Last time:
"Shut up," he demanded, throwing her on her bed. She bounced a few times, then as soon as she was settled, bolted up after him. He quickly blocked her furious punches, and toppled her to the bed, pressing all his weight on her body. She struggled to get free, but in the end gave up, for good. She stopped trying to get free, and just laid there under him, suddenly feeling warm in the cold ship. He lifted his head slightly, and starred at her a moment.
"Ve..Vegeta?" He quickly snapped out of it and climbed off her, standing up. She gave him an odd look, then propped herself up on her elbows. He only sent her an angry glare, then stalked away. *That was..interesting..*
**********************************************************
"Please Vegeta!" Bulma pleaded, pulling at his arm. "I've done absolutely nothing since we got here. You can miss one day of training. Please!"
"For the last time woman. NO!" he barked, jerking his arm out of her grasp and stalking out the door.
"Fine!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, to the streak Vegeta had left across the purple tinted sky. "I'll explore by myself." She smirked deviously, she was going to make him regret he said no to her, somehow.
After a good twenty minutes of deciding what to bring, Bulma was finally ready to explore the vast desert-like landscape. Anything was better than sitting around in the cold boring ship all day. Sure she could easily become occupied working on her new space pod, which was coming along rather quickly, and high quality at that. But its all she'd been doing for the past two weeks straight; she needed to get out, stretch a little, have an adventure, like in the old days with Goku. And besides, she wanted to explore Fewskm before she had to leave. All she'd seen was the area around the ship and about ten yards into the nearest forest. But the forest was close enough to the ship that it could be seen out the main window, and she was allowed to go no farther under Vegeta's watchful eyes. He reminded her of an older brother or something. So demanding yet childish.
"Let's see," she sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "Which way?" she shoved her hand into her pocket and pulled out her most high- tech compass. It spun around a few times, then the needle stopped abruptly and the thin glass began to crack. "What the-" She glared angrily at the "perfect" device, then tossed it into the sand. "Stupid planet.." she muttered, traipsing off east of the ship. "Probably has a high magnetic field or something.."
*****************************************************
Vegeta landed on the ground roughly, sending sand flying in all directions; his training that day had gone quite less than adequate. He stomped in the direction of the ship, muttering profanities to himself in all the languages he knew on the way. He was just about to press the button to open the door when a shiny object caught his eye; a broken compass. He kicked it lightly with his foot, but paid no more mind to it, and proceeded to open the door. The coolness of the interior of the ship was refreshing, and he quickly closed the door to keep out the warmth from outside.
"Woman," he called out, poking his head into her room. She wasn't there. His eyebrows narrowed in thought. The ship wasn't all that big. The only place she'd be was her room, the kitchen, or the control room and she was in none of them. "Woman!!" he yelled, stomping into his room, flinging the door open, but she wasn't there either. He slowly walked out of his room, and cautiously approached the trap door. Could she be under there? He squatted down and lifted up the door, glancing inside. All his vision could make out was a few boxes and crates. *I wonder what's in those* he thought. *I'll check later.* He reached inside and felt around for a moment, making sure she definitely wasn't there.
"Woman where are you?" he whispered in his usual annoyed tone, looking up and out the large front window. An endless blue desert stretched out before his eyes, the many moons' light reflecting off the unusual sand. She was out there. He could feel it. He stood, folding his arms over his chest. *Where could she be?* He thought for a few moments, though came up with nothing. He should have known something was up when he saw the broken compass outside.
**************************************************
Bulma whipped her forehead clean of sweat, then took a large gulp of bottled water. "Its so hot out," she huffed, peeling off her light pink tee-shirt, revealing a purple sport's bra. She stuffed the shirt in her bag, and continued on in the path she'd been going on for hours.
She'd found next to nothing on her exploration. A few odd looking creatures and flowers, but nothing too out of the ordinary. What she really wanted to see, what she really came out here for, were the Fewsks. The way Vegeta described them intrigued her, rather than scared her, like his intentions. "Why didn't I bring an air car?" she sighed, whipping her forehead once more.
She wandered around the terrain for another half an hour or so before she finally decided to give up and go back to the ship. "Its getting late," she said, plucking a Faimu from a nearby bush. She bite into it hungrily, letting its sweet juices dribble down her face. "Now which way?" She turned around and looked out into the vast emptiness. To her left was the forest she'd just exited, and all around everywhere else was nothing but sand. "Oh no.." she sighed. "I'm lost." She couldn't remember exactly where she'd come out of the forest, and even if she had, she'd taken so many twists and turns when she was in it that it would be impossible to begin finding her way back.
*What have I gotten myself into?* she thought with a deep sigh, trudging back into the dense forest.
****************************************************
Vegeta had been looking for hours, and still not even the slightest sign of Bulma. He hadn't known exactly which way to go, so he flew north, zig zagging in the sky, and closely watching the ground for any sign of her or that she'd been there.
His route soon proved to be a waste of time, so he switched and turned eastward. Still, nothing. He was about to give up and go back to the ship, when his keen eyes spotted something and flew down to get a closer look. He landed gently and walked over to it. "Bulma.." he groaned, picking up a half eaten piece of Faimu. He pulled off one of his gloves and lightly touched the area of the exotic fruit which had been bitten. It was still warm. *She couldn't have gone far..*
He crumbled the soft fruit in his hand, then threw it at the ground angrily. She was wasting his time by making him come out and look for her. She knew better than to venture too far from the ship, and to always keep it in sight. "Woman," he grumbled, stalking into the nearby forest, keeping his senses on alert for any sign of her. She was sure going to get it for this.
*****************************************************
Bulma lay on a patch of grayish moss, fanning herself with her hand, and panting as though she's just run one hundred miles. "Why does it have to be so hot all the time!?" she whined, reaching into her bag for some water, but found the bottle was completely empty. "Oh no.." she sighed, flopping her head to one side, exhausted. "Now I have no water."
She lay there a moment, deep in thought about various different things; she wondered how long she would be stuck out here before Vegeta noticed she was missing and was coming to get her. Would he even come for her? Or would he just leave her there to die? She was of no use to him. *Why did he help me then, when I hurt my head?..* she pondered, closing her eyes as she remembered the look on his face when she fell, again. He had actually looked worried, concerned for her welfare. *No that can't be it..There must be some type of motive..*
Bulma picked up her head, and looked at the purple sky, the moons' light shining through the tree branches. It truly was a beautiful planet, just way too hot for Bulma's liking. She flopped her head back down, then curled into an oddly comfortable ball, welcoming sleep. She was far too tired to even let the thought that something could harm her cross her mind.
*****************************************************
Icy cold chills climbed Bulma's spine, and she clutched a warm flannel blanket to her body. Then suddenly her eyes snapped open, taking in her surroundings. She was back on the ship, back in her room, in her bed. "Ve-Ve-Vegeta!!" she called.
"Yes?" She jumped back, slamming into the wall. He was sitting in a chair at the foot of her bed.
"Kami Vegeta! Don't scare me like that!!" she yelled angrily, nearly forgetting why she'd called him in the first place. He only scowled in her direction, then looked back at the floor, where he'd been starring for hours. "How did-"
"You get here?" She nodded. "I found you asleep under a tree, and brought you back," he sighed, then harshened his tone. "And you are damn lucky Onna that nothing happened to you out there..Do you have any idea how cruel and ruthless the Fewsks are!? And that goes for the animals here as well! You know that!" he shouted, glaring at her.
"I do now," she sighed, leaning her head back against the wall. There was silence between them for a few uneasy moments, then Bulma spoke up. She hopped out of bed, "Th-Thank you, Vegeta," gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then proceeded to the kitchen for a cup of cocoa to calm her nerves. She was a little shaken up about what Vegeta said about the things in the woods, though didn't want to seem weak in front of him.
Vegeta watched her intently as she walked away. "Stupid Onna.." he mumbled, then walked out of the room to his own room to get ready for a day of training. He was sure going to take out a lot of anger on himself today after being so weak as to care, even for a second, about the earthling.
*******************************************
Bulma emerged from the bathroom after a warm relaxing shower, her white cotton robe clinging to her still moist skin. She cautiously crept around her room, looking over her shoulder every now and then while she got dressed, as though something were aboard the ship or ever could be there. She had replayed in her mind over and over what Vegeta had said. She had really put herself in danger by being out there, all alone, in an alien place, at night. *You're smarter than that..* she scolded herself.
Taking in her reflection in a full-length mirror, Bulma smiled, satisfied with her appearance. She wore a plain black ankle-length skirt with mid-thigh slits up either side, a baby blue halter top with shimmering sequence, and a navy blue sweater, since the ship was usually rather chilly. Her hair she chose to wear down, liking how it went with her outfit. The only jewelry she wore was a thick black clothe choker with beads dangling onto her collarbone. Plus, it was only one of three pieces of jewelry she had with her that had been in the capsules of clothes. In the tin she'd found only three capsules, all of which only contained one suitcase of clothing each, four outfits in each, and that was all she had. All the other items she needed, feminine soaps, lotions, etc., she had long since forgotten about. And, luckily for her and the Saiyan, there had been deodorant and a single razor in the capsules. For shoes, she only one pair of old sneakers and the dress shoes she was wearing now. But she wasn't complaining, at least she had what she did; maybe she'd come across some type of clothing store. *Yeah right* she thought with a little giggle, even if there was, which she highly doubted, Vegeta would never let her go in there. She took one last glance in the mirror before exiting her room and heading for the kitchen, her shiny black leather three inch heals clanking on the vinyl tile floor as she walked.
Vegeta had long since returned from his training and was seated rather rigidly at the table, waiting for Bulma to come make him dinner, who he remembered promised to not be long. "Feh.." he huffed, convinced she was running on a different clock than the rest of the world. He took a deep breath, intending to yell her name, which Bulma was fully convinced he thought was woman, when instead he gasped aloud as she entered the kitchen.
"See something you like?" she asked seductively, though with the hint of a giggle.
"What are you all dressed up for?" he demanded, ignoring her teasing manner. He'd never seen her dressed up for any other reason than to go out with that ridiculous excuse for a fighter (aka Yamcha).
"I don't know. Just felt like it, that's all. Haven't in so long. Besides, it's the only nice thing I have with me," she replied honestly, taking a seat at the table across from her Saiyan companion.
"And just when were you planning on making me my dinner?" he growled in unison with his stomach.
"Oh that? Nah..I've decided to order out instead. Pizza maybe." Vegeta nearly fell out of his chair at her statement. He was beginning to believe she was going completely mad. He narrowed his eyebrows at her and was about to speak, when she burst into a fit of laughter. "Woo," she sighed, whipping a tear from her eye, still laughing. "That was a good one."
"Quit your infantile behavior and get my food now!" he yelled, banging his fist on the table.
"Gomen," she huffed sarcastically, standing and walking over to the refrigerator.
After what seemed like eons to the starving Prince, Bulma was finally done with dinner. She dumped mound after mound of food in front of him, then took a small plate for herself and sat down. Vegeta immediately began to devour the meal, only stopping to swallow. Bulma absent-mindedly watched him eat as she poked at her food with a fork, suddenly not feeling very hungry. He noted her actions mentally, though did nothing as little as glance up at her.
"Are you cold?" she asked, rubbing her upper arms, breaking the silence. He gave her an odd look, then shock his head and continued with his meal. "I'm freezing," she stated numbly, clutching her sweater to her body. Vegeta stopped eating for a moment, needing a drink to wash everything down with. He went over to the fridge, grabbed a whole gallon of milk, then sat back down across from the shivering woman. Subconsciously he wondered why she was so cold. She'd always been fine with the ship's cool interior before. She'd never complained about it.
"Are you going to eat that?" he asked selfishly, pointing at her plate of uneaten food. She shook her head slowly, then shoved the plate in his direction. He ate it quickly, downed the last bit of milk, then leaned back in his chair. "What's wrong with you, woman? You look uglier than usual." She simply glanced up at him and sighed, almost painfully. Oddly enough she didn't retort to his insult, which told him something must really be wrong. "What's a guy got to do to get a fight around here?" he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest (Odd, he NEVER does that. Heehee).
"Huh?" She looked up at him with hazy eyes. "Oh..Gomen Vegeta..I don't think I'm up for it at the moment.." she trailed off, her eye lids beginning to droop as her head tilted to the side.
"Woman!" Vegeta shouted, snapping his fingers in her face to get her attention. She slowly open her eyes, glanced up at him, then before he could blink she was on the floor. "Woman!!" he yelled, running over and shaking her to get her to come to.
"What!?" she snapped, pushing him away and standing up. "And don't call me woman!" He gave her a questioning look, then growled at her tone. "And why is it so damn hot in here!?" She ripped off her sweater and threw it on the ground angrily. Again, Vegeta gave her a strange look. "What?" she huffed, glaring at him.
"Would you make up your mind woman!!" he finally managed after a moment of silence.
"What are you talking about Vegeta!?" She jabbed her balled fists into her hips angrily, a set glare still aimed at him.
"You!!" he fumed, throwing his arms in the air. "One minute you're annoying, the next you're complaining about begging cold, then you pass out, and now you're bitching!!"
"What the hell are you talking about!!? Its boiling hot in here!!" she screamed, only inches from his face now. She then turned on her heal and headed for her room. A few minutes later she emerged in cut off jean shorts and a mid drift halter top, Vegeta's eyes nearly bulged from his sockets. Noticing this and being in a not so pleasant mood, Bulma stormed over to the gawking Saiyan, sticking her face in his. "And what exactly are you looking at your highness!?"
"Woman, did you wrestle a bear or something?" he asked in all seriousness. Bulma though took it as an insult, slapping him across the face.
"Jerk!" she yelled, stomping into the control room, a room dubbed by Vegeta as HIS room.
"Hey! Get back here!! And get out of my room!!" He ran after her, intending to yell once more when he saw her, but was instead taken back a few shaky steps. She was hunched over his chair, obviously having lost consciousness to some degree. "Woman!!" He grabbed her arms, shaking her, but this time it wasn't going to work. She was out cold, though the expression hardly owned up in this situation. Her skin seemed to be on fire when he touched her. He ran his hand over her stomach, trying to ignore how hot her flesh was and just above her belly button and to the right were a dozen or so scratches, not deep though. But the severity of them was of no concern to him, if they were too deep she wouldn't have survived more than a couple of hours. It was the color of the mild wounds that caught his immediate attention. They were bright blue, almost glowing, and even warmer than her other skin. He searched the rest of her body frantically, finding twice as many on the outside of her right leg.
He quickly composed himself, and tried to clear his mind. He knew that he knew what to do, that he'd seen this before, he just had to remember. "Eskes," he mumbled, then gathered the lifeless woman in his arms and rushed her to the bathroom. Without hesitation he placed her in the shower stall, and turned on the cold water. He ran his hands along the wounds, feeling for temperature, they were still warm, indicating by his knowledge of her condition that she had a near fatal fever. A few minutes went by and it didn't seem that the cold water was doing anything for her over heated body so Vegeta quickly looked around for anything that he thought would help the situation. Then it suddenly dawned on him. *Ice* he thought, running to the kitchen and grabbing some. When he returned to her she was still unconscious, though her body was shivering from the water. He pushed that thought in the back of his mind and focused on the ice in his hand. He bent down, leaning her body against his, and began rubbing the ice over the glowing wounds. Almost immediately the bright blue color began to fade and was replaced with a dark almost violet color. Though they looked bizarre he knew that was a healthy color.
He sighed deeply, reaching up and shutting off the shower head. He clutched her shivering form to him, wrapping the closest towel he could find around her. Within a few minutes her shivering subsided and her eyes flickered open, focusing on a wonderfully chiseled chest. Her immediate reaction was to clutch more tightly onto him, but then coming to her senses, jumped back.
"Ve-Vegeta," she stuttered looking at him in horror, then down at her dripping wet body. It was all too much for her to take. Her eyes once again drooped shut, and her body collapsed to the floor. Immediately Vegeta ran to her aid, picking up her limp body and setting her on the bed. He knew he should have changed her clothes, gotten her out of the soaking ones, but if she awoke while he was there would have been no explanation, though he had one, that he could think of to explain himself. So he left her in the wet clothes, giving her three flannel blankets instead.
He sighed resting his head on his hand, sitting in a chair at the foot of her bed. He didn't know how he was going to do this. How do you tell someone they are going to die in a matter of months?
**************************************************
---Chapter 5!! Whoah!! That one sure was interesting!! Geez!! And what's this about Bulma dying!!? Is Vegeta going nuts!!? Find out in the next chapter!! Hopefully I'll have it up soon, since I have nothing better to do with summer here.
REVIEW!!!!! :D Please :P
Next time: Vegeta explains the strange disease and some other juicy details. :P
"Shut up," he demanded, throwing her on her bed. She bounced a few times, then as soon as she was settled, bolted up after him. He quickly blocked her furious punches, and toppled her to the bed, pressing all his weight on her body. She struggled to get free, but in the end gave up, for good. She stopped trying to get free, and just laid there under him, suddenly feeling warm in the cold ship. He lifted his head slightly, and starred at her a moment.
"Ve..Vegeta?" He quickly snapped out of it and climbed off her, standing up. She gave him an odd look, then propped herself up on her elbows. He only sent her an angry glare, then stalked away. *That was..interesting..*
**********************************************************
"Please Vegeta!" Bulma pleaded, pulling at his arm. "I've done absolutely nothing since we got here. You can miss one day of training. Please!"
"For the last time woman. NO!" he barked, jerking his arm out of her grasp and stalking out the door.
"Fine!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, to the streak Vegeta had left across the purple tinted sky. "I'll explore by myself." She smirked deviously, she was going to make him regret he said no to her, somehow.
After a good twenty minutes of deciding what to bring, Bulma was finally ready to explore the vast desert-like landscape. Anything was better than sitting around in the cold boring ship all day. Sure she could easily become occupied working on her new space pod, which was coming along rather quickly, and high quality at that. But its all she'd been doing for the past two weeks straight; she needed to get out, stretch a little, have an adventure, like in the old days with Goku. And besides, she wanted to explore Fewskm before she had to leave. All she'd seen was the area around the ship and about ten yards into the nearest forest. But the forest was close enough to the ship that it could be seen out the main window, and she was allowed to go no farther under Vegeta's watchful eyes. He reminded her of an older brother or something. So demanding yet childish.
"Let's see," she sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "Which way?" she shoved her hand into her pocket and pulled out her most high- tech compass. It spun around a few times, then the needle stopped abruptly and the thin glass began to crack. "What the-" She glared angrily at the "perfect" device, then tossed it into the sand. "Stupid planet.." she muttered, traipsing off east of the ship. "Probably has a high magnetic field or something.."
*****************************************************
Vegeta landed on the ground roughly, sending sand flying in all directions; his training that day had gone quite less than adequate. He stomped in the direction of the ship, muttering profanities to himself in all the languages he knew on the way. He was just about to press the button to open the door when a shiny object caught his eye; a broken compass. He kicked it lightly with his foot, but paid no more mind to it, and proceeded to open the door. The coolness of the interior of the ship was refreshing, and he quickly closed the door to keep out the warmth from outside.
"Woman," he called out, poking his head into her room. She wasn't there. His eyebrows narrowed in thought. The ship wasn't all that big. The only place she'd be was her room, the kitchen, or the control room and she was in none of them. "Woman!!" he yelled, stomping into his room, flinging the door open, but she wasn't there either. He slowly walked out of his room, and cautiously approached the trap door. Could she be under there? He squatted down and lifted up the door, glancing inside. All his vision could make out was a few boxes and crates. *I wonder what's in those* he thought. *I'll check later.* He reached inside and felt around for a moment, making sure she definitely wasn't there.
"Woman where are you?" he whispered in his usual annoyed tone, looking up and out the large front window. An endless blue desert stretched out before his eyes, the many moons' light reflecting off the unusual sand. She was out there. He could feel it. He stood, folding his arms over his chest. *Where could she be?* He thought for a few moments, though came up with nothing. He should have known something was up when he saw the broken compass outside.
**************************************************
Bulma whipped her forehead clean of sweat, then took a large gulp of bottled water. "Its so hot out," she huffed, peeling off her light pink tee-shirt, revealing a purple sport's bra. She stuffed the shirt in her bag, and continued on in the path she'd been going on for hours.
She'd found next to nothing on her exploration. A few odd looking creatures and flowers, but nothing too out of the ordinary. What she really wanted to see, what she really came out here for, were the Fewsks. The way Vegeta described them intrigued her, rather than scared her, like his intentions. "Why didn't I bring an air car?" she sighed, whipping her forehead once more.
She wandered around the terrain for another half an hour or so before she finally decided to give up and go back to the ship. "Its getting late," she said, plucking a Faimu from a nearby bush. She bite into it hungrily, letting its sweet juices dribble down her face. "Now which way?" She turned around and looked out into the vast emptiness. To her left was the forest she'd just exited, and all around everywhere else was nothing but sand. "Oh no.." she sighed. "I'm lost." She couldn't remember exactly where she'd come out of the forest, and even if she had, she'd taken so many twists and turns when she was in it that it would be impossible to begin finding her way back.
*What have I gotten myself into?* she thought with a deep sigh, trudging back into the dense forest.
****************************************************
Vegeta had been looking for hours, and still not even the slightest sign of Bulma. He hadn't known exactly which way to go, so he flew north, zig zagging in the sky, and closely watching the ground for any sign of her or that she'd been there.
His route soon proved to be a waste of time, so he switched and turned eastward. Still, nothing. He was about to give up and go back to the ship, when his keen eyes spotted something and flew down to get a closer look. He landed gently and walked over to it. "Bulma.." he groaned, picking up a half eaten piece of Faimu. He pulled off one of his gloves and lightly touched the area of the exotic fruit which had been bitten. It was still warm. *She couldn't have gone far..*
He crumbled the soft fruit in his hand, then threw it at the ground angrily. She was wasting his time by making him come out and look for her. She knew better than to venture too far from the ship, and to always keep it in sight. "Woman," he grumbled, stalking into the nearby forest, keeping his senses on alert for any sign of her. She was sure going to get it for this.
*****************************************************
Bulma lay on a patch of grayish moss, fanning herself with her hand, and panting as though she's just run one hundred miles. "Why does it have to be so hot all the time!?" she whined, reaching into her bag for some water, but found the bottle was completely empty. "Oh no.." she sighed, flopping her head to one side, exhausted. "Now I have no water."
She lay there a moment, deep in thought about various different things; she wondered how long she would be stuck out here before Vegeta noticed she was missing and was coming to get her. Would he even come for her? Or would he just leave her there to die? She was of no use to him. *Why did he help me then, when I hurt my head?..* she pondered, closing her eyes as she remembered the look on his face when she fell, again. He had actually looked worried, concerned for her welfare. *No that can't be it..There must be some type of motive..*
Bulma picked up her head, and looked at the purple sky, the moons' light shining through the tree branches. It truly was a beautiful planet, just way too hot for Bulma's liking. She flopped her head back down, then curled into an oddly comfortable ball, welcoming sleep. She was far too tired to even let the thought that something could harm her cross her mind.
*****************************************************
Icy cold chills climbed Bulma's spine, and she clutched a warm flannel blanket to her body. Then suddenly her eyes snapped open, taking in her surroundings. She was back on the ship, back in her room, in her bed. "Ve-Ve-Vegeta!!" she called.
"Yes?" She jumped back, slamming into the wall. He was sitting in a chair at the foot of her bed.
"Kami Vegeta! Don't scare me like that!!" she yelled angrily, nearly forgetting why she'd called him in the first place. He only scowled in her direction, then looked back at the floor, where he'd been starring for hours. "How did-"
"You get here?" She nodded. "I found you asleep under a tree, and brought you back," he sighed, then harshened his tone. "And you are damn lucky Onna that nothing happened to you out there..Do you have any idea how cruel and ruthless the Fewsks are!? And that goes for the animals here as well! You know that!" he shouted, glaring at her.
"I do now," she sighed, leaning her head back against the wall. There was silence between them for a few uneasy moments, then Bulma spoke up. She hopped out of bed, "Th-Thank you, Vegeta," gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then proceeded to the kitchen for a cup of cocoa to calm her nerves. She was a little shaken up about what Vegeta said about the things in the woods, though didn't want to seem weak in front of him.
Vegeta watched her intently as she walked away. "Stupid Onna.." he mumbled, then walked out of the room to his own room to get ready for a day of training. He was sure going to take out a lot of anger on himself today after being so weak as to care, even for a second, about the earthling.
*******************************************
Bulma emerged from the bathroom after a warm relaxing shower, her white cotton robe clinging to her still moist skin. She cautiously crept around her room, looking over her shoulder every now and then while she got dressed, as though something were aboard the ship or ever could be there. She had replayed in her mind over and over what Vegeta had said. She had really put herself in danger by being out there, all alone, in an alien place, at night. *You're smarter than that..* she scolded herself.
Taking in her reflection in a full-length mirror, Bulma smiled, satisfied with her appearance. She wore a plain black ankle-length skirt with mid-thigh slits up either side, a baby blue halter top with shimmering sequence, and a navy blue sweater, since the ship was usually rather chilly. Her hair she chose to wear down, liking how it went with her outfit. The only jewelry she wore was a thick black clothe choker with beads dangling onto her collarbone. Plus, it was only one of three pieces of jewelry she had with her that had been in the capsules of clothes. In the tin she'd found only three capsules, all of which only contained one suitcase of clothing each, four outfits in each, and that was all she had. All the other items she needed, feminine soaps, lotions, etc., she had long since forgotten about. And, luckily for her and the Saiyan, there had been deodorant and a single razor in the capsules. For shoes, she only one pair of old sneakers and the dress shoes she was wearing now. But she wasn't complaining, at least she had what she did; maybe she'd come across some type of clothing store. *Yeah right* she thought with a little giggle, even if there was, which she highly doubted, Vegeta would never let her go in there. She took one last glance in the mirror before exiting her room and heading for the kitchen, her shiny black leather three inch heals clanking on the vinyl tile floor as she walked.
Vegeta had long since returned from his training and was seated rather rigidly at the table, waiting for Bulma to come make him dinner, who he remembered promised to not be long. "Feh.." he huffed, convinced she was running on a different clock than the rest of the world. He took a deep breath, intending to yell her name, which Bulma was fully convinced he thought was woman, when instead he gasped aloud as she entered the kitchen.
"See something you like?" she asked seductively, though with the hint of a giggle.
"What are you all dressed up for?" he demanded, ignoring her teasing manner. He'd never seen her dressed up for any other reason than to go out with that ridiculous excuse for a fighter (aka Yamcha).
"I don't know. Just felt like it, that's all. Haven't in so long. Besides, it's the only nice thing I have with me," she replied honestly, taking a seat at the table across from her Saiyan companion.
"And just when were you planning on making me my dinner?" he growled in unison with his stomach.
"Oh that? Nah..I've decided to order out instead. Pizza maybe." Vegeta nearly fell out of his chair at her statement. He was beginning to believe she was going completely mad. He narrowed his eyebrows at her and was about to speak, when she burst into a fit of laughter. "Woo," she sighed, whipping a tear from her eye, still laughing. "That was a good one."
"Quit your infantile behavior and get my food now!" he yelled, banging his fist on the table.
"Gomen," she huffed sarcastically, standing and walking over to the refrigerator.
After what seemed like eons to the starving Prince, Bulma was finally done with dinner. She dumped mound after mound of food in front of him, then took a small plate for herself and sat down. Vegeta immediately began to devour the meal, only stopping to swallow. Bulma absent-mindedly watched him eat as she poked at her food with a fork, suddenly not feeling very hungry. He noted her actions mentally, though did nothing as little as glance up at her.
"Are you cold?" she asked, rubbing her upper arms, breaking the silence. He gave her an odd look, then shock his head and continued with his meal. "I'm freezing," she stated numbly, clutching her sweater to her body. Vegeta stopped eating for a moment, needing a drink to wash everything down with. He went over to the fridge, grabbed a whole gallon of milk, then sat back down across from the shivering woman. Subconsciously he wondered why she was so cold. She'd always been fine with the ship's cool interior before. She'd never complained about it.
"Are you going to eat that?" he asked selfishly, pointing at her plate of uneaten food. She shook her head slowly, then shoved the plate in his direction. He ate it quickly, downed the last bit of milk, then leaned back in his chair. "What's wrong with you, woman? You look uglier than usual." She simply glanced up at him and sighed, almost painfully. Oddly enough she didn't retort to his insult, which told him something must really be wrong. "What's a guy got to do to get a fight around here?" he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest (Odd, he NEVER does that. Heehee).
"Huh?" She looked up at him with hazy eyes. "Oh..Gomen Vegeta..I don't think I'm up for it at the moment.." she trailed off, her eye lids beginning to droop as her head tilted to the side.
"Woman!" Vegeta shouted, snapping his fingers in her face to get her attention. She slowly open her eyes, glanced up at him, then before he could blink she was on the floor. "Woman!!" he yelled, running over and shaking her to get her to come to.
"What!?" she snapped, pushing him away and standing up. "And don't call me woman!" He gave her a questioning look, then growled at her tone. "And why is it so damn hot in here!?" She ripped off her sweater and threw it on the ground angrily. Again, Vegeta gave her a strange look. "What?" she huffed, glaring at him.
"Would you make up your mind woman!!" he finally managed after a moment of silence.
"What are you talking about Vegeta!?" She jabbed her balled fists into her hips angrily, a set glare still aimed at him.
"You!!" he fumed, throwing his arms in the air. "One minute you're annoying, the next you're complaining about begging cold, then you pass out, and now you're bitching!!"
"What the hell are you talking about!!? Its boiling hot in here!!" she screamed, only inches from his face now. She then turned on her heal and headed for her room. A few minutes later she emerged in cut off jean shorts and a mid drift halter top, Vegeta's eyes nearly bulged from his sockets. Noticing this and being in a not so pleasant mood, Bulma stormed over to the gawking Saiyan, sticking her face in his. "And what exactly are you looking at your highness!?"
"Woman, did you wrestle a bear or something?" he asked in all seriousness. Bulma though took it as an insult, slapping him across the face.
"Jerk!" she yelled, stomping into the control room, a room dubbed by Vegeta as HIS room.
"Hey! Get back here!! And get out of my room!!" He ran after her, intending to yell once more when he saw her, but was instead taken back a few shaky steps. She was hunched over his chair, obviously having lost consciousness to some degree. "Woman!!" He grabbed her arms, shaking her, but this time it wasn't going to work. She was out cold, though the expression hardly owned up in this situation. Her skin seemed to be on fire when he touched her. He ran his hand over her stomach, trying to ignore how hot her flesh was and just above her belly button and to the right were a dozen or so scratches, not deep though. But the severity of them was of no concern to him, if they were too deep she wouldn't have survived more than a couple of hours. It was the color of the mild wounds that caught his immediate attention. They were bright blue, almost glowing, and even warmer than her other skin. He searched the rest of her body frantically, finding twice as many on the outside of her right leg.
He quickly composed himself, and tried to clear his mind. He knew that he knew what to do, that he'd seen this before, he just had to remember. "Eskes," he mumbled, then gathered the lifeless woman in his arms and rushed her to the bathroom. Without hesitation he placed her in the shower stall, and turned on the cold water. He ran his hands along the wounds, feeling for temperature, they were still warm, indicating by his knowledge of her condition that she had a near fatal fever. A few minutes went by and it didn't seem that the cold water was doing anything for her over heated body so Vegeta quickly looked around for anything that he thought would help the situation. Then it suddenly dawned on him. *Ice* he thought, running to the kitchen and grabbing some. When he returned to her she was still unconscious, though her body was shivering from the water. He pushed that thought in the back of his mind and focused on the ice in his hand. He bent down, leaning her body against his, and began rubbing the ice over the glowing wounds. Almost immediately the bright blue color began to fade and was replaced with a dark almost violet color. Though they looked bizarre he knew that was a healthy color.
He sighed deeply, reaching up and shutting off the shower head. He clutched her shivering form to him, wrapping the closest towel he could find around her. Within a few minutes her shivering subsided and her eyes flickered open, focusing on a wonderfully chiseled chest. Her immediate reaction was to clutch more tightly onto him, but then coming to her senses, jumped back.
"Ve-Vegeta," she stuttered looking at him in horror, then down at her dripping wet body. It was all too much for her to take. Her eyes once again drooped shut, and her body collapsed to the floor. Immediately Vegeta ran to her aid, picking up her limp body and setting her on the bed. He knew he should have changed her clothes, gotten her out of the soaking ones, but if she awoke while he was there would have been no explanation, though he had one, that he could think of to explain himself. So he left her in the wet clothes, giving her three flannel blankets instead.
He sighed resting his head on his hand, sitting in a chair at the foot of her bed. He didn't know how he was going to do this. How do you tell someone they are going to die in a matter of months?
**************************************************
---Chapter 5!! Whoah!! That one sure was interesting!! Geez!! And what's this about Bulma dying!!? Is Vegeta going nuts!!? Find out in the next chapter!! Hopefully I'll have it up soon, since I have nothing better to do with summer here.
REVIEW!!!!! :D Please :P
Next time: Vegeta explains the strange disease and some other juicy details. :P
