Can I just say that I have the most amazingly awesome readers! I'm sure you already knew that though! I just wanted to say that I appreciate all of you so much! I know this chapter has been a long time coming, but the support and encouragement has been wonderful. Thanks to all of you who PM me or left hello's during my absence. I've never forgotten about all of you, or this story. Not at all. In fact I think of it often, and unfortunately life and work and responsibilities get in the way. Not to mention my laptop has been blue-screening and crashing alot for the past couple of weeks, so working on this story has been even more of a challenge whenever I get to writing it. Maybe I can get a new laptop for Chrsitmas! Speaking of holidays, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!
A/N: As a friendly reminder, this is an AU. I don't own Dragonball Z, Mr. Toriyama does…although my hubby did buy me 'Dragonball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi' for Xbox 360, so I do own that. Sadly I haven't been able to play it yet. Maybe I'll play it tonight, after this chapter is uploaded.
A/N #2: Ladies and gentlemen, I present you with Chapter 12. It's a long chapter, you might want to find a comfortable spot to sit and read at. Or maybe hanging a 'Do Not Disturb' sign around your neck might work wonders as well! Also, some questions are answered in this chapter…and perhaps some foreshadowing of things to come? *evil laugh*
Chapter 12- Away From It All
A miserable, stifled groan emitted from atop a pillow as he slowly moved over onto his side. His head was pounding, as though he had been hit by a semi-truck. He opened his eyes...his vision was taking more than a few moments to re-focus on his surroundings. Where was he? It took a few more seconds before he realized he was in his bedroom. He groaned unhappily again, managing to sit up in his bed, cradling his forehead tenderly with one hand as the other hand gingerly massaged the side of his skull that was throbbing.
"What the hell…" his gruff voice rang out, wincing at almost every movement he made as he slowly moved to the edge of the bed and placed his feet on the ground. He remained sitting, slowly rolling his head and neck around as he tried to work out a nasty kink it in. It felt like he had one hell of a hangover…
…except he didn't go out drinking last night.
Yamcha's eyes shot open as his memory was suddenly jogged. He had been here, at his apartment, and was about to leave early this morning to head back to Bulma's to pick up his car. He had been sure that she was still pissed off at him, probably even more so now after getting his ass handed to him by Vegeta. The defeat burned deep within him, his pride was shattered, and he wasn't sure how things would go down between him and Bulma that morning. Either way, he needed to get his car, and have the inevitable talk with her over what had happened the night before. He wasn't looking forward to it, especially if Vegeta was still prowling around Capsule Corp grounds. The last thing he needed was to piss off the Saiyan again and suffer though another beating. He inwardly growled, recalling how he had truly been minutes away from dying. But thanks to Goku, he was back to his healthy, alive self. So imagine Yamcha's surprise when he opened his front door and Goku stood there.
Yamcha's memory was somewhat foggy, trying to remember why Goku was there. It was almost as if he had been waiting for him for awhile. He continued to gently massage his head as he tried to remember what he and Goku had talked about. At first he thought Goku was there to check up on him, and Yamcha remembered thinking it was odd since the senzu beans last night had healed him completely back to full health. Maybe Goku had been there to talk about how tensely they had ended their conversation last night? Goku hadn't seemed like himself. Maybe his friend had wanted to apologize for having an attitude against him? Yamcha let out a heavy sigh as he tried to remember what they had talked about.
Unfortunately hindsight is always 20/20, and Yamcha would not realize that the words he had said to Goku about his fiancée Bulma…and his few choice, uncivil threats about Vegeta…would someday come back to haunt him with a vengeance. Yamcha had been completely oblivious to how the look on Goku's face had turned from neutral to serious at an alarming rate. He had a nasty habit of forgetting that Goku was not human, and always assumed Goku would take his side on anything.
But, for the time being, the last thing Yamcha could remember was that Goku had told him that he was very sorry.
But sorry for what? Yamcha wondered.
He couldn't recall, as he finished rolling his neck and continued to rub the sensitive, sore area on the side of his head. He thought that maybe he had gone out the night before. It would be the only explanation for the intense headache he had. He squinted his eyes as he looked at the curtains at the veiled light attempting to invade his room. What time was it? Probably late morning, by the look of it. Yamcha groaned again softly as he gently lied back down on his bed, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath and let it out.
Kami, it felt like he really had been hit by a semi-truck. Or by…
"Goku!" Yamcha hissed sharply, thrown back by the memory of his friend's last words to him, and remembered in shock that Goku's fist had raised up in a flash, throwing his elbow backward before everything had gone dark for him. Next thing Yamcha remembered was waking up just minutes ago with a splitting headache. Had Goku knocked him out?! Why in hell would he do that to him?! "Owwww…" he whined, thinking to himself that it probably would have been less painful to have been hit by an 18-wheeler than by Goku himself.
Yamcha opened his eyes again and glared at the ceiling. Apparently Goku had been somewhat remorseful at knocking him out. Somehow he found himself back in his room on his bed rather than in his living room where he had been. 'What a good friend…' Yamcha sneered inwardly to himself. The feeling of betrayal he had experience briefly last night as Goku scolded him now reared its ugly head again, only to have intensified two-fold.
But Yamcha was nevertheless correct. After knocking him unconscious with one precise, effective hit, Goku had hoisted Yamcha over his shoulder and carried him over to his bedroom, laying him on his bed. He wasn't sure how long Yamcha would be knocked out, he only hoped it would be long enough to get Bulma off-planet before Yamcha walked down a troubled path that would only yield negative outcomes. He wasn't sure if Yamcha had meant what he said, but the guardian within Goku had been roused, and he did what he did for Yamcha's own safety. Goku kept telling himself that as he left his apartment, only to teleport back home to Chi Chi and Gohan.
Goku spent the remainder of the early morning outside in the fresh air, performing his kata, after he came back from a brief visit to Vegetasei. He had kept tabs on both Yamcha and Bulma's ki, assuring himself that Yamcha remained unconscious….and therefore no threat to her… while he protected her from afar, patiently awaiting for Bulma to wake up to take her to Vegetasei when she was ready. Vegeta had entrusted him to keep her safe, and the gravity of the trust his prince had in him weighed heavy on his shoulders. Goku grew up alongside Bulma, and loved her like a sister. She was family to him as much as his own, and he would do everything in his power to protect her, but Vegeta…
Well, Goku could sense there was an affection for her that the prince tried his best to hide.
Vegeta was a master at masking his true feelings and emotions, but after being recruited into the ranks of the Elites at a young age, Goku had practically grown up alongside Vegeta and somehow, in someway, although they were rivals, ended up becoming as close to best friends as Saiyan standards got. He was rather confident in reading Vegeta very well, although he had to admit that Bulma held the torch in that department. At first Goku wasn't assured about what he had done to Yamcha, but after talking with his father very early that morning back on Vegetasei, coupled with the conversation he had with Yamcha the night before, and the alarming things Yamcha had said to him as he stood in his doorway, his mind had been changed. Goku was sure that knocking out his friend in order to give Bulma some time to herself…away from Yamcha…away from Earth…and to be around Vegeta without any interruptions…that it was the right decision. But would Yamcha understand? Never. Would Yamcha forgive him someday? Probably not…especially when it came to the reasoning behind his actions.
But even now, as Goku sensed Vegeta and Bulma's ki disappear off of Vegetasei and sensed them galaxies away after a moment of searching for their energy signals, he felt a sense of happiness. Yes, he demolished Vegeta's gravity room beyond repair. How else were they supposed to get Vegeta out of the conference room? He couldn't be stuck in there all day while Bulma made the repairs to his machine, only to turn right back around to Earth after only a couple of hours. Bunny had insisted that they somehow spend the last few days together before the wedding, and Bardock had more than agreed…which only confirmed Goku's suspicions that he wasn't the only one seeing something between the prince and his best female friend.
It was a devious plan. Between him, his father, and Bunny, they somehow made it work so far. They managed to get Vegeta out of his royal duties for the day. They managed to take Bulma off of Earth, away from her wedding obligations, and inadvertently away from Yamcha. But the best-laid plans can only be executed up to a certain point. Now having done their part, it had to be left up to Vegeta and Bulma to see how the rest would play out. Although he knew the prince and the engineer could be quite a handful when together, there were times when they actually got along and seemed to enjoy each other's company. Goku was hoping this would be one of those times. It had been a very long time since either other of them were able to spend time together, truly alone. Plus, he mused with a veiled smile, he was sure they would like some quality time together. If sabotage had to be the way to get them some time together, then so be it. Perhaps his friends would be able to escape the overwhelming demands and pressures of their lives, even if only for a single day.
Only when someone is away from it all, can things be seen for how they truly are.
In the blink of a eye, Bulma saw her vision blur from the inside of the beautiful royal palace on Vegetasei to the outside of a busy, bustling city on Capital World. Her breath hitched in her throat for a few unsteady moments as she blinked in astonishment at the abrupt change in scenery as she suddenly found herself on a completely different world. It wasn't that she was not used to being teleported…that was far from the truth actually. Goku teleported her back and forth to Vegetasei all the time, and she had traveled to plenty of other worlds as well, whether on business with the royal family, or for mini-vacations that she took. The teleport momentarily stunned Bulma because she was not used to being teleported by the man who currently held his arm around her.
Vegeta had just enough time to lower his fingers from his forehead and survey the area of the massive city they found themselves in, before he was forced to take a step back. He had to brace himself from the unexpected and surprisingly forceful way Bulma threw herself against him as she wrapped her arms around his torso and gave him the strongest hug that she could manage. "Oh my gosh, Vegeta!" she squealed happily, practically jumping in joy for him.
"Jeez woman, what's gotten into you?" the prince managed to say, now recovered from her small attack on him. He tolerated her hug as he sighed in soft annoyance and looked down at her with a questioned look, the tip of his tail flicking gently against his hip. Bulma looked up at him with a brilliant smile.
"You know Instant Transmission!" she gushed, letting go of her bear hug on him and stood back, thrilled that he finally learned the technique. She knew he had been unable to go with Goku to Planet Yardrat to learn it at the time, but she wasn't sure when Vegeta had the actual time to learn the technique. Either he went to Planet Yardrat sometime after all, or Goku had been teaching him for awhile now.
"Of course I do." Vegeta brushed off as nonchalantly as he could, his arrogance evident in his voice as he suddenly found interest in his gloves. He readjusted one and then the other as he looked away from her, hoping there was no blush present on his features.
"For how long?!"
"It's been awhile now." he commented, shrugging his shoulders a bit, not really seeing why it was such a big deal to her. Vegeta decided to ignore for the moment as he tried to gather his bearings, looking around the city and deciding in which direction they should start heading. He welcomed his own distraction, because the sparkle in her eyes had unnerved him slightly, only because she beamed with happiness, and pride, and some other unnamable emotion…for him.
"And when exactly were you going to tell me this?" Bulma asked him, amused as Vegeta turned his head back over his shoulder with a quizzical look as she flashed him a playful grin. Even with his sharp senses, he was taken back again as Bulma quickly swooped in and gave him another affectionate squeeze around his torso.
"Never, if I could help it. The last thing I want is to be your intergalactic chauffer." Vegeta replied with a small smirk, and never being one for public displays of affection, he used his hands and his tail to quickly, but gently, remove her hold on him as he frowned down at her slightly. Bulma knew not to push her luck, and she put up no resistance as he removed himself from her hold.
"Smartass." Bulma replied, playfully smacking Vegeta's arm with the back of her hand, and couldn't help the amused smile the graced her lips as he frowned a little more deeply at her as he curled his tail back around his waist. "Like I really have the time to be traveling the galaxies or the universe right now. Although when I do have some free time it would be nice if you…"
"I'm serious, woman." Vegeta cut her off, backing up his words with a stern look at the beautiful engineer. "You better not be expecting me to be take you everywhere now. You have Kakarot for that."
"Jeez Vegeta, you don't even know what I was going to finishing saying!"
"Fine. What is it?" he said as he turned away from her, knowing they were wasting time as he started to head to his intended destination. At seeing Vegeta abruptly turn about-face and start to take off, Bulma rolled her eyes at him behind his back and hurriedly caught up to him. She fell into stride with him as she walked alongside Vegeta at a decent pace.
"Like I was saying.." Bulma began, sidestepping someone who was about to walk right into her, as she huffed and continued on with her sentence, "…when I have some free time if would be nice if you took some time off also."
Vegeta quirked a curious eyebrow up and turned to look at her, trying to read what was in her eyes, but couldn't decipher anything. "Why?" he asked her, somewhat suspiciously.
"Well why not? It would be nice to go on a vacation, don't you think? We're both well overdue for one."
"Considering who we are and what we do, a vacation isn't in store for either one of us anytime in the near future." he responded gruffly as they continued walking down the long, winding pathways through the city, not grasping what she was really asking of him.
Bulma bit her lower lip softly. He was right. He had an empire to help run and someday take over. She had a worldwide corporation she would inherit someday. It left very little time for either one of them to take a break from it all. It had already been happening, as she realized that they really didn't have their own lives anymore. Plus she was getting married this weekend, and considering the rocky relationship Vegeta and Yamcha had, she was sure Yamcha wouldn't be very happy if she went somewhere with only Vegeta. And it wasn't like Yamcha would come along….Vegeta would hate it as much as Yamcha. Bulma sighed with a heavy heart, hating the sudden feeling that hit her…the feeling that her life was already all planned out and decided for her. And if she was feeling that way, she could only imagine what Vegeta was feeling.
"Well, I just thought it would be nice if you and I went somewhere, that's all. We haven't gone anywhere since we were teenagers." Bulma said with a small shrug, as she started to wonder where they were headed. It had been awhile since she was on Capital World, and now tall buildings that resembled skyscrapers back on Earth loomed over them, as the bustling city was alive and well. At first she thought they would have trouble making their way through the crowds of people, but those in the crowd who actually were paying attention to their surroundings and recognized the Saiyan prince managed a small, hasty bow to him as he passed them by. Capital World was primarily a financial and business planet, and it wasn't uncommon to see many kings and leaders throughout the galaxy there on any given day. Then again, seeing the prince of the most powerful race and heir to the Saiyan empire casually strolling along, without his royal entourage and with a beautiful female in tow was bound to raise some buzz.
Bulma stayed close to Vegeta, watching as random aliens bowed to him, and she couldn't help but smirk slightly. Being able to walk through a crowd quite easily and undisturbed was nice, despite how famous he was throughout the universe. It was quite a contrast to when she herself was out and about on Earth, where people and the paparazzi would hound and hover over her, barely letting her breathe. She stole a look at Vegeta, who had a slight scowl on his face that looked intimidating to anyone else but her.
"Where would we go, woman?" Vegeta commented, surprising Bulma. She wasn't sure if he had been ignoring her or not, but his response answered her question to whether or not he was listening to her. Was he asking in earnest? Or was it just out of curiosity?
"Does it matter? I'm sure with our powers combined, we can have a fun time anywhere we go." she smiled, gently elbowing the prince in his arm in a playful manner.
"Pfft. Hardly." Vegeta sneered, glancing over at Bulma and gave her a teasing smirk.
"You know, you're right!" Bulma feigned realization, tapping her index finger a couple of times on her cheekbone as she pretended to be in thought. "Between the both of us, I've always been the one that's more fun."
It was Vegeta's turn to roll his eyes. "And extremely annoying."
"You're no ray of sunshine yourself, you know!" Bulma replied.
"I never claimed to be."
"See? Even more of a reason to take a break! You're burned out. You should loosen up and be more fun….like Goku. He knows how to have a good time." Bulma baited him as she walked past him, beginning to make her way through the crowd of various alien creatures, trying to gain some distance from Vegeta.
"Kakarot?" the prince scoffed, his eyebrows furrowing as he took the bait, quickly taking to her side again. He stayed close to her as he stepped out in front, regaining the lead and continuing to direct their path throughout the city. "Not one part of me wants to be more like him. He's a clown." Vegeta said as he narrowed his dark eyes for a moment.
Bulma couldn't help but smirk. "Clowns are fun."
"Ah, so you agree that Kakarot is a clown? I can't wait to tell him."
"No, I didn't say that! I only mean that Goku is fun." Bulma quickly corrected herself, only to look at an amused look on Vegeta's face. Damn, he had baited her! She huffed slightly, giving him an annoyed look.
"Well then.." Vegeta drawled out, "…you can take Kakarot with you on your vacation, instead of me."
"But…Goku isn't as much fun as you are." Bulma said genuinely.
"Oh, so now I'm fun?" Vegeta mused, "I thought I wasn't." he said, gently elbowing her as she had done to him earlier.
"You can be, sometimes." she replied honestly, a pleased smile on her face as he reciprocated her playfulness, even if only a little bit. She had forgotten that sometimes they could actually get along. Lately more often than not, they weren't around each other…and when they were, they would argue almost all the time about something. Suddenly Bulma was filled with some sort of joy she could not explain…but all she knew was that she was glad Vegeta was here with her on Capital World, instead of Goku.
Sometimes she forgot how much she missed the man that was walking beside her.
"Hn." Vegeta simply answered, turning the corner and quickly approaching a large, looming building that stood out from rest of the tall, slender buildings in that area. "Come on woman, we're slacking." he told Bulma as he continued to lead the way to the intimidating-looking building nearby.
The Saiyan prince and the scientific beauty approached the entrance to the grand building, which appeared to be made out of some sort of shiny charcoal-grey composite, trimmed with ivory-looking panel molding, with golden inlays throughout the building. The large insectoid-looking security guards, who appeared to be Arlian, had their weapons at the ready. They took a look at the Saiyan prince and his female companion as they approached the entrance. Before Vegeta and Bulma reached them, the guards opened the doors to the building, bowing slightly as they gave unquestioned access to the prince and his guest.
"What is this place?" Bulma asked in wonderment, feeling as though they were somehow allowed access into a prison. It wasn't a far fetched idea, considering all the Arlians that were posted at their designated stations, holding their dangerous and deadly-looking weapons at the ready. They were armored to the hilt, and she recognized all the security equipment that guarded various areas of this building….after all, she had designed and produced them back on Vegetasei. She subconsciously inched closer to Vegeta, reminding herself that Vegeta was stronger than all these weapons, guards, and technology combined.
"Haven't you ever been to a bank?" Vegeta replied in an amused tone, sensing Bulma's slight unease.
"This is a bank? What the hell kind of bank is this?!" Bulma blurted in surprise, continuing to look around the building, still following Vegeta as she noticed the guards bow their heads towards them as they made their way to what she figured was a teller.
"A bank for only the elite of the universe." Vegeta smirked, seeing Bulma shrug her shoulders nonchalantly, accepting his response without further question.
"Fancy." Bulma nodded, looking around, wondering what treasures lied just beyond the various doors and hallways. "Nice to see where you bank at, Vegeta."
"Do you have your credit chip with you?" he asked her, veering off-topic.
"Uh, yeah…actually I do." Bulma said, caught off-guard at the question as she was momentarily distracted by the large, luxurious but intimidating place. She reached into the back pocket of her short jean skirt and pulled out a small, thin microchip no bigger than the size of a quarter.
"Good. That will make things easier."
"Why?" Bulma asked as she eyed Vegeta suspiciously, beginning to put two and two together. "Is my chip is tied to this place?" she asked in surprise. She knew her microchip was tied to some bank account that Vegeta's family had set up for her when she was only a child, but she never really wondered much about it, since she rarely ever had to buy anything when she was off of Earth. Why would she have to, when Vegeta and his family provided her with everything she ever needed or wanted?
"Observant, aren't we, woman?" the prince teased with a smirk, earning a narrowed glare from the blue-haired woman. He then held out his gloved hand to her expectantly as they continued walking to a teller. Bulma perked an eyebrow up at him for a moment, shrugged, and offered no questions or protest as she handed over her microchip to him. They looked at each other for a short moment, her curious blue eyes searched his dark, sheltered ones, and couldn't get a read on him. His tail was still wrapped tightly around his waist, so she couldn't get a read on it either. He seemed to look at her for longer than a necessary moment, almost as if he was in contemplation over something.
Before she could ask him what the matter was, they had strolled up to what could be considered a circular counter. Vegeta confidently approached the timid looking creature that stood behind it. Now this creature did not resemble an Arlian at all. This alien looked similar to a gangly, tan-colored reptile, with defined scales, claws for fingernails, matching sharp teeth, and yellowish eyes with black-slit pupils. It must be a Saurian, Bulma figured.
"Prince Vegeta." the reptile-like creature said in a gravely voice, bowing deeply to him in utmost respect and fear. The Saurian then took a look at his female companion, and he bowed slightly to her as well. He wasn't sure who she was, but she was with the Saiyan prince, and he would rather be safe than sorry when it came down to things. For all he knew, the prince may have found it an insult if he had not shown her any due respect also. Saiyans were known not to be very forgiving of trespasses and insults against their pride. "How may I serve you, your majesty?"
Vegeta, holding the microchip between his index and middle fingers, raised his hand up in front of the reptilian. "Transfer all of the credits from her account…" he said, placing the chip down on the counter, "…to my own." he said in a very business-like tone, as he proceeded to pull out his own credit chip from underneath the inside top of his chest plate and place it down on the counter as well.
"Right away, your highness." the reptile replied, hurriedly inserting both microchips into the system and reviewing over the data, transferring the substantial amount of credits in the female's account directly over to the prince's.
"Vegeta?…" Bulma began, confusion clear in her voice as she wondered why he was moving the credits in her account over to his. After learning this place was a bank, she figured that he was just going to transfer a large amount of credits into her account, not the other way around. She only needed enough to buy all the materials she would need for his new gravity machine. What was Vegeta doing? It didn't make any sense to her.
"Hush, woman." Vegeta said in a rather gentle tone. He turned to look at her and saw the questions in her eyes. Did she really not comprehend what he was doing? A troubled look graced Bulma's face and she closed her mouth and stayed silent, continuing to look around at the guards who seemed to have all eyes on them for the moment, which was slightly nerve-wracking. She and Vegeta waited for only a few more moments as the reptilian finished the transaction rather speedily.
"The transfer is complete, your highness." the reptilian said, "Anything else I may do for you?"
"Yes,…" Vegeta said with all the authority and respect that being royalty instilled him with, "…close her account and destroy her old chip. I want to grant her full access to my account. Make her a duplicate of my credit chip as well."
The Saurian's slitted-pupils widened for a moment, before nodding slowly. This was not a light request. This was a very serious request…but who was he to question the heir to the Saiyan empire? If this is what he wanted, he would grant it without question. "As you wish, Prince Vegeta." The creature said, bowing again and resuming his work quickly. He closed the female's account and destroyed the credit chip that was tied to it, before getting on with the second part to Vegeta's request.
Vegeta then felt an urgent tug at his arm and he turned to look at Bulma. Her beautiful azure eyes had said it all, and he tried to ignore the questioned, confused look on her face. "What is it, woman? Don't you see I'm busy?"
"Vegeta, what are you doing? You're…you're sharing your account with me?" Bulma said in a soft tone, astonished at what she just heard him say. She was not quite believing it.
Vegeta took in a slow, deep breath, and let it out. He eyed her for a moment...and what he was studying from her, she did not know. After a few more seconds passed he relented, and decided to voice what he had thought she would have already realized. "Why not? You gave me full access to your bank account on your planet years ago. It's only fair to add you to mine."
"But…" Bulma trailed off, not sure how to respond to that logic. Of course she gave Vegeta access to her personal bank account on Earth. She was beyond wealthy, she could afford anything he could ever want while he was there. Unfortunately he was never the type to go shopping and buy anything for himself, let alone really want anything…but he had all her money available to him at his very whim to spend if he wished. She had always trusted him with her money because there had never been a reason not to. Not like with Yamcha. Even after knowing him and being with him for over 10 years, she was still hesitant in adding her fiancée to her bank account. Yamcha, with that much money….it would only lead to more problems. But now he was going to be her husband, and she would have to give him access to her account…and it was just one more issue she had when it came to marrying him.
It was in this moment that the truth hit her….her trust in Yamcha was very flawed, and with Vegeta it was complete. What did this mean? She didn't know what to say. She knew he was wealthy…she couldn't even fathom how much money he really had. Honestly, it never mattered to her. He trusted her with his money, and his wealth was more than substantial. She was sure he had enough credits to buy a galaxy if he wanted one. But considering who Vegeta was…what he was doing right now was a big sign that his trust in her was obvious. As far as Bulma knew, no one else had access to his account. Not his parents, not Tarble, not Goku, not anyone.
Except for her now, apparently.
At seeing that Bulma was at a rare loss for words, Vegeta crossed his arms across his chest, and reverted back to his logic. "Look, I don't want this happening again. I'm already taking time out of my day to bring you here to get you the funds you need for my gravity machine. I may not be around the next time you need to buy something. This way you will have full access to our account, so you can buy whatever you need or want."
Bulma blushed, hearing him say 'our'. A feeling she was unfamiliar with suddenly came over her. This was a big deal, and she was feeling touched and embarrassed by his gesture. She knew it went beyond the convenience factor. They both knew it did. "Thanks." she said genuinely, giving his arm a quick, affectionate squeeze.
"Hn. Just don't go buying planets or solar systems. You can barely handle balancing two planets right now as it is." Vegeta grunted out, turning his attention back to the reptilian who continued to work diligently in granting her access to the Saiyan's account and programming an exact copy of the prince's microchip for her.
Bulma responded by sticking her tongue out at him. "Please, you're not that rich."
"If that's what you want to think." Vegeta smirked.
"Really? Hmm, well now I guess I can check the account balance and find out." Bulma joked lightly, earning a glare from Vegeta.
"You women, no matter what planet you are from, you are all the same." he scowled slightly, shaking his head a bit.
"Ha ha." Bulma mused as she rolled her eyes, leaning into Vegeta's side and nudging him lightly. "Lighten up. If you're not careful, that scowl on your face will become permanent."
"Just like the ugly on yours?" Vegeta said, turning to look at her with amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Jerk." Bulma tried hard to get offended, but the faint smile on her lips betrayed her.
"Brat." Vegeta replied automatically. He was about to say something else to her when the reptilian teller, who had been keenly listening and observing them while he worked, decided now was as good a time as any to interrupt them.
"Prince Vegeta, the transaction has been completed. The duplicate microchip has been programmed. She will have full access to your account, as soon as I get a sample of her blood."
"Blood?" Bulma echoed, not expecting to hear what the reptile just said.
"Yes, I need your blood. DNA confirmation will allow you to come in here and perform any other transactions than can otherwise not be completed with a microchip." the raspy reptilian voice told her.
Bulma looked over at Vegeta, who looked at her with curiosity. "What woman? You can't tell me you're afraid of shedding a little blood now, are you?"
"No, I'm not afraid." Bulma retorted, giving Vegeta a challenging look, before turning to look back at the Saurian. "What must I do?"
"Place a few blood drop samples on this…" the reptile said, removing a protective cover from part of the counter they were at. Bulma looked at it in realization. She was the one who had invented and designed this! The only sure way to verify who someone was, was by DNA. Shapeshifters could always take on the appearance of someone, fingerprints could always be manipulated or faked, but DNA never lied. She had constructed this system as a security system for top ranked military personnel back on Earth, and when producing it on Vegetasei, she thought it would be for the Saiyan militia…not for use as this type of bank security.
"Nice." Bulma said to Vegeta, impressed that the Saiyans had one of the most elite banks in the universe using her technology.
"Well, get on with it woman, we don't have all day." Vegeta said, encouraging her to hurry up.
"What am I supposed to do, bite myself?" Bulma asked off-handedly, unsure of how exactly to give a blood sample. The idea of cutting herself open was not something she planned on doing right on the spot. What would she use to cut herself with, anyway?
"I'll bite you, if you're too afraid to do it yourself." Vegeta told her, reaching for her forearm and pretending to get ready to bite her.
"No!" Bulma squealed out a bit, pulling her arm away from him and throwing him a dirty glare.
"Calm down woman, I won't bite you." Vegeta said with a slightly dark chuckle as Bulma eyed him warily. He then proceeded to raise a single gloved index finger up to her, igniting his blue ki at the tip of it. "Give me your hand." he told her in a menacing tone, trying to give her a scare.
Bulma bit her lip as she saw his powerful ki at his fingertip. She was forced to think about the energy levels he could put out, as she remembered the data printouts from earlier that day. So much power and strength he held within him…enough to blow up planets if he wished. She saw the dark amusement in Vegeta's eyes and her own blazed with challenge as she reluctantly held out her hand to him. The prince took her hand in his own free hand, bringing his ki to the tip of her finger, gently slicing a small cut in it. Bulma had winced, but it turned out that it didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. She watched as her blood started to emerge slowly out of the wound. To her veiled surprise, Vegeta then guided her bloody finger over to the scanner and squeezed it, as they both watched a few big drops of her red blood drip onto it.
"Perfect." the reptilian said, watching as the device absorbed her blood and ran the DNA analysis, programming itself into the computer and forever linking her to the prince's bank account. And as the reptilian finished up the transaction, Vegeta pulled Bulma's hand away from the scanner, raising his ki around his hand as it momentarily held hers, and gave it a quick squeeze. His hold on her hand lasted only a couple of seconds, but as Bulma's hand was freed, she brought it up to her gaze for inspection. She expected to see her finger cut…but instead her small wound was all healed.
The unnamable emotion she felt for him grew within her a little more as she looked back up at Vegeta in wonderment. The prince, for the moment, was trying his best to ignore her as he studied the reptilian's work intensely. The woman didn't need to know this would be a permanent transaction, and as the system accepted her DNA code, he felt his chest burn with some sort of feeling he could not place a name to. Vegeta had spent countless times rationalizing to himself that they had known each other their entire lives, and practically lived with each other on both of their worlds….he could trust her. They were always forever going to be tied to each other, one way or another, so why not have her added to everything he owned and controlled?
She didn't need to know this transaction went beyond sharing only his money with her. She technically was an heiress to half the Saiyan empire now. Not that she needed to know that just yet. Or ever.
Bulma was all too glad to leave the huge bank, and every step further away from it and the guards, the more she felt like she could relax. Especially after that reptilian teller looked at her strangely after the transactions were complete, bowing deeply to her this time, as he had done with Vegeta right before they left. "Well that didn't take very long, considering it was a bank." she said light-heartedly, deciding not to ponder over it as she took another look at her now healed finger that held her new microchip between it and her thumb. Bulma reached behind her to put the chip in the back pocket of her jean skirt, and looked over at Vegeta who had stopped in his tracks and gave her a stern look.
"Really, woman? I just gave you a chip that grants access to one of the biggest accounts in the universe, and you put that chip in your back pocket like it's nothing?" Vegeta groused, looking at Bulma with a scowl as they paused momentarily on the pathway.
Bulma looked at him incredulously. "You didn't seem to have a problem with my old chip coming from my back pocket earlier."
"Will you just find a safer place to keep it at?" Vegeta grumbled, wondering if he had already made a mistake.
"Like where, Vegeta?" Bulma asked in an agitated tone, raising her arms up in mild frustration as she looked at him expectantly. "Look at what I'm wearing. A jean skirt and a straplesss tube top. Where else do you expect me to put it?!"
"Hell if I know, woman! Didn't you bring capsules?"
"How is that any safer, Vegeta? I could just as easily lose the capsule." Bulma reasoned, placing her hands on her hips.
"Well at least you could have brought a secure capsule! That way if you did lose one, chances are no one would be able to open it up!"
"Why in hell would I bring a secure one, Vegeta? We're going to be buying tons and tons of metal and materials for your gravity room. I brought practical capsules that can hold that much volume and quantity." Bulma said, beginning to get irritated, not knowing why Vegeta was so tense about this topic.
"Well then put the damn chip inside one of them, and let's get going." Vegeta growled, beginning to walk off again, when Bulma stood in front of him and stopped him.
"Well I am not putting it in one! I'm not going to keep popping open a capsule every time I need to use the chip." Bulma said stubbornly, standing her ground against Vegeta.
"You drive me crazy, woman." Vegeta said, the tip of his tail flickering against his hip in agitation as he glared down at her.
"Fine, Vegeta! How about I just put it here?" Bulma remarked sarcastically, taking the chip out of her back pocket and opening up the front of her tube top just enough to slip the chip between her chest and her strapless bra. She then looked at Vegeta with a challenging look. "Happy now?"
He watched with mild amusement at the woman's solution. "At least you don't have to worry about anyone wanting to reach in there and get it now." the prince couldn't help his snarky remark. "It's safe as hell in there."
"Ugh, you're such an asshole!" Bulma complained, keeping the microchip nestled between her skin and her bra, as she crossed her arms across her chest and turned away from Vegeta, beginning to storm off somewhere.
Vegeta's eyebrows furrowed as his gaze narrowed. "Where are you going?" he demanded, following suit.
"I'm hungry, I need something to eat. You're giving me a headache." Bulma responded, as she looked around and tried to determine where anything close to a restaurant on this planet could be at. Everything looked so commerce and commercial on the planet….there had to be some eateries around. It had been so many years since she had been on Capital World, she couldn't remember which way to go.
"You're going the wrong way." Vegeta responded after he phased in front of her, effectively bringing her to an abrupt halt as she walked right smack into him.
"Vegeta! What the hell!" Bulma complained, being knocked back slightly. She gave him an annoyed look as she huffed and swore under her breath. She self-consciously smoothed out her clothes. "How would you like it if I almost knocked you down?!"
"Hn. That would be the day." he responded, his eyes glinting with a deep hidden affection for her as he watched her gather her bearings after he so rudely got in her way. "Like I said, you're going the wrong way."
"Well, which way are the restaurants, then?" Bulma demanded from him.
"Hmm, I can't seem to remember…" Vegeta baited her, knowing he was pushing her buttons.
"Vegeta, I'm hungry, and you're starting to make me cranky. If you want me to build you your gravity room, then let's get something to eat, otherwise I might just forget how to build you anything!"
Vegeta's eyes narrowed, his dark pupils reflecting anger at her veiled threat. "We are not here on one of your day trips. Neither one of us has all day to waste. We only came here to get you the credits you need to buy the materials for my gravity room." Vegeta said sternly, giving Bulma a disapproving look. "Now we're going to go buy the materials, whether you like it or not. That in itself is going to take most of the afternoon." he finished off grumpily.
Honestly, he wasn't in any rush to get back home to Vegetasei like he made it seem to be. He was already in a deep amount of trouble after his stunts he pulled earlier this morning. He was sure by now that his parents and the royal palace realized he was off-planet again. His parents were going to be furious. Beyond furious. Absolutely enraged. Nappa and Radditz were going to get into a hell of a lot of trouble over not keeping track of him also. They were going to be pissed off at him also. But, the damage was already done, and going back right away would not make anything better. Hell, he figured he was already in plenty of trouble, so what if he took a few more hours out of his day to go eat and then get the materials? Maybe he wouldn't even go back to Vegetasei tonight. He thought about staying on Earth overnight, but that idiot fiancée of hers would probably try to come around and cause more trouble, and if Yamcha pushed his buttons one more time, it would be the last time he ever did so. Guaranteed.
"C'mon Vegeta…" Bulma whined slightly as she held her stomach, breaking the prince out of his dark thoughts. "You can't tell me you're not hungry either! You're Saiyan, you're always hungry."
Okay, so he was hungry. "Hn. But unlike yourself, I can put off my own needs and desires to get work done first. You can eat when we get back home." Vegeta told her stubbornly, not wanting to give in so easily. Hell, he was going to make her work for it.
"But I'm starving…" Bulma complained, deciding to change her tactics against Vegeta and gave him a sad, pleading puppy-dog look. "All I had for breakfast was that damn cupcake, and that's it. It's past lunchtime. C'mon, feed me." she coaxed.
Vegeta glared at her, his dark eyes boring into hers. Getting some food wasn't a bad idea at all, and as he looked into her impossibly blue eyes, he felt that today could be a very good day if they could just continue to get along. He was filled with a renewed sense of patience as something deep within him urged him to take advantage of this rare and precious time they had, away from their respective planets, away from their responsibilities and obligations…away from it all . He had so much work to do, and so did she…but she didn't seem in any great urge to get back to Earth for any reason, and he lacked desire to go back to Vegetasei for more than one reason. The main reason being the beautiful blue-haired human engineer who wanted to have lunch with him and spend the day with him, instead of being with her own fiancée.
Much to Vegeta's chagrin, he gave into her demands. "Fine woman, but only because I don't want to hear you moaning and bitching and complaining about being hungry the whole time. I'd rather be deaf than listen to you whine all day."
"Great!" Bulma said, happy that Vegeta agreed to them getting something to eat first before going to get the materials for his gravity room. She completely ignored his grouchiness, knowing he was probably hungry also. For whatever reason, her mother's words rang in her head about the way to get to a man's heart was through his stomach. She inwardly pushed the thought away as she smiled at him "Lead the way."
Vegeta let out an irritable sigh as he nodded his head to the left, motioning for her to follow him. They walked off together down the busy, winding streets and pathways, past the crowds of alien beings to a different, more relaxed, luxurious-looking part of the city that held upscale restaurants.
Yamcha flew over the grounds of Capsule Corp, unsure if Bulma had banned him from access to the complex like she had threatened him last night. He saw the land dotted with various craters, upheaved chucks of rock, earth, and grass that made the once perfectly landscaped grounds look like a war zone. As he neared Bulma's home, he saw workers down below, quickly working at fixing up the ground, filling the craters, and re-landscaping the immediate area around their house.
Without a sound, Yamcha landed slowly near the front door entrance to the house, glad to see his sports car where he had left it, still intact. He thought for sure that Bulma would have had it towed away and crushed into a small cube of twisted metal at the junkyard. He took it as a good sign that maybe she wasn't that mad at him, at least not that much anymore, since she had the night to sleep and think things over. Renewed with hope, he rang the doorbell, waiting for his future mother or father in-law to answer the door. He had searched for Vegeta's energy signature as he neared Capsule Corp, and to his great relief found that he was no where to be found. He just didn't think to look for Bulma's ki also, otherwise he would have realize that she wasn't anywhere to be found either.
The door opened, and like déjà vu, Bunny found Yamcha standing at their doorstep again. She sighed inwardly, knowing that he was going to come around and try to talk with her daughter. "Yamcha? What are you doing here?" she asked him neutrally, seeing him in a much different light after the terrible things he had said and done to Vegeta, according to what Bulma had told her last night.
"I'm here to see if I'm still getting married this Saturday." Yamcha said somewhat sheepishly, figuring Bunny already knew what happened between him and Vegeta. It was a rhetorical question though, and Bunny was glad that it was, since she wouldn't be able to give Yamcha an answer. She wasn't sure if Bulma knew that answer either.
"Bulma's not here, honey." Bunny told him in a soft, serious tone.
"She's not?" Yamcha said, concentrating on her ki and not sensing her anywhere on the compound. He stretched his senses further, trying to see if maybe she was at work across the city, but he couldn't sense her there either. After a moment, his eyes grew serious. "She's on Vegetasei already, isn't she?" he said, remembering what Vegeta had said last night to Goku about bringing her there.
Bunny nodded. "Yes, Goku took her early this morning. She had work to do on Vegeta's gravity room."
Yamcha's demeanor darkened at hearing Goku and Vegeta's names. He was still pissed at Goku for what he did, and if he hated Vegeta before, he hated him with a white hot passion now. Yamcha couldn't help the feeling of betrayal he felt…was Bulma always going to favor Vegeta and his demands over his own? Was he always going to be second place to that monkey prince? "When will she be back?" he asked in a stern tone.
Bunny bit her lower lip as she held the door halfway open, not knowing what to say to him. After a moment, she sighed. "I don't know Yamcha. She said she would be back in a few hours, but you know how she is. She will probably be gone all day, knowing her."
Yamcha fisted his hands, feeling some sort of unexplainable rage at hearing this. Here he was, thinking that he was going to talk with Bulma about last night, patch things up with her, and help out with whatever marriage arrangements were left. Instead, she didn't check up on him or talk with him before running off to Vegetasei. Running off to tend to Vegeta's every whim. "I guess I'll just wait here until she gets back then, if you don't mind." he said tersely, looking at Bunny expectantly.
"Alright, but you might be here a long time." Bunny said softly, opening the door wider and letting Yamcha in, watching him take a seat on one of their comfy couches as he crossed his arms over his chest in anger.
"It's fine, I've got all day for her."
'And she's got all day for Vegeta…' Bunny couldn't help but think to herself, as she shut the door and smoothed out her dress before turning around and giving Yamcha a small smile. "Would you like something to eat?" she offered, knowing that Yamcha was going to be there waiting for a very long time.
"Not right now, thank you." Yamcha said as kindly as he could, as he remained sitting, seething in anger and frustration over his fiancée and that damned Saiyan. Was Goku right? He had dismissed Goku's words to him the night before, but now he had to wonder…did Vegeta hold that much sway over Bulma? When it came down to it, would she really choose Vegeta over him?
Well, he decided he was going to find out. One way or another.
Things are getting interesting, wouldn't you say? We have yet to find out what Yamcha had said to Goku that morning. What do you think he said? How do you like what's going on between Vegeta and Bulma? And how about the ending of this chapter? Please let me know what you're thinking and feeling! I'm almost at 200 reviews, which is amazing! I never thought I'd have so many! Thanks for reading, everyone!