Thank you for the enthusiastic response to the first chapter! I enjoyed writing it.

Several months after his recovery, Vegeta had begun to feel odd in a different way. He had been waking up more often with red and itchy eyes - and more tired. The sensations would typically subside after bathing and exercising, but sometimes they returned when he frequented certain areas of the house or the lab.

Early one morning Bulma found him in the kitchen looking miserable. His food was partially eaten - that shocked her - and his eyes and nose were a light shade of crimson, and he was sniffling.

"You look like hell," she said. "Shouldn't you be training? You're usually awake before all of us. Is something wrong?"

Vegeta let out a harsh breath. "I did not sleep well last night. Now leave me alone."

"So what happened? You sound a little hoarse."

"Woman, I said… I said leave me! Heeshu!" Vegeta rubbed his eyes and sniffled. "What part of leave me alone do you not understand? Echhhu!"

Bulma stared at him. "Uh, bless you?"

"I do not… eh…eh.. echuu! I do not need to be to be blessed, whatever that means. Echhh!"

Vegeta's sneezing episodes at night were obviously getting worse. Now he was waking up with them. It had been that way for weeks since Bulma and her parents left for their two-month holiday. He had not been excited about their return either. They would likely insist that he undergo more unpleasant medical tests. Compared with his past injuries, this problem still seemed trivial. His trusted that his body would eventually conquer whatever it was.

"Oh my," Bulma said with a wide grin. "You sound sick." She tried to conceal her amusement at his unsuccessful attempts to control himself. The embarrassment was unbearable for him. He had to get away from her, but not before grabbing a stack of napkins to wipe his increasingly runny nose.

He struck the kitchen counter. "Heshuu!" Napkins flew everywhere. "I feel fine! Saiyans are rarely ill."

Bulma was thankful that Vegeta had enough self-control to not break the ceramic tiles. He's becoming more polite.

She could barely contain her laughter as he stormed out. "Let me know if you need tissues, your lordship! Napkins can irritate sensitive noses."

"Shut up, Bulma!"

Bulma almost felt guilty about her schadenfreude - but not that much. After making sure Vegeta was far, far away, Tama tiptoed over to rub her ankles. The cat wanted to be picked up and nuzzled, which the young woman happily did. "Tama, this isn't good. Did you miss us, pretty kitty? Did that jerk try to act civilized while we were gone? Now I have to figure out what's happening without him going berserk on me. He's becoming more trouble than what he's worth. Go play now. Dad has been looking for you."

Tama liked being where she was, but she conceded to Bulma's wishes and jumped down to the floor. She had other goals to fulfill before seeing Dr. Brief, though: first a nap and then more play time outside.

Bulma had an idea as the cat ran upstairs: follow her.

Vegeta forced himself to train hard after leaving the kitchen. He still felt run-down, but the adrenaline flowing through his body cleared his mind. A great workout equaled relief from his symptoms, even as they had become more severe. He often left clean clothes outside on a bench next door to training room, which had a standalone shower and steam room. On this day, Tama had been captivated by white ball of socks, but she was having trouble deciding whether to play with it. A neatly rolled pair of men's briefs underneath enticed her too. She could use the fabric for finishing touches on another one of her many nesting sites. If all went well, she would return for the socks.

The strange man had lived there long enough to be more civil. Maybe he and Bulma could play with her together! Those two didn't yell as much, which Tama's sensitive ears appreciated; usually they would argue intensely before going their separate ways. Sometimes the man left home for a couple days. He spent a lot of time alone.

Feeling better, Vegeta left the gravity room drenched in sweat and ready to shower. He had counted each piece of clothing - down to his shoelaces - before leaving to train. He always stacked his apparel in the exact same order too, but this time his belongings were in disarray - and his underwear was gone.

A dirt trail leading away from the bench exposed the culprit. Veins bulged from Vegeta's temples. That animal is going to die…painfully!

Flying to find the cat would've been improper, so Vegeta took off running. Meanwhile, Tama had found a comfy spot under the outdoor gazebo where no one could reach her unless someone destroyed the structure. Vegeta was so blinded by fury and embarrassment that he failed to see Bulma strolling cheerfully to her machine lab. She was carrying various wires, large and small, on both shoulders.

Vegeta took her down within seconds after tripping on the wires. They didn't collide head-on, thankfully. He managed to shield her from striking ground with full force.

Dazed and covered in cables, Bulma looked up at him. "What the hell are you doing, Vegeta? You could have killed me!"

"Your demonic cat stole my underwear!"

Bulma smacked the back of his head. "It can be replaced, you idiot! And what exactly had you planned to do with Tama? Apparently she snatched your garment because she likes you better now, and only god knows why that is. She made her approval clear by taking a prized possession."

"My underwear, Bulma? You and that damned cat are out of your minds! If you consider that being liked, I prefer hatred. At least I would know what I am dealing with. And why are you carrying all these blasted wires?"

Each time they tried to get up, the more tangled they became. Finally, Bulma erupted in laughter. She had so much life in her, Vegeta thought. She also seemed unfazed by lying in the dirt. She was more versatile and comfortable with herself than he realized. He had not paid close attention in all the time he had lived there. That was by choice.

And there they were, stuck together.

"I like seeing you tied up," he said.

Bulma brushed smudges from his face and workout shirt. "I am not surprised in the least about your affection for bondage, Vegeta."

He couldn't stop looking at her eyes. They were stunning. Not once in recent memory could he describe anything that way. When Bulma's breathing softened, he pulled her up for their first kiss. Time had stopped just for them, and the feeling was sublime.

Then Vegeta felt a tickle in his throat. The time clock was ticking again. Panic ensued. No, no, no! Not now!

Pushing Bulma away from him, Vegeta fell backward to cover his face. "Eesch! Hee-shu eesch!" He was more congested than ever, and her sympathetic look was maddening. Here he was, brought to his knees - literally - by this malady. He wanted to crawl into a hole and die - a deep one. He considered digging it himself.

"Okay, that's it," Bulma said. "Get up and come with me, big guy."

"Do not give me orders." Vegeta grumbled and wiped his eyes. "I have other things to do. We were unfocused just now, so this interruption happened at the right time."

Irritated, Bulma kicked a mound of dirt onto his shoes. "I am not ordering you. I know what the problem is. It's more than an interruption."

"There is no…no... eesch! There is no problem, Bulma."

"And you are a stubborn fool," she said. "You don't usually run from street fights. I'm surprised you aren't eager to conquer this. Didn't you just say you have better things to do, or has my hearing gone bad?"

"Stop talking and find me a tissue," Vegeta snapped. "I am going to… going to…" Bulma held a thick handkerchief over his nose while he sneezed repeatedly. Luckily, she was still wearing a lab glove on that hand. His vulnerability almost seemed cute. Then again, using cute and Vegeta in the same sentence scrambled Bulma's brain.

"Meet me in 30 minutes after you bathe," she said, "and take the handkerchief. I definitely don't need it anymore."

Vegeta clenched his jaw and nodded. "Fine."