When she reached the grounds, she was surprised to see Vegeta and Bra sitting down. They almost looked like they were meditating. She wanted to ask, but when she saw how serious her daughter looked, she hid a smile and sat quietly on the grass, her slim legs folding gracefully under her. Then she looked over at Vegeta. His eyes were closed and he wore a look of mild concentration. It almost looked like he was trying to teach her telepathy. She wondered if they could do that. He had mentioned being about to speak in Nappa's mind, as well as Goku's. It seemed to be a Saiyan thing. Either that, or he could only talk to them because they had weak minds. She felt like the two of them were connected like that too, and could speak with telepathy, but she wasn't sure if she wanted his voice in her head. It could be dangerous when she was working on something delicate (and explosive) to hear "WOMAN!" in her head. She was tempted to ask about it, when Vegeta spoke first.
"Do you feel her?" His head was turned toward their daughter, though his eyes were still closed. Bra hummed to herself, concentrating.
"Hmmm...I think...yeah…"
"Keep trying." His voice was firm, but soft. Bulma squirmed a little on the grass. He made better teaching material then she thought, and if he used this voice on her, they might have to make it a private lesson. He was quiet for a moment longer, and they could still hear Bra humming.
"Try not to make any noise, Bra. It might distract you."
"But...I can't help it, Papa. I hum when I draw too."
"Well, this isn't the same as drawing. It needs your full attention. All your senses must be completely aware."
"Okay…"
"Do you feel your mother yet?"
"I guess...she's not very strong." Bulma made a snorting noise.
"Great. That's real nice." Bra's eyes snapped open.
"Oh! You're right there! It felt like you were way over there!" She pointed to the far off mountains surrounding West City.
"Hey!" She shot Vegeta a glare as he laughed out loud.
"Well, it her defence, you don't feel that strong today. I still think you're coming down with something." Bulma just sighed.
"Whatever. Are we going to sit around all day and see if she can detect my weak-as-hell ki, or are we…Stop laughing at me, you jerk!"
"All right. Bra, you can at least read her. That's fine for now. Let's focus on me. I'm easy to read."
"Pfffttt…"
"Shut up over there, woman."
"Hey, can you at least tell me how to read it, so I can try to find you too?"
"For one thing, it's called "reading" not "finding". And for another-"
"Papa! I can feel you! WHOA! It's SO much more than Mommy's!" Bulma rolled her eyes at the arrogant look on her husband's face.
"Wait until I power up. This is the lowest my ki can get."
"Really? Wow. You're like...like...a GOD." He chuckled.
"Well, that is one of my forms."
Bulma stood up suddenly.
"If this is just going to be a big hero-worshipping session, then I'm going to-"
"Oh, just sit down."
"Don't go, Mommy! This is fun!" Bulma sat down again with a growl.
"Fine. But I came to learn too."
"Teach Mommy!"
Vegeta pulled himself off the ground, his legs unfolding effortlessly and pushing him up without the use of his arms. He slowly walked over to Bulma then sat down beside her. He held his hand out, palm flat.
"What are you doing?" Bulma arched an eyebrow.
"Blasting you. No, just...give me your hand. Lay it flat against mine."
"Is this part of the sensing stuff?"
"No, but you need a little more energy to help you focus. Hold still."
"What? You're going to give me-" She was cut off as a pulse of electric ki tingled through her skin. It went from her hand, all the way up her arm and into her chest. She felt like her heart had been given a jolt, but it wasn't painful. She blushed when she remembered a few instances of what he called "sharing ki" in bed. She had never thought he would so casually do it in front of their daughter.
"There. That's closer to what yours normally feels like. Now you can be at your best for this."
"It's just reading ki. You're not gonna make me do an eight minute mile are you?"
"What?" Vegeta looked at her curiously.
"It just...running a mile in eight minutes or less. It's an exercise we do to challenge...Oh, what am I telling you for?"
"That's pathetic! Eight minutes? For just a mile! Heh, heh, heh…"
"I can do it faster!" Bra yelled.
"I'm sure you can, honey." Bulma smiled and shook her head.
"Okay, Vegeta. I'm ready now, right. Teach me."
"You know…" Vegeta sighed. "I don't think I've never known anyone that was more impatient than me." He sat there for a second, thinking.
"All right. Now. To sense ki, you need to open up all of your other senses first. So, focus on each sense one by one, until you are using them all. It sharpens your awareness."
"Okay...so what first?"
"Well, close your eyes first, and use sight last." Bulma closed her eyes.
"First, listen. Focus on one thing."
"Birdies?" Bra chimed in.
"Hn. Whatever you want. I just listen to my breathing. It helps if it's something that constant." Bulma nodded, taking a deep breath, then letting it out slowly. She kept an even pace, listening intently.
"What do you do if it's windy or rainy, Papa? And you can't hear your breathing?"
"Then you plug your ears."
"But then you can't hear anything!"
"Not true. Try it." Bra stuck her fingers in her ears and her little tongue stuck out of the edge of her mouth while she concentrated. Vegeta's eyes darted over to Bulma.
"Now, try touch." His voice was slightly suggestive as he said it. Bulma's hand reached out to him, but he leaned away.
"Probably not the best idea to touch me. I know how distracted you get." Bulma wrinkled her nose in mock irritation. She didn't see his smirk, as he took her hand and placed in on the grass.
"This has good texture to focus on. Rough, yet soft."
"Like your hair…" Bulma whispered.
"Hnn...Bra, what do you hear?"
"It's sounds like the ocean."
"That's the blood rushing through your ears."
"Ew!"
"There's nothing wrong with blood."
"It's yucky, Papa."
"It's far from dirty. In fact, it's cleansing."
"What does that mean?"
"It means...clean. And yours is royal blood. The purest of all blood."
Bulma rolled her eyes under her eyelids.
"Jeez.." She muttered.
"Hey, focus on your grass over there. And don't forget your breathing."
"What's the next one I should use?"
"Ooh, Papa! I hear a thumping noise!"
Vegeta sighed, trying not to growl as he dragged a hand through his thick hair. Between the two of them, he wasn't so sure training both had been a good idea.
"That's your heartbeat, Bra. You can use that as a constant sound too."
"Oh, wow! Kay!"
Vegeta turned to Bulma again.
"Next, use smell."
"Right. What the hell am I supposed to use for taste?"
"We'll get to that. I use blood or sweat."
"That's disgusting! I am not drinking my own blood!"
"Oh, would you just focus, woman!"
"Fine. Smell. I'll use...the grass again."
She pulled out a few blades of grass and put them to her nose.
"Jeez, this is a lot to concentrate on. Now I've got what, my breathing, the grass for touch and smell, and..what was the other one?"
"Tch...Aren't you a scientist? Shouldn't you be used to...it was...we haven't done a fourth one yet, Bulma!"
"Oh, right." She took a deep breath, inhaling the grass and touching it with her other hand. But she was distracting herself, trying to find what she would use for taste. No way in hell was she going to lick her own blood. How had he even… She pictured Vegeta in battle, sweat and blood dripping down his face, listening to his own heartbeat thundering in his ears, and his rapid breathing. The fabric of his gloves in his clenched fists… It made sense, and was starting to arouse her. Her face flushed, and she felt her heartbeat pick up a pace. Suddenly she felt Vegeta's warm body beside her.
"What are you thinking about that's distracting you so much?"
"You...in battle…" She whispered.
"Well…" He chuckled. "Stop it."
"I can't… You use blood from most of your sensory stuff, don't you? Taste, smell, even feel…?"
"If I knew that blood turned you on so much I'd-"
"It doesn't. I was just thinking."
"That's enough thinking. The next sense is taste. Did you find something besides blood for that yet?" His voice was low, and she could feel the vibration of it this close to her. Their eyes locked together for a moment.
Bra was a couple of yards away, jumping up into the air in an attempt to fly. She was becoming independent, and sometimes, if the attention wasn't on her, she wouldn't demand it, like most three-year-olds, but find something to amuse herself with. It was a trait that she got from her father. Bulma was very demanding, even now.
"I think...I guess I'll just use the grass again. Is it weird to keep using one thing?"
"No. Actually, it's easier to focus on just one thing anyway. But there aren't many things you can do all five with." Bulma's eyebrow arched, and she moved even closer to him, her lips brushing over his.
"I can think of one…" Her heart fluttered as he leaned into her, his lips pressing firmly against hers. She felt his teeth nip her bottom lip, and she moaned softly, pushing her hand through his thick hair. He pulled her onto his lap, and she laughed into his mouth. She had expected him to scold her for not focusing. Not to mention how close in range their daughter was. Since the beginning, they never had much control as soon as they starting touching each other. It was what got them together in the first place, and what had given them their son. She could feel his tongue in her mouth when Bra shouted.
"PAPA! I'm flying!" She was hovering two feet off the ground. Vegeta tore his face away from Bulma's and almost threw her off his lap.
"Hey! Vegeta!" Bulma fell onto the grass, indignant. But he was already walking over to his daughter. She was falling slowly towards the ground.
"Don't lose it, Princess! Hold on to your ki. Remember what I told you about your belly. Control it, don't let it control...Good. Keep it up. You can go higher now." As she pushed up into the air foot by foot, Bulma smiled at Vegeta's enthusiasm. He was laughing as he instructed her. She only wished that he had been more like this with Trunks. But their son had been a serious boy, like his father. Bra liked to laugh and smile more, so maybe Vegeta felt like it was easier to be that way with her. She only hoped he was that patient with her. Seeing how much effort it took Bra to do it, she wasn't sure if she could. At least not as easily.
They both watched her soar higher, and when she got higher than the highest tree, Vegeta launched into the air after her. He showed her how to flatten her body out, putting her arms in front of her, and stretching her legs out behind. She slowly coasted for a few minutes, but after awhile, she started to falter. When she wobbled enough to lose altitude, the prince caught her up in his arms. Bulma smiled as she saw Bra's little hand rise up over her head to be gently smacked by Vegeta's.
"I DID IT!" She yelled triumphantly.
"You did!" He dropped down onto the grass with her, and she scurried out of his arms like a monkey, and came running towards Bulma.
"Did you see, Mommy?"
"I saw, baby! You did so good!" She pulled her daughter into an embrace and the two rubbed noses and giggled. Vegeta joined them, putting a hand on Bulma's shoulder.
"Now, let's have two victories today."
"I can't fly in one day, Vegeta!"
"No, but you can read my ki. As soon as you intensify all five senses, you can start controlling your own ki enough to read mine. And once you can do that, you can start learning how to fly. I learned them both at the same time when I was young too. It's like learning to walk and talk around the same time."
"Papa! Can I teach her?"
"To fly? I don't think-"
"No, to read ki. Can't she read mine?"
"Well, she could, but we have to start with a stronger signature, so we need mine. I might need to power up a bit too, before she can read it properly." Bulma rolled her eyes.
"It's nice that you have faith in me." Vegeta pinched her shoulder.
"I didn't say I was going to turn into my god form. Although…"
"Oh, come on!"
"Super Saiyan might be fine."
"Vegeta!"
"All right," He chuckled. "I won't go Super. But if you can't sense me before that form, then I may be disappointed in you."
"No pressure, then." Bulma sighed.
"Mommy, I'm hungry." Bra said.
"Okay, hon. Go have lunch with Nana and Pop-Pop." The little girl ran to the house, waving to her parents.
"Kay! Work hard, Mommy!"
"'Work hard'? Gee, I wonder who she learned that from?" She looked at Vegeta, who was smiling after her. She could see the pride shining in his eyes. He looked back at her.
"Okay, you. What senses do we have left?"
"Just sight."
"Hn. Well, you have to start over again, and concentrate, since you lost focus."
"That was your fault!"
"If I recall, woman, you were the one who kissed me first."
"Oh, whatever." Bulma huffed, lowering herself to the ground and pulling up a tuft of grass again. Vegeta stood above her this time.
"Are you going to hover over me? Because I really won't be able to-" He was sitting next to her in one quick movement.
"Just shut up and focus."
"Nice." She sighed. Just before she closed her eyes, to re-center herself with the other four senses, she saw Vegeta's mouth twitch into a devilish smirk. He really was enjoying himself far too much.