A/N: Long time, no see. Sorry for not updating everyone on what's been happening but the delay isn't from anything big or tragic happening in my life but simply trouble with writing. I've been struggling with this chapter for awhile now. Even though I have the story planned out to the end there are still times where the details in between have to be filled out to prevent the story from feeling sparse and if they can end up being trickier than originally thought. From interactions between certain characters to describe how something works, I've had to rewrite several scenes several times to finally get this where I felt that it was ready to be released. I suppose I could have released half of the 20 page chapter in two parts but I had decided on where the chapter was going to end and I stubbornly stuck to it. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 16: Weaknesses and Strengths
Vegeta ran his hand down Bulma's thigh as his other hand moved to gently cup her breast. Pleased at the gentle sigh she released, Vegeta moved over her, resting his weight on his calves as he straddled her petite frame.
Predictably Bulma gasped, her phobia making her unsure of his figure looming over her. "Vegeta… no, I," she gasped out, moving to push him away.
"Uh uh uh, Woman, this is your own fault. Did you really think that you could try you could embarrass me before? Or that your cocky attitude could cover up for you raging heart beat and flushed demeanor? I don't know where this streak of lusty courage came from but it's not entirely a bad thing," he said before leaning down and taking her lips again, pleased that her tongue met his to battle passionately. Pulling away to allow her air Vegeta looked up and down Bulma's body: her heaving breast, flushed cheeks, pursed lips, half-lidded eyes, and tousled hair and smirked. "No, it's not a bad thing at all," he arrogantly remarked before returning to continue the kiss.
Despite her apprehension, Vegeta could sense that Bulma was getting into their session. Her body was writhing under his and her hands were exploring his arms and chest, a sensation that he never imagined could feel so good. 'Such soft and delicate hands she has. She's far more sheltered than most women I've seen,' he reasoned with himself.
Not wanting to break the kiss, he concentrated on the feeling of Bulma's hands moving lower down his chest, towards his…
Slamming his arm down onto the mattress, Vegeta was instantly ripped out of the warmth of his pleasurable dream and into the stark reality of his cold, empty bed. Eyes now wide open, he focused on Bulma's even breathing coming from the sofa until he was satisfied that he hadn't outwardly given any audible signs of his intense dream. He could still feel his painful erection, hardened from the torrid images he had previously been bombarded with but he stilled himself from literally taking matters into his hands to ease that pain. He had never reduced himself to that kind of self-gratification before and he wasn't going to start now. The fact that he didn't have any of his normal options available didn't matter. After all, this was basically punishment for his lack of control earlier.
Oh sure, it would be easy to blame Bulma, which he did because she seemed to be the cause of all his problems lately, but in the end no problem should be beyond the reinforced self-control he held so dearly. As she had pointed out he normally kept his tail wrapped firmly around his waist. All Saiyans did. Tails, while important, easily revealed emotions or how relaxed one was and should only be unwrapped when in the presence of truly trusted allies or companions. Not that Vegeta ever unwrapped his tail around anyone: Not while intimate or while celebrating with other Saiyans after a successful job. Hell, the only times he could even remember losing control over his tail was when his tail was when he was venting his anger around his Father, as embarrassing as that was. Other than that he was always prepared, always aware of his surroundings, never trusting even the calmest of situations. And yet somehow, he'd let his guard down around her! Worse off SHE pointed out that it was his lack of control that caused him to unravel his tail and touch her. How utterly mortifying!
But damn it all, where had that change in attitude come from. It was like back in the alley he had first met her, where he had first seen the potential the woman had to be cool, calm, and collected under pressure. Only this time she added this level of haughtiness and that suggestive smile to the mix: Any arousal that had dissipated when she started screaming like a banshee had instantly returned ten-fold. He had been so captivated by the act that it wasn't until she had closed the bathroom door behind her that her words finally registered.
Maybe there's some underlying attraction for her? Of course there fucking was! How could she proclaim herself to be a genius but not know obvious signs of attraction? How sheltered and oblivious could she possibly be?
Then again, maybe she did understand his attraction for her but just didn't return the feeling? After all, she had originally said that she'd put on an act so convincing that he'd believe she was 'in love' with him. Was that it? Was she taunting him, laughing at how she could easily undermine all of his self-control, leading him on that there was a chance that he'd get some relief in the end?
A low growl rumbled through his chest at that thought. He'd find out tomorrow if she was playing him for a fool or just a naïve idiot. If it was the former he'd have to remind her who was in charge here.
Bulma sighed in her sleep as she turned to get more comfortable. Vegeta closed his eyes tight as he pinched the bridge of his nose as it drew his mind back to the dream he was trying to forget. 'Am I seriously losing to someone's that asleep?' Vegeta mentally groaned as he looked over at the clock.
How long had he slept this time? Certainly not more than a few hours, not like that was different than normal but he wanted to get back to sleep so that he'd be rested when they landed on Vegetasei.
Lowering his arm to his side, he began to meditate in hopes of clearing his mind and blocking out all external stimuli. This tactic was cut short as Bulma released another sensual sounding sigh. Growling, Vegeta jumped out of bed. Ignoring his tired body and aching head, he grabbed some training shorts and left his room to train the remainder of the night.
Bulma was startled out of her mostly peaceful sleep by a gentle, for Vegeta, kick to the couch she was sleeping on. "Get your lazy ass out of bed, Woman."
Blinking owlishly a few times, Bulma finally registered what was going on and attempted to give him a kick of her own. Vegeta, having been awake several hours more than Bulma, easily caught the kick and pulled her leg causing her to move down the couch several feet with a small yelp. Before she could move back into a sitting position Vegeta pushed her leg up to her chest to allow himself to loom over her, leaning down to slide his lips along her neck.
"H-hey stop it! Let go of my leg and get off me!" Bulma stuttered out, uncomfortable in more ways than one.
"You're very flexible, woman," Vegeta whispered in her ear causing her to shiver and blush like mad. Deciding that she wouldn't let him get the upper hand, she pushed against his chest to try to get enough space to think straight. "What's wrong, Woman? Use up all of your bravado?"
Bulma's eyes snapped open as she realized that this was some sort of revenge for embarrassing him last night. 'Who cares if he's upset? That was last night and this is now,' she thought as she pushed his chest as hard as she could. While she only gained a few inches of distance it was enough for her to let him know that, having been so rudely awakened, she wasn't in the mood for his games.
However, any angry words that had formed stalled in her throat as she got a good look at his face. Despite his claims a few days ago that he didn't normally sleep much, she never imagined that he'd ever look this tired. "Hey, are you okay? You look," Bulma's concerned question was cut short by Vegeta smacking the hand reaching for his face away with a sneer.
"I don't recall asking for your opinion on my health woman. What I do want is to see if that fiery spirit from last night is something you can use at anytime or if it's something that can only be conjured in times of desperation." He smirked mockingly before adding, "Given what I've seen since meeting you it's probably the latter."
"This is serious, Vegeta. If you're not feeling well…,"
"Enough!" Vegeta cut off Bulma's plea with a roar. "When I say your opinion doesn't matter, that means stop trying to tell me it."
While Bulma had originally been concerned about Vegeta's health and then scared at Vegeta out roar, his last words instantly rekindled her earlier anger. Before she realized what she was doing, she slapped Vegeta as hard as she could. Even though her hand felt like it was broken, she took some pride in seeing that the hit had taken Vegeta by surprise. Knowing that his surprise would wear off quickly, Bulma decided to validate her action.
"Don't you DARE tell me that my opinion doesn't matter! I am not going to be some kind of butt-kissing yes-man that always does what they're told without questioning whether you're wrong or right." Vegeta finally seemed to recover from his shock and narrowed his eyes. Before he could say anything though, Bulma interrupted him. "No! I have every right to say whatever I want and you're just going to have to accept that. I've said this so many times before and I'm sick and tired of repeating myself. We. Have. A. Partnership. We're only playing slave and master in the public eyes so you're going to have to stop doing things the way you want and learn how to work with me or this plan is never going to get anywhere."
Vegeta seemed to have calmed a bit. "You're the one with problems, Woman. Not me."
"Yes, my phobia is a problem and we're making it better. But your health is just as important to this situation as anything else. If you don't take care of yourself, you won't have the physical or mental ability to get strong enough to take down Frieza."
"I don't need a shut-in like you telling me what is affecting my training. I've trained my entire life. It's in my blood."
"And yet you came to me," Bulma said calmly. "To help you achieve something that you couldn't do on your own before."
"You're here to make equipment and pretend to be a devoted concubine. Nothing else is required of you, especially not counseling me on my livelihood."
"You're right, but then again, you're also wrong," Bulma commented nonchalantly. "Don't you see Vegeta? I can't make equipment for you to train with if I don't know what limits your body has. If I try to make things based off of my knowledge of the physical abilities of humans you're not going to get anywhere. And what kind of 'devoted concubine' wouldn't be concerned about her master's wellbeing. You should want me to notice everything different about you if you want to be the only man in my life."
Vegeta's eyes widened in shock and Bulma could have sworn she saw a faint blush grace his cheeks. "S-stupid Woman!" Bulma could barely keep the amused look off her face as Vegeta seemed to be stumbling for words. "I-I didn't say that I wanted to be the only man in your life! I said that you should only focus on me."
Bulma raised an eyebrow, "Um, what exactly is the difference?"
"There's a huge difference!" Vegeta snapped before tightly closing his eyes and shaking his head, apparently in an attempt to regain control. "What I'm saying is that you should only think about me so that you won't panic when you think about other men. Your version is suggesting that… that…," Vegeta trailed off trying to find the right words. Bulma was happy to fill in the blanks.
"That you want me as something more than a tool?" Vegeta visibly flinched. "Don't worry. Last night, I was just using that 'fiery spirit' to prevent myself from turning into a quivering mess. I know that you aren't actually attracted to me," Bulma finished in an attempt to placate him. 'Even if, beyond all possible reason, I am attracted to you.'
"You…," Suddenly, Vegeta fell against her, his head buried in the crook of her neck. Once again, concern flooded Bulma. 'Did he pass out? Is he so tired that he just collapsed?' Before she could express her concern, Vegeta pulled himself back up to look at her with his typical smirk. "You really are an idiot."
Bulma's jaw dropped in anger but any reaction she would have had was cut off when Vegeta grabbed her chin and roughly kissed her. She found herself returning the kiss until she remembered that Vegeta had just insulted her. She would have ripped her mouth away from his but Vegeta beat her to it, not only being the first to pull away but also pulling her off the couch and pushing her towards the bathroom.
"Hurry up and bathe. We'll be landing soon so you have 10 minutes before the stabilization process begins. The gravity difference between Yapisha and our world is quite significant so you'll need to have everything done by then since you'll likely be unable to move," Vegeta casually said while turning his attention towards his scouter.
"What? There's no way I can get ready in 10 minutes! Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"
"If you're going blame someone, blame yourself for wasting so much time."
"Wasting time?! You're the one who knew we'd be landing soon and still took the time to attack and molest me."
Vegeta ignored her rant. "Nine minutes, Woman."
"Argh!" Bulma screamed, picking up a pillow and throwing it at the frustrating man, turning to leave before seeing if it somehow defied logic and managed to hit him. Grabbing some clothes, Bulma stomped into the bathroom. Stripping and stepping into the shower, she lathered up thoroughly.
"Stupid jerk! Who does he think he is?! Oh yeah, 'the mighty oh so powerful prince of all Saiyans'.As if his dumb title will make me ignore his horrible attitude. Seriously, does he know anything about time maintenance at all? Training to death instead of sleeping. Pinning me down when we're minutes away from stabilizing, whatever that means. He knows how I react to that kind of situation. The last thing anyone needs is me being a nervous wreck while getting off this ship."
Pouring some 'hair cleanser' into her hands, she started working on her hair but suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened as she thought back to Vegeta's 'attack' on her this morning. During all their practices, she'd been on top, able to at least feel like she could push away if things went bad. But this time he had her pinned down, pressed intimately close, and even kissed her and she hadn't reacted badly at all. No flashbacks, no shaking, not even an irregular heartbeat. This fear that she had thought would haunt her forever didn't even rear its ugly head during the whole time Vegeta had her pinned beneath her. She never would have believed it but the amount of progress she'd made was undeniable.
"Was it because I was so angry I couldn't focus on being afraid," Bulma asked aloud as her hands dropped from her hair to cover her heart, "or… have I gotten used to Vegeta enough this past week to know to actually feel safe even in that kind of situation?"
She was brought out of her quandary by the sound of pounding on the door. "Five minutes, Woman," Vegeta's annoyed voice sounded. "If you're not out of here by then I'll drag you out myself."
Bulma frowned. "Definitely anger," Bulma huffed out before continuing to wash up.
In record time, Bulma had finished showering. She had just barely finished shimming into her dress before the door swung open, making her hands spring up to cover her rapidly beating heart. Vegeta, looking annoyed as usual, quickly swept his eyes over her before letting out a disinterested huff of air and leaving the way he came.
Now over her shock, Bulma frowned at Vegeta's reaction before turning to look over her outfit in the mirror. She had grabbed a simple sleeveless purple dress that she normally wore with tights and a cardigan. The dress molded to every curve of her body and was short enough to only come mid-thigh so she had always been worried that the dress would be too revealing without the extra pieces. However, being the social recluse that she was, it was the sexiest outfit she owned. Not that Vegeta shared the same opinion apparently. Yes this deal was only a ruse and Vegeta didn't actually have any interest in her but it still stung her pride a bit.
Grabbing a towel to dry her hair, Bulma walked out of the bathroom. A smile lit up her face as she noticed that Chichi and Kakarot had entered sometime during her shower. Sitting comfortably close to each other on the couch, they looked up to greet her.
"Bulma, I love that dress!" Chichi gushed. "I don't think I've ever seen it before."
"Mom got it for me awhile back. I normally wear tights and a cardigan with it though."
"Cardigan?" Chichi mulled about the explanation until she remembered. "You mean that old, gray sweater that was three times your size? I thought that was a shirt underneath it."
"Oh hush." Bulma stuck her tongue out at her friend's chiding. "The lab got cold during the winter months. Besides," she paused to adjust the hem of her dress, "this dress has always been too short to wear on its own."
"Nonsense! Bulma you look fantastic. And I'll bet any man would agree."
Bulma looked down, embarrassed by her friend's critique, before looking at Vegeta out of the corner of her eyes. He'd yet to look at her since she'd come out of the bathroom and instead seemed to be more interested with his scouter and his luggage. 'Not any man,' she thought bitterly.
Chichi seemed to notice Bulma's change in attitude. "Bulma is something wrong?"
Shaking her head at Chichi, Bulma walked over to get her things together.
"Don't bother with packing now," Vegeta told her as he continued to pack his own things. "The ship is going to start with the stabilization process soon and you'd be better off sitting down for it."
"What does the stabilization process consist of?" Bulma asked.
Letting out a sigh, Vegeta moved towards his closet to continue with his task. "Woman, I know that you're brainy and love to overanalyze pointless things but there are more important things to consider right now."
Bulma put her hands on her hips as she glared at his back. "Listen, you jerk! I'm a scientist and given all the research that goes into my profession I can tell that the process of getting a ship through the atmosphere is anything but pointless. I don't need to know the complete theory and mechanics if you don't know what that entails of. I just want to see how it compares to the methods I've studied from Earth so that I'll have an idea of what effects it might have on our bodies."
Walking out of the closet and finally looking at her, though only to give her an annoyed glance, Vegeta moved back to his bed to continue packing. "All I know is that it involves air pressure or something similar to somehow equalize the atmosphere to allow our bodies to adjust safely."
"Oh, so it's something like a hyperbaric chamber then?" Bulma questioned. At Vegeta's confused look, Bulma added, "It's a chamber used to help divers adjust to the difference in pressure after coming out of the ocean. How long will it take to completely stabilize the ship?"
Vegeta shrugged. "It depends on the weather conditions but usually about ten minutes."
Bulma's jaw dropped. "Ten minutes? That's not nearly enough time for bodies to adjust to a pressure difference. It could result in something similar to decompression sickness which can result in issues as serious as paralysis or death!"
Finally Vegeta gave up on packing and turned to finally face her. "Look I don't know how it works but millions of species aside from those on your backwater planet apparently travel through space every day and there are no issues with "decompression sickness" or anything of the like. The stabilization process just allows us to negate to lack of gravity in space so that we can move around like normal."
Thinking about his explanation, Bulma considered if there was still some danger. "I wouldn't have thought that air pressure would be able to change the effects of gravity."
"I can't believe we're even having this conversation," Vegeta said as he rolled his eyes. "I suppose it's amazing enough that you were able get in space at all considering how little your backwater planet knows about the reality of the universe. How did you pilot the ship at all? Did you just float around the entire time?"
Letting out a chuckle despite her previous concerns, Bulma smiled smugly at him. "No, not at all. You see, this backwater planet of ours came up with a method of our own. And from the sound of it, our method is far more advanced." Bulma looked down to hide her smug smile, pretending that the carpet was more worth her time than the glare she was receiving.
Her smile instantly vanished as she noticed that the carpet was coming closer at a shockingly fast pace. So fast that it didn't occur that she had been falling until the black carpet turned into the royal blue of Vegeta's armor.
"Damn it, Woman. This is specifically why I told you to stop with your inane questions," Vegeta mumbled to her as he flipped her to face the ceiling, he head coming to rest on his lap. Or at least it sounded like he was mumbling through the pounding of blood pumping through her ears. It felt like a thick blanket had been thrown over her, suffocating her with a weight and warmth her body wasn't prepared for. More than likely the shift in pressure had caused her body to be unable to support itself and her circulatory system had tried to counter-act the issue by opening her blood vessels to allow more blood to the weakened areas. If she had the strength to look down at herself she wouldn't have been surprised to see that her entire body had become flushed looking.
Moving her eyes to the side, she saw Kakarot holding Chichi close to his chest with a blue wave of energy surrounding them. Chichi looked a bit winded from her experience with the pressure but seemed to be in better condition since she was able to look around a bit.
"Vegeta," Kakarot started speaking and Bulma tried her best to follow along despite the pounding in her ears, "… your… ki."
Her side view of Kakarot and Chichi shifted to become a frontal one as Vegeta maneuvered her body close to his chest. All at once both of their bodies were encompassed in a similar wave of energy and the huge pressure was lifted away and Bulma gasped trying to take in as much air as possible. Looking over to Vegeta, she could have sworn that for the barest second he had been worried for her but the look was quickly replaced by his usual smirk.
"Leave it to you, Woman, to have to prove me wrong. Absolutely amazing that in a universe full of beings of all different makes and lifestyles that your species would be the single one weak enough to nearly die from a standard procedure," Vegeta chuckled.
'Bastard,' Bulma thought to herself, unable to move even the minor amount necessary to curse him aloud. Was it wrong to hope that she was somehow capable of harming someone through her glare? At the moment, she didn't care.
Of course the only effect her anger had on the Prince was amusement. "What, no long-winded complaints? I'll have to keep this situation in mind next time I want you to shut up."
A thousand bitter retorts and reactions passed through Bulma's mind as well as the equally bitter knowledge that she wouldn't be able to act on any of them. Thankfully Chichi spoke up before anything more embarrassing could happen. "That was only the first minute of your stabilization? How do regular people survive this?"
Kakarot looked over towards Vegeta for a moment before looking at her again. "Well, like Vegeta said, the stabilization process has been used for space travel for awhile now."
Chichi gave a glare of her own. "Just because something is being used for a long time doesn't mean that it's not negatively affecting people. Some people go for years before they notice that something is wrong with their methods." Bulma almost chuckled at the terrified look on Goku's face. "Have you ever actually looked at the logs of other races to see if they having as little trouble as you believe?"
"Um… no?" Kakarot cocked his head to the side with a clearly confused look on his face. Apparently it was a look that Chichi thought was cute because she blushed and looked away, trying to focus on her anger to get her point across.
"Well you should. For all you know there are races that are barely able to travel without major loss."
Having enough of Chichi's remarks, Vegeta cut in. "If I had known that the Women's blathering would have just been replaced with yours, I'd have left the room altogether. I don't care about how the stabilization process works or how it affects other races. Unless you can come up with something better I don't want to hear anything from you."
Bulma couldn't help but let out a chuckle at that comment. It hurt her chest to force the sound out and it earned her a sharp look of annoyance from Vegeta but it was completely worth it. He really needed to learn not to underestimate her.
"Glad you've found something to amuse you, Woman. Hopefully it'll keep your spirits up for the remaining time we have to wait until you're able to function."
It was a comment meant to lower her spirits if anything but nothing could change the fact that she would be taking him down several pegs later. And that was a feeling she was more than willing to wait for.
Several minutes after the ship stabilized, Bulma was found that she was still unable to move much. Even talking was still painful. Chichi was able to move around though it was with a bit of effort since her body was aching all over. Being all cozy with Kakarot seemed to have more benefits than just flirting since he was able to react quickly enough to prevent the pressure from crushing her as much.
Not that it mattered why she was unable to move or how long it was going to take for her to recover. Vegeta was Vegeta and if things weren't going his way at the moment he wanted he'd do all in his power to change that. So Chichi had finished packing for her and without a second thought Vegeta had scooped her up and was out the door with Kakarot and Chichi close behind. Never would she have imagined that Vegeta would willingly carry her in the typical bridal/princess style but maybe it wasn't as suggestive of a position for Saiyans as it was for Humans. At least it was better than thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Despite the embarrassing situation of being carried by Vegeta, Bulma let her eyes wander. Unlike Chichi, she hadn't been out Vegeta's room all week so this was the first time she had a chance to examine the Saiyan's ship. The halls seemed abandoned making her wonder where everyone was. Were they still in their rooms because the ship fully stabilized yet? No, that couldn't be it. If a safety reason was keeping everyone else inside it would also be keeping them inside.
The only other reason she could think of was that everyone was already outside in the docking bay. Which meant that, once again, she was going to be surrounded by giant strangers who were all going to be staring and ogling her. The thought made her stomach clench with dread.
After walking for several minutes down a seemingly endless hallway, they finally came to a stop in front of two large, metal doors. Once they opened with what had to be the loudest sound in existence, Bulma's dread was justified.
Much as Bulma had surmised, everyone was already in the docking bay and was in the process up unpacking and moving supplies from the ship. Despite the Saiyan's surely knowing the sound the door made, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned towards them. Upon seeing their prince they all saluted but it was clear that their attention was on her. Some were whispering to others, some nudging their neighbors in the ribs with a chuckle, others looked her up and down as if trying to see what made her worthy of their prince's attention.
Before the panicked feeling she had experienced before kicked in, she heard a low growl coming from Vegeta. Instantly several heads either dropped or looked away. Those that didn't turned to laugh or chide those that had. Looking closer, Bulma realized that the ones that didn't look away were slightly slimmer than the others. 'Are they female Saiyans? Geez, no wonder Vegeta isn't into his own kind.'
No, that wasn't a fair statement. They weren't ugly, not at all. Toned, built bodies and handsome, chiseled faces. They were just like the two Saiyans she'd had the pleasure of interacting with the past week only more compact. If they were a little more compact, closer to Chichi's martial arts trained body, and perhaps a little less battle scarred they'd be more on par with some of the Hollywood celebrities that starred in action movies.
"Ugh, I didn't think I could feel any worse than on the ship but somehow it's worse out here." Chichi sighed out as she shifted her bag from her shoulder to the ground. Before she put it all the way down, Kakarot took it from her. "Oh, thanks so much, Go-," Chichi caught herself saying his nickname before changing to his formal title, "Master Kakarot."
"It's fine. And I'm sure the gravity is what you're feeling there. The gravity her is about 10 times as high as it was on Yapisha."
Chichi's jaw drop mirrored Bulma's mental one. "10 times? So you're constantly being crushed under your own weight?"
"It's not all that bad. In fact, the higher gravity of our planet allows us to be able to move faster than our opponents when we're on planets with lower gravity. Ah, but the opposite is also true, I guess." Kakarot explained with a sheepish grin.
Chichi tried to hold back a chuckle at Kakarot's words since it was no doubt bad behavior for a concubine. "So half your battles are enjoyable and the other half are difficult then?"
"Feh," Vegeta scoffed, startling Bulma who in her exhausted state had forgotten that she was in his arms. Vegeta gave her a disapproving look before returning his glare to Chichi. "Such a pathetic line of logic. The difficult battles are the enjoyable ones. The only benefit of fighting weaklings is getting the job done quickly. A true warrior constantly seeks a challenge."
"But what about when you know you're at a disadvantage? Surely you can't enjoy a having a challenge if you know you're only option is to retreat."
"A warrior should judge his opponent and choose their battles wisely," Vegeta answered. "If they rush into battle and then flee at the thought of defeat then they are nothing short of a foolhardy coward. If defeat is the only fate to be seen, then it is fate itself that they should challenge."
Several Saiyans cheered in favor of their Prince's words but Chichi seemed to still unconvinced. "But what about situations that you can't predict? What if you go to a planet believing that you're prepared for everything only to find that...," she paused, struggling to think of an example that couldn't be overturned by the Saiyans blatant egoism, "that Frieza himself was the actual enemy?"
Bulma never thought that anything could be worse than the sound of a crowd's deafening conversations but the sudden silence that surrounded them was absolutely terrifying. If someone dropped a pin she was sure it would sound like an atom bomb detonating. It seemed as if everyone was frozen, not even taking the time to breathe. She would have wondered if time itself had frozen if it wasn't for the violent tremble coursing through Vegeta's arms. Looking up at his face she noticed that his annoyed glare at Chichi had changed into a death glare. It seemed that he was ready to snap at any moment and for the first time she was glad that she was too weak to move if only because he wouldn't be able to attack Chichi.
"If Frieza were to decide to become the enemy," the voice of King Vegeta as cut through the silence gaining everyone's full attention, turning their eyes towards his regal and proud form as he descended the ramp from the ship, "then there would be nowhere in the universe for even the greatest of cowards to hide." The severity of his words struck deeply in everyone's minds. "It is for this reason that we must dishonor our very beliefs, obeying every twisted whim that Frieza will not yield on and ignoring every wrongdoing he thrusts upon us. We do so, not because we agree with his views or because we believe that we can benefit from a partnership, but because we know that we are not strong enough to defeat him. However it is not cowardice that stays our hand. No, we hold ourselves back because we know that by biding our time and pushing ourselves as hard as possible we will be able gain the power to succeed against him. Our efforts are not in vain. Already Prince Vegeta has surpassed the unbelievable predictions of his possible strength. And Kakarot has proven that being born with a low power level does not mean that there is a limit to the power one can achieve. The day we have waited so long for will soon be in our grasp. But should that glorious day not come before Frieza's inevitable betrayal, we will not waste our time with mourning 'what ifs' and 'could have beens' nor will we flee or beg for mercy. We will rejoice because we will once again be free to follow our beliefs and fight like we've never fought before so that even Frieza himself would have to acknowledge our warrior pride."
At his words, the crowd erupted into cheers, praising their King's words and pledging their undying loyalty. The King moved his eyes away from Chichi's stunned expression to look over his people. Raising his hand to silence them, he broadly grinned.
"We have returned from our battle in undeniable victory. Reward yourselves this evening then prepare yourselves for our future battles so that they will end in victory as well."
Once again cheers broke out but it seemed that the Saiyans were content to go about their business and head out, to home or to celebrate Bulma didn't know. Looking away from the departing Saiyans, Bulma was shocked to see that the King was not only closer but looking at her with an amused look similar to his son's.
"What happened here?"
"Turns out humans don't adapt too well to the stabilization process." Vegeta explained dryly. "Another example of Frieza being a cheap bastard."
The King laughed out loud at his son's comment. "That it is." Taking a moment to look Chichi over, he directed his humor towards Kakarot, "Looks like your pick is holding up a bit better, Kakarot. That could be because she's more suited to our lifestyle than Vegeta's though. She might even be able to stand her ground in a fight with one of the southerners."
"Thank you sire," Chichi responded with a bow, happily accepting the praise. "Who are the Southerners though? Are they some sort of enemy or ally race?"
"No," the King shook his head, a more solemn look crossing his face as he took a glance at his son before looking back to Chichi. Bulma looked up at Vegeta only to see him looking away, pretending to be uninterested in the subject. "They're Saiyans who live far to the South of here. You see, the land surrounding this area is covered with a harsh, barren desert with fierce beasts capable of ripping apart anything that crosses their path. While other species would choose not to settle in this kind of area, for most Saiyans it is the perfect environment since it provides a constant challenge to make us faster, stronger warriors. In the southern land, however, the desert turns to dense forest that provides cover for the beasts that survive though ambush. The Saiyans that live there grow stronger in a different way by adapting to land, relying on stealth and agility to take down their enemies. Of course, all aspects have a meaning and purpose in a fight so we make sure that our warriors here also learn how to adapt to situations that require finesse over force."
"Wow, I grew up in the mountains back home but I'll bet it would be a completely different experience here," she gushed dreamily.
Bulma had to hold herself back from rolling her eyes over Chichi's avid interest in the subject of the Saiyans' different fighting methods. Not because she was afraid Chichi would be upset but because there was a chance that the King could take it the wrong way, that she was rolling her eyes at him. The subject of martial arts was interesting; it just wasn't as interesting as Chichi always seemed to find it. It was the same with housekeeping activities. Finding out simple tricks to make housework easier thrilled Chichi but to Bulma a chore was a chore and not something she wanted to talk about. But then she was sure Chichi could say the same about delicate intricacies of how circuit boards work. Sure she could solder and attach anything the plans told her to but did she know why or what her adjustments did? Absolutely not.
Turning to Kakarot, Chichi smiled. "Surely it's a great experience to train in such as vastly different area, Master?"
"Of course. There's nothing better than a new challenge to face head on. Ah," Kakarot's smile dropped as if something just occurred to him, "not that I've ever been to the Southern lands."
"Huh, you haven't? But it's on your own planet. Is it that far away? Oh! It is because the desert is too treacherous to cross?"
"No, nothing like that."
"Then wha…"
"Enough!" Vegeta yelled out bringing everyone's attention back to him. "I swear, do you ever cease with your pointless questions?"
"Ease up, boy. I know you've been mostly focusing on combat for awhile now but diplomacy is part of being a prince too. It won't hurt you to learn and share a bit of culture every now and again."
"I didn't realize diplomacy involved gossiping like bored housewives. Unlike you, I have better things to do than stand around holding an incapacitated woman while listening to you bond with servants."
The King chuckled a bit. "You'd prefer to get her to your chambers where she can be of some use to you, I take it? Perhaps take another nap on the couch with you will do her some good?" His chuckle switched back to his deep, booming laugh as Vegeta flinched a bit at his suggestion but Bulma barely noticed.
It was clear that the King thought much more of Chichi's capabilities than her own. Chichi was physically closer to the Saiyans' than she was so he seemed to easily accept that she would be capable of fighting even without knowing about Chichi's abilities. Of course the only times he'd seen her she'd either been near fainting or cuddling with Vegeta so what else was he supposed to think of her?
'I look so different compared to everyone else. Pale complexion, little body tone, obviously different coloring; there's no chance anyone from this kind of society would ever assume I could do anything outside of entertainment. Even walking in this gravity is too hard for me. I wish I'd known about the increase of gravity beforehand. I would have made something to counteract its effects. Then maybe I wouldn't be sitting here looking absolutely pathetic.'
"I swear, when did you become such a perverted old man?" Vegeta retorted, obviously uncomfortable with his Father's easy acceptance of his private activities.
'It wouldn't be too hard,' Bulma thought to herself, only half listening to the conversation around her. 'The gravity generator was a complex technology but it'd probably only take a day to make a smaller one capable of slight gravity changes. Perhaps something adjustable so she'd be able to gradually be able to move under her own power.'
"Perverted?" The King questioned, still smiling broadly. "I didn't say anything of the sort. Sounds to me like you're filling in the blanks a bit too eagerly, don't you think?"
Vegeta growled, apparently tired with his Father's ability to control the conversation so easily. "Like I said, I have more important things to do, things that involve shoving Frieza's attitude in his face and getting strong enough to take him down. Every second I'm not focusing on things like that, I'm wasting."
'Oh yeah, I still have to think about something that'll make him stronger. He probably won't be happy to learn that I'm planning on converting the gravity generator first. Well he'll just have to deal with it since conquering the gravity will be the first step in become strong enough to…'
Bulma's eyes widened as it suddenly hit her. Hadn't Kakarot said it just minutes ago, that the gravity difference made battles easier on some planets and harder on others? If even a slight difference could change the battle that much, what would a large change do?
"I'm sorry," Bulma said aloud, causing everyone's attention to move to her.
"B, what's wrong?" Chichi quickly moved to her side, trying to see what was wrong.
Bulma kept her eyes on Vegeta's though hoping that he'd understand what she was trying to indirectly say. "You mentioned… that you had a big idea that you needed to work on right away. It's because of me that you haven't been able to get to your lab, right?" Bulma choked out before the pain of breathing finally prevented her from saying more.
Unfortunately it seemed that her act was doing little more than confusing Vegeta. His eyes darted around her face and then down to her clenched fist lying on her chest. He shifted his arm slightly which did seem to alleviate her pain somewhat before looking back to her eyes. She would have to remember to be grateful for the rare act of kindness Vegeta bestowed on her later but right now there were more important things. Fortunately Chichi did pick up the message and she continued the act where it was left off.
"Oh no, that's right. Master Kakarot mentioned that you had a big breakthrough and that you wanted to get to your lab as soon as you landed so you could get some plans written out before you went to train. We're so sorry for wasting your time and preventing you from getting to your lab quickly enough."
Vegeta's eyes widened for a split second as he finally picked up on the 'get to the lab' part of their acting, as well as the 'big breakthrough' part. Narrowing his eyes again, he snapped his attention back to Chichi. "Finally you remember your place. How absolutely ridiculous that your first thoughts are to waste time chatting than to prepare for your roles in our households. You'd think a week of service would put you in the correct mindset but it seems that you'll need to actually do some work before it becomes second nature to you."
"I'm very sorry, Master," Chichi muttered through clenched teeth. Bulma could tell Chichi wanted to lash at Vegeta's way of acting the part but both of them knew that this was the way his Father would expect him to act.
"Let's go, Kakarot," Vegeta said over his shoulder as he turned to walk towards one of the side exits.
"You're going that way? I understand that your concubine isn't in the best shape right now but I'm sure they'd both like to see a little more than an industrial alleyway before you flying to your balcony entrance in less than five seconds."
"I have to get to my lab now. They can look out the windows if they want to see something else," answered back without stopping.
"For the love of….," King Vegeta sighed out as he rubbed his temple. "Look I don't care anymore that you're keeping this science act up but can't you at least give these women the chance to look around the kingdom before they're locked away in your chambers?"
'Locked away?' That comment hit her hard and instantly brought back images of home. How her Father keep her inside. How he had designed a special landing strip so she could get out of their plane without actually being outside, in view of anyone that could possibly wanted to do harm to her or the company. Sure it made this deal possible and it was the lifestyle she was used to but there was a small part of her that wanted to be able to go outside without someone else deciding when it was okay. Shaking her head from such bitter thoughts, Bulma refocused on her plans.
"I'll bother with petty things like that later," Vegeta answered back before locking eyes with Bulma's, "that is 'if' they've earned the privilege."
'Oh, don't you worry, Buster. I'll more than earn it,' Bulma thought with a barest of smirks edging onto her lips.
Vegeta seemed to notice and hurried his pace a bit, ignoring his Father's attempts at further conversation. Once outside, Bulma heard Chichi yelp as Kakarot picked her at with his free arm. There was barely enough time to respond to being grabbed before both Saiyan's jumped up and seemingly landed before an intricately designed glass door.
"Wha-what just…," Chichi stammered out, looking around as Kakarot placed her back on her feet. "What just happened? I know the King said less than five seconds but that was insane."
"Shut up and get inside," Vegeta grumbled as he commanded the door to open. Once inside, Bulma looked around at the common area taking note of what had been added from her design. Noticing her distraction, Vegeta started to walk towards the living portion of the area. "You can go over your checklist later, Woman. We're going to the labs now since you were so insistent on it."
"No." Bulma answered simply as she continued to look around, to see what area she could work with.
Vegeta halted in his tracks and glared down at her. "No?! What do you mean, no?! Don't tell me you put on that act simply because you wanted to get away from people looking at you!"
Ignoring Vegeta's rage, Bulma pointed over to the open part of the room. "Chichi, can you decapsulate the ship over there."
"Sure," she answered. Moving over to the bag Kakarot was still holding, Chichi dug around and the familiar capsule out before tossing it as far as she could. After the puff of smoke revealed the ship, Chichi moved over and entered the command to open it. "If you'd please follow me."
Both Saiyans still seemed shocked that such a device was possible but finally entered the ship.
Bulma locked eyes with the generator, ready to finally be able to explain her "Chichi, please close the door. Vegeta can you set me down over by that column?" Vegeta seemed hesitant but finally moved where she had instructed and lowered her to her feet.
Bulma braced herself against the main panel feeling the full force of the planet's higher gravity. She was glad that Vegeta hadn't stepped completely away since she was sure she'd have fallen directly to the ground by now. Working fast, Bulma keyed in the command to produce the artificial gravity field the generator created. Feeling as if a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders, Bulma let out a sigh of relief. Hearing Chichi giggle, Bulma looked over her to see Kakarot completely baffled by the obvious shift in gravity. He jumped around a bit, seeing if he wasn't just imaging things.
Smiling at his amazement, Bulma turned to look over her other shoulder to see how Vegeta was reacting only to realize that his face was just inches from hers. Instead of looking around the room or testing the gravity for himself, he was looking directly at her. His piercing gaze held her in place, causing her irregular heartbeat to kick in again.
"How?"
Barely stopping herself from answering back with 'what?' or something equally as dumb, Bulma composed herself. "You said on the ship that we should come up with something better than your stabilization process if we didn't like it. Well, we already have. This is the gravity generator. It produces an artificial field that mimics the level of gravity it's set to."
Vegeta narrowed his eyes but didn't seem to be angry, just analyzing her. "This can't be the big breakthrough you had then. You didn't just suddenly remember that you had this machine."
"No, I was thinking about how I could create a smaller version that would be able to negate the gravity and let me move better." Vegeta took a step back allowing her to turn around, Bulma faced the room. "Then I remembered what Kakarot said."
"What I said?" Kakarot asked, trying to remember what he could have said that could would trigger something in Bulma.
Chichi gasped, as she realized what Bulma was going for. "That's right! Goku, you said that the gravity difference between your planets and others could change your ability in battle."
"Precisely. But what if there was a way to get the same effect without leaving your own planet? What if you were able to control the timing and increase the level that advantage could give you? What if you trained at 20 times the gravity of this planet? Or 50 times? Or 100 times? Imagine how much faster and stronger you'd be every time you returned to your base gravity. Every day you'd be able to feel the difference in your ability because you'd be putting your body through more work than what would normally be possible."
"Wow, you really think you could do it?" Kakarot asked excitedly.
"Yes it can be done. I'll need to make a personal simulator first since I'll be able to work better if I'm not exhausted." Turning to look at Vegeta, she added. "There's also the issue of making prototypes for you to prevent to Frieza. That'll take some time as well."
"They're just fake prototypes, right?" Chichi questioned. "Basically removing the polish from already completed projects. If you two," Chichi motioned to Kakarot and Vegeta, "can help Bulma with the heavy lifting required to make the generator then I should be able to make the prototypes."
"It sounds like a plan that we can move forward with," Bulma answered with a smile before looking to Vegeta again. "Well, what do you think? Willing to do some menial labor for a greater cause?"
"Whatever it takes," Vegeta answered without pause. Though his body still seemed rigid as always Bulma could see it in his eyes that he was excited by the prospect of artificial gravity manipulation, that there actually was a way to aid in his efforts to get stronger. "We only have three weeks until Frieza comes here. We can't take the risk that he'll be content with a conflict-free visit. He never has been before. Every second we can train with this machine of yours is another step towards closing the gap between his power and ours."
Bulma shook her head. "I can't promise that you'll be able to fight Frieza one on one three weeks from now. While I haven't met him personally I can tell from the reactions of this prideful warrior race of yours that his level of corruption and power is not something to take lightly. But," Bulma smiled genuinely, without sarcasm or smugness, "I believe that you'll surpass him in time so I'll be more than happy to provide the tools and materials to build a bridge to make that time shorter."
A/N: Well they're finally on Vegetasei, only two chapters after I originally said they were going to be. And Bulma had the revelation to use gravity manipulation to help with their training. Who saw that come besides everyone? :P
Hope you all enjoyed. Please feel free to leave a review, I love hearing from you guys.