Jakuten

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They belong to Akira Toriyama, unfortunately. The brilliant man that he is... He also did Chrono Trigger, you all realize, right? If you didn't, go get it silly! I do believe it is being re-released.

By: Selenity Jade (Jadesama@aol.com)

Prologue

"Damn it!"

Buruma threw the small, silver hairbrush at the bathroom door, hitting it with a loud smack. The young woman glared at the offending object before turning back to her reflection in the large mirror. 'Damn it,' Buruma cursed to herself again. She had been fighting her thick blue tresses in a vain attempt to make it look presentable. Nothing she did with it seemed right to her.

She stared at her reflection for a moment before her face crumpled. Tears filled her large ocean blue eyes. 'Why do I continue to do this to myself?' She knew she could never make Yamucha love her, no matter how hard she tried to make herself look beautiful and sexy. And special.

She slumped to the cold tiled floor, leaning her back against the pastel blue wall. Wrapping her slender arms around her legs, Buruma laid her head on her knees and closed her eyes. Crystalline tears showed beneath her long lashes.

For years, she had tried to make it work with him. But he never paid much attention to her. He always had an eye on every beautiful woman in sight. She was beginning to think she was just a convenience and nothing more. He flirted and cheated. And she would never change him. He would never love her. She wasn't worth it. She couldn't fight. She was too bossy, too smart, and too ugly.

She wondered why she tried so hard. It wasn't as though she was in love with him either. She did care about him despite his faults. But she never loved him. She always felt as though something was missing. Something she needed. Something she was waiting for.

She continued seeing him, she supposed, because he was safe. He never dug deeper into her feelings, into her heart and soul. He would never know the real Buruma; therefore, he could never really hurt her. And despite all of this and him, she continued to dream of love. True, everlasting, passionate, soul-bonded, light the world on fire, love.

Laughing suddenly and a bit hysterically, Buruma lifted her head. Here she was, a world famous genius and scientist, dreaming of true love and soul-bonded mates. She knew they didn't exist. Love was nature's way of getting humans to procreate. Nothing more. Yet, she was still a woman after all. And she dreamed.

Sighing, she picked herself up off the cold tiled floor. Again, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Lifting a hand to her face in surprise, she felt tears. And they wouldn't stop.

~~~

Vejiita looked up at the sound of the front door bell. Grunting, the Saiyajin went back to shoveling his dinner into his mouth.

The bell sounded again impatiently. Apparently, no one was going to answer it, he decided. Irritated, Vejiita rose from the large table to make whomever it was leave. Or die for interrupting his dinner. Opening the large door, Vejiita's usual scowl deepened. Killing was becoming more appealing.

Yamucha gulped.

Vejiita glared at the human before smirking. Crossing his arms over his muscular chest, he leaned against the doorframe. Staring scornfully at the fool who stood there stuttering.

"Uh..." Gulp. "Is... Uh, Buruma r-ready?" Yamucha asked almost visibly shaking.

"How the hell should I know? I was eating," Vejiita answered in his deep baritone voice dripping with disgust. He despised this human weakling. Although Vejiita despised all humans, he particularly wanted to blast this one. It was odd, this urge to annihilate the human. Maybe it was just the cowardice the fool kept showing to the world.

"She... I... Uh, we have a date, you see, and well..." Yamucha began.

"Oh, shit. Fine! I'll get her," Vejiita snapped, then slammed the door in the terrified man's face. Feeling a little better at scaring the idiot into nearly soiling himself, Vejiita headed up the stairs.

"Onna!" Vejiita yelled when he reached the top. Receiving no answer, he frowned in confusion. 'Odd,' he thought to himself. Normally the irritating Onna would have yelled at him by now.

He headed down the hallway leading to her room. It was eerily silent for supposedly being occupied by someone as loud as that one.

Vejiita opened her bedroom door only to find it empty. He smirked as he noticed the decor of the large room. Blue. Everything was blue. The walls, carpet, bed, everything. Snorting, he slowly closed the door. 'At least it isn't pink,' he mused.

Walking across the room, he made his way to the bathroom. He saw a sliver of light beneath the closed door. Yet, no sound emerged. Perplexed, Vejiita knocked softly. "Onna?"

"Yeah?" came her muffled reply. She didn't even sound annoyed at him for calling her 'onna'. Even more puzzled, Vejiita stared at the door.

"Uh, that weak human idiot you call a 'boyfriend' is outside," he told her. "He said something about a date, Onna."

"I'm not going."

"What?"

"I said I'm not going," she repeated. "Please tell him to go away."

Vejiita growled. "I'm not a goddamn messenger! Especially between you and that coward!"

"Please, Vejiita? I can't do it anymore. Tell him it's over. For good. I just can't do it anymore!" she cried. As muffled sobs reached his ears, the proud Saiyajin's face softened.

Vejiita had never known her to be weak and vulnerable, let alone cry. She was the only one who had enough guts to challenge him, if only verbally. She was never afraid of him, yet now... She was crying over a man. This proud woman crying when she would risk severe dismemberment on an hourly-basis just fighting with him. That idiot made the one woman brave enough to fight him cry. The one woman, the one person who wasn't afraid of him, of his power, crying alone behind a locked bathroom door. The only person on this Kami damned planet that respected him and treated him as a person and not some monster. For some reason, that made blasting Yamucha into hell that much sweeter. Maybe he'd dismember him first. Or just beat him for days until he finally gave in to death.

"Fine!" he bit out, snapping out of his violent musings. Heading downstairs, he seethed. He couldn't believe he was doing this. Vejiita no Ouji of the mighty Saiyajin warriors downgraded to 'messenger-boy.' Yet, he couldn't bring himself to refuse her. He growled in disgust, stomped over to the front door, and swung it open. The idiot was still there.

"She's not going and says it's over," Vejiita stated harshly.

"What?!"

"That's what she said," he said with a smirk. He had to admit that hurting this idiot was more fun than he thought.

"But... why?!" the surprised Yamucha asked.

"How should I know? Maybe because you are weak. Or maybe it's your fucking attitude. Or possibly, it's because she has finally realized she is too good for a pathetic womanizer like *you*. How the fuck should I know? Now go away, I want to finish my dinner." Vejiita started to shut the door, but was prevented by the weakling's arm.

"I need to talk to her," Yamucha said. Vejiita then did something completely alien to his nature.

"No."

He protected her. Vejiita had protected someone from pain. He knew that seeing the idiot right now would hurt Buruma. And he purposely protected her.

"Go away, human," he said dangerously and slammed the door.

Vejiita stared at the closed door. 'Why did I protect her?' He didn't know why and yet he did it all the same. Growling at his unusual behavior, Vejiita headed towards his interrupted meal. Pausing at the foot of the stairs he looked up it. A small debate waged within the warrior. Dinner or that infuriating Onna.

He headed back upstairs.

He hesitated when he reached the bathroom. He had no idea why he had come back upstairs. Why hadn't he just continued eating? Sighing silently in defeat, Vejiita knocked softly.

"Onna?"

"Is he gone?" Her voice was dull.

"Yes."

Unexpectedly, the door opened to reveal a disheveled and teary-eyed Buruma. 'She looks beautiful even when miserable...' came the unbidden thought. He noticed her lower lip trembling enticingly with suppressed emotion. Vejiita turned away. 'Great, now I'm noticing her lips. What a Saiyajin Elite I am,' he thought to himself in disgust.

"Thank you," Buruma said quietly. "I'm sorry but I couldn't see him."

Vejiita turned back towards her. Looking at the clearly upset woman, he was surprised to realize he hated seeing her that way. He wanted to comfort and protect her. He wanted his fiery woman back yelling at him for training too hard or blowing up the gravity room. Her vulnerability roused a protectiveness in him that was not part of a Saiyajin's nature. His race lived by instinct. Animal instinct to fight, eat, and procreate. They destroy, devour, and rape. Yet, he wanted to keep this beautiful woman safe and in his arms. And it scared him. He had never known such fear before. And he was scared of what one little Onna did to him.

Buruma softly continued to cry. "What is wrong with me? Why can't anyone love me? Don't I deserve to be loved? Am I too fat? Too ugly? What is so wrong with me?!" she cried out, weeping as she slid to the floor.

Vegeta's jaw dropped. 'Fat? Ugly?' Looking her over, he saw none of this. She was beautiful. Long slender legs. Creamy white skin. Beautiful blue hair that shone in any light. Slender waist and stomach. Curves all over. Quite muscular, even. She was perfect.

Laughing aloud suddenly, Vejiita leaned against the wall, arms folded over his chest. "Fat? Ugly? Hardly, Onna. You're gorgeous. Only a blind man wouldn't notice."

Surprised, Buruma looked up at the Saiyajin no Ouji who just complimented her.

"What? Surprised? So am I. Hell, I'm surprised I actually thought it. But it's the truth. Even crying, you look stunning," he said.

Crying harder, Buruma rose from the floor and fled into her bedroom. Bewildered, Vejiita followed her.

He found her on the large bed, curled into a ball, sobbing her heart out. Unable to stand it anymore, Vejiita sat down beside her and set an awkward hand on her shoulder.

"Onna? What the hell are you so upset about?" Vejiita asked.

When she didn't answer him, he grew even more confused, if possible. What could possibly be so terrible as to make this proud woman so defeated? Watching her silently for a few moments, Vejiita unconsciously began to admire her.

He could clearly see ever curve in the tight black dress she wore. The way she was curled hiked the dress nearly up to her hips. He felt a sudden urge to run a finger up her exposed thigh. To lay his hands on her...

"You hate me," she sobbed out startling him.

He was silent for a few moments. "I don't hate you," he told her almost silently, but it was just loud enough for Buruma to hear him.

"What?" Buruma sat up and looked at him, startled.

"I said I don't hate you, Onna."

"But... You hate everyone!"

"I don't hate *you*," he repeated again. Buruma stared at Vejiita for a few moments, shocked.

"You hate everyone... but me?"

Vejiita didn't answer her, but continued staring into her blue orbs. His black eyes were, for once, unguarded. They seemed to darken as thousands of emotions filled the Saiyajin.

He tried to bring himself to deny it. To say he hated her too, but he couldn't. The words just wouldn't come.

Slowly, Vejiita unwillingly caressed her naked shoulder with feather light fingers. He felt Buruma shiver slightly. With excitement or fear, he didn't know. A part of him hoped it was a little of both.

Snapping out of it, he snatched his hand away from her and stood up.

He looked away from her and took two steps toward the door. Pausing, Vejiita looked back into the woman's eyes.

"I don't hate you, Onna," he repeated again confused. He wasn't familiar with the many emotions he felt right then. "I don't hate you and I don't know why." With that, the Saiyajin no Ouji fled the room.

~~~

AN: THIS baby was my very first posted DBZ fic years and years ago. And this also goes out to Gie-chan who says she likes this one and Thin Lines the best. ^_~ Thanks, Gie!

Lovies!