Chapter 8
Bulma held on as tight as she could with one arm around Vegeta's waist and the dragon ball in the other while he flew at breakneck speed. She knew he was pissed at her stunt with saving the villagers but this was ridiculous.
'If he doesn't slow down he'll have no right to complain when his suit becomes more colourful than it is now.' She thought, nausea running through her.
"Vegeta! If you don't slow down right now I'm gonna throw up all over your clean white boots and I'll drop your precious dragon ball at the same time!" She yelled through the wind. She knew she shouldn't be making any kind of threat to him or his plans given his volatile state but she really wanted him to apply the brakes!
Bulma waited for his reaction to that small threat, growing more and more worried as the seconds passed and he didn't make a sound. Slowly, anxiety started to creep up on her, mixing with her nausea. It was an awful combination that really made her worried about what would happen when they got back to the capsule house.
Just as she felt her stomach was about to give way, Vegeta slowed down and began his descent to the ground. The now soft breeze helped to curb her nausea immensely while they landed, only for her anxiety to creep back up on her when he touched down and walked sharply into the cave holding their hideout. Bulma jumped slightly as he burst through the door, slamming it against the wall.
Before she could drop the load in her arm, Vegeta tossed her none too gently on the couch. She bounced a little before opening her eyes and looking up at her captor. His expression was blank yet even from where she sat, she could feel the malice coming off of him in waves. She barely managed to suppress a shiver when he directed his cold gaze towards her, trepidation slowly making its way through her heart.
'Oh man, this is bad. I've seen him angry before but not like this. He may just decide to kill me after all, now that he knows how to use the dragon ball radar.'
However, when she saw a small evil smirk form on his lips indicating he enjoyed watching her fear of him, she steeled her nerves and glared at him, consequences be damned. "What the hell is your problem Vegeta, tossing me around like I'm a fucking sack of potatoes!"
The Prince answered with a glare of his own, "You'd best watch your tone when speaking to me, woman. I really am not in the mood for this right now."
Bulma stood up from the couch, her eyes ablaze with indignation. "You're not in the mood?! Well that's too damn bad! You should have thought of that before you started handling me like I was a toy for you to take your anger out on when you didn't get what you wanted like a spoiled brat!"
"You just don't know when to stop, do you?" He replied, his tone gaining strength as he went on. "Defying me in every which way and doing whatever you please. You just can't seem to learn your place!"
"Defying you?! For your information, I've been cooperating with you since we left Earth! And now the moment I stop you from killing a bunch of innocent, peace-loving people you want to see me as defiant?! Give me a break!" She narrowed her eyes at him, "I'll bet you didn't even want to kill them all that much anyway."
"I told you to watch your words." He snarled at her.
"And if I don't? What will you do huh? Cut out my smart tongue?" The heiress threw his threat back in his face, her eyes never leaving his. The air around them was dense with tension so thick, it was almost suffocating.
"If you really wanted to kill the Namekians, you could've done what I dared you to do and killed me and the villagers. I mean, you already know how to work the dragon radar and you have a safe place to hide the balls so you really don't need me anymore. So why didn't you do it? I'll tell you why, it's because I compared you to Frieza."
"What was that?" Vegeta's tail bristled, his gloves the only thing protecting him from drawing blood, the way his fists were clenched so tight.
Bulma kicked her chin up a notch. "You heard me. You can't stand being compared to him, can't stand being like him, no matter how much you act otherwise. My words impacted your judgement and that's what bothers you."
Faster than her eyes could follow, his hand was on her neck and he moved his face so close she could feel his breath on her cheek.
"You're on your last warning, woman." He said in a deceptively soft tone.
Bulma gazed deep into his onyx eyes, the air around them charged. "Your warning has been heard and ignored so…" her voice dropped to a whisper, "Do your worst, your Highness."
He narrowed his eyes and slowly tightened his hold on her.
She was prepared for him to snap her neck. She was prepared for him to blast her into the next dimension.
What she wasn't prepared for was for Vegeta to kiss her so passionately, it felt like a fire had erupted in her blood.
His lips were full and soft, a stark contradiction to his hard body. He slid his hand to the back of her neck and tipped her head back, taking full control of the kiss.
'Kami, his kiss is so domineering and hot compared to Yamcha's sweet kisses.'
Bulma's eyes suddenly burst open.
'Holy crap, Yamcha! What the fuck am I doing lip locking his enemy?!'
Gripping his shoulder pads, she pulled away and looked at him, her eyes filled with shock. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I thought it was obvious what I'm doing."
"You can't just kiss me like that." She argued weakly.
He grinned wolfishly, bringing her body against his. "Why not?"
"Because", she trailed off, looking at his lips again. Damn, what was the reason again?
"You just can't."
The Prince smirked in a way that had her breath hitching and her heart racing. He said in a husky baritone, "I'm only following what you said I should do Bulma." His voice dropped to a sensuous growl, "I'm doing my worst."
Any words she was going to say in response were swallowed by Vegeta when he kissed her again. He walked her backwards and when he felt the back of her knees hit the couch, he tipped them over and landed on the couch. Bulma gasped in surprise and he took advantage, sliding his tongue in her mouth.
The heiress moaned her pleasure, her mind going blank, and returned his kiss in kind. He swirled his tongue around hers, leaned back and pulled her bottom lip with his teeth. He let go with a pop and she gasped. Chuckling at her reaction, Vegeta wrapped his tail around her leg and pulled them apart, settling between her thighs.
The Prince looked into her eyes, darkened with lust. He slowly swiveled his hips, letting her feel his desire for her, his blood heating when her eyes darkened to a midnight blue. He dipped his head and kissed her, almost groaning at the sweet taste of her lips and the intoxicating scent of her desire in the air around them.
Bulma was lost in a sea of pleasure, her body's senses heightened and aware of Vegeta's kisses and caresses. She felt him wrap his arm around her waist and pull her towards him. She dragged her nails through his scalp, swallowing his appreciative growl. The heiress felt him fist her hair and he pulled. She whimpered, her neck exposed to him.
Vegeta buried his face in the crook of her neck and inhaled, taking in her enticing scent. It was a sweet, intoxicating aroma that called to him. He cupped her breast and squeezed, running his thumb over her clothed nipple. He bit his lip when her hips jerked against his own, his cock getting harder by the second. The Prince placed a few hot kisses on her neck, tasting her delicate skin.
Spurred on by her moans and whimpers, he dragged his sharp teeth across her neck. His tail unraveled from her leg and swayed softly, its motion hypnotic. Vegeta unconsciously nipped at her skin with his teeth, not really hearing her hiss, a small drop of blood leaving the tiny wound. He tasted her essence and growled against her skin, chuckling darkly at the resulting shiver. He moved his mouth to the crook of her neck, going on instinct alone. Bulma placed her hand behind his head, her legs wrapped around his waist.
"Vegeta." She whispered in his ear, dragging her hand through his hair.
That whisper snapped was all he needed to snap out of his stupor. When he realised what he was about to do, Vegeta moved off of her faster than a bolt of lightning and stood by the door, his back to her. He took deep breaths, trying to cool his raging blood.
'What the hell was that? I almost….almost…'
"Vegeta, what's wrong?" He heard her ask, her voice tinged with concern.
He turned his head slightly and quickly glanced at her neck. He almost snarled when he saw the red mark on her neck. How could he have let himself go like that? He almost bit the damn woman!
Before he could answer, he felt a familiar ki in the distance. Vegeta smirked cruelly, suddenly elated at the opportunity to rid the universe of another of Frieza's lackeys and get away from this...distraction.
"Vegeta?" Bulma asked again, starting to feel awkward in the silence.
"I just felt another one of Frieza's generals around the area, most likely searching for Dodoria." He turned to face her, his eyes serious. "Stay here and wait for my return."
"But-"
He left before she could finish her sentence. Vegeta dashed out of the cave and sped towards Zarbon.
On his way to face his adversary, he thought back to the recent event on the couch.
'How could I have been so reckless?! I acted as if it was my first time with a female. How preposterous!' He scolded, not believing his actions.
He wasn't surprised at what had happened between them. They'd had some tension for a while so their coming together was a long time in the making. What he hadn't expected was what happened before he leapt off of her.
Vegeta was no stranger to bedding a woman. Whenever the urge came, he found and seduced a woman, got the job done and snuffed the unlucky soul of the hour afterwards. But something about Bulma was different. He was starting to think that even if they'd ended up having sex, just once wasn't going to be enough.
'Now isn't that just wonderful?' He thought sarcastically.
Just what was it about Bulma Briefs that was different to every other woman, hell, every other person he'd ever encountered?
In the beginning, she was deathly afraid of him and rightly so. He'd threatened to kill her family and friends unless she cooperated and helped him find the dragon balls on another planet. Yet, despite her fear she still held her ground and stood up to him whenever he challenged her. Over time, that fear started waning and was replaced by some form of camaraderie until it vanished completely from her scent.
Her scent…
The scent of her fear had given him a sort of high, the same high he always got when he terrorized countless people and planets. However, the first time he got a whiff of her sweet scent on Planet Frieza, that's when things slowly started shifting, when he wanted to get more of it rather than her fear. He thought of the conversation they had when they were having their meals and how...relaxed the air between them was.
And of course, the incident with the Namekian village. That was the one that baffled him the most.
'She had dared me, literally dared me to kill everyone and her. And yet I didn't. Instead I destroyed a fucking mountain behind them. Why?! What the hell does it all mean?!'
It really bothered him how one small slip of a woman had managed to get under his skin in such a small amount of time. He'd allowed her to get away with stopping him from spilling the blood of those weak villagers when, in the past, he had killed others for simply looking at him wrong.
Yet still, even after he'd voiced his displeasure at her constant defiance and threatened her in the Capsule house, she'd still dared to challenge him. Taunt him and dare him even more.
Vegeta thought back to their argument. Her eyes had been sparkling with life and righteous indignation. She'd held his gaze the whole time, never breaking stride. Her inner fire had been burning bright, calling out to him in its intensity.
And of course, he's never been one to back down from a challenge.
While he'd kissed her, her scent had wafted delicately around them. The sweet smell had faintly reminded him of the most exotic flower that basked in the rays of the sun from Planet Vegeta. She was responsive to his every touch, prompting him to do more. Once he'd gotten a taste of her blood, his mind had shut off and his instincts had taken over, driving him to where they believed he had to go and he'd let them.
Until he'd almost bit her neck.
Vegeta had never done that before. After that almost-accident, he couldn't get off of her fast enough.
'Gods, just what has that damned woman done to me?!' His mind raced, trying to come up with an answer. The only time he could remember something similar to this was when…
Vegeta's eyes widened, his mouth going dry.
No. It can't be…
Bulma Briefs, an earthling woman…
She was his-
'No she's not! I refuse to even entertain such a preposterous idea! No way!'
The Prince snapped back to attention when he felt Zarbon getting closer.
'Whatever. It doesn't help thinking about it now. I have more important things to worry about. The woman will just have to wait.'
Removing her from his thoughts, he increased his speed, anxious to be rid of Frieza's right hand man once and for all.
Bulma sat in silence, looking out the door that Vegeta had just dashed out of, placing her fingers on her still tingling lips.
The heiress couldn't believe what had happened just now. Sure, she'd told him to do his worst but in saying that, she'd expected him to kill her by strangling her, not by kissing her within an inch of her life!
'And boy, did he really steal my breath with that kiss. Dear Kami.' She mused, blushing at the memory.
When he'd kissed her, it had felt so...different yet so good, only for her to put a stop to things when she'd thought about Yamcha. Well she'd tried to put a stop to it but…
When he'd spoken to her under his breath and seduced her with his scorching onyx eyes, as soon as he'd kissed her again she'd been powerless to stop him. Hell, if she was being completely honest she didn't want him to stop. Bulma had a feeling that if he hadn't ended up sensing one of Frieza's soldiers, she would have let him have his way with her.
And that unsettled her. A lot.
Bulma sighed heavily, deciding that a shower was in order.
'Maybe I'll be able to sort all of this out in there. Kami knows it's been far too long since I had a decent shower.'
She got to the bathroom and turned on the water. Once it was hot enough, she stripped out of her clothes and made her way in, groaning at the wonderful feeling of the water gliding over her skin.
'Damn that feels amazing! Okay, so where was my train of thought before? Ugh, that's right. The moment on the couch.'
Now that her mind was clear, she felt guilt flooding her conscience. For goodness sake, she was with Yamcha! She couldn't be fooling around with anyone else, let alone Vegeta. Has it really been that long since she's been laid that she would've had sex with Vegeta?! She knew that she was making an effort to be more friendly with him but not to that extent! She was in a committed relationship for Kami's sake!
'No, that's not really true.' The young genius sighed, putting her hand over her eyes. There wasn't really a point in using Yamcha as a shield. They were broken up before he went to fight Vegeta and his boorish partner so she wasn't being unfaithful.
'Not that that makes it any better. I may not see him as an enemy anymore but that doesn't the others feel the same way. He's still responsible for their deaths and I'm willing to bet my inheritance that they haven't forgiven him and probably don't intend to anytime soon.'
Bulma turned off the water and stepped out, dried herself with a fluffy towel and strolled into the adjoining bedroom. Leaving her clothes to air out on the bed, she put on a fuzzy robe and went back to the living room. Just as she was about to sit down, a soft knock caught her attention. She looked at the front door, quirking up an eyebrow.
He turned to face her, his eyes serious. "Stay here and wait for my return."
Was he back already? At least she assumed it was Vegeta seeing as he was the only one who knew where the capsule house was…
Hold on a second.
'Vegeta isn't the type to knock. So that could only mean-'
Her eyes widened and she felt her palms begin to sweat. She scanned the room quickly, trying to locate a weapon she could use.
'There's no way! There's just no way he was defeated! Not a chance in hell!'
Another soft knock. "Miss Bulma? Are you in there? It's me, Gohan."
Gohan? But how?
Sliding up to the door, she took a deep breath and opened it. There, looking up at her with soft black eyes and a gentle smile was none other than little Gohan himself. "Hi Miss Bulma."
The heiress gaped at him for a second before a large radiant smile graced her face. She fell to her knees and pulled the small child into a bear hug. "Gohan! Oh my gosh it really is you!"
The young boy simply stood there, feeling his face grow hot. He wasn't really used to other people hugging him like this except his mother.
Bulma pulled away and held him at arm's length, giggling at the blush on his cheeks. It was just so adorable!
"It's so good to see you kid. How in the world did you make it to this planet? Who did you come with? And how did you know I was here?"
Gohan blinked, trying to process her rapid fire questions. "Umm…"
"Oh Kami, I'm sorry. Here, come inside." Bulma stood up and walked him in, shutting the door behind her. She directed him to the couch and sat next to him. "Okay, let me start over. How did you manage to make it to Namek? As far as I know, we don't have the type of spaceship needed for interstellar travel."
"I'll tell you the full story. But first, it's really good to see you too Miss Bulma. We were all super worried that Vegeta would hurt you or worse." Gohan said sincerely.
"Oh Gohan, you can just call me Bulma. You have wonderful manners but you don't need to be so formal with me", she fluffed his hair with a smile, "As for Vegeta, he hasn't hurt me so I consider that a win."
"That's great news Miss...I mean Bulma." He smiled bashfully. The half Saiyan suddenly perked up, as if he remembered something. "Oh, before I forget, I have something for you. It's from your father."
"What? My father?" She asked.
"Uh huh." He dug around his backpack and pulled out a device similar to a tablet. "Dr Briefs said it's a transmitter. Krillin and I used it to speak to him when we got here. He wanted us to give it to you when we found you so that he could speak to you and make sure you were okay."
She took the device from him, marvelling at how something as simple as a tablet could reach her home planet light years away from her current location.
'But then again, that is how the Saiyans knew how to find us with those scouters of theirs.'
"This is...just amazing. How do I call him?"
Gohan walked her through the process, showing her how to punch in the frequency to reach Earth. The screen fuzzed for a few seconds before a clear picture formed, showing her the lab back home and the weathered face of her father.
Dr Briefs' eyes widened at the sight before him, his eyes starting to burn. "Bulma darling? Is that really you?" He whispered.
"Hi dad." Bulma whispered back, tears shimmering in her eyes.
Gohan kept silent, wanting to give them as much privacy as possible. Kami knows how sick with worry her father had been.
"Dear Kami, I was so worried, thinking that horrible man had hurt you. Are you alright?" He asked, scanning her appearance as best as he could from a screen.
"I'm okay dad. Vegeta hasn't hurt me. Believe it or not, he's actually been pretty decent. Well, as decent as a kidnapper can be anyway." Bulma shrugged, a small smile on her face.
Dr Briefs shook his head, "I find that hard to believe."
"I know. But I'm okay, Gohan and Krillin are okay too and we'll be working to gather the dragon balls so we can wish our friends back." Bulma suddenly remembered something and groaned. "Damn it I forgot. Vegeta has the dragon radar with him and he's not here right now."
"That's alright darling." Dr Briefs smiled at his daughter, "I built another one. I found your schematics of the radar and made a new one for the boys just in case they stumbled upon one or two before finding you."
"Really? That's great!" Bulma looked to the young boy next to her and he pulled out the new radar and handed it to her. She clicked the button and grinned when it came to life, showing her the dragon ball right next to her. "It works perfectly. You're the best dad!"
"Don't mention it Bulma. I managed to rebuild two spaceships fast enough to reach you on the other side of the universe. The radar wasn't a challenge."
"Rebuild two spaceships?"
"Indeed." Dr Briefs nodded, his eyes shining with pride. He explained the story about how he came to learn about her capture from Goku and the others and how he'd almost lost hope in finding her until Mr Popo informed them about a ship Kami had used to arrive on Earth. He'd also explained that he'd sent a team of his best engineers to Mount Paozu to find the ship Goku had arrived on Earth in as a baby.
"It had been quite the struggle trying to get that ship working again but my team and I had managed to do it. As soon as it was ready, Krillin and Gohan took off into space. While they were gone, we'd spent just about a month building a new ship from the components we found near Goku's home.
I was just about finished with it when he arrived from the hospital, anxious to take off. I told him that I just had to install the coffee maker but he just wouldn't have it." he said, chuckling at the memory of Goku's flustered face.
"Yeah, Goku isn't really big on waiting." Bulma giggled.
"Either way, once I showed him how to use the controls, he'd blasted off. I think it was around the same time that the boys had touched down on Namek. So that means...just hold on a second…" he looked at a separate screen, typing something on his keyboard, "he should arrive in a few days."
"That's great! With Goku here, we'll be able to get things done in a snap!" Bulma cheered, her heart filled with elation. Her best friend was on his way to Namek. With him, they could do anything.
After talking a little bit more, after promising she would take care of herself and stay out of trouble, Bulma cut transmission with her father and sighed lightly.
"Thank you Gohan. It was good to see my dad and let him know I was alright."
He smiled at his friend. "It's alright Bulma. I'm glad you got to speak to him. But I'm especially happy to know my dad's gonna be here soon." His smile fell slowly when he thought of something. "But...why didn't you tell him about everything that's happening here?"
Bulma fell back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. "I just didn't want him to worry anymore than he already has. He put up a strong front but I could see that he was stressed out. Telling him that there was someone here even worse than Vegeta would've been too much for him."
"That someone being Frieza?"
The heiress looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. "You know, instead of me asking you how you know that name, why don't you tell me about how you managed to find me since you guys landed?"
He did just that, telling her about how they'd sensed Vegeta entering the planet and made their way over to him, knowing she was with him. He also told her how they'd sensed another power level heading right towards them and knew that there was trouble. By the time they'd gotten there, Vegeta had already taken care of that unknown person and while he was still a small way's away from her, they'd tried to get her attention.
"Well, at least now I know that I wasn't going crazy thinking I heard a voice calling my name. It was you guys all along." She mused.
"Yep. After you and Vegeta left, we decided that it would be better to leave you with him because, since he needed you to use the dragon ball radar, we knew he wouldn't hurt you. So we found a village that was being attacked by Frieza and his soldiers." Gohan clenched his small fists, his anger resurfacing at the horrible memories. "They were killing innocent villagers trying to find the dragon ball. The elder of that village managed to destroy all their scouters before he was killed too.
There was only one left, a boy around my age. One of the soldiers was about to kill him too and I just couldn't let him so I jumped in and knocked him away from the boy, his name is Dende by the way. Krillin and I didn't waste a second, we got out of there as fast as we could. But that brute followed us and he would've caught us if Krillin didn't use his Solar Flare. We lost him after that."
Bulma narrowed her eyes, having an idea who he was talking about. "Say Gohan. This soldier, was he burly and, well, pink in colour?"
The half Saiyan nodded. "Yeah. You guys came across him?"
"Mhm. He was flying around looking lost when we found him. Vegeta took care of him pretty easily. After that we went to a village to ask for the dragon ball." She winced at the memory. "It almost didn't end well."
"I know. We felt something bad was about to happen and rushed over as fast as we could. We were really surprised when Vegeta didn't blast anyone with that attack of his. We were so sure he was going to kill everyone."
"Trust me I was surprised too. But I can say that, after being around him for so long, I've learned that with Vegeta, nothing is as it seems." The heiress said, her mind going back to that moment she gained a lot of insight on his life from that pink dirtbag.
"The elder said you played a role in stopping him from killing them all."
Bulma sighed, shaking her head. "I didn't do anything. He decided on his own that he wasn't going to slaughter them. Even if it was a small change in his judgement, that doesn't change the fact that he's still a danger to us."
"Krillin said the exact same thing, you know. But...I don't really believe that all too much now." Gohan said quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"I remember when I was training with Piccolo, he was the exact same way Vegeta was. Cold and unfeeling. Only for him to do a complete one eighty a year later and save me from certain death."
"He really did that?" She whispered, unable to believe what she heard.
Gohan nodded. "Then I saw Vegeta hesitate to kill you and the villagers when you defended them. And after the elder told us that he sensed confliction in him, that got me thinking. That maybe...maybe being around someone with a good heart had managed to shift something in him. Even if it was just a little bit."
"You really think so?"
"It happened with me and Piccolo. Maybe you can be that person for Vegeta."
The heiress gazed at him for a second before a soft smile graced her lips. "You really are your father's son, Gohan. In every way that matters. How did you get so wise at such a young age?"
The little boy shrugged bashfully, an adorable blush covering his chubby cheeks.
'He reminds me so much of his dad when we first met, with his innocent gaze and his smile. But most of all, he has his father's heart of gold, willing to give people another chance if he believes they deserve it.'
"Oh by the way, where is Krillin right now?"
"He's gone with Dende to see the Grand Elder of the Namekians. His name is Guru. Elder Tsuno said that Guru could be able to help us in our mission to bring our friends back with the dragon balls. We'd decided that while he went there, I should come here while Vegeta was gone."
"Well, we already have one right here." Bulma bent over the couch and showed Gohan the giant orb.
"Wow! It's so much bigger than the ones back home. I already saw some of them when we encountered Frieza but I still can't get over them. They're incredible." He marvelled.
"Mhm. And get this, they can grant us three wishes instead of one!"
His eyes gleamed in excitement. "That's great news!"
They laughed together, their excitement over the prospects that lay before them practically drowning them in elation. All too soon though, Gohan stopped and furrowed his eyebrows, his head turning towards the door.
"Gohan? What is it?" Bulma asked, her smile dimming slightly.
"When Vegeta left, did he happen to tell you where he was going?"
She shrugged minutely, "He said he was going to take care of another of Frieza's lackey's or something like that. Why?"
"Because the person he's fighting, their power level just jumped significantly." Gohan said, his voice unusually serious.
"Oh...okay. But I'm sure Vegeta can still handle that guy right? I mean, he's already done it twice, and very easily at that. I'm sure he'll be able to beat that guy as well." Bulma said light heartedly, although her palms started sweating.
"I don't know. I hope you're right Bulma."
The heiress felt her butterflies in her stomach, but it wasn't the good kind. She couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
'Vegeta, don't you dare do something stupid and get yourself killed.'
She could only hope.
Author's Note: Boom! Another chapter done and dusted. Things are starting to become complicated between our dynamic duo. And at last, Gohan and Bulma see each other again, with Gohan giving her some wise words on her situation with the Prince. And what'll happen to our dear Prince now? (You already know thanks to the show but humour me LOL).
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! As usual, thank you to Rosise, RoyalBlueRoses, Becky L. Sly and for your reviews on the last chapter! It's always greatly appreciated.
Please do review! As always, stay happy and healthy everyone. Peace, love and good vibes to you all! Until next time!
RR18
