After a VERY long hiatus, DAWN MOON makes her triumphant return to ! Here's Chapter Five. By far this was the hardest chapter to get down! For all B/Y shippers out there, there is some fluff. And for all anti-B/Y readers, it's only in this chapter, and that's all, I swear!

Disclaimer: Akira Toriyama owns ALL of it! Except the plot...that's mine...ALL MINE!

Melting a Winter Heart
Chapter Five: Secrets and Lies

The surf rushed over the white sand as a gentle peachy haze appeared on the eastern horizon. The two Chikyuu-jins sat on a soft dune, waiting for the beauty about to begin.

"Here it comes Bulma."

"Shh."

Yamcha nodded and pulled her closer to his side. The night had been perfect. They had dinner and danced for hours at Sakura Grove, the newest hotspot in town. He couldn't get enough of the feel of her perfect body against his as one song led to another. Her sweet fragrance floated around them as his fingers roamed the silky fabric of her dress.

After that, they'd strolled the frosty streets and admired the light displays. Along the way, Bulma got some "emergency" shopping done. "Strictly Christmas presents," she'd said, and yet she bought more goodies for herself than anyone, including the cute denim outfit she now wore. One present she bought was a very stylish, very expensive, designer label black leather jacket... for Vegeta. Just the thought of her buying presents for that guy almost spoiled his mood, but Bulma didn't notice. She insisted that everyone would be spoiled this Christmas, and all the while she kept this huge happy grin on her face, which wouldn't have bothered him if it wasn't Vegeta she was talking about. Ally or not, he really detested that Saiya-jin.

After Bulma's card got a good workout, the pair caught the late showing of "Vagabond Lovers". A chick-flick, but he managed to get through it with no cracks. As a final surprise, Yamcha flew her to a beach in a warmer part of the world. For hours after that, they lay out on a blanket and gave each other long back rubs. His libido responded more than once to her expert hands over his tense muscles. He hoped tonight would bring more than just a good massage. In fact, he planned it to. He knew what did it for Bulma, and if he did it all just right...

"Look. There," Bulma whispered, pointing over the water. A golden glimmer adorned the horizon. Slowly, it grew to a rising crimson ball surrounded by the clearest blue sky. Pink, apricot and golden clouds crowned the ever- brightening firmament. "Oh, Kami. It's beautiful."

Yamcha grinned and pressed his hand into her firm hip. "Just like you," he murmured.

"Hmm, cliché, yet sweet," Bulma grinned and snuggled her blue head deeper into his shoulder.

The movement sent another wave of fragrance up to his nostrils. Damn she was so sexy! "And there's no one I'd rather share this with than you, baby," he murmured into her silky hair. Bulma hummed and nuzzled him. All this closeness was beginning to make him edgy, but he knew he had to bide his time, no matter how much it hurt.

Bulma loved this blissful feeling she got when she was with Yamcha. The night had been just scrumptious. The dinner, the dancing, the movie; she felt so good that she went on a shopping spree and bought presents for everyone, including Vegeta. She knew he'd look hot in that new jacket, a thought she didn't dare divulge to her boyfriend. He looked peeved enough that she had even bought it. But she didn't care. It was Christmas and EVERYONE would get a present: Even moody alien royalty.

Then the walk along this beautiful beach; No one she knew gave massages like Yamcha. It felt good to get all the "genius" kinks out of her shoulders. Stooping over that keyboard was awful, but what can you do when you have a brain like Bulma Briefs?

A squeeze on her waist brought her out of her reverie. She turned to Yamcha and smiled. He looked so handsome in the young light. His brown eyes were so warm and sweet. His jet-black hair looked so much nicer than his previous style, that silly mushroom cut. Now it was all spiked up. Kind of like Vegeta's...

No not quite. Yamcha's hair was jet black, much shorter and heavily gelled to achieve its look. Vegeta's hair looked black, but it was actually a dark chocolate brown and it somehow defied gravity all on its own. When wet, it reached the small of his back. She remembered seeing how long it was when he came back to Earth after looking for Gokou; when she saw him showering, his Grecian-perfect body visible through the marbled glass. She could still see that small dark spot where she supposed his tail used to be, right above his sculpted...

"Bulma?"

Bulma gasped, shocked out of her daydream. She blushed. "Yeah?" Why did she keep thinking about him? It just didn't feel fair to Yamcha.

He didn't seem to notice and reached up to run his fingers through her hair. "I sure had a great time with you."

Bulma grinned. "Me too. I daresay that was the very best date we've ever had." She looked into his eyes and saw something very familiar there. She knew that it would happen, and she wondered how he would go about it. He leaned into her, bringing one hand up to her pretty face.

"Let's make it unforgettable baby," Yamcha purred, stroking her cheek. Her eyes closed gently as he pulled her in for a long kiss. She sighed into his mouth and tangled her fingers into the loose hair at the nape of his neck. She loved this. She loved how tender he was.

With a grunt, Yamcha nipped her lower lip and she moaned. Gently, he pressed her down on her back. His fingers gently probed under the hem of her shirt, wishing he could peel the skimpy thing away right now. But he knew Bulma, and she would like it slow. But that didn't mean he couldn't appease himself in other ways. Disconnecting their lips, he ran a line of tiny kisses down her throat inching closer to the welcoming swell of her breasts.

Bulma's breath caught in her throat and she began to gasp quietly. The quick, barely their kisses were driving her crazy. Impulsively she grabbed his head and pulled him up to kiss her lips, staying only a moment to let her eyes trace his face. Then she saw them. Oh, those incredible eyes, coal-black, always on fire, whether a gentle smolder or an inferno. They looked at her with such passion. They always had, why didn't she see it this clearly before. Quickly she pulled him down to her lips, kissing him savagely. He moaned in surprise at her ardor, but sank deeply into the kiss nonetheless. Their mouths battled for a brief, incredible moment before he once again broke away to push his fingers under her shirt, slowly, teasingly lifting it.

"Unh...ohh...Vegeta," she gasped as his roughened hands scraped her soft stomach.

"What?"

The new voice broke the moment at once. Bulma's eyes snapped open. A different face hovered over hers. "Yamcha? What..."

"No, I'm asking," he snapped cutting her off. "You just gasped out...his name. Why?"

Bulma stared blankly. Mentally she replayed the previous moment. She'd been on her back, being loved on by...wait. That hadn't been Vegeta at all. It had only been her and Yamcha the whole time. Oh kuso. Oh KUSO!

"I-I'm sorry Yamcha. I, uh, I think we'd uh, better head back," she stammered, inwardly horrified at what she'd just done.

"You didn't answer me Bulma. Why did you say his name?" he asked, becoming increasingly agitated.

Bulma froze. She couldn't dance around an answer, but she had no answer for him; she had no idea herself. Come on brain. Think! "Well, we've...been out all night and it's probably mid-morning back in Japan. I had just remembered that Vegeta has breakfast pretty early and he's probably bugging the entire staff about it. We'd better get back before they all quit," she babbled, unwilling to look at him. She felt so terrible, and terrified. What if he didn't believe her? She braced herself.

" Sigh Okay babe. Sorry I got upset. Let's go home."

Bulma smiled and sighed in relief quietly. Thankful, but still feeling very guilty, she went to him and let him pick her up. Her head was nestled into his chest so firmly that she didn't see the darkness in his eyes before they took off.

--

Vegeta snarled, letting a ki blast free to smash into the droid he was battling. Sweat poured off of him in rivers. As he paused to watch the droid explode, his muscles twitched involuntarily. He ignored it and began back flipping away from his opponent as it began to reassemble.

He'd been at this ever since the woman had left with her idiot boyfriend. Ever since those feelings he'd been harboring for months had finally been acknowledged. He'd spent hours in the GR pounding out his fury at his own weakness. If the woman were here, she'd probably say he'd kill himself at this pace. But then, why would she care? And why should he care? She was out with that baka weakling mate of hers!

"He's not my mate..."

Why did she tell him that? Did it have some hidden meaning? Didn't she want him for her mate? If she didn't it was obvious why; that poor excuse for a man was inferior to her in too many ways to count. But if that were true, why would she waste her time on him?

"He's not my mate..."

As he remembered her words, the droid sent an energy blast his way. Caught off guard he phased back about ten feet and put up his hands. The force of the ki blast sent him flying back. At the last second, he ground his feet into the floor, skidding until he stopped, not a foot before he would've slammed into the curved wall.

"No, I won't let it beat me!" He growled, focusing all his energy on the fiery ball in his hand. Such power! He raised his ki around him to keep his hands from blistering. He wanted it, the power he felt. He wanted it to be his! He deserved it as the Saiya-jin no Ouji! With a primal yell, he let his ki explode around him, his light almost drowning out the green glow of the room. Suddenly, the ki ball vanished. Vegeta blinked as he felt something blazing under his skin. It spread through his hands, his arms and then filled his entire body with heat. He felt his heart rate double; his muscles tightened.

"Battle bot, assume stand-by mode..." his voice trailed away as he stared at his hands. They were twitching, burning. "What...the hell?" The absorbed power rippled under his muscles, threatening to explode. He could feel it pressing outward under his skin. Bracing himself against the burn, he willed the energy down. It fought hard against his control, trying to leave his body. NO! I am the master of you! You are mine now! His mind roared as he began to growl against the pain. Involuntarily his aura flared up and spiked to a level he'd never felt. Finally, with a scream of power-induced rage, the blazing energy obediently rooted in his core to pulse in time with his heart.

Exhausted, Vegeta dropped to his knees. Sweat dripped off of his chin as he panted, trying to steady his heartbeat. Eventually, the adrenaline drained away and he slumped to the floor, spent. He could still feel the power, alive in his entire body, but gentle, like a sleeping giant. He'd never felt anything like that before, not even from Kakarot. A smirk turned up his lips as he replayed that thought again. He was close, undeniably close to achieving his destiny.

Standing with some effort, he walked to the console and picked up the sack of senzu beans. After consuming the mystical legume, he looked at the digital clock. Seven thirty-five. Normally he would've just finished breakfast by now. At that thought, his belly croaked and he scowled. He hadn't eaten since that feast last night and he didn't like the thought of his stomach chewing on itself. With another grunt, he turned off the power and exited the GR.

He froze. Not literally, although it was certainly cold enough. But the weakling had just showed up with the onna. He ducked into the shadows beside the front bushes and masked his ki. Weakling or not, the baka had learned to sense ki all the same.

"I had a great time Yamcha. Sorry I cut it short, but you know that Saiya- jin."

Not like you do, Yamcha thought bitterly. "Yeah, I know. Don't worry about him now though. You go get some sleep."

How dare that weakling presume to tell her to forget about me? Vegeta's mind snarled. He would've liked to give the Chikyuu-jin a good pounding, but he chose to stay hidden.

"Well, throwing together a little breakfast won't be too much time off my beauty rest," she answered, a smile in her voice. The Saiya-jin price smiled too. He wasn't afraid to admit silently that she needed no such sleep. To her yes, but no longer to himself, and it scared him a little.

"Right," Yamcha sighed, sounding very tired. "Well, I'm not skipping out on my beauty sleep." At this Vegeta nearly choked on the laugh about to come up. Kami knows he needs it! And some manly sleep would do him good too, he thought with a wicked grin. "See you later Bulma."

Bulma smiled and rose on her toes to kiss him. Vegeta gagged quietly. Yuck.

"Bye Yamcha. I love you." Vegeta grimaced. Double yuck.

"Me too," he answered, petting her hair one more time before she turned to go inside. Two pairs of eyes watched the door close behind her. Yamcha sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. Vegeta cheered silently as it seemed the weakling was leaving. Before the celebration could continue, the baka ducked into the bushes.

Vegeta held his breath, smothering his ki further. The idiot wasn't more than three feet away from him. Why the hell was he in the bushes anyway? Then his sharp sense of smell caught it; arousal. It disgusted him, but he could tell the idiot was unsatisfied. Triple yuck! Heh, looks like he hasn't been getting any. For some reason, knowing the onna was untouched made him feel relieved.

With a loud sigh, Yamcha pulled out his cell phone. Vegeta never understood the Chikyuu-jins' obsession with communication. He could barely stand face-to-face conversation as it was. Unless it was with Bulma...

"Sorry Bulma," Yamcha whispered, holding the phone to his ear. Vegeta frowned and leaned forward, uncommonly curious about the weakling's comings and goings. He didn't like the feeling in his gut one bit. "Hello? Yeah it's me. Listen, I know it's early but...I need you. I know I've been scarce lately, but uh..." Pause. "Oh you too? Good, meet me at my place. I'll be there soon." Pause. Chuckle. "No, you're so sexy. Nuh-uh. Okay bye." He hung up, dropped the phone in his pocket and blasted into the sky.

Vegeta stood rooted to his spot, aghast. No way did he just hear that. How dare he? And to Bulma! She didn't deserve that! Something began to boil in his blood. No way would he let that imbecile get away with this! With a snarl of outrage, Vegeta blasted off into the early morning sky. Nothing was easier than following the ki trail of a weakling. And the scent did help a little.

--

It was difficult to fly and mask his ki at the same time, but Vegeta was a man of many talents. He had to fly a considerable distance away from Yamcha to avoid detection, which didn't bother him in the least. Part of him wanted to put a hot beam through his quarry's lung right now. That would be fun. Watching him suffer for even the possibility that the onna was suffering because of him. And yet another part of him wondered if Bulma knew what the idiot had been doing. That thought kept the weakling alive. But surely if she had known, she wouldn't still be with him.

Finally, Yamcha set down in front of his rather gaudy house. He smoothed his hands upward over his hair and brushed the wrinkles out of his dress shirt. Vegeta hovered over him, not daring to set his royal feet anywhere this pig-weakling stood. He stared down, wishing he could just toss a ki blast down there and end his miserable existence. But somehow, morbid curiosity won out and he just waited. As he watched, the baka strolled up to the door and waited. Almost immediately, a red sporty car roared up to his driveway. The door opened and Vegeta almost choked. Stepping out, wearing nothing but a frilly red and black teddy was Bulma! Of all people! How could it be; he'd watched her enter Capsule Corp. Then, an overwhelming scent permeated the air: perfume...and sex...and men. Lots of them. Then he realized. It wasn't Bulma; it was that blue-haired bimbo that Baldy used to date. What was her name?

"Marron, baby," Yamcha growled, taking her into his arms.

"Hi Yamchy," the woman giggled as he bent to kiss her. Vegeta averted his eyes. He would not play voyeur to those two twits slobbering all over each other's faces. "Let's go inside. Get comfy," Marron purred, and Vegeta risked another look. The slut had undone the idiot's pants and was leading him inside by his...

"Ulch...mmph," Vegeta clamped one hand over his mouth and sped off before he made any more noises. He didn't fly for long before he had to stop and retch into a nearby bush. The first wave stopped and he sat panting. Him... her... her touching him... "Blaugh!" The second wave hit immediately. Finally he subsided and struggled to his feet. He had nothing more in his system and he was beginning to feel woozy. For the first time since following the fool, he felt the intensity of the cold around him. Now he really didn't feel like flying at top speeds when he was in this state. Disgusted and furious, but too nauseous to regard those emotions, he began the long, cold walk back.

--

Bulma lay on the couch, her tears finally spent. Since Yamcha left, she'd tried to make a little something to eat, but guilt at what she'd done had finally overwhelmed her and she collapsed in frustrated tears.

Why had she gasped out Vegeta's name? Why was it his face, his eyes she had seen in that moment? HOW did this happen? Surely she wasn't that attracted to the Saiya-jin prince.

Or was she?

Bulma looked back over the many tries at her relationship with Yamcha. It had always been on again, off again, but she'd always been the one to end it. Because he couldn't focus on her, because his eyes had wandered, because, even when she was with him, she felt lonely. But now, this time around, it had seemed to be working. They missed a few dates, sure, but he'd been nearly perfect this time around.

So if he's so perfect, why were you wishing it were Vegeta kissing you?

"I wasn't wishing!" She screamed at herself as she stalked into the living room. "I love Yamcha!"

But you want Vegeta.

She screamed again and sank into the couch cushions, sobbing. She couldn't lie anymore; she did want Vegeta. Ever since their snowball fight, she'd seen him in a different light, and in the days that followed, she'd found herself finding excuses to touch him, to be close to him. And it helped too that he seemed to be a little, keyword little, more gently disposed towards her. But it didn't matter what she wanted; she was with Yamcha, and she would remain faithful to him. It was the least she could do for how she treated him earlier.

Now she sat, exhausted, hugging a throw pillow to her chest like a life preserver. Inside, she wondered if Yamcha thought she'd been cheating on him with Vegeta. No, he would've confronted her if he did. Still, what would this do to them? She wouldn't blame him if he wanted to end it right now.

A loud knock at the door startled her. She gasped and brushed a hand through her hair. Clearing her throat, she went to the door and looked out the peephole, praying for it to not be Yamcha for once. Outside stood Vegeta, looking a little worse for the wear. Quickly she opened her door to find him leaning heavily on the frame.

"Vegeta! You look terrible, are you alright?" she asked as she took in his very pale face, intense shivering and unsteady gait as he tried to walk inside. The first two steps were fine, but he proved to be much worse off as he dropped to his knees beside her. She cried out and knelt down to help him. "Oh my Kami, you're freezing! Where have you..." she stopped and wrinkled her nose when she smelled vomit on him. Obviously he wasn't well at all. With a sigh, she draped one of his thick arms over her shoulders and hauled him to his feet. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to fuel you up, but I guess you'll listen to me about training too hard," she said as she helped him onto the couch. She pulled off his training shoes, and frowned at the muddy snow covering them. She tossed them aside and covered him with a thick blanket. "I'll get you something hot to drink. Be right back."

"Wait!" He suddenly gasped and grabbed her arm. She whirled around, not failing to notice the weakness of his grip. When anything seemed weak about the proud Saiya-jin prince, something was definitely wrong. Worry flooded her stomach.

"Just lie still okay. I promise I'll be right back," she assured him, rubbing his icy hand gently. Finally he let her go and closed his eyes, agitation clear on his brow. Bulma's heart thudded loudly in her chest. What the hell had happened?

--

THERE! Chapter Five is FINITO! Now I'm back on track! Expect the next chapter in a month or so. REVIEWS ARE AND WILL BE APPRECIATED!