Chapter 13: Fighting Chance

Vegeta and Nappa stepped through the doors to the Cold Gym. The atmosphere was completely different from Nappa's place. There was an aura of violence. One could feel in the air the sense that you'd get the shit beat out of you here. Punching bags lined the perimeter of the big room. There're mirrors covering three of the long walls. A balcony overlooked the training facility below. And in the middle sat a giant square of practice mats for sparring. In front of the mirror on the back wall were five guys practicing their katas.

"Hey!" Vegeta yelled toward the group. A green-haired man turned to the voice. A slow grin spreading across his face.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is boys. The Prince has decided to grant us with his presence."

"I came to speak to your boss."

"You should know by now no one just comes in here to speak to the boss."

"I'm sure he'll be interested in what I have to say." Vegeta's voice was cold and detached.

Zarbon didn't take too kindly to Vegeta's demeanor. He missed the gangly kid who used to cower before him. He kept his voice light through his annoyance. "Did The Prince grow some balls recently? Who are you to come into our house demanding things. You're nothing put a pissant not worthy of my time right now."

Nappa stepped forward. "Listen here you little punk! We came to speak to your superior. Now are you gonna go get him like a good little lapdog or not!"

Zarbon grimaced. But then a smile come over him as he watched Vegeta place his hand on the big man's shoulder. "What is this? Karate Kid?" Zarbon sneered. "Are you Mr. Miyagi," he addressed Nappa in a mocking baby voice.

"You wish I was you, fuckin-"

Vegeta held his hand up to Nappa.

"HA!" Zarbon bellowed. "Our little Prince has to keep his guard dog from losing his temper. Look how far he's come." He chuckled sinisterly. "And to think when we first met he was just a sniveling little baby too afraid to leave his mommy's side. He got over that quickly," he snorted. "It was so nice that Frieza allowed us the opportunity with Princey's whore mother before he whacked her. She was one hell of a woman, wasn't she, Cui?" Zarbon nudged the guy next to him with his elbow.

Vegeta's hands fisted at his sides in anger. He started to see red.

"Yeah," Cui snickered. "And don't forget about the blue-haired broad now. Man I can't wait to see what Frieza has in store for that cock-teasing slut-"

Vegeta punched Cui in the face, knocking him back a few steps. Vegeta advanced toward him.

"Keep her name out of your goddamn, filthy fucking mouth." Vegeta's vision was clouded by rage.

"Why you little-" Cui lunged at Vegeta. But Vegeta blocked his attack, landing a solid punch to other man's solar plexus. Cui spun and kicked Vegeta in the gut, making him stumble. Cui rapidly approached Vegeta, grabbing him by his neck to pull him down while bringing his leg up to knee Vegeta in the jaw. Cui took advantage of Vegeta's dazed state and goes to put him in a headlock, but doesn't succeed as Vegeta repeatedly starts elbowing Cui in the nose and is immediately released when he hears a satisfying crack. Once free, Vegeta falls back into a waiting Nappa.

"Fuck!" Cui shouted, blood pouring from his nostrils. He removed his hands from his face and leaped forward toward Vegeta for another attack, his eyes crazed.

"Enough!"

Everyone turned to look at the balcony. King Cold stood before them. The members of the gym stopped and stilled, straightening up as the man descended the staircase. Cui stepped away from Vegeta to rejoin Zarbon and the others, spitting blood on the mat as he went.

"What's the meaning for all of this? Acting like children," said the man in a deep Russian accent.

Vegeta forgot how much King Cold and Frieza looked alike. It made him feel sick. With his white hair, broad shoulders, and pinched face, he looked the epitome of arrogance. He wore a purple suit and the way he held himself in front of his crew emanated power and authority. He almost seemed unreal. But Vegeta knew this man wasn't above killing him or any of his cronies. He squared his shoulders. "I came to make a deal."

King Cold looked toward Vegeta as if just realizing who he was. He gave a nasty sneer. "Proceed."

"I finish top in the tournament and this all ends. No more coming after me or threatening those I care about. Deal?"

King Cold scratched his chin thoughtfully. "And if you lose?" He asked in a low voice, dragging out the last word.

"I'm yours." Vegeta said curtly.

Nappa turned to give Vegeta a surprised and panicked look. "What?" he whispered. Vegeta ignored him. King Cold just stood observing the two.

"Do we have a deal?"

King Cold didn't take much time to contemplate. He just nodded at Vegeta and said, "you got a deal, kid."

Vegeta turned to leave, but caught a glimpse of Frieza leaving an office on the second story.

"And in the meantime, I'd like the threats to stop. No more following me or my girlfriend around anymore." He'd never called Bulma his girlfriend before but he liked the way it sounded.

"Of course, Prince," King Cold assented.

Frieza looked pissed. "Father, you can't be serious!" he shouted from up on the balcony.

"Quiet!" He gave his son a murderous glare. "My word is final. No one messes with Ouji or the Briefs girl leading up to the tournament." He was addressing the entire gym at that point. He moved his gaze back to Vegeta and Nappa. "You may go now," he said, then turned and walked back up the winding stairs.

Vegeta nodded at Nappa and they turned to go.

"We're finishing this at the tournament." Cui spat in Vegeta's direction as he walked past, bumping into Vegeta's shoulder as he followed Zarbon and the others out of the room.

Vegeta found himself exiting the Cold Gym at a run. He didn't stop when Nappa yelled after him or as people were shouting at him on the streets as he ran past. He even jumped in front of a few cars as he crossed the road. He only had one thought on his mind. He had to see her. A weight had been lifted from his shoulders. For the time being anyways. He had a month until he had to worry about training and his fate. But right now he was alive. He had left the confrontation with barely a scratch on him. I didn't think it was gonna go that way, he thought to himself, still surprised. He'd finally made it to Bulma's apartment, banging harshly on the door. Bulma opened the front door to find Vegeta on her doorstep looking disheveled and beaten, breathing heavily.

"Vegeta! What the hell happened to you?" Bulma gasped.

Vegeta didn't answer. He just strolled up to her and grabbed her face, kissing her hard.

"Vegeta," Bulma mumbled against his lips. She shoved him gently. "Vegeta, stop. What's going on? What happened to you?"

"I'll explain later, woman. Right now I just want to bury my cock inside you and forget about the rest of the world." Bulma's eyes grew wide at his words.

"Ugh. Gross." 18 gagged.

Vegeta hadn't noticed Bulma's roommates sitting on the couch. He ignored them and picked up the woman so she'd wrap her arms and legs around him, walking determinedly toward her bedroom.

He dropped her on the bed and stared down at her with an evil grin on his face. He pulled her shirt over her head and threw it to floor. She was bra-less. He pushed her back into the bed and got to his knees. He pulled off her sweatpants and panties in one fluid motion, throwing them to join her shirt. Without even a pause he buried his face between Bulma's legs, lapping at her core. He heard her try to stifle a scream. He went to focus on her clit, flicking his tongue over it in quick, fast movements. "I'm gonna make this quick, baby. I want you to cum hard on my tongue."

Bulma groaned at his word and grabbed his hair. Two more seconds later and she was screaming out her release, forgetting – and not caring – that her roommates were in the other room.

Vegeta quickly stripped himself of his shirt. He didn't even waste time trying to get his pants off. He just undid his fly and freed his throbbing cock from his boxers. He was still kneeling on the floor by the bed. Grabbing Bulma by her waist, he pulled her down until shel fell into his lap, impaling herself on his dick.

"AH!"

Vegeta didn't stop there. He immediately started pumping her up and down his shaft. He was lost in the feel of her pussy warm and wet around him. Bulma finally regained her focus. She held on to Vegeta's shoulders, holding him to her as he used her body for his pleasure. She loved this. Rough. Fast. With Vegeta. She could feel her orgasm building again. Vegeta must've felt it too, because he whispered harshly in her ear, "come on, Bulma. Cum for me. Cum on my cock. I need to feel you."

"Oh god!" Bulma moaned. "Vegeta!" Light exploded behind her eyes, her body tensing. She could hear Vegeta loud in her ear. "Yes, baby!" She felt him fill her with his seed. He held on to her tightly, crushing her body to him. They sat like that for who knows how long.

Reluctantly, Bulma tilted her head back to look at Vegeta's face. She traced her fingers down the side of his jaw where she could see a bruise starting to form. "What happened?" she whispered, nervous to break the silence.

Vegeta stared up into her big blue eyes full of worry. "Let's just say I figured some stuff out."

"Bullshit. You need to give me more than that," Bulma said, her expression annoyed.

Vegeta gave her his shit-eating grin. God, I love it when she's feisty. And he couldn't lie to her. "I confronted King Cold today." Bulma's jaw dropped. Vegeta's face turned serious all of a sudden. "I'm gonna fix this Bulma. I won't let you be in danger." He kissed her then. It was a passionate kiss. Not like the ones they just shared. This one was slower. Full of meaning and pent up anxiety and relief and love. Bulma just held him as they kissed. God, I really love this man, Bulma thought as they slid to floor.


Bulma woke with a start. She glanced over at the alarm clock. 3:52AM. She felt groggy. And hungry. She started to get out of bed but she was weighted down by something. Well, someone. Vegeta had his heavy arm draped over her torso, his head on her pillow, softly breathing against her shoulder. Bulma smiled down at him. He looked more peaceful in sleep. His perpetual scowl wasn't as prominent on his face, his features not contorted by his everlasting annoyance at the world. She traced her fingers across his cheekbone and down his strong jaw. His entire chin was one big bruise now and it made her frown. Gently, she moved his arm off of her. She pulled on her robe and went to scrounge up something to eat from the kitchen.

As she was rummaging through the refrigerator, someone approached from behind her, startling her when they asked, "work yourself up an appetite?"

"Geez 18! Don't scare me like that," Bulma whisper shouted, dropping a package of cheese to the floor. 18 just giggled. "What are you doing up?"

"I usually go for a run around this time."

"Crazy," Bulma said under her breath.

"What are you doing up?"

"I sort of fell asleep really early," Bulma replied with a blush.

18 grinned at her. "So the sex is good, huh. How's it feel finally doin' the horizontal tango with the asshole next door?"

Bulma smiled. "Pretty fucking fantastic."

"Miss Briefs!" She said in mock horror. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Bulma laughed. 18's face turned serious. "You're happy?"

Bulma looked at her quizzically. "Yeah. I am. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. I mean I always knew you and Vegeta would get together. And I love being able to tell you I told you so," she said with a smirk. "But I didn't think things would turn out like this. You really love him don't you?"

Bulma stared up into the worried eyes of her friend. "I do," she said vehemently.

"He's just so gruff. I always saw you with a nice, sweet man. Like Krillin." 18 smiled.

Bulma snorted. "I dated Yamcha. I don't think I need someone who's sweet. I need someone who I can verbally spar with."

"Yamcha was a pushover. But I guess I do agree with you. You need a man with some bark too him. I'm sure Vegeta's bite is pretty good too," she said with a wink. "And I have to admit, him picking you up like he did yesterday was pretty sexy."

Bulma blushed. "How much of that did you guys hear?"

"Too much."

"Oh God," Bulma said embarrassed.

"Yeah, you said that a lot too." 18 just barely escaped the dish rag Bulma threw at her.

"I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into, B."

"I think I'm starting to. He's finally opening up to me. I'm seeing a whole other side to Vegeta that I never would've guessed was there." Bulma couldn't help the lovestruck smile that spread across her face.

"Okay, B. I trust you," 18 acquiesced. She stepped forward and gave Bulma a hug. They giggled at their sappiness. "Now let's get back to you making that sandwich, because I want a piece of that."

Bulma made her way back to her bedroom after her late night – early morning? – snack with 18. Vegeta was still sound asleep in her bed. She snuggled up next to him under the sheets. She laid there and thought about her previous conversation. 18 did have a right to be worried about her. Her relationship with Vegeta was putting them both in danger. And even though he said he handled it, she still couldn't help but think that the problems with the Frieza Force were just now beginning. She tried to put that out of her mind, thinking of all the sweet things Vegeta whispered in her ear earlier while they made love on her bedroom floor. Eventually, she fell back to sleep, holding Vegeta in her arms.