Scientific Journey: Bulma's Story:
Disclaimer: I don't own dbz blah blah you know the drill ppl.
A.N. 4/8/03 - I'm on a roll! 1 & a half chapters in 1 day! (chapter 2 & this 1) I'm gonna start dating my work from now on too like so. I just hope I don't start getting writer's block from now on, I h8 that! I've also got an annoying habit of writing more than 1 fic at the same time, which is why updates take longer then I want them too. O well. The rating changed to an R, cos of all the bad language. They probably be a lemon later on, well, not probably, there WILL be a lemon, just not yet. Plus there will be citrus chapters before the lemon too. And no, Vegeta's state of heat will not make the lemon come sooner. Well, that's about it, so laterz!
Chapter 3: Time to get serious
Bulma was at home, in her garden, relaxing as she sunbathed under the sunlight. Her mother stood a few metres away watering the plants, and her father sat under the patio mumbling as he worked out scientific equations and formulas. All in all, to Bulma it seemed like a perfectly normal, quiet Sunday afternoon. Then, 'it' happened. The sun became harshly hot and bright, way too bright even for Bulma, who had U.V sunglasses on. She covered her eyes and seeked shade with her father and mother under the patio. Even there she could feel the unbearable heat and started to faintly smell burning skin and flesh. The air became unbearably hard to breathe in as smoke rose from everywhere, and the Earth began to shake and crumble with the tremors of what felt like an earthquake. Red-hot molten lava seeped up from the cracks appearing in the earth and burnt everything it touched as it began to form puddles on the earth's upper crust. The Briefs huddled together in fear as their home crumbled. Bulma quivered and panicked, how could all this be happening? There was no scientific explanation that she could think of. She started to have a coughing fit, and moved away from her parents for some air, as they were giving off too much warmth and clogging the oxygen. As she did so however, flames appeared on their bodies and they sunk to the ground in a heap. Bulma screamed. Her parents were dying right infront of her, and there was nothing she could do to save them. All she could do was watch as her mother outstretched her burning hand to her daughter, pleading for help. Bulma shook her head in agony as the hand dropped to the floor and turned black. Within moments all that was left were blackening charred bones. The images began to re-appear over and over in flashes, haunting her mind until her eyes shot open. She finally stopped screaming and her tear-blinded vision blurred into focus to see a face looking down at her. Bulma screamed again.
"SHUT UP WOMAN! YOU'RE GIVING ME A FUCKING HEADACHE!" Her arms hurt from the tight grip that Vegeta had on her, and he shook her as he spoke, trying to knock some sense into her.
"You killed them you monster! You killed my parents!" Vegeta stared down at her for accusing her of something he would never do.
"Woman, my orders were not to destroy the Earth or your parents. You were having a nightmare. Now you're awake, so get over it." He let go of her wrists finally and pulled the covers over him as he returned to his side of the bed. Wait..his side of the bed? Bulma suddenly sat up and realised she'd slept in 'his' room, in 'his' bed, and next to the man himself. The rage built up inside of her.
"How dare you take advantage of me you bastard!" Vegeta rolled over to meet her dagger eyes, and he sat up. It was way too early for him to argue; all he wanted to do was sleep. It had been an extra bonus for him to sleep next to his captive, and he wanted to prolong that for a little longer at least.
"What the hell got your knickers in a twist now woman? Dammit, I can't even close my eyes for a second without you yelling in my ear! What the fuck is your problem?"
"YOU are the problem! I told you yesterday that I wasn't sleeping in the same bed as you!" Vegeta rolled his eyes, 'what's the big deal stupid baka?'
"And I told you yesterday not to cause suspicion on the ship."
"So sleep on the floor and I'll be happy!" Vegeta nearly hit the roof.
"I'M THE ONE WHO'S MEANT TO BE KEPT 'HAPPY' HERE, NOT YOU! IT'S YOUR JOB TO SATISFY ME, SO IF I WANT YOU TO SLEEP IN THIS BED, THEN YOU SLEEP IN THIS FUCKING BED!"
"FINE! I'LL JUST SLEEP ON THE FLOOR! HAPPY NOW?"
"NO! I SAID YOU'RE SLEEPING HERE!"
"NO, I SAID I'M SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR!"
"NO YOU'RE NOT!" Bulma could see that the argument was getting nowhere, so she took some action. Vegeta watched with raised eyebrows as she grabbed her pillows AND the quilt, making him feel cold as the air hit his skin.
"FINE! JUST GO AHEAD AND TRY TO STOP ME ASSHOLE!" She'd only managed to put one foot on the floor before she felt something grip her wrist and fling her back onto the bed. She struggled to get up, but Vegeta had her pinned down by the weight of his body. Bulma continued to struggle, but it was useless and only made her out of breathe.
"You asked me to stop you, so I did. But you didn't need to ask woman." He smirked as she tried to catch her breath, and her chest heaved up and down with each quick breath she tried to control.
"Get off me before I scream!" Her warning made him chuckle.
"Go ahead, it won't get anyone's attention. Even if it did, no one would come to help you. Besides, I'm quite comfortable right here." She tried pushing him off, but he weighed a ton and wouldn't budge an inch. It wasn't exactly easy either with her wrists being gripped to the sides of her head by his hands, making her arms ache.
"I MEAN IT! GET OFF ME NOW JACKASS!" Vegeta suddenly looked up to see the door slide open and the person he didn't want to see right now standing there.
"Having problems Vegeta? I can hear you two down the hall. Mind calming down? You can't force the girl you know, and I'll gladly take her off your hands if you're having, problems." Vegeta realised that their position did look suspicious, but he was determined to win this round of their on-going battle.
"You obviously heard wrong Zarbon. Now get out and quit disturbing me. Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Busy trying to control someone? I heard the screaming and yelling Vegeta. I'm no fool." Vegeta snickered and Bulma remained silent, her cheeks flushed from her struggles and the embarrassing situation.
"Oh really? Foolish baka. You obvious wouldn't know that humans react to pleasure just like Saiyans. Bulma here got a little..carried away." Bulma couldn't believe her ears, 'how dare he! He's not getting away with wounding my dignity!'
"Fuck you asshole!" Vegeta merely laughed at her 'insult,' and Zarbon frowned, annoyed that Vegeta appeared to be 'getting some' but he wasn't.
"Don't forget what Frieza said Vegeta, he owns you and everything you own. If he saw you were abandoning his missions, he could easily take away your possessions like candy from a baby, to someone a little more, dedicated, to him."
"Like you? Ha! Don't make me laugh. You're boring me, get out of my sight Zarbon." Zarbon frowned and took his leave; annoyed that Vegeta had the upper hand, for now anyway. Vegeta finally lifted his weight from Bulma, and as he did so, he felt a slight sharp pain briefly as her hand collided with his cheek. Bulma was satisfied with the loud slap and faint red hand in-print that it left on his skin. Vegeta, however, was not pleased, and Bulma immediately tried to scurry away as he recovered.
"WHAT," he paused momentarily as he struggled for words. "WAS THAT?" He couldn't believe her nerve. NEVER had anyone dared to strike him like that. He didn't even know how to act he was that shocked. Bulma kept to the other side of the bed, as far from Vegeta as possible.
"You suggested that we, you know, slept together! How dare you wound my dignity! I would never succumb to doing anything like that with YOU of all people! I'd rather die!" Vegeta's pride received serious injury; he'd never been unaccepted by a woman before, no woman had ever dared to before. So what gave this woman, this human, the courage to stand up to him? Besides, she wouldn't understand the fact that he was constantly trying to better Zarbon.
"That doesn't give you the right to strike me woman, and how dare you talk about me like that! YOU are the one who is unworthy, not me! What makes you even think that I would want to fuck you, when women will freely jump at the chance to please me alone. I don't know who you think you are, but you think of yourself too highly for my liking. If you weren't vital to my father I wouldn't of even looked once at you! You think I want you here? Because I don't! I can't stand the fact that you're even here, invading my space!" Bulma's lip began to quiver, and Vegeta finally stopped insulting her. It was then that he realised half of his speech wasn't even true. He gaped at her as she looked down at the floor, and a single tear fell down her cheek. Another followed, and Vegeta had to admit to himself that although his pride was somewhat restored, he'd gone a little bit overboard. He couldn't bear to see her upset, especially since he was the cause of her distress. But he couldn't comfort her after all he'd said, she wouldn't be in the right state of mind to accept it.
Bulma felt another warm tear roll down her face, and her throat felt tight as it closed up from her state of emotion. He was partly right, she did think of herself quite highly. It was partly her parent's fault for spoiling her as a child. 'Maybe that's why my relationship with Yamcha never worked out.' She told herself. 'I'm too damn spoilt and high maintenance. But he didn't have to be so mean all of a sudden. Does he understand my feelings?' She laughed at herself for even thinking that Vegeta would even try to understand her. Bulma suddenly heard the door shut and looked up to see that she was now alone. She got up from the bed, and made her way into the bathroom. Her face was a mess; she hadn't washed since the day she was kidnapped, and so, old mascara was now running down her face with each tear. The stain of her pink lipstick was still smudged slightly on her lips, and there was a faint red hand imprint from where Vegeta had slapped her. 'I wonder how long I was out for since then?' She pondered, and glanced at the shower. 'Best not think about it until I've cleaned up a little.'
After showering and washing her very tangled hair, tangling it even more, Bulma filled the sink with warm water, turning both taps on to get the temperature just right. A bar of soap was left of the sink, and Bulma sighed, wishing that she had all of her beauty products with her so that she could cleanse and moisturise her face. She suddenly smiled as she remembered her emergency beauty kit, and checked her pocket to find one of her trusty capsules. 'Bulma, you really are a genius!' The capsule contained her travel make-up bag, moisturising creams, a toothbrush, cleansing wipes, cotton wool pads, and her trusty hairbrush. First she washed all the grime and make-up from her face, then she cleansed and finally, she moisturised. 'I don't even know why I started to cry,' she thought as she searched through her make-up bag, finding mascara, eye- liner, nail polish, various lipsticks, a small set of eye-shadows, and her most important item-foundation, not that she needed it most the time, since she was blessed with an almost perfect complexion. However, the foundation was kept for emergencies, and this certain case was a very bad emergency. 'I must've looked so pathetic and weak. Great. Now he'll have something else to throw at me.'
After pampering her face with her beauty products, Bulma couldn't help but smile at her healthy looking reflection radiating from the mirror. She kept her make-up natural, not wanting to impress anyone, especially not Vegeta after his verbal battering. She could still hear him insulting her in her thoughts, and wondered if she was in he wrong striking him. 'I'm going crazy,' she told herself as she wrung out any water from her hair and began to brush through the many tangles, wincing as she did so. 'I don't even know what's right or wrong anymore. I don't even think I care. Maybe I should just submit to him, life would be a lot easier then.' She laughed at herself for even suggesting to submit; it just wasn't in her blood to do such a thing. 'No, he'll just have to learn to give me a little respect, maybe then, I'll return the favour. Besides, I always get what I want. I'll just use my feminine charms to persuade him a little. Easy." She smiled, a little more confident in herself. 'I'll make it look like I'm submitting, just to fool him. Then, he won't know what's hit him. Heheh, he is a man afterall, he won't be able to resist moi. I'll just twist him round like my little finger, and he'll be under my control.' Or so she hoped.
Vegeta drank the last of his bottled water, a satisfied grin on his face from the spar he'd just had. Nappa lay in the corner, waiting for the medics to arrive. His ribs were broken severely, as was his arm and nose. He'd need more than an hour in the rejuvenation tanks before he could spar with Vegeta again. Radditz, however, was out cold. He always had been the weaker one, even his younger brother, Kakarrot, could beat him fair and square. Vegeta felt more calm and relaxed now that he'd let his built up anger out on the poor bodyguards. He sniggered at the word 'bodyguard.' 'They can't even beat me in a spar, and they expect to guard me with their lives? I'd be better off guarding myself. All they're good for is beating to a bloody pulp when that woman pisses me off.' His thoughts turned to Bulma, and his grin fell. They hadn't exactly got off to a good start; constantly arguing and biting each other's head off. Her attitude and fiery temper reminded him of his mother, Laneya. She would always better his father in a verbal contest, and then the King would take it out on his son. His mother didn't know though, but when she did find out one day, all hell broke loose. Vegeta had a strong mother-son relationship with Laneya, and she would've given her life to protect her son without question. Vegeta had never gotten over her death by his father's hand, and he had never forgiven his father either. The father-son bitter relationship, if you could even call it that, was more that Vegeta could stomach, and he had secretly wished Frieza had killed his father a long time ago. Instead, Frieza held King Vegeta captive on his own planet, giving him orders that made the people despise the Royal family of Vegetasei, and favour Frieza. Vegeta and his father were merely Frieza's pawns, but no more. Vegeta swore to put an end to the monster's tyranny, and claim the throne as his own. He had so many ideas to improve Vegetasei, and knew that he would make a better King than his father could ever be. His mother had told him so, and he believed her to this day forth.
Vegeta sealed away his bitter and remorseful memories, not wanting to re- open old and unhealed emotional wounds. He still had the task of somehow re- pairing a mutual understanding at least with the woman, and that was something he was not looking forward to.
Even though she'd showered and washed, Bulma still felt dirty. She didn't have a change of clothes, and so far, hadn't found anything suitable in Vegeta's drawers. Finally, she opened one bottom drawer to find women's lingerie, and pulled a face as she pulled a black laced bra and underwear set out from the collection. She grinned, 'it seems Vegeta has a hobby.' The thought made her giggle, but then she realised that they must've been for his nightly conquests. They seemed clean however, so Bulma put them on, and wrapped Vegeta's black spare towel around her once more. 'Well, he wasn't lying about women throwing themselves at him. That explains Vegeta's freedom of, well, speech.' Her clothes quest wasn't going very well, as she discovered corsets and more evening-ish garments, but not suitable and, normal, for her to wear. Bulma finally gave up with no luck, and for now, left the towel on. At least she was feeling refreshed and revitalised. As she sat down to relax and wait, the door opened, and to her surprise, a calm Vegeta strode into the room, looking like he was in a better mood than before.
"We need to talk."
"We need to talk."
They both stared at each other as they spoke in unison, and Vegeta folded his arms.
"Fine, since we've finally come to at least one agreement, you can go first." She snorted, 'I'd never of thought he'd be gentleman enough to do that! Well, stranger things HAVE happened.'
"Fine. I think we should start fresh. Put everything that's happened aside, and discuss what's to happen now, not things in the past." He stuck his nose in the air, and Bulma folded her arms, making sure that her towel didn't fall; that was all she needed.
"Fine. But I'm warning you now, what I said before still goes. You are here as my slave."
"You don't need to remind me Vegeta, I have a good memory you know!" He smirked, and spoke before he thought.
"Well, I'd never of guessed."
"Ugh! I can't even have a calm and reasonable conversation with you, without you insulting me, or throwing harsh or sarcastic comments at me!"
"Speak for yourself woman, I'm just doing what you do to me."
"Well I'm trying to be serious and mature here, so maybe you should too." He made a 'hmph' sound, and walked forwards, closing the space between them.
"So what's the catch with this, 'fresh start'?" He wasn't entirely stupid; she could give him that at least. But Bulma was just as stubborn and determined as he was. Plus she had her devious side to boost.
"First, the bed."
"Is where we'll both sleep."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"But," and the 'but' was emphasised to gain Vegeta's attention, and agitate him furthermore. "I'll stick to MY side." She pointed to the left, nearest the bathroom. "And YOU stick to yours." She pointed to the right, and Vegeta shrugged.
"I was doing that before woman, but you were too busy screaming and yelling in my ear to notice."
"Fresh start Vegeta." He rolled his eyes and 'hmphed' again, and she continued. "Now, the matter of my personal needs.' Vegeta grinned and raised one eyebrow haughtily.
"Your 'needs'? And what would these 'needs' be exactly? Go ahead, enlighten me." Bulma nearly lost it with his cockiness, but remained calm and took a deep breath, ending in a sigh as she exhaled.
"Well let's see now; clothes, the bathroom, food, beauty and feminine products, oh, and exercise." He stared blankly at her, and raised a confused eyebrow.
"What?" She sighed and shook her head.
"It's not that hard to comprehend Vegeta. I want some clothes, my share of the bathroom when I need it, food when I want it, my various beauty and feminine necessities, and my freedom of this room AND the ship." Vegeta leaned against the bedpost. 'So now she's demanding things from me? Well, I'll just have to ask for things in return.'
"Well, from what I can see, you've already raided my room for clothes and found that I only keep certain 'souvenirs' here. You've overtaken the bathroom and my things, and you can eat when I eat, and you've never been awake when I have. As far as leaving this room, I can't permit it."
"Why the hell not?" 'Now he's just being immature and selfish!'
"For that simple fact that I don't trust anyone on this ship, and you won't stand a chance out there, unprotected. If you want to take a 'stroll' around the ship, then that can be arranged with my bodyguards. Other than that, you are to remain in here."
"You can't keep me captive in here!"
"I can and I am. Woman, I've given you more privileges than you need, so just be satisfied for a change. All you do is moan and complain."
"Well what do you expect? You take me from my home, and-"
"Fresh start woman," his interruption shut her up, and she rolled her eyes, wanting to slap him, several times. The thought of it made her smirk.
"Now, since we've covered your 'needs,' we can think about mine." She stared at him with dagger eyes. 'If he even suggests it, I swear I won't be able to control my reaction. And that won't be pretty.'
"Fine, go ahead."
"Firstly, maybe a little respect around here. Infact, a LOT more respect."
"Well maybe if you didn't call me woman-"
"Silence, woman, I haven't finished yet." Her eyebrow twitched at his rudeness, and he smirked as he continued. "There, now that's better. Secondly, a little more understanding perhaps to the way my culture works. You're not on earth anymore, that means you abide by my rules from now on."
'No surprise there,' she told herself, and flashed a fake sweet smile at the prince.
"Is that all your Royal highness?" He glared at her, and then grinned.
"One more thing; don't call me that! I can tell mockery when I hear it, and I don't appreciate it either."
"Fine. But I have a name you know, I don't like being called 'woman' al the time."
"Woman, I'll call you what I like." Bulma frowned and stood up, keeping hold of her towel which was becoming loose.
"We had an agreement Vegeta."
"You can't have everything you want, some things are given as rewards, and I don't think you deserve one right now."
"You really are an arrogant bastard." He grinned and walked into the bathroom.
"Thankyou. You might want to adjust my towel before it falls down. Not like I'd mind if it did. I'm taking a shower, no peeking." She immediately pulled the towel up to her collarbone and held it there, stuck her tongue out as Vegeta shut the bathroom door, but didn't lock it.
"Keep dreaming Vegeta!" She knew he heard her, and smiled with satisfaction when he didn't respond. 'At least we had a conversation which didn't end up with me out cold or in tears. It seems my plan it taking form.'
Vegeta examined his bathroom, and scowled at the mess Bulma had made as she'd invaded it. Her items of Kame knows what where scattered everywhere, invading Vegeta's space and making it seem like his bathroom no longer belonged to him. 'Infact,' he thought as he stripped and stepped into the shower, which was till moist and humid from previously being used. 'Nothing feels the same anymore.' The warm water hit Vegeta's back and neck harshly as he kept his head down and let his mass of gravity defying hair soak. He rested his forehead on the shower wall, and let the harsh water massage his aching back muscles. 'Why am I enjoying her company though? Weak females are usually only good for one thing, but this one is somehow different. I wonder if it's the chase that's keeping me so attracted to her. Would I tire and bore of her once I've finally had my way?' Vegeta didn't even know why he was asking himself such questions. No one mattered to him, and he didn't want to start a habit of allowing his emotions to take over and therefore, allow people to get a little closer to him, and vice versa. He didn't want to care about anyone, but every time he had a moment to relax, his thoughts returned to his mysterious and on-going conquest. 'It has to be the heat!' He told himself and scowled. 'Damn moon phase, if it wasn't essential to us, I would've destroyed the moon a long time ago. Then I wouldn't have to go through this blasted stage! Maybe when it's over, these pathetic feelings and emotions will be over too.'
Disclaimer: I don't own dbz blah blah you know the drill ppl.
A.N. 4/8/03 - I'm on a roll! 1 & a half chapters in 1 day! (chapter 2 & this 1) I'm gonna start dating my work from now on too like so. I just hope I don't start getting writer's block from now on, I h8 that! I've also got an annoying habit of writing more than 1 fic at the same time, which is why updates take longer then I want them too. O well. The rating changed to an R, cos of all the bad language. They probably be a lemon later on, well, not probably, there WILL be a lemon, just not yet. Plus there will be citrus chapters before the lemon too. And no, Vegeta's state of heat will not make the lemon come sooner. Well, that's about it, so laterz!
Chapter 3: Time to get serious
Bulma was at home, in her garden, relaxing as she sunbathed under the sunlight. Her mother stood a few metres away watering the plants, and her father sat under the patio mumbling as he worked out scientific equations and formulas. All in all, to Bulma it seemed like a perfectly normal, quiet Sunday afternoon. Then, 'it' happened. The sun became harshly hot and bright, way too bright even for Bulma, who had U.V sunglasses on. She covered her eyes and seeked shade with her father and mother under the patio. Even there she could feel the unbearable heat and started to faintly smell burning skin and flesh. The air became unbearably hard to breathe in as smoke rose from everywhere, and the Earth began to shake and crumble with the tremors of what felt like an earthquake. Red-hot molten lava seeped up from the cracks appearing in the earth and burnt everything it touched as it began to form puddles on the earth's upper crust. The Briefs huddled together in fear as their home crumbled. Bulma quivered and panicked, how could all this be happening? There was no scientific explanation that she could think of. She started to have a coughing fit, and moved away from her parents for some air, as they were giving off too much warmth and clogging the oxygen. As she did so however, flames appeared on their bodies and they sunk to the ground in a heap. Bulma screamed. Her parents were dying right infront of her, and there was nothing she could do to save them. All she could do was watch as her mother outstretched her burning hand to her daughter, pleading for help. Bulma shook her head in agony as the hand dropped to the floor and turned black. Within moments all that was left were blackening charred bones. The images began to re-appear over and over in flashes, haunting her mind until her eyes shot open. She finally stopped screaming and her tear-blinded vision blurred into focus to see a face looking down at her. Bulma screamed again.
"SHUT UP WOMAN! YOU'RE GIVING ME A FUCKING HEADACHE!" Her arms hurt from the tight grip that Vegeta had on her, and he shook her as he spoke, trying to knock some sense into her.
"You killed them you monster! You killed my parents!" Vegeta stared down at her for accusing her of something he would never do.
"Woman, my orders were not to destroy the Earth or your parents. You were having a nightmare. Now you're awake, so get over it." He let go of her wrists finally and pulled the covers over him as he returned to his side of the bed. Wait..his side of the bed? Bulma suddenly sat up and realised she'd slept in 'his' room, in 'his' bed, and next to the man himself. The rage built up inside of her.
"How dare you take advantage of me you bastard!" Vegeta rolled over to meet her dagger eyes, and he sat up. It was way too early for him to argue; all he wanted to do was sleep. It had been an extra bonus for him to sleep next to his captive, and he wanted to prolong that for a little longer at least.
"What the hell got your knickers in a twist now woman? Dammit, I can't even close my eyes for a second without you yelling in my ear! What the fuck is your problem?"
"YOU are the problem! I told you yesterday that I wasn't sleeping in the same bed as you!" Vegeta rolled his eyes, 'what's the big deal stupid baka?'
"And I told you yesterday not to cause suspicion on the ship."
"So sleep on the floor and I'll be happy!" Vegeta nearly hit the roof.
"I'M THE ONE WHO'S MEANT TO BE KEPT 'HAPPY' HERE, NOT YOU! IT'S YOUR JOB TO SATISFY ME, SO IF I WANT YOU TO SLEEP IN THIS BED, THEN YOU SLEEP IN THIS FUCKING BED!"
"FINE! I'LL JUST SLEEP ON THE FLOOR! HAPPY NOW?"
"NO! I SAID YOU'RE SLEEPING HERE!"
"NO, I SAID I'M SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR!"
"NO YOU'RE NOT!" Bulma could see that the argument was getting nowhere, so she took some action. Vegeta watched with raised eyebrows as she grabbed her pillows AND the quilt, making him feel cold as the air hit his skin.
"FINE! JUST GO AHEAD AND TRY TO STOP ME ASSHOLE!" She'd only managed to put one foot on the floor before she felt something grip her wrist and fling her back onto the bed. She struggled to get up, but Vegeta had her pinned down by the weight of his body. Bulma continued to struggle, but it was useless and only made her out of breathe.
"You asked me to stop you, so I did. But you didn't need to ask woman." He smirked as she tried to catch her breath, and her chest heaved up and down with each quick breath she tried to control.
"Get off me before I scream!" Her warning made him chuckle.
"Go ahead, it won't get anyone's attention. Even if it did, no one would come to help you. Besides, I'm quite comfortable right here." She tried pushing him off, but he weighed a ton and wouldn't budge an inch. It wasn't exactly easy either with her wrists being gripped to the sides of her head by his hands, making her arms ache.
"I MEAN IT! GET OFF ME NOW JACKASS!" Vegeta suddenly looked up to see the door slide open and the person he didn't want to see right now standing there.
"Having problems Vegeta? I can hear you two down the hall. Mind calming down? You can't force the girl you know, and I'll gladly take her off your hands if you're having, problems." Vegeta realised that their position did look suspicious, but he was determined to win this round of their on-going battle.
"You obviously heard wrong Zarbon. Now get out and quit disturbing me. Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Busy trying to control someone? I heard the screaming and yelling Vegeta. I'm no fool." Vegeta snickered and Bulma remained silent, her cheeks flushed from her struggles and the embarrassing situation.
"Oh really? Foolish baka. You obvious wouldn't know that humans react to pleasure just like Saiyans. Bulma here got a little..carried away." Bulma couldn't believe her ears, 'how dare he! He's not getting away with wounding my dignity!'
"Fuck you asshole!" Vegeta merely laughed at her 'insult,' and Zarbon frowned, annoyed that Vegeta appeared to be 'getting some' but he wasn't.
"Don't forget what Frieza said Vegeta, he owns you and everything you own. If he saw you were abandoning his missions, he could easily take away your possessions like candy from a baby, to someone a little more, dedicated, to him."
"Like you? Ha! Don't make me laugh. You're boring me, get out of my sight Zarbon." Zarbon frowned and took his leave; annoyed that Vegeta had the upper hand, for now anyway. Vegeta finally lifted his weight from Bulma, and as he did so, he felt a slight sharp pain briefly as her hand collided with his cheek. Bulma was satisfied with the loud slap and faint red hand in-print that it left on his skin. Vegeta, however, was not pleased, and Bulma immediately tried to scurry away as he recovered.
"WHAT," he paused momentarily as he struggled for words. "WAS THAT?" He couldn't believe her nerve. NEVER had anyone dared to strike him like that. He didn't even know how to act he was that shocked. Bulma kept to the other side of the bed, as far from Vegeta as possible.
"You suggested that we, you know, slept together! How dare you wound my dignity! I would never succumb to doing anything like that with YOU of all people! I'd rather die!" Vegeta's pride received serious injury; he'd never been unaccepted by a woman before, no woman had ever dared to before. So what gave this woman, this human, the courage to stand up to him? Besides, she wouldn't understand the fact that he was constantly trying to better Zarbon.
"That doesn't give you the right to strike me woman, and how dare you talk about me like that! YOU are the one who is unworthy, not me! What makes you even think that I would want to fuck you, when women will freely jump at the chance to please me alone. I don't know who you think you are, but you think of yourself too highly for my liking. If you weren't vital to my father I wouldn't of even looked once at you! You think I want you here? Because I don't! I can't stand the fact that you're even here, invading my space!" Bulma's lip began to quiver, and Vegeta finally stopped insulting her. It was then that he realised half of his speech wasn't even true. He gaped at her as she looked down at the floor, and a single tear fell down her cheek. Another followed, and Vegeta had to admit to himself that although his pride was somewhat restored, he'd gone a little bit overboard. He couldn't bear to see her upset, especially since he was the cause of her distress. But he couldn't comfort her after all he'd said, she wouldn't be in the right state of mind to accept it.
Bulma felt another warm tear roll down her face, and her throat felt tight as it closed up from her state of emotion. He was partly right, she did think of herself quite highly. It was partly her parent's fault for spoiling her as a child. 'Maybe that's why my relationship with Yamcha never worked out.' She told herself. 'I'm too damn spoilt and high maintenance. But he didn't have to be so mean all of a sudden. Does he understand my feelings?' She laughed at herself for even thinking that Vegeta would even try to understand her. Bulma suddenly heard the door shut and looked up to see that she was now alone. She got up from the bed, and made her way into the bathroom. Her face was a mess; she hadn't washed since the day she was kidnapped, and so, old mascara was now running down her face with each tear. The stain of her pink lipstick was still smudged slightly on her lips, and there was a faint red hand imprint from where Vegeta had slapped her. 'I wonder how long I was out for since then?' She pondered, and glanced at the shower. 'Best not think about it until I've cleaned up a little.'
After showering and washing her very tangled hair, tangling it even more, Bulma filled the sink with warm water, turning both taps on to get the temperature just right. A bar of soap was left of the sink, and Bulma sighed, wishing that she had all of her beauty products with her so that she could cleanse and moisturise her face. She suddenly smiled as she remembered her emergency beauty kit, and checked her pocket to find one of her trusty capsules. 'Bulma, you really are a genius!' The capsule contained her travel make-up bag, moisturising creams, a toothbrush, cleansing wipes, cotton wool pads, and her trusty hairbrush. First she washed all the grime and make-up from her face, then she cleansed and finally, she moisturised. 'I don't even know why I started to cry,' she thought as she searched through her make-up bag, finding mascara, eye- liner, nail polish, various lipsticks, a small set of eye-shadows, and her most important item-foundation, not that she needed it most the time, since she was blessed with an almost perfect complexion. However, the foundation was kept for emergencies, and this certain case was a very bad emergency. 'I must've looked so pathetic and weak. Great. Now he'll have something else to throw at me.'
After pampering her face with her beauty products, Bulma couldn't help but smile at her healthy looking reflection radiating from the mirror. She kept her make-up natural, not wanting to impress anyone, especially not Vegeta after his verbal battering. She could still hear him insulting her in her thoughts, and wondered if she was in he wrong striking him. 'I'm going crazy,' she told herself as she wrung out any water from her hair and began to brush through the many tangles, wincing as she did so. 'I don't even know what's right or wrong anymore. I don't even think I care. Maybe I should just submit to him, life would be a lot easier then.' She laughed at herself for even suggesting to submit; it just wasn't in her blood to do such a thing. 'No, he'll just have to learn to give me a little respect, maybe then, I'll return the favour. Besides, I always get what I want. I'll just use my feminine charms to persuade him a little. Easy." She smiled, a little more confident in herself. 'I'll make it look like I'm submitting, just to fool him. Then, he won't know what's hit him. Heheh, he is a man afterall, he won't be able to resist moi. I'll just twist him round like my little finger, and he'll be under my control.' Or so she hoped.
Vegeta drank the last of his bottled water, a satisfied grin on his face from the spar he'd just had. Nappa lay in the corner, waiting for the medics to arrive. His ribs were broken severely, as was his arm and nose. He'd need more than an hour in the rejuvenation tanks before he could spar with Vegeta again. Radditz, however, was out cold. He always had been the weaker one, even his younger brother, Kakarrot, could beat him fair and square. Vegeta felt more calm and relaxed now that he'd let his built up anger out on the poor bodyguards. He sniggered at the word 'bodyguard.' 'They can't even beat me in a spar, and they expect to guard me with their lives? I'd be better off guarding myself. All they're good for is beating to a bloody pulp when that woman pisses me off.' His thoughts turned to Bulma, and his grin fell. They hadn't exactly got off to a good start; constantly arguing and biting each other's head off. Her attitude and fiery temper reminded him of his mother, Laneya. She would always better his father in a verbal contest, and then the King would take it out on his son. His mother didn't know though, but when she did find out one day, all hell broke loose. Vegeta had a strong mother-son relationship with Laneya, and she would've given her life to protect her son without question. Vegeta had never gotten over her death by his father's hand, and he had never forgiven his father either. The father-son bitter relationship, if you could even call it that, was more that Vegeta could stomach, and he had secretly wished Frieza had killed his father a long time ago. Instead, Frieza held King Vegeta captive on his own planet, giving him orders that made the people despise the Royal family of Vegetasei, and favour Frieza. Vegeta and his father were merely Frieza's pawns, but no more. Vegeta swore to put an end to the monster's tyranny, and claim the throne as his own. He had so many ideas to improve Vegetasei, and knew that he would make a better King than his father could ever be. His mother had told him so, and he believed her to this day forth.
Vegeta sealed away his bitter and remorseful memories, not wanting to re- open old and unhealed emotional wounds. He still had the task of somehow re- pairing a mutual understanding at least with the woman, and that was something he was not looking forward to.
Even though she'd showered and washed, Bulma still felt dirty. She didn't have a change of clothes, and so far, hadn't found anything suitable in Vegeta's drawers. Finally, she opened one bottom drawer to find women's lingerie, and pulled a face as she pulled a black laced bra and underwear set out from the collection. She grinned, 'it seems Vegeta has a hobby.' The thought made her giggle, but then she realised that they must've been for his nightly conquests. They seemed clean however, so Bulma put them on, and wrapped Vegeta's black spare towel around her once more. 'Well, he wasn't lying about women throwing themselves at him. That explains Vegeta's freedom of, well, speech.' Her clothes quest wasn't going very well, as she discovered corsets and more evening-ish garments, but not suitable and, normal, for her to wear. Bulma finally gave up with no luck, and for now, left the towel on. At least she was feeling refreshed and revitalised. As she sat down to relax and wait, the door opened, and to her surprise, a calm Vegeta strode into the room, looking like he was in a better mood than before.
"We need to talk."
"We need to talk."
They both stared at each other as they spoke in unison, and Vegeta folded his arms.
"Fine, since we've finally come to at least one agreement, you can go first." She snorted, 'I'd never of thought he'd be gentleman enough to do that! Well, stranger things HAVE happened.'
"Fine. I think we should start fresh. Put everything that's happened aside, and discuss what's to happen now, not things in the past." He stuck his nose in the air, and Bulma folded her arms, making sure that her towel didn't fall; that was all she needed.
"Fine. But I'm warning you now, what I said before still goes. You are here as my slave."
"You don't need to remind me Vegeta, I have a good memory you know!" He smirked, and spoke before he thought.
"Well, I'd never of guessed."
"Ugh! I can't even have a calm and reasonable conversation with you, without you insulting me, or throwing harsh or sarcastic comments at me!"
"Speak for yourself woman, I'm just doing what you do to me."
"Well I'm trying to be serious and mature here, so maybe you should too." He made a 'hmph' sound, and walked forwards, closing the space between them.
"So what's the catch with this, 'fresh start'?" He wasn't entirely stupid; she could give him that at least. But Bulma was just as stubborn and determined as he was. Plus she had her devious side to boost.
"First, the bed."
"Is where we'll both sleep."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"But," and the 'but' was emphasised to gain Vegeta's attention, and agitate him furthermore. "I'll stick to MY side." She pointed to the left, nearest the bathroom. "And YOU stick to yours." She pointed to the right, and Vegeta shrugged.
"I was doing that before woman, but you were too busy screaming and yelling in my ear to notice."
"Fresh start Vegeta." He rolled his eyes and 'hmphed' again, and she continued. "Now, the matter of my personal needs.' Vegeta grinned and raised one eyebrow haughtily.
"Your 'needs'? And what would these 'needs' be exactly? Go ahead, enlighten me." Bulma nearly lost it with his cockiness, but remained calm and took a deep breath, ending in a sigh as she exhaled.
"Well let's see now; clothes, the bathroom, food, beauty and feminine products, oh, and exercise." He stared blankly at her, and raised a confused eyebrow.
"What?" She sighed and shook her head.
"It's not that hard to comprehend Vegeta. I want some clothes, my share of the bathroom when I need it, food when I want it, my various beauty and feminine necessities, and my freedom of this room AND the ship." Vegeta leaned against the bedpost. 'So now she's demanding things from me? Well, I'll just have to ask for things in return.'
"Well, from what I can see, you've already raided my room for clothes and found that I only keep certain 'souvenirs' here. You've overtaken the bathroom and my things, and you can eat when I eat, and you've never been awake when I have. As far as leaving this room, I can't permit it."
"Why the hell not?" 'Now he's just being immature and selfish!'
"For that simple fact that I don't trust anyone on this ship, and you won't stand a chance out there, unprotected. If you want to take a 'stroll' around the ship, then that can be arranged with my bodyguards. Other than that, you are to remain in here."
"You can't keep me captive in here!"
"I can and I am. Woman, I've given you more privileges than you need, so just be satisfied for a change. All you do is moan and complain."
"Well what do you expect? You take me from my home, and-"
"Fresh start woman," his interruption shut her up, and she rolled her eyes, wanting to slap him, several times. The thought of it made her smirk.
"Now, since we've covered your 'needs,' we can think about mine." She stared at him with dagger eyes. 'If he even suggests it, I swear I won't be able to control my reaction. And that won't be pretty.'
"Fine, go ahead."
"Firstly, maybe a little respect around here. Infact, a LOT more respect."
"Well maybe if you didn't call me woman-"
"Silence, woman, I haven't finished yet." Her eyebrow twitched at his rudeness, and he smirked as he continued. "There, now that's better. Secondly, a little more understanding perhaps to the way my culture works. You're not on earth anymore, that means you abide by my rules from now on."
'No surprise there,' she told herself, and flashed a fake sweet smile at the prince.
"Is that all your Royal highness?" He glared at her, and then grinned.
"One more thing; don't call me that! I can tell mockery when I hear it, and I don't appreciate it either."
"Fine. But I have a name you know, I don't like being called 'woman' al the time."
"Woman, I'll call you what I like." Bulma frowned and stood up, keeping hold of her towel which was becoming loose.
"We had an agreement Vegeta."
"You can't have everything you want, some things are given as rewards, and I don't think you deserve one right now."
"You really are an arrogant bastard." He grinned and walked into the bathroom.
"Thankyou. You might want to adjust my towel before it falls down. Not like I'd mind if it did. I'm taking a shower, no peeking." She immediately pulled the towel up to her collarbone and held it there, stuck her tongue out as Vegeta shut the bathroom door, but didn't lock it.
"Keep dreaming Vegeta!" She knew he heard her, and smiled with satisfaction when he didn't respond. 'At least we had a conversation which didn't end up with me out cold or in tears. It seems my plan it taking form.'
Vegeta examined his bathroom, and scowled at the mess Bulma had made as she'd invaded it. Her items of Kame knows what where scattered everywhere, invading Vegeta's space and making it seem like his bathroom no longer belonged to him. 'Infact,' he thought as he stripped and stepped into the shower, which was till moist and humid from previously being used. 'Nothing feels the same anymore.' The warm water hit Vegeta's back and neck harshly as he kept his head down and let his mass of gravity defying hair soak. He rested his forehead on the shower wall, and let the harsh water massage his aching back muscles. 'Why am I enjoying her company though? Weak females are usually only good for one thing, but this one is somehow different. I wonder if it's the chase that's keeping me so attracted to her. Would I tire and bore of her once I've finally had my way?' Vegeta didn't even know why he was asking himself such questions. No one mattered to him, and he didn't want to start a habit of allowing his emotions to take over and therefore, allow people to get a little closer to him, and vice versa. He didn't want to care about anyone, but every time he had a moment to relax, his thoughts returned to his mysterious and on-going conquest. 'It has to be the heat!' He told himself and scowled. 'Damn moon phase, if it wasn't essential to us, I would've destroyed the moon a long time ago. Then I wouldn't have to go through this blasted stage! Maybe when it's over, these pathetic feelings and emotions will be over too.'