A/N: Thank you for the nice responses! Sadly, I have to inform those who
asked that I simply have no time to email when I'm going to update. I'm
lucky I have time to put this up at all! But rest assured, as this is a
repost, a chapter should go up at most every two days.
Disclaimer: See chapter one.
Tail Tale, Chapter 2
Vegeta's eyes opened slowly. He lay very still for several moments, allowing his fuzzy memories to get into their proper focus. The GR had exploded. He had been hurt. It would be a few days before he could receive a senzu bean. His teeth ground together in annoyance at the disruption to his training, and his tail gave an angry flick.
"!!!"
His tail gave an angry flick?! Vegeta sat bolt upright in the med-lab cot, ignoring the agonized protests of his wounds. His tail curled into its accustomed place around his waist. Dark eyes wide, he ran a hand over the furry appendage, reassuring himself that it was indeed real. A feral smirk crossed his face, and he let out a sharp bark of laughter. He could not remember the last time he had been so pleased. His tail was back! For the first time in too long he felt whole again, the badge of Saiyan pride restored to him. Then his contemplation was interrupted as his only remaining full-blooded subject appeared in the room.
"Hey Vegeta, I got the senzu beans from - whoa!" Goku's eyes went comically wide at the sight of the prince's re-grown tail. "You got your tail back!"
"Huh, your perception of the obvious never ceases to amaze me, Kakkorot." Vegeta tried to keep the pain out of his voice. His wounded body was still screaming in protest at sitting up. Oblivious to the sarcasm, the other man grinned and came over to the bed, handing over one of the tiny, amazing senzus. Vegeta eagerly consumed it, drew a deep breath in relief as his wounds vanished, and set about stripping off the confining bandages.
"Well, I'm glad you'll be up to sparring again, Vegeta. I can't stay, though, it's Christmas Eve and Chi-chi's cooking a feast!" Goku's stomach rumbled its agreement, and he sheepishly placed on hand on the back of his head. Vegeta glared. "Bye!" Placing two fingers on his forehead, the cheerful Saiyan vanished. Muttering under his breath, the prince rose from the bed. He experimentally flexed his muscles, including his tail, and gave a satisfied nod. Between the healing of all that damage and the restoration of the tail, he was nearly a third again as strong as he had been.
As he circled the bed towards the door, his eyes caught sight of a small note on the bedside table. Frowning, he picked it up, noting the unmistakable scent of the blue-haired woman all over it.
Dear Vegeta (it read) I know it's early, but I figured you wouldn't want to wait any longer to get your tail back. I hope you like it - it's my Christmas present to you. Bulma. -
His eyebrows shot upwards as he finished the note. The woman was responsible for his tail's reappearance? It had been a gift to him? He shook his head in disbelief. She had to be insane. Why would she do such a thing? Vaguely, he recalled her injecting him with something while he was in a drug-induced haze. Something else had happened, something important, but it lingered irritatingly out of reach.
Still frowning, he left the med-lab and headed for the kitchen to replenish his body's stores. As relieved as he was to have his tail back, the fact that the woman had gone to the trouble to make it happen disturbed him. The cold warrior, accustomed only to rage and pain, was having difficulty deciphering the emotions the kind act was stirring in him. The concept of 'giving' was so foreign to him that he wondered if perhaps it was some sort of trick, except that she got no benefit he could possibly see out of restoring his tail to him.
Approaching the kitchen with a scowl firmly in place, he was somewhat surprised by the amount of noise and delectable smells emerging from it. Opening the door cautiously, he was greeted by the scents of a feast in the making. There was clearly enough food being prepared not only for a hungry Saiyan, but for several hungry humans as well. Sweetmeats he recognized as 'pies' were cooling on top of the oven. Various types of meat were being cooked in various ways, as well as many other foodstuffs familiar and foreign. The blue haired woman, looking somewhat haggard and worn out, was washing dishes as fast as her mother was using them. Well, at least he knew she wouldn't be able to ruin any of the food by attempting to cook it herself! As he stood in the doorway observing, the blonde noticed him and rushed over.
"Oooh, Vegeta darling, you're finally awake!" Her inane giggle almost made him back off, but for his pride - and the savory packet of meat, spices, and bread that she shoved into his hand. "You must be starving, I've made some things you can pick at - don't fill up, dear, or you won't be able to eat the dinner I'm making!" Her gaze fell to his waist and the tail wrapped there. "I never knew you had a tail, honey! Why, it looks just like that adorable Goku's did when he was small!" Before he could explode at her for the comparison, his temper was cooled by her follow up statement, "But yours is so much finer than his ever was, dear, much more elegant and handsome. I suppose that befits a prince, though, doesn't it?" She patted his cheek and was off again into the kitchen.
Completely bewildered, Vegeta recouped by taking a large bite of the meat pasty she'd handed him. The taste of food reminded him how hungry he was, and he consumed it quickly. The blue haired woman looked up from her dishwashing to smile quickly at him. He stared back, uncertain of how to react. What did she want from him? But she simply grinned and nodded at the kitchen table.
"All the hors d'eouvers are over there. You can pick at them until the dinner's ready, there's plenty." She dried her hands and went to the table herself. Vegeta followed suit and sat down with several more pasties in front of him. She chose a smaller amount of items and nibbled away. He glanced at her plate and frowned.
"What the hell are you eating, woman?" She picked up another of the pink bug-like things and dipped it into a spicy smelling red sauce.
"They're called shrimp. A kind of shellfish, very tasty. Here, try one." When he looked suspicious at the proffered item, she rolled her eyes. "Come on; don't tell me the space traveling alien is afraid to try something new."
"I've consumed far worse things than exist on this planet," snorted Vegeta, taking the 'shrimp'. He was surprised to find it quite good, if of unusual texture. She giggled at his expression.
"Told you so. Here, try them with the cocktail sauce." Her eyes locked on his, and she hesitated. "What?"
"Why?" He demanded softly, not wanting to attract the attention of the annoying older female. "Why did you restore my tail?"
"It was a Christmas present, Vegeta," she replied, equally softly. "It was the only thing I could think of that you would really appreciate."
"But why, woman?" His voice rose slightly. "Why would you do such a thing? I am not part of your family - I am not even one of your pathetic friends!" She stuck her tongue out at him, an act so immature (even for her) that he sat back, startled.
"Jeez, don't Saiyans ever give gifts? It's Christmas, Vegeta, people give presents to people as an expression of goodwill and cheer. You're not family, maybe not a friend, but you are a guest and you are training to defeat the androids. Besides," she stood up. "You're all alone on this planet, Vegeta. I can't stand to see anyone alone on Christmas."
"Crazy humans." was all he could mumble as she went back to dishwashing. He still could not for the life of him understand her. He was unusually silent throughout the rest of the night, though he stuffed himself at the evening meal. Vegeta noted something curious as the night went on. First of all, her hand was bandaged, leading him to wonder when and where she might have possibly been injured, considering her utter lack of fighting ability. Secondly, she seemed more and more unfocused as the meal progressed. Her bubbly annoying mother finally took notice of this.
"Bulma, dear? What's wrong?" She stood and went over to her daughter, who stared blankly at her plate.
"I think I'm coming down with something. I don't feel so great," she muttered. Bunny placed a hand on her forehead, and her eyes went wide with alarm.
"Oh my, you're burning up! You should be in bed!" Her eyes turned to, of all people, Vegeta. "Vegeta, would you please be a dear and bring Bulma up to her bed?"
Vegeta was about to protest that he was not a 'dear' and that Saiyan princes did not carry sick human females up to bed. But his tail twitching reminded him of the peculiar behavior of the woman, and to his chagrin, he realized that under the laws of his own people, he did indeed owe her a favor. Had she known? Was that why she had restored his tail? Grumbling under his breath, he effortlessly lifted the weakly protesting woman into his arms and headed upstairs. He swore to himself as he kicked open the door to the woman's room. If she had known that he would owe her for this favor, he would kill her slowly. He lay her down on her bed with as much care as he could stomach.
"Why - are you being so nice?" she asked him, somewhat woozily. So she had not known. He supposed he couldn't kill her, then.
"When a great service is performed for one of royal blood," he replied gruffly, tossing a blanket over her, "we are honor-bound to return the favor."
"Great serv - your tail? But that was a gift Vegeta - you don't need," she yawned widely, "to pay me back for that. Gifts on Christmas - are an earth tradition." Shivering, she pulled the blanket up to her chin. "And if I knew you were gonna bite me, you jerk, I wouldn't have bothered."
Vegeta was on his way out the door, but her last words made him spin around, eyes widening. Bulma was already half drowsing in her bed, but he caught her by the shoulders and shook her roughly awake.
"Vegeta, what are you - ?"
"What do you mean, bit you?" he demanded in a strained voice. "I never bit you, woman!" Her eyes glassy with fever, she scowled and showed him her hand.
"Yes you did, right after I gave you the serum to re-grow your tail. Hey!" He was tearing the bandages off her hand. She was too weak to struggle, and settled for glaring as he lifted her wounded hand to the light. To her surprise, the bite mark was entirely healed over, leaving a crescent scar in its place. Vegeta swore in his own tongue and several others she did not recognize. "Will you knock it off and leave now? I feel really - really - not good." her voice trailed away and her eyes closed.
The Saiyan prince could not believe this was happening. He had bitten her! He cursed the human drugs that had made him so out of it he could unknowingly allow such a thing to happen. The woman shivered in her unnatural sleep, her skin flushed with fever. She was already well into the Annar. His tail loosened its hold on his waist and lashed the air furiously.
"Fuck!"
It was a peculiarity of the Saiyan Royal Family, bred into their genes along with their pain resistant tails. Had Bulma ever bothered to check Vegeta's teeth, she would have been surprised to find that the sharp eyeteeth he possessed were hollow. From two small glands in the roof of his mouth, his bite injected a peculiar DNA retrovirus that lay dormant until it entered a non-Saiyan blood stream. Then it quickly set to work altering the recipient of the bite, making them, to put it concisely, Saiyan. It was an adaptation to make certain the royal bloodline remained pure. Even if a prince or princess chose to mate with an alien, the alien would become Saiyan and ensure that no half-breeds were created in the bloodline.
It was such a well kept secret that not even Frieza had known about it. Vegeta had been exceptionally careful in his lifetime.
Until now, he had successfully prevented himself from ever accidentally biting someone. Until NOW! A vein pulsed in his forehead. Stupid stupid STUPID woman! There wasn't even anything he could do to reverse it. Within 24 to 48 hours of the onset of the Annar, she would be fully Saiyan.
As Vegeta paced the room, a traitorous thought wormed its way through his brain. Would it really be so bad for the woman to become a Saiyan? He had often been forced, albeit grudgingly, to admit that her attitude was far more suited to a Saiyan female than a human. "No!" He hissed. She was a human who would become a Saiyan. She would be just as bad as Kakkorot, a disgrace to the race. And even more intolerable, she would be a disgrace to him, since his bite was responsible. A soft glow surrounded his hand at the thought, and he briefly toyed with the idea of doing away with her as she lay there.
But slowly the glow faded, and he shook his head. Kakkorot would kill him. He would not have the luxury of the GR to train in. He would never achieve his goal of becoming a super-Saiyan. He could not kill her. And that same traitorous little part of his brain murmured that he would miss arguing with her, miss having someone who actually cared if he lived or died, miss - he smashed that thought down so brutally that it fled back into the hidden recesses of his mind in fright. Vegeta's eyes narrowed. If she was to become a Saiyan, so be it then. But he would not allow her to be as ignorant and disparaging of the race as the softheaded Kakkorot and his half-breed brat were.
His mind working quickly now, he located pen and paper, scowling at the sickening heart stamped stationary. Writing in his sharp, angular hand, he informed her parents that Bulma had a sickness peculiar to his race, and one that he was fully qualified to treat. That it was not life threatening, and he would take her to a secluded place to recover for a short time. She would contact them as soon as she was feeling better. Her ditzy mother would have no problem with that, and her father was so absent-minded he doubted the old man would even notice his daughter was missing. The Saiyan picked up one of her packets of capsules lying on the dresser and tucked it into the waist of his pants. No point in giving her a reason to bitch at him, after all. His ears couldn't deal with prolonged shrieking by her loud mouth.
"How the hell can one damn woman cause so much fucking trouble?" he hissed as he left the note for her parents to find. At least this way he would not have to deal with those pests she called friends thinking she was kidnapped. Vegeta yanked back the covers, ignoring her whimpers, and picked her up once again. Fortunately, she had large windows in her room, and he was able to fly out of them easily.
He at least knew where he was going. Not long after he came to live with the Briefs, he chanced upon an uninhabited atoll whilst training over the ocean. It contained acceptable amounts of wild game, and was often a welcome relief from the annoying humans. He had spent several nights there when the other inhabitants of the planet became intolerable. It would serve well for his purposes. Keeping his power at normal levels so as not to attract unwanted attention, he flew rapidly towards it.
The woman did not stir much as they traveled, but her skin was extremely warm to the touch. That fit with what he remembered his father telling him; the start of the Annar was marked by a fierce fever. The body temperature would stay elevated as the body's reserves fueled the changes. Already he noted that her oddly colored hair had begun to look somewhat spikier than normal. He wondered briefly if the color would change, and touched down on the island.
The flight had taken no time at all for one of his abilities. He allowed himself a small smirk and headed for the interior. Several large carnivores threatened him as he traveled, reptilian creatures he'd heard referred to as 'dinosaurs'. Pathetic, really. A few well-aimed ki blasts drove them off, one or two of the more stubborn ones with scorched hides. At least he knew he would have something to eat over the next few days.
A large cone shaped mountain, an extinct volcano, marked the middle of the island. Vegeta had long since blasted himself a cave in the side of it, conveniently near to a running stream. It was here that he took the woman. A saber-toothed beast had taken up residence in his absence. It was hardly worth the ki blast he used to get rid of it. That taken care of, he took his burden into the cave. At least the beast had not fouled it. He would have taken care to hunt it down and skin it if it had.
"V-vegeta?" The woman was awake. Surprising, actually. He set her down on the smooth stone floor. "Where are we?"
"Someplace safe," he muttered. "Someplace for you to rest and recover." She stared at him, her eyes wide and confused. He wondered how much was getting through to her in this state. "Go to sleep," he added gruffly. She shook her head once, twice.
"C-cold."
Mentally he cursed. Of course she was cold, with her fever so high. And he had brought no blankets along in his hurry. He examined the capsules; they were also useless for warmth. She was starting to shiver so badly that her teeth clacked together.
"Damn woman," he snarled, and sat down with his back to the wall. Overriding her weak protests, he gathered her in his arms and held her close to him so that his body heat might help. After a moment's thought, he raised his ki slightly, heating the both of them. His temper on edge from being forced into this ridiculous situation, he was NOT expecting her to snuggle close to him. Vegeta's spine went rigid with surprise as she curled closely to him, face pressed against his chest and arms around his neck. He sat there for a full minute, uncertain what to do. His first instinct was to push her roughly away, but if he was trying to keep her warm, he couldn't do that. Secondly, he had to admit that it was not entirely an uncomfortable thing to have her so near. He'd never noticed how good her smell was before.
Slowly the prince began to relax, just a bit. Keeping his ki up to maintain the warmth, he jerkily placed his arms around her - to hold her in place, he told himself. She responded with a sleepy sigh of contentment. As the minutes passed Vegeta continued to relax, growing accustomed to her nearness. His eyelids drooped lower and lower, until finally his head tilted back and his breaths took on the deep evenness of sleep. His tail, which had been quiet around his waist until that point, uncurled. It flicked once or twice, and then wrapped firmly around Bulma's middle, holding her to him as they slept.
Disclaimer: See chapter one.
Tail Tale, Chapter 2
Vegeta's eyes opened slowly. He lay very still for several moments, allowing his fuzzy memories to get into their proper focus. The GR had exploded. He had been hurt. It would be a few days before he could receive a senzu bean. His teeth ground together in annoyance at the disruption to his training, and his tail gave an angry flick.
"!!!"
His tail gave an angry flick?! Vegeta sat bolt upright in the med-lab cot, ignoring the agonized protests of his wounds. His tail curled into its accustomed place around his waist. Dark eyes wide, he ran a hand over the furry appendage, reassuring himself that it was indeed real. A feral smirk crossed his face, and he let out a sharp bark of laughter. He could not remember the last time he had been so pleased. His tail was back! For the first time in too long he felt whole again, the badge of Saiyan pride restored to him. Then his contemplation was interrupted as his only remaining full-blooded subject appeared in the room.
"Hey Vegeta, I got the senzu beans from - whoa!" Goku's eyes went comically wide at the sight of the prince's re-grown tail. "You got your tail back!"
"Huh, your perception of the obvious never ceases to amaze me, Kakkorot." Vegeta tried to keep the pain out of his voice. His wounded body was still screaming in protest at sitting up. Oblivious to the sarcasm, the other man grinned and came over to the bed, handing over one of the tiny, amazing senzus. Vegeta eagerly consumed it, drew a deep breath in relief as his wounds vanished, and set about stripping off the confining bandages.
"Well, I'm glad you'll be up to sparring again, Vegeta. I can't stay, though, it's Christmas Eve and Chi-chi's cooking a feast!" Goku's stomach rumbled its agreement, and he sheepishly placed on hand on the back of his head. Vegeta glared. "Bye!" Placing two fingers on his forehead, the cheerful Saiyan vanished. Muttering under his breath, the prince rose from the bed. He experimentally flexed his muscles, including his tail, and gave a satisfied nod. Between the healing of all that damage and the restoration of the tail, he was nearly a third again as strong as he had been.
As he circled the bed towards the door, his eyes caught sight of a small note on the bedside table. Frowning, he picked it up, noting the unmistakable scent of the blue-haired woman all over it.
Dear Vegeta (it read) I know it's early, but I figured you wouldn't want to wait any longer to get your tail back. I hope you like it - it's my Christmas present to you. Bulma. -
His eyebrows shot upwards as he finished the note. The woman was responsible for his tail's reappearance? It had been a gift to him? He shook his head in disbelief. She had to be insane. Why would she do such a thing? Vaguely, he recalled her injecting him with something while he was in a drug-induced haze. Something else had happened, something important, but it lingered irritatingly out of reach.
Still frowning, he left the med-lab and headed for the kitchen to replenish his body's stores. As relieved as he was to have his tail back, the fact that the woman had gone to the trouble to make it happen disturbed him. The cold warrior, accustomed only to rage and pain, was having difficulty deciphering the emotions the kind act was stirring in him. The concept of 'giving' was so foreign to him that he wondered if perhaps it was some sort of trick, except that she got no benefit he could possibly see out of restoring his tail to him.
Approaching the kitchen with a scowl firmly in place, he was somewhat surprised by the amount of noise and delectable smells emerging from it. Opening the door cautiously, he was greeted by the scents of a feast in the making. There was clearly enough food being prepared not only for a hungry Saiyan, but for several hungry humans as well. Sweetmeats he recognized as 'pies' were cooling on top of the oven. Various types of meat were being cooked in various ways, as well as many other foodstuffs familiar and foreign. The blue haired woman, looking somewhat haggard and worn out, was washing dishes as fast as her mother was using them. Well, at least he knew she wouldn't be able to ruin any of the food by attempting to cook it herself! As he stood in the doorway observing, the blonde noticed him and rushed over.
"Oooh, Vegeta darling, you're finally awake!" Her inane giggle almost made him back off, but for his pride - and the savory packet of meat, spices, and bread that she shoved into his hand. "You must be starving, I've made some things you can pick at - don't fill up, dear, or you won't be able to eat the dinner I'm making!" Her gaze fell to his waist and the tail wrapped there. "I never knew you had a tail, honey! Why, it looks just like that adorable Goku's did when he was small!" Before he could explode at her for the comparison, his temper was cooled by her follow up statement, "But yours is so much finer than his ever was, dear, much more elegant and handsome. I suppose that befits a prince, though, doesn't it?" She patted his cheek and was off again into the kitchen.
Completely bewildered, Vegeta recouped by taking a large bite of the meat pasty she'd handed him. The taste of food reminded him how hungry he was, and he consumed it quickly. The blue haired woman looked up from her dishwashing to smile quickly at him. He stared back, uncertain of how to react. What did she want from him? But she simply grinned and nodded at the kitchen table.
"All the hors d'eouvers are over there. You can pick at them until the dinner's ready, there's plenty." She dried her hands and went to the table herself. Vegeta followed suit and sat down with several more pasties in front of him. She chose a smaller amount of items and nibbled away. He glanced at her plate and frowned.
"What the hell are you eating, woman?" She picked up another of the pink bug-like things and dipped it into a spicy smelling red sauce.
"They're called shrimp. A kind of shellfish, very tasty. Here, try one." When he looked suspicious at the proffered item, she rolled her eyes. "Come on; don't tell me the space traveling alien is afraid to try something new."
"I've consumed far worse things than exist on this planet," snorted Vegeta, taking the 'shrimp'. He was surprised to find it quite good, if of unusual texture. She giggled at his expression.
"Told you so. Here, try them with the cocktail sauce." Her eyes locked on his, and she hesitated. "What?"
"Why?" He demanded softly, not wanting to attract the attention of the annoying older female. "Why did you restore my tail?"
"It was a Christmas present, Vegeta," she replied, equally softly. "It was the only thing I could think of that you would really appreciate."
"But why, woman?" His voice rose slightly. "Why would you do such a thing? I am not part of your family - I am not even one of your pathetic friends!" She stuck her tongue out at him, an act so immature (even for her) that he sat back, startled.
"Jeez, don't Saiyans ever give gifts? It's Christmas, Vegeta, people give presents to people as an expression of goodwill and cheer. You're not family, maybe not a friend, but you are a guest and you are training to defeat the androids. Besides," she stood up. "You're all alone on this planet, Vegeta. I can't stand to see anyone alone on Christmas."
"Crazy humans." was all he could mumble as she went back to dishwashing. He still could not for the life of him understand her. He was unusually silent throughout the rest of the night, though he stuffed himself at the evening meal. Vegeta noted something curious as the night went on. First of all, her hand was bandaged, leading him to wonder when and where she might have possibly been injured, considering her utter lack of fighting ability. Secondly, she seemed more and more unfocused as the meal progressed. Her bubbly annoying mother finally took notice of this.
"Bulma, dear? What's wrong?" She stood and went over to her daughter, who stared blankly at her plate.
"I think I'm coming down with something. I don't feel so great," she muttered. Bunny placed a hand on her forehead, and her eyes went wide with alarm.
"Oh my, you're burning up! You should be in bed!" Her eyes turned to, of all people, Vegeta. "Vegeta, would you please be a dear and bring Bulma up to her bed?"
Vegeta was about to protest that he was not a 'dear' and that Saiyan princes did not carry sick human females up to bed. But his tail twitching reminded him of the peculiar behavior of the woman, and to his chagrin, he realized that under the laws of his own people, he did indeed owe her a favor. Had she known? Was that why she had restored his tail? Grumbling under his breath, he effortlessly lifted the weakly protesting woman into his arms and headed upstairs. He swore to himself as he kicked open the door to the woman's room. If she had known that he would owe her for this favor, he would kill her slowly. He lay her down on her bed with as much care as he could stomach.
"Why - are you being so nice?" she asked him, somewhat woozily. So she had not known. He supposed he couldn't kill her, then.
"When a great service is performed for one of royal blood," he replied gruffly, tossing a blanket over her, "we are honor-bound to return the favor."
"Great serv - your tail? But that was a gift Vegeta - you don't need," she yawned widely, "to pay me back for that. Gifts on Christmas - are an earth tradition." Shivering, she pulled the blanket up to her chin. "And if I knew you were gonna bite me, you jerk, I wouldn't have bothered."
Vegeta was on his way out the door, but her last words made him spin around, eyes widening. Bulma was already half drowsing in her bed, but he caught her by the shoulders and shook her roughly awake.
"Vegeta, what are you - ?"
"What do you mean, bit you?" he demanded in a strained voice. "I never bit you, woman!" Her eyes glassy with fever, she scowled and showed him her hand.
"Yes you did, right after I gave you the serum to re-grow your tail. Hey!" He was tearing the bandages off her hand. She was too weak to struggle, and settled for glaring as he lifted her wounded hand to the light. To her surprise, the bite mark was entirely healed over, leaving a crescent scar in its place. Vegeta swore in his own tongue and several others she did not recognize. "Will you knock it off and leave now? I feel really - really - not good." her voice trailed away and her eyes closed.
The Saiyan prince could not believe this was happening. He had bitten her! He cursed the human drugs that had made him so out of it he could unknowingly allow such a thing to happen. The woman shivered in her unnatural sleep, her skin flushed with fever. She was already well into the Annar. His tail loosened its hold on his waist and lashed the air furiously.
"Fuck!"
It was a peculiarity of the Saiyan Royal Family, bred into their genes along with their pain resistant tails. Had Bulma ever bothered to check Vegeta's teeth, she would have been surprised to find that the sharp eyeteeth he possessed were hollow. From two small glands in the roof of his mouth, his bite injected a peculiar DNA retrovirus that lay dormant until it entered a non-Saiyan blood stream. Then it quickly set to work altering the recipient of the bite, making them, to put it concisely, Saiyan. It was an adaptation to make certain the royal bloodline remained pure. Even if a prince or princess chose to mate with an alien, the alien would become Saiyan and ensure that no half-breeds were created in the bloodline.
It was such a well kept secret that not even Frieza had known about it. Vegeta had been exceptionally careful in his lifetime.
Until now, he had successfully prevented himself from ever accidentally biting someone. Until NOW! A vein pulsed in his forehead. Stupid stupid STUPID woman! There wasn't even anything he could do to reverse it. Within 24 to 48 hours of the onset of the Annar, she would be fully Saiyan.
As Vegeta paced the room, a traitorous thought wormed its way through his brain. Would it really be so bad for the woman to become a Saiyan? He had often been forced, albeit grudgingly, to admit that her attitude was far more suited to a Saiyan female than a human. "No!" He hissed. She was a human who would become a Saiyan. She would be just as bad as Kakkorot, a disgrace to the race. And even more intolerable, she would be a disgrace to him, since his bite was responsible. A soft glow surrounded his hand at the thought, and he briefly toyed with the idea of doing away with her as she lay there.
But slowly the glow faded, and he shook his head. Kakkorot would kill him. He would not have the luxury of the GR to train in. He would never achieve his goal of becoming a super-Saiyan. He could not kill her. And that same traitorous little part of his brain murmured that he would miss arguing with her, miss having someone who actually cared if he lived or died, miss - he smashed that thought down so brutally that it fled back into the hidden recesses of his mind in fright. Vegeta's eyes narrowed. If she was to become a Saiyan, so be it then. But he would not allow her to be as ignorant and disparaging of the race as the softheaded Kakkorot and his half-breed brat were.
His mind working quickly now, he located pen and paper, scowling at the sickening heart stamped stationary. Writing in his sharp, angular hand, he informed her parents that Bulma had a sickness peculiar to his race, and one that he was fully qualified to treat. That it was not life threatening, and he would take her to a secluded place to recover for a short time. She would contact them as soon as she was feeling better. Her ditzy mother would have no problem with that, and her father was so absent-minded he doubted the old man would even notice his daughter was missing. The Saiyan picked up one of her packets of capsules lying on the dresser and tucked it into the waist of his pants. No point in giving her a reason to bitch at him, after all. His ears couldn't deal with prolonged shrieking by her loud mouth.
"How the hell can one damn woman cause so much fucking trouble?" he hissed as he left the note for her parents to find. At least this way he would not have to deal with those pests she called friends thinking she was kidnapped. Vegeta yanked back the covers, ignoring her whimpers, and picked her up once again. Fortunately, she had large windows in her room, and he was able to fly out of them easily.
He at least knew where he was going. Not long after he came to live with the Briefs, he chanced upon an uninhabited atoll whilst training over the ocean. It contained acceptable amounts of wild game, and was often a welcome relief from the annoying humans. He had spent several nights there when the other inhabitants of the planet became intolerable. It would serve well for his purposes. Keeping his power at normal levels so as not to attract unwanted attention, he flew rapidly towards it.
The woman did not stir much as they traveled, but her skin was extremely warm to the touch. That fit with what he remembered his father telling him; the start of the Annar was marked by a fierce fever. The body temperature would stay elevated as the body's reserves fueled the changes. Already he noted that her oddly colored hair had begun to look somewhat spikier than normal. He wondered briefly if the color would change, and touched down on the island.
The flight had taken no time at all for one of his abilities. He allowed himself a small smirk and headed for the interior. Several large carnivores threatened him as he traveled, reptilian creatures he'd heard referred to as 'dinosaurs'. Pathetic, really. A few well-aimed ki blasts drove them off, one or two of the more stubborn ones with scorched hides. At least he knew he would have something to eat over the next few days.
A large cone shaped mountain, an extinct volcano, marked the middle of the island. Vegeta had long since blasted himself a cave in the side of it, conveniently near to a running stream. It was here that he took the woman. A saber-toothed beast had taken up residence in his absence. It was hardly worth the ki blast he used to get rid of it. That taken care of, he took his burden into the cave. At least the beast had not fouled it. He would have taken care to hunt it down and skin it if it had.
"V-vegeta?" The woman was awake. Surprising, actually. He set her down on the smooth stone floor. "Where are we?"
"Someplace safe," he muttered. "Someplace for you to rest and recover." She stared at him, her eyes wide and confused. He wondered how much was getting through to her in this state. "Go to sleep," he added gruffly. She shook her head once, twice.
"C-cold."
Mentally he cursed. Of course she was cold, with her fever so high. And he had brought no blankets along in his hurry. He examined the capsules; they were also useless for warmth. She was starting to shiver so badly that her teeth clacked together.
"Damn woman," he snarled, and sat down with his back to the wall. Overriding her weak protests, he gathered her in his arms and held her close to him so that his body heat might help. After a moment's thought, he raised his ki slightly, heating the both of them. His temper on edge from being forced into this ridiculous situation, he was NOT expecting her to snuggle close to him. Vegeta's spine went rigid with surprise as she curled closely to him, face pressed against his chest and arms around his neck. He sat there for a full minute, uncertain what to do. His first instinct was to push her roughly away, but if he was trying to keep her warm, he couldn't do that. Secondly, he had to admit that it was not entirely an uncomfortable thing to have her so near. He'd never noticed how good her smell was before.
Slowly the prince began to relax, just a bit. Keeping his ki up to maintain the warmth, he jerkily placed his arms around her - to hold her in place, he told himself. She responded with a sleepy sigh of contentment. As the minutes passed Vegeta continued to relax, growing accustomed to her nearness. His eyelids drooped lower and lower, until finally his head tilted back and his breaths took on the deep evenness of sleep. His tail, which had been quiet around his waist until that point, uncurled. It flicked once or twice, and then wrapped firmly around Bulma's middle, holding her to him as they slept.
