*Author's Notes: This is actually one of my favorite chapters, even if it gets a little lemony here. I'm not planning to turn this fanfic into a lemon, but this chapter is as close to one as I'm gonna get. Anyway this is the "bath scene" that seems to pop up whenever I do Bulma and Vegita fanfics (I have no clue why). Oh, well--at least Bulma's still alive, right? ^_^
Chapter 4
Bulma knew she should have expected the soldiers around the castle to give her begrudging looks once she returned to her room, but she still didn't like it any better. None of them were willing to admit she had outsmarted them, but they were more careful about her security especially when Vegita had said if another incident like that occurred, he would kill the guards responsible for the slip up. Of course, the Prince's men took that as no joke and viewed their job more seriously; they truly treated her like a hated prisoner instead of a princess like she deserved to be treated like. Bulma had first decided to just go straight to sleep and end the whole thing, but she decided that if she were going to die tonight she was at least going to make herself look good. She had a difficult time convincing the guards to let her use the bathing hall like Vegita had said she could. They had no idea about what the Prince and she had been talking about in the garden, so they were highly
suspicious of her. One of the guards finally agreed to take her to the bathing hall and told her bluntly that he was going to stand guard at the door. Bulma merely rolled her eyes at him and was glad that she was the only person in the bathing hall. It was more like a huge pool, and she assumed it was used for a great quantity of people. Bulma also guessed it could be a private bath for someone who thought they were so important they deserved a huge bath just for themselves. Considering who lived in the castle, Bulma couldn't dismiss that as impossible.
Bulma took off her clothes and laid them neatly on one of the white tables. She set her bath robe next to it and hung her towel on a rack near the edge of the bathing pool. She dipped her toe into the water to test its warmth and found that it was warmer than she thought it would be. Bulma didn't see any signs of anyone having been there for probably hours, and she didn't see anything that looked like it was keeping the bath warm. The Princess decided to ignore these strange things and step down into the water. It felt good around her tired body. She hadn't even realized her back hurt until she felt the pressure being lifted off it. Bulma guessed all the tension she was under was causing her back, shoulders, and neck to hurt. She had already noticed her splitting headache.
"Maybe I should just drown myself..." Bulma said, leaning against one of the wall of the pool. She closed her eyes and wondered if she would actually try that. *Nah,* she thought, *I don't want to be naked when I die.*
***
It was around ten o'clock when Vegita had decided to check up on the Princess again. He had been busy for the last couple of hours and wasn't sure if even assuring to kill the woman would keep her out of trouble. He was fortunate not to have his father learn about the short disappearance of the Princess. Even the soldiers that knew about it weren't talking about it. He figured it must have been because they were embarrassed about letting her get away like that. Vegita was somewhat relieved that nothing seemed amiss as he went to her room. However, he had the feeling something was wrong when there was only one guard at the Princess's door.
"Where is Sukuwa?" Vegita demanded.
"He took the Princess to the bathing hall," the remaining guard answered. "He said he was going to stand guard at the door until she was finished."
Vegita raised a brow and put a hand to his chin. *What is with that woman?* he wondered. *Either she's trying to bide her time or either she's just insane... Well, I still need to check up on her, anyhow.*
The Prince made his way to the bathing hall where indeed Sukuwa was standing guard at the doors. He saluted when Vegita approached him and rambled nervously about making sure the Princess didn't try anything again. Vegita waved his hand to silence him and to indicate he wasn't worried about that.
"Yes, yes, very good," Vegita said impatiently. "You don't need to worry about the Princess--I am personally going to make sure she returns to her room. I want you to return to your post at her door."
"Um, yes, sir..." Sukuwa said, sounding confused, but leaving before Vegita's patience drew any thinner.
Once he was sure the guard was gone, Vegita quietly opened the door and slipped into the bathing hall. He smirked, seeing half of Bulma sitting near the back of the pool. To make sure that no one else tried to use the bath, he locked the door. Bulma hadn't noticed, too relaxed to notice even if the walls were collapsing. The Prince edged closer and closer to the edge of the pool where Bulma was leaning against. As he grew nearer, he got a better view of what half of Bulma's body was exposed. The strange feeling he had had in the garden was returning; however, this time he didn't try to force it away. Vegita never knew that creamy colored skin could look so appealing. Her neck, her shoulders, and her chest all were breath-taking. He was a bit disappointed that he couldn't see much of her chest--only about as much cleavage was showing as when she was wearing her dress. Vegita wondered if he could see more of what was hidden underwater by making her aware of his presence. He
hoped so.
"What a strange way to spend one's last day on earth," the Prince said, loving the way the woman snapped her eyes open and covered her chest.
"What the hell are you doing in here??" Bulma screeched, pressing herself against the other wall farthest from Vegita. "Get out!!"
"For once I don't mind your screaming," Vegita said, grinning.
"If you haven't noticed, I'm trying to take a bath!" Bulma said, bending her legs so more of her was hidden underwater.
"I tell you I'm going to kill you and you take a bath?"
"I never would have taken one if I knew someone was going to spy on me!"
"What does it matter? You're going to die anyway." Vegita folded his arms over his chest and tried not to laugh at her timid actions.
"I don't care if I'm going to die in a minute!" Bulma said, hating the way he was staring at her. "I don't want you ogling me like a vulture! I have self-respect!"
"Or is it that you just have a hideous body and you're trying to hide it?"
Bulma was so angry at the insult she stood straight and raised her fists in the air. "My body happens to be the most beautiful body that you would ever see, Prince!" she said indignantly. She glared at him only for a second before she noticed the grin expanding on his face. The Princess became aware of herself and sunk down into the water so that it was up to her head. "You are scum!"
"Hmph," the Prince said, chuckling at her strange behavior. "Maybe you weren't just shooting off your mouth."
"Just leave already, will you??" Bulma pleaded, dunking her head underwater. She stayed underwater until she couldn't hold her breath any more. When she finally came back up for air, Vegita was gone. "He left? Good..."
Bulma moved herself through the water until she was in the middle of the pool. She did a short circle to make sure that Vegita wasn't hiding anywhere in the room. Finding no trace of the Prince, Bulma relaxed again. She cupped some water into her hands and poured it over her shoulder. She pushed her wet hair out of her face and wringed it out. Bulma was almost completely relaxed as she had been before until she felt her arms being pulled behind her. She let out a scream as she was pushed back against something warm and hard, but she couldn't quite discern what it was.
"What the hell's going??" Bulma shouted, trying to escape from the metal grip that had her pulled back in an uncomfortable position.
"I don't even need to try very hard to sneak up on you, do I?"
"Ve-Vegita??" Bulma couldn't believe he could move around undetected like that and that he was so strong.
"I did not give you permission to address me so informally," Vegita said, pulling her arms back a little more. He grinned when she cried out in pain.
"Why should I...care..." Bulma said, feeling her arms coming out of their sockets. "You're going to kill me anyway, right??"
Vegita tugged on her arms a little more. "You will address me as Vegita-Ouji, Your Highness, Your Majesty, or my Prince," he reiterated. He ignored her whimpering. "Do I make myself clear?"
"You're hurting me!!" Bulma said, tears forming on the side of her eyes.
"Do I make myself clear?" Vegita repeated, wondering how much more he could pull back her arms before he really hurt her.
"Yes!!" Bulma said, breathing becoming irregular. She couldn't stand any more of the pain she was experiencing. "Your Majesty, Your Highness--whatever!!"
"Insolent little woman," Vegita said, letting of her arms. He chuckled at her hard breathing and how much fuss she was making over how much her arms hurt.
"Are you out of your mind?!?" Bulma said, rubbing her arms. "These are going to be hurting for days!!"
"Don't worry, you won't live another day," Vegita said, grinning at the sight of her back. He had a somewhat good view of her breasts from the side.
Bulma ground her teeth and turned around to face Vegita. "You sadistic bastard!!" she said, forgetting once again that she was indecent. She brought her hand back and swung it at Vegita's face.
Vegita easily caught her hand before it reached his face and tightened his grip on her hand. "Did you really think you could slap me?" he laughed. As Bulma pulled back, he squeezed her hand tighter. "I don't mind breaking your hand."
"There can't possibly be a worse person than you!!" Bulma said, putting all of her weight into bringing her hand out of his grip.
Vegita wasn't really listening to her; he was more interested in the show Bulma was putting on before him. As she twisted and turned and pulled, he allowed Vegita to get a nice look at her moving chest. Bulma didn't even realized he was leering at her again until she was about to try talking to Vegita to get him to let go of her hand.
"Stop that!" Bulma protested, lowering herself in the water again. She was so embarrassed and red in the face that she didn't notice when Vegita had let go of her hand.
"You're too easy," Vegita laughed as Bulma gradually drifted back against the furthest wall. He smirked and followed her closely.
"Stay back!" Bulma said, breathing hard. "Keep away from me!"
Bulma cried out when she had backed against one of the walls of the pool. Vegita stood about a foot in front of her, grinning like a vicious beast about to pounce on a weaker animal. "Doushita no, Hime? Do I make you...uncomfortable?"
He broke out in laughter as Bulma glared at him and covered herself again with her arms. "If you touch me, I swear I'll knock the stuffing out of you!"
"The idea of you hurting me is absurd," Vegita laughed. Bulma was surprised that he could raise himself higher than just below his neck.
"How are you doing that?" Bulma asked.
"Take a swing at this," Vegita challenged, exposing his chest to her.
It wasn't that Bulma didn't feel like taking a swing at Vegita, to the contrary; she would love nothing more than to inflict some kind of pain upon him like he had done on her. The reason she hadn't all ready hit him was the fact she hadn't even seen someone as built as he was. She wondered why she hadn't noticed until now, but she supposed his clothes had hid most of his muscles. The Princess wasn't a dummy; she had a good idea that if she hit him with all of her might, she'd most likely break her hand. She didn't care if she was going to be killed tonight--she didn't want a broken hand during her last few hours.
"Thanks, but no thanks," Bulma said, turning her head so she wouldn't gape at him any more. She wished her face would return to its regular color.
She turned redder as Vegita laughed at her. Bulma didn't look back at him until he had stopped mocking her. As soon as she glanced at him, he sunk under the water. Bulma blinked for a few seconds then cried out, realizing that he could be looking at her under the water. She covered her breasts as best as she could and crossed her legs. It scared her almost as much as being held above that courtyard to not know where Vegita was and what he was doing while she was in her current state. About two minutes later Vegita came back to the surface, barely taking in any air.
"How the hell did you stay down there for so long?" Bulma said, keeping her position even though the Prince had resurfaced.
Vegita shook some of the water out of his unruly hair. "Now I'm actually wishing you were a little bit taller," he said, acting as if he hadn't heard her question. "The water hides too much."
"Wh-Wh-Why you...!" Bulma stuttered. Now she felt even more self-conscious than before.
The Prince turned his back on her and swarm towards the middle of the pool. "I'm really going to regret having to dispose of you," he said impassively. "Well, that can't be helped; I can't afford such a volatile woman."
"Me, volatile?" Bulma said, watching the Prince pour water over himself.
"I've never met any Saiyajin that was more unpredictable than you," Vegita said. He made a long pause as if he were thinking about that. He muttered something that sounded like he were taking that back, but Bulma couldn't really hear him.
"Well, I've never met anyone as disgusting as you," Bulma said bitterly after he had stopped muttering.
Vegita just laughed and resumed bathing himself. Bulma still didn't like the idea that he was in the bath while she was naked. Suddenly it truly dawned on Bulma that he was naked too. First, she wondered where he had placed his clothes. She had looked around the room and hadn't seen any kind of sign of the garments he had been wearing. Second, Bulma thought of how close she were to a naked man. True, she had been close up to a man before at even a closer range, but he had all of his clothes on. Third, Bulma was having a difficult time taking her eyes off Vegita. The problem with this wasn't that she didn't want him to pop up anywhere else unexpectedly; no, the problem was that she actually thought that the man who threatened to kill her, tried to kill to kill her, locked her up like a prisoner, and was overall the most sickening person Bulma had ever known, was incredibly good-looking. She hadn't really thought so at first; Bulma was more horrified at their first encounter
than staring with her mouth hanging open. When Vegita wasn't scowling, but was grinning, he allowed more of his flattering traits to appear. The fact that his body was practically perfect in every way didn't hurt either. Bulma shook her head and tried to think of the numerous negative qualities about the Prince, at least until he left the bath.
"Strange that a woman that finds me so disgusting," Vegita said, swimming over to the edge of the bath, "can't take her eyes off me." He began to pull himself out of the bath and grinned when Bulma quickly darted her eyes away.
"I just want to make sure you don't try anything," Bulma said, staring at the water in front of her. "Every time I look away from you, you're somewhere else."
"Why don't you look at me now?"
"I bet you would like that, eh?" Bulma said, doing her best to act like she was unaware of her face being red.
"No, I just thought you would like that," Vegita said, putting his hands behind his head.
"I am not a lecherous demon like you," Bulma said snottily. She frowned that he could dare compare himself to her.
Bulma waited for some kind of reply from the Prince, but she heard absolutely nothing in return. Though she knew she shouldn't look in his direction, she did so just to make sure he hadn't disappeared again. This was the first time she wished he had; Vegita was merely waiting for her to look up at him. Bulma only caught sight of his naked form for about two seconds. She shot her head back down at the water again, redder than ever.
"Boy, you make me sick..." she said angrily.
"If I made you as sick as you claim, you could look me in the eye and tell me so," Vegita taunted.
"You make me so sick I can't bare to look at you!" Bulma snapped.
Vegita laughed, making Bulma even angrier. He had the kind of laugh that bluntly said you were less than he was and you were more of a jester than an intelligent person. It belittled, irritated, and disconcerted her all at the same time. The mere sound of it made her want to hit him over the head with a large object, scream her head off at him, and/or just plain run as far away from him as she possibly could. However, as she had been trained several times as a princess, she ignored these urges.
"Are you ever going to leave?" she halfway pleaded. "I'd like to finish my bath."
"Hmph, in my opinion you're about to turn into a prune staying in the water that long," Vegita said, sounding as though he were doing something. Bulma couldn't tell what, but she wasn't about to check it out either "But, perhaps since your type of people tend to wrinkle easily, you're eager to have that process started."
"Wrinkle??" Bulma said, pulling her arms out of the water and looking at them. Her hands were indeed starting to look like a raisin. "Well...I don't care. I'm not getting out of this bath until you..."
Bulma trailed off as she had taken a quick glance in Vegita direction. He had disappeared again, but this time she wasn't going to believe that he was really gone. She whirled around behind her to meet the Saiyajin no Ouji's gaze. Bulma cried out and quickly looked away before her brain registered that Vegita was wearing a towel around the bottom half of himself. He laughed at her again, making her feel all three of those emotions again.
"Do you enjoying tormenting me?" Bulma asked, moving her gaze back to his.
"Actually it is becoming one of my favorite things to do," Vegita answered, grinning down at her. "Too bad I can't do this on a daily basis."
"I'm rather glad about that..." Bulma muttered, looking ahead of her again. "Are you going to leave yet?"
"No, I sent Sukuwa away," Vegita said, folding his arms over his chest. "You can't be trusted by yourself even in this condition."
"Oh, come on now," Bulma said, rolling her eyes. "Do you really think I'd run around in this castle full of wacko Saiyajins in my bath robe??"
"Do you sleep naked?" Vegita suddenly found himself compelled to ask.
"What??" Bulma said, starting to get so mad she was shaking.
"I don't want any surprises if I come into your room during the night," Vegita said nonchalantly.
"Why, would that give me a better chance of living?" Bulma said, joking a little.
"If I told you it would, would you sleep like that?" Vegita said, snickering.
"Not if my life depended on it...which it might."
Vegita continued snickering, thinking this was one of the most interesting baths he had ever taken. "What will it take to get you out of this bath in a timely fashion?" he asked. "Or when my patience runs out will I have to just yank you out?"
"No!" Bulma said, knowing that wasn't an idle threat. "I'll...get out if you promise not to look at me when I do."
"I only promise a few things; that is not one of them."
"I won't have you gaping at me while I get out the bath," Bulma said, praying that she wouldn't have to be pulled out of the bath by the Prince.
Vegita let out what seemed to be a forced sigh. "You are dying anyway," he said as though he were tired of messing around with her. "I am going to give you precisely two minutes to get out of that bath and put on what you deem as...decent." He smirked and faced the opposite wall.
"Hmm?" Bulma said, turning back to see if he really were doing what he said.
"You have one minute and forty-five seconds," Vegita said as if he were a clock.
Bulma quickly stepped out of the bath, all the while keeping her eyes on Vegita to make sure he didn't turn around when he knew that she was out. He frequently informed her of her time left, and she walked as fast as she could to retrieve her towel. She liked to take her time and make sure she was completely dry, but Vegita's constant tracking of the time was making her nervous.
"Thirty seconds," Vegita said as Bulma began to put on her robe.
Bulma stumbled to get it on properly and nearly didn't have it on in the correct way by the time Vegita had said her time was up. She released a breath and tied the cloth belt around her waist just as he announced the last second. Vegita grinned at her, but Bulma did not share it. Her hair was dripping water on the side of her face and tickling her at the same time.
"Good, those weak legs of your can actually move," Vegita said, looking at the silk garment she had wrapped around her. "You call that decent?"
"It's better than what you have covering yourself up," Bulma said, folding her arms over her chest. "Don't tell me you're going to leave here like that."
"Would you like me to lose the towel?" Vegita taunted.
Bulma turned her head from him and let out an aggravated sigh. This wasn't at all what she expected she'd have to deal with when she went to Vegita. She expected to have to deal with some kind of barbaric bone-head whom she could out-smart easily. It seemed like Vegita was playing with her like a cat with a toy mouse. She had thought Saiyajins were brainless fools who just like to fight all the time without much of a cause. Bulma didn't like that Vegita was proving her wrong.
The Princess looked back at Vegita after he had been quiet too long for her taste. She nearly jumped. When she saw the Prince now fully dressed with his red cape draping behind him and a folded towel in his hand. He looked at her like she had been wasting all of his time.
"Well, are you going to leave or do I have to kill you here tonight?" Vegita asked.
"I really feel fortunate I'm dying tonight," Bulma said, liking the idea better and better. "I don't think I could stand seeing you day after day."
Vegita just smirked at her and opened the door to indicate he was ready to go. Unlike the first time he had escorted her to her room, he told her to lead and he would follow. She assumed he did so to keep a better eye on her while she was in the open, but she also had a bad feeling that he liked the view better from there.
*I'm not even going to ask if it can get any worse,* Bulma thought, trying to walk as if there were no one behind her. *I have a feeling if I utter or even think those exact words, somehow it will.*
Chapter 4
Bulma knew she should have expected the soldiers around the castle to give her begrudging looks once she returned to her room, but she still didn't like it any better. None of them were willing to admit she had outsmarted them, but they were more careful about her security especially when Vegita had said if another incident like that occurred, he would kill the guards responsible for the slip up. Of course, the Prince's men took that as no joke and viewed their job more seriously; they truly treated her like a hated prisoner instead of a princess like she deserved to be treated like. Bulma had first decided to just go straight to sleep and end the whole thing, but she decided that if she were going to die tonight she was at least going to make herself look good. She had a difficult time convincing the guards to let her use the bathing hall like Vegita had said she could. They had no idea about what the Prince and she had been talking about in the garden, so they were highly
suspicious of her. One of the guards finally agreed to take her to the bathing hall and told her bluntly that he was going to stand guard at the door. Bulma merely rolled her eyes at him and was glad that she was the only person in the bathing hall. It was more like a huge pool, and she assumed it was used for a great quantity of people. Bulma also guessed it could be a private bath for someone who thought they were so important they deserved a huge bath just for themselves. Considering who lived in the castle, Bulma couldn't dismiss that as impossible.
Bulma took off her clothes and laid them neatly on one of the white tables. She set her bath robe next to it and hung her towel on a rack near the edge of the bathing pool. She dipped her toe into the water to test its warmth and found that it was warmer than she thought it would be. Bulma didn't see any signs of anyone having been there for probably hours, and she didn't see anything that looked like it was keeping the bath warm. The Princess decided to ignore these strange things and step down into the water. It felt good around her tired body. She hadn't even realized her back hurt until she felt the pressure being lifted off it. Bulma guessed all the tension she was under was causing her back, shoulders, and neck to hurt. She had already noticed her splitting headache.
"Maybe I should just drown myself..." Bulma said, leaning against one of the wall of the pool. She closed her eyes and wondered if she would actually try that. *Nah,* she thought, *I don't want to be naked when I die.*
***
It was around ten o'clock when Vegita had decided to check up on the Princess again. He had been busy for the last couple of hours and wasn't sure if even assuring to kill the woman would keep her out of trouble. He was fortunate not to have his father learn about the short disappearance of the Princess. Even the soldiers that knew about it weren't talking about it. He figured it must have been because they were embarrassed about letting her get away like that. Vegita was somewhat relieved that nothing seemed amiss as he went to her room. However, he had the feeling something was wrong when there was only one guard at the Princess's door.
"Where is Sukuwa?" Vegita demanded.
"He took the Princess to the bathing hall," the remaining guard answered. "He said he was going to stand guard at the door until she was finished."
Vegita raised a brow and put a hand to his chin. *What is with that woman?* he wondered. *Either she's trying to bide her time or either she's just insane... Well, I still need to check up on her, anyhow.*
The Prince made his way to the bathing hall where indeed Sukuwa was standing guard at the doors. He saluted when Vegita approached him and rambled nervously about making sure the Princess didn't try anything again. Vegita waved his hand to silence him and to indicate he wasn't worried about that.
"Yes, yes, very good," Vegita said impatiently. "You don't need to worry about the Princess--I am personally going to make sure she returns to her room. I want you to return to your post at her door."
"Um, yes, sir..." Sukuwa said, sounding confused, but leaving before Vegita's patience drew any thinner.
Once he was sure the guard was gone, Vegita quietly opened the door and slipped into the bathing hall. He smirked, seeing half of Bulma sitting near the back of the pool. To make sure that no one else tried to use the bath, he locked the door. Bulma hadn't noticed, too relaxed to notice even if the walls were collapsing. The Prince edged closer and closer to the edge of the pool where Bulma was leaning against. As he grew nearer, he got a better view of what half of Bulma's body was exposed. The strange feeling he had had in the garden was returning; however, this time he didn't try to force it away. Vegita never knew that creamy colored skin could look so appealing. Her neck, her shoulders, and her chest all were breath-taking. He was a bit disappointed that he couldn't see much of her chest--only about as much cleavage was showing as when she was wearing her dress. Vegita wondered if he could see more of what was hidden underwater by making her aware of his presence. He
hoped so.
"What a strange way to spend one's last day on earth," the Prince said, loving the way the woman snapped her eyes open and covered her chest.
"What the hell are you doing in here??" Bulma screeched, pressing herself against the other wall farthest from Vegita. "Get out!!"
"For once I don't mind your screaming," Vegita said, grinning.
"If you haven't noticed, I'm trying to take a bath!" Bulma said, bending her legs so more of her was hidden underwater.
"I tell you I'm going to kill you and you take a bath?"
"I never would have taken one if I knew someone was going to spy on me!"
"What does it matter? You're going to die anyway." Vegita folded his arms over his chest and tried not to laugh at her timid actions.
"I don't care if I'm going to die in a minute!" Bulma said, hating the way he was staring at her. "I don't want you ogling me like a vulture! I have self-respect!"
"Or is it that you just have a hideous body and you're trying to hide it?"
Bulma was so angry at the insult she stood straight and raised her fists in the air. "My body happens to be the most beautiful body that you would ever see, Prince!" she said indignantly. She glared at him only for a second before she noticed the grin expanding on his face. The Princess became aware of herself and sunk down into the water so that it was up to her head. "You are scum!"
"Hmph," the Prince said, chuckling at her strange behavior. "Maybe you weren't just shooting off your mouth."
"Just leave already, will you??" Bulma pleaded, dunking her head underwater. She stayed underwater until she couldn't hold her breath any more. When she finally came back up for air, Vegita was gone. "He left? Good..."
Bulma moved herself through the water until she was in the middle of the pool. She did a short circle to make sure that Vegita wasn't hiding anywhere in the room. Finding no trace of the Prince, Bulma relaxed again. She cupped some water into her hands and poured it over her shoulder. She pushed her wet hair out of her face and wringed it out. Bulma was almost completely relaxed as she had been before until she felt her arms being pulled behind her. She let out a scream as she was pushed back against something warm and hard, but she couldn't quite discern what it was.
"What the hell's going??" Bulma shouted, trying to escape from the metal grip that had her pulled back in an uncomfortable position.
"I don't even need to try very hard to sneak up on you, do I?"
"Ve-Vegita??" Bulma couldn't believe he could move around undetected like that and that he was so strong.
"I did not give you permission to address me so informally," Vegita said, pulling her arms back a little more. He grinned when she cried out in pain.
"Why should I...care..." Bulma said, feeling her arms coming out of their sockets. "You're going to kill me anyway, right??"
Vegita tugged on her arms a little more. "You will address me as Vegita-Ouji, Your Highness, Your Majesty, or my Prince," he reiterated. He ignored her whimpering. "Do I make myself clear?"
"You're hurting me!!" Bulma said, tears forming on the side of her eyes.
"Do I make myself clear?" Vegita repeated, wondering how much more he could pull back her arms before he really hurt her.
"Yes!!" Bulma said, breathing becoming irregular. She couldn't stand any more of the pain she was experiencing. "Your Majesty, Your Highness--whatever!!"
"Insolent little woman," Vegita said, letting of her arms. He chuckled at her hard breathing and how much fuss she was making over how much her arms hurt.
"Are you out of your mind?!?" Bulma said, rubbing her arms. "These are going to be hurting for days!!"
"Don't worry, you won't live another day," Vegita said, grinning at the sight of her back. He had a somewhat good view of her breasts from the side.
Bulma ground her teeth and turned around to face Vegita. "You sadistic bastard!!" she said, forgetting once again that she was indecent. She brought her hand back and swung it at Vegita's face.
Vegita easily caught her hand before it reached his face and tightened his grip on her hand. "Did you really think you could slap me?" he laughed. As Bulma pulled back, he squeezed her hand tighter. "I don't mind breaking your hand."
"There can't possibly be a worse person than you!!" Bulma said, putting all of her weight into bringing her hand out of his grip.
Vegita wasn't really listening to her; he was more interested in the show Bulma was putting on before him. As she twisted and turned and pulled, he allowed Vegita to get a nice look at her moving chest. Bulma didn't even realized he was leering at her again until she was about to try talking to Vegita to get him to let go of her hand.
"Stop that!" Bulma protested, lowering herself in the water again. She was so embarrassed and red in the face that she didn't notice when Vegita had let go of her hand.
"You're too easy," Vegita laughed as Bulma gradually drifted back against the furthest wall. He smirked and followed her closely.
"Stay back!" Bulma said, breathing hard. "Keep away from me!"
Bulma cried out when she had backed against one of the walls of the pool. Vegita stood about a foot in front of her, grinning like a vicious beast about to pounce on a weaker animal. "Doushita no, Hime? Do I make you...uncomfortable?"
He broke out in laughter as Bulma glared at him and covered herself again with her arms. "If you touch me, I swear I'll knock the stuffing out of you!"
"The idea of you hurting me is absurd," Vegita laughed. Bulma was surprised that he could raise himself higher than just below his neck.
"How are you doing that?" Bulma asked.
"Take a swing at this," Vegita challenged, exposing his chest to her.
It wasn't that Bulma didn't feel like taking a swing at Vegita, to the contrary; she would love nothing more than to inflict some kind of pain upon him like he had done on her. The reason she hadn't all ready hit him was the fact she hadn't even seen someone as built as he was. She wondered why she hadn't noticed until now, but she supposed his clothes had hid most of his muscles. The Princess wasn't a dummy; she had a good idea that if she hit him with all of her might, she'd most likely break her hand. She didn't care if she was going to be killed tonight--she didn't want a broken hand during her last few hours.
"Thanks, but no thanks," Bulma said, turning her head so she wouldn't gape at him any more. She wished her face would return to its regular color.
She turned redder as Vegita laughed at her. Bulma didn't look back at him until he had stopped mocking her. As soon as she glanced at him, he sunk under the water. Bulma blinked for a few seconds then cried out, realizing that he could be looking at her under the water. She covered her breasts as best as she could and crossed her legs. It scared her almost as much as being held above that courtyard to not know where Vegita was and what he was doing while she was in her current state. About two minutes later Vegita came back to the surface, barely taking in any air.
"How the hell did you stay down there for so long?" Bulma said, keeping her position even though the Prince had resurfaced.
Vegita shook some of the water out of his unruly hair. "Now I'm actually wishing you were a little bit taller," he said, acting as if he hadn't heard her question. "The water hides too much."
"Wh-Wh-Why you...!" Bulma stuttered. Now she felt even more self-conscious than before.
The Prince turned his back on her and swarm towards the middle of the pool. "I'm really going to regret having to dispose of you," he said impassively. "Well, that can't be helped; I can't afford such a volatile woman."
"Me, volatile?" Bulma said, watching the Prince pour water over himself.
"I've never met any Saiyajin that was more unpredictable than you," Vegita said. He made a long pause as if he were thinking about that. He muttered something that sounded like he were taking that back, but Bulma couldn't really hear him.
"Well, I've never met anyone as disgusting as you," Bulma said bitterly after he had stopped muttering.
Vegita just laughed and resumed bathing himself. Bulma still didn't like the idea that he was in the bath while she was naked. Suddenly it truly dawned on Bulma that he was naked too. First, she wondered where he had placed his clothes. She had looked around the room and hadn't seen any kind of sign of the garments he had been wearing. Second, Bulma thought of how close she were to a naked man. True, she had been close up to a man before at even a closer range, but he had all of his clothes on. Third, Bulma was having a difficult time taking her eyes off Vegita. The problem with this wasn't that she didn't want him to pop up anywhere else unexpectedly; no, the problem was that she actually thought that the man who threatened to kill her, tried to kill to kill her, locked her up like a prisoner, and was overall the most sickening person Bulma had ever known, was incredibly good-looking. She hadn't really thought so at first; Bulma was more horrified at their first encounter
than staring with her mouth hanging open. When Vegita wasn't scowling, but was grinning, he allowed more of his flattering traits to appear. The fact that his body was practically perfect in every way didn't hurt either. Bulma shook her head and tried to think of the numerous negative qualities about the Prince, at least until he left the bath.
"Strange that a woman that finds me so disgusting," Vegita said, swimming over to the edge of the bath, "can't take her eyes off me." He began to pull himself out of the bath and grinned when Bulma quickly darted her eyes away.
"I just want to make sure you don't try anything," Bulma said, staring at the water in front of her. "Every time I look away from you, you're somewhere else."
"Why don't you look at me now?"
"I bet you would like that, eh?" Bulma said, doing her best to act like she was unaware of her face being red.
"No, I just thought you would like that," Vegita said, putting his hands behind his head.
"I am not a lecherous demon like you," Bulma said snottily. She frowned that he could dare compare himself to her.
Bulma waited for some kind of reply from the Prince, but she heard absolutely nothing in return. Though she knew she shouldn't look in his direction, she did so just to make sure he hadn't disappeared again. This was the first time she wished he had; Vegita was merely waiting for her to look up at him. Bulma only caught sight of his naked form for about two seconds. She shot her head back down at the water again, redder than ever.
"Boy, you make me sick..." she said angrily.
"If I made you as sick as you claim, you could look me in the eye and tell me so," Vegita taunted.
"You make me so sick I can't bare to look at you!" Bulma snapped.
Vegita laughed, making Bulma even angrier. He had the kind of laugh that bluntly said you were less than he was and you were more of a jester than an intelligent person. It belittled, irritated, and disconcerted her all at the same time. The mere sound of it made her want to hit him over the head with a large object, scream her head off at him, and/or just plain run as far away from him as she possibly could. However, as she had been trained several times as a princess, she ignored these urges.
"Are you ever going to leave?" she halfway pleaded. "I'd like to finish my bath."
"Hmph, in my opinion you're about to turn into a prune staying in the water that long," Vegita said, sounding as though he were doing something. Bulma couldn't tell what, but she wasn't about to check it out either "But, perhaps since your type of people tend to wrinkle easily, you're eager to have that process started."
"Wrinkle??" Bulma said, pulling her arms out of the water and looking at them. Her hands were indeed starting to look like a raisin. "Well...I don't care. I'm not getting out of this bath until you..."
Bulma trailed off as she had taken a quick glance in Vegita direction. He had disappeared again, but this time she wasn't going to believe that he was really gone. She whirled around behind her to meet the Saiyajin no Ouji's gaze. Bulma cried out and quickly looked away before her brain registered that Vegita was wearing a towel around the bottom half of himself. He laughed at her again, making her feel all three of those emotions again.
"Do you enjoying tormenting me?" Bulma asked, moving her gaze back to his.
"Actually it is becoming one of my favorite things to do," Vegita answered, grinning down at her. "Too bad I can't do this on a daily basis."
"I'm rather glad about that..." Bulma muttered, looking ahead of her again. "Are you going to leave yet?"
"No, I sent Sukuwa away," Vegita said, folding his arms over his chest. "You can't be trusted by yourself even in this condition."
"Oh, come on now," Bulma said, rolling her eyes. "Do you really think I'd run around in this castle full of wacko Saiyajins in my bath robe??"
"Do you sleep naked?" Vegita suddenly found himself compelled to ask.
"What??" Bulma said, starting to get so mad she was shaking.
"I don't want any surprises if I come into your room during the night," Vegita said nonchalantly.
"Why, would that give me a better chance of living?" Bulma said, joking a little.
"If I told you it would, would you sleep like that?" Vegita said, snickering.
"Not if my life depended on it...which it might."
Vegita continued snickering, thinking this was one of the most interesting baths he had ever taken. "What will it take to get you out of this bath in a timely fashion?" he asked. "Or when my patience runs out will I have to just yank you out?"
"No!" Bulma said, knowing that wasn't an idle threat. "I'll...get out if you promise not to look at me when I do."
"I only promise a few things; that is not one of them."
"I won't have you gaping at me while I get out the bath," Bulma said, praying that she wouldn't have to be pulled out of the bath by the Prince.
Vegita let out what seemed to be a forced sigh. "You are dying anyway," he said as though he were tired of messing around with her. "I am going to give you precisely two minutes to get out of that bath and put on what you deem as...decent." He smirked and faced the opposite wall.
"Hmm?" Bulma said, turning back to see if he really were doing what he said.
"You have one minute and forty-five seconds," Vegita said as if he were a clock.
Bulma quickly stepped out of the bath, all the while keeping her eyes on Vegita to make sure he didn't turn around when he knew that she was out. He frequently informed her of her time left, and she walked as fast as she could to retrieve her towel. She liked to take her time and make sure she was completely dry, but Vegita's constant tracking of the time was making her nervous.
"Thirty seconds," Vegita said as Bulma began to put on her robe.
Bulma stumbled to get it on properly and nearly didn't have it on in the correct way by the time Vegita had said her time was up. She released a breath and tied the cloth belt around her waist just as he announced the last second. Vegita grinned at her, but Bulma did not share it. Her hair was dripping water on the side of her face and tickling her at the same time.
"Good, those weak legs of your can actually move," Vegita said, looking at the silk garment she had wrapped around her. "You call that decent?"
"It's better than what you have covering yourself up," Bulma said, folding her arms over her chest. "Don't tell me you're going to leave here like that."
"Would you like me to lose the towel?" Vegita taunted.
Bulma turned her head from him and let out an aggravated sigh. This wasn't at all what she expected she'd have to deal with when she went to Vegita. She expected to have to deal with some kind of barbaric bone-head whom she could out-smart easily. It seemed like Vegita was playing with her like a cat with a toy mouse. She had thought Saiyajins were brainless fools who just like to fight all the time without much of a cause. Bulma didn't like that Vegita was proving her wrong.
The Princess looked back at Vegita after he had been quiet too long for her taste. She nearly jumped. When she saw the Prince now fully dressed with his red cape draping behind him and a folded towel in his hand. He looked at her like she had been wasting all of his time.
"Well, are you going to leave or do I have to kill you here tonight?" Vegita asked.
"I really feel fortunate I'm dying tonight," Bulma said, liking the idea better and better. "I don't think I could stand seeing you day after day."
Vegita just smirked at her and opened the door to indicate he was ready to go. Unlike the first time he had escorted her to her room, he told her to lead and he would follow. She assumed he did so to keep a better eye on her while she was in the open, but she also had a bad feeling that he liked the view better from there.
*I'm not even going to ask if it can get any worse,* Bulma thought, trying to walk as if there were no one behind her. *I have a feeling if I utter or even think those exact words, somehow it will.*