Cold Comfort

Act 13 Chilling Familiarity

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z. The standard disclaimer as always! Thanks to those who reviewed. Hopefully I can help answer what happened to Shandi in the next chappie or two.

Bulma felt relief that he had sought her out, even if it was in some fool joke to get his kicks. The scent of his sweat filled the shower, wrinkling her nose. Bulma hugged herself, and then shivered as he removed his hand from her lips. Both hands cupped her breasts, squeezing them like a competent gynecologist performing a screen but with an ulterior motive beyond mere health. Another pang of loneliness filled her at that moment, and she struggled to focus on the naughty things Vegeta was doing with his thumbs and forefingers.

She leaned her head back, gasping at the pressure of his hard muscular chest against her sensitive spine. Vegeta said nothing, simply nipping at her ear and neck as he worked his hands downward. He grabbed the soap from her, and slid it over her creamy white skin. Bulma squeezed her eyes shut, letting him have his way because his touch banished the choking in her throat. Heat from behind convected into her body, shivering her with a volcanic passion that made her forget she was alone.

"Hentai," she muttered.

"Wash my hair woman. It's sweaty," he growled.

She slowly picked up the shampoo, and ducked around behind him. Vegeta tipped his head back, blocking her from the shower nozzle. Rubbing her fingers together she lathered the gel into foamy white suds. Then Bulma immersed her hands in that black mane limply hanging down his back. Its strange feathery texture slid through her fingers. She memorized the feel, smell and sound of her fingers squelching through it. Whatever she did must be pleasing him because he slowly rolled his neck back and forth. A barely audible vibration rumbled his bare skin that she trailed her fingers down. Just short of the small circular dark spot above his backside she hesitated.

"Take care, lest you start something you cannot finish," came his voice.

"Yeah thanks for the warning. I know you're demanding," she breathed, stopping as the trail of suds slid down his buttocks and hard chiseled thighs. It splashed on the floor between his feet spaced apart the width of his shoulders. He held his arms out to his sides, nodding towards the soap he had set down on the ledge.

Chuckling Bulma reached for the soap and a washcloth hanging over the inner towel rack. A wicked smile split her ivory-featured face when she rubbed the cloth over every inch of that hard muscled flesh. Her fingers hiked in that diagonal canyon that stretched from left hip to right shoulder blade. Gliding over his right upper arm she discovered a horizontal slash that had healed to a white color against his dark skin. Each successive stroke Bulma made with the cloth familiarized her with the multitude of scars visible like fine scratches on glass despite the well-defined muscles.

"Kami," she thought. Each scar she traced with her fingers brought a burst of questions, and her imagination dredged up some nasty possibilities. Another series of images drifted through her mind, loud laughter and leering grins. Darkness and subzero cold. Then a sharp pain at the base of her spine.

"What's gotten into you woman? Just when things were getting interesting you go introspective on me. It's annoying when you have to analyze everything!" Vegeta growled.

Bulma flashed back to the immediate present in shock. Vegeta's back was a scary reminder of her own scars. More accurately they represented the ones that nobody could see on Bulma's psyche and soul. Again she traced the lateral scar, almost imagining the pain of a sword cutting into her back from behind. Blinding pain spread along her skin as she crawled on her hands and knees into a small space. Barely was she able to move with the last ounce of strength. She pulled her hand away, hissing through her teeth.

" I guess everyone has scars even if some of us have ones that are invisible to the naked eye," Bulma answered.

"That some sort of psychological bullshit?" he asked.

"It's just nothing, Vegeta. Nothing at all. Forget what I said," she cut him off.

A squirming sensation that commenced in her stomach now wriggled all over her body. Her legs felt weak, and she fought the urge to lean against him. Eyes darted down to that round scar that had been his tail. She closed her eyes, shaking away the blinding pain of something at the base of her spine like a hot poker up her ass. Everything was collapsing all around her as she crashed to the ground from a great height. All around her the Z warriors clustered, attacking her with everything they could muster but she had suffered the ultimate indignity. Something precious to her very nature had forever been torn from her by a measly fat bastard who was little more then a coward.

"You have no comprehension woman," Vegeta mumbled.

"I guess I don't," Bulma said quietly, afraid of pissing him off. She shrank away from Vegeta to his surprise.

"Even if you don't your babbling is annoying me," Vegeta answered.

"I didn't say anything," she trailed off.

"Kuso," he grumbled. "You humans think too damn loud. Don't tell me that nobody's ever taught you to discipline your mind!"

"No. Never had the need," Bulma returned, letting the soap drop. She flinched, suddenly fighting away the image of Zarbon. Zarbon standing over her laughing. Sharp needlelike scrapes down her back like tiny razors cutting. A bruise on her right side, then blinding pain and laughter.

"Time you did, before I go mad listening to your mind not knowing how to shut the hell up," Vegeta answered.

"Since WHEN could you read MY mind huh? Goku mentioned that he could share thoughts with Gohan, but how the hell can you possibly sense mine? I'm human, and you're Saiyan!" she stammered.

"Stop asking stupid questions, and heed my words woman," Vegeta interrupted.

"Why do you give a shit anyhow?" Bulma demanded.

"The reason for it need not concern you. The fact is that some minds are not veiled to me. And it seems that it's high time you learned if we're to continue to live together in this domicile," Vegeta answered. His dark eyes stared directly into her soul at that moment, causing her to back further away. She squeezed her body against the tile, shirking down onto the small ledge of the bathtub reserved for toiletries.

"Is it because we screwed?" she asked, flushing at the crude word.

"Yes, and no," Vegeta grunted.

"I hope it's not two way, because I don't want to see your thoughts," she said quietly, blinking up at him. Her arms crossed over her breasts in an effort to hide them from him. Nudity now represented vulnerability, but Vegeta spun completely around.

"Smart woman. You wouldn't like it in my mind. It's an ugly place for one such as you," Vegeta said. He crouched down on the shower floor, picking up the soap that dropped. Then he straightened up and continued to wash his calves and feet in full view of her.

"I don't want to see it. It's horrible, but I can't help but look," Bulma shuddered, hugging herself.

"Woman, what the hell is wrong with you?" Vegeta asked, peering down at her.

More images flooded her mind. She slid to the floor of the shower, shivering at the movement of cold hands on her body. Followed by the scraping of nails on skin, and a sharp kick to her back. Throwing herself on a bunk and sobbing because she knew her father had sold her to the devil. Wait! Since when would her father ever do something so horrendous? Bulma fought back the reality that she had seen something. And it had been just a flash, but the thoughts were not her own.

Bulma had turned a shade of ashy gray, clutching a towel rack on the shower's interior. She gasped, "How could he do such a thing? His own son? And no mother? Didn't anyone CARE?"

"Get up woman," Vegeta said quietly, reaching down to her.

"I can't stop it. Damn it Vegeta what are you doing to me?" she whispered.

Vegeta realized what was going on to his extreme discomfort. He squatted down on his haunches again only inches from the soap spiraling down the center drain. His hand wrapped around her bent arm, tugging her up to stand alongside him. Shivering she hugged her body tightly, collapsing against his hard chest heaving in and out with each rasping breath.

Vegeta's eyes widened guessing the horrible answer. Despite him stiffly standing there, he possessively wrapped his muscular arms around her to keep her from wriggling away. They had unfinished business and he realized he would have to acquiesce to being 'concerned' in order to get laid once more. Still he denied its reality, saying, "Nothing. What are you babbling about?"

"I don't want to know, kami, I never thought," she shivered.

"You're concerned because thoughts that aren't your own are flooding your mind?" Vegeta asked, rolling his eyes. Who was he trying to fool? Didn't he know it would happen if he bedded this female? Of all the females on this world the Woman herself was the only one worthy of anything more then a quick screw. He had entertained the possibility of keeping her as his concubine after seeing what she had to offer. Now he had to explain something rather annoying because he had forgotten the possibility that she had latent psychic abilities.

"They must be your thoughts and memories Vegeta. How is it possible that I can hear you like you are me?" she demanded, grabbing his arm. He felt her sinking her fingernails into it.

"Because you didn't stop me, woman," Vegeta answered quietly.

"And now it's MY fault?" Bulma laughed harshly, pushing away from his chest with the flats of both hands.

Vegeta captured her upper arms in his hands, holding firmly enough to keep her before him. Yet his grasp did not hurt or leave bruises. She simply couldn't break the steel vise grip or dodge around his body blocking her egress. Eyes directly level with hers he said, "You accepted this situation. Most beings when having sex with a Saiyan know to turn their minds off. We usually can shield our thoughts against anyone. But for some disturbing reason, you have wormed your way past my best defenses."

"Shit Vegeta, how is that possible?" Bulma asked him plaintively. Her blue eyes widened to resemble that of a lost little girl. Vegeta shivered at the veneer dropping away from the Boss Lady. Now she was the Woman again.

Vegeta did not wish to scare her away, because he was still quite aroused. Besides if he was careful and diplomatic about this, perhaps he could still salvage the situation to his advantage. All he wanted was for her to keep quiet long enough for them both to get their pleasure. While he hated appearing overly 'concerned' he felt desperate enough to drop his façade for the sake of sex. Make that very GOOD sex. He had to admit the Woman was the best he had ever had, and was loath to lose her anytime soon. A prince had his needs beyond merely fighting after all. Napa had reminded him often enough of that. Besides he couldn't pine over his lost concubines forever when he had a willing partner before him. He released her upper arms, giving her distance as he rolled his eyes. Slowly he explained, as if trying to tell a wayward child the facts of life, "I don't the hell know, woman. There are several explanations that are very disturbing. One from my culture's point of view is that somehow because we have similar personality types, our minds instinctively seek one another out as potential mates."

"So it's a mating ritual, like some sort of animal?" Bulma blinked. She whirled around, placing her back to him. Vegeta smirked at the imitation of his own regal gesture, especially the light 'humph!' Bulma uttered with a toss of her blue haired head. His eyes admired her shapely backside and spine curving down into it. Although she had no tail he could live with that because the other similarities were quite pleasing.

Vegeta continued, "Another is that humans have the same powers that Saiyans do, even if you're pathetically weak. Evidently that brain damaged third class clown sought out a suitable and compatible partner, and bonded himself to her physically and mentally. He hadn't the sense to ask why. Otherwise he would have left her annoying butt years ago."

Not looking at him, Bulma sniffed, "That's theworst come-on speech I've heard Vegeta. If you're trying to seduce me you're doing a lousy job!"

Vegeta slapped his wide forehead with one hand, groaning, "Woman, enough with the low class insinuations! I'm attempting to force some reason into your pea brain! This sort of thing happens when instinct tells a Saiyan warrior that he must procreate, and satisfy his baser appetites."

"Oh great, now you're telling me that we have some sort of… mind bond thing that neither of us wanted?" Bulma snapped, turning her head only slightly to stare out of the corner of her eye at him.

Vegeta couldn't resist taunting her with a smirk, "Just like an idiotic ningen. Your species is too stupid to listen to your instincts that you've buried and eliminated from your race in exchange for a fool dependence on technology. Instead of embracing that wild part of you that would strengthen you, you've given it up for what?"

"Enough with that already! Tell me what the hell's going on so we can stop it!" Bulma shouted at him. Vegeta's eyes narrowed with the discomfort of her loud voice drowning out his thoughts.

Caught by the shock of someone daring to tell her that, she wormed her way out of his arms. Vegeta again grabbed her shoulders, whirling her around to face him. He shouted, "What do you think I've been TRYING to do for the past hour, you idiotic fool? Great Galaxy are you as big an imbecile as Kakkarot?"

"WHAT!" Bulma spluttered.

"Do you think I LIKE having my secrets spilling into your damn mind?" Vegeta said with thinly veiled hatred.

"Feeling's mutual. I don't LIKE anyone poking their nose into MY private thoughts either, bakaryarou," Bulma shot back. Their hands interlocked to push each other away, but instead their fingers threaded together. Both glanced down at their hands clasped, then jerked away as if stung.

"You think I wanted it to happen? Especially a weak baka such as you knowing things that nobody dare know?" Vegeta griped, grabbing her forearms and swinging her to stand directly in front of him.

"How do you think I feel, Vegeta? You know everything I'm thinking too!" Bulma exploded. Her voice shrilled against the shower tile, causing Vegeta to wince in pain.

"Shut up! I can't hear everything. Just the crap you're thinking about now. You must learn to control your thoughts. For my sanity and your own. Stupid humans, you have no comprehension of what you are capable of even with your weak brains," Vegeta cursed as she dug her nails into his skin.

"I'm going to puke," she shuddered.

"That's because you're hungry, baka," said Vegeta.

She felt cold, so cold, and yet Vegeta's arms latched around her as she slid down. Strongly they supported and held her up against his hard body. So closely did he press her to his body that she could feel the in and out motion of his hard chest against her soft one. Her nose tipped into the hollow of his shoulder, brushing past his ear.