It was at least a week before Bulma really gave thought to flying again. Despite making up with Vegeta, they both still felt a little sore around each other. She worked late into the night, slipping into the cool sheets somewhere around two in the morning. Sometimes he would wake up, but most of the time he didn't. When he did, he let her curl into his heat, but he didn't do much beyond laying a hand on her head, deeply sighing before drifting off to sleep. When she woke up in the morning, he'd be gone. He always woke up earlier than her, but it had become a habit of theirs to make love right before the sun rose, when the spring nights were coldest, and she could wrap herself around his hot body. They didn't do it every morning of course, but if they went four or five days without sex, something was off.
She practiced her ki control in the middle of work, on and off through the day. When she stopped to eat lunch, she would concentrate on her stomach, tune her senses, and pull out a glowing orb of energy. She let it disintegrate, remembering how power hungry she'd gotten. Part of that was why she didn't feel like doing much else with her ki. Another part was Vegeta. After the rain incident, he didn't seem to be much in the teaching mood anymore. She could always ask Trunks, or one of her friends, but the thought of someone else picking up where Vegeta had left off didn't seem right. She wondered at his reaction. He used to hold grudges against her in the old days, and wasn't above revenge. But it had been years since he'd acted like that. Had she really hurt him that bad? Bulma sighed, racked with guilt. She knew how much he loved their kids. They were part of him, and he was proud of them to no end. She had used that as a weapon against him. Why did I expect him to just shake it off? Did I think that sex would make him forgive me that easily? Vegeta wasn't the kind of man that could be manipulated like that. She could use their love as a calming agent, but afterwards, when they cooled down, he wouldn't forget all wrongs against him. She remembered what he had said about "enjoying their fights". But he had also said he'd been turned on by being mad at her. He definitely wasn't turned on right now. Leaving in the morning was not something he did when he wanted her. She growled in frustration. What does he want? I've already apologized. We even made love in the gravity room, which is pretty compulsive for him. Does he expect me to do anything else? Maybe I should just talk to him. It didn't work in the old days, but he opens up so much easier now.
She found him in an unusual place. Checking where he normally went was an old option; this time she just read his ki signature. He was out in the yard. The sun was going down, and a chilly wind blew through the new flowers. It had rained earlier, and fresh water drops from the trees sparkled in his hair like dew. He just stood there, gazing off into the distance. Bulma knew that wasn't a good sign. He wasn't the most content person she had ever known (by a long shot) but his brooding never meant anything good. He had his arms folded across his chest, another bad sign. When his hands were in his pockets, it just meant he was thinking. But folded arms always meant anger and defensiveness. She tested the waters, feeling him out. Surprisingly, there was no anger there. Just a pensive dark cloud. So, was he feeling...vulnerable? The very idea almost made her laugh out loud. What could he possibly feel vulnerable about?
Offhand, she felt for the children's ki. Trunks was down in the lab, and Bra was with her parents, probably watching a favorite evening show. Both of them seemed content, though Trunks's ki was tinged with a bit of frustration. He always felt like that while in the lab. Bulma sighed. She was still not used to feeling everybody so intimately. She didn't know that ki reading could go beyond power levels, and she wondered if it was supposed to. Maybe she was just more sensitive? Did Vegeta read her emotions? If that was the case, then he must ignore them half the time. He never acted like he knew what she thought, since the beginning. She remembered having to drill that in his thick head early on. She practically had to tell the stubborn prince when she was angry, never mind why. She closed her eyes this time to get a better reading. Reaching deeper, she felt like he was right at her side, even though he was yards away. She brushed the dark cloud aside, trying to get to the source. Was it something from the past again? Was he feeling lost or unworthy like after the Cell Games? When she started to feel like she was getting somewhere, she felt a rush of air, and hard hands clamped her shoulders.
"Get out! How the hell are you doing that?" He shook her firmly, and she opened her eyes, startled.
"Vegeta! I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"
"If you didn't mean anything by it, then what are you doing? Just because you are my mate doesn't mean you can go in and out of my head any time you please. And you're still- Get OUT woman!" He shoved her back, as if that would make a difference. She fell backwards onto her butt, landing hard in the grass. She gasped as she bit her tongue.
"Ah…" Her fingers when to her mouth, coming away wet with blood. Vegeta's eyes widened, a flash of sympathy. Then they narrowed.
"Tell me how you are doing that. I never taught you." He crouched down, rocking back on his heels. He waited as she spat out blood, wincing. When she looked up from the grass, his black eyes were burning.
"Vegeta...why are you so angry? It's not my fault." Her voice was quiet, timid. Somehow it made his frown deeper. He abhorred weakness in all its forms. Especially with her, someone he considered himself on par with when it came to mental strength. His match.
"Where did you learn it?" His voice was rough, and he clamped a hand onto her wrist.
"I didn't learn it anywhere! It happened when you taught me to sense ki! I thought…" She paused, spitting more blood and wiping her mouth. Vegeta let go of her then, his eyes on the blood. Unexpectedly, his hand went to her face instead, gentle this time.
"It's not common, to sense emotions as well as ki."
"Really?" She looked up at him. He was closer to her now, on his knees and leaning in. "I just thought…" Her words were thick over her swollen tongue and she winced whenever she talked.
"Yes, really. Bulma…" His eyes narrowed at her again, but this time with concern.
"You need to put ice on that." His hand went from her face to her hair, and she felt the pull of his fingers at the nape of her neck. It relieved a headache that had been building there. She leaned into him suddenly, feeling like crying. She wanted everything to be okay between them.
"I'll stop...if that's what you want… I won't intrude." She wiped at her mouth, noticing a spot of blood on his shirt. He pulled her close, and she wanted to fall asleep right there, with his heat waves lulling her.
"I don't mind, if it's only a little. Just...don't go too deep. Okay?" He pushed her chin up with two fingers, reading her eyes. With a thumb, he wiped away a drop of blood at the corner of her lips. He frowned.
"Let's stop this bleeding. You look like a damn vampire."
They sat together in a small room off the kitchen. It was originally a bathroom, but had turned into more of a mini clinic. There were a few others in the house, and they'd been growing ever since Vegeta had started living there. Bulma was on the counter next to the sink. She watched Vegeta as he soaked a strip of white cloth into icy water, then brought it to her mouth. She stuck her tongue out, her hand reaching up, but he pressed gently. Usually he let her take care of herself. Maybe this time it was because he had shoved her, causing her this injury. His lips pressed together firmly and his eyes were soft on her face. She still wanted to talk to him, find out why he was in this strange mood.
"Be...ge...a." She tried to say. His eyebrow arched, amused.
"Are you really trying to talk like this?" His mouth quirked up into a tiny smile. "Just be quiet for a second. I know it's hard for you…" Bulma swatted his arm and growled softly, bringing out a rasp of laughter from him.
"Damn, woman." He chided. "You practically bit it off. How did you even do that?" Bulma rolled her eyes. He always acted like injuries were something to be proud of, even with her.
He stayed with her while the bleeding stopped. It took two rags, and when a third one came away clean, Vegeta shook his head.
"Can I have a mirror?" Her words sounded slurred, but he still understood her. He pulled out a drawer, reaching in without hesitation. He knew every medical room in his house like he knew his own body. Handing it to her, he laughed softly at her reaction. A small chunk was missing from her tongue.
"Oh god! My poor tongue. How the hell did that even…?
"Beats me. You are absurdly good at getting yourself hurt." Vegeta said. Bulma set down the mirror and waved her hand at him, pushing away the insult.
"Oh, shut up. This ruined the whole thing." She watched his eyebrow cock up.
"What whole thing?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Were you...planning something?"
"Well no. Just...come over here and sit down." She demanded. He hesitated for a moment, then sat next to her on the counter, eyeing her warily. He still held a long strip of linen bandage and he was winding it and unwinding it around his hand absently.
"I just wanted...to talk to you."
"About what?" His voice was soft, but not as defensive as she thought it would be.
"Well, we were starting to do well with the whole ki thing, until it blew up in our faces that night." She noticed his curious stare, and corrected herself. "Theoretically, I mean." She paused and took a deep breath. "I was wondering...if I ruined it. You don't seem to want to teach me anymore."
"Hn." He grunted, sitting quietly for a moment. His eyes were on the shelves, not seeing them. He clenched his fist under the tightly wound bandage. Then his hand relaxed.
"It's not that, Bulma. I still want to teach you."
"Do you? Really? Because you seem to-"
"Just," He stuck his hand in her direction, fending her off.
"Let me finish, will you?"
"Okay…" Now her eyes narrowed. So, there was something to this after all. He had a reason.
"I only wonder...why you want this."
"What? What do you mean?"
"What do I mean?" He snorted. "I only mean this! All this power!" He produced a ball of blue ki as easily as coughing.
"All this power?" Bulma's eyebrow arched. "What power? It's not like I have yours."
"That's not what I meant, and you know it." He sighed.
"Look. After I saw you that night… Your face... Hn." He seemed to be grappling with something in his mind, not sure how to say it.
"You should have seen yourself, Bulma. You looked...like me."
"You?" Bulma asked, perplexed.
"Yes, me. The me I was years ago. When I murdered countless souls, remember?" His eyes were self-mocking.
"How could-"
"I just mean that you had that same sort of madness in your eyes. Power is...well. It's not something to be taken lightly. Even when it's as little as what you have. You could still hurt someone pretty badly with how much energy you made. I just...want you to know that...It's not a game, Bulma." He whispered the last part, his eyes serious on her face. Her own eyes softened.
"I know that, Vegeta. Of course I do. I don't want to hurt anyone." She reached out with her senses. There was still something else.
"So...is that the only reason you didn't want to teach me anymore?" She said, coyly.
"Dammit, woman! You're doing it again! Are you going to pull it out of me?"
"Yes." She giggled. He growled.
"Didn't I just tell you this isn't a game? You can be so infuriating!"
"But there's still something, isn't there? Just tell me!"
"I don't have to tell you everything!" He leapt of the counter, tossing the bunched up linen into a corner with a snarl.
"No, you don't." His eyes swept to her. "Only when it's about me." She said, sitting up straight and haughtily. He took a deep breath through his nose and pinched the bridge.
"Woman…" There was a silence in the air, and Bulma waited.
"Fine. I'll level with you. Since you must have your way." He glared. She only nodded back.
"I...You...Argh! You're not powerless, Bulma! You never have been."
"Yeah? So?"
"So? So it doesn't matter if you can do this or not. You do know that, don't you?"
"Well...I guess."
"It's true. I've never thought so. I've always…" he gulped, seeming to choke. "Liked you that way, just the way you are." He looked at the tiled floor, his fists clenching at his sides. Bulma was flattered...for a moment.
"What, weaker than you?" His head snapped up, eyes flaring.
"Are you trying to push my buttons?"
"Vegeta, no, I-"
"Because it seems that way to me. You're disregarding everything I'm saying and throwing it back at me."
"Well, I'm sorry, but you're being a little silly." She backed away when she saw the flash in his eyes, but still held his, full on.
"Silly? Oh, I've had it with you." Instead of turning around, he only got closer to her. She could feel anger rolling off of him, but she wasn't afraid. She was used to this feeling. He reached out to her, his hands trembling, and she guessed he was going for her shoulders. For some reason, he liked to make a point by shaking her every once in awhile. He couldn't handle it when she disrespected him. The idea made her keep talking.
"No, that's it, isn't it, Vegeta. You don't want me to gain power, because you like dominating me. That's the real problem here." She said it with such confidence that he stopped in his tracks. His hands fell to his sides.
"What?!" His teeth clenched around the word. "That is the most idiotic thing you have said in years. How could you possibly…" He did turn around now. Bulma watched as his shoulders quaked and his breathing became heavy with anger. She stared as his back, a little turned on.
"Bulma." His voice was quiet, lowering down on her like smoke.
"I have never even tried to dominate you. You know it." He turned then, and his dark eyes glittered with the truth. Bulma bit her lip. It was true. If anything, she had always been trying to dominate him. And he let her. Even in bed. His face was inches from hers.
"Because if I ever did, you would know it. And you couldn't handle it." He was still panting with the effort to hold back his anger. Her heart beat faster, and she couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed his face between her hands and kissed him, hard. He was too shocked to pull back. Then she was laughing against his mouth. He pushed her away, outraged.
"So." She giggled. "You're still going to teach me how to fly, right?" He lunged at her. "Not if I kill you first!" In one swift motion, he pushed her into the sink. She squealed with laughter as he stormed out.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'!" She yelled after him. Her answer was a tangle of incoherent curses. She smiled to herself. This was Vegeta in his natural state.