Chapter 6
By: DestinyBabee
Bulma could feel her cheeks burning up from the realization of her current position. Breaking the silence, she managed to stutter, "V-Vegeta…?"
Vegeta's saiya-jin reflexes had caught her before she could come in contact with the hard forest floor.
No matter how hard Bulma tried, she couldn't look away from Vegeta's mysterious, dark eyes. Their proximity sent a warm, yet odd feeling throughout her body. She could feel her heart pound harder inside her chest, as her pulse raced faster and faster. Her breathing quickened, as her brain tried to process what had just happened in the past few minutes. Was this real? Or was this a really bad nightmare?
Vegeta remained still, halted in the 45 degrees dip position in which he had caught her by. He had just returned from the woods, when he heard her scream. In a flash, he dropped everything and rushed to her side, catching her helpless body just before it touched the ground. As he stood in the static position, he could feel his own eyes slowly become trapped in her own, as he stared, transfixed.
Bulma couldn't avert her gaze either. Her mind told her to move away, but her body felt as if it were made of stone. She could not gather the strength to push herself away from him. His eyes were so alluring, that she felt herself become engulfed in them. 'Move, girl, darn it! Just look away! Why can't I move!' she screamed in her head.
'If only I could…' he thought helplessly, as his face started leaning in towards her. However, he quickly shook himself out of his trance, 'No, I can't! Snap out of it!' he commanded, kicking himself mentally. Using every ounce of will power he had, he tore his gaze from hers and looked away. Lecturing himself once again on the weakness of human emotions, he promised silently to never let that moment repeat itself again.
Then he swept down, picked her up off her feet, and carried her back to the log that she was supposed to be sitting on. Gently, he placed her down, being careful not to inflict pain on her foot. He then turned around and distanced himself from the girl. He attempted to regain his composure.
Bulma, who was now blushing at full force, just stared at the ground. She was speechless. Never in her wildest of dreams, would she have expected Vegeta to show up at that precise moment to catch her fall, and then carry her to safety. The more she thought about it, the more he cheeks burned, but what really made her blush, was the fact that she was starting to miss having his strong arms around her. 'What is wrong with me! I've never felt like that for anyone one before, so why him?' she wondered.
Vegeta didn't know why he did it. He didn't have to carry her; he could have simply supported her back to the log. But, he didn't. 'Why?' was all he could ask himself, but no answer came to him. He hated not knowing the answers. He hated not knowing why he felt this way, so he decided to speak. Unfortunately, he took out his embarrassment in the form of anger.
"I thought I told you to stay put! Were you trying to kill yourself? What do you think you were doing?" he scolded, a bit too harshly. His rage just flooded out as if trying to cover his uneasiness.
Bulma looked up at him in surprise, and almost fear. She let out a small whimper at his tone of voice. Normally, she would never let her fear show, but he had caught her off-guard. "I…I just wanted to help out. I wanted to gather some wood for a fire. I didn't mean to.. I'm sorry…" she said softly, glancing away, not daring to meet his eyes.
Vegeta regretted his words, but said nothing. Looking at the fallen pieces of wood, he sauntered over to them and started gathering them one by one in the crook of his arm. Bulma was watching this curiously now, as he placed the pieces of wood in a pile a good distance away from the log.
"How do you suppose we light it?" asked Bulma to no one in particular, frowning as she thought of a way to set fire to the wood.
Vegeta, taking the question as if it was directed at him, simply smirked, "You forget I'm a saiya-jin," he hinted. With what little ki he had left in him, he used it to create warmth for themselves as well as light. Golden flames bursted from the pile of wood.
Bulma's eyes widened and she slapped her forehead for her stupidity. She shot him a weak smile and held out her arms towards the heat in order to warm herself up.
Vegeta didn't reply. He walked over to where he had dropped the berries when he had heard her scream. He picked up the bundle and brought it over to the blue-haired girl. Opening up the leaves, he revealed their dinner. "Eat," he offered, placing the bundle on the ground before her.
Bulma cocked her head sideways to give him a funny look, but made no move for the food. For some reason, she suddenly felt shy around him. Maybe it was the fact that he was being so kind towards her. Or perhaps it was the quick change in the mood. Whatever it was, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
When Vegeta noticed her uncertainty, he mistakenly took it as mistrust. He sighed, grabbed a berry, and popped it into his own mouth to demonstrate that it wasn't poisonous. "I'm not trying to kill you. Trust me." He informed her.
Bulma nodded and timidly reached out for a berry to show that she did trust him. After everything he had done for her, how could she not trust him? Eating the fruit, she discovered that it was actually quite sweet. She let go of her uneasiness and reached out for more. After a while, she noticed that Vegeta wasn't eating. Instead he was pulling the leaves off a plant that was mixed in with the pile of berries. "Why aren't you eating? Aren't you hungry? What are those leaves for?" she inquired, curiously.
Vegeta didn't answer. He simply continued stripping the plant of its leaves until it was nearly bare. He then popped a few of the leaves into his mouth and began to chew.
Bulma watched him with interest. What in the world was he up to? She picked up one of the leaves to examine it more closely herself, but found nothing of interest with it. She decided to ask him again, "What are you doing? And what are these leaves for?"
After about a half a minute of chewing, he spat out the contents of his mouth onto his hand. They were now a dark green pile of mush that resembled something somewhat like vomit. It was rather sickening to look at.
Bulma grimaced at this. Not bearing the sight of it anymore, she turned the other direction to avoid it. She still didn't know what he was up to, and frankly now, she didn't want to anymore.
Then, she then felt a tugging at her leg. Turning back around, she saw Vegeta undoing theribbing from her hoodiethat was wrapped around her sprained foot. When it was untied and unravelled, he slopped the green mush right onto the bare skin of her foot!
Bulma turned green herself, at the sight. "Ugh, what the heck are you doing! Eww.. it feels so mushy. Disgusting!" she complained, trying to pull her leg away, but Kai had a firm grip on her and was evenly spreading out the remedy on her ankle.
Finally Vegeta spoke, "This is a herb with very unique medical properties. It has the power to help heal injuries. I thought it might help out your sprained ankle. The faster you heal, the faster we can get out of here."
A doubtful expression spread across her face. There was still something she did not understand. "But…but why did you have to chew it first?"
Vegeta stared at her as if she had just asked the most obvious question in the world. "How else can you release the medicinal properties out of the plant?"
Bulma still looked unconvinced. How could a plant be that powerful? Plus it was making her sick just looking at that mush. Not to mention that it was mixed with saliva….yuck! She tried to protest, "Why couldn't you have told me sooner? Why couldn't you have let me done my own chewing?"
Vegeta stopped what he was doing and gave her a sceptical look. Then, using his clean hand, he picked up a leaf that hadn't been chewed and handed it to her. "Try chewing this," was all he said. There was a glint in his eyes.
Scowling, Bulma swiped the leaf out of his hands, took a bite out of it, and started chewing. She froze as soon as the taste of the contents in her mouth hit her. It was bitter! Very, very bitter. Instantly, she spat it out, spluttering every last piece of the bitter-tasting herb onto the ground. Shutting her eyes tightly, she stuck out her tongue and shook her head, making gagging noises in the process.
Vegeta smirked. He knew that she wouldn't be able to stand the bitterness. Handing over some berries to her, he said, "Now you see why."
Bulma glared at him while taking the berries and eating them, desperately trying to clear the bitter taste from her mouth. "You could have told me it was bitter!" she yelled, resentfully.
"Oh, but it was more interesting to see you find out the hard way. Now you'll learn not to question my intentions," he replied, slyly, with a slight tone of humour in his voice.
"Vegeta! That was not funny! One way or another, you will pay for that!" vowed Bulma irately. She crossed her arms and attempted to glare a hole through his head. Oh, how she hated him at this moment.
Vegeta rolled his eyes. She was of no threat to him. He finished off applying the remedy and retied his scarf around her foot. Then he got up to leave. "Whatever. I'm going to go wash my hands by the river. It's not far from here. Would you like some water?"
Vegeta's angry expression melted. "Um…sure…" she replied, hesitantly.
Vegeta nodded and started heading towards the direction of the river, but he was interrupted by the sound of Bulma's voice.
"Oh, and Vegeta?" she said abruptly before she could stop herself.
He stopped and looked towards her direction. Surprised, he raised an eyebrow.
"Thank you…for saving me," she said after a pause. He nodded his acknowledgement and then resumed his path to the river.
ulmasighed. She'll never understand him. One minute, he's cruel and arrogant, but the next, he's sincere and kind. Glancing down at the leg thathe had bandaged, a small smile formed on her lips. Maybe the herb really was working, or perhaps it was only her mind playing tricks on her, but her leg didn't hurt as much anymore. 'These herbs might become useful in the future. I think I should keep some, just in case,' she thought to herself, pocketing a few of the dark green leaves.
The bitter taste of the leaf still remained at the tip of her tongue. She grimaced and muttered something about the injustice of the whole situation. Grabbing a few more berries to clear the taste in her mouth, she waited in silence for Vegeta's return, while enjoying the company of the welcoming radiance emitted from the flickering, glowing flames.
Cold waves of water violently met flesh, as Vegeta angrily spewed the clear liquid across his face, attempting to purge his head of all thoughts he had, especially the ones of Bulma. Droplets of water rolled down his face. Breathing heavily, Vegeta knelt by the river and scooped up some water in his hands to drink. Burying his face into his wet hands, he contemplated the circumstances.
'What is the matter with me? Why is it so hard for me to do such a simple task? Why can't I ignore her?' He demanded himself, clenching his fists in anger. He felt so helpless, so out of control…so weak. And if there was one thing he hated, it was being weak. Running a hand through his unruly hair, he closed his eyes and listened the roaring sound of the river echoing throughout the air, almost as if it were laughing at him. Scowling, he muttered, "Even the river taunts my weakness…"
Suddenly letting a burst of anger explode, he stroked the river with his fists, sending a geyser of water flying in the air. The drops of water now came back down and Vegeta watched silently as ripples skidded across the surface of the water. Sighing, he calmed himself down. Getting angry doesn't solve anything.
Vegeta did not know why he was acting the way he was, nor did he think he would ever know. However he knew one thing was for certain, he had to keep control of himself or else…well, he did not want to think of an "or else". This was something he could not fail at.
'Vegeta, from now on, you will revert to your normal self. Do not show emotion towards her, do not touch her, do not speak to her unless absolutely necessary…be the usual cold-hearted person you are. That way, there are no complications, no awkward situations, and especially no strange feelings,' he commanded himself, deciding that this was the best way to handle the situation.
Satisfied with the solution he had come up with, he stood to find some wide leaves. Washing the leaves first in the cool river, he then rolled them into a cone shape and dipped it into the river to gather the water he promised to get for Vegeta, reassuring himself that he was only doing this as a favour.
Smirking, he turned and headed back to their camp. He scoffed, 'Love…ha! There is no such thing as love. Was I ever a fool to even think such a force existed?'
"Here," said Vegeta, handing the water over to Bulma when he had returned. He made sure that his eyes did not wander into hers as he did so. Bulma gratefully accepted the refreshment. "Thank you," she said, politely, before bringing her lips to the leaf and drinking down the water. When she was finished, she wiped her mouth with her arm and let out a contented sigh. "Ah, that was refreshing! The water sure tastes different here in the wilderness."
"Hn," was all Vegeta uttered. He was sticking strictly to his plan: the less contact with her, the better. He picked up what was remaining of the berries and walked over to the base of a tree opposite to where Bulma sat. There he sat himself down and silently ate his dinner.
'Okay…that was weird," thought Bulma to herself, but decided to let it go. The fire flickered in the dark night as they sat in silence, Vegeta munching berries, Bulma watching the flames. 'He's so mysterious all of the time, and he always keeps to himself! It's no wonder that he's such a grouch. It would be nice if he would open up once in a while though…' her thoughts trailed, as she shook herself awake. Taking a glance at him,wondering when the silence will break.
After awhile of silence, Bulma finally gave up on any hope of befriending Vegeta. It was futile trying to close the gap that had formed between them and growing ever since. "What's wrong with you all of a sudden? Why won't you talk to me? I just thought we could actually be friends! Is that wrong?" she demanded, anger rising. It was very annoying when she knew he was perfectly capable of speech, and yet, she would have been better off conversing with the tree. That way she didn't have to feel uncomfortable while talking. She waited for a reply but none came. "Fine. I give up. I don't know why I even bothered trying to be friendly towards you anyway. I'll just get the cold shoulder from you every time. If you don't want to talk to me, then you should have said so, instead of letting me waste my breath. I'm going to sleep," she said simply. Yawning, she slid off the log and onto the ground, laying her head on the log, as if it were a pillow. "Goodnight."
However, getting a good night's rest was easier said than done. Every now and then, she would toss and turn, trying to find a comfortable position to lie. The log was too high and too hard for sleeping on. Plus, there was that irritating feeling that something was crawling up her skin and back that would cause her to squirm in itchiness.
From where he sat, Bulma watched her settle into her "bed" and couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He remembered how difficult it was to fall asleep in the wild. She was a spoiled princess. She could never get use to this. The sleeping conditions weren't exactly what you would call first class.
Gazing at her restless body, he decided that he was just being paranoid at the river. She didn't deserve being treated as nothing at all. From now on, he was going to take it a little easier on her. Nevertheless, he knew he still couldn't open up fully.
After about an hour of turning about, Bulma finally found a position that was somewhat comfortable. Her breathing slowed to a methodical rate and soon she was asleep. Snuggled into a ball, her body trembled in the cold, despite the raging fire burning before them.
Instinctively, Vegeta looked over to her He wasn't about to let her sleep in the cold. He was accustomed to the cold, and he knew clearly well that she wasn't. "Hey you." he called out, to make sure she was truly asleep. He received no answer. Relieved, he got up and walked up to her, placing a hand on her arm. He then gave her the little bit of ki left in him to shield her from the cold.
Her body gradually ceased its quivering and her breathing returned to a normal rate.
Vegeta then returned to the base of the tree he was sitting at. Right now all he wanted was a night's good rest and to just forget about all that has happened today. Crossing his arms, he slowly let his eyelids droop, and soon he was pulled from the world of reality and into a world of dreams.