue Sea do you hide that thing in those skin tight spandex suits?' and watched the corner of his lips twitch in amusement. The tension abruptly broke, as he cocked one eyebrow up.

"What?" she carried on, "it's a legitimate question… wait, don't tell me: You're a grower, not a show'er?"

The twitch stretched into a full-fledged smirk. "I think I liked you better when you couldn't speak at all," he said lazily. "Tell me woman, what do you think is the quickest way to shut that smart mouth of yours up?" he asked, fisting himself at the base. Bulma's attention was immediately drawn towards his heavy erection, her throat thickened at the sight and she attempted to swallow, managing with great difficulty. Slowly, he stroked himself from root to tip and Bulma watched, fascinated, as a bead of liquid welled up at the tip. Her mouth watered, her tongue slipped out to moisten her suddenly dry lips. She glanced at him again. His eyes were on her mouth, then flicked towards her eyes, hot and hungry. His desire for her was tangible, it felt like a caress over her sensitive skin and quickened in her core.

"You want it?" he asked huskily, his voice dropping an octave lower to hit all the right spots. Great God of the Sea even his voice was erotic, turning her brain to mush so that she could do nothing but nod helplessly.

"What will you do with it, I wonder?" he said with another seemingly absent minded stroke. The little liquid bead started to drip of the crown and she had an absurd urge to catch it with her tongue.

Vegeta was a verbal lover, Bulma thought in wonderment. Her stoic, and silent warrior was a talker in bed … who knew? Who the hell cares? She wasn't going to complain. She wanted to answer him, clearly that was what he wanted, but for some reason felt intimidated and a bit shy. She opted for telepathy instead.

'Can I... taste it?' she asked hesitantly and watched in amazement as it gave a little jerk in his fist. His slid his thumb over the head, catching that fascinating bead and Bulma eyes widened as when in the next moment, his thumb slid between her lips. Bulma wasted no time on hesitating, sucking the appendage into her mouth, moaning when his unique flavor touched her tongue: savory and musk with a hint of spice. It tasted like more. She said as much.

"Later," he answered gruffly, and dragged her body closer to his. Bulma's pulse started racing again, as she felt him notch himself at her entrance. She felt swollen and slick and and really unsure if this was even going to work.

"Will it fit?" she asked frantically, before he went any further.

"Silly Mermaid," he said, affection clear in his tone. "Relax for me." he ordered, and waited until she obeyed.

He pushed in slowly, stretching her in increments. It was excruciatingly pleasurable and when he reached the thin barrier of her innocence, he paused. It burned yet she felt deliciously full. She wanted him deeper, she wanted him to fill all of her. Just thinking of it sent another quake rippling through her sheath and Vegeta's breath hissed out, seemingly in pain. Immediately Bulma tensed up, worried she had hurt him somehow, with the effect of starting to feel more pain than pleasure herself.

"Hold still Bulma." he commanded.

"It hurts" she replied, "did I hurt you too?"

"No woman, you didn't. Kais, you're so tight. It's…" he hesitated, "Reach into my mind and feel what you do to me" his voice was rough and he sounded strained.

Immediately Bulma followed his direction and linked with him. Pleasure exploded in her brain, making her cry out with its intensity. She quickened about him again and heard his guttural curse. "Pull out, Bulma pull out now. I'm hanging onto my control by a thread." She cut their link and once again felt nothing but the sensations in her own body. The pleasure and the pain. Vegeta's forearms rested on the bed beside her head, his forehead resting on hers. He took some time to compose himself, eyes never leaving hers. Once his breathing evened out, he lifted his head, one hand trailing down her body to grip firmly at her hip.

'You ready?' his voice floated into her mind.

'Yes.' she replied. And he surged forward.

***End Lemon***

Bulma wiped a strand of blue hair off her sweaty forehead and turned over with tired limbs. Her eyes immediately fell on the equally sweaty, heaving pecs before her and she was at once filled with immense feminine satisfaction. For all his cold exterior, the Prince of Saiyans was fiery hot inside. She always knew that his true emotions were concealed by stone-cold frowns and biting sarcasm, yet tonight, she saw all of those walls shatter to reveal the molten core of his passions, bubbling like lava. And when it erupted… Oh sweet Neptune it was glorious. A cold breeze rustled her sheer curtains and flitted over her skin, raising goosebumps where it touched and she was momentarily distracted by the outside word.

Her eyes widened in surprise when she noted that it was already light outside. They had been at each other's bodies the whole night, and as a reminder, her muscles were screaming with the need to rest and recuperate. In full agreement, Bulma suddenly slumped onto that well-formed chest, listening as his heartbeat slowed and he came down from his own high. No words were needed, she thought, and sighed in contentment.

"Kelp!" she exclaimed, sitting up suddenly. "I forgot I'm supposed to tutor Gohan today. What time is it?"

"Gohan?" Vegeta asked, a frown creasing his brow, "Woman, what in Kami's name have you gotten yourself into now?" he reprimanded with an exasperated sigh, "Your time is already stretched thin."

"Yeah." She said whimsically, "Everyone seems to want their pound of flesh nowadays" she replied with an insinuating grin.

"Kais above, now you've added Shakespeare into the repertoire as well."

"The mere fact that you know that quote suggests you read him too, you hypocrite."

"I had a lot of downtime recovering from training injuries. What's your excuse?" he defended testily.

"Don't pout, it's unseemly." was her smug reply.

"You're deflecting, Woman. Why in hell have you added schooling my enemy's brat to your ever-growing list of the useless, distracting things you do in a day?"

With this he stretched his arms out, folding them below his head and watched her expectantly with cocked eyebrow. Bulma was momentarily distracted by the way the movement pushed out his already bulging pecs and flexed his lats into that deliciously broad V. She bit her lip as the past evening's activities flashed through her mind, causing a fluttering in her belly. Finding his eyes she noted his amusement as he recognised the effect a simple stretch was was having on her person. His lips tilted into that semi-grin, and his eyes got that hot predatory look that seemed to hit all the right buttons all over again and oh sweet Neptune… what were they talking about now again?

Gohan. Yes, she needed to tutor Gohan. She reminded herself sternly.

Shaking her head to clear the lust-webs from her mind, she continued awkwardly.

"I've agreed to tutor Gohan in return for combat training from Chichi."

She watched shock transform his feature before a rumbling laugh burst from his throat. "Chichi? Goku's harpy-wife? Woman, she's as weak as they come. What does she know of fighting?"

"More than you know actually," she said cooly, irritated at his mirth "she whooped my ass Saturday."

"You jest!" he exclaimed, still amused and outright scandalised at the suggestion.

"No really. On a purely physical level her strength might pale in comparison to mine, but skills-wise she's better. She fights well. Her form and style is catered to her feminine body and relies on elasticity and speed rather than brute force. It'll benefit me well. Your sensei doesn't necessarily need to be stronger than you are to be able to teach you some valuable skills. Look at Goku. He trained under Roshi and he way surpasses that old perv. "

"Hmmm" Vegeta grunted, seemingly pacified. He suddenly sat up and made quick work of dressing before heading to her balcony.

"Where are you going?" she asked, puzzled.

"Training"

"Seriously? How can you even move after last night? I'm exhausted! You sure you're not an android too?" she teased, stretching out on the bed. She felt slightly sore between her legs, but blissfully sated as well. She looked over to where Vegeta was standing on her balcony, and the cold expression on his face instantly killed the lazy contentment she was feeling.

"Your stamina is pathetic, Woman." he said in disgust, making her feel suddenly self-conscious. Gone was her sweet and passionate lover. In his place stood the stoic warrior prince with the giant stick up his ass. "Some warrior you are," Ice-prince spat, "If you can't fight for at least two days straight, much less fuck, then you have no business in this coming conflict."

"Hey, now wait just a minute -" she started angrily, drawing the sheets up to cover herself.

"If you're serious about assisting when the androids arrive, you'll stop whining and do what needs to be done. Anything less and you become nothing but a liability."

And then he jumped.

Well. That was uncalled for, she thought, seething with resentment. Liability my sparkly blue tail!

'Hear that Vegeta!' she projected telepathically into the ether. 'You'll regret underestimating me. They didn't call me Bulma the Bull Shark for nothing and if you think for one moment that I'll let myself be called a liability by anyone you're sorely mistaken.' She continued her rant.

Vegeta grinned in amusement as he listened to the fiery temptress' tirade. She was currently promising to take down the androids all by herself, damning him and anyone else who wouldn't believe in her. His woman had grit, he thought with pride. His grin soon faded as he contemplated the upcoming battle. Bulma couldn't afford to slack. Not only would it be bad for her, it would distract him as well, divert his attention from his opponent. He didn't want to see her hurt. It was why he pushed her so hard. She needed to be ready, for her sake and his peace of mind. To be honest, he'd much rather prefer she stay far away from the battleground altogether, but the damn woman is far to headstrong for her own good.

Vegeta sighed, no longer willing to deceive himself. Bulma would be a distraction in battle regardless of whether or not he were confident in her combat ability, which was unusual because Saiyans often have to deal with the eventuality that their mates join them in a battle. Why then, is he finding it such a bitter pill to swallow? The answer hit him like a blow to the tail stump.

With a start he realised it was because slowly, without him even realising it, his whole outlook on life had changed within the span of weeks. When he thought of his future now, he no longer saw himself going out in a blaze of glory with Kakarot dead at his feet, taking this pathetic mudball of a planet with him. For the first time in a very long time, Vegeta, Prince of Saiyan, actually felt like living, not for the pursuit of power, but simply for the sake of it. He still wanted to kick that infuriating Saiyan's face in, but he no longer felt the desire to kill him. Not particularly. He wouldn't bat an eyelash if the fool did die in their eventual clash, but neither would he outright seek his destruction. Killing Kakarot would feel like a waste. Especially since he knew that the brain-damaged fool would probably get up, stronger than ever, and attempt to return the favor in kind. He would have to train his life long to stay ahead of the clown, constantly pushing his limits and getting stronger. It was a fate that suddenly didn't seem bad at all and made his blood drum in anticipation.

And the woman… Bulma. Well, it goes without saying that she would stay by his side, driving him crazy in all the delicious and infuriating ways she does now. He wondered what she would say if she knew he was planning on keeping her above sea level indefinitely. That promised to be one hell of a fight, he thought gleefully, but one that he was confident he would win. With a heart lighter than it had been in ages, Vegeta set off for his bathroom. There was no way he would be able to concentrate on training with the scent of their night together still clinging to his every pore.

"Uhm, excuse me Miss Bulma." Bulma looked up from her own studies to see Gohan standing at the edge of her desk. His appearance that day was so drastically different to the previous day that he hardly looked like the same boy. Gone was the carefree beach boy. In his place stood a disciplined young student. His messy black hair was combed back and smoothed into a neat braid and he wore a high-necked and long-sleeved white button shirt in the oriental fashion, loose black cotton slacks, white socks and black slippers. The notebook he carried covered half his face the way he was holding it, and his chocolate brown eyes were peeking hesitantly over it at her.

"You have a question?" she guessed. "Don't be shy to ask if you don't understand - or if you're stuck. It's the most efficient way to learn."

"Actually, I completed the exercise."

"Already?" she asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Yes. Would you check it for me?"

"Of course."

After only a quick peek, Bulma could confirm that the little half-Saiyan was without a doubt the polar opposite to his father when it came to intellectual capability. No wonder his mother pushed him so hard. His notes were concise and his calculations were well supported with proper diagrams. And very neat to boot, she thought with pride and beamed at the boy.

"Kid, remind me again why you need a tutor if you're breezing through the exercises? It's all correct, by the way." Gohan smiled shyly.

"I'm not very good with the words Miss Bulma, so the textbooks don't make a lot of sense to me."

"But you're good with the numbers, for sure."

"It's easier to understand if someone explains it the way you do."

"Well I'm glad I could be of use then." she said, smiling. "You know this kind of reminds me of the first time I started training the younger soldiers back home. It was right after I had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. I kind of enjoyed it."

"They have a military in the ocean?" Gohan asked, wide eyed, then more shyly, "My mom says that where you come from."

"Of course it is," she said mockingly stern, "why else would I have a tail like a fish?"

"I think your tail looks really neat, Miss Bulma."

"Why thank you Gohan, you're a sweet kid. Hard to believe that under all that spit and polish lies a battle hardened warrior."

The little Saiyan rubbed his slicked-down hair self-consciously before offering her a sheepish grin. The moment was interrupted by the pneumatic hiss of the door. In walked Dr Briefs, a puzzled frown on his face directed at the wire contraption he held in his hands.

"Bulma dear, we seem to have hit a snag with this prototype." He said without looking up. "It reads the brain activity and has no trouble converting it into transmittable waves, we've even managed to project images from the brain onto a screen, but to stimulate the right neural nerve paths of the one receiving the data is proving to be difficult." He then finally ceased his examination of his invention to take in his surroundings, his eyes briefly widened upon seeing her guest. "Good day young man." he greeted.

"Good morning Dr. Briefs." Gohan replied and scampered off to his own desk, where he had been doing his maths assignment earlier that morning.

"You said that it's being tested on apes at the moment, yes?" Bulma asked, turning her full attention to her mentor and host.

"Yes" Dr. Briefs carried on without further preamble.

"Why not test it on humans. The brains of apes do not function in the same manner as humans do, the communication channels we use are different from one another. You might be facing the same difficulties I did when I first learnt to speak via sound waves. It took a while for my brain to get used to the new medium of communication."

"I haven't really considered the limitations in the brain functionalities of the apes … if what you're saying is true, it might be that ape brains are too underdeveloped to communicate via telepathy." He started pacing then, seemingly lost in his own world. "It's too early for human trials however. We do not know the extent of the technology and what damages may result to the brain." With a heavy hearted sigh, Dr. Briefs turned his rueful eyes towards Bulma and said, "I guess it's back to the drawing board." and he swept out as easily as he entered, leaving Bulma and Gohan to work further in relative peace until his father came to collect him for his training.

Bulma's stomach fluttered nervously at the prospect starting her own training, but she felt ready. She would become as skilled of a fighter on land as she was in the ocean, because now that she had a taste of what the surface world could offer her, she was loath to ever part from it.

Ray let out an incensed expletive and rolled out of the incoming shark's trajectory. His team scattered from formation as he swung his trident and hit the Great White female on the snout with the blunt edge. She got the message quickly and swum off miffed.

The cavern was a death trap, and his hope that Bulma would have survived it was fast dwindling, yet again. Ahead of them, Razor lead them steadily onwards, uncaring of the other predators' continuous attempts to have them for dinner. Blade informed them that her scent must be strong for him to be behaving this way. It didn't necessarily bode well for the royal General. A stronger scent trail could either mean that Bulma herself was close by or that something of hers was left here. Bulma has been missing for many tides. If she was close by, it was likely that she would no longer be alive. Not in these waters.

The cavern network they were travelling through was teeming with sharks, the deeper they swum, the bigger the predators became. The female who had just attempted to take a bite of them had been one of the biggest sharks he'd ever seen, roughly 8 tails long. Which, he guessed, is probably the combined length of all of them put together. And it seems the bigger the cavern the bigger the fish, and the less of them there are, prowling around. Big predators do not like to share space. They are also far more intelligent than their younger counterparts. If Bulma was alive, whatever she was swimming from at home cannot possibly be worse than becoming appetizers in a room full of giant sharks. When they suddenly followed Razor into to yet another cavern, this time so big it felt like the open ocean, Ray could not see a single shark. His stomach pitched, forming a hard ball of anxiety just beneath his breast plate.

He paused briefly, expanding his senses to try and catch any movement above or below. The place was quiet as the grave.

'That's not good' Marlin's input echoed his exact sentiment, and he saw the soldier's eyes fearfully roaming the cave's extremities.

He considered briefly the pros and cons of more light before deciding that it's better to see what's coming at you than to attempt to remain unobtrusive in the face of an unknown enemy.

'Delta formation, now.' he ordered. 'I want everyone to put up light spheres. Two to the floor, two to the ceiling and one following our wayward tracker who seems to have gone off without us.'

His team wasted no time arguing. Immediately the cavern lit up around them as the globes of energy floated into position. Blade's much smaller globe shot off into the dark, following his partner who it seems was swimming straight towards the cavern ceiling. Following his small nod, his team started trailing after the Tiger Shark, all the while keeping a close eye on their illuminated surroundings.

Ray's gut told him that they weren't alone in the cavern, but so far he could sense no movement nearby.

A flicker of white below him was all the warning he had before a gaping maw filled with rows upon rows of serrated teeth was almost over them. The jaws was big enough to swallow all of them whole.

'Scatter Now!' Ray shouted, moving as fast as he could to the edge of the circumference of teeth.

The mouth snapped shut, missing his flukes by a finger's breadth. Lapis was ahead of him, and he was spun around and shoved into her body as the giant predator created a forceful wake with its passing. The creature banked left to avoid crashing into the ceiling, swimming away from Ray and Lapis. The commander attempted to gather his wits enough to plan a counterattack. He examined their attacker as its giant body slipped farther away, marking clearly its distinct features.

He cursed violently as he recognized the creature.

'Megalodon!' he shouted to his comrades, hoping them alive and not swallowed up by the prehistoric nightmare of a shark.

'What do we so?' Lapis asked at his side.

'Avoid getting eaten!' he replied.

'It's got Abby!' he recognized Marlin's voice coming from the side the Megalodon was swimming towards. 'And it's coming right at us!'

The giant shark's body suddenly jerked, a faint light radiated from its torso. Not long afterwards, the cave was flooded with fresh blood forming a red cloud around them that and reeked of burnt flesh.

'All right Abby!' he heard Marlin cheer.

'Everybody, swim to the ceiling!' Ray Issued his order, following word with deed with Lapis at his tail.

Once he was above the rapidly spreading blood cloud he generated an energy sphere for a beacon, watching the water glow pink around it. Marlin a appeared first, dragging a torn and unconscious Abalone with him. Blade was next and it seems he didn't make it out unscathed either, Ray noted, watching him wince with every slap of his fin. Ray followed his movement and swore as he saw the tear in his fluke.

'Teeth trapped my tail.' He explained, seeing the inquiry on his commander's face. 'I had to tear myself loose.'

'Razor?' Lapis asked, making Ray notice for the first time that Blade's Tiger Shark wasn't with him.

'He's alive' Blade assured, 'but in a frenzy. He's tearing at the Megalodon.'

'Kelp! We don't even know if it's dead yet. We need to get out of here.' Ray said.

'No use. He's just about unreachable in this state.'

'It's dead.' came the soft spoken voice of the no longer unconscious Abby. 'I exploded its heart.'

'Hot damn Woman!' Marlin praised, still supporting the battered mermaid. 'Remind me never to get on your bad side. It was coming at Blade and I with wide stretched jaws. I was so sure we were about to be shark chum' he related to the squad, 'when all of a sudden, Boom! Out of the jaws of death itself, Abby comes tumbling head over tail in a cloud of blood. A feat worthy of Bulma herself -'

'Uh guys…' Lapis interrupted, the fearful note in her tone drew everyone's attention instantly. 'I think we have another Megalodon coming right at us.'

'Neptune damn it!' Ray swore, following her line of sight. Sure enough another prehistoric behemoth was swimming right at them, its leisurely pace and smaller size made it easier to identity than the first monster who attacked them. The new shark suddenly picked up its pace, starting its charge with ever widening jaws.

The retrieval group was trapped between the ceiling and the slowly rising body of the other shark and had nowhere to swim to this time around. He met the eyes of each of his squad mates with a resigned sigh, vowing that if he found Bulma in the afterlife, he would kill her again for all the trouble she put him through to retrieve her sorry tail. Then squared his shoulders and prepared to meet his maker.

Suddenly, the creature's trajectory shifted slightly and it slammed into the dead shark, pushing it further into the cave. Ray watched wide eyed as another Megalodon appeared out of the darkness and joined the feast.

'Well,' Marlin's voice rang out in his mind, 'I'll say that's our que to leave.'

'I couldn't agree more.' Ray concurred.

'Razor's back and on the move again, so at least we have a direction.' Blade said, following after his tracking partner. The rest followed in stunned silence.

'You need to have that taken care of', Abby said a while later. She was watching the slight hitch in Blade's gait. Every tail flap seemed to cause more blood to stream out.

'I don't think now would be such a great time for patch work, Abby.' Blade replied tersely, 'Seeing as we're swimming through a cave filled with previously thought extinct monster sharks.'

'Hey!' Marlin piped up, 'watch your tone man. Abby was just offering to ease your pain.'

'It's okay Marty, he's right.' Abby said softly.

'He should show some more respect, Abby, you saved all our tails back there.'

Blade suddenly span around, coming face to face with Marty 'With all due respect,' Blade bit out in a tone that sounded anything but respectful. 'Abby should be the last person to be offering anybody any healing services, she's bleeding from at least a dozen tears and cuts herself.'

Marlin's eyes narrowed dangerously as he stared down his squad mate. Ray swam forward to intervene when Lapis' hand on his arm stayed him.

'You got something to say, Shark Boy? Why not come out and just say it.' Blade's jaw clenched, along with his fist and Ray thought it best to intervene after all, when Blade's eyes suddenly swung to his.

'This mission is completely pointless.' he blurted, stopping Ray in his stride. Blade then deliberately took a calming breath, and turned fully towards his Commander.

'Bulma is dead, Ray.' he said more softly.

'No she's not.' Ray denied, pointing towards Razor who was swimming restlessly up and down.

'Razor is still on her trail. He's going to find her.'

'We're swimming in cave filled with Megalodons that nearly devoured us all. Megalodons Ray! She can't possibly be alive. The most he'll find is probably pieces or things she left behind.'

'You can't know that!' Ray continued his adamant denial, his own anger kicking up a notch.

'Okay.' Blade said soothingly, 'You're right. I can't say for sure. But what are the odds, Captain? And even if she were alive. What business do we have retrieving her if she left on her own free will? We all know Bulma, Ray. She wouldn't have up and left everything she cared about if there wasn't a very good reason for it. If she was willing to swim through this hell hole to get away from the Council and we brought her back… well, we could well be delivering her to a fate worse than death.'

'She can't just swim away from her responsibilities.' Ray stated, frustration evident in his tone.

'Bulma can do what she damn well wants, Ray. You don't give a damn about her shirking her responsibilities. You're mad because she swam away from you!'

Ray's next breath stalled in his gills. He looked with wide eyes at the averted faces of his teammates, and back to Blade's challenging stare and felt heat flush up his neck to light his up his face. The instinct to deny was foremost in his mind. Again it was Lapis' soft touch that stayed him and turned toward her, catching her emphatic eyes - eyes just a shade lighter than those of Bulma's.

'No more lies Ray,' was all she said. 'Not even to yourself.'

'Guys, I hate to interrupt this epiphany, but we need to move. We've got two mers bleeding all over the place in shark infested waters. Now is definitely not the time for heart to hearts.' he stated with mild panic in his tone, and Rays eyes followed his line of sight and cursed as he noted movement in below then.

'Razor, get us out of here.' Blade hissed. The Tiger shark quickly shot off again, leading them further along the ceiling of the cavern until he disappeared into a hole.

The hole turned out to be a tunnel leading further upwards, and was only big enough to swim through single file. One by one the soldiers slipped through, grateful to leave the prehistoric death trap behind. The drag on the water became lighter the further up they swam and Ray knew he was nearing the surface.

They exited the tunnel and found themselves in another cavern… with more great White Sharks.

The cavern was small and most of the sharks were juveniles so Ray guessed that this was most likely a nursery for Great Whites.

Great, he thought sarcastically, the only thing worse than being considered Great White food, is being considered toys. Great Whites are notoriously curious, especially juveniles, and take a bite out of practically everything that's foreign to them. Add blood into the equation and it's a certifiably a merman's (or mermaid's) worse nightmare. Razor was sticking close to the mers, but was practically vibrating to move along as well.

'Marlin,' he said, 'You and I will hold off the approaching sharks. Lapis, you see to the Abby and Blade's wounds. Stop the bleeding.'

Their blood attracted quite a crowd and there were a few big ones prowling around in between the babies. Ray thought it best to keep them at a distance using beams instead of whacking them with the blunt edge of their tridents. They managed to keep the sharks away while the team started moving again, following their Tiger shark tracker. That is, until they discovered a little grotto that was scorched all the was from floor to ceiling. The Sharks following them immediately veered off and left the passing mermaids.

Ray swam to the nearest boulder and swiped his fingers over the surface. It was cracked and burnt black. His eyes took in the pattern of the scorch marks and traced the origins of the blast to a small crater in the floor. The residue of energy was so strong even he could identify it.

'Bulma was definitely here.' he said unnecessarily.

'Something attacked her.' Abby added, also looking around. 'Whatever it was couldn't possible be alive judging by the blast radius.

Razor was speeding in circles, catching their eyes.

'What is he doing?' Ray asked, trepidation in his voice.

'Blood,' Blade answered, 'he's indicating that her blood is here.'

The Tiger shark suddenly shot to the ceiling, where four stalagmites were arranged in diamond formation around a hole. Razor wiggled his body through the hole, disturbing the dirt and floating white silt down to them. Ray caught a glimmer of blue in the silt and rushed toward it. A single blue scale floated onto his hand. In the light of his gaze he saw the scale flicker green and then purple.

His princess was close.

AN: Okay. In retrospect, I think I might have gotten a little carried away, going from a sexually drab to fab in a single chapter: from nada to prada; from pauper to prince… and all those rags to riches cliches. The only thing I have to say in my defence is: I read the whole Dark Carpathian series of Christine Feehan (all 30 novels filled with insta-love and mind-blowing lemons) in only one month. My mind is completely corrupted by it. #sorrynotsorry

PS: For those of you who don't know what a Megalodon is: It's a prehistoric shark, roughly five to ten time the length of its modern-day cousin: the adult Great White.