"I'm STARVING!" A loud roar emitted from Goku's stomach as he placed a shaky hand on it. "Bulma!" He whined un-nervingly. After hearing his plea, she looked up with a frown.

They had come in after the fight. Everyone had taken a place in the large sitting room to rest for a time. Bulma had grabbed some medicinals and was now applying a salve to an injured fist. She sat on the couch, Chimera beside her.

"Hold on a minute Goku," she said. Goten, who was rocking impatiently back and forth on his own chair looked to her in distress.

"I'm hungry too," he admitted. Vegeta, who was leaning against the wall, rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"All you and your family ever think about, Kakarott," he proclaimed. "Is food!"

Trunks strode in suddenly, causing an eye or two to turn at his entrance.

"Hey mom?" He asked, already addressing her once more with affection. Bulma looked up from her hand and smiled.

"Yes?"

"Do you have any food around here?" Vegeta tried not to wince. Bulma laughed lightly and shook her head. Putting up a finger for silence, she inspected her hand. It seemed to be all right. She pulled on a tight glove and flexed her fingers. All was working. Her vision had returned as well. Finally, she looked up and found that almost everyone was staring at her in eager anticipation. She sighed and absently brought her newly tended hand to Chimera's head.

"I'm afraid I don't keep any food here, I don't need to," she finally replied, while stroking Chimera affectionately. The great beast brought its massive head to her lap. It purred softly with pleasure.

Goku gasped in dismay.

"No... food?" He said, quivering at the thought. Bulma laughed and nodded.

"However, that doesn't mean we can't get food elsewhere!" Goku beamed at the prospect. Bulma stood up slowly, allowing time for Chimera to move off of her lap. The creature grunted at the unpleasantness.

"How?" Trunks asked. Bulma turned to Chimera.

'Well, will you?'

'Will I what?'

'Chimera!'

'I don't know what you're talking about!'

"Will you TAKE US!" She said aloud. Chimera peered up at her in shock.

'You didn't have to yell.'

"You didn't have to act like a dumb animal." She replied. He nodded his head in assent. To everyone else, it looked as if he was submitting. However, Bulma felt his humor. Chimera was smiling.

'You know, I could act like a dumb animal, and bite your head off!' He thought playfully, looking back up at her. Bulma looked down into his beautiful eyes. So deep, they swallowed her whole. She laughed lightly.

"But, Chimera!" She reprimanded. "If you bit my head off, just who would feed you? I could send you back to Galvan!" Chimera growled at the name.

'Then I'd bite his head off!'

"Oh no you won't! That's what I'm gonna do!" She smiled down at the beast. "So can you manage?"

'I believe so...I like it when you talk to me aloud, keep doing it. Your voice is so gentle and smooth, I like the sound of it.' Bulma raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know WHY you'd like my scratchy voice, but if you want it that way, fine!"

"Uh, Bulma?" Bulma spun around to see five confused faces staring upon her. Goku had been the one to call her attention. She'd completely forgotten about them. Plastering on a guilty smile she nodded to Chimera.

"I guess you all know now," she said.

"Know what?" Trunks asked confused.

"Chimera's telepathic. He and I talk to each other... I'm sorry for keeping it a secret." She looked down at her hands.

"Does that mean he could talk to us too?" Gohan asked, looking from beauty to beast with uncertainty. Bulma nodded.

"Yes, but don't worry." She replied. "He doesn't read minds! Not unless you let him!" Goku grinned to Chimera.

"Well gee! If I'd known that earlier, I woulda talked to him more," he lied easily. The fact was that he had known that earlier. He'd known it the night he and Vegeta had snuck into Bulma's room.

****

Vegeta hid his displeasure easily. As he watched Bulma converse with the beast he suddenly became sick. She jested with him so lightly. Crude little comments and slanderous remarks had been their own pillow talk. Now she shared her wits with another and he felt a great jealousy swelter in his heart like a storm. His pulled his crossed arms to his chest snugly, clenching his fists so tightly a bright aura of ki began to surround them. He quickly diminished the small light before anyone else could see it.

Sieving through loose thoughts, his mind turned to what had happened earlier. His countenance fell at the reminder of the waterfall, and the nymph he had confronted. She had stood there an Amazon, glorious in her beauty. What had he done? He had strode up, demanded an audience, and then berated her endlessly for her crimes.

Even now, those crimes had seemed to become smaller. She had made just comments to support her case, and he had shot them down stubbornly. Was she telling the truth? No chance in hell. The woman was a liar.

Suddenly, he heard Bulma mention that Chimera would take them out for food. Until now he hadn't noticed how hungry he was. He looked up from his contemplation and straight into the eyes of Chimera. The wisdom they betrayed awed him and he found he could not turn away. There was a knowing in the beast's eyes that Vegeta felt relation to. Bending his head down to further speculate, he maintained his gaze. For a moment, he felt the brush of Chimera's mind against the walls of his own. It wasn't forceful enough to invoke conversation. Instead, Chimera seemed to be preparing him. Vegeta's eyes widened as he looked at the creature.

Then as quickly as it had begun, it was over. Chimera turned its great head up to Bulma and Vegeta snapped out of his trance. No one else seemed to be aware of what had passed between the two. Vegeta looked down once more and brooded. Chimera was going to do something. He had been preparing him.

Preparing him, for the inevitable.

****

Author's Note: Sadly, this will be the last chapter I can squeeze out until Monday! =( Sorry! I'm going to Busch Gardens & Williamsburg for the weekend, so I'm afraid I shall not have access to the computer. This is as much of a chapter as I could scrounge together before then I'm afraid. I had planned on a much longer chapter, but then I recalled this weekend. Soo... have fun till then!

Special Note: Hidden_Angel... you know EXACTLY what I wanna tell ya! So just know that if you don't update soon, my empty threats will become a REALITY!!!

Extra Special Note: I've already gotten a few e-mails, so I'll re-offer this again. Someone has drawn an AMAZING pic of Chimera, that I happen to love! They make me want to rewrite my ficcie so that Chimera looks like that! =) Anyhoo, if you'd like to see this, just e-mail me and I'll be glad to send it your way!

Even More Extra Special Note: (Hehe..) There has been certain speculation as to where I got the name Chimera. Actually, Chimera is a mythological beast that is part lion, part goat, part snake and part.. bird I think! That's what I found, at least, after a little research. It's name is pronounced: Kigh- mare- ah. However, if you're like me, whatever name you've given it already is probably what'll stick in your head! I actually first heard the name in Mission Impossible 2 (Bleck!) So... now you know!

Much luv to EVERYONE... Especially people who ride roller coasters- cause that's what I'm doing this weekend!
That is all
~JZero