Thanks to those who reviewed. The Saiyan stuff I come up with is out of my own head...AU remember?

Sometime in 764 A.D.

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

Chiasa looked up from her suitcase at the blue haired scientist leaning against the door frame. Her puffy hair was in a bun, though a few strands had fallen out and were frizzing against her cheeks. She was wearing her lab coat and she was covered in oil and grease, which meant she must have a new invention of some kind. After showing Chiasa to her room, Bulma had disappeared for a couple of days. Vegeta, angry and irritated as per normal, had put Chiasa through her paces as they commenced with her training. Tonight was the first time she'd had a chance to unpack. She was exhausted and it must have shown, because Bulma was visibly concerned.

"Yes, Bulma," Chiasa answered softly, shoving the now empty suitcase under her bed.

"You look exhausted," Bulma observed, finally entering the room and taking a seat on the rumpled covers.

Nibbling on the side of her cheek, Chiasa finally nodded. "I have been lax in my training. Now that I am where Prince Vegeta feels I left off, it will not be so harsh. Wei Tai will train me in the mornings and devote the afternoons to his training. He is already past 100 times gravity."

"I know," Bulma said sourly, rolling her eyes. "He's already damaged the damn thing multiple times and who do you think has to fix it?"

The young Saiyan noticed Bulma's complaints had no real heat behind them and seemed to be said by rote. Chiasa had learned it was one of many old arguments that her Prince and the scientist engaged. She almost sensed it was another way for her Prince to battle without the obvious bloodshed. Bulma seemed more alive after an explosive dispute, even more so than when her boyfriend Yamcha would stay. Of course, Chiasa valued her life far too much to make such an observation aloud so she merely made noises of sympathy.

"So, then, I guess in the afternoons you'll be doing homework?" Bulma trying to be motherly made Chiasa want to giggle, but she did not want to hurt her host's feelings so she nodded.

"For part of the afternoon, yes, I will do homework. Although it would make more sense to train all the time in order to be ready for the enemy."

Snorting, Bulma leaned back on her elbows. "Do you really think that Vegeta and Goku are going to let you fight? Goku won't because you're his daughter and Vegeta…well; the mighty Prince of all Saiyans wants all the glory for himself."

"Damn right woman," Vegeta growled from the doorway. "That piece of shit machine broke again."

Bulma uttered a short, rather high pitched scream that had both Saiyans wincing in agony. "I just fixed it this morning, Vegeta you baka!"

The Prince snorted. "It is no fault of mine you are incapable of building a machine capable of withstanding my power. Perhaps you are not as intelligent as you would have me believe?"

The frizzy hair around Bulma's face almost seemed to bristle with a life of its own. "Listen here you ingrate! I'm the smartest woman on this planet and you could only wish for a percent of my intelligence. I should leave the machine just like it is and let you figure it out yourself."

Vegeta smirked. "Please, go right on ahead. I'll just take my frustrations out on the unsuspecting populace. That should be fun."

Leaping to her feat, Bulma stood toe to toe with the unruffled Prince, her finger poking his solid chest. "Just try it, mister, and Goku will have you in a headlock so fast you won't even have a chance to call him a third class baka. You might think you're some all powerful being, but you'll always be second best to Goku and that's all the insurance I need."

The silence that descended after Bulma's well placed barb was thick with violence and the control that Vegeta was exerting to not snap the scientist's neck. Chiasa's fists clenched at her sides and she had no idea what she would do if Vegeta attacked. Her allegiance must be to him, but Bulma had opened her home to them. The Prince's entire face had hardened into fury at Bulma's words, but now the features had smoothed into its usual impassive mask. With nary a word to either female, Vegeta turned on his heel and left.

The two watched him go and when Bulma turned to face Chiasa, her blue eyes were swimming with unshed tears. "Oh, Kami, what have I done? How could I say that? All the work I've been doing to get through to him and I let my temper completely ruin everything."

She babbled in this same vein for several minutes and Chiasa listened sympathetically, not really understanding half of what her friend said. What did it matter if Bulma got through to Vegeta? They weren't friends, she wasn't subordinate to the Prince, and they had no true reason to interact save for when equipment needed to be repaired. Perhaps if they were seeing each other like Bulma and Yamcha were, but they weren't and Chiasa would know because she was with Vegeta most of the day and sometimes long into the night.

"It'll be fine, Bulma."

Wiping away tears, Bulma gave Chiasa a tremulous smile. "Yeah, well, at least one of us is optimistic." She sighed and stood. "I better go fix that stupid chamber. Sorry you had to see that, kid."

Chiasa shrugged and watched Bulma leave, wondering what she was going to do now. There was no way in hell she was going to look for her Prince when he was in that kind of mood. Glancing out at the window, she could see the sun was setting in a blaze of orange, red, and yellow. She could just fly around. It was better then starting on homework at any rate.

Leaving through her window, Chiasa flew aimlessly, without a care in the world. It was a warm, balmy evening and she was training again. She had almost everything she could wish for and what she did not have had long since been pushed deep inside. The first 7 years of her life had been spent trying to earn her father's approval. The rest of it would be spent forgetting he even existed.

Looking down at her surroundings, Chiasa realized she had no idea where she was and her stomach was grumbling that it was hungry. In the process of determining what to do, Chiasa felt a flare of power and then heard the noise normally following a blast. Heading in the direction of the commotion, Chiasa tried to make sense of the power, but could not recognize it. Whoever it was, he or she was powerful, more so then she, which was galling if understandable.

Past the stretch of forest was a clearing and two figures could be seen training. As she drew closer she recognized the warriors from the day Freiza had arrived, but could not recall their names. Her attentions had been preoccupied by the stranger, although she did recall they had not been pleased to see her Prince.

The bald warrior tensed and glared at her when she landed. His companion, who looked like a china doll merely smiled and bowed. "Hello."

"Hey," Chiasa said, her tail lashing behind her, the only sign she was not as relaxed as she appeared. Her stomach rumbled again and her face flushed as the china doll giggled.

"Tien, we should be getting dinner ready and we can invite our new friend."

"New friend? Chaotzu we don't even know who this is," the one called Tien glared at her suspiciously. "Although she does look familiar."

"This is Goku's daughter, remember? We met her some months ago."

Realization dawned and while he no longer looked suspicious, he was wary. "Weren't you with Vegeta?"

"I still am," Chiasa said, not sure if she liked this guy. His friend was nice though and had promised her food. "I was just flying and I felt your levels, wanted to see what was going on."

"We're training," Tien growled, crossing his arms. "Or we were."

Chiasa almost stuck out her tongue, but the one called Chaotzu distracted her. "Let's go eat, Tien, I'm famished. Are you hungry…?"

"Chiasa," she supplied following Chaotzu. "And I am starving, thanks for the invite."

Behind them she could hear Tien groan and mutter something about Sons and food. He did follow, however, and shortly they arrived at a capsule house next to a pretty, but noisy waterfall. "This place is great," Chiasa said. "Are you guys alone out here?"

"That would be the basis of the appeal," Tien muttered, following her into the home. It was sparsely decorated, definitely a bachelor pad, but the simplicity appealed to Chiasa. She was not into frills either.

"Cool. Want help?"

Chaotzu waved her away and Chiasa took a seat in the air, floating in a relaxed lotus position. Tien raised an eyebrow, and took a seat on a normal chair while his friend prepared the meal. "Gohan said you were good with technique."

"Tien's the best," Chaotzu said loyally from his place in the kitchen. "He may not be the strongest, but he's way ahead of Goku when it comes to finesse."

Tien flushed and looked at the ceiling to escape Chiasa's grin. For the next few minutes Chaotzu regaled Chiasa with some of Tien's exploits, including how he defeated Goku at a tournament.

"It was luck," Tien said quickly, seeing the awe that filled Chiasa's face.

"Luck or not, you won. That's more then anyone else can say."

He stared thoughtfully at her and then asked, "Why are you with Vegeta?"

It was a serious question and deserved more than a blithe answer. Chiasa tilted her head slightly and finally said, "He was the only one who would train me."

The warrior nodded and said nothing more as Chaotzu served dinner. It was simple, but delicious and there were tons, which satisfied Chiasa. Most of the conversation was driven by the tiny Chaotzu, with Chiasa occasionally supplying information or answers to his questions. Tien said little, but studied Chiasa, which was unnerving. She refused to acknowledge it or him, and after helping Chaotzu clean up, promising to return, she flew back towards Capsule.

The next few months Chiasa lost herself in her training. The mornings were her favorite time of the day because she had Vegeta's undivided attention. He trained her harder then ever before and she could feel her strength growing exponentially. No matter how hard she tried, though, she was never strong enough to join him in the gravity chamber, so the afternoons were spent studying or assisting Bulma.

That afternoon, she found Bulma weeping over a glass that smelled suspiciously like liquor.

"Bulma, what's wrong?" Chiasa asked, taking a seat next to the blotchy woman. Sniffling, Bulma wiped at her eyes and blew her nose in a hanky she pulled from her lab pocket.

"Oh, nothing, just, Yamcha and I broke up."

"Why? You seemed so happy?" Inside, though, Chiasa was pleased. She was not fond of the sniveling, weakling who tried to mock her Prince, knowing Vegeta was restrained from fighting back.

"Well," Bulma said with a sigh. "It's difficult to explain, but basically it all boils down to the fact that some people just don't work out."

That was a bald faced lie if she had ever heard one, but the Saiyan chose not call her on it. Bulma was trying to save face over something and Chiasa graciously let her. Besides, it was the end result that mattered which was Yamcha gone, hopefully for good.

Vegeta always started their mornings with kata, mostly for her to warm up. He claimed she was on the last set that all Saiyans learned, but Chiasa had a feeling he would think up others…maybe make some up just to be mean. She hated doing kata; it was boring and useless, but he made her do them anyway.

"Yamcha and Bulma broke up," Chiasa said in the middle of a tricky step.

"Why should I care? Start over; you know you're not supposed to talk."

Grumbling softly about slave drivers, she began the kata again, not even realizing that the old Vegeta would have smacked her upside her head for complaining. Instead, Vegeta was staring at the house, a contemplative look on his face. Ever since their last blow up, the woman had been avoiding him unless he sought her out for repairs to the chamber. She had fallen back into the old pattern of ignoring him and her timidity bothered the Prince. The woman was one of the few bakas on this planet who enjoyed verbal sparring as much as he did. The brat was too respectful to talk back and Kakarot was far too dumb.

"Stay here, brat, and keep doing that kata until I return."

Chiasa watched him go, wondering what was going through his head, and half tempted to follow him. Weighing the odds of getting caught, she decided against it. There were far worse punishments then doing this kata. After minutes continued to tick by, Chiasa grew bored and looked around for something to do. Standing innocently in front of her was the gravity chamber where Vegeta spent so much of his time. She had been forbidden to enter by both Bulma and the Prince, which she found inherently unfair. Realizing she would never have a chance like this again, Chiasa decided to do some exploring.

In her defense, she could not have stopped even if the androids had arrived early and threatened to blow the world to pieces. Chiasa had a curiosity that regularly landed her in trouble, but it would rage until satisfied. It was why she was here, training with a killer instead of dutifully listening to her parents. She entered the chamber and saw there wasn't much to look at. It was a gleaming room of chrome and metal with a terminal to the side. Going over to the machines, Chiasa looked at the different buttons and screens, knowing somehow this would turn on the gravity.

And then there it was. The proverbial red button. It almost seemed to gleam and glisten, beckoning her with a single minded chant: push me, push me, push me. So she did. And in the next second, Chiasa felt pain engulf her entire body. Slamming into the floor, she could feel a pressure squeezing each organ, each cell inside her. Mind racing, all she could think was pain. Must stop the pain. She imagined being strong like Vegeta, standing up to the pressure, reaching for that damn button and turning it off. Her body refused her will and as Chiasa gasped for air, her lungs refused to expand; the edges of her vision began to curl with black. Shame filled her; was this how she was to die? What honor was there in this pitiful end? The black had now filled most of her vision and the last thing she remembered was a blurred image before she let the darkness envelop her. At least the pain was gone.

Vegeta sat in near darkness as the figure lay still as death in her bed. The woman had sworn she would be fine, but he could feel her life force flicker, and it worried him. It worried him! The mighty Prince brought to his knees by a mere wisp of a brat. She wasn't even his. No royal blood flowed in her veins, but she was dear to him in ways he did not want to explain. He could feel this pathetic planet and her inhabitants changing him and it made him furious.

The door opened, shining light from the hall, revealing the petite form of the woman. His equal in every way, but the physical, this creature was just as much an enigma as the one in the bed, yet in a far different way. He had acted like the brat's little tidbit of information had not affected him, but it had. He had wondered why the weakling had stopped dropping by, but had been too proud to ask. He did not like the feelings evoked when she had told him they had broken up…whatever that meant. In his world, mates did not abandon one another and he had offered to hunt down the bastard and kill him. The woman had surprised him by smiling, saying no thanks, and explaining the concept of dating. It had been confusing, but their semi-calm discussion had been interrupted by the unmistakable sound of the gravity chamber starting up.

In that moment, Vegeta had felt his heart freeze. He had flown with a speed he did not know he could reach, ripping right through the door. She had already passed into oblivion, blood leaking from her mouth in a sick trail. Opening the door had initiated the safety features, killing the gravity, and the woman had followed him, a scream of grief ripping from her lungs. Somehow they had moved her from the chamber to a hospital room in the Capsule Corp building. Now she was here, hooked up to strange monitors that helped her breathe.

"Vegeta," the woman said softly. Her voice was pleasant when she wasn't screaming at someone. It could have a low, husky quality that stirred parts of his body he had long denied. Finding a woman had been low on his list of things to accomplish. "When did you eat last?"

"I'm not hungry," he rumbled quietly; warning edged his tone, but of course the woman was not fazed in the slightest. The last few days, their old relationship had been restored and she once again found no reason to be afraid or timid. Like now, as her hand rested on his shoulder. The gentle touch made him tense, but she refused to move the appendage, merely a slight tremble and then it was firm.

"Liar. Come eat, please. She's past the danger point, I promise. Besides, she's a Saiyan, remember? Sometimes I think you people don't know how to die."

"If only," Vegeta growled, but he did stand and follow her out into the hallway. He was embarrassed to realize he had been in that room for days neglecting both training and food. Plus he could smell himself, which the fastidious Prince found disgusting with showers readily available.

"My mom's got dinner almost finished. If you want to shower, I'll bring some food to your room?"

Once again, Vegeta wondered if the woman was psychic. She could read him so well it was frightening. Either she was extremely perceptive, or he was losing his control. "Fine, woman."

The cold water was a welcome distraction and helped to clear the fuzziness in his head. He had to get off this world. He would never be able to reach the next level with all the distractions. Namely her. The woman had wriggled her way under his skin and he was beginning to think of her in ways that were shameful. He was Saiyan. She was Human. Never mind that third class baka had mated a human, he would never deign to sink so low. And yet, he sighed and rubbed his eyes. What else was there? His desire for immortality was a wish long sunk in the past. With his life long enemy defeated there was no reason for it. Besides, the more he thought of living forever, the more challenge seemed to seep out of life. There would be no reason to train, no goals to achieve. No, he no longer wished for immortality. Instead he found himself thinking more of the woman, the brat, and keeping them safe. His mouth twisted with scorn as he scrubbed soap in his hair. Was this what the refined killing machine had been reduced to? A simpering, weakling who cared about people beneath him. It filled him with a fury he was tired of feeling. That's what it was. He was so tired. It was a bone deep exhaustion that made everything into a chore, even his precious training.

Turning off the water, Vegeta flared his ki to dry his body and hair. He dressed in a fresh training suit and opened the door to his room. The woman was standing at the window. On a small table next to the bed were several plates of food. His stomach rumbled, but he ignored the repast and looked once more at her. She was not even that attractive. He had seen plenty of other females on assorted other planets that far surpassed her beauty. And yet, the weeks of barely speaking with her had been slowly driving him crazy. She drove him crazy.

The woman sensed his scrutiny and looked at him, her blue eyes darkening with something he could not identify. "Food's over there, so, I'll leave you to it."

She passed by him and Vegeta inhaled, her desire for him filling his senses. With a slight growl, he reached out and gently grasped her wrist. Her pulse was pounding and she trembled again, but Vegeta realized it was not with fear. He tugged her to him, noticing they were the perfect height. Onyx eyes met sapphire and Vegeta surrendered himself to the inevitable.

Chiasa woke slowly, her mind fuzzy and confused. Her body was sore like after an intense training session, and it ached horribly to move so she stopped and focused instead on opening her eyes. Sunlight filtering in from an open window made her wince and she squinted until her orbs grew accustomed. Working her mouth slowly, she wondered why it felt like cotton had been stuffed inside. She was thirsty, but she didn't want to move. Moving was no fun.

As she lay staring at the ceiling the fuzziness in her head began to solidify into a somewhat bewildering order of events. She remembered kata with Vegeta and his orders to practice. He had disappeared. There was so much metal. Why was she thinking about metal? The gravity chamber. It came flooding back and her mind winced internally. She had pushed the red button and nearly killed herself. At least she figured she was still alive. It was hard to imagine that being dead would hurt so much. Oh Kami, Vegeta was going to be so angry! Bulma would probably send her home.

The door to her room opened and the angelic features of Bulma suddenly filled her vision. A wide smile spread from ear to ear and she exclaimed happily, "Chiasa, you're awake! Kami, we were so worried." Her features suddenly turned stern. "I hope you've learned your lesson, young lady. Next time I tell you something is off limits you had better listen!"

"Definitely," Chiasa croaked.

Bulma's face creased in concern. "Let me get you some water." She returned a few minutes later with a glass and helped her into a sitting position, which, while it involved a great deal of wincing, immediately made Chiasa feel better. Bulma handed her the glass and Chiasa drank it slowly. The water was cool against her parched throat, and when she finished, found she could speak normally.

"I'm sorry."

Sighing, Bulma took a seat on the bed and patted her charge's hand. "It is okay, Chiasa. I mean, now that you've woken up and I don't have to call your parents, which I was going to do tomorrow. Yeesh, your mom would've hung me out to dry."

"You don't seem very upset," Chiasa said, suspicious of this calm woman speaking to her as if her stunt had not been extremely dangerous.

"Believe me," Bulma said dryly. "I have had an entire week to be upset and angry. I'm just glad you decided to join us in the land of the living."

Chiasa blushed and fell silent, wondering where the other person in her life was. Probably training. Her little stunt would not have been much of an inconvenience other then he must have been the one to stop the gravity.

"Did I break the machine?"

"No, but Vegeta damn near did ripping the door right off the hinges."

"He did?" Chiasa said, her face flushing with excitement. "He broke the door?"

Bulma laughed and squeezed her friend's hand. "Broke it? He practically disintegrated it with his body. I have never seen him move so fast the second he heard that machine turn on. Of course, if you ask him about it he'll probably hit you upside your head and yell about how you interrupted his training."

Tilting her head, Chiasa studied the animated woman beside her. Bulma's color was heightened and if she didn't know better, the woman was wearing make up, which she hadn't done since her and Yamcha broke up. In fact, she was wearing an outfit underneath her ever present lap coat, one that Chiasa had never seen before. "You seem pretty Vegeta tuned, what happened while I was asleep?"

Her face blushed crimson and Chiasa saw her poufy hair style had been exchanged for something that fell down past her shoulders in pretty ringlets. The style cleverly hid her neck and some instinct inside made Chiasa reach out to brush strands out of the way. Bulma flinched and stood up. "I've been busy caring for you and the lughead. He's training and demanded you join him once you woke up. Of course, in my professional opinion you should stay in bed for another day, but do what you want. I have things to do. Bye."

Chiasa watched, amused, as Bulma rushed out of the room. Her babbling indicated that something had changed between her and the Prince. Instead of making her jealous, Chiasa found it felt right. Well, that is, if that was what had happened. Bulma had smelled different too and she filed that away to ask Vegeta.

Reluctantly standing, Chiasa took her time stretching out sore muscles and several kinks from a week spent in bed. The Prince was going to be furious she was sure and could expect some rigorous training. He would probably yell a lot. Sighing, she decided it was best to get it over with and flew out of the hospital window to the chamber. Vegeta was inside and he hated being interrupted, so Chiasa took a meditation pose and waited patiently. Her stomach growled, but she ignored the desperate plea for food. Vegeta was liable to kill her if she ate before her punishment.

Several hours later Vegeta appeared in the doorway of the chamber and Chiasa tried to remember that he wouldn't really kill her, just bang her up a bit, because boy did his face look angry. He stalked over to where she sat and Chiasa immediately jumped to her feet to salute him. "Forgive me, I am not worthy."

He paused and then smirked. "I recall telling you never to apologize like that again."

Her face flamed. He had said that. "My actions were not worthy, thus I am not worthy. I disobeyed your direct order."

Vegeta snorted. "If I had a coin for every time I disobeyed orders…Listen, brat, forget it. You're alive and you'll pay with training sessions that will make you wish you had died. Let's eat."

Chiasa stood still in complete shock. What had just happened? "Now, brat, before I rethink my decision to let you live."

Hustling, she caught up with her Prince. First Bulma, now him…something was definitely going on here, but she knew better then to ask outright. "So, I saw Bulma."

"Hmph, and?" His voice was bored, but she saw his eye twitch just barely.

"She smells different, but I can't place why and her hair is different. She flinched when I tried to touch it."

Vegeta shrugged as if he could care less and that was that. Chiasa sighed inwardly. It looked like it would take more than a few hints to ruffle her Wei Tai. Deciding to worry about it later, especially since dinner smelled so good, Chiasa focused her attention on filling her belly. Bulma and her mother were at the table, but neither woman bothered to speak to the two Saiyans. They had learned from past experience that eating was a serious business and it was useless to try and have a conversation until their hunger had been sated. As a growing child, Chiasa ate nearly twice as much as Vegeta. The Saiyan had explained that on top of her training her body was constantly growing. Saiyan children aged very quickly because of the nature of their race. He said Saiyan females were considered adults at the age of 10, but since she was half-human her growth rate would probably be slower. By 16, he believed she would cease growing and maintain that appearance for years and years. Bulma was conducting studies of her own, monitoring her growth, and so far everything seemed to match what Vegeta said.

"You're like a walking fountain of youth," she had exclaimed, after Vegeta had admitted he had no idea how long Saiyans lived since most died in battle.

After the two Saiyans slowed, Bulma deemed it okay to talk. "Did you do any training, Chiasa?"

Cheeks full of food, the girl shook her head and Bulma chuckled. Swallowing, Chiasa said, "I meditated and waited on Wei Tai. We will probably start tomorrow."

"Hmph, I should make you start after we finish eating. Running on a full stomach should teach you to listen to your betters." Although his face was serious, both knew Vegeta would not make good on the threat.

"Well, I still think you should ease into things, but if you let me give you a check up then I'll clear you for training." Both Saiyans looked at her in consternation and Bulma's eyes narrowed in clear evidence of a growing temper. "Hey! I can still call Chi Chi!"

That threat immediately cowed Chiasa who nodded. "Check up, okay, totally okay with that."

"Don't babble, brat, you're a warrior not a child."

Bulma snorted, but said nothing to counteract Vegeta, merely standing to start clearing the table. Dishes tended to pile up in her household. She had no idea how Chi Chi had managed when she had three Saiyans. After dinner Chiasa accompanied Bulma to the lab, surprised when Vegeta followed. He seemed as interested as he could in the equipment and watched intently as Bulma tested the younger Saiyan. After a few minutes she nodded in approval. "Everything looks great. Thank goodness for the Saiyan physiology. If that had been a human you would have been a pancake."

"Thanks Bulma. If it's okay, I'm going to work on some homework?" Chiasa looked over at Vegeta who nodded. Leaving the lab, Chiasa mimicked walking away while she gradually lowered her ki so it seemed as if she disappeared upstairs. Kneeling by the half open door, she quietly listened.

"Vegeta," Bulma giggled, "Not here. We might break something."

The husky voice that emitted from her Prince had Chiasa blushing for some reason. What was going on in there?

"Why not, woman? I think it's sexy with you in your lab coat, all this high tech equipment. You touching it all the time makes me jealous."

"You? Jealous? Please?"

There a light sucking noise and she heard Bulma sigh. "I want your attention on me all the time."

"Believe me, Vegeta, it is."

Silence descended and Chiasa strained to hear more, but was suddenly surprised by a blast of pain in her forehead as the lab door swung open. Sprawled on the floor she looked up into the irritated faces of her Wei Tai and Bulma. "You little brat," Bulma screamed. "What are you doing?"

"I knew something was going on," Chiasa blurted, rubbing at the lump on her head.

"Well, I hope that hit on your head makes you dumber then your father!"

"Bite your tongue, woman," Vegeta snarled. "Brat, please tell me that bump didn't damage you!"

"No," Chiasa groaned. "It just hurts."

"Well, it's what you get for eavesdropping on something that was none of your business!" Bulma's face was beet-red and Chiasa figured she was more embarrassed then angry.

"Hey, he bit you," Chiasa exclaimed shooting into the air to touch the mark on Bulma's neck. The other woman shied away, hand jumping to protect the teeth marks.

"Enough, brat," Vegeta said, pulling her back to the ground, his voice surprisingly gentle. "I was hoping to not have this conversation until you were at least 10, but now is as good a time as any."

"What talk?"

Vegeta actually blushed and Bulma immediately took pity on the Saiyan. "Vegeta, I can talk to her…"

"No, woman, she may be half human, but the half Saiyan part is more dominate. There are certain…things we have to discuss."

"Right," Bulma blushed again. "Well, I will leave you to it then."

She rushed out of the hallway and back into the main part of the house. Vegeta grabbed Chiasa by the nape of her neck and dragged her to the lab they had just vacated. He set her down on the table and then crossed his arms, leaning next to her. He closed his eyes and Chiasa let him think in silence.

"Saiyans are not solitary creatures. By nature we are pack animals, but unlike most packs, Saiyans mate for life. When a Saiyan reaches a certain age he or she feels the call to seek a partner. It is possible to suppress this call, especially depending on the situation. It is a dangerous time in a Saiyan's life because once you choose your mate that is it. Even after death, you will never wish for another. Many years ago we are told that attempts were made to stamp out this habit, but it was a disaster. We accepted the fact that it was a necessary part of life. Of course, children were a different matter and as soon as the female whelped, the child was taken from her and eventually sent to purge a planet."

Vegeta so rarely spoke of their culture that Chiasa was hanging onto every word. His speech was unusually jumbled and fast, indicating he was uncomfortable with where this was going, but felt she had to know.

"Are you and Bulma mates now?" Chiasa asked after he had remained silent for several minutes.

"Yes, brat, and it is a situation that will remain between the two of us. I have no desire for others to know as it no one's business." Vegeta was stiff as he said this and Chiasa suspected he was embarrassed, either by Bulma or the situation in general.

"Of course, my Prince, I would never betray you…hey, does this mean Bulma's my Princess now?"

"Yes," Vegeta growled. "But don't you dare refer to her as such."

"Right, because that would really letting the cat out of the bag," Chiasa giggled and then stopped when Vegeta whacked her upside the head.

"Pay attention, I'm not finished. Right, well, female Saiyans…er…develop faster then males. So, it is, uh, not unusual for Saiyan females to mate with males much older then they are. Of course, on this planet that is not as Bulma told me, kosher," he stumbled over the unfamiliar word. "So, even if you feel the urge to mark someone as your mate, you had better damn resist. You may be considered adult by Saiyan standards, but by these ridiculous human ones you have quite awhile to go."

"Okay, so no mating until I'm at least 16."

"Maybe even 30," Vegeta said slowly. "Maybe not at all. It will be difficult for you, because humans are frail. Females instinctively seek mates who are stronger and it will not be long before the only males who are will be related to you."

"Oh, well, that's not good. Of course, it should make resisting the urge to mate way easy."

A laugh escaped Vegeta, low and harsh. "Right brat. Just in case, I'm going to teach you some meditation techniques that will help."

"So," Chiasa said after another minute of silence. "Why Bulma?"

"Discussion over, brat. Get out of here and if I hear one word of this getting out to anyone I will hunt you down and toss you to the moon."

Chiasa nodded seriously, but knew the threat was meaningless. They didn't even have a moon anymore. She did leave, though. No sense having Vegeta launch her where the moon used to be after all.