*Author's Notes: Now I can't tell you how much effort I had to put to get this chapter out. I'm really starting to not want to finish this fic, even though it's near its end. Oh, and FYI, once Bulma and Vegita are together, this fic is over. I wanted to do a sequel (that's why there's the whole explosion thing in this chapter), but I might just write it for myself and not post it on fanfiction.net. Anyway, I'm getting a lot of ideas for my other two main fics so I'll probably go back to working on them. Maybe if I get ten reviews for ten different people, I'll stick to my schedule of updating. If not, I'll just get back to writing this fic when I feel like it. Oh, and when Gokuu says "yo" in here, I'm not trying to incorporate some of our slang. If anyone watched the Japanese version of Dragonball Z, Gokuu greets people with "yo" a lot. Well, for those who waited and begged (sorry to make you beg) this chapter is for you. Oh, and if anyone wants me to email then next time I update (if I do), just let me know. Hope you like this chapter!
Gokuu didn't get much sleep the night before he and Vegita were to spar. Half of him was excited to practice with the Saiyajin Prince, having heard that Vegita was an excellent fighter; the only half was worried about Bulma and her situation with Vegita. Enthusiasm and concern didn't mix well, so Gokuu had to get up before the sun had risen. He wasn't sure when Vegita would summon him for the spar session, but he figured that Vegita wouldn't want to do anything before breakfast. For once Gokuu wasn't hungry; he was just edgy. Since he could not rid himself of his excitement, he decided to try to rid himself of his concern for Bulma. As he walked to her room he tried to make a little sense of what he had seen yesterday. There was the fact that Bulma had been urged to escape from her room, had her voice taken away, seemed terrified of Vegita, and for some strange reason was damp while she slept. Gokuu had a good feeling that there was more going on that he hadn't witnessed; he just needed to speak to Bulma about it. However, Gokuu had the distinct feeling that doing so would be difficult after his little encounter with Vegita the previous night. The Capsule knight wasn't completely stupid; he knew that Vegita hated his guts. What exactly caused Vegita to hate Gokuu was something the younger Saiyajin was a bit unclear on. He had his theories, but they would have to be tested before he knew they were the truth.
Gokuu was surprised to see Pikaru and Sukuwa still standing at Bulma's door. He wondered if they were ever given a break or if they ever needed one. Neither Saiyajin looked tired; each seemed as if they could go on for several more hours. Their eyes immediately went upon Gokuu as he approached and similar frowns appeared on their faces.
"Chotto, Kakarotto," Pikaru said before Gokuu even reached the door. "There's no way you're getting into the woman's room--Vegita-Ouji's orders."
"Ee? Naze?"
Sukuwa smirked and winked to Pikaru. "I don't think Ouji-sama wants you alone with his mate," he said. "He doesn't trust you."
Gokuu's mouth dropped open noticeably. "Nani?" he said. Masaka, he thought, Vegita can't be jealous of me… Hmm, then again no one here may know that I'm married. That could mean that there's a possibility that Vegita actually does care for Bulma. Demo, it doesn't really seem like it. Or does it?
"Vegita… where is he?" Gokuu asked, receiving nothing but glares afterwards. He laughed before correcting himself. "Vegita-Ouji, I mean." Sure he was used to calling King Briefs by his title, but there was something about Vegita that made it hard to remember he was royalty. Maybe it was his height; Gokuu wasn't sure.
"He's meeting with the King," Sukuwa answered begrudgingly.
"How long will he be doing that?"
"Saa?"
Gokuu frowned and folded his arms over his chest. "I guess I have no choice," he said. "I'll wait for him to come."
"Heh, what makes you think Vegita-Ouji is coming to see the woman this morning?" Pikaru demanded.
"I have a good feeling he will," Gokuu said. As Pikaru and Sukuwa gave him inquisitive looks, Gokuu stood beside the two at the door and prepared himself to wait for a while. The two guards turned their curious expressions into glowers at him, but Gokuu didn't pay them much mind. His mind was on other things.
It would be nice if Vegita actually did have feelings for Bulma, Gokuu thought. That way I wouldn't have to worry about her being in his care. Demo, if he's just trying to get rid of her like some of the other knights suggested… I won't hesitate to get Bulma out of here. Maybe I can find a way to make his true feelings come out…
********
"Are you positive you want to eliminate the Capsule Princess?"
"Mochiron!" Vegita glared at the moot look upon his father's face.
"After the tournament?"
"Yes, at that time she'll be at the pinnacle of her grief."
Vegita-Ou folded his hands together and veiled a smile at his scowling son. You might be a bit disappointed come the day of the tournament, Ouji…he thought. "So, you intend to spar with Kakarotto this morning?"
Vegita raised a brow. "How did you know that?" he said. It had only been about five hours or so since he had told Kakarotto that. The Prince became even more suspicious when his father smirked at him.
"I know many things, Ouji," King Vegita said.
"Hmph," Vegita snorted. "Anyway, I want to see if Kakarotto is at least decent at fighting."
"Try not to batter the little fool up too much," his father said. "We want the tournament to be a little entertaining."
Vegita shared his father's smirk. "I'll try." For a second a frown passed over his face in memory of why he had truly decided to spar with Gokuu in the first place. He'd teach the Capsule Saiyajin a thing or two.
"Nani? What's with that frown?"
He never misses anything! Vegita thought, baring his teeth. "It's nothing of your concern," he snapped. "Now, are we quite finished with this useless meeting?"
"Iie," Vegita said. He only laughed long enough to make Vegita angry, but not angry enough to start mouthing off. "We still need to discuss the next kingdoms the Saiyajin army is to conquer within the next month. We have gained a bit more technology since we've added the Capsule Kingdom to our empire, so…"
Vegita settled himself into one of his obligatory attempts at attention and tried not to explode with impatience. Yes, he was always interested in an upcoming battle, but all he needed to know was when and where to fight. The other details--what could be gained from the kingdom, what a Saiyajin needed to be "careful" about when traveling to the place, and other such nonsense--was a waste of time to the Saiyajin no Ouji. However, he did not want to openly show his disinterest and prolong his meeting with his father. The sooner he beat some sense into Kakarotto, the better.
********
Bulma was sure that this morning was the first morning she had woken up peacefully since she had arrived in Vegita. She had dreamed again, but this time it was even better than the short dream she had while in the regen pool. Gokuu had taken her back to Capsule and assured her that she would never have to see another Saiyajin (save himself) again. Bulma was able to see her mother and father again, her friends, and have the security that her life wasn't in danger. Of course, when had to face the harsh reality that she was still in Vegita and still worried about its prince killing her, but she had to admit she felt really good at the moment. She knew that Gokuu was with her now and had been with her at some point last night. Bulma, despite her terrible predicament was in a good mood. It would stay with her until she had to face Vegita once again, at least.
Bulma rose from her bed and stretched. "I'm certain that he'll want to tell me how he's going to kill Gokuu," she sighed as if it were the most tedious thing ever. Yes, it still bothered her, but at the same time she was getting a little tired of being threatened by the same thing over and over again. Couldn't Vegita come up with something else? She swore he had an one-track mind.
"Achoo!" Bulma sniffled and rubbed a finger under her nose. She didn't feel very cold, but her clothes were still damp. "Guess I better change…"
Bulma was reminded when she began digging through of her trunks of clothes that she had been seized by His Shortness. That also reminded her of how much she was like a prisoner, if not totally one. Bulma frowned a little and decided that if she was going to be in such a position, she was going to dress like it. When she had been aiding her country in battle, she had gotten quite a many items of casual clothing. It had been helpful, during periods where she could have been targeted, to blend in with the rest of the Capsule population. At first Bulma had felt uncomfortable wearing something that made her at least appear unimportant, but she soon grew to like it and wore her informal outfits the majority of the time she decided to invent something or experiment with something.
"Ah, here we go," Bulma said, pulling out a simple shirt and a pair of pants. "Hmm, last time I wore this I invented a reclining chair. Brings back memories…"
Bulma, though she doubted that Sukuwa or Pikaru would disturb her this early, dressed in the spacious closet. She wouldn't take the risk of any unexpected surprises. When she finished, she lied back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She muttered something about being bored, but then a smile came to her face. At least she was talking again. Bulma had missed the sound of her voice; it made her feel like she had at least a little power left.
"Demo, what good will having my voice back do?" Bulma said. She let out a breath and turned onto her stomach. "Tomorrow's the day of the tournament…the day Gokuu and I are supposed to die. How comforting." Bulma smirked and closed her eyes. Truth be told, I'm not too worried about dying, she thought. Son-kun's the one that has so much to live for, or, rather, has people to live for. How could I let Chichi become a widow and Gohan grow up fatherless? Yes, I know people will be sad I pass away, but it's not like I'm married or have children. Even if I lived here my whole life, it wouldn't be that much of difference; I'd never be allowed to visit Capsule--it'd be as if I were dead. The only way for my condition to change is if Vegita changes his mind.
"Yeah, right," Bulma scoffed. She opened her eyes again. "I suppose somehow I have to help Gokuu. However, impossible that seems." All my plans to get just some fresh air have backfired on me, she thought. And talking to Vegita will only get him angry…something I'm not willing to risk again, or will just be useless. Besides, I don't want to talk to him again. I barely want to look at him after he…
Bulma's thoughts were on her brutal attack yesterday. She tried to restrain her shivering, but it was impossible. Bulma had known Vegita was scary from the beginning with his extremely unpleasant expression and tendency to solve his problems by violence (or scare tactics), but being thrown against the wall had really proven to her just how terrifying he could be. She knew she would remember that for the rest of her life…as short as it was gong to be unless she could do something about it.
Bulma felt her forehead, remembering when she had felt an inflammation upon it. This time, however, it felt as it had before. She blinked and remembered about the regen pool. It wasn't just amazing for the healing capabilities it had performed, but for the advances in technology it presented. It even surpassed many of the things that were invented in Capsule. That made it intriguing for two reasons.
As a scientist herself, Bulma wondered how it was able to do the things it did. If only she wasn't held in her room like a prisoner; she would have liked to talked to someone who had made the machine, or at least been able to examine its mechanics. Therapeutic methods were always handy, especially in such a war-prone period as Bulma lived in. She had dedicated much of her time to inventing medicines that would help those wounded and sick, but she had never been able to make anything like the regen tank. Bulma doubted that if she had spent years in the medical technology field that she would have ever came up with something that exceeded the regen pool's facilities. How ironic that it was in a kingdom where it would be used to heal those who would harm far more than the pool ever healed. Bulma regretted that she was unable to learn something from the amazing device.
The second reason it intrigued Bulma so was because her body felt somewhat healthier than it had even before Vegita had assaulted it. She didn't think that Vegita would put her in the pool if he wasn't sure what it would do (yet she doubted he himself had ever used it), so it was surprising that Vegita had cured her so completely. He didn't have to do that much; it would have been sufficient to let her merely appear all right and never let Bulma ever explain to Gokuu what had happened to her. Bulma knew he was capable of that, and she was sure he wanted her to suffer, or at least she thought she was sure of that. The whole regen pool thing presented a mystery. Why didn't Vegita just take the chance that Gokuu would be suspicious of her injuries? If Gokuu did indeed confront him and "force" Vegita to kill him, the effect would be the same upon her. Her friend would be dead and she would have no hope left of ever being safe again. Yet, Vegita went to a great length to make sure she was okay. If Bulma didn't know any better she would have thought he felt guilty. Of course, she knew he couldn't have been because if that made him regretful, surely killing her friend would make the Prince reluctant. No, Vegita was all gung ho about it. No regrets, no restraints, no impediments.
"Guess I'll never figure out Vegita," Bulma said. "Maybe I should have just married Yamcha… I'm sure once we married he wouldn't be so fickle and unreliable. At any rate, I'd be able to have a future…grow old…" At that point, Bulma found herself imagining several things she could have done with her life had things turned out better.
********
Vegita cracked his neck a few times as he went down the hall. His father had talked much longer than he would have liked, and it had been a real trial to keep his appearance of interest. He had almost fallen asleep toward the end, but thinking of the irritating Kakarotto had kept him from doing so. Just thinking of the younger Saiyajin made Vegita's blood boil. Of course, he had to be careful that he didn't think of the little trip Kakarotto had made to Bulma's room last night; when Vegita thought of that, it was hard for him not to scowl. It was also hard for him not to scowl when he saw Gokuu waiting at Bulma's door with Pikaru and Sukuwa. The Prince stopped before he had reached the door and wondered if he was seeing things. It not only outraged him, but boggled his mind. Vegita never knew someone who concerned himself so much with one person. There was no way Vegita could tolerate Kakarotto's attachment to Bulma; he just couldn't.
Pikaru and Sukuwa acted as usual; they stood at attention and saluted at Vegita when they were aware of his presence. Gokuu merely stared at Vegita as if surprised he was there and then waved to him as if he were a commoner. Vegita didn't know if Kakarotto did that on purpose, but if he had any desire to make him angry, it was working like a charm.
"Ohayou!" Gokuu said, displaying his genial smile.
"Temee…you're here again??" Vegita was just below shouting like a maniac which discomforted the two Saiyajin guards, but did nothing for Gokuu. Vegita was met with a blank look of a lack of comprehension.
"Mochiron (Of course)," Gokuu said. He stretched, having been waiting for Vegita for about an hour. "By the way, how come you won't let me see Bulma while you were away?"
"You have no business in my ma--the woman's room, that's all!" Vegita would have punched himself in the face had there been no one else there. He liked to think that there was a reason that he almost referred to Bulma in that manner, but he didn't have time to ponder it at the moment.
"Why not? I'm her knight and friend. I'm pretty sure Bulma gets lonely being cooped up in that room all day." Gokuu shook his head. "Frankly, I don't know how she stands it. I don't blame her for trying to run away."
That's it! Vegita thought. He threw down his hand. "Pikaru and Sukuwa!" he ordered. The two jumped at his sudden focus upon them. "I want the both of you to get the woman's breakfast right now!"
"H…Hai, Vegita-Ouji!" Sukuwa and Pikaru were more curious about this than anything else Vegita had been doing and saying lately, but they followed Vegita's orders without any hesitation. Vegita made sure his guards were gone before he stepped up to Gokuu.
"Sate (Now then)," Vegita said, scowling up at Gokuu. The innocent look on the other Saiyajin's face only made him angrier. "I want to know what your true intentions are right now!"
Gokuu blinked at Vegita, having trouble understanding what the Prince was talking about and why he was glaring at him. Vegita could only tolerate about thirty seconds of Gokuu's ignorance before he grabbed Gokuu by the collar and brought him to be eye level with him. It was hard for Vegita not to ram his forehead into Gokuu's; only thinking that even that action wouldn't make Gokuu any brighter kept him from doing so.
"Fuzakeru na, Kakarotto!!" Even Gokuu had to cringe a bit when the Prince was yelling right in his face. "You're so damn protective of the woman--it can't just be your duty as a knight! Plus the woman…she acts as if you…as if you… Well, anyway she just likes you more than I can tolerate!"
Gokuu only gasped lightly, to prevent himself from appearing too shocked. Maybe he does like Bulma, he thought. There's no way someone who simply wants to kill her would worry so much about the relationship between Bulma and me. Hmm, I think I know of a way to see if he really does care about Bulma. Demo, I better not make him mad right now.
"What are you talking about?" Gokuu laughed. He shook his hand at the perturbed Prince. "I'm only acting as her knight, that's all. I don't have any other purposes besides protecting her and making sure Capsule still has its Princess. Besides, Chichi told me a long time ago that she doesn't like me getting too involved with Bulma."
Vegita loosened his grip on Gokuu's collar. "Chichi?" he asked, brow raised.
"That's my wife. Has been for about five years."
Now it was Vegita's turn to express shock. Of all the things he imagined that Kakarotto was, he never considered that he would be married. He felt a bit sorry for the woman who actually had to call him her husband; he could just see how wearing that would be.
"Hmph," Vegita said, withdrawing his hand. "Whatever." He turned his back to Gokuu, Vegita somehow thinking that his face was red. He hoped it wasn't because he would never be able to explain why it was or why he felt extremely stupid at the moment. Why did I just ask him that? he wondered. Who cares what's going on between them… But for some reason I feel at ease now. Naze da (Why is that)?
Gokuu held back a laugh, sensing Vegita was a embarrassed at the moment. "Well, can I go in to see Bulma now?" he asked. A bead of sweat formed at the side of his forehead when Vegita turned and glared at him in the same way as if he asked why the Prince was so short. I wonder if he really believes what I just told him…Gokuu thought. He looks as though he's just now changed his mind.
"I just wanna make sure she's all right before we go spar," Gokuu added after the uncomfortable silent glower he had received.
Oh, yes, the spar, Vegita remembered, calming a degree. Somehow the whole Gokuu visiting Bulma thing had made him completely forget about that. I'm still gonna make Kakarotto wish he were less protective of his Princess and more mindful of me.
"Fine," Vegita said. He went into Bulma's room first, ignoring the relief he experienced when the Princess sat straight in her bed as she had before. He decided that it was merely a relief to see her back to her "old self" so that his plan would work as he wanted it to.
Bulma was tense, expecting her visitor to only be the Prince, but her face brightened as Gokuu entered and waved at her with his hopelessly cheerful expression. "Yo, Bulma!" he said without any concern that Vegita had told him the previous night to not address her so informally. "How ya doin'?" Bulma smiled at him as if he were the greatest thing her eyes had ever seen.
Vegita made a low growl beside Gokuu, but didn't trust himself enough to say something. That fool Kakarotto has absolutely no regard for royalty whatsoever! he thought. How dare he ignore my orders and talk her as if they were old friends?? Greeting someone, especially one above their class, with "yo…" Who the hell does he think he is??
Bulma blinked as she noticed that the Saiyajin no Ouji was about the direct opposite of what Gokuu was: utter rage. She wondered why Vegita looked like he was a second away from killing Gokuu and all her friend had done was ask her how she was doing. It scared her because when Vegita had first entered, he looked as pompous and choleric as usual, but now Bulma wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly grabbed Gokuu and tried to rip off his head. What in the world would make Vegita hate Gokuu so much? Bulma doubted it was merely because he wanted to kill Gokuu to make her suffer.
"Well," Vegita said, surprising both Gokuu and Bulma who didn't expect him to say anything, "you've seen that the woman is okay, Kakarotto. Now get the hell out."
Iie…I don't Son-kun to leave me alone with him again…Bulma thought, gripping the sheets on her bed tightly.
"Demo, Vegita--" Gokuu began.
The door burst open before Gokuu could finish, distracting all persons in the room. A Saiyajin soldier promptly came in after the door was so abruptly opened and rushed over to Vegita. He saluted quickly to his Prince just before Vegita was able to get over the disbelief that one of his men had dared to do something as the soldier had done.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, barging into this room like this??" Vegita demanded.
"My apologies, Ouji-sama," the soldier said. He bowed and then stepped closer to Vegita to begin whispering something to him.
Gokuu and Bulma stared at the two Saiyajins, wondering what the big secret was. They both watched Vegita's face for a sign of what the soldier was telling him. Vegita first looked shocked, then murderous, and finally grave, but still angry. Bulma guessed that whatever it was, it was something that Vegita never expected would have happened.
"How the hell did all this happen??" Vegita asked the soldier. Bulma smiled a little as he confirmed her theory.
"I don't know, Your Majesty," the soldier said.
Vegita cursed and glanced at Bulma and Gokuu for a second before looking back at the soldier. "Have you seen Sukuwa and Pikaru?"
"Iie. They must have been sent out with some others. I'm sorry, Ouji-sama, but I must go as well. If you'll excuse me." The soldier left in much the same manner he had entered. Gokuu watched him go, scratching his head.
"Chikusho…" Vegita said, glaring at Gokuu now. Gokuu met him with curious eyes. Kuso…Vegita thought. I don't have much choice but to leave the woman in Kakarotto's care. With something as strange as this occurring, it isn't impossible that something could be done to the castle as well… However, I don't like leaving the woman alone with Kakarotto! I don't trust him! Still…I have no other option…
"Listen up, Kakarotto," Vegita said, pointing at him as if planning to stab him with his index finger, "I have to leave upon urgent business, so I'm giving you the task of watching over the woman until I get back." When Gokuu smiled, he went closer to the other Saiyajin so that his finger was touching where Vegita guessed Gokuu's heart would be. "Don't take this lightly, Kakarotto; if you let the woman leave this room, even if she manages to trick you, I swear I will kill you. She is to stay here and you are not to leave unless Sukuwa and/or Pikaru come back, am I clear??"
Gokuu gave him an "okay" sign. "No problem, Vegita…Ouji…" He once again laughed off his near mess-up. "I protect Bulma all the time; it'll be no trouble at all."
Vegita stared at him for a moment with a look that suggested that the Prince meant every word he said. Gokuu nodded and made a sloppy salute to "his" Prince and Vegita reluctantly turned away from him. Vegita was now in Bulma's direction and gave her an indication that he didn't want any funny business while he was gone.
"Don't even try something foolish while I'm away," Vegita said, almost forgetting Gokuu was in the room. "I will be back soon; you can count on it." Bulma nodded, a little more afraid of his strange actions than she was curious, if only to placate him until he decided to leave.
"Kakarotto, I haven't forgotten our business today either," Vegita said as he walked to the door. "We will get to that as soon as I get back."
"Hai," Gokuu said, unable to keep himself from smiling at that. He held the smile until Vegita left the room and he heard his retreating steps.
Gokuu stretched again as if he had been standing against a rigid wall for several hours. "Boy…Vegita is so uptight," he said. He grimaced and let out a sigh. "Can't he ever smile just once?"
"You don't need to tell me."
Gokuu stumbled backwards onto the floor. He looked upside at his friend on the bed. "You…you can talk again??"
"Mochiron," Bulma said, smiling at his surprise. She waited for him to get back to his feet before continuing. "I just didn't want Vegita to know that. I was hoping it would keep him from talking too much to me…" She lost her smile and stared down at her bed.
Gokuu frowned and approached her bed. "Bulma, what happened?" he said. He stopped her before she tried to tell him a lie. "I can tell something happened by the expression on your face. Vegita…aitsu (that guy)…what did he do to you?"
Bulma sighed. "Gokuu, you never know that so much can happen in two days…" she said. "Take a seat and I'll try to sum it up for you." Gokuu did as he was told, folding his arms over his chest in preparation to listen to something he wasn't going to like.
It didn't take Bulma very long to tell Gokuu all the details of her stay at Vegita. First, she told him of how he held her outside of a window and threatened to let her go, even letting her go a little, so she wouldn't think he was joking. She could tell that didn't make Gokuu very happy, but he was calm enough to let her go on. Second, she told him of how she first "escaped" from her room by using the broken window to make Pikaru and Sukuwa think she had escaped. Gokuu had laughed until he heard the part of about Vegita wanting to kill her. That kept him displeased for only a second; when he heard about the little bath scene, he really began to laugh. Bulma didn't think it was funny, but it was hard for her to get angry at Gokuu when she hadn't heard such a friendly laugh in such a long time. It was a comfort even though the topic wasn't that light-hearted. Bulma continued and told him about expecting him to kill her while she slept, but woke up without a scratch. Gokuu questioned that, but Bulma didn't have an answer to why she have lived. Instead, Bulma told him of the photo album incident which led to her meeting Radditsu and Vegita declaring that he was going to kill Gokuu. Of course, she had to add in the part about Vegita throwing her upon the floor and taking away her voice. That only fazed Gokuu a little, but when she told him more of the details of her second "escape" he was amused once more. However, Gokuu had not a shred of enjoyment when Bulma told him of her experience of being thrown against a wall and knocked unconscious.
"Yurusu nai (Unforgivable)!" Gokuu stood up and held up his fists as if he was going to find Vegita and make him pay for that right way. "I cannot forgive nor believe he did that to you!" Gokuu stayed in a furious state that was even starting to make Bulma afraid, until he looked at her and gradually displayed wonder. "Demo…you look great, Bulma… Doushite?"
"That's the other part I didn't tell you yet," Bulma said. She pointed to her forehead. "I thought I was going to at least have a huge bruise on my head, but Vegita decided to take me to this room that had this thing called a 'regen pool.'"
"Regen pool?" Gokuu blinked and lower his arms.
"It looks like a normal pool, but once you're in it, it heals whatever wounds you have. In fact, I think it makes you a big stronger than you were before you were injured. It's truly amazing."
"Vegita…healed you?" Gokuu put a hand to his chin. "Why would he throw you against a wall and then decide to heal you?"
"I'm guessing that he knew that he couldn't hide my injuries that well and had to make sure I looked well enough to fool you," Bulma said. She let out a breath. "When I woke up Vegita came in to check on me and found out I couldn't even move without being in pain. That's when he decided that he'd take me to the regen tank."
"Hmm…" Gokuu still found that a little hard to accept. I might have believed that if I didn't see how much Vegita is bothered by the idea of me trying to be more than Bulma's knight, he thought. I'd have to say that he healed her because he felt bad for what he did. That's gotta be it…or at least I have the feeling that's the reason…
"What are you thinking, Son-kun?" Bulma asked after a few minutes of silence.
"Has Vegita ever told you that he hates you?"
"Ee?" Bulma looked at him sideways. "Well, no, but you have to hate someone if you want to kill them and one of their best friends."
"I dunno, Bulma," Gokuu said. He began walking as if he was a detective who was about to solve a great mystery. "Even though Vegita threw you against a wall like he did, he still took the time to get you healed."
"I told you why, though," Bulma said, a bit annoyed at Gokuu's strange thoughts. "He didn't want you to get upset and force him to kill you before tomorrow. It's very simple."
Gokuu shook his head. "No, I don't think it's as simple as that," he said. He stopped moving and looked at the boarded up window. "Demo, I have plan to make Vegita show some his true self. I think once I go through with this, we'll both know whether or not Vegita cares about you."
"Son-kun, take a look around you!" Bulma said, sliding off her bed. "He's has me in this room like a prisoner! He took away all my things save my clothes, and to him, I'm not a princess--I'm just some woman that he owns!"
"Wakatta yo." Gokuu smiled and motioned her over with his finger. When she stood next to him, he put a hand on her shoulder. "Bulma, just let me just finish my plan before you make a final conclusion."
"What is your plan?" Bulma asked, brows lowering. "Son-kun, don't do anything to make Vegita angry. I can tell you first-hand what he can do to you."
"Daijoubu," Gokuu said. He smiled as if he knew everything that would happen. "I'm only going to make Vegita think that I have the same intention as he does."
"Huh?" Bulma stared at him questionably, but Gokuu only continued to smile. She guessed she would have to wait before she was given an answer to what Gokuu was really up to.
********
Vegita didn't know what to make of his little investigation of one of the villages about three miles from the castle. There had been some explosions, but there was no trace of anyone attacking the village; a couple of houses had just exploded for no reason any Saiyajin could tell. It curious and might have been frightening if Saiyajins frightened easily. The Saiyajins who had been in the area of the explosions were either badly injured or killed. Much of the village's land had been ruined, and several fires had to be put out. A few were still burning when Vegita arrived at the scene. His father had given him complete authority over the matter and Nappa had been with him to deliberate what should be done about the whole thing. Vegita would have thought he wouldn't concern himself too much with the whole explosion, but he was surprised about how much it mattered to him. He took a great deal of time determining how much damage had been done and how badly his people were harmed from the explosion. Vegita, for once, was felt his castle was at risk.
"Vegita-sama, what do you make of all of this?" Nappa asked. He glared at the ring of Saiyajins, mostly from other villages, that had gathered around the area.
Vegita finished surveying the crater that had been made. "I would have said it was a bomb," he said, dusting off his hands, "but there would have to be someone present to light it. Bombs can't go off by themselves."
"Sou," Nappa agreed. "Someone must be trying to scare us Saiyajins. It would be hard to figure out exactly who."
"Hmph, doesn't matter who the hell it is," Vegita said. "Nothing like this will ever happen again, especially so close to the castle. I want anyone who is an outsider of the Saiyajin kingdom questioned and a band on any outsiders entering the kingdom from now on except someone who can figure out exactly what made this explosion."
Nappa grinned a little. "Perhaps someone from Capsule?" he asked.
Upon the mention of Capsule, Vegita thought of Bulma left alone with Gokuu. "Doesn't matter where," he snapped. "As long as the person can figure out something. If they can't, let them know that there will be severe punishments for wasting my time. Is that understood?"
"Hai, Vegita-sama," Nappa said. He noticed the Prince was beginning to leave. "You're leaving now, Your Majesty?"
"I have other business that I need to take care of," Vegita said. He ignored the many Saiyajins saluting and bowing at him as he passed.
"Naru hodo (I see)," Nappa said, though he was sure Vegita couldn't hear him. "Guess the Prince's worried about his mate." He laughed to himself before heading out to get Vegita's orders done.
Among the crowd of Saiyajins that Vegita passed were Radditsu and Bardaku. They had been there a while, living in the second closest village to the one that had been attacked. "Do you think this will happen somewhere else?" Radditsu asked, glancing at his father.
"Most likely," Bardaku said. He folded his arms over his chest and deepened his glare at the craters. "There's no way this was an accident; someone wants to challenge us. You can expect a war to break out soon."
Radditsu cracked his knuckles. "That suits me just fine," Radditsu said, grinning. "It's been a while since we've been in a full-scale war."
"Don't get too excited about it, Radditsu."
"Naze?" His son looked at him as if he were crazy. "Don't tell me you're not excited about the prospect of fighting."
"This enemy obviously has some new technology that were not used to," Bardaku said. He gazed at his son, but didn't lighten his expression. "Saiyajins were killed in that explosion and most Saiyajins can withstand even an explosion from a regular bomb. If this is just a warning, what else could this enemy use against us?"
Radditsu frowned. "I…I never thought of that…" he muttered. "It's not as if I wouldn't still want to fight."
"You hardly ever think," Bardaku said. He began to walk away to explore something else.
"Oi, Bardaku!" Radditsu called after him. He snorted and folded his arms much in the same manner his father did. "Sometimes he can be as annoying as his mate used to be…"
********
Vegita was pleased to find that the irritating Kakarotto was not with Bulma by the time he had arrived back at the castle. Sukuwa and Pikaru had returned to their posts and given the woman something to eat. He would have checked on the woman before he left, but his guards had assured him that nothing seemed to be wrong with her when they had gotten back and Pikaru had told Kakarotto to wait for him in Vegita's sparring room. That was enough for Vegita to temporarily forget about Bulma and concentrate on Kakarotto. He hadn't taken a break to eat all day, but he felt energized by the prospect of beating up someone; he had a great deal of frustration to deal with.
Gokuu had too eaten little all day (except for when he had eaten some of Bulma's breakfast before Pikaru and Sukuwa had kicked him out of her room), but was pumped up about the sparring match as well. He was amazed at the space that was reserved for Vegita's private sparring area; he doubted he had been in such a large room outside of the Capsule Castle. Gokuu was also interested in the collection of swords that was near the middle of one of the walls. Several of them were unlike anything Gokuu had ever seen before. He wasn't surprised the Saiyajin kingdom had such weaponry, but he just never imagined that they would have so many different swords. Gokuu was tempted to take one from the stand, but he wasn't sure if he was allowed to do so. No one else was around, but he had the feeling Vegita would be there momentarily. Soon Gokuu grew tired of waiting and decided he would put it back when he heard Vegita coming in. The one he selected had one of the straightest blades he had ever seen and what seemed like a perfect point. It was a little heavier than what Gokuu was used to fighting with, but not too heavy that he couldn't swing it easily. Sunlight from the windows high above made the metal glint and brought more attention to its sharp edge. Gokuu didn't know what it was, but he could resist the urge to rub his thumb along it sharp edge. He did so slowly, of course, yet he found that it still cut his skin.
"Suge…" Gokuu said, sucking his cut until the blood stopped flowing. He smiled and slashed at the air a few more times. "There's so many amazing things about this kingdom."
"Sou da, Kakarotto."
Gokuu whirled behind him, nearly dropping the sword at the sight of Vegita. "When…when did you get in here?" he wondered. He thought he had good hearing, but Vegita had came in without a sound obviously.
Vegita laughed a little and stepped into the huge white square in the middle of the floor. "I'd like to give you a little credit, Kakarotto," he said, "but it seems like you might even fail at meeting my low expectations."
"Nani?" Gokuu almost scratched his head with the sword before he stopped himself and set it back on the stand. He laughed and shrugged.
It's been a while since I've found someone to spar with me, Vegita thought, walking toward Gokuu. I might as well take advantage of the situation.
"Why don't we use weapons in this little match?" Vegita suggested. "Since we both know it's not a real fight, there shouldn't be any harm in that."
Gokuu raised a brow. "Hontou?" It was the first time someone had suggested that to him; usually he would spar with practice swords with no points or sharp edges. He doubted any of the swords he was near were like that.
"Sure," Vegita said. He extended his hand to the stand where all the swords were at. "Pick any sword you like, unless you have a problem with fighting with a sword."
"I…ie…" Gokuu said. He examined the swords for a minute before taking out one that looked similar to one he was experienced with using. The blade was long and not too heavy nor wide. He moved it through the air before deciding it was the one he wanted. Gokuu then turned and smiled at Vegita.
Vegita smiled as well, but of course it was a cruel smile. The Prince glanced at the number of swords and took one seemingly without much care of his choice. Gokuu interpreted it as this, yet Vegita knew better. He wanted to make sure that his fellow Saiyajin didn't leave the room with just a little nick.
Gokuu watched Vegita carefully, noticing how content he seemed to be now. The Prince was certainly in better spirits than he was when he had been yelling in his face about an hour and a half ago. Gokuu was a bit reluctant to change his mood, especially when he was aware Vegita was an excellent fighter, but he thought it was important to know whether or not Bulma was one of Vegita's main concern (other than making her life miserable). If she wasn't, Gokuu needed to make some kind of plan to save Bulma; if so, he needed to find a way to improve Bulma's situation a little before he decided to go back home. Gokuu certainly couldn't go back to Capsule the way things currently were.
Okay, Gokuu, Gokuu thought, it's time to make one of the best performances of your life… Hopefully it will convince Vegita…and not do me too much more harm than good.
Vegita was twirling around his sword in his hand, staring at Gokuu as though he were an animal he were about to shoot any moment. "I hope that you'll be able to put up a decent fight, Kakarotto," he said. "We wouldn't want to waste both of our times."
Gokuu smirked and narrowed his eyes at Vegita. "Sou desu ne, Vegita-Ouji," he said. He snickered afterwards.
Vegita lost his smile and stared at Gokuu as if he were a completely different person. Nani? he thought. If I didn't know any better I'd say that Kakarotto has changed a bit just now… "Something funny, Kakarotto?"
"Aa," Gokuu said. He leaned on his sword and stared at Vegita with cunning eyes, something which was not missed by the Prince. "I just thought it was about time I revealed my true plan to you."
"Nan da?" Vegita said, taken back by the strange manner the other Saiyajin was acting. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Gokuu shook his head. "Come on, Ouji-sama," he said, doing his best to sound like his father. I hope I'm doing an accurate imitation, he thought. "Didn't you think it was strange that a Saiyajin could live somewhere for almost their entire life and not realize who he truly was?"
For a strange reason Vegita was nervous. Masaka, he thought. Could this fool have been deceiving me? Bakana (Impossible)! He is that stupid woman's knight!
"I realized who I was a long time ago," Gokuu lied. It was difficult for him not to laugh in his friendly manner; he had to make sure he sounded like a regular Saiyajin. "That's when I decided that I would go through with my plan."
"What plan?" Vegita asked. He knew that something about Gokuu's sudden change in manner was fishy, but he was suspicious of Gokuu, so he was willing to buy what Gokuu had to say.
"I'm only telling you this because it seems that you have the same intent that I do," Gokuu said. He grinned at Vegita's frown of question. "My goal is also to get rid of the Capsule Princess."
"Nani??" Vegita took a step back as if Gokuu were about to charge at him. What the hell is he saying?? he thought. He can't just be saying this to get me off-guard.
"Kakarotto, who the hell do you think you're kidding?" Vegita said. He pointed his sword at Gokuu. "You've said countless times that your job was to protect the woman!"
"That was an act," Gokuu said. He closed his eyes and laughed in a sinister (and very Saiyajin-like) tone. "I figured if I made everyone believe I was the protector of Capsule, it would be easier to get my hands on the kingdom. I hadn't ever thought the Saiyajin kingdom would find me before I took over Capsule, but sometimes things just happen."
Vegita shook his head and took the step forward that he had taken back. "You're saying that for all these years you've just been pretending to serve Capsule so that you can eventually kill the ruling family and rule the kingdom yourself?" he asked.
"Sou da." Gokuu opened his eyes again and stared back at his incredulous Prince with a steady gaze. "A Saiyajin can't ignore his blood; it's too powerful to be made weak simply by a different background. However, since the Capsule Kingdom has now become part of the Saiyajin Empire, I suppose my plans change a little."
"Oh, really?" Vegita said, staring at Gokuu as if he were crazy. "What are your plans now?"
"I want to ask for your permission to personally strengthen the hold of the Saiyajin Empire upon Capsule," Gokuu said. "I'll still get rid of the ruling family, including the Princess, but it won't be as big as a mess as it would have been if another Saiyajin had tried to do so. Capsule thinks of me as its hero, not to mention the Princess. She probably would never imagine I would kill her until I actually did so. After all, I've gained her trust by saving her life countless times."
"Ba…bakana!" Vegita said. The sword unconsciously fell out of his hand. "I can't believe that you're really trying to kill the woman!"
"Uso ja nai yo (It's not a lie)," Gokuu said. "Vegita-Ouji, don't bother to dirty your hands by killing the woman yourself. I can get rid of her at any moment you please."
Vegita didn't respond, unable to speak. He simply stared at Gokuu in disbelief. Vegita had never understood why Gokuu was so adamant about trying to protect Bulma, but he couldn't understand how Gokuu could have been smart enough to fool so many people, including himself. If all he said were true, Gokuu was truly one of the smartest Saiyajin he had came across. He didn't know many Saiyajins that would pass an opportunity to rule over their own land, especially if they could do so without the Saiyajin kingdom finding out. It was a perfect plan; Vegita had already written Kakarotto down as dead, so he would have been completely free to rule over Capsule.
"So, Vegita-Ouji," Gokuu said, interrupting Vegita's thoughts, "do I have your permission to take care of the Princess? I'm sure it will make things much easier for you."
Vegita didn't know why, but he was absolutely furious with Gokuu. "Are you out of your mind??" he said. He picked up his sword again and glared at Gokuu. "Kakarotto, I will give you permission to do no such thing! I had a feeling there was something off about you, but I never imagined it was something like this… You won't lay hand on that woman or I will kill you!"
Gokuu mentally laughed. Just as I thought, he thought. Vegita is getting really mad about this. If his goal was truly to just get rid of Bulma, he would let me get rid of her.
"What's the difference whether or not you're the one to kill her?" Gokuu asked, pretending to not understand. "The woman ends up dead either way."
"Grr! I'm not waiting to kill you!" Vegita said. He raised his sword and began to charge at Gokuu. "I'm going to cut off your head right now!!"
He's really fast! Gokuu noticed, knowing that he would only be able to block. He wouldn't have enough time to dodge his attack.
Gokuu nearly fell off his feet as his blade met with Vegita's. The force Vegita was pushing back upon him was incredible and forcing Gokuu to use almost all his strength to keep Vegita from knocking him off his feet. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of face.
"Su…suge…" Gokuu said, using both of his hands to hold back Vegita.
"Heh, not too bad, Kakarotto," Vegita admitted, surprised Gokuu had remained on his feet, "but don't think you're saved yet."
Vegita jumped back and immediately went into slashing at Gokuu without any hesitation. Gokuu nearly had his arm cut off at Vegita's first attack, not expecting him to pull away and then attack so rapidly. It was all Gokuu could do to block and try to get some distance between him and the Prince; Vegita sent another attack upon him as soon as his blade made contact with Gokuu's. To make matters worse, Gokuu was using too much energy trying to keep up with Vegita's fast movements. Vegita didn't seemed to be tiring, but Gokuu, who was already breathing hard, knew he couldn't stand this for much longer.
Vegita had noticed Gokuu's trouble and chuckled at him, despite still desiring to cut Gokuu in half. "Doushita (What's wrong), Kakarotto?" he said. He grinned maliciously when he was finally able to get Gokuu to stumble back at little, however, he didn't simply let him fall back; he raised his sword above his head and tried to slice Gokuu right down the middle.
Gokuu let out a curse as he rolled out of the way just as Vegita's sword came down into the floor. His blade went deep into the white surface, an inch from where Gokuu was now crouched down. Gokuu breathed heavily and held his sword ready for when Vegita pulled his weapon from the floor. Vegita laughed at him again and slowly pulled his sword from the floor. Gokuu, at the same time, got back to his feet and took several steps back to put a good space between him and Vegita.
"Why don't you just stay put, Kakarotto?" Vegita asked. He didn't seem angry, but amused. "If you've known you're a Saiyajin for a long time, it's your duty to give up your life if I chose it to be taken."
He's not joking around here, Gokuu thought, finally getting himself back to a regular breathing pattern. "You may want to kill me, but we did say that we were going to spar," Gokuu said. "Anyway, I've spent too much time calculating to take over Capsule to die now. I want to be able to see the fall of Capsule before I die. Besides, it's not very Saiyajin-like to willingly die; aren't we supposed to try to go down fighting?"
"Shut the hell up, Kakarotto!" Vegita snapped. "When I tell you to do something, you do it! I can't trust you to be alone, or even breath the same air as the woman again! That's why this place is going to be your deathbed." The Prince began looming closer to him.
I'd like to keep fighting him, but I doubt I'd win… Gokuu thought. I suppose I should train a little before the tournament and at the same time test Vegita a little more.
"Sou ka na," Gokuu said. He began to laugh loudly.
"Hmph, laughing about how pitiful you're going to look slashed into a thousand pieces?"
"Iie. I was thinking about how easy it would have been for me to poison the Princess's food a little while ago. She would be able to feel the effects right about now, I think. Of course, I wouldn't have done such a thing before I had your permission…"
Vegita stopped and noticed the devious look in Gokuu's eyes. "Kakarotto, you wouldn't have dared poison that woman…"
"You know, I really thought you'd allow me to kill the Princess, but--"
No way am I going to risk that he's saying random things! Vegita thought. "Kakarotto, you are going to suffer a horrible death if that woman's dead!" he said.
Gokuu held up his hands. "I haven't done a thing, Your Majesty…" His laughter afterwards didn't help.
"Grr! Don't think I'm letting you off the hook!" Vegita said, before he dropped his sword and ran out of the room.
Gokuu relaxed and returned his laughter to its normal jovial tone. "That was kinda hard," he admitted, staring at the dent in the floor. "Demo, I guess I was right about Vegita. I just made him think Bulma was in danger and he went off to make sure she was all right. Yep, Vegita must really care about Bulma. All I have to do now is somehow make sure I don't end up in prison for what I just said…" Gokuu sighed and rubbed his head. "It'll be hard to change Vegita's opinion of me now…"
********
Bulma was rocking on the edge of her bed, trying to figure out what in the world Gokuu was planning to do. However, she had been doing so for a long time and was getting tired of the whole thing. In her frustration and boredom she began to make noises as if she was dying--dying of boredom, of course. She held onto her throat and began to gasp as if she was soon about to fall forward onto her face. In her overdramatic state, she was so caught up into it that she barely took notice when her door opened, figuring it was Sukuwa or Pikaru.
"Kuso, Kakarotto wasn't just talking!" Vegita said, seeing the woman gagging.
Bulma stared at Vegita incredulous as he rushed over to her as if she was infected with some horrible disease. "Wha…what is your problem?" she asked, completely forgetting that she didn't want to talk to him.
"Na…nan da?" Vegita said, too relieved to notice that she was talking again. "You're…you're not poisoned?"
"Of course not," Bulma said, lowering her hands. "What? Did you suddenly remember that you sent me some poisonous food by mistake?"
"Don't be stupid," Vegita said, frowning not just at her but his own concern for her welfare. "Kakarotto told me…" Vegita raised a brow at her, finally realizing something important. "Your voice is back."
Bulma reddened and mentally scolded herself. "Oh, yes…" she said. "It must have been the work of that regen pool…"
"Grr!" Vegita turned from her and balled up his fists. "That damn Kakarotto! How dare he make me think that… I'm going to kill that little bastard!!"
"Hey, what are you talking about?" Bulma said, staring at his back. "Why did you come in here so suddenly?"
"None of your business!" Vegita said. He knew his face was red this time, but there was little he could do about it. He was embarrassed, but not as much as he was angry at Gokuu. He'd make him pay for causing Vegita to act so crazily.
"Did Son-kun do something strange?" Bulma asked. "He told me… Er, never mind."
Vegita turned around quickly. "What did he tell you?" he asked. When Bulma pressed her lips hard together, he moved over to her bed. "Tell me!"
"Well, um…" Bulma didn't want to tell him, but she didn't want him to do anything like throw her against a wall again.
"I said, 'tell me!'" Vegita repeated. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders, but the fear in her eyes made him hesitate to do so.
"He just said that he was going to make you think he had the same intentions as you do, whatever that means," Bulma finally caved in. "That's all he said…"
"The same intentions…" Vegita said. His eyes widened. The whole killing the woman thing! he realized. But the woman said only make me think which means Kakarotto made up that stupid story about him wanting to kill the woman…
"What did Son-kun do?" Bulma asked, inching a little toward the other side of her bed.
Vegita crossed his arms, wondering if it was all a ruse or the actual truth Gokuu had told him. Both seemed like they could be true, but he didn't know which to believe. He didn't like either of them: one where Gokuu was hopelessly devoted to Bulma and one where Gokuu was determined to kill Bulma.
"Okay, woman," Vegita said, putting his hands on the bed. "I want you to tell me about Kakarotto."
"Huh?" Bulma expected him to get angry as Vegita did when she expressed her confusion.
"Has Kakarotto ever made you think that he…he might try to hurt you?" Vegita asked carefully.
"Never," Bulma said. She raised a brow. "Why are you asking me this?"
"I'm asking the questions, so just sit there and answer them," Vegita said, smiling a little at her frown. "I'm halfway convinced that Kakarotto isn't your diligent little knight as you see him."
"Huh?"
"I think he may be trying to kill you."
Bulma began to laugh. "Excuse me, 'Your Majesty,' but don't you think you have Son-kun confused with yourself?" she said. "He's trying to keep me alive while you're the one trying to kill me."
Vegita growled and dug his hands into her bed sheets. "Kakarotto told me that he's trying to kill you!" he said. "You may not realize this, but all Saiyajins have a predisposition to kill! It doesn't matter that Kakarotto was raised in Capsule! He wants to kill you and your weak parents and rule Capsule by himself!"
"Oh, yeah right!" Bulma said. She couldn't be afraid of someone talking such nonsense. "I've known Son-kun for too long to not know if he really wanted me dead! There was plenty of opportunity for him to seize power if he wanted to. For example, my father was kidnapped at one point and our army was in shambles. Son-kun could have easily overthrown my family then. Why would he wait so long?? It doesn't make any sense!"
"I…I don't know!" Vegita said. "Kakarotto's probably just insane or something!"
"Come off it," Bulma said. She folded her arms over her chest. "There's no way Son-kun could be telling the truth. Whatever he said to you must have been part of his plan to make you think he had the same intentions."
Vegita backed away from her bed and began walking in pace, mulling over the whole thing. Bulma watched him with a raised brow, thinking it was the first time she had seen the Prince thinking hard. She was a bit worried about the details of what Gokuu had told Vegita, seeing how much it bothered the Prince. Bulma didn't want Gokuu to end up in a worse situation than he had began.
"I don't know what to think…" Vegita said. He rubbed his temples. "First, that damn explosion and now this…"
"Explosion?" Bulma said. She didn't care if he was just muttering to himself. "What explosion?"
"It's nothing you need to concern yourself about," Vegita said. He folded his arms over his chest. "Don't forget that you won't live for much longer."
Bulma rolled her eyes, truly tired of that threat. "Yes, I know," she said. "If I am going to die, then there's no harm in telling me. I'm locked up in here all day; I'd at least like to hear something interesting."
"Hmph, I'm already beginning to tire of your voice again…" Vegita said. He decided it would be better to shut her up by giving her what she wanted, rather than listening to her gripe about being bored. "Somehow a few houses in a village not too from far the castle exploded. That's why I left earlier; I had to investigate this strange occurrence."
"Hmm, someone must have planted a bomb," Bulma said. Then she shrugged. "I'm not surprised something like that happened; the Saiyajins probably have hundreds of enemies."
"You truly are a stupid woman," Vegita said, not even looking at her. "No one was around to light the bomb. The houses just exploded by themselves."
"Excuse me once again, 'Your Majesty,'" Bulma said, glaring at him, "but I said 'planted,' if you didn't notice. It's quite possible for someone to plant a bomb anywhere and make it go off at a later date. Those kinds of bombs, it's even possible to set them to go off months later."
Vegita looked at her with almost awe. "Nani?"
"I wouldn't expect someone like you to completely understand," Bulma went on, "but you make these kind of bombs with substances that react violently with each other only after a certain period of time. To get it 'timed' just right, you just put too much of one of the reactants and when the larger reactant starts to decay is finally at the right proportion to react with the other, the bomb will go off. I've seen it done before, but Capsule doesn't use such methods."
"Woman, for once you may have said something very useful!" Vegita said. His eyes widened. If it's true what she says then it's possible that the castle has been "planted" with some of these bombs as well, he thought.
"Well, I am a scientist as well as a princess," Bulma boasted. "If I wanted to, I could make one of these bombs."
"Is there a way to determine if one of these bombs are around?" Vegita asked.
Bulma shook her head. "You'd have to do a thorough search and look for anything that's suspicious," she said. "They might not even look like bombs, but I'm sure someone who is knowledgeable of explosive substances can spot out these bombs."
"Do you know anyone like that?"
"Well, besides me there was only one other person in my kingdom who would be familiar with that kind of stuff."
"Hmm…" Vegita said, staring at her for a good while.
"Na…nani…?" Bulma said, unable to steadily look at him.
"Nanimo nai (Nothing)," Vegita said, adverting his glance. "Well, I hate to admit it, but you've actually helped me." He started for the door. "I'm going to have to speak to Nappa again about this."
As he closed the door, Bulma blinked from her surprise. "I can't believe Vegita said that…" she said. She didn't know why it made her smile, but it did. "That has to be the only time we ever had some civil conversation. That has to be the greatest fluke that has happened in my life."
To be continued...
Uh, that thing about the bombs--just pretend it made sense. I just said something that kinda sounded good. I have no idea (or the patience to find out) how time bombs work. One last note: Please will no one ask me to get Bulma and Vegita together so soon. It can't happen. It wouldn't make any sense at this point. Hell, I don't have a clue how I'm going to do it yet. Or if I will... Well, review if you care to do so! Ja ne! ^_^