The Curse of the Bond
By: Kichi

DISCLAIMER: Dragonball Z belongs to Akira Toriyama, BIRD Studio/SHUESHIA, FUNimation, TOEI Animation… (Notice my name is not in there anywhere)

Chapter 15 - Sleeping with the Enemy (Home is Not the Same Anymore)

For the next two weeks Vegeta and Bulma mostly spent their time in a passionate embrace. Their new-found union seemed almost too good to be true and the lingering threat of their separation only made their activities that much more frenzied and coveted. Yet there was no sign of Cooler and Chikyuu was approaching fast.
Vegeta, in all honesty, was more relaxed and amiable than he'd been since he and Bulma had met. He tried not to worry about Cooler and enjoy what Bulma offered him, but he could never fully shake the fear of being caught and tortured.
Bulma did everything she could to make him forget their fears if only for awhile. But she knew that Vegeta was still suffering when she'd wake from a sound sleep to find him softly moaning and thrashing in bed next to her. On the seventh night after their escape she could no longer stand her impotence in the matter.
Vegeta had sort of explained the bond between them after a frenzied bout of lovemaking. He'd said that it was a telepathic link between two Saiyans that allowed them to feel each other's emotions and in extreme situations, hear thoughts. He himself didn't understand how she was able to slip past his mental defenses with an ease that defied explanation, and pick through his thoughts like she was flipping through a picture book. But thankfully for Vegeta the instances were sporadic and she was unaware of how she was doing it,
And she was uncomfortable doing it besides. She had again, unintentionally scanned Vegeta's mind a few nights earlier and he hadn't been happy about it. As she stared at his sleeping face she was drawn back to that night. She had just been looking at him as she was now and all of the sudden images had presented themselves. They were far too random to make much sense, but the underlying current of pain and anger was unmistakable. Vegeta had shot up like he'd been electrocuted and demanded to know what she'd done. Bulma had been at a loss to find a response and he had begun to yell, his face pink with anger:
"I don't go through your thoughts like that!" He'd yelled, far angrier than he'd been the last time. "I don't want you knowing what I think all the time! I think of things that disgust me and I have no control over it, and I really don't want you to see that! I don't even know how I manage to do it, but that's not the point. The point is, don't fucking do that shit again. If I want you to know what I'm thinking I'll let you know!" His voice echoed throughout the ship. She cringed in shame. He'd stopped his tirade upon seeing her pitiful expression, she'd heard a rough sigh from him and without warning, he'd slumped down on the bed next to her, snuggling close and closing his eyes without a word. It was his small way of apologizing for his angered outburst, but Bulma knew he'd been serious.
"I'm sorry, Vegeta. I didn't do it on purpose." She whispered in his ear, he raised his head and stared at her curiously.
"Are humans telepathic too?" he asked.
"Well, supposedly everyone has the ability but just doesn't know how to do it. At least, that's what it said in a few books I read on the subject. But it all had to do with meditation and I can't do that." She said. Vegeta considered what she said with a small frown. Plainly put, she could go into his mind and memories without trying. Vegeta was not thrilled with the idea, but he was finally beginning to grasp the concept of trust and wasn't worried that Bulma would tell all her stupid Chikyuu friends what she'd seen in his memories. He just didn't want her to see it, period. He didn't even want to think about more than half of the things that had happened to him in his life, but if she saw those things..
Bulma saw his indecision and leaned close to give him a soft kiss on the cheek.
"I don't want to search you thoughts either Vegeta. I'm sorry." She said again. He pulled her down so that she was lying in his arms and his tail began to tickle the small of her back.
"I know."….

But now, she wanted to go into his mind. She wanted to defy him, but she didn't want to hurt him by doing it, she just wanted to help him! If there was any way she could send him images instead of seeing his memories, she could maybe stop the nightmares that was plaguing him. But then again, she couldn't fully control what she sent him.
A strained gasp escaped him and she debated whether she should just wake him up or not. It would certainly be easier and it would probably not generate as much anger and mistrust. The last thing she wanted to do was break his faith in her. Not after it had taken months to get it. And if they had not been together this whole time, she doubted it would have been so soon. She couldn't do anything to endanger that now.
"Vegeta." she murmured softly, placing light kisses upon his smooth cheek. She felt his trembling cease and his pained murmurings were cut off. With a soft groan he opened his eyes. "Wake up." Bulma whispered, planting more kisses. He shifted so their chests were pressed against each other's and her legs entwined with his. His silky tail brushed up and down her leg.
"What time is it?"
"Seven in the morning." She replied. He sat up and stretched for a moment as Bulma admired the view. He stood, walking to the bathroom. She heard the shower turn on. Well, that was easy, Bulma thought. She got out of bed and headed to the refrigerator to make breakfast.
She frowned when she looked inside. No milk, no juice, no eggs, the fridge was almost bare. But there still was some of the pre-packaged food that Vegeta had taken from Frieza's base on Takezo. She began to rifle through the pile and found an assortment of foods that she couldn't even begin to guess at. It looks like Vegeta's gonna have to cook. Bulma thought with a grimace as she eyed the foreign food.
Vegeta emerged from the shower in another pair of cargo pants that Bulma had found for him. Apparently ChiChi had tucked in some extra clothes for Goku when he wasn't aware of it. The result was Vegeta in clothes much too big for him, making him look smaller than he already was.
"Vegeta, what the hell is this stuff?" Bulma cried as he strolled towards her.
"Food." He said.
"I know," she rolled her eyes. "But what the hell is it?" she held up a square can with illegible writing.
"It's sort of like that pig flesh you had." He said. Bulma set it to the side.
"This?" she asked holding up another. Vegeta grinned. She looked so cute sitting there in her panties and bra and nothing else sifting through the cans.
"It's… ummm.. I don't know what you call it , but it's white and it makes me want to gag. You remember, you had some of it awhile ago. I tried to eat some and almost threw up." Vegeta said. Bulma thought back to the second week they'd been together.
"Yogurt?" she asked.
"Yeah!" He exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. Bulma paused to study him for a moment. Kami was he gorgeous when he wasn't pissed off. Bulma smiled, thinking of the incident he'd mentioned with the yogurt.
She had been eating some while she stared at the screens that showed planets and stars flying past. He'd come up behind her, sniffing the air and demanding to know what she ate. She'd been surprised at the time, because they had said nothing to each other but to argue at that time. She'd raised a spoonful in the air and didn't bother to make sure he got it without spilling any. But less than a second later he had choked and she turned to see a shudder wrack his frame.
"What?" she'd snapped.
"That was sick!" he cried.
"Why? It's strawberry!"
"I know but it's all squishy and… " he grimaced and stuck his tongue out. Bulma giggled, but quieted when he'd glared at her angrily….

She was grinning again and he saw the look.
"What?" he demanded, eyeing her suspiciously.
"I was just thinking of the first time you tried it." she said with a smile. He frowned, and Bulma's grin widened. He looked like a five-year-old, pouting.
"It's nasty." He said softly. Bulma rummaged through the pile and produced another can, holding it up for his inspection.
"Vegetables." Bulma huffed in frustration.
"What the hell are we going to eat for breakfast?"
"I don't know." Vegeta shrugged. "But hurry up, I'm hungry!" he said and jumped. She heard a soft whap and looked up. He definitley looked like a monkey prince at that moment and she grinned again. He clung to the iron grating like a bat, his fingers in between the slots and his feet pressed against it like he was the one standing on the floor and not her. His tail looped around a pipe and he stared down at the pile.
"There are yggeral eggs. Those are like chicken eggs." Vegeta said.
"Where?"
"It's a round cylinder all orange with white writing." He let go of the pipe with his tail and let his feet dangle and began to do pull-ups.
"We need some fruit." She said as she examined the container that matched his description. "I wonder if we have any butter." She went to the fridge and began to get anything she could use to make them a decent breakfast.
Vegeta grinned as he began to work out. He hoped she stayed in nothing but her underwear all day.

Chikyuu was less than three days away, and still no sign of Cooler. And instead of relieving their anxiety, it only increased it. Bulma thought she was the only one obsessing over the fact that their escape had been too easy. But after an intense sex session Vegeta suddenly pulled her close and just held her without saying a word for several minutes. It was wonderful but at the same time, it kind of scared her. He'd never done it before then- held her like that, like she'd be ripped from his arms any second- and then he said something that really scared her.
"I don't think I can stay with you." He said it so softly, almost as if he didn't really want her to hear him.
"What?" she cried, trying to pull back. He shook his head and pulled her close, showering her throat and breasts with kisses.
"He'll find me and kill you. I don't want you to die." He whispered breathlessly.
"But.. I don't want to leave you." Bulma said, her eyes filling with tears. Vegeta winced as he saw her eyes fill with shimmering liquid. He reached up and brushed them away, smiling faintly when Bulma leaned into his caress.
"There's no other choice." He said.
"Vegeta. You can't do this! You can't go off alone so you can wait for him to find you and torture you again. How could you think I would let you do that?"
"I'm not used to having anyone give a shit about me. What do you expect?" he said with a twisted smile.
"That's not funny!" Bulma cried sitting up, tears beginning to spill freely. He reached up and tweaked her nipple with a grin on his face. "Stop it! I'm serious, Vegeta!" she growled in frustration as she wiped her tears. He didn't seem to care what she said, he had already made up his mind. "Why are you doing this to me?" she cried brokenly. Vegeta sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down next to him.
"I don't know what else to do. I don't want him to hurt you or destroy your planet. But if I stay with you, he will. I know he'll find me eventually. It's only a matter of time. And if you are with me at that time, you'll die." He said softly, his voice soft and resigned.
Bulma closed her eyes tight, burying her face in his chest to hide her tears, but it was pointless. Even if he could somehow ignore the way she was trembling and not hear her muffled sobs, he could feel the agonizing emotions that bombarded her.
Vegeta grimaced, he hated seeing her cry, and he felt even more wretched for being the cause of her tears. If she only knew how badly he wanted to stay with her, maybe she would understand.
He knew he was being selfish in a way, but he seriously doubted that the negative effects of a bond would effect her. He sighed. After they parted he didn't know what to expect, but he had heard plenty of stories about broken bonds and what resulted from them. If he was lucky he might me dead before Cooler found him. Either by his own hand or from neglect, whatever. If he had any hint that Bulma would be affected the same way, he wouldn't consider it. But as far as he knew, he would be the only one to physically suffer.
"But.. I want to stay with you." She said, grasping his shoulders and wrapping her legs around his waist. He shrugged, giving her a half smile that faded quickly as her eyes filled with fresh tears and her chin began to quiver.
"Stop this, you'll be better off without me and you know it." Vegeta said tiredly.
"What?!" Bulma snapped, sitting up abruptly. Her tears slid down her cheeks and landed on Vegeta's chest, which he eyed with annoyance to escape her wounded glare. "How could you say that? I don't know what I'll do.." she trailed off with a sob and her hands rose to cover her face.
Vegeta sighed and rubbed his temple. He couldn't understand why she was reacting this way. Even though they were bonded he never expected someone to react in such a way over the thought of never seeing him again. And she didn't even know about the negative effects of the bond. Was it because she was human? He ran his hands lightly up and down her sides and grasped her hips, pulling her towards him. She resisted at first which he found disturbing, and he froze immediately. She sensed his hesitation and she raised her watery eyes.
"There has to be another way!" she pleaded. He closed his eyes, unable to look at the pain in her gaze any longer and shook his head.
"The dragon balls are gone and even if they weren't, I can't wish to be a super Saiyan and that's the only thing I'd want."
"Why not?" she said with a sniffle, she wiped her tears with a rumpled tissue of the night stand. Vegeta features suddenly contorted in irritation and she felt his anger hit her like the heat of an oven.
"Because!" he snarled. "I can't do that!"
"Duh! Sorry!" Bulma said, feeling stupid. "Uh.. how about immortality, you don't want that anymore?"
"No!" he responded quickly. She wasn't surprised to see the pained flash across his features. From what she had noticed, most of his nightmare rambling revolved around Frieza and the abuse he'd suffered at the ice-jinn's hands. If he wasn't strong enough to defend himself against such a foe, why would he want immortality which would only drag out his suffering?
"How about instant healing?" she mused aloud. Vegeta frowned, considering it.
"It would be useful, but it may have drawbacks."
"Like what?" Bulma murmured incredulously.
"Saiyans power grows in largest spurts after a defeat. If I healed instantly, I don't know if I would get stronger unless it was a lethal hit."
"But you'd have all the time in the world to train and get stronger. And learn new techniques."
"I guess." He said, not even bothering to feign interest.
"Fine then! I'm just trying to help." Bulma snapped. Vegeta lay back with a sigh and tugged Bulma's elbow. She grudgingly slid into his embrace and he smiled softly as she snuggled closer.
"I don't want to live forever." Vegeta sighed.

Three days passed and Chikyuu was mere hours away. Vegeta was determined to stay on the planet only long enough to fuel the ship. Bulma had protested vehemently, but had no inclination in denying him sex as punishment as she most likely would in any other circumstance. If anything, the closer they got to Chikyuu, the more they found themselves tangled in a naked, sweaty embrace.
A small voice nagged at the back of Bulma's mind that they had been having sex unprotected for almost three weeks and she had no birth control either. She wasn't late yet, but she would find out soon. And if she was, she honestly would not regret it at all. She smiled as she lay in Vegeta's arms. He covered her chest and breasts with light kisses and she tried to hold still as his feather-soft touches were beginning to tickle her. A giggle escaped her and he gazed into her eyes, the confused expression on his face further inflaming her. She giggled harder and Vegeta smirked his hands trailing down to her waist. He suddenly began to tickle her sides and she shrieked with laughter, doubling up and trying to roll out of his grasp. He grinned and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her firmly against him and tickling fiercely with his free hand.
"Stop, stop!" she cried, thrashing madly.
"No!" Vegeta laughed, enjoying her struggles.
"You'll be sorry!" Bulma gasped. "Wait till you fall asleep, I'll tickle your tail!" she began to kick and he wound his legs through hers and held them in place, but relented on his assault none the less. She panted, trying to regain her breath, her cheek against his chest. "Vegeta, you really don't have to leave. Me and my father can build you a gravity room. You can train in up to one hundred times Chikyuu gravity, won't that make you a lot stronger? It seemed to work for Goku. He used it on the way to Namek."
"Hell yes!" Vegeta exclaimed sitting up abruptly. "Why didn't you tell me before?" He thought back to the strange, almost scary jump in Kakarotto's power level when he'd fist come to the planet Namek. If he could achieve that at least, he would be that much closer to Super Saiyan.
"Well, honestly this ship has one too, but if you turn it on, I'll be killed. I have no protection against the extra g's. I'll be crushed, my bones will snap and puncture my flesh-"
"Alright! I get the picture. I can't use this one." He huffed. "But how do we know how long I'll have to train, what if it isn't enough? What if Cooler's just following right behind us and his ship is undetectable for some reason?" Bulma sighed.
"I don't know. I just want you to stay with me." Bulma said softly, gazing into his bottomless eyes.
"Planet fall in three hours." the computer voice intoned. They both glanced up and Bulma suddenly leapt out of bed and ran over to one of the small port holes. Vegeta grinned at the sight of her running naked through the ship.
"Wow. " she sighed. "This is the second time I've seen Chikyuu from space. It looks so pretty." She said with a sigh. Vegeta snorted. "Oh god!" she suddenly cried. Vegeta sat up straight. "Oh no, Vegeta!" she cried. He got out of bed and trotted over to her side and stared out the window. He immediately spotted the thing that had caused her distress.
Normally the clouds of Chikyuu were white and dispersed over the entire planet. He could just make out a thick cluster of black clouds. No single explosion or fire on the planet could make a plume of smoke that big. If it was a volcano, then it was a massive eruption. But he knew what he was seeing. He'd seen it far too often to mistake it.
"I'm sorry Bulma." Vegeta said softly. "We can probably make it somewhere else if you want."
"No." she murmured softly tears beginning to spill freely. "I have to go home.. I have to be there." Vegeta felt her pain as if it were his own. He frowned and pulled her close. He couldn't leave her now. Who would protect her? His plan was shot. He couldn't hope to draw Cooler away, and how the hell had they known that this was their destination?
He stared down at the planet that was just beginning to burn with with a thoughtful frown. The emotions bombarding him weren't his own and were easy to ignore over the turmoil in his own mind.
Cooler was razing Chikyuu.

TBC!

Ooh! Evil cliff hanger- if I do say so myself. 4/13/03


Chapter 16
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