First of all, I just figured out how to check the statistics of my stories, and this one is rockin'! Thank you so much for your support! It's gotten a ton of hits, and I couldn't have done it without you!
Sadly, I don't own Dragonball Z yet. I'll ask Santa for it.
As each day passed, Vegeta grew stronger and stronger, until about five days later, when he was finally allowed out of his room. Bulma's mom cooked a celebratory breakfast especially for him, which consisted of eggs, French toast, sausage, bacon, pancakes, hash browns, toast, and fruit salad. He ate like he hadn't seen food for a week.
"Vegeta, dear, leave some for Bulma!" Bunny cracked a few more eggs into the frying pan.
"Where is…Bulma…anyway?" asked Vegeta, carefully replacing 'the woman' with her name instead.
"Oh, she's probably in her lab wrapping some Christmas presents." Bulma's mom winked at Vegeta, who looked at her quizzically.
"'Christmas'?"
"I know! The holidays really sneak up on you, don't they?" With a flirtatious laugh, she dumped the newly cooked eggs onto a plate. "I'm just going to give these to my husband. I'll be right back!" She winked at him again before disappearing down a hallway, singing to herself.
Vegeta rolled his eyes before finishing his breakfast. Even so, he was left wondering about this holiday…but who could he ask? As if on cue, Vegeta felt a sudden presence.
"Kakarott." He turned to see Goku arriving via 'instant transmission'.
"Hiya, Vegeta! Want to train?" Without a second thought, Vegeta accepted the challenge and the two headed for the gravity room. "Now, because you're sick, I'll take it easy on you," Goku said as he began to warm up. Vegeta glared at him before punching a few digits into the computer.
"I'm not sick, so don't hold back." The younger Saiyan only smirked in reply.
After the gravity changed, the battle began. Vegeta flew at Goku, attempting to strike him with an elbow to the ribcage. Easily blocked and countered by Goku with a knee to the stomach. Vegeta used the propulsion to flip over Goku's head and knock him down with a kick. It was then that Vegeta decided to take advantage of this opportunity and ask Goku about the strange holiday.
"Kakarott, what's all this fuss about 'Christmas'?" As soon as the elder Saiyan said the word 'Christmas', Goku stopped and grinned, earning himself a blow to the stomach. He grimaced before responding with a right hook and saying, "Christmas is great! Everybody gets presents and stuff! I asked for food, and a pony, and a bike, and…uh…food…." He trailed off as the battle got more intense.
"When do you get presents? And who do you ask?"
"You get the presents on Christmas morning, December twenty-fifth. And I write a letter to Santa every year asking for what I want. I also tell Chichi about some other stuff."
Uppercut, jab, knee. "Who's 'Santa'?"
Forearm block, crossover, roundhouse. "Santa's my hero! He brings me all kinds of things! Every Christmas Eve, he comes down the chimney and puts all the stuff you asked for under the Christmas tree. That way, when you wake up, you get to open presents!"
Vegeta blocked a few attacks so he could cough. "And your mate gets you presents, too?"
Goku nodded vigorously as he dodged a body slam. "Chichi will buy me whatever Santa can't bring. She gives me those presents on Christmas morning, too. Of course, I have to…," he trailed off and powered down. Curious, Vegeta did the same.
"You have to what?"
"I have to buy her presents, too," Goku said lowly. Before Vegeta could ask another question, the door flew open, which immediately turned off the false gravitational pull. As Vegeta and Goku exchanged quizzical glances, Bulma strode in and placed her hands on her hips.
"What do you think you're doing, Mister Pneumonia?"
"That's none of your business, woman!" Vegeta spat back. Goku watched the two exchange glares that would have killed an ordinary man.
"Hi, Bulma," Goku started, but both of the death glares switched to him. He gulped, shouted a quick, "Bye, Bulma!" and 'instant transmissioned' back home. The two returned to their standoff, waiting for the other to crumble first.
Vegeta finally gave into a cough, and Bulma jumped at the opportunity to lecture him. "What do you think you're DOING? You're still sick, your lungs are infected with all different kinds of bacteria that are eating away at your innards and you have the NERVE to march in here with your stupid-ass and TRAIN? Don't you know the difference between resting and FIGHTING?"
She paused for a response, but Vegeta didn't give her the pleasure. He just pushed past her on his way out. "Hey! Come BACK here, jackass! I'm not through with you!" Bulma watched him stride down the hallway. He started to cough again, and his breathing became ragged. Suddenly he was on his knees. "Vegeta?" Bulma walked at first, but her steps quickened, and soon she was running to him. "Vegeta, what's the matter?"
She grabbed his arm but he jerked it away. "I'm fine, woman. Go away."
"No your not. Let me help you!"
"Haven't you already done enough?"
"No!" Finally, reluctantly, the Prince gave in. Bulma hoisted him up with the aid of the wall and was half supporting, half carrying him down the hallway. "Why don't you listen to me? I'm just trying to help you get better."
"I don't care if I 'get better'. I feel fine. Let me go back and train some more."
"If you do, I'll just override the system so you can't train ever again. Would you like that?" He glared at her for a second, but didn't respond. They walked down the rest of the hallway in silence, finally arriving at Vegeta's bedroom door.
"I can take it from here, woman."
She scowled at him. "Can't you call anyone by their real name? It's not hard, you know." Exasperated, he turned and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Fine, BULMA." For some reason, she flushed when he said that. He quirked an eyebrow at her, confused, and she regained her composure.
"There, that wasn't so bad, was it? Now go rest." With one final push, she managed to get the Prince into his room and close the door before storming down the hallway, her thoughts dwelling on Vegeta. 'Man, that guy is IMPOSSIBLE! He—'
Bulma suddenly stopped. 'Where the hell am I going?' she asked herself, frustrated. She had been walking in the opposite direction of her destination. She rerouted to get to her lab but ran into her mother in front of Vegeta's room.
While Bulma was getting lost in her own house, the Saiyan Prince was doing some 'deep' thinking of his own. 'Stupid wench, thinks she owns me or something….' He changed out of his sweaty clothes, still grumbling to himself.
Vegeta was about to leave the room when he heard some talking outside. The walls were so thick, the words sounded more like whispers than voices, but the Saiyan could understand them as if they were talking to him. He shrugged, about to leave through the patio door, when he heard his name. Now interested, Vegeta began to listen.
"…for Christmas." It was the voice of Bulma's mom. "What did you get him?"
"I didn't get him anything. I was making him something." Bulma's voice.
"Oh, how lovely! What did you have in mind?"
"Well, you know how he trains all of the time? His clothes rip CONSTANTLY, so I…." Bulma's voice got so soft, even Vegeta's ears couldn't pick up what she was saying.
'Damn that woman,' he thought to himself, straining to hear while he leaned forward. Suddenly—
"VEGETA! It's rude to EAVESDROP!" The door flew open and Vegeta rolled out into the middle of the hallway. "Didn't your parents teach you some MANNERS?" Bunny wasn't fazed by Bulma's outburst and the Saiyan lying prone on her floor.
"Well Bulma, I see you're busy, so I'll go start lunch." She hummed as she walked down the hallway. Bulma was too angry to hear her mother.
"Haven't you learned ANYTHING, Vegeta? Humans don't like when people listen in on their conversations. I don't care if you're royalty…." The speech that Bulma gave Vegeta fell on deaf ears. He had only one thing on his mind:
'The wench is making me a present?'
Ooh…I wonder what she's getting him! And what's Vegeta gonna do about it? Well, you'll have to wait and see!