Disclaimer: see other chapters!
A/N: I apologize for this being so very late, but...midterms and work interrupted. Thank you to all my reviewers – and maybe this will calm some of the more insistent ones, lol?
A Tail Tale, Chapter Four
Bulma thought that if she blushed any further, her face was going to catch on fire.
"I - I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," she stammered. Vegeta still looked a bit tense, but he nodded.
"You had no idea - which is the only reason I'm not blasting you!" He added harshly. Then he began to grumble about dense earth females who had no idea what they were doing, so she figured that he was getting over her little faux pas. Her stomach growled loudly, demanding more, and she fell on the pieces he had cut off for her ravenously.
Feeling a bit less stressed, Vegeta watched her out of the corners of his eyes as he himself ate. He had never been so startled as when she had snatched the meat from him. Hell, he had almost forgotten that aspect of the mating ritual until she'd gone and DONE it. After all, he hadn't seen a saiyan female in decades, and he'd been decidedly prepubescent at that time. Given the nature of his people, more than a few of the females could pound the shit out of any male who tried to force himself on a woman. And somewhere along the way of their evolution, the female came to be the one who had to initiate the serious mating ceremony. It was that way even among royalty. Oh, the prince could pursue a female as much as he liked, but SHE would decide if she would accept him as a full mate.
He'd been having enough trouble sorting out what the hell was going on with him and this woman already. Waking up to his tail around her had been a bad shock. Tails were notorious for reacting to the unconscious desired of the owner. It was half the reason they were normally wrapped tightly around the waist! Difficult for a warrior race that prided itself on emotional restraint (except for those emotions suited to battle) to have an appendage that easily expressed the very emotions they buried.
That his tail had wound itself around her and held her close was a dangerous sign. It signaled that somewhere deep down, he not only did not consider her an enemy, but also found her - he gritted his teeth and refused to even think the word - TOLERABLE. Tolerable. That was ALL, he insisted to himself, and returned to his meal.
Bulma absently licked her fingers and wondered how she could get Vegeta to tell her about such things as saiyan relationships and 'mating rituals'. Part of her was appalled at her copious consumption of barely cooked dinosaur flesh. The other, steadily growing part of her relished the fresh meat. At least, she consoled herself, it wasn't centipedes.
A buzzing noise caught both their attention. Vegeta snapped on guard, but Bulma laughed.
"Oh good, it's the Mini-cap!"
"The what?" Demanded her reluctant companion, but was interrupted as the tiny transport dropped out of the sky. It hovered a moment above the communicator, then gently landed on it. The blue haired genius grinned in delight. She removed the capsules it carried and showed them to Vegeta.
"What do you need all this shit for, anyway?" he grumbled. She glared at him.
"Maybe YOU like sleeping on the ground, monkey boy," (he growled at the nickname) "but I don't like it one bit. Not to mention how badly I need a bath right now." Bulma popped open the capsule house, a small two bedroom, and one kitchen and bathroom affair. "Besides, there's something here that will make you very happy." Walking into the house, she popped a second capsule, materializing a gaily wrapped pile of Christmas presents.
"You are so damned soft, woman," Vegeta muttered in disgust, following her indoors. She stuck her tongue out at him. "Mature, too."
"Oh come on, Vegeta, cheer up! These are our Christmas presents!" She sat down in one of the bedrooms and began separating them into two piles. Reluctantly curious, he followed her in and leaned against the wall. More of this Christmas bullshit.
"I thought restoring my tail was your gift to me," the saiyan said, eyeing the packages suspiciously.
"It was. Is. But Mom and Dad got you something, too. And the tail was just your main present." She pushed a small pile of presents towards him. He looked at them. "Well, aren't you going to open them?" Her blue eyes pleaded with him. Bulma was very fond of Christmas, and she regretted missing it as she had. Vegeta, on the other hand, had never been given a gift that he could remember until the damn woman had restored his tail. That thought in itself, combined with (though he absolutely would not admit it) the pleading look in her eyes, made him grimace and sit down cross- legged. He picked up a package at random and looked it over suspiciously. Bulma realized that he'd never done this before, and picked up one of her own.
"This one's from my Dad," she said, pointing to the label. Gleefully she tore the paper off and opened the heavy box. Her eyes went wide at the sight of a new set of tools, including some of the latest designs by the company. "Oh wow! This is great!" She hugged them in delight. "This is just what I need to start working on that regeneration tank Goku and Gohan described!" She noticed him looking at her in obvious confusion. "Go on, Vegeta, open one of yours."
A bit hesitantly he tugged at the paper on one at random. It came off with ridiculous ease, making him wonder what the point was of putting it on in the first place. Opening the box, he was surprised and gratified to see several new training outfits in his size. "That was my second present to you," Bulma said. "I noticed that the ones you had were pretty beat up." She took his short nod as thanks and opened another of her own. Getting a bit more into things, Vegeta opened a second. His exclamation of disgust made her look over. Her eyes went wide, and she groaned. Her mom had actually done it - knitted the mighty saiyan prince a pink sweater with a cheerful reindeer on the front of it.
"Is this a joke?" he demanded. She shook her head in dismay.
"No, it's my mom. Here, see?" Opening another package, she displayed a bright orange knitted sweater with a smiling snowman on it. He recoiled. "She tries so hard, but she just has so much trouble picking colors that people wear."
"Unless they wish to direct traffic for your ridiculous vehicles," agreed Vegeta, looking at the garish gift. Bulma's mouth fell open.
"I must be losing my hearing. Did you just make a joke?" He 'hmphed' at her.
"All right, don't get your shorts in a knot. Here, open this one." She pointed out a small package wrapped in electrical tape. Scowling, he did so, almost blasting the stupid thing in the process.
"What is with this ridiculous material?" he snarled, fighting with the sticky tape.
"My dad. He always forgets the wrapping part until the last minute, and by then has to use whatever's on hand." Vegeta finally got the thing open, and frowned at the capsule contained within.
"What is this?"
She grinned. "It's a new GR, Vegeta. You blew up the old one so badly there was no point in repairing it." His eyes widened. "It can handle up to 1000x Earth's gravity, and can withstand ki blasts so you can practice to your heart's content. There's even a storage container of food built into it so that you don't have to leave it to eat if you don't want to."
"Woman," he looked at her with astonishment. "I do not understand. Why would your father do this? Is it charity? Because if it is -!" She cut him off before he could get wound up.
"It's not charity, Vegeta! Sheesh, you're touchy. One, it's part of our tradition to give presents to friends and family at Christmas."
"I am neither friend nor family," he said stiffly. She rolled her eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, my folks think you're a 'wonderful boy, so hard-working and determined'." Her voice was obviously mimicking her mother's. Her eyes softened a bit. "Haven't you noticed that they're rooting for you, Vegeta?" His dark gaze met her blue one, obviously not sure of what she was saying. "One thing they are appreciative of - especially my dad - is hard work and fighting towards goals. They know how much you want to achieve super-saiyan, and they admire your determination." Bulma shrugged, going a bit pink across the face. "So do I, even. I mean," she stammered hastily when his head snapped up, "Everything just seems to come so easily to Goku. He's had all these advantages in his training, all these fantastic teachers – Kami, King Kai. You've had to do it all by yourself, and I have to respect that."
His face was unreadable, but his mind was in turmoil. Vegeta had certainly never noticed the respect that the Briefs had for him. He had spent years under Freiza's boot, despite his rebellion still certainly a slave to the hideous warlord. Having any being besides Nappa and Raditz look at him with anything except contempt or maybe fear was utterly alien to him.
"I - am going out to train," he said roughly, standing up. "Stay close by - I do not wish to have to hunt you down because you've collapsed when the Annar came upon you again." He stalked out of the house, popped the capsule with his new GR, and commenced with some heavy-duty training. It was the only way he could clear his mind of the disturbing thoughts and invasive feelings he was experiencing.
Inside the capsule house, Bulma sighed. She would never let him see how badly she felt for him sometimes. He would never accept her sympathy, viewing it as pity. Goku had told her about Vegeta - about his death at Freiza's hands, about his last words. He might be an arrogant aggravating attractive (where had THAT come from?!) son of a bitch, but he had still had a more brutal life than anyone deserved.
She finished opening her presents, a bit more somberly, and then treated herself to a long luxurious bath. It was in the tub, of course, that she noticed some of the physical changes taking place from what Vegeta called 'the Annar'. Her slim body had taken on a firmer look, with all her muscles clearly defined, yet still curvy enough to be feminine. Her skin tone had darkened just a bit, and any freckles or birthmarks had vanished. She remembered how quickly she'd snatched the food from Vegeta, and how her slap had actually made him bleed, and knew that her strength and speed were much increased. No matter how much she washed and conditioned her hair, it still remained spiky. That was annoying, but at least it was still blue. She hoped THAT did not change; she liked her unique hair color!
Her stomach was very full, and the warm bath made her sleepy. She dressed in comfortable, pretty blue-green pajamas and climbed into one of the beds. Her mind wandered over several questions she was going to have to ask Vegeta. Would she turn into a giant ape under the full moon? She shuddered. How often did saiyan females cycle? The thought of his face at THAT question made her giggle. How strong would she be? How strong COULD she be? Would her tail be as sensitive as Goku's had been? Would she be able to throw ki attacks?
And WHAT was with the purring?
Giggling at the memory of Vegeta's deep purrs, she settled back against the pillows and snuggled down to sleep.
Hours later, an exhausted, battered, thoroughly beaten Vegeta stumbled out of the new GR. Dragging an arm across his weary eyes, he fell upon the dinosaur carcass without pause, tearing and gulping down large hunks of half raw meat until his voracious appetite was finally satisfied.
Today's training had been an exercise in humility for the saiyan prince. He had come to the painful conclusion that it was no longer his power level that was holding him back. He was strong enough to become a super-saiyan now, and yet he still had not. The trigger was not merely power, and he was damned if he could figure out what it was.
Vegeta yanked open the door to the capsule house, fully expecting a loud protest from the woman. When silence greeted him, he scowled. Part of him had been looking forward to a yelling match with her; it would get rid of some of his aggravation. He stalked through the little house, sneering at the décor that HAD to be partially of the blonde woman's design. His nose led him to one of the two bedrooms, where Bulma lay asleep under heavy covers, curled up and shivering.
He recognized that she had once again entered the Annar, and it would be futile to attempt to waken her from it. Growling softly in disappointment, he made a point of slamming the bedroom door as he found his way to the bathing chamber.
The luxury of a hot shower was something Vegeta had no qualms about taking full advantage of. He briskly scrubbed down his body, only taking special pains with his tail. That he shampooed meticulously. Then the battered warrior turned the water temperature up to a point that would have scalded a frail human, and stood with arms crossed. The hot water pounding down on him gradually soothed away the aches and tension of all the training and frustration that had accumulated over the course of the day.
He pondered as he soaked how to begin his training of the woman. Her power level was still rising just from the Annar, by now about even with the Namek. That, however, was still absurdly low for a saiyan. Training someone other than himself was new to Vegeta, and he continued to mull it over as he dried off and climbed into one of his new training outfits.
A wicked smirk crossed his face as he considered several alternatives, any one of which would quickly have the woman in a frothing fury. That was not a bad thing. If she paused to over-think, it would be harder to train her. Perhaps driving her into a rage, which would be fueled by newly born saiyan instincts, was the way to begin her re-education in the way of the warrior.
Vegeta slid into the bed in the other bedroom. He tossed the pillows off of it, disliking the way his head sank into them, and kicked the bedcovers aside as well. All he cared about was the mattress; he did not require the other trappings. A glance out the window showed the moon at three quarters full. He actually smiled ferally at the sight, anticipating the frightful power of once more transforming into his giant ape form, or Oozaru as his folk called it.
Black eyes closed and his face smoothed out of its usual harsh lines as he allowed himself to drift towards sleep. He was almost there when he started hearing soft whimpering noises from the other room. Cursing, he tried to ignore them. But the sounds penetrated his awareness relentlessly, and he finally rose, tail lashing angrily, and stormed over to the room where his blue haired irritant lay.
She was sprawled across the bed, sheets kicked to the side, face gleaming with sweat as she struggled unconsciously against the changes the Annar was wreaking on her body. The whimpers that had so annoyed him were emerging from between tightly clenched teeth as she shook with the raging fever.
"Woman," he snapped harshly. "Wake up." There was no response. "WOMAN!" Still no answer. Scowl etched into his face, he strode to the bedside and glared at the suffering female as if that would somehow force her into awareness. A muscle jumped in Vegeta's jaw. How the bloody hell was he going to get any sleep if this whimpering persisted? It was disturbing him on a far deeper level than it should have. Was there something else going on? Something he was missing? He sat on the edge of the bed and touched her shoulder. It was burning hot even through the soft fabric of the clothing she wore.
He was startled to feel his tail wrap firmly about the woman's body, the heat soaking into his fur. At the same time she rolled towards him, arms catching him about the waist and pulling him to her. Vegeta was not expecting the strength of that grip, and was yanked into the bed with her in a tangle of limbs. He swore, but his anger was strangely dulled. The heat emanating from her and the scent of her was doing odd things to him. His tail refused to leave her, and his arms had somehow gotten wrapped around her as well.
What is going on? Vegeta screamed mentally, trying to fight off the confusion and lethargy. Then the still sleeping Bulma moved. She was already pressed right up against him; now she bit the juncture of his neck and left shoulder, not quite hard enough to draw blood. The prince's eyes flew wide as the instincts bred into him with the serum in his fangs were shocked to life by that action. Conscious thought fading, he pulled her to him even more tightly, his hands sliding down her back to rub soothingly at the spot where her tail would be.
A deep rumbling purr started in his chest. The Annar had triggered the biting reflex in Bulma, and that in turn triggered the behaviors that would ease her transition from Vegeta. The combinations of things worked to sooth her fever and dull her pain. They lay tangled together asleep, and after a time a new purring, higher pitched. joined Vegeta's. A blue tail wrapped firmly around his middle while the Saiyan Prince slept, utterly undone by his instincts. He would be so angry in the morning...
A/N: I apologize for this being so very late, but...midterms and work interrupted. Thank you to all my reviewers – and maybe this will calm some of the more insistent ones, lol?
A Tail Tale, Chapter Four
Bulma thought that if she blushed any further, her face was going to catch on fire.
"I - I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," she stammered. Vegeta still looked a bit tense, but he nodded.
"You had no idea - which is the only reason I'm not blasting you!" He added harshly. Then he began to grumble about dense earth females who had no idea what they were doing, so she figured that he was getting over her little faux pas. Her stomach growled loudly, demanding more, and she fell on the pieces he had cut off for her ravenously.
Feeling a bit less stressed, Vegeta watched her out of the corners of his eyes as he himself ate. He had never been so startled as when she had snatched the meat from him. Hell, he had almost forgotten that aspect of the mating ritual until she'd gone and DONE it. After all, he hadn't seen a saiyan female in decades, and he'd been decidedly prepubescent at that time. Given the nature of his people, more than a few of the females could pound the shit out of any male who tried to force himself on a woman. And somewhere along the way of their evolution, the female came to be the one who had to initiate the serious mating ceremony. It was that way even among royalty. Oh, the prince could pursue a female as much as he liked, but SHE would decide if she would accept him as a full mate.
He'd been having enough trouble sorting out what the hell was going on with him and this woman already. Waking up to his tail around her had been a bad shock. Tails were notorious for reacting to the unconscious desired of the owner. It was half the reason they were normally wrapped tightly around the waist! Difficult for a warrior race that prided itself on emotional restraint (except for those emotions suited to battle) to have an appendage that easily expressed the very emotions they buried.
That his tail had wound itself around her and held her close was a dangerous sign. It signaled that somewhere deep down, he not only did not consider her an enemy, but also found her - he gritted his teeth and refused to even think the word - TOLERABLE. Tolerable. That was ALL, he insisted to himself, and returned to his meal.
Bulma absently licked her fingers and wondered how she could get Vegeta to tell her about such things as saiyan relationships and 'mating rituals'. Part of her was appalled at her copious consumption of barely cooked dinosaur flesh. The other, steadily growing part of her relished the fresh meat. At least, she consoled herself, it wasn't centipedes.
A buzzing noise caught both their attention. Vegeta snapped on guard, but Bulma laughed.
"Oh good, it's the Mini-cap!"
"The what?" Demanded her reluctant companion, but was interrupted as the tiny transport dropped out of the sky. It hovered a moment above the communicator, then gently landed on it. The blue haired genius grinned in delight. She removed the capsules it carried and showed them to Vegeta.
"What do you need all this shit for, anyway?" he grumbled. She glared at him.
"Maybe YOU like sleeping on the ground, monkey boy," (he growled at the nickname) "but I don't like it one bit. Not to mention how badly I need a bath right now." Bulma popped open the capsule house, a small two bedroom, and one kitchen and bathroom affair. "Besides, there's something here that will make you very happy." Walking into the house, she popped a second capsule, materializing a gaily wrapped pile of Christmas presents.
"You are so damned soft, woman," Vegeta muttered in disgust, following her indoors. She stuck her tongue out at him. "Mature, too."
"Oh come on, Vegeta, cheer up! These are our Christmas presents!" She sat down in one of the bedrooms and began separating them into two piles. Reluctantly curious, he followed her in and leaned against the wall. More of this Christmas bullshit.
"I thought restoring my tail was your gift to me," the saiyan said, eyeing the packages suspiciously.
"It was. Is. But Mom and Dad got you something, too. And the tail was just your main present." She pushed a small pile of presents towards him. He looked at them. "Well, aren't you going to open them?" Her blue eyes pleaded with him. Bulma was very fond of Christmas, and she regretted missing it as she had. Vegeta, on the other hand, had never been given a gift that he could remember until the damn woman had restored his tail. That thought in itself, combined with (though he absolutely would not admit it) the pleading look in her eyes, made him grimace and sit down cross- legged. He picked up a package at random and looked it over suspiciously. Bulma realized that he'd never done this before, and picked up one of her own.
"This one's from my Dad," she said, pointing to the label. Gleefully she tore the paper off and opened the heavy box. Her eyes went wide at the sight of a new set of tools, including some of the latest designs by the company. "Oh wow! This is great!" She hugged them in delight. "This is just what I need to start working on that regeneration tank Goku and Gohan described!" She noticed him looking at her in obvious confusion. "Go on, Vegeta, open one of yours."
A bit hesitantly he tugged at the paper on one at random. It came off with ridiculous ease, making him wonder what the point was of putting it on in the first place. Opening the box, he was surprised and gratified to see several new training outfits in his size. "That was my second present to you," Bulma said. "I noticed that the ones you had were pretty beat up." She took his short nod as thanks and opened another of her own. Getting a bit more into things, Vegeta opened a second. His exclamation of disgust made her look over. Her eyes went wide, and she groaned. Her mom had actually done it - knitted the mighty saiyan prince a pink sweater with a cheerful reindeer on the front of it.
"Is this a joke?" he demanded. She shook her head in dismay.
"No, it's my mom. Here, see?" Opening another package, she displayed a bright orange knitted sweater with a smiling snowman on it. He recoiled. "She tries so hard, but she just has so much trouble picking colors that people wear."
"Unless they wish to direct traffic for your ridiculous vehicles," agreed Vegeta, looking at the garish gift. Bulma's mouth fell open.
"I must be losing my hearing. Did you just make a joke?" He 'hmphed' at her.
"All right, don't get your shorts in a knot. Here, open this one." She pointed out a small package wrapped in electrical tape. Scowling, he did so, almost blasting the stupid thing in the process.
"What is with this ridiculous material?" he snarled, fighting with the sticky tape.
"My dad. He always forgets the wrapping part until the last minute, and by then has to use whatever's on hand." Vegeta finally got the thing open, and frowned at the capsule contained within.
"What is this?"
She grinned. "It's a new GR, Vegeta. You blew up the old one so badly there was no point in repairing it." His eyes widened. "It can handle up to 1000x Earth's gravity, and can withstand ki blasts so you can practice to your heart's content. There's even a storage container of food built into it so that you don't have to leave it to eat if you don't want to."
"Woman," he looked at her with astonishment. "I do not understand. Why would your father do this? Is it charity? Because if it is -!" She cut him off before he could get wound up.
"It's not charity, Vegeta! Sheesh, you're touchy. One, it's part of our tradition to give presents to friends and family at Christmas."
"I am neither friend nor family," he said stiffly. She rolled her eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, my folks think you're a 'wonderful boy, so hard-working and determined'." Her voice was obviously mimicking her mother's. Her eyes softened a bit. "Haven't you noticed that they're rooting for you, Vegeta?" His dark gaze met her blue one, obviously not sure of what she was saying. "One thing they are appreciative of - especially my dad - is hard work and fighting towards goals. They know how much you want to achieve super-saiyan, and they admire your determination." Bulma shrugged, going a bit pink across the face. "So do I, even. I mean," she stammered hastily when his head snapped up, "Everything just seems to come so easily to Goku. He's had all these advantages in his training, all these fantastic teachers – Kami, King Kai. You've had to do it all by yourself, and I have to respect that."
His face was unreadable, but his mind was in turmoil. Vegeta had certainly never noticed the respect that the Briefs had for him. He had spent years under Freiza's boot, despite his rebellion still certainly a slave to the hideous warlord. Having any being besides Nappa and Raditz look at him with anything except contempt or maybe fear was utterly alien to him.
"I - am going out to train," he said roughly, standing up. "Stay close by - I do not wish to have to hunt you down because you've collapsed when the Annar came upon you again." He stalked out of the house, popped the capsule with his new GR, and commenced with some heavy-duty training. It was the only way he could clear his mind of the disturbing thoughts and invasive feelings he was experiencing.
Inside the capsule house, Bulma sighed. She would never let him see how badly she felt for him sometimes. He would never accept her sympathy, viewing it as pity. Goku had told her about Vegeta - about his death at Freiza's hands, about his last words. He might be an arrogant aggravating attractive (where had THAT come from?!) son of a bitch, but he had still had a more brutal life than anyone deserved.
She finished opening her presents, a bit more somberly, and then treated herself to a long luxurious bath. It was in the tub, of course, that she noticed some of the physical changes taking place from what Vegeta called 'the Annar'. Her slim body had taken on a firmer look, with all her muscles clearly defined, yet still curvy enough to be feminine. Her skin tone had darkened just a bit, and any freckles or birthmarks had vanished. She remembered how quickly she'd snatched the food from Vegeta, and how her slap had actually made him bleed, and knew that her strength and speed were much increased. No matter how much she washed and conditioned her hair, it still remained spiky. That was annoying, but at least it was still blue. She hoped THAT did not change; she liked her unique hair color!
Her stomach was very full, and the warm bath made her sleepy. She dressed in comfortable, pretty blue-green pajamas and climbed into one of the beds. Her mind wandered over several questions she was going to have to ask Vegeta. Would she turn into a giant ape under the full moon? She shuddered. How often did saiyan females cycle? The thought of his face at THAT question made her giggle. How strong would she be? How strong COULD she be? Would her tail be as sensitive as Goku's had been? Would she be able to throw ki attacks?
And WHAT was with the purring?
Giggling at the memory of Vegeta's deep purrs, she settled back against the pillows and snuggled down to sleep.
Hours later, an exhausted, battered, thoroughly beaten Vegeta stumbled out of the new GR. Dragging an arm across his weary eyes, he fell upon the dinosaur carcass without pause, tearing and gulping down large hunks of half raw meat until his voracious appetite was finally satisfied.
Today's training had been an exercise in humility for the saiyan prince. He had come to the painful conclusion that it was no longer his power level that was holding him back. He was strong enough to become a super-saiyan now, and yet he still had not. The trigger was not merely power, and he was damned if he could figure out what it was.
Vegeta yanked open the door to the capsule house, fully expecting a loud protest from the woman. When silence greeted him, he scowled. Part of him had been looking forward to a yelling match with her; it would get rid of some of his aggravation. He stalked through the little house, sneering at the décor that HAD to be partially of the blonde woman's design. His nose led him to one of the two bedrooms, where Bulma lay asleep under heavy covers, curled up and shivering.
He recognized that she had once again entered the Annar, and it would be futile to attempt to waken her from it. Growling softly in disappointment, he made a point of slamming the bedroom door as he found his way to the bathing chamber.
The luxury of a hot shower was something Vegeta had no qualms about taking full advantage of. He briskly scrubbed down his body, only taking special pains with his tail. That he shampooed meticulously. Then the battered warrior turned the water temperature up to a point that would have scalded a frail human, and stood with arms crossed. The hot water pounding down on him gradually soothed away the aches and tension of all the training and frustration that had accumulated over the course of the day.
He pondered as he soaked how to begin his training of the woman. Her power level was still rising just from the Annar, by now about even with the Namek. That, however, was still absurdly low for a saiyan. Training someone other than himself was new to Vegeta, and he continued to mull it over as he dried off and climbed into one of his new training outfits.
A wicked smirk crossed his face as he considered several alternatives, any one of which would quickly have the woman in a frothing fury. That was not a bad thing. If she paused to over-think, it would be harder to train her. Perhaps driving her into a rage, which would be fueled by newly born saiyan instincts, was the way to begin her re-education in the way of the warrior.
Vegeta slid into the bed in the other bedroom. He tossed the pillows off of it, disliking the way his head sank into them, and kicked the bedcovers aside as well. All he cared about was the mattress; he did not require the other trappings. A glance out the window showed the moon at three quarters full. He actually smiled ferally at the sight, anticipating the frightful power of once more transforming into his giant ape form, or Oozaru as his folk called it.
Black eyes closed and his face smoothed out of its usual harsh lines as he allowed himself to drift towards sleep. He was almost there when he started hearing soft whimpering noises from the other room. Cursing, he tried to ignore them. But the sounds penetrated his awareness relentlessly, and he finally rose, tail lashing angrily, and stormed over to the room where his blue haired irritant lay.
She was sprawled across the bed, sheets kicked to the side, face gleaming with sweat as she struggled unconsciously against the changes the Annar was wreaking on her body. The whimpers that had so annoyed him were emerging from between tightly clenched teeth as she shook with the raging fever.
"Woman," he snapped harshly. "Wake up." There was no response. "WOMAN!" Still no answer. Scowl etched into his face, he strode to the bedside and glared at the suffering female as if that would somehow force her into awareness. A muscle jumped in Vegeta's jaw. How the bloody hell was he going to get any sleep if this whimpering persisted? It was disturbing him on a far deeper level than it should have. Was there something else going on? Something he was missing? He sat on the edge of the bed and touched her shoulder. It was burning hot even through the soft fabric of the clothing she wore.
He was startled to feel his tail wrap firmly about the woman's body, the heat soaking into his fur. At the same time she rolled towards him, arms catching him about the waist and pulling him to her. Vegeta was not expecting the strength of that grip, and was yanked into the bed with her in a tangle of limbs. He swore, but his anger was strangely dulled. The heat emanating from her and the scent of her was doing odd things to him. His tail refused to leave her, and his arms had somehow gotten wrapped around her as well.
What is going on? Vegeta screamed mentally, trying to fight off the confusion and lethargy. Then the still sleeping Bulma moved. She was already pressed right up against him; now she bit the juncture of his neck and left shoulder, not quite hard enough to draw blood. The prince's eyes flew wide as the instincts bred into him with the serum in his fangs were shocked to life by that action. Conscious thought fading, he pulled her to him even more tightly, his hands sliding down her back to rub soothingly at the spot where her tail would be.
A deep rumbling purr started in his chest. The Annar had triggered the biting reflex in Bulma, and that in turn triggered the behaviors that would ease her transition from Vegeta. The combinations of things worked to sooth her fever and dull her pain. They lay tangled together asleep, and after a time a new purring, higher pitched. joined Vegeta's. A blue tail wrapped firmly around his middle while the Saiyan Prince slept, utterly undone by his instincts. He would be so angry in the morning...
