Disclaimer: All things associated with Dragon Ball Z belong solely to Akira Toriyama.

Something in the Water

Chapter 1: Ramifications Met

Sockets and metal O rings clanked to the ground as Bulma rummaged through the various boxes of gears and parts. "What the hell are these assistants doing with their lives?" she mused in irritation at the jumble of mechanics around her. Giving up, Bulma sighed and left the parts storage, snapping at the nearest worker to find her the laser-sync before he lost his job. A dark storm cloud gathered above her head as she swept through the mechanics lab, which was bustling with every available assistant preparing the newly-improved space capsule, and Bulma's father frowned as she passed.

"Ah, honey?" he gently asked, stopping her in her tracks, "Are you quite sure you're alright?"

Bulma sighed and ran her hands through her flowing, blue tresses. "Yeah, Daddy. Just a little stressed... Help these days is worth crap," she muttered with a glare at a passing employee.

"I think you may be -- overreacting a bit," he replied begrudgingly, placing an arm around her waist as he guided her out of the building. "I know that Vegeta's really been... on your mind lately, but he's just not used to things around here."

Bulma grit her teeth. "Any grown man can 'get used' to something if he wants to. Vegeta's just refusing to be anything other than an ass."

Dr. Briefs was silent for a moment as they came to a stop on the emerald lawn. "Well," he said finally, looking up into the sky, "I guess I have one question then. Do you remember little Hiroshi from your first class at school?"

Surprised, Bulma replied, "Sure. He was a pain in the neck -- and had a huge crush on me."

"Yes. A remarkable child like yourself. One of the greatest mathematicians of our day... too bad about the car accident..."

"You were saying?" she prodded, miffed.

"Ah. Well you used to come home every day mad as a dragon at that boy. He would pull your hair, push you down, call you names..."

"And put gum in my hair," she sighed. "Daddy, please tell me you are not about to compare him to Vegeta -- because Vegeta does not have a crush on me."

Dr. Briefs looked at his daughter in surprise. "No... I hadn't thought of that... I was just wondering if you knew what became of his transcripts because I have this one friend who..."

"No idea, Dad," she snapped as she stalked off to the house without him.

"Well --" her father called after her, "You know that's a very good observation, honey! Just think if Vegeta --"

But Bulma slammed the door behind her before she could hear the rest.

"Mother!" she called, kicking off her boots at the door. "How are those suits coming along?"

"Just fine, dear!" came a faint reply from the other room. "Um, except you might want to check... ah..."

Frowning in consternation, Bulma wandered through the rooms until she found Bunny Briefs rifling through a box of stretchy material. "Hey, what's --"

"Um," Bunny said with a wide smile as she lifted what appeared to be a smoldering ruin out of the box, "Vegeta doesn't like the purple stripe I put in the side."

"But that was barely noticeable," Bulma replied, aghast as she reached out to stroke what was left of Vegeta's new training gear. "...And it modified the heat exchange pattern..."

"Yes, well he mentioned something about ruining the reputation of the entire Saiyan race... I wonder if they were supposed to hate fashion..."

Rage began to bubble and seethe beneath Bulma's skin. "Don't worry, Mom, I'll take care of that ungrateful --"

"Ah, ah, ah," Bunny chided sweetly, "He's our guest and a Prince to boot. Be kind, dear."

Bulma growled and threw the ruined suit back in the box. There was no way in hell he was going to get away with walking all over her parents. "Oh, I'll be kind -- don't you worry," she seethed as she turned on her heel to find the gravity room.

"VEGETA!" she yelled, banging on the door with all her might. "Get your sorry, Saiyan ass OUT HERE!"

"Go to fucking hell!" came the muffled reply through the door.

"I'm about to send you to hell if you don't show your stupid face!" she screamed. Nearby assistants took one look at what was going down and fled the area till the yard was empty.

After five seconds of no reply and the GR still buzzing with power, Bulma growled and ran to the underside of the machine, typing in a code to unlock the emergency power control. "See how he likes this," she cackled as she increased the gravity from 250 to 300. Then she jumped up and ran back to the portal. "Well, Vegeta," she yelled amiably when a yowl emanated from within, "It's a nice, sunny day out here! Come out to PLAY!"

"BITCH!" Vegeta yelled back as he fell to the ground on his knees. Luckily, 300 Gs was at the edge of his limit, so all he had to do was crawl... ugh...on his face... three feet to that blasted control panel.

"How's the training going?" he heard Bulma taunt from behind the door, but Vegeta ignored her and concentrated on pulling his amazingly heavy limbs behind him. If he could just reach the power down button, he would be able to ring that harpy's neck...

When no waspish reply came, Bulma began to worry, and thirty seconds later she wavered in her anger and rushed back over to the emergency control panel to cut off the power and open the door. Bounding back to the opening, Bulma found Vegeta slumped against the control panel and unconscious. "VEGETA!" she gasped, throwing herself into the room to his side. "Hey -- I was just kidding!" Worriedly, she pulled his face away from the panel to find two burning, black eyes staring her down. "GYAHHH!" she screeched in surprise.

Faster than she'd ever seen, Vegeta clamped onto her arms and slammed her into the ground on her back as he straddled her hips. "How shall I kill you?" he seethed, leaning in to her face as sweat dripped from his body onto hers.

Bulma squirmed beneath him. "Eww," she whined, "You're grosser than usual today, Vegeta!"

"Well I wouldn't be if SOMEONE hadn't turned the -- ARGH that's not the point!" he yelled, his fists tightening around her forearms. "I'm going to fucking kill you!"

"Kill me? I'm the one who should be killing you!" she yelled back. "You have been such a JERK to everyone here! You blew up my lab! You burned all the new suits --"

"Ah, yes, I wondered when you would stick your shrewish ass into this!" he snarled, his nose coming dangerously close to hers. "Those suits were made for me by your useless father, so it's none of your business what I do with them!"

Bulma screeched and tried to knee him in the groin, but her movements were in slow motion to the Saiyan, and he swiftly set his legs between hers and pushed up with his thighs to slam her own legs against the sides of her chest. "Ow!" she screamed as his arms pushed against the backs of her knees, effectively locking her legs to her chest both with his chiseled arms... and his groin. "Someone's going to think you're RAPING ME, Vegeta!" she hissed as she realized his masculinity was pressing into her intimately, causing fire to chase up her spine.

Vegeta chuckled darkly as his gaze bored deeply into hers. "Let's take care of that, then," he rasped as he slammed his hand down on the 'door close' button faster than her brain could process it, and then his arms were back in place, locking her to the ground and to him.

Suddenly, Bulma became scared -- something she hadn't felt since Namek. "Vegeta," she choked out, her eyes widening in fear, "What are you doing?"

"Heh," he muttered, his face moving from hers as his lips sought her ear, "What does it feel like I'm doing?" At that, Bulma felt him flex his manhood against her, and unwittingly her body responded warmly.

"Get the fuck off me!" she gasped, thinking of the very thin barrier of her shorts and underwear between his one-layer suit, and she began to struggle and writhe furiously beneath him.

"Hmm," Vegeta mused softly as he nuzzled his nose against her hair, unmoved by her attempts at freedom, "Feisty... Just the way I like it."

Bulma panicked. "NOOO!" she screamed, thrashing about as her eyes widened in terror. "Vegeta stop!"

"It's useless to fight against me," he murmured like a lover into her ear. "Puny, weak little human. I only hope this doesn't kill you," he added cruelly.

"PLEASE, Vegeta!" she begged, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks, "Don't do this!"

"Of course, I'll make it look like an accident," he mused as he grazed his teeth against her ear and fought to ignore his groin that wanted so badly to react to hers. "Your family will never know the difference."

Adrenalin coursed through her veins, and Bulma turned her head to sink her teeth into his neck beneath his jaw with a snarl.

Half a second later, Vegeta was standing on the other side of the room, clutching his hand to his neck, and Bulma sat bewilderedly on the floor. "I WAS FUCKING MESSING WITH YOU!" he screamed in violent anger as his eyes bugged out while his fingers swept over the bite mark.

Bulma was to astounded to speak as she stared up at the furious Saiyan.

"DIDN'T YOUR MOTHER EVER TEACH YOU NOT TO BITE SOMEONE??"

Relief and confusion clouded her brain. "But... you can barely feel that..." she croaked as she nervously tugged her shorts and shirt into place, her blue hair sprawling out about her shoulders.

Vegeta snarled in response as he bounded over to the control panel and stared into his reflection on a metal piece, turning his head this way and that to peer at his bite.

"I'm... sorry?" she ventured, mystified at his bizarre behavior and at her own apparent safety. I guess he really was just kidding...

"Argh!" he seethed, running his fingers along his neck obsessively and ignoring the woman sprawled out on the floor, "Fucking humans!"

Bulma looked around her, bemused. This was possibly the weirdest thing to ever happen to her. "Um," she began as she lifted herself off the ground, "I'm going to go now..."

"Do you see this??" he snarled suddenly and maniacally, leaping over to where she stood terrified and pointing at his neck, "You almost left a mark!"

Bulma blinked and calmed her heart as she peered below his jaw. "I don't... see anything..."

"Damn RIGHT you don't see anything, you fool!" he yelled. "And KEEP it that way!"

"What the hell is your problem?" she snapped back, getting in his face. "You're the one who was going to RAPE me!"

"You honestly thought I would degrade myself that way?" he retorted while he continued to rub his neck.

"Are you KIDDING me? What else was I supposed to think, Vegeta!" she screamed. "You had me trapped beneath you and you were rubbing your --" But then she stopped as a rosy blush tainted her cheeks.

"What?" he taunted, baring his teeth. "Hah. I wasn't even remotely excited, couldn't you tell?"

Actually, Bulma was stunned at his honesty, because he had seemed large enough... "What does it matter?" she countered, her cheeks getting pinker. "There was no way I could defend myself. How in the world could you think that was appropriate, you pig!"

Suddenly his hand was around her neck, tight enough to hold her still but not enough to cause her pain. "Don't think I wouldn't if you choose to defy me," he hissed, his eyes darkening. "Your death belongs to me... either now, or when I defeat that clown Kakarrot, and if I can humiliate you along the way..." Bulma blanched as he smirked cruelly. "So much the better."

"You bastard," she snarled, clutching his hand.

Still smirking, Vegeta let her go and stepped back. "Get in my way again, woman, and I will crush you, and everyone else with you."

Bulma glared at him as her hair fell about her face. "You touch my family, Vegeta..."

"Yes," he taunted, crossing his arms, "How about that?"

It was then that Bulma made a quick analysis of the situation. "You're going into space," she stated, mimicking his stance. "Today."

Vegeta warily looked at the vixen before him. "No."

"Yes," she snapped, "You are. I have already begun to prepare your ship. It's bigger than this GR, so you can have the proper area to be a jerk."

Bulma could see the wheels turning in his head. "You're trying to kill me or some shit like that," he growled. "No."

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "That's ridiculous, Vegeta. I'm not trying to kill you, I'm trying to just keep you away from here. You'll have everything you need --"

"Except for peace of mind that I won't blow up. Moreover, if anything on that piece of shit breaks, no one will be there to fix it for me. That's your job, woman."

"You are GOING to outer-fucking-space whether you like it or not!" she yelled.

"Not without you or your father," he bated with a devious smirk.

Bulma blinked dumbly at him, her mouth agape. "Wha -- N -- No!" she said in horror.

"Then I'll see you at dinner -- when you feed me," he replied evenly as he made to leave the GR.

"Wait!" she gasped, running after him to the door. "You have to go, Vegeta!" she begged as she clung against the frame. Vegeta turned to meet her wild gaze with his own calculating one.

"You heard my ramifications," he stated, "And somehow, I can't see your father enjoying the ride. You've got your self-preservation to deal with, so..." Vegeta smirked. "No deal."

Bulma felt wretched as Vegeta turned and walked to the house. She wanted that man away from her family as much as possible, and there was no way to get him to leave at this point... They needed him to train to his utmost abilities for androids.

"Alright!" she moaned, putting her head in her hand.

Vegeta stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around to face her. "What did you say?"

Sighing and dejectedly walking down from the GR, Bulma whined, "I'll do it, Vegeta. I'll go with you to space."

He hadn't actually wanted to go yet -- eventually, but not yet. On his own terms. "Are you crazy, woman?" he barked. "Hell no!"

"You already made the deal, Vegeta!" she snapped as she moved past him. "You set your ramifications and I met them. Pack your teeny weeny bag, sir, because we're leaving."

"I'm not --"

"Oh yes you are," she seethed as she rounded on him. "You'll get top-notch training facilities up there, time to yourself, and a mechanic just for you. It's your fucking dream land, Prince."

Well... she did have a point. "Fine," he huffed, still eyeing her dubiously, "But be prepared to stay up there at least five months."

"Daddy's making all the preparations. I'll be sure to tell him," she snapped back. With that, the two stared each other down until Bulma whirled on her heel to seek her last hours of solace inside the house.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Anthony, you and Jiro monitor the A-Sim levels in the tank, would you?" Dr. Briefs asked as he tramped through the mess that was the Chemical Lab. Not that he didn't mind the poor boy staying with them, but he would really appreciate a break from Vegeta's tantrums. If only he and Bulma could just stop egging each other on...

"Looks like they're pretty outrageous, sir," Jiro replied as he read the measurements on the transcripts. "Definitely over-drafting the other chemicals. I suppose we'll have to fix that before testing is over."

Dr. Briefs sighed. "Yes, my boy, our customers wouldn't exactly be thrilled to find that their heart medication spontaneously deactivated..."

Anthony laughed from the corner where he sat recording the chemical levels of the water tanks. "But if all you care about is sex, his stuff will certainly get your libido going," he laughed.

Mustache twitching, Dr. Briefs silently congratulated his team for finding the right ingredients for the biggest craze on the market: Atosimaphil, a singular male / female aphrodisiac, both working to cure "old age" in men and pump up the sex drive in both males and females. Currently, they were working the chinks out of it, but pairing that with their newly-developed heart medication was about to bring in billions for CC. Not that we need it, he chuckled to himself.

"So, I hope you don't mind me asking, but... Are you sure about letting Miss Bulma take off into space with -- that man -- for over five months?" Anthony ventured as he cleaned up his area.

"I don't think I really have a choice," the older man sighed as Kitty jumped into his arms and crawled up to his shoulder, "Bulma is a strong-willed woman. She knows what she wants and what's best for her..."

Jiro cast a side-long glance at Anthony. "Are they... together... then?"

Scratching his head, Briefs replied, "Eh? What?" in surprise. "I was referring to the whole adventure part but..." he leaned in ominously as the other men backed away awkwardly, "Do you think that has something to do with it?"

"Uh," Jiro stammered as he looked to his friend for help, "I mean, I've only ever seen them fighting so..."

"But you've got to admit, sir," Anthony cut in with a glance at Jiro, "Two very attractive people trapped together for that long..."

Dr. Briefs leaned back on his heels as troubling thoughts began to cloud his mind. It had been nearly a year since she and Yamcha had broken up, and that was right after Vegeta returned... Not to mention she had never shown any interest in any men thus far... I wonder...

"Don't think about it too much," Jiro interrupted as he gathered his materials, "Because, I mean, that's purely conjecture... I was just wondering..."

"Yes, quite all right, my boy," Dr. Briefs offered with a comforting smile. "Now I've got to head out -- They should be leaving any moment now. You did refill the tanks, correct?"

"Yes sir, we sure did," Anthony confirmed.

"Alright then, I'm off for the afternoon boys --"

Just then, Bunny's voice cut through the room. "They're leaving, honey!" she squealed through the doorway.

Dr. Briefs tottered off to the lawn as he vaguely wondered what would become of his little girl and the grumpy prince...

"I took care of everything," Bunny gushed to Bulma and her father as Dr. Briefs arrived on the scene. "I tried to make it a little homier than the other ones, you know -- I put Bella on your bed, and you've got all those things that occupy you every day --"

"Mom," Bulma interrupted with a blush, thinking of Bella the stuffed sheep she had kept since her childhood, "I got it. Did you let Daddy to any of the preparations?" she asked with the hint of a wary frown.

"Well she let me take care of all the essentials," he replied, "I loaded you up with all the supplies and lab equipment you need to occupy your time. You're lucky," he added as he thumped on the hull of the ship, "Because your mother had insisted that Vegeta have a larger ship than the simple Gravitron section that the old one was outfitted with." Bulma herself hadn't been involved with the creation and planning of this one, but she assumed her father was more than capable of providing all the necessities.... Like a bathroom.

"You'll have plenty of room in there!" Bunny chirped as she clasped her hands together, "I mean, there's a whole extra living room area -- which I told your father was too bare and drab, but he wouldn't let me put my hands on it -- and just a tiny kitchen, but don't worry! You two will be happy as clams!"

Bulma frowned. "That's a... terrible phrase," she muttered as her eye caught sight of Vegeta striding out towards them on the lawn followed by a wild-eyed assistant who bore Vegeta's few belongings in his arms.

"About time, my boy!" Dr. Briefs called as Vegeta neared them with a surly glare, "You two need to take off immediately or you'll be forced to take the trip tomorrow!" (Bulma felt her stomach clench) "You can't take off after the sun sets."

And sure enough, the sun's rays were barely peeking over the distant forest. "Fine," Vegeta sneered as he strode up the ramp and into the ship without a backwards glance. The frazzled assistant, legs wobbling, scurried up after the Saiyan.

Turning to her parents with something between a grimace and a smile plastered on her face, Bulma reluctantly bade her parents farewell. "Um, I guess this is it for a while..."

"Oh have fun!" Bulma gushed as she threw her arms about her only daughter. "Take care of him, honey! He needs it!"

He NEEDS a psychiatrist, Bulma mentally groused.

"Erm," Dr. Briefs coughed, pulling Bulma out of her thoughts, "I just want to say..." and then he paused to study his daughter's pale, wide face. "Be careful."

Feeling some uncertainty creep down her spine, Bulma tried not to frown at her father and his apprehensive stance. "I will, Daddy."

"Now get up there!" he harumphed as the sun sank dangerously low, and Bulma kissed them both on the cheek before she turned and dove into the ship as the assistant stumbled out behind her.

Immediately Bulma saw that the living room lay a bit to the left of the entryway, and she saw what her mother meant about its barrenness: This side of the ship was basically all window, and the room was more like a large hallway than anything else, curved to fit around the Gravitron on the other side, but two lift-off seats sprouted from the wall looking out into space. Of course, one was filled... Bulma sighed as she climbed in next to Vegeta and strapped herself in. His eyes were shut, and he seemed to be either sleeping or ignoring her -- not that she cared. A control panel shot out between them -- a keyboard that connected to the holographic screen that appeared at the window -- and Bulma typed in the launch sequence. Ten seconds later, the ship began to lift off, and she could see her parents waving from the ground below as her stomach lurched in anticipation despite her mood and her traveling companion.

"Bye, Earth..." she muttered as land drifted away and clouds took its place.

"Fucking mudball," Vegeta added curtly, eyes still closed.

Bulma rolled her eyes and sighed. Best five months EVER.

A/N: So please review and tell me what you think! This one's going to be a bit racy... :)