Chapter 6 - Liar
"I swear!" Bulma said angrily, pacing backwards and forwards across the medical room at Capsule Corp, where Vegeta lay unconscious. "If Yajirobe doesn't hurry up, I'll blast him into another dimension myself!"
"Bulma, chill!" Goku said, putting a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "He'll be here."
"I don't even know why you're so worried." Yamcha sneered cruelly. "It's only Vegeta. It doesn't really matter if he lives or dies."
"Can the same be said for you?" the Saiyan boy from the future snarled, grabbing Yamcha by the scruff of his neck. "Because right now, I don't think that little detail's all that important. How about I kill you and test out my theory!"
"I think I agree with my purple-headed pal here." Bulma said angrily, stepping forward. "I'd kill you myself, but I don't really want to get blood on my outfit."
'Wow.' The Saiyan boy thought, gazing at Bulma. 'I've never seen my mother with this much fire in her. I guess when Dad died she just lost that spark.'
"I'd be careful." Came a pained voice from the other side of the room. The squabbling group spun round to see Vegeta sitting up slightly in his bed, looking at them, his jaw clenched tight.
"Be careful?" Bulma repeated, walking up to him looking confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Vegeta said with a sneer. "A lover's tiff is never good. It might create a bad atmosphere for the big day."
"Big day?" Bulma parroted. "What big day?"
"Shut up, Vegeta!" Yamcha snapped, pulling himself out of the youthful Saiyan's grasp. "You're wittering."
"Yo guys!" Yajirobe said, stepping into the room. "How's our patient doing - gah - gah - GAAAAAARRRRRRRRGH!! HE'S AWAKE!"
Yajirobe shrank back and hid behind Bulma, sneaking a glance once or twice at Vegeta, who was staring at him as though he was a lunatic with a giant carrot growing out of his head.
"Hey." Yajirobe said to Bulma quietly, holding out his hand. "Will you give it to him. You never know if he's found out about the tail thing"
"You're such a wimp!" Bulma exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "Here! Give it to me!"
Bulma snatched the small bean from Yajirobe's hand and walked up to Vegeta, still marvelling at Yajirobe's cowardice.
"Here, Vegeta." Bulma said, taking hold of Vegeta's chin and trying to get him to open his mouth. "Eat this."
Vegeta clamped his jaw shut, clenching his teeth as hard as he could without breaking them. Snarling, Bulma tried to force the Senzu bean through his tightly pursed lips, but to no avail.
"Vegeta!" She shouted stepping back and brushing a strand of stray hair out of her face, her breath coming in short pants from the effort of trying to force Vegeta to accept the Senzu bean. "If you don't grow up and stop acting like a two year old who doesn't like his medicine, we'll just have to do this the hard way."
'Kami, she looks sexy like that!' Vegeta thought to himself, still managing to smirk, even with his lips tightly closed. 'I think I might just keep this up!'
"No you will not!" Bulma shrieked, glaring at him. "I'll just get someone else to force it down your throat if that's why you're being so stubborn!"
Vegeta's jaw dropped. Quick as a flash, Bulma jumped forward, popped the small green bean into his wide-open mouth and clamped his jaw shut with her hands, forcing him to chew and swallow the bean.
"There you go." She said triumphantly, after watching his wounds instantly heal themselves. "Doesn't that feel better?"
"Hmph". Was Vegeta's reply as he stared at her examining where the hole through his chest had been. Now there was just a small, round pink scar.
'How did she read my thoughts?' Vegeta thought, putting up a strong mental block first. 'Only bonded Saiyan couples can read each other's thoughts.' Vegeta's eyes widened. 'No! We can not be bonded! She's not even Saiyan, and she's marrying that pathetic fool Yamcha!' Vegeta cringed as he remembered, and pulled away from Bulma.
"What?" Bulma asked, looking up at him. "Did I hurt you?"
"Just keep your hands off me." Vegeta snarled, standing up and walking to the door. "I don't want you touching me."
Tears welled up in Bulma's eyes as she watched Vegeta walked out the medical room. What had she done?
*
Vegeta felt a tidal wave of sadness suddenly cascade over him, making his eyes sting as he fought the urge to cry. He felt hurt, devastated, confused. Feeling he was about to drop to his knees, Vegeta went and sat down against the wall.
"What the hell is going on?" He snarled, rubbing his hand over his eyes. "Why am I suddenly so upset? It's like I'm turning into that pathetic baka woman!" Vegeta's eyes widened as the realisation hit him. Bulma! "Great." He snarled. "Now I'm starting to feel what she feels. The onna gets upset because I give her the brush off, so I have to get upset? Where's the fairness in that?" He shouted the last sentence to the heavens, as though hoping Kami himself would give a reply. But he didn't.
"Vegeta?" The Prince looked up as Bulma's soft voice echoed through the vast foyer. "What's the matter?"
Vegeta stood and looked at her. He couldn't speak. He wanted to shout, he wanted to scream at her, berate her for toying with him, for not telling him, for betraying him. But he couldn't. He could only watch as she walked towards him.
Hardly breathing, Bulma slipped her hands round Vegeta's waist and rested her head against his cheek, closing her eyes. Vegeta sighed and rested his head against the side of her head, also closing his eyes.
"What's the matter?" Bulma whispered, opening her eyes. "Why are you so angry?"
"You lied to me." Vegeta replied quietly. "You said you loved me."
"I do." Bulma told him, still whispering. "Why do you think I lied?"
"If you loved me you wouldn't be marrying him."
"What?" Bulma said, pulling back slightly to look at Vegeta.
"You can't love both of us." Vegeta explained. "And I know you're too strong and independent to allow yourself to be forced into marrying someone."
"Who am I meant to be marrying?" Bulma asked, her eyebrows furrowed.
"Yamcha." Vegeta told her. "He told me about your engagement after he saw us on the Ferris wheel. He told me to stay away from his fiancée. That's what I'm trying to do."
"He said what?" Bulma shrieked, stepping fully away from Vegeta, leaving him to look uncomfortably round the foyer as the removal of contact brought him back to his senses.
"He told me all about you two getting married, and told me to stay away." Vegeta said calmly. "It's as simple as that."
"Oh, no it's not!" Bulma said, stomping back towards the medical room.
Vegeta glanced around he room for a second, stunned by her sudden outburst, before hurrying after her.
*
"HEY!" Bulma shouted, walking up to Yamcha and shoving him against a wall. "Are we getting married now?"
Yamcha glanced at Vegeta and back at Bulma. "Well, yeah."
"And who decided that?" Bulma shrieked. "I would have liked to have been given a choice! Or to have at least been informed!"
"I figured there wasn't any point." Yamcha said coolly. "I mean, there's no way you'd ever turn me down, baby, and I wanted this bastard to stay away from you."
"What's going on?" Vegeta asked, leaning against the wall and folding his arms.
"He's a liar." Bulma said, letting go of Yamcha and stepping up to Vegeta. "We're not getting married. We were never even engaged! He just decided to make my decisions for me. I never want him to so much as touch me again. We're not going out any more."
"Sure we are, babe." Yamcha said, stepping up to Bulma and stroking her hair, smiling. "I mean, sure, you've overreacted, but I forgive you! I'm willing to take you back!"
"Didn't you hear her?" Vegeta shouted, shoving Yamcha against the far wall. "She said she didn't want you to touch her! In other words, QUIT MAULING! And I don't think you quite got the gist of what she just said. She was finishing with you, not the other way round."
"Get out, Yamcha." Bulma said coldly, standing behind Vegeta.
"No way!" Yamcha snarled. "I'm not going anywhere until you get back with me!"
"How about I get rid of him." Vegeta said with a sadistic grin.
"Sure." Bulma said. "Just don't kill him. I don't want you to waste your energy on him."
Vegeta nodded, and happily carried Yamcha off the Capsule Corp. grounds.
"I swear!" Bulma said angrily, pacing backwards and forwards across the medical room at Capsule Corp, where Vegeta lay unconscious. "If Yajirobe doesn't hurry up, I'll blast him into another dimension myself!"
"Bulma, chill!" Goku said, putting a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "He'll be here."
"I don't even know why you're so worried." Yamcha sneered cruelly. "It's only Vegeta. It doesn't really matter if he lives or dies."
"Can the same be said for you?" the Saiyan boy from the future snarled, grabbing Yamcha by the scruff of his neck. "Because right now, I don't think that little detail's all that important. How about I kill you and test out my theory!"
"I think I agree with my purple-headed pal here." Bulma said angrily, stepping forward. "I'd kill you myself, but I don't really want to get blood on my outfit."
'Wow.' The Saiyan boy thought, gazing at Bulma. 'I've never seen my mother with this much fire in her. I guess when Dad died she just lost that spark.'
"I'd be careful." Came a pained voice from the other side of the room. The squabbling group spun round to see Vegeta sitting up slightly in his bed, looking at them, his jaw clenched tight.
"Be careful?" Bulma repeated, walking up to him looking confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Vegeta said with a sneer. "A lover's tiff is never good. It might create a bad atmosphere for the big day."
"Big day?" Bulma parroted. "What big day?"
"Shut up, Vegeta!" Yamcha snapped, pulling himself out of the youthful Saiyan's grasp. "You're wittering."
"Yo guys!" Yajirobe said, stepping into the room. "How's our patient doing - gah - gah - GAAAAAARRRRRRRRGH!! HE'S AWAKE!"
Yajirobe shrank back and hid behind Bulma, sneaking a glance once or twice at Vegeta, who was staring at him as though he was a lunatic with a giant carrot growing out of his head.
"Hey." Yajirobe said to Bulma quietly, holding out his hand. "Will you give it to him. You never know if he's found out about the tail thing"
"You're such a wimp!" Bulma exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "Here! Give it to me!"
Bulma snatched the small bean from Yajirobe's hand and walked up to Vegeta, still marvelling at Yajirobe's cowardice.
"Here, Vegeta." Bulma said, taking hold of Vegeta's chin and trying to get him to open his mouth. "Eat this."
Vegeta clamped his jaw shut, clenching his teeth as hard as he could without breaking them. Snarling, Bulma tried to force the Senzu bean through his tightly pursed lips, but to no avail.
"Vegeta!" She shouted stepping back and brushing a strand of stray hair out of her face, her breath coming in short pants from the effort of trying to force Vegeta to accept the Senzu bean. "If you don't grow up and stop acting like a two year old who doesn't like his medicine, we'll just have to do this the hard way."
'Kami, she looks sexy like that!' Vegeta thought to himself, still managing to smirk, even with his lips tightly closed. 'I think I might just keep this up!'
"No you will not!" Bulma shrieked, glaring at him. "I'll just get someone else to force it down your throat if that's why you're being so stubborn!"
Vegeta's jaw dropped. Quick as a flash, Bulma jumped forward, popped the small green bean into his wide-open mouth and clamped his jaw shut with her hands, forcing him to chew and swallow the bean.
"There you go." She said triumphantly, after watching his wounds instantly heal themselves. "Doesn't that feel better?"
"Hmph". Was Vegeta's reply as he stared at her examining where the hole through his chest had been. Now there was just a small, round pink scar.
'How did she read my thoughts?' Vegeta thought, putting up a strong mental block first. 'Only bonded Saiyan couples can read each other's thoughts.' Vegeta's eyes widened. 'No! We can not be bonded! She's not even Saiyan, and she's marrying that pathetic fool Yamcha!' Vegeta cringed as he remembered, and pulled away from Bulma.
"What?" Bulma asked, looking up at him. "Did I hurt you?"
"Just keep your hands off me." Vegeta snarled, standing up and walking to the door. "I don't want you touching me."
Tears welled up in Bulma's eyes as she watched Vegeta walked out the medical room. What had she done?
*
Vegeta felt a tidal wave of sadness suddenly cascade over him, making his eyes sting as he fought the urge to cry. He felt hurt, devastated, confused. Feeling he was about to drop to his knees, Vegeta went and sat down against the wall.
"What the hell is going on?" He snarled, rubbing his hand over his eyes. "Why am I suddenly so upset? It's like I'm turning into that pathetic baka woman!" Vegeta's eyes widened as the realisation hit him. Bulma! "Great." He snarled. "Now I'm starting to feel what she feels. The onna gets upset because I give her the brush off, so I have to get upset? Where's the fairness in that?" He shouted the last sentence to the heavens, as though hoping Kami himself would give a reply. But he didn't.
"Vegeta?" The Prince looked up as Bulma's soft voice echoed through the vast foyer. "What's the matter?"
Vegeta stood and looked at her. He couldn't speak. He wanted to shout, he wanted to scream at her, berate her for toying with him, for not telling him, for betraying him. But he couldn't. He could only watch as she walked towards him.
Hardly breathing, Bulma slipped her hands round Vegeta's waist and rested her head against his cheek, closing her eyes. Vegeta sighed and rested his head against the side of her head, also closing his eyes.
"What's the matter?" Bulma whispered, opening her eyes. "Why are you so angry?"
"You lied to me." Vegeta replied quietly. "You said you loved me."
"I do." Bulma told him, still whispering. "Why do you think I lied?"
"If you loved me you wouldn't be marrying him."
"What?" Bulma said, pulling back slightly to look at Vegeta.
"You can't love both of us." Vegeta explained. "And I know you're too strong and independent to allow yourself to be forced into marrying someone."
"Who am I meant to be marrying?" Bulma asked, her eyebrows furrowed.
"Yamcha." Vegeta told her. "He told me about your engagement after he saw us on the Ferris wheel. He told me to stay away from his fiancée. That's what I'm trying to do."
"He said what?" Bulma shrieked, stepping fully away from Vegeta, leaving him to look uncomfortably round the foyer as the removal of contact brought him back to his senses.
"He told me all about you two getting married, and told me to stay away." Vegeta said calmly. "It's as simple as that."
"Oh, no it's not!" Bulma said, stomping back towards the medical room.
Vegeta glanced around he room for a second, stunned by her sudden outburst, before hurrying after her.
*
"HEY!" Bulma shouted, walking up to Yamcha and shoving him against a wall. "Are we getting married now?"
Yamcha glanced at Vegeta and back at Bulma. "Well, yeah."
"And who decided that?" Bulma shrieked. "I would have liked to have been given a choice! Or to have at least been informed!"
"I figured there wasn't any point." Yamcha said coolly. "I mean, there's no way you'd ever turn me down, baby, and I wanted this bastard to stay away from you."
"What's going on?" Vegeta asked, leaning against the wall and folding his arms.
"He's a liar." Bulma said, letting go of Yamcha and stepping up to Vegeta. "We're not getting married. We were never even engaged! He just decided to make my decisions for me. I never want him to so much as touch me again. We're not going out any more."
"Sure we are, babe." Yamcha said, stepping up to Bulma and stroking her hair, smiling. "I mean, sure, you've overreacted, but I forgive you! I'm willing to take you back!"
"Didn't you hear her?" Vegeta shouted, shoving Yamcha against the far wall. "She said she didn't want you to touch her! In other words, QUIT MAULING! And I don't think you quite got the gist of what she just said. She was finishing with you, not the other way round."
"Get out, Yamcha." Bulma said coldly, standing behind Vegeta.
"No way!" Yamcha snarled. "I'm not going anywhere until you get back with me!"
"How about I get rid of him." Vegeta said with a sadistic grin.
"Sure." Bulma said. "Just don't kill him. I don't want you to waste your energy on him."
Vegeta nodded, and happily carried Yamcha off the Capsule Corp. grounds.