Disclaimer: All things associated with Dragon Ball Z belong solely to Akira Toriyama.
A/N: Who's up for a little adventure??
Something in the Water
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Alive
And so it was awkward.
Bulma and Vegeta looked at each other in surprise, and then there was a scramble of movement as he pulled away from her and she tumbled from the counter onto his chest again. The Saiyan growled, and the human snapped at him with her teeth before she snatched a towel off the hook behind him to wrap around her form.
Hobbling slightly and wincing at the oncoming soreness, Bulma raced to the control room to find out where they were heading, while Vegeta slowly made his way behind her. He had no desire to be too close to her again -- just in case...
With a stroke of the keys she was looking at a swirling purple planet.
"Various life forms detected. Water source detected. Approximate weather conditions: winds ranging from twenty to sixty miles per hour. Sleet-like rain. Temperature at sixty-five degrees. Three hours till sundown."
Bulma frowned. What exactly were various life forms?
Vegeta seemed to think the same thing. "If anything so much as looks at me the wrong way, I will reduce this entire galaxy to ash," he stated, arms crossed.
Glancing over her shoulder at him, Bulma earned a rosy blush. "Would it kill you to put on some clothes?"
"There is no shame in my nakedness," he drawled, a smirk sliding onto his lips. "You yourself have already conceded to my superior physique, so I cannot see why you wouldn't want to admire it for longer."
Rolling her eyes, Bulma shifted her focus to the window beyond the screen. "Humans tend to prefer some level of modesty when they hardly know each other, Vegeta," she sighed. "I wonder what things live there?"
Vegeta snorted. "That is none of your concern. Find the water source and leave."
"We will find the water source," she corrected, flashing a smile at his expense.
Eyebrows snapping together, he replied, "I have training to do, imbecile. You got us into this predicament and you will correct it."
Bulma turned around with one hand on her hip and ignored his nakedness as she trained her narrowed eyes on his. "There's no way in hell that I'm about to wander onto a foreign planet by myself. For one thing, something will definitely try to eat me -- because that's what always happens -- and for another thing, you'll probably just try to fly the ship off without me!"
Vegeta's eyes glinted in the false light. "Perhaps. Sounds advantageous to me."
"Well you know what I think sounds advantageous?" she snapped as she breezed past him, nose in the air, "Disconnecting the ship power supply before I leave."
"Bitch, I'm warning you --"
"Aren't I your mate or whatever?" she retorted, turning to grace him with a severe scowl.
Suddenly, it felt like the room was filled with ice. Vegeta's face darkened as his muscles tensed and his temple pulsed. "Do NOT take that lightly," he hissed, slowly moving towards her. Bulma's eyes widened in fear and surprise. "Threaten me with that again and I assure you that I will decimate all life forms on your pitiful planet the moment we return."
Bulma's face paled. Apparently, mating was a touchy subject. "Sorry," she breathed, her muscles tight. "But you have to come with me or I'm not getting off this ship."
Vegeta couldn't have himself leaving his GR every other minute to fuck the pitiful woman. With a surly frown he moved past her, leaving a wake of anger behind that seemed to touch her very bones. "It had better be quick."
Bulma nodded, even though he had already walked away from her. A shiver ran down her spine. Goodness, he could be creepy when needed... Like an echo to her thoughts, she noted a dark streak of dried blood dripping down his back. "Uh, hey --" she called after him, her curiosity piqued, "Were you bleeding?"
Vegeta turned to her with an irritated scowl. "You were bleeding, moron."
Bulma glanced down at her finger in surprise. How could she have forgotten? A shiny pink line graced her finger where the cut had been. "It's... healed?" she queried, looking up at him in amazement.
Vegeta snorted. "Of course it is. You were sharing Saiyan energy."
Bulma's wide eyes took in his condescending demeanor, and then traveled down to his sculpted waist, down to his tiny navel, down, down...
"Don't cut yourself again," he admonished, noticing her wandering gaze. "Blood is quite... alluring... for Saiyans."
Bulma snapped out of it and blushed. There were still some funny side effects going on, she supposed. "Vegeta!" she called again as he began to turn away.
The Saiyan paused, ripples of agitation coursing down his back.
Bulma gulped, her throat uncomfortably dry again. "I'm worried," she admitted softly, clutching the towel tightly around her chest. "Landing on a foreign planet with barely an preparation at all..." Bulma trailed off, thinking about amorphous toxins, oversized bugs, and fang-tipped mouths.
"Hn," he replied, clearly pleased for some reason unknown to her, "And yet you willingly hop into bed with the most dangerous assassin in the universe without any prior information?" he sneered as his eyes glinted mockingly.
Drawing herself up, nose in the air, and feeling particularly stung, she snapped, "You have yet to take me to bed, Prince."
Vegeta guffawed harshly before he left her feeling much less like a princess and much more like an idiot.
_____________________________
"Um... I'm stuck."
Vegeta raised one royal eyebrow as he surveyed the land before him, ignoring the pestilential woman struggling in the muck. "This is a weak planet," he muttered, and Bulma sensed a far-off look in his eye that told her that not too long ago, that little statement would have heralded death.
She paused in her movements. Something about the way he stood and surveyed the area made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, and despite her adventurous ways, she suddenly wanted to get the hell out of dodge and leave.
Dark eyes swung back in her direction. "Speaking of weak and pathetic..."
"Hey, buddy, you added that last one in there," she retorted as she resumed pulling her leg out of the lavender muck, but she couldn't be sure he heard her over the powerful wind that tore through her hair. Luckily, she had thought to pull it up in a high ponytail before she left.
From the open window of the ship they had watched the approach of the planet and donned their "adventuring" gear; rather, Bulma had pulled out a space biohazard suit that clung fiercely to her every curve, and Vegeta had pulled out his Saiyan armor... which also stuck to his every curve. Having fallen through a thick atmosphere of swirling purplish gases, they had landed on a flat plain of thick, lavender goo. About two hundred yards away sat what appeared to be a semblance of a forest, with thick, magenta bubbles situated on top of brittle-looking, blue sticks.
The two had been suspiciously quiet upon arrival.
Vegeta sulked at his having been dragged outside to this stupid, feminine planet, and Bulma was too worried to care. There was this nagging feeling at the pit of her stomach that something wasn't quite right.
Of course, the fact that firma terra was hidden beneath about a foot of thick goo didn't reassure her. All around them, massive bubbles churned sluggishly to the top and popped sickeningly; Vegeta, however, had yet to step off of the ramp, so Bulma was the only one struggling beneath the muck.
"I said I'M STUCK!" she repeated loudly, and Vegeta looked down at her incredulously.
"Why the hell do you suddenly think I'm deaf, woman?"
Blowing strands of aqua air out of her face, she replied, "If you don't get me out of here then you're going to have to go scout for water yourself."
Vegeta looked away again to scan the skyline. "Why don't we simply fly the craft to wherever it senses water?"
"I'm not taking my ship somewhere where the ground might be unstable or where there might be dangerous aliens waiting to jump on it," she groused as she pulled her leg up using both hands.
"Dangerous aliens," he scoffed, shaking his head at her obscene lack of brains. "And here I was thinking I was the dangerous alien."
Bulma made a face at him before she lifted her arms, like a baby to his parent. "Pull me up, Danger."
Nostrils flaring and canines glinting in the pink light, Vegeta growled as he took her beneath the arms and hauled her up to him effortlessly. Bulma thought that her feet might have been left behind in the muck and stumbled into him as he let her go. Looking up, she saw severe agitation in his eyes, and she immediately removed her hands from his plated chest.
"You've had your fun," he remarked, making sure to show displeasure on his face, "Now take this piece of shit to the nearest source."
"Her name is Lydia," Bulma countered as she swooped past him. "It's a lovely American name."
Glowering as he followed her up the ramp, he growled, "No way in HELL is my ship being named something so demeaning!"
"The next time you build a ship then you can name it," she chided happily while the ramp slid up and the door closed behind them. "I think Lydia is a perfect name for the Prince of All Saiyan's training ship."
Vegeta pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to remember why in the world he thought it would be a good idea to let her live.
Meanwhile, Bulma entered the flight code and coordinates for the supposed water source and they were off. "I think it's a pond of some sort," she mused, looking at the graphic data. "Maybe a hot spring..."
Vegeta couldn't have cared less, but soon enough they landed with a muffled thud, and Bulma turned off the power before she scampered back to ramp.
When she had first guilelessly jumped down off the ramp, the air had been windy with a sticky quality to it, but as the door slid open to reveal the planet again, Bulma could see a line of sleet-like substance advancing towards them.
"We'll have to hurry to dredge up the water," Bulma called behind her over the increasing wind. "We're just lucky that the ship strains its water for unnatural particles, so it'll be relatively clean."
"Why the hell couldn't it strain for that before?" he grouched as his keen eyes took in the scene again. If he had still had his tail, it would be ruffled at this point. Saiyans did not approve of bad weather, simply for irritation's sake. The blue water before them was a steaming pond, and Bulma had guessed correctly that it was a hot spring of some type. Shallow and splashing in the wind, the water spread widely over an area of two hundred squared feet, and it was odd to see that the lavender goo laid undisturbed and bubbling beneath the little waves.
Bulma looked back at her companion. "A-sim is a naturally occurring substance with tiny molecules. Lydia will only strain for things that you might see with the naked eye."
Vegeta stepped towards the end of the ramp and knelt at the edge of the muck, his nostrils flaring at the sickly scent -- something akin to citrus and sweet pea. The air around them, though whipping about, was heavy and sticky like humidity, only... different. Acidic and insidious. He felt like he needed to take a long shower.
Politely tapping the Saiyan on the back, Bulma said loudly, "I'm ready to be carried!"
Vegeta blinked and stared up at her. "What?"
"Well I can't get through the mud," she continued with an indulgent smile, "So I'm going to need someone to help carry me -- unless you'd like to do it yourself, of course."
Clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, Vegeta slowly stood up to glare down at the woman. "You will NOT presume to order the Prince of All Saiyans around, foolish Earth-woman!" he snarled, his eyes darkening.
Bulma frowned. "I'm not ordering anyone. I'm stating a fact. This won't get done unless you help me."
A vein in his forehead throbbed dangerously before Vegeta suddenly reached out a hand and blasted energy off into the nearby woods with a scream of fury.
Bulma had jumped back, and she stood away from him with wide eyes and a wary mouth. The "trees" had not burned, but rather popped loudly as they disintegrated. "Why'd you go and do that?" she yelled over the wind. "You don't know what's living here!"
In response, Vegeta thrust out his arms with a snarl on his face. "Fucking shut up or I'll dump you in there before we leave!"
Bulma generally knew when to stop.
With an odd clench in her stomach, Bulma took two steps to her savior before placing her hands tentatively on his pectorals. "You'll have to carry me wedding-style so I can reach up effectively," she stated as a blush rose to her cheeks.
Her simple touch had seared him and warmed him in ways he was unfamiliar with. He had the sudden urge to run his nose across her jaw to take in her unique scent of meadows and dappled light.
Bulma saw a blazing look in his eye that made her stomach clench with anticipation, but suddenly it passed as he literally swept her off her feet and jumped into the air.
Gasping at the unexpected movement, Bulma gasped, "A little warning next time? Now go under the ship -- you'll see the control cover in the middle."
Vegeta made no movement but stared at her darkly. She could feel every electric place where their bodies touched and her fingers fisted around the collar of his suit. Their faces were so close she could feel his breath...
"Fucking say please," he growled.
Bulma snapped out of her reverie and laughed. "Okay, please take us under the ship, O wise and merciful Prince Vegeta!" she said playfully, and she took it as a compliment that he understood she was toying with him and not mocking him.
He swept beneath the ship and held her up to the control panel. As she pressed a few buttons and the metal sheath slipped open, Vegeta took the time to observe his little bundle of bones.
As she wrinkled her nose in distaste at the steady gusts of sticky wind, Bulma bit her bottom lip in concentration while she fiddled with the controls. He had never taken the time to watch her when she was engulfed in her work; he felt that if he peered into her face long enough he would begin to read the equations whizzing over her forehead.
Bulma felt a creeping heat travel up her spine, and after the nozzle had dropped down and begun to draw up the water into the tank, her eyes slid over to his to find him staring intently. Suddenly she felt self-conscious, and she dropped a hand to her cheek. "Did I -- Is there something on my face?" she asked in concern, and Vegeta saw her eyes flash with a peculiar shine.
He disliked being discovered, so his mouth twisted cruelly. "Just a shit-ton of ugly, that's all."
Bulma's brow converged into a scowl, and the creases at her lips deepened. "No wonder I'm the only one in the entire universe who can stand you, you stupid ape!" she hissed, eyes flashing.
Suddenly the wind was knocked from her chest as she found herself flying through the air until she slammed into the water twenty feet away from where the irate Saiyan levitated.
The only thought she had before she was pulled under was how peculiar the rain was.
Tendrils latched onto her body from every angle, and the moment she tried to scream her mouth filled with the treacherous liquid. Belatedly, as the thrashed about the goo and tried to swim to the top, she understood that the firm ground beneath the muck was a living thing -- that this planet was alive in a way Earth was not.
By that time, she had sunk down too far to even know which direction to swim.
Abruptly, her feet were no longer encased, then her legs, then her hips. Panic seized her as she realized that she was about to fall into an unknown abyss, and as her lungs burned with the lack of oxygen, her body let out a silent scream of terror.
The moment her face touched air again, Bulma wrenched open her eyes and coughed up the muck even as she began to drop. Legs kicking and arms wailing about, Bulma suddenly saw that she was in some sort of underground cave, because her feet touched something soft before the rest of her dropped onto it. As her eyes streamed tears of terror and goo, she tried to peer through the gloominess where she was.
Her trembling, pale hands roamed over the softness that she had landed on. Through the darkness, a soft, green glow began to emanate all around her, and it took her a few seconds to comprehend that it was coming from whatever she was currently sitting on. Even in her current state of panic it reminded her of the glowing green mushrooms of the nighttime earthen forests. All around her were translucent, opalescent green figures that seemed to morph into various shapes right before her eyes -- though many reminded her of bears.
Tentatively she looked down to find that the pearly, misty animal she sat on had begun to wind its mistiness up her wrists and feet, and as hard as she tried to wrench away it was no use.
"VEGETA!" she screamed as her eyes pulsed with her racing heart. She had no way of knowing if he could hear her -- or if he would even come to her -- but she had to stay alive as long as she could before he got to her.
Weeping loudly and sinking her fingers into the "flesh" of the animal, Bulma tried to rip it apart before a soft, hollow tone began to rise from the things around her. She paused, terrified that she had incurred the wrath of the entire alien planet in a matter of seconds.
The tone intensified. The note wavered in the air like a gull on the breeze, and abruptly it dipped and descended, rattling in her chest and head. Each second the tone grew louder and deeper, until Bulma thought that her brain was going to explode. She had never heard a noise so guttural, so deep, and so resounding, and the scientific part of her wondered if it was even within the human limits to understand it. Chest seizing and limbs quivering, Bulma thought she saw drops of blood slipping from her face to the being beneath her.
Yes, there was blood.
So much blood.
It was pouring, splashing down from every orifice, clouding her vision and barely muffling the sound. Scarlet droplets began to ooze from her very pores, dripping from her scalp and arms. Bulma tried to scream, but her voice was lost in the rush of iron liquid that surged from her guts instead. Her brain was on fire, her heart was pounding through her ribs, her ears were exploding into the nothingness. She could no longer feel herself and she tried once more to call the name of the only man who could save her before her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
A limp body fell to the mist in the bowels of the alien planet.
A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! PLEASE give me feedback! It really helps me develop the story!