Disclaimer: Psh. Ri----ght.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that last chapter. It was fun to write . . . hehe.

-chapter twenty-

Bulma stopped before she reached Chichi, 18, Krillin, and Goku, who were all sitting in the grass, finishing their lunch after four hours of non stop testing. They had just used up most of their brain, Bulma decided, I won't mess them up more. She followed Vegeta slowly, far behind him. He soon entered the Mess Hall, and she sneaked around the side of it to hear what was going on inside.

"Carlos!" Vegeta yelled throughout the room. Everyone looked at him. But he didn't care. His anger rose every second, and now was not the time for him to bother with that. The boy walked to him from the back of the room. "Come outside. I need to set something straight with you," Vegeta ordered through clenched teeth and with narrowed eyes. Carlos's heart began to quicken. He was obviously mad about something. As soon as they were out of watching eyes, Vegeta grabbed the collar of his shirt and dragged him to the side of the building into the bushes.

Bulma heard them coming, and quickly backed up further into the brush. She crouched down low enough to see Vegeta holding Carlos by the shirt. What was going on? Why was Vegeta acting like this?!? But she kept quiet.

There was a loud noise, and Carlos was suspended a foot off the ground. He was smashed into the wall by Vegeta, who held him there. "Tell me what you have with Bulma."

"N-nothing! I swear!"

"Bullshit! I see the way you look at her! Tell me!" he roared, smashing him to the wall once again.

Carlos was started to sweat and breath heavily. "Nothing! Kami, I swear! Nothing!"

"I don't believe you!" Vegeta dropped Carlos to the ground and put a hand around his neck. Not to cut off breath, just to scare him.

"I like her, ok?" he yelled, trying not to hyperventilate. "I like her!"

"Why?" Vegeta removed his hand from the boy's throat, but Carlos wasn't going anywhere.

"Good gods! You can't be serious! You of all people should know why I like her!"

Vegeta did something to the equivalent of growling, and his eyes narrowed even more. "Do not assume things you don't know. I want an explanation, and I'm going to get it."

"Fine. She's gorgeous," Bulma felt herself blushing, "intelligent, forgiving, funny, and she's not judgmental! She sees people for who they are! You know that!"

Vegeta took a step back. "But she's mine. You touch her, I will personally rip your throat out. Stop liking her."

"I can't do that. I've tried . . . "

"Try harder!!!!" Vegeta roared, pulling his arm back to punch him . . .

"Vegeta!" Bulma said quietly, stepping out of the bushes. Tears were leaking down her face. Gods! She was the cause of everything horrible that went on in this damn camp!

All the color leeched out of his face, and he let Carlos go. Suddenly, shades of red anger filled his eyes, and he pushed Carlos aside. "You."

Bulma couldn't help the tears from falling, and for once in her life, she felt afraid of him. She had never seen him like this. His eyes were on fire, murderous sparks flying from them. His fists were balled up, and his jaw was set tightly. She was afraid. It wasn't supposed to be like this! For every step he took towards her, she took one back. "V-veg . . . "

"You," he snarled, venom leaking from his words, biting into Bulma's unshielded heart. "I suppose you knew about this."

"N-n - "

"Do not lie to me, you bitch."

Bulma began to tremble as she realized that punch he was going to throw could now soon be for her. She could fight pretty well . . . but not against him! She, she loved him!

His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist painfully, yanking her towards him. She tried to squirm out of his grasp, but the more she did, the harder he held. She knew there would be bruises there.

"You . . . you knew. Didn't you. You never told him off, never discouraged him . . . you . . . " His face suddenly contorted into a smirk. Bulma was simply trembling, and that look . . . that was the scariest thing she had ever seen from him . . . "You sicken me." He shoved her away, and stormed out of the brush.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Yamcha . . . ooh, this is juicy!" Eva sang, bouncing over to her boyfriend. He gave her a questioning look.

"Do you know what Vegeta just did?"

"No . . . "

"He just told Bulma she sickened him!!!!!!!!! How low can you go?" she giggled, sitting down on a couch next to Yamcha. She had the perfect idea! Things were going so well . . . Bulma would be the slut of the camp, and Vegeta would be miserable. An open invitation for her.

Yamcha had to give his girlfriend a little credit. She was annoying sometimes . . . but she had her uses. All he really was wanted was Bulma . . . ever since he had laid eyes on that girl. Vegeta was the only problem . . . but if Eva had a way to make him disappear, he was all for it.

"I have the best idea you've ever heard. Here's what we'll do." She explained the plan to him and a smirk grew on his face.

"For once, it sounds good."

"Tonight, then."

"Right."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bulma tried to get a hold of herself. Things were just so . . . so fucked up. She had been in that brush for an hour. Carlos had given her a hug, then retreated to his cabin without a word. At the end of her pity party, she decided that enough was enough.

She hastily wiped her tear stained face and stood. Deep purple bruises began to appear on her wrist. She decided to go to her cabin and wrap it in an Ace bandage to make it look like she tripped and jammed her wrist.

She began to walk out of her spot to the cabin, thinking things over frantically. If she was ever going to get through the last part of the time, she had to grow up. She never needed him anyway. She put a damper on her tears. No more. No more would she be victim to him and his mental insanity. No more. Her eyes narrowed in determination. She would go to the dance, she would get through the rest of the month . . . simply without him. Anytime he was around, she would not be. Under the ice, she wasn't sure if she could stand that loathing look from him . . . it crushed her. But who was going to look under the ice? All there is is water, cool, refreshing water. But you can skate on ice . . . and if you're fine on the top, who wants to fall into the water?

"Bulma! We were looking everywhere for you!" Chichi broke her chain of thoughts, snapping her back to reality.

Bulma shrugged. "Sorry. I was off thinking, you know?"

Chichi smiled and dragged her to the cabin inside. It was getting dark, and Bulma was wiped. "Thinking of what?"

"I don't know . . . maybe Vegeta isn't that good for me."

Chichi's eyes grew a whole three sizes. "WHAT?"

Bulma shrugged again, trying not to cry and succeeding. "He's just so arrogant . . . I'm afraid it might be rubbing off on me. I wouldn't want that."

"You're crazy. You're sick. Get to bed, you'll feel better."

"I'm perfectly fine, Chichi," Bulma snapped, catching Chichi off guard. The black haired girl looked hurt, and Bulma apologized.

"I'm sorry Chi, all this testing is stressful."

"Oh, alright." She smiled again. "I think you still need to sleep."

"I agree with you on that. I'm beat."

Chichi grabbed Bulma's wrist affectionately . . . but quickly withdrew when Bulma all but shrieked in pain. "What happened?" Chichi asked quickly.

"N-nothing, Chi, I just fell and smashed my wrist back," she said, crossing her arms to hide her wrist. "I'll get a bandage on it."

"Let me see it . . . "

"No! I mean, no, it's ok, I'll do it. Go find Goku. I think he's lonely."

Chichi smiled and gave her a hug. "You're the best," she said happily, and skipped out of the room.

"If only you knew . . . " Bulma said as she wrapped up her wrist, put her pajama's on, slid into her bed, and into the deep bliss of sleep.

~~~~~~~~~

Vegeta had cooled down considerably. As he trained vigorously, he realized he acted way too rash. The look she gave him haunted his thoughts . . . her deep blue eyes were so terror filled . . . it pained him. But how could she just know about that . . . and ignore it? He stopped in mid air and suddenly saw that he had made a horrible mistake. That terror . . . that look would plague him for many nights to come. The jealously had long worn off and in it's place was realization and guilt. She had been so scared of him! She seriously thought he was going to hurt her? He would never . . . and yet . . .

He sighed and floated to the ground. He had screwed up. Once again, the great Saiyan prince fucked up. How was he going to fix this one?

He decided to walk to the Mess Hall to grab a bite to eat from a vending machine. As he reached the building, the sound of prissy girls giggling filled his ears. He ignored his inner warning and entered. They didn't notice him at all.

"Yeah, I heard she came out of the woods crying and she was all bruised up! What a loser!"

"It's funny, really. We all know Vegeta deserves better then that slut. She deserved whatever he did to her." He recognized that voice as Eva's as he pushed the button for Skittles.

"I know, he should just, like, dump her! Kill her, then dump her!"

"But you guys," one girl said with a little softer voice, "I feel kind of bad. I heard her telling her friend that he scared her so much and that she could never go near him without being afraid again! Isn't that sad?"

"More like pathetic!" Most of the girl's laughed.

"He should have just finished what he started."

"It's funny seeing girls like her so afraid! She was terrified!"

Vegeta couldn't stand anymore. He angrily grabbed the four packets of Skittles, and stormed out of the room, but not before firing a small ki blast at a girl, singeing the bottom of her hair. Screaming filled the air as Vegeta started towards the girl's cabin.

He really hoped the other two girls weren't there, and he got his wish. He knocked lightly on the door, and there was no answer. He opened it quietly. She was sleeping soundly in her bed, obviously cradling the wrist he had bruised. Guilt stung him like an angry bee set on revenge.

She looked so pretty like that . . . yet he could see the tear trails down her soft cheeks. He didn't want to get caught, so he left with a pained heart. Gods, how did she ever get into this mess?

~~~~~~~~~~~

Bulma awoke with an ache in her stomach. She opened her eyes, and all the terrors from the day before shocked her memory back to life. She glanced at her clock. It was nine. She had to leave at twelve for town. Chichi was busy doing her hair, and 18 was in the bathroom."

"Morning, hun," Chichi said, seeing Bulma was awake. "How's that wrist?"

"Um, fine," Bulma said, feeling guilty about lying but not knowing what else to do.

"Aren't you excited! We get to pick out our dresses today!"

"Sure," she replied dryly, standing and stretching.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Ok, so I'm not in the smart test taker's area, but I am not that stupid." Chichi walked up to the door and locked it, then put the key in her pocket. "You aren't going anywhere until you tell me what's going on. A wrist bent backwards like that doesn't hurt that much."

"I'm fine, Chichi! Really!"

"Nuh uh," 18 said, coming out of the bathroom. "You had a dream last night. You were moaning, half screaming, and saying Vegeta. That cannot be normal for someone who is fine."

Bulma blushed. She didn't remember any dream like that. "I'm ok, it must have just been a nightmare where he got hurt or some - "

18 made an exasperated noise. "I'm not stupid either! Come on Bulma, before I beat it out of you."

Bulma groaned and put her face in her hands. "It's a long story."

Ok, well . . . did you like it? Call me crazy, but this is starting to turn into a soap opera. *she shrugs and grins* Oh well. My next story I'm working on will NOT be this light . . . hehe.

DarkStar