Re-written as of 10/09/17

The water around her had gotten cold but Bulma hadn't noticed. She sat in the bathtub, surrounded by pink foamy bubbles. Her nostrils barely above the water allowing her to breathe lost in her thoughts. It had been one of those nights. She and Yamcha had been on a data and during their meal a bad suspicion had taken root in Bulma - he was cheating on her. Again.

The evening had ended in a loud fight inside the restaurant and he had left her to pay the bill and walk home. He never denied it. The first thing she had done upon her arrival back at the house was to take a hot bath - usually, this calmed her thoughts. But today was no such night. First, she had cried because she was so hurt, then because she felt stupid for having trusted him in the first place and then for crying and wasting her time.

Now she was lifelessly laying in the cold water, her head humming from all the crying she had done. How did this happen?

Was she never enough!? It was as if her thoughts were stuck on replay. Bulma contemplated if it was an option to just never leave the bathtub again. Smiling to herself she realized that her mother would pull her out of the tub the second she wouldn't show up for breakfast in the morning. It was nice to know that there was someone in her corner that cared - even if it was her mother.

Taking a deep breath Bulma finally reached for a towel while forcing herself to leave the tub, she wrapped it around her body and pulled the plug to let the water out. She was a grown woman and she needed to get it together. Yes, her relationship had ended, and she was determined that this time it was over for good. She was a smart and attractive woman, she stood on her own feet and was financially independent, there had to be somebody out there that would cherish her. Truly cherish her.

Yamcha would be crawling back to her in no time and when that moment came she would be ready to make him regret every single mistake. Smiling and with new determination, she fell into bed, not even bothering to dress in proper night attire.

When she arrived in the kitchen the next morning she was surprised to find only her mother, standing in front of the stove humming a happy melody - Vegeta was nowhere to be seen. Bulma poured herself a big cup of coffee before taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"Good Morning Hun" her mother smiled brightly at her while placing a plate of waffles in front of her.

Upon observing her daughter more closely Bunny noticed the young girl's swollen eyes and reddened nose "Oh darling are you not feeling well?" she almost cooed at her daughter "Do you want some aspirin?".

Bulma was lost in her thoughts about Yamcha and their terrible date the night prior, just a few hours prior she had felt worthless and humiliated and now, on this morning, everything seemed out of order. As if the world had suddenly changed.

"Where is Vegeta?" she asked, ignoring her mother's concern for her well being and trying to be as inconspicuous and casual as possible in her concern for a certain missing alien. Her head was throbbing, leaving her in a hazy cloud of reality and her thoughts.

Yamach was still weighing heavy on her mind but the absence of the Saiyan Prince bothered her even more. After their heated argument outside the gravity room, Bulma had secretly hoped that he was going to come around. She knew that he had his pride but she had been convinced that his precious GR was going to win her the argument.

Knowing full well that he was never going to utter a single sorry she had foolishly expected that he'd come up with a reason to at least talk to her. But he didn't. And now he was missing breakfast - that was not like him. Her mother's words ripping Bulma once again back to reality "The good boy left really early this morning sweetie", she placed a bottle of aspirin before her.

"He left" confusion evident in her voice, and the sudden jerky movement of her own head as she peered out the kitchen window only worsened her own headache "Where did he go!?"

"Yes, hun he left really early this morning. He said he was going to rain. Didn't he tell you?"

Her heart suddenly started racing when she heard her mother's words, without saying another word Bulma was on her feet and out the patio door. Her headache long forgotten. She headed straight for the gravity room ripping its door right open, without any regard for her own safety should artificial gravity be engaged inside. It was empty. And still on emergency override - unusable for him. Meaning he had not bothered her father, demanding the code to continue his training.

Her stomach dropped as she stood in the empty room remembering their last encounter. He had been so close, so dangerously predatorily close, and kami he was hot. Not just bodily hot, but sex appeal hot. Rippling muscles and an endless supply of power and stamina. Sighting deeply Bulma had to admit to herself that the closeness had excited her. She had been well aware that Vegeta was a dangerous man, beings all across this universe shivered in mortal agony at the sound of his name, but deep down she enjoyed driving him to the edge of his sanity. The little flicker in his eyes when his obvious need for her - well, her equipment - overwrote his bloodlust made her feel intoxicatingly powerful.

"I'm insane. Absolutely fucking insane" she whispered to herself realizing her thoughts. Perhaps her obsession for bad boys had gone too far.

Returning to the kitchen Bulma poured herself another cup of coffee, finally calming herself enough to take an aspirin and heading towards the Lab. She and Yamcha were over and Vegeta and his damn pride had disappeared to Kami know where for kami knows how long. The best thing she could do was finally get some of the work done that she had been putting off.

A few hours later Bulma was sitting over Blueprints with her Dad. Making adjustments for the encapsulation process for a new heavy hovercraft vehicle. When the world around her was getting crazy she could always count on her father and their shared love for technology. Given that she had no siblings and she didn't fully share her mother's enthusiasm for cooking and baking she had spent most of her childhood in the Capsule Corp labs with her father.

This was where some of her first truly great memories and inventions were created. Including the Dragonball radar - a device that she now realized had changed her entire life. A wave of wistfulness swept over her as she remembered those long lost days, back then her greatest wish had been a perfect boyfriend - now she and her friends were preparing for the androids, possibly the end of the world. The end of the World. It was moments like this when she envied the unsuspecting citizens she shared this world with. They had no idea how heavy the burden of the knowledge was that she carried.

The thought alone sent her stomach into freefall as she realized that she was spending precious preparation time arguing with Vegeta. He was a jackass, but he was working hard, and after Goku, he was one of their best shots. Slowly shaking her head she forced herself to focus back on the task before her. This new vehicle was going to revolutionize the way of transporting and storing an enormous amount of weight.

"I think this ought to do it" her Dad finally said, studying the Blueprint, utterly unaware of his daughter's mental absence.

"I'll have it printed with the adjustments we made and we can start on a prototype" she replied almost mechanically when she realized her Father was looking at her, obviously expecting feedback.

After printing the new and adjusted blueprints Bulma and her Father ordered parts for the prototype. Stocked the designated room in the lab with the necessary tools needed once the parts came and then each returned to their own projects.

Almost an entire week had gone by and she and her Father had made large strides with their new project. She was buried in work. It was well past 10 pm when Bulma finally fell into bed that night, she had gotten a lot done, and the muscles in her neck made sure to remind her of that. Slightly frowning she thought to herself that she would have made even more progress if it would not have been for Yamcha showing up right after dinner. Uninvited. Flowers and his usual apology. Not too long ago she would have fallen for the routine, his big eyes and pompous words. But this time things had been different, he had hurt her one too many times and it was time for both of them to move on.

She yawned just thinking of it again. Another fight had erupted between them when he had accused her of always dropping everything right then and there for Vegeta and that it was her actions that had lead him into the arms of other women. It had taken everything not to beat him to death with one of her mother's table lamps but she had finally managed to get him to leave. Alive.

Bulma was about to fall asleep, her thoughts drifting off to the Saiyan Prince who seemed to have vanished into thin air when she heard the water running. Instantly her eyes flew open, Vegeta was back, his bedroom was the only other room with a bathroom in this part of the house. Before she even knew what she was doing Bulma had shuffled to her feet and made the short trip down the hall, stopping in front of his door she took a deep breath and knocked.

She had decided to be the first to give in. Screw her pride, she was the bigger person. Right? Over the past few days, her resolve had only deepened with each day that Vegeta had been absent. Time was precious and she hated the idea that her actions might truly hinder the Saiyan Prince from preventing the end of the world - together with the rest of the Z Fighters.

After a few moments - and no answer - she knocked again.

"Vegeta - it's me," she said carefully when he still didn't respond to her knock.

"Go away wench" an annoyed voice snarled from the other side of the door.

Shaking her head, trying to keep her composure she took a deep breath and just opened the door. It was almost 11 at night and she was not going to have a screaming match through a closed door.

"Woman, I told you to go away! What do you think you are doing here!"

"I a-…"

Her words died on her lips. Vegeta stood by the bed facing her, a pair of sweatpants loosely around his hips, a towel still in hand in an attempt to dry his black mane. He scowled deeply at her, clearly annoyed and not up for a late night chit-chat. His muscles tense as he had temporarily frozen in place when she had let herself in. Bulma swallowed hard as she realized again he was not only dangerous but also very, very handsome. Broad shoulders and defined chest leading to a narrow, firm waist with the deep, muscular V of discipline and sweat, leading her eyes to .. oh kami. He was chiseled - even the young Greek Gods would have been jealous.

"Woman, get out! I will not repeat myself" he growled at her, dropping the towel loosely around his neck, and snapping her wandering eyes back to his face.

"I- .. I need to talk to you Vegeta" Bulma finally breathed. She needed to get it together. Vegeta might have been easy on the eyes but he was still a jerk.

"No" his response was dry, annoyed and matter of factly. He was not in the mood for social interactions.

"Now listen here you narcissistic asshole" Bulma hissed, rage starting to build inside of her. She was here to apologize and make the first, step, but he didn't even give her the chance to jump over her shadow. He was so unbelievably rude! "I am here about your precious Gravity Room!"

"If you are here to hear me apologize you are even more stupid than you look" he retorted, not even meeting her gaze as he resumed drying his hair.

He hated to admit it but she had his attention now. He was never going to apologize but he was going to give her a shot and at least let her finish. His training in the mountains had been decent, but he favored the challenge the gravity room offered him. Vegeta had only returned for a shower and a good night's sleep - now regretting his decision as he saw Bulma in his room, hands on her hips, with a fiery gaze and that weaklings smell almost dripping from her. His face wrinkling in disgust for a very brief second - Bulma didn't seem to notice.

"I will turn your GR back on tomorrow" she finally pressed. There she said it. Seeing the smirk dancing around the corners of Vegeta's mouth she added hastily "only because I will not be your excuse when the androids arrive and you are not ready". There take that asshole!

Before Bulma could mentally pad herself on the back for her genius way to deflect and hide her own guilt that had caused her to give in, Vegeta had grabbed her by the arm and shoved her into the hallway, past his door-frame, his scowl was deep and his eyes dancing dangerously.

" I don't need anyone to be ready for the androids" he growled deeply " I am a warrior I will rise to meet any challenge by my damn self" his grip around her shoulder intensified as he added "Don't overestimate your role in any of my achievements, woman. You are nobody to me".

With those words, he gave her a push and stepped back into his room. His eyes never leaving her, before closing his bedroom door in her face his dark smirk reappeared on his lips and with smug arrogance he snarled "Take a damn shower you stink like your pathetic weakling of a mate".

The door closed in her face and a perplex and angry Bulma was left in the dark hallway. The gal of this man was unbelievable, and not for the first time Bulma wished for Saiyan strength to wack him.

Vegeta dropped into bed, deeply exhausted and glad when he felt her turn around to stomp - loudly - down the hallway. His week had been exhausting. He had pushed himself to his absolute limits but he felt like his progress was still below par. Frustration and anger had been consuming him for the last two days when he had been racking his mind in an attempt to figure out how Kakarot had managed to ascend before him. A bitter blow to his pride that had lead him to consider just blowing up this measly planet and be done with them all.

Burying his face deeply into the pillow he growled in utter frustration. It had been hard to come back here - it made him feel like he was giving up, failing to reach his goal. Something that made shame burn in every inch of his body, his father would be disappointed. He had also hoped to get a full night's rest before having to deal with any of the Briefs.

But then Bulma had let herself into his room, she had clearly already laid in bed before showing up uninvited to his room. With her simple dark tank top and unearthly indecent shorts. Vegeta growled into his pillow again. It had taken everything out of him to kick her out and not throw her onto his bed to fuck her and his frustrations through the mattress.

He had seen where her eyes had strayed, smelled the pheromones that were the precursors of her arousal. His only aid in the endeavor had been the weaklings smell on her.

He was male, he was a Saiyan and he was in his prime. While this planet had him living like a damn monk. Another deep growl into the pillow. He was a Saiyan Prince and his pride would not allow him to sink to such low levels with a weak female. The woman he had fucked in space hadn't been worthy either, but they had been trophies of war. After the demise of Frieza Vegeta had promised himself that the next female that spread her legs for him would be a worthy equal. Someone as close to a Saiyan as he could possibly ever get. Bulma was not that, she was pathetically weak, perhaps not in mind, but in body.

He hated her for invading his mind, ruining his focus, chipping away on his discipline and success. He hated himself for allowing it, for noticing her and for the places his mind swayed every time he laid eyes on her. Rolling over onto his back Vegeta sighed deeply, ignoring his aching erection. Frieza's voice came to him, replaying in his mind over and over again, and Vegeta saw the young boy he had once been, listening as the lizard told him that attachments were weaknesses, and weakness was to be exploited.

End Chapter III
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